Doctor D'Arco, Sorcerer of London: A Victorian Gothic Romance by Kathryn Colvin

Author:Kathryn Colvin [Colvin, Kathryn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kathryn Colvin
Published: 2024-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 31

Hieroglyphics

I do not remember what I dreamt—only how it made me feel.

It was after dawn when I awakened with a slow, comfortable sigh. A soft grey glow from the edges of the curtains illuminated the cobwebs on the ceiling, and I lay still for a few moments more, listening to the patter of raindrops against the windowpane, feeling the weak rhythmic pulses of my thighs fade into a warm, melting languor. I found myself lying on my back on the bed, still in my clothes—and yet, with my hair and corset unbound and no linens to cover me, I felt curiously exposed, almost naked despite my layers of dress, as if I were laid bare before the first fingers of day as the veiled sun crept to my window.

I shifted gently, realizing that my breasts felt swollen and heavy as they rose and fell with my slowing breath, and that my legs lay spread slightly apart.

As if I were laid bare before him.

A mild shiver arched my spine gently against the mattress—and then I let myself relax again, drawing a deep breath, in no hurry to move. I felt no shame, as if to enjoy so sensual a satisfaction were the most natural thing in the world.

Surely I had dreamt of Victor: I needed only think of him to feel my flushed skin warm anew against the cool morning air. A vague notion rose in my mind, and for a passing moment I considered whether I endangered my vow of celibacy with my present state—whether I had broken it already in my sleep—but I let the concern slip away with a quiet sigh. An aftereffect of the elixir; I should not be blamed for such effect as it had upon me.

A taste of herbal bitterness lingered in my mouth, not entirely unpleasant in itself, almost pleasurable in what it signified. Some remained on my lips, and the taste grew in strength as I touched the tip of my tongue to the corner of my mouth. I was to drink a mouthful each midnight, had he said? I had consumed somewhat more than that, I thought, to judge by the level of the green mixture in the flask on my nightstand. No matter: I needed it, after the perils and exertions of the evening before, and from the way that I now felt I knew it had restored me. I was comfortable, and I thought that I was strong again: I felt Victor’s shadow within me, awakening from its embers with no more than a mild stirring of my will; I tested my legs and ankles, leisurely moving them this way and that against the mattress, and I felt no pain.

I could rest again, I thought to myself, and hope to regain whatever lost dream had so pleased me into that melting euphoria in my sleep. I had not entirely forgotten the need to re-administer the poultice at dawn, but the day was still new, and I did not imagine that a few more minutes’ delay would be of great importance.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.