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viscountessevie · 2 years ago

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Something There Vignette #2 - The Carriage

A/N: Welcome back to all who have been following this story aka my besties who have been either helping me beta reading and editing this with me or those just along for the ride reading snippets and listening to me ramble - here’s a second part of Chapter 1! [Taglist in the notes!]

Those who are new: Hello there! This is a fanfic for Lord Cassidy from Mr. Malcolm’s List and since he didn’t get a love interest in the film and is PRIME HR hero material, I gave him one! Her name is Lady Persephone Parker-Greens and you can read all about her in the links below. This is a childhood best friends to lovers story with marriage of convenience and a touch of forbidden romance.

Masterlist | Vignette #1 | Vignette #3

Yall read The Waltz and came back? Okay so some context, after the waltz they are both ambushed by other suitors and debs respectively and it’s just a filler scene that was too boring to post but probably will sharpen it up by the time I post the fic. The following vignette takes place after their separation at the Ball and they are on their way home together since they’re neighbours. Happy Reading yall!! [Added a watermark to my edit this time! I mean this is a very niche edit but if anyone does want to share - please let me know beforehand but reblogs are the most appreciated! Thank you]

As they left Amberton Manor, Sephy started to spring back to life. She could be the life of the party if she pleased and the occasion called for it. However, there was a guarded wall up with her performances in the Ton. If one knew where to look. Cassie knew. Now, as she pulled herself to his side, she allowed herself to relax in his presence. This is when the real fun began.

"There she is." He chuckled, his arm around her waist squeezing her playfully closer to him. They were so close she could feel the vibrations of his laugh against her own body. "I could have sworn you were about to put yourself to bed in the middle of the ballroom floor after Dick Chumley tried to engage you a second time."

Finally feeling free from prying eyes, she produced her fan hanging from her wrist and delivered a quick swat against his chest. "I would never. I will have you know, I am the perfect debutante" She gasped dramatically before hitting him again, lightly this time. "And that was for ignoring me while talking to Lady Feather."

"Lady Feather? You're slipping tonight, my dear Sephy." He teased and she couldn't help but smile at the endearment. It was just like any other night of theirs so why did it feel different? She shook her head to settle herself as they reached her carriage.

"Oh, I know exactly what her name was. It was Lady Gwyneth. She had far too many feathers, I'm surprised your nose was not aggravated." They left the conversation there as Cassie excused himself for a moment, running over to his valet and carriage. Most likely to brief that he'll be travelling with her tonight and to follow them.

She was opening the door to let herself in when he jogged back and swatted her hand away. Holding out his hand to guide her in, he opened the door for her. Sephy clasped his hand grateful and climbed in. Once she situated herself comfortably, she tugged him in. They both underestimated her strength of her pull as he tumbled inside and landed squarely on top of her.

She fell back onto the seat and their bodies pressed against each other under his weight. This time it did not feel as alarming as it did in the ballroom. Sephy was starting to enjoy being pressed up against Cassie. Before he could put out his arms to stop himself from crushing her, their faces came close together and their lips crashed into each other. Fire was the only thought that ran through her mind. It was the only way to describe how she felt having his lips on hers. Every part of her was set aflame.

The initial shock wore off a moment later and Cassie pulled back. He stared earnestly into her eyes, silently asking Sephy for permission to continue. They both knew their whole night had been building up to this. The waltz had been the turning point for them both, most of all for Sephy who was seeing Cassie in a new light. Oh, it was maddening how desperately she wanted to have him kiss her again.

Persephone didn’t need a moment to think before nodding enthusiastically. Tilting her head up, she pressed her lips against his. She let herself melt into the kiss. Her hands instinctively found his hair, her fingers tangling themselves through his thick locks while Cassie’s own hands came to cradle her head gently. Her fingers trailed down to stroke the nape of his neck, earning her a moan from him. She smiled satisfied against his lips as she brought her hands down to his lapels to tug him closer to her. They shifted their position so their legs could slot perfectly together. With one hand running through her hair, Cassie slid the other down the curve of her neck - letting her shiver in the wake of his touch before cupping her breast through her dress. His thumb rubbing against the hard pebble of her nipple, causing her to whimper into his mouth.

For those few minutes, they forgot themselves. They were completely wrapped up in each other, oblivious to the world outside. Then the door closed behind them, the noise startled the two. Persephone swore she jumped out of her skin while Cassie jumped away from her, landing on the seat across from her.

