Work Text:
1)
Lord Babington cherished his luck every day since he had married his wife. There was not a single time where he would regret his choice. Esther Babington was the most extraordinary woman he had encountered . She was everything he had hoped and wished for: she was witty, understanding and caring. The only thing she lacked was her incapacity to play the piano, a cause of playful banter between the two.
He sighed out of sheer happiness. It was past midnight and was glad to be back at home. His footman welcomed him. Lord Babington gave him in haste his hat and coat.
“Is she already asleep?”
“I believe so, Sir. Would you like something to eat or drink?”
Babington shook his head. He had no appetite. He climbed the stairs as quickly as he could. When facing his chamber, he slowed down. He unlocked the door with caution. What he found made him beam. The footman had been right – his wife was well asleep but not in their bed, hence the room lit up when he had come in. A book in her hand, Esther had fallen asleep while reading. She probably had wanted to wait for his return, he thought. He got closer and slowly; he took the book out of her hand. The title made him chuckle. She had been reading one of those romances she claimed to despise so much.
Then, Lord Babington closed the then wide opened window. He shook his head disapprovingly. She could have caught a cold with the outside icy air. He would make sure she will be looked by a physician tomorrow He could already hear her saying he was making a big deal of nothing. The would argue but she would give in eventually, for his sake.
She was wearing his nightgown. It had become a habit of her since their wedding night. When he noticed it, she denied any romantic affiliation for this. She claimed that her own nightgown did not keep her warm enough. On their first wedding anniversary, he gave her one to resolve this. Yet, he never saw her putting it on. He never commented it again for he knew Esther was not at ease when it came to express her feelings. He was the most romantic of the two, that was for sure.
He did not know whether it was because of the wood cracking floor or because he had been too loud, but Esther opened her eyes slightly.
“Are you a ghost of my imagination or is my husband really here?”, she mused with a light smile on her face.
Lord Babington cupped her face with his hands before brushing her lips with his.
“My guess is that you fell asleep here on purpose so I would have to lift you up to our bed. Weren’t you the one to tell me some exercise would do me good the other day?”
Esther laughed. She had married quite a phenomenon.
“Wishful thinking” she replied before heading to their bed. She took off the nightgown. She could feel the proud eyes of her husband laying on her.
“Say it”, she told him once in the bed. He got rid of his cravat looked at her once again. She was already half asleep.
“I love you”
2)
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Depends on your definition of sanity, Lord Babington” Esther replied, tilted her head back. “You should see your face”.
Lord Babington rolled his eyes before giving in and joined his wife into the merriment. She was something else. She had forced him to join her for a horse ride around Denham Place. He had said yes for he could never say no to her. At first, it was a smoothly promenade. They were riding in silence, looking at the untamed nature that surrounded the place. Or rather, Esther was beholding nature while Babington was contemplating his wife. How beautiful she was. The sun could not compete with her red burning hair.
But then, Esther decided to have some fun. She quickened the pace. She took the reins of her horse firmly and started galloping. Lord Babington sighed. He knew his wife’s adventurous side. It scarred him most of the time. He could remember how she had taken the reins from him while he was still courting her, without any hope to succeed in mind. He had then seen how she had somehow come alive during that carriage drive. It was as if she was freeing herself from the shadow of her stepbrother for the first time in ages.
Now, Esther Babington was a free bird and took full advantage of it each passing day. She did not flinch when she saw a tree trunk blocking her way. Under her guidance, her horse managed to jump the obstacle. Lord Babington, who was trailing behind his wife, let a sigh of relief. He feared the woman would cause him an heart attack sooner or later.
She must have feel his distress for she stopped to take a glance at him. After their bickering around Esther’s insanity, Lord Babington helped his wife to climb down from her horse. He could not help but tightening his grip around her waist. He had been scared.
“I am fine. See?” Esther took her gloves off and showed her delicate hands to her husband. Lord Babington shook his head. He took her hands and kissed them with a delicate affection. He saw his wife blushing a little. She was not of the romantic type. They both had established that the second he had asked for her hand the first time. He could remember how she had laughed at his proposal. Back then, he had been hurt but now, he better understood her reaction compared to her character. Despite her apparent nature, Esther Babington was a shy woman.
Besides, he also knew she had not married him for love. Most of the time, he tried to not dwell on the matter but there were moments when it came back to his mind like a fresh wound which would not heal correctly.
Yet, Lord Babington was a selfish man. He would take whatever she would offer him. Even dangerous horse-riding. He took a deep breath and took a deep look at her. She was his wife for better or for worse and he intended to enjoy every single minute of it.
“What am I going to do with you?”
“You tell me, Lord Babington”, she replied with a taunting smile on her face.
