The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 45 - Slight R19

< Chapter 45 >

‘I wasn’t ready to forget you at all.’

Mabel, who sat hesitantly on the sofa in her room, tightly closed her eyes. When she heard the news about William’s fiancée from the student council room, she returned to the dormitory without even turning on the lights and sat alone in the dark dormitory room for a long time.

Despite the blurry black-and-white photo, she was a beautiful woman with a slender figure and a stylish dress that epitomized a modern woman.

Charlotte Simpson exuded elegance that suited William perfectly. Furthermore, alongside her cheerful expression, it was noted in fine print that she was the daughter of Duke Simpson, a noble lineage, and had studied abroad at France’s Sorbonne, showing her exceptional talent.

“It was bound to happen sometime, Mabel Willis, and why should it hurt you to think of leaving him?”

Mabel had made up her mind to leave William’s side as soon as she graduated, but she hated her selfishness for wanting him to have eyes only for her while he was with her.

On the other hand, she thought that if William will marry Lady Simpson, he would have given her some hints. He was that kind of person. However, even in the letter she received from William last week, there was only affection for Mabel, and there was no mention of the new fiancée.

‘Even if, even if the articles in the royal gazette are just rumors, it’s just a prelude to something that will happen someday. So, don’t hold onto hope…’

Mabel hugged her aching chest and buried her face in her knees.

How much time had passed?

The second-floor windows illuminated the night sky, and the entire dormitory was silent as if it were dead past bedtime. Then, a strange sound was heard from Mabel’s window.

Thud, thock.

Thinking it was the sound of rain at night, Mabel, who was still sitting with her head buried, lifted her head again at the sound. The pitch-black night sky was clear without a single cloud.

Thock, thock.

The sound came again. Mabel, who had been staring at the window all along, witnessed a scene where small pebbles hit the window instead of raindrops and fell.

“Pebbles…?”

As if suddenly remembering something, she went to the window and looked outside. There was William Edmundstone, who had successfully called her, looking up at her with a smile on his lips.

‘Mr. Edmundstone!’

Mabel was startled and quickly covered her mouth in case she screamed. William Edmundstone was here at the women’s dormitory, especially at this late hour. She had secretly brought him into the dormitory room during the autumn festival, but the situation was different from when other guests visited Summerhill at that time.

After confirming Mabel’s face, William looked around, then confidently began to climb the tree close to her window, as if saying that his expensive suit and the like were irrelevant until he was close to her window.

“Would the young lady allow an officer into the room around here?”

William, who had almost reached the window where she stood, asked softly with a hint of breathlessness.

Without a word, Mabel stepped back from the window and allowed him to enter the room. Watching his unhesitating movements, Mabel felt more fear than relief in her heart.

‘Did he come all the way here to inform me about his engagement with Lady Simpson?’

If he had come here in the middle of the night to say something, it must have included that level of seriousness.

As William entered the dormitory room, he immediately embraced Mabel, who had a pale face and tear stains remaining on her disheveled face.

“I saw the article.”

Mabel couldn’t say anything in response to William’s penetrating words and hesitated in his arms.

“I came here expecting that.”

Although William gently touched foreheads with Mabel and spoke softly, Mabel avoided his clear and bright gaze.

Whether he had seen the article or not, it seemed like he was determined to upset her today. Whether his next words announced his engagement to Lady Simpson or not, it didn’t matter anymore. All that filled her mind now was the regret of not having him in her arms.

Mabel buried her face in his arms as if she would cry right away. However, William gently lifted her chin and made her meet his eyes again.

“Mabel, you’re one of the few people who don’t believe in the promise I made.”

His serious blue eyes looked directly at Mabel. Affectionate yet resolute, as if reminding her not to forget.

“Mabel, you’re the only one for me. I rushed here from London today because I was worried that you might suffer like this after seeing such false news. Only God knows how hurried I was.”

Unexpectedly, Mabel’s legs lost their strength at William’s words, and she hesitatedly sat down.

“T-then, what about that lady…?”