She used to always adore how well she could read him and how expressive he could be. Tonight, it felt like a curse. It was crystal clear how he felt about the kiss. Watching him carefully, she could pick out his furrowed eyebrows, eyes trained to the ground - he wouldn’t even look at her - and it had brought out his worst habit: chewing his lip to the point of drawing blood. She did take pride in how flushed he was from the kiss with his once perfectly styled hair all mussed up and swollen lips she was sure she could spend a lifetime kissing. Before she could part her lips to speak, he spoke first. He was stammering and fidgeting with nerves. Whatever was he nervous about?

“Sephy - Persephone, I apologise. That was highly inappropriate and… I shouldn’t have done that. It-it shouldn’t have gone that far. Good God, I compromised you.” He covered his hands over his mouth. She knew he was one for theatrics but this was too dramatic, even for her taste.

“Thank you for the delightfully astute observation, Caswell.” She said dryly, rolling her eyes at him. She was upset that ‘compromising her’ seemed to be his main priority. She hated that he seemed to regret what just happened and so she deflected. If he hated it, then she was going to pretend she didn’t care for it. “It was just a kiss, you do not have to get your breeches in a twist.”

“How are you so cavalier about this? I stole your virtue!” He dropped his head into his hands and let out a long groan. She could only glare at him with mild annoyance. With his dramatics, she couldn’t even enjoy how much she liked being ‘compromised’ in his words. “You didn’t steal anything, for Christ’s sake!” She leaned over to take his hands in hers. He slowly lifted his head up and finally looked her in the eye. She rubbed soothing circles on his hand while she reached out to caress his face and ran her fingers through his hair gently. He slowly started to calm down. “And I’m cavalier about this because it’s within our discretion, Cassie. It never happened if we don’t say anything.” She assured him. It hurt her to say it, but it was true. She loved him too much as a best friend to trap him into a marriage over a silly kiss that he certainly seemed to have hated.

“I am not going to lie to your parents, Persephone.” She did not care for the way he hissed her name and dropped her hands from his. “I did compromise you and I will be asking your parents’ permission for your hand in marriage the moment we get off this carriage.” He insisted honourably. He was so earnest about it all, she couldn’t hate him for it. What she did hate however was the finality in which he said it. She narrowed her eyes at him, staring him down with a glare usually directed at others for misstepping but he knew it all too well.

“Marriage?! Please tell me this is one of your jokes, Cassie. I assure you it is absolutely not funny.” Her tone was incredibly flat. The seriousness in his eyes told her exactly what she needed to know. She crossed her arms and stared hard at him. “Does your future bride get any say in the matter?” Her sharp and sarcastic tone was giving him whiplash. His eyes flashed and she could tell he was wounded. She had pushed her tone a little too far - making a mockery of his proposition by calling herself his bride. Nevertheless, she steeled herself and kept staring until he answered her.

“It’s the honourable thing to do, dearest and were you not just complaining days ago that you were already tired of the season and wanted a husband to fall into your lap? Well, here I am.” He grinned up at her. Now it was his turn to reach out and laced her fingers in his.

Shaking her head, she started to re-evaluate how her life had come to this. She had said that. Irony truly was a cruel mistress. Her thumb dragged across his as she gazed down contemplating at the sight. Who wouldn’t want to be married to their best friend? It was not as if she had never considered the thought of marrying him before. She was not one to be fussy about her marriage built on love. She knew exactly the kind of world she was born into. Marriage was a transaction and the safety net of the next chapter in a woman’s life. If one were to be rather pessimistic, it has been said that marriage was a woman’s legal death. She knew it would not be that awful with Cassie. Yet she knew if she allowed this, she would be robbing him of actual love. She knew he wanted a love match. He always has, ever since they were children. He was the dreamer and she was the practical one.

“No, Cassie, I will not be robbing you of your independence. And aren't you supposed to be upset that you've been ensnared by the claws of matrimony?” “Must you always forget, Sephy? I’m not like them - you know me better than that.” “Why are you so eager? We’re not in love.” She shot back.

Before he could answer, the carriage came to a stop. He huffed, "All this bickering when I could have been getting better acquainted with my bride." His eyes twinkled at the comment as he leaned in close to her. His eyes dropped to her lips for the briefest of moments. She glared at him when she realised he was teasing her. He never knew how to be serious, could he?

