The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 77

< Chapter 77 >

“William!”

As the window swung open, Mabel whispered, and the refreshing spring breeze seemed to respond to her. Soon, William, who had been leaning against the tree, appeared.

Dressed in beige trousers and a white summer shirt, he seemed unusually relaxed for someone who clandestinely visited the women’s dormitory every week. William skillfully entered Mabel’s room and gently embraced her.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

Mabel and William whispered sweetly to each other. After releasing the embrace, William slightly bent his waist and handed the bouquet he had been holding to Mabel.

As if plucked from a corner of a spring garden, a profusion of white and yellow flowers nestled into Mabel’s arms.

“Oh, they’re truly beautiful!”

Mabel said, inhaling the scent of the flowers.

“Tomorrow, I might have trouble explaining the source of the bouquet to my friends again.”

In response to her laughter-mingled words, William replied in a voice as gentle as the scent of the flowers.

“Perhaps your clever friends will be delighted to hear that you’re receiving plenty of love from your fiancé.”

Indeed, after the start of the new semester at Summerhill, every weekend after the students returned home, a new bouquet would be in a vase by Mabel’s window.

Although Mabel couldn’t attribute the source of the bouquet to William due to the restricted access to the dormitory, her friends looked at her with knowing smiles, as if they already knew everything.

As Mabel arranged the flowers in the vase she had prepared, she asked William.

“How’s the new session in the House of Commons?”

As he took off his jacket and sat on Mabel’s bed, William spoke with a pleasing voice.

“Thankfully, there isn’t as much resistance to my background as I feared.”

The British Parliament was divided into the House of Lords, composed of nobility, and the House of Commons, composed of commoners, following a traditional class structure.

A few months ago, William stepped down from the hereditary seat in the House of Lords and relinquished his noble status. Instead, he ran for the House of Commons, believing that the political position of a commoner elected by direct vote in the democratic London was stronger than that of a hereditary nobleman.

Watching Mabel busily arranging flowers by the window, William continued.

“I think my election was supported by the fact that John Burning, the Prime Minister, has yet to implement social security policies.”

“Goodness, John Burning was elected on the popularity of his social security policies, and yet he’s not fulfilling his most important promises… Fortunately, you didn’t accept his offer to be Deputy Prime Minister.”

As Mabel returned to William’s side with a furrowed brow, William took her hand and gently pulled her closer. Embraced by William as if collapsing, Mabel murmured.

“Social security was your idea, William.”

“So, people expect me, as a member of the House of Commons, to push that legislation through the Parliament again.”

William, holding Mabel close to his chest, said as their eyes met.

When he first left the House of Lords and renounced his noble status, Mabel was deeply shocked. However, she was once again amazed at William’s political acumen, realizing that his actions weren’t just about making the most commoner-friendly John Burning the Prime Minister, but also about employing a cunning strategy to enter the House of Commons, where he could potentially become the Prime Minister himself.

In his arms, Mabel recalled the political articles she had read that morning.

Amidst strong predictions that Prime Minister John Burning, a commoner, was delaying the establishment of social security policies, the public opinion favoring only pure commoners as Prime Ministers was gradually diminishing.

On the other hand, William Edmundstone, the nobleman who first proposed the social security system, now serving as a Member of Parliament (formerly in the House of Lords, currently in the House of Commons), was considered the most promising candidate for the next Prime Ministerial election in various Westminster circles…

Thanks to William’s prominence in the political arena, Mabel had become accustomed to unexpectedly seeing her name in the newspapers.

Furthermore, people thought that with his renunciation of the Edmundstone family’s noble status and the recent news of his engagement to Mabel Willis, a former commoner maid, they could once again see his sincere efforts to break down the class structure…

William’s progressive actions were drawing attention and support from many, regardless of social class. His advocacy for education and welfare for all resonated strongly not only with the students who were able to receive proper education at Summerhill but also with the students at neighboring political colleges in London.

‘I wonder if William might become the Prime Minister of Britain in a few years. The first nobleman, the youngest Prime Minister.’