As Mabel recalled the bright expression of the woman in the photo and asked in a trembling voice, William knelt on one knee on the dormitory floor, facing her, and answered.

“Lady Simpson, a relative of the royal family, has no relation to me whatsoever. I met her for the first time at the matchmaking session that day. Whenever the legitimacy or popularity of the royal family wavers, royal journalists tend to connect them with Britain’s venerable noble families and members of the royal family. Regardless of the truth.”

He patiently explained to Mabel, who had a blank expression. His tone seemed as if he were trying his best to calm her down as if he had experienced such situations many times before.

“I should have talked about this possibility. I guess I had no choice either.”

William lightly tapped his forehead against Mabel’s, and the pleasant scent of his sweat, mixed with his characteristic refreshing fragrance, softened Mabel’s heart.

“Forgive me, Mabel.”

As Mabel seemed to calm down a bit, a gentle smile finally appeared on his lips. Seeing this, Mabel suddenly came to her senses and realized where they were now.

“Why did you worry and come all this way, at this hour? What if someone saw you coming into the dormitory? You could have sent a letter, or waited until tomorrow morning to send a messenger alone…”

“You were on the verge of crying; could I just stand still?”

William’s serious gaze rested on Mabel’s moist face. Then, he gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead and the bridge of her nose in turn.

“Ah…”

Mabel, realizing again how much he cared for her, forgot her embarrassment and kissed him back, hanging onto him. William’s soft lips embraced hers and moved slowly.

‘I still… I still want to remain as Mr. Edmundstone’s lover.’

In just half a day, Mabel’s heart, which felt torn to shreds, regained vitality from their kiss.

To think that this man loves her. Moreover, he had rushed here from afar, risking damage to his career and reputation in case she was upset.

As the kiss deepened, Mabel’s cheeks reddened.

When William finally pulled away, breathing heavily, Mabel pulled him closer to her. Her desperate desire to hold onto him was evident in her kisses and gestures.

“Mabel.”

William caressed her face as she eagerly sought his lips again.

‘Oh.’

Mabel understood from his swallowed words that everything was okay now. She reluctantly released her grip on his cravat, and a few strands of William’s tousled hair fell onto his forehead.

Mabel looked up at him, his thick eyebrows slightly obscured by his hair and his clear blue eyes. 

“Hold me… please.”

In her faint voice, William’s gaze slowly hardened.

“Don’t you want to hold me?”

Without a response, Mabel provocatively questioned the quiet William. She pushed aside any thoughts of William in the black and white newspapers and the future William who wouldn’t be by her side and just wanted to embrace him again like on the Isle of Wight.

“Mabel, calm down.”

William, who had grabbed hold of reason within his confused heart, said. Before him was Mabel, with traces of tears and a serene face, holding onto his cravat like a lifeline.

“Someone who sneaks into a girls’ dormitory in the middle of the night shouldn’t be concerned about propriety now, should they?”

Mabel whispered with a moist voice. Sensing a desire in her eyes that was different from usual, William felt his instincts stirring, along with a deep affection that wanted to embrace her tightly.

“Right here, right now…”

Mabel pulled his cravat towards her again, whispering. How could he refuse? He never had the power to reject Mabel in the first place. His head quickly descended towards Mabel. Lips devoid of tenderness or reason hastily captured Mabel’s lips.

“Mmm…”

As the kiss became more intense, William’s hand swept up Mabel’s leg, which had been resting on the floor, and draped it over his waist, eliciting a moan from her. In the quiet dorm room, only the sound of lips exploring each other and the distant murmurs of other sleeping students could be faintly heard.

“I-I can’t, hah, help making sounds… when you, uh, do that…”

Mabel whispered sporadically to William. But contrary to Mabel’s wishes, her breathy moans only served to further excite William.

Eventually, as William grasped her thigh and pressed his large body against hers, Mabel found herself instinctively pulling up the hem of his shirt with her lips. Fortunately, the smooth fabric muffled her soft moans.

Rough passion soon engulfed her body as if shaking the entire world. Mabel trembled with joy, hoping fervently that her breathless sighs wouldn’t escape beyond the walls of the dorm room.