Gwen didn't have any patience with the usual round of oblique conversation. She was the daughter of an earl and had long since decided that gave her a little license. Sadly, such a bald reference to husband hunting made Miss Carson color up to her ears. Fortunately, her embarrassment still allowed her to speak.
"I so desperately want to be married," the girl whispered.
"Truly?" Gwen asked, startled as usual by the honest desire to be wed. "But why would one want to be saddled with a husband when there is ever so much more fun to be had single?"
"Oh no!" gasped Miss Carson. "Don't you want to go on carriage rides with a man? To... you know, hold his hand and... and..."
"And kiss him?"
Again the blush burned the girl's cheeks bright red. "Well, kisses and other things," she whispered. Then she pressed her gloved fingers to her mouth as if she'd said something scandalous. Poor girl. She was of an extremely fair complexion so every spot of color shone bright.
Gwen looked about. The room was empty save for them. She'd already dispatched the maid who usually waited in the room to bring them glasses of lemonade. So she felt perfectly safe in confessing the truth to Miss Carson, if only to see if she could make the girl's blush flame even brighter.
"Kissing can be accomplished without benefit of marriage, you know. As for the other things, well, if one is judicious about it, one can experience quite a few delightful sensations well beyond a little kiss."
"Oh! Oh my!" gasped the girl. Then she too looked about and saw the room was empty before scooting her chair even closer. "Tell me please," she begged. "What have you done?"
Gwen bit her lip. Really, she ought not confess the things she had done. She didn't even know the girl. What if the girl was a terrible gossip? But given that Miss Carson was horribly shy, she was probably better than a monk at keeping secrets. And Gwen really did wish to share her exploits with someone.
"Well," she said, unable to keep herself from confessing. "I have kissed quite a few gentlemen. It's really pretty easy."
"Many?" gasped Miss Carson. "How many?"
"Oh, a dozen or more!" Gwen lied. Truly it had only been five gentlemen. But the kisses totaled more than a dozen so it really wasn't a big lie.
"What else have you done?"
Now that was something she had never told anyone ever. She felt her face heat with her own blush. But she had thought about it over and over, the memory burning into her thoughts even though it was a rather horrid experience.
"Oh please," Miss Carson begged. "What did you do?"
"Well, it began with a kiss," she said, her gaze dropping to her hands as she remembered. "It was the last ball of the Season and the attendance was rather thin. I took a tour of the ballroom as I do sometimes with gentleman I intend to kiss. It's easy to slip into a doorway or a spare room, especially when the attendance is too many to see everyone, but light enough that one can wander away."
"I don't know how you could manage it! I would be shaking in terror."
That wasn't the terrifying part, but Gwen didn't say that. Instead, she looked up from her lap only to encounter her reflection in a mirror. She had color in her cheeks and eyes lightly touched with kohl so as to bring out the dark texture of her lashes. Her honey blonde hair was pulled into a simple style to let the waves show and because it was easier to brush out after an ardent kiss. But she hadn't yet been kissed this evening, so everything was in place including her cosmetics.
Sadly, that's not at all what she saw when she looked into the mirror. She noticed the way the skin under her eyes appeared dark and thick despite the powder she'd applied. She saw the way her head was too large for her body and her breasts too tiny. And though it didn't show, her skin felt too thick and too thin at the same time. Thick with water retained just below the surface, and thin with the stretch that created.
It was all nonsensical, or so she told
"I so desperately want to be married," the girl whispered.
"Truly?" Gwen asked, startled as usual by the honest desire to be wed. "But why would one want to be saddled with a husband when there is ever so much more fun to be had single?"
"Oh no!" gasped Miss Carson. "Don't you want to go on carriage rides with a man? To... you know, hold his hand and... and..."
"And kiss him?"
Again the blush burned the girl's cheeks bright red. "Well, kisses and other things," she whispered. Then she pressed her gloved fingers to her mouth as if she'd said something scandalous. Poor girl. She was of an extremely fair complexion so every spot of color shone bright.
Gwen looked about. The room was empty save for them. She'd already dispatched the maid who usually waited in the room to bring them glasses of lemonade. So she felt perfectly safe in confessing the truth to Miss Carson, if only to see if she could make the girl's blush flame even brighter.
"Kissing can be accomplished without benefit of marriage, you know. As for the other things, well, if one is judicious about it, one can experience quite a few delightful sensations well beyond a little kiss."
"Oh! Oh my!" gasped the girl. Then she too looked about and saw the room was empty before scooting her chair even closer. "Tell me please," she begged. "What have you done?"
Gwen bit her lip. Really, she ought not confess the things she had done. She didn't even know the girl. What if the girl was a terrible gossip? But given that Miss Carson was horribly shy, she was probably better than a monk at keeping secrets. And Gwen really did wish to share her exploits with someone.
"Well," she said, unable to keep herself from confessing. "I have kissed quite a few gentlemen. It's really pretty easy."
"Many?" gasped Miss Carson. "How many?"
"Oh, a dozen or more!" Gwen lied. Truly it had only been five gentlemen. But the kisses totaled more than a dozen so it really wasn't a big lie.
"What else have you done?"
Now that was something she had never told anyone ever. She felt her face heat with her own blush. But she had thought about it over and over, the memory burning into her thoughts even though it was a rather horrid experience.
"Oh please," Miss Carson begged. "What did you do?"
"Well, it began with a kiss," she said, her gaze dropping to her hands as she remembered. "It was the last ball of the Season and the attendance was rather thin. I took a tour of the ballroom as I do sometimes with gentleman I intend to kiss. It's easy to slip into a doorway or a spare room, especially when the attendance is too many to see everyone, but light enough that one can wander away."
"I don't know how you could manage it! I would be shaking in terror."
That wasn't the terrifying part, but Gwen didn't say that. Instead, she looked up from her lap only to encounter her reflection in a mirror. She had color in her cheeks and eyes lightly touched with kohl so as to bring out the dark texture of her lashes. Her honey blonde hair was pulled into a simple style to let the waves show and because it was easier to brush out after an ardent kiss. But she hadn't yet been kissed this evening, so everything was in place including her cosmetics.
Sadly, that's not at all what she saw when she looked into the mirror. She noticed the way the skin under her eyes appeared dark and thick despite the powder she'd applied. She saw the way her head was too large for her body and her breasts too tiny. And though it didn't show, her skin felt too thick and too thin at the same time. Thick with water retained just below the surface, and thin with the stretch that created.
It was all nonsensical, or so she told
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