She kissed him. It was a simple, light, sweet kiss but it was enough to surprise Lord Babington. He was used to initiate any romantic contact between them.
“I love you.” He added, once they were parted.
Esther opened her mouth. No word came. She closed her mouth, once again. Lord Babington kissed her forehead. No word was better than a sweet lie.
3)
“Why are you looking everywhere? Are you trying to hide?”
Lord Babington spun around. His wife was beautifully dressed. Her red hair was carefully tied into what it seemed a beautiful cascade. Her freckles, combined to her bright smile, she looked happy. If he only could be in the same spirit as her. Worry had been consuming him since their arrival.
They had been invited to a ball by the Parkers. Tonight, was the Sanditon opening ball of a new and promising Season. All their acquaintances were there, including Sidney Parker. The appearance of his close friend amazed Lord Babington quite a bit. He knew that his friend was still struggling with his former inclination for Miss Heywood, who was also present tonight. From where he was standing, Esther’s husband could see the uneasiness that remained between the two protagonists of that sad love story.
Lord Babington did not dare meeting his wife’s eyes. She knew him so well. Too well. To answer Esther’s questions, yes, Lord Babington was hiding but not from anyone. He was in fact hiding someone from her for he knew was among the assistance. It was Charlotte Heywood herself who had told him the news earlier in the evening. Sir Edward Denham was part of the guests list. To Lord Babington’s utter distress, the scoundrel could arrive at any moment now. And that was precisely he was trying to hide from his wife.
“Sister!”
Lord Babington winced. Sir Edward Denham was a rake. It had been foolish from his part to believe he would pretend not to see them. He saw Esther flinch. She met his eyes. She instantly knew he knew. Babington now really wanted to hide, not from Sir Denham but to Esther herself. She was angry. He could see it in her eyes. Her jaw was set with an irritation that he knew too well.
But for now, Esther Babington remained mute and smiled at her stepbrother.
“What are you doing there, Edward? If you’re looking for a rich girl to seduce, I fear you are not at the right place. Miss Brereton is not with you?”
Sir Denham chuckled. He went for her hand, but she snatched it away from him. Edward then proceeded to look at Lord Babington, who had been careful enough to stay behind his wife.
“I leave you then”, was all he said before moving to greet another guest.
Lord Babington let out a relief sigh he did not know he had been holding. It could have been worse. He almost grinned before taking a glance at his wife. Hers arms were crossed against her chest. She looked furious.
“You knew he was there”, she muttered angrily “And you did not tell me.”
“Esther, I…”
She gestured with her hands him to stop. She was not finished with him yet.
“Worse, you tried to hide it from me. And don’t you dare it was because you wanted to protect you. It was only to protect yourself.”
Lord Babington sucked in his breath. Not because the harsh Esther’s words had hurt him but because deep down, he knew she was right. Edward Denham had never truly his mind. He still saw the man not only as the scoundrel he was but also as a threat. He could not help it. After all, she had been enamored with her stepbrother and never with him. He promised himself to never make her feel bad about this – he had agreed to her terms in the first place. Yet, sometimes, the pain to never be loved like he loved her resurfaced. He hoped in time the sensation would eventually vanish, but he feared he would have to tame the feeling for his entire life.
He could hear people gossiping about them. Esther had expressed her opinion quite frankly. She glared at the couple next to them before taking her husband by the arm.
“May I know where you are taking me?”
“Hush”, she responded.
She led them to a small, private room that Lord Babington recognized to be the room in which Esther had agreed to marry him. She probably had not idea, but he could remember. She closed the door behind them in a haste and exhaled heavily. He feared another storm was looming ahead and prepared to face it.
“What is it?”
Lord Babington frowned.
“You will need to be more explicit.”
“Edward is not the problem. It can’t be. I thought we both agreed this was behind us.”
She took his hands in hers before looking at him. She reiterated her question, once again. Lord Babington face fell. He could not bring himself to tell her. She would resent him for it, he knew it.
“You have to trust me on this. Isn’t it what we decided in this same room less than two years ago?”
“You..you remember?” he asked, astonished.
Esther nodded, confused by her husband’s confusion. She took a step back. How could he think she wouldn’t recall this? It had been the start to their…Esther shook her head. It made suddenly sense. It explained everything – the turmoil in his eyes when he would look at her, the faint smile he would give her after telling her he loved her…Esther breathed out heavily and cupped his face with her gloved hands.
“My dear boy, you don’t even know I am in love with you.”
Lord Babington closed his eyes, not believing what he had just heard. He felt like daydreaming. His eyes open again, he opened his mouth to to tell her he loved her too. She did not let him start his sentence. She crashed her lips with his, kissing him for what it seemed an eternity.