Thinking about the young students’ enthusiastic interest and support for William, Mabel pondered. Life was truly unpredictable; she, who had once rejected William under the pretext of burden from a noble family’s politician, might become the wife of a British Prime Minister.

At that moment, William’s sweet voice broke through Mabel’s contemplation.

“It seems my dear Mabel is more concerned about the welfare of the nation than that of her fiancé.”

As Mabel turned her head, she saw William smiling, burying his face in her neck. With a playful voice, Mabel replied.

“The welfare of my fiancé, what could be lacking in the illustrious Mr. Edmundstone?”

With a mischievous smile, William spoke.

“I’ve starved for a week without seeing the beautiful face of my fiancée…”

As William started speaking, he slowly lowered his head towards Mabel’s lips.

“I was thirsty for your sweet lips.”

Before Mabel could react to his embarrassing words, William’s soft lips touched hers. But the tenderness was fleeting; he began to suck her lips more fervently and intensely.

“Mmm…”

Mabel, feeling shy, found herself hanging onto his broad shoulders and accepting his kiss. Inadvertently, she leaned closer to his solid chest.

“Ah…”

William suddenly pulled his lips away. Mabel, with disappointment in her eyes, let out a sigh. With a hazy gaze, William whispered in a low voice.

“That’s enough.”

Mabel understood the meaning behind his words well. Over the past three months, William had been practicing abstinence like a faithful British gentleman.

Mabel now knew that it wasn’t because of what happened on the Isle of Wight, but William had hoped that Mabel would experience every stage of sweet courtship before marriage.

For the thrill of just brushing fingertips, the longing, the yearning… William restrained himself like this every week when he visited her.

Mabel understood that it was a consideration for her ladylike honor, but somehow, she felt more burdened by that consideration. Even though she couldn’t honestly tell him.

“It doesn’t seem to be stopping any faster, does it?”

Mabel muttered with a disappointed heart. William, relieved that Mabel was aware of the torment he endured despite having his lovely fiancée by his side, responded with a devoted, gentle smile.

“That’s right. Just watching my increasingly beautiful fiancée is becoming more difficult.”

“After the graduation ceremony next month… Oh, and then it’s another month until the wedding. Lord Alfred’s arranging the ceremony at the mansion, so it’s going to be grand. And in the afternoon, there’s the party, and then we’ll be off on our honeymoon by car…”

William looked at Mabel, who was counting on her fingers, with an amused expression. After contemplating for a while, Mabel suddenly widened her eyes and leaned towards William.

“You said a gentleman must cherish his fiancée until the wedding day, right?”

Watching Mabel, with both hands on the bed, gradually inching closer like a cat, William replied.

“That’s correct.”

“A gentleman shouldn’t touch or desire his fiancée’s body recklessly before the wedding. Otherwise, he would violate the gentleman’s code. Isn’t that right?”

William nodded with a smile on his face. As he focused on calming himself down, he was genuinely curious about how far Mabel’s question would lead.

“Well then…”

Mabel, who had approached William’s nose unnoticed, whispered in a delighted voice as if she had figured something out.

“Now seems like the perfect opportunity to get to know your body!”

At Mabel’s words, William momentarily doubted his ears. The smile on his lips, which he had restrained for a moment, grew even deeper.

“To get to know my body. I wonder what that could mean.”

Mabel blushed as she looked into his dark blue eyes.

“When you touched my body on the Isle of Wight… I was completely lost and couldn’t do anything but surrender to your touch.”

Feeling embarrassed, Mabel squirmed as she climbed onto William’s thighs on the bed. She could feel his sturdy body tensing up.

“As much as you make me tremble with joy, I want to learn how to bring you joy too. Since you’ve sworn as a gentleman not to touch my body first, then I should be able to explore your body without worrying about losing myself, right?”

Was it because she had been working as Professor Webster’s research assistant that she developed an interest in exploration? Mabel finished speaking and brought her red lips to William’s cheek.

Quickly pulling away her lips, Mabel slowly began to unbutton William’s shirt with her small hands. Her trembling breath gently stimulated William’s ears.