His wit was one of the things she enjoyed most about him. Tonight, it made her want to strangle him. Just as she was about to protest, the carriage door opened and her mask came on. She looked to him with pure adoration and was all smiles as Footman Jack helped her from the carriage. Forging forward first, a good distance was kept between them that no one but Cassie would be none the wiser to. Once they reached her front door, she spun on her heel to face him.

"I trust you'll keep our discretion tonight to yourself. Good night, Lord Cassidy." She gave him a cold curtsey and left him wondering where it all went wrong. "May I at least walk you to your room?" He hurried to catch up with her and gave her a pleading look. She never could say no to him. She nodded slowly, not trusting herself to say anything else.

The exhaustion of the day was weighing on her. Sensing this, he shuffled closer to offer up his shoulder to lean on. Old habits die hard and Persephone laid her head against his shoulder as he guided their way to her room. Breathing came easier when her parents were nowhere to be seen lounging in the drawing room. She knew Cassie well enough to know that he would have somehow let it slip to her parents about their indiscretion. It was an uncomfortable silence on the walk to her room. She absolutely despised it. This is exactly why she never let the thought of marrying Cassie go beyond considerations. All superficial attractions did was ruin friendships. Theirs had long transcended a friendship, they had a deep lifelong bond that couldn’t be compared to anything else. She wouldn’t trade it for anything else, not even a marriage based on lust with him. It was simply not worth it.

When they finally reached the threshold of her room, Cassie was the first one to break the silence. “I truly am sorry for tonight, Sephy.”

She couldn’t fathom what was so horrible and regretful about the kiss that he had to be sorry. She may not want to marry him because he felt pressured to do so but she did not regret that kiss. Not even a little bit, not even at all. It made her want to scream desperately, “I’m not!” at him but she was far too tired to muster the energy. All she could do was nod mutely.

“Promise me you will not tell my parents about tonight?” She pleaded softly - they would without a doubt have the two of them be married before the month’s end. The idea of Cassie resenting her later in their lives for trapping him in a loveless marriage broke her heart. There could be love in their marriage, just not the one he wanted.

He dipped his head in affirmation, silent and deep in his thoughts. She wished he would tell her exactly what was wrong. While they prided themselves on knowing what was wrong with the other most days, they could not read each other’s mind. This certainly was uncharted territory for the both of them. Sephy was so sure he was going to turn and walk away without a friendly goodbye when he took a breath. She watched him intently, unsure of his next course of action.

“Sephy…” He started to fidget with his hands as he always does when he was nervous, which was most of the time. She took a step closer to him and clasped his hands in hers. “Yes?” Looking up at him, her eyes were gentle and encouraging. You can tell me anything, was the unspoken reminder. He managed a small smile. “Would you consider being courted by me? We would not have to marry, however it would give us a chance to explore a romantic attachment.”

The hope that filled his blue blue eyes made her heart ache. She couldn’t do it, she couldn’t break his heart. She swallowed every one of her protests and slowly inclined her head.

“May I have some time to think about it? It’s been quite the night, Cassie.” She laughed softly, attempting to lighten the dark mood that had been cast upon them. His lips tilted up to match her laugh but it didn’t quite reach his eyes like it always does.

“Of course.” He stepped close to her and pressed his lips against her forehead. “Have a good night, dear Sephy.”

Persephone had closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead, allowing the moment to wash over her. When she opened them, Cassie was gone.

#Mr. Malcolm's List #Mr. Malcolm's List Fanfiction #Lord Cassidy #Lord Cassidy x OC #OC: Lady Persephone Parker-Green #Something There #Cassephone #Oliver Jackson-Cohen #FC: Simone Ashley #The Viscountess Writes

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viscountessevie · 2 years ago

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Something There Vignette #3 - The Fantasy

A/N: Hello hello to Vignette #3! It takes place right after Vignette #2 - The Carriage and is fully in Lord Cassidy’s POV. At this point, most of yall seeing this are my besties and readers (taglist as always in the comments!) who have followed since V1 but on the off chance you are new, you can check out the synopsis and first two parts in the Masterlist linked below. Heads up as the title suggests, there is a fantasy (sex) dream so it veers into NSFW! Happy Reading everyone :D

Masterlist | V1 - The Waltz | V2 - The Carriage

Caswell Cassidy had the worst sleep of his life that night. He simply could not stop tossing and turning. He imagined Sephy was not having a ball of a time either. The two of them had never fought like this before. It was absolutely miserable. He could almost imagine her in her room, curled into herself and quietly sobbing into her pillow.

His heart started to ache and wished he could have stayed with her. Closing his eyes once more, he forced himself into a slumber. Yet he couldn’t shake the image of her standing by her door out of his mind.

Cassie stepped close to her and pressed his lips against her forehead. His hand reached out to caress the curve of her cheek as his lips trailed down. His warm breath ghosted over the slope of her nose before settling upon her lips, tentatively. He had found himself wanting to kiss her again since the carriage ride. His heart started to race when she returned the kiss with equal fervour.

With one hand on his cheek, she tugged him with the other by the cravat into her private chambers. He obediently followed and kicked the door behind him to a close with his boot. Goosebumps started form on his skin as the thrill of being in her room alone set in. He had been dreaming of this ever since he was a young lad and it was absolutely surreal to him. He pulled her close once more and pressed himself up against the door as they connected their lips. He roamed his hands all over her, taking his time and savouring every moment. He wanted to commit every single curve of her body to memory. The two of them started to walk back to the bed. He held her in an embrace as they fell on her bed, giggling. They were just happy to be in each other's arms.

“You have absolutely no idea how long I have wanted this.” He sighed against her neck, placing soft kisses along the column of her throat. Cassie delighted in the way she trembled under him.

“How long?” She breathed as she pushed his mauve coat back and her fingers worked to unbutton his shirt. He groaned when her nails dragged down his bare chest with every button she popped open.

His eyes still screwed shut, he swore he could feel every touch the Sephy in his fantasy blessed him with. This spurred him to drag his fingers down his abdomen and slipped them under his pyjama pants. He started to palm himself as he wrapped his slender fingers around his throbbing cock. At the question, his mind started to flood with memories of his lifelong friendship with her. Moments where he just wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her senselessly. The feeling had never quite left him since he developed them when he was young. It seemed to have only grown stronger with time. He recalled the first ball she had attended since she was presented to society. The bodice of her pink dress was cut low and had framed her body perfectly - the effect it had on a young Caswell was profound indeed. All he could think of was hitching her skirt up her thighs and his fingers playing with her clit in a private corner, leaving her with a memorable first introduction to society.

More memories seemed to filter through his mind until it started to consume him. It was all too overwhelming for him to comprehend. A desperate needy grunt passed through his lips as he started to stroke himself.

"For as long as I can remember." He mumbled to himself, lulling back into the fantasy.

He captured her lips and his hands went to undo the drawstrings of her dress. She sighed into his mouth as his fingers ran down her back before freeing her from her clothes. Shrugging off the rest of it, her arms wrapped around his neck. He pressed her closer to him and stroked her tongue with his own. Cassie loved the way he could feel the goosebumps on her skin as he slid his hand down the valley of her waist down to cup her bottom. He gave it a firm squeeze, massaging it as she trailed her hand down his trousers and groped his manhood. She started slowly, stroking him to test it out.

Cassie mimicked the movements in his dream, he started out with slow strokes. As the tension built up in the fantasy, he found himself pumping his cock faster.

He had his head buried into the curve where her shoulder met her neck. He pressed hot open-mouthed kisses and his nose nuzzled her neck. She moaned loudly as he nipped and nibbled at a sensitive spot under her ear as the pace of her stroking him turned into hard pumps. They were running hot and every move just seemed to encourage the other.

She played around with her hands, one gripping his back to hold them in place while the other continued to palm his member - twisting and using her fingers to play with his tip. The sensation alone sent him into overdrive.

Cassie felt his climax reach its peak and be pushed over the edge as he completed over all his sheets. He groaned both in pleasure and then pain as it registered that she was never there. He was empty. He knew this could never measure up to the real experience. He frowned deeply, rolling off his bed and headed to the bathroom to prepare a warm towel to clean himself.

While he dragged the moist cloth across his groin, he felt the pleasure start to subside and shame settled in its place. What was wrong with him? This was a whole new level of depraved, even for him. He pressed the towel against his inner thighs harder and scrubbed himself clean. He argues with the one person who he truly adores, and mere hours later he was violating her in his fantasies?

The problem was not that he had dreamt of her. He had done it plenty of times. In fact, all the memories came to him earlier, it was quite likely he had gotten himself off right after they had happened. He definitely remembers that first night after Sephy had been introduced into society. It was a night of firsts for both of them. They had danced together for every other dance. She had kissed his cheek at the end of it, accidentally brushing her chest against his. Immediately, he had felt a stir in his breeches and practically ran out of the room to relieve himself. It was not anything new.

What was new was the fact that this was the worst fight they ever had and his solution to reflect on it was to pleasure himself. That felt like a violation in itself. He could very well be losing his best friend but somehow his needs came first. He could almost hear his old Nanny saying Shame on you, Caswell. The defilement was even worse when he realised that… the sharp way she had spoken to him in the carriage had turned him on.

Every sarcastic jab barbed at him. That raised yet commanding smooth voice of hers, he could feel it wrapping around his throat. The glares that she wanted to burn right through his skull. All of it overwhelmed his senses and his fingers twitched for another round. However, he was spent. He was disgusted with himself and had self-flagellated by scrubbing his thighs raw. He looked down to find his skin unusually pink. Yet, he still mentally noted the memory and sensations for the future. He knew he should not be enjoying this but he did. It made it all the more illicit.

Putting the towel away, he turned to lay on his back and stared at the ceiling of his dusty blue bed curtains. He had immediately ordered for multiple beddings in that colour after Sephy had remarked it was her favourite colour.

He could not stop turning over the memories of the night.

“Why are you so eager? We’re not in love.” The words were ringing in his ears like a damned curse ever since they left Sephy’s lovely lips. If only she knew the half of it. The fact of the matter is: Caswell Cassidy had been in love with Persephone Parker-Green for as long as he could remember. Most likely even before he even knew what love was. Sephy was love, he knew that much.

How could anyone not be in love with this magnificent creature? He closed his eyes and saw her perfectly. Her emerald-teal gown from the ball tonight had become his new favourite dress of hers. It had a shine in its colour that would make the dress glitter under the chandelier, making Sephy look like she was adorned in precious gems. The blue broached empire waistline pulled the dress together. If he was being cheeky, he did enjoy grazing his fingers across it as he held her during the dances. Cassie sighed to himself. She had enjoyed the waltz, hadn’t she?

He kept replaying the memory over and over in his mind, hoping it would lull him to sleep. He wanted to be very sure that he wasn’t imagining the way she was watching him. She wasn’t just studying him. If he knew her well enough, he might say that she was starting to find him attractive. However, he didn’t dare hope. He had spent the last 23 years curbing his hope, he was sure he would have gone insane otherwise. One simply does not move on from loving Persephone Parker-Greens. He had made his peace with it that he would settle down with an agreeable wife and would then focus all of his attention on her. Sephy would have her own husband by then. He had long given up his delusions of marrying for love. He knew in his heart he would never love anyone the way he loved Sephy.

When he awoke the next morning, shame washed all over him once again. It was the primary feeling in the sea of emotions he was wading through at that moment. Guilt. Sadness. Anger at himself. Most of all, he felt terrible. Terrible for subjecting her - albeit a fantasy version - to play a role in encouraging his basest nature when he should have been at her door on his knees begging for forgiveness.

Just as he was starting to pull himself out of the emoceans as he aptly named it, his valet entered the room to deliver a note. Cassie immediately recognised it to be Sephy’s handwriting and his heart soared, hoping she had arranged for an appointment. Instead as he read through the letter, he started to drown into his guilt, and his sadness had been promoted to despair.

Dear Lord Cassidy,

Thank you for escorting me back home and for a wonderful night at the Amberton’s Ball. However, in light of the events that occurred after, I require some time and distance to think through your proposition. Please respect this request and I will reach out in a week’s time when I’m ready.

Your friend, Lady Persephone

Two things that caught his attention that pierced a sword through his heart. One, she never addressed him as Lord Cassidy and now had done so twice. Once last night - he had quite literally recoiled hearing that from her lips - and now in this letter.

Two, a week away from her sounded absolutely miserable. He could not remember a time where the two of them were ever apart. Save for the three months of life he had on her. Since then, they’ve always seen each other in some capacity. They would even invite each other’s families to vacations in the countryside when the seasons called for it. Being apart from her was simply a foreign concept he could not comprehend. Despite his own feelings on the matter, he loved her more. He loved her beyond his own misery and would put her first to honour her wishes. A week it is. He could make it through seven days. He could call upon Julia or Malcolm to help pass the time. It would not be the same but he would manage.

For her.

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