Corsets and Lace

Part of a historical I'd been working on at one time. Not finished, but I'll get back to it eventually

"Tighter." Margaret exhaled slowly so her maid could cinch the laces of the light blue whale boned corset dress tighter. The bones of the garment dug into her ribs and the many layers of petticoats and hoops weighed her down, but she wanted it as tight as it would go.

"Miss Margaret, if I cinch this tighter, I fear you will faint from not being able to draw breath. Please, let me loosen it." Mary's blond hair danced around her young face as she shook with the effort of tightening her strings.

"Tighter!" Margaret said between clinched teeth. "I don't want to breathe, I want my mother to see just how much her insistent nagging is affecting my health. If I faint because she demands I play the lady, then I shall faint so she will stop trying to sale me off to the highest bidder posing as a suitor."

"But, Miss Margaret, your mother is only doing this so that you can survive. You're getting older and she wants to make sure you have someone." Mary cinched it tight enough that Margaret was unable to respond.

A knock at her door made Mary move to answer. Margaret just leaned against one of the posts on her four-poster bed and practiced taking deep breaths. She knew what the knock was about even before Mary moved back to her.

"Your mother says dinner is ready and that you need to come down now."

Margaret nodded before moving to inspect her appearance in the mirror. She might have been doing it for the wrong reasons, but she was able to admire for a second how nice she looked.  The tightly cinched light blue dress made her waist look incredibly tiny and pushed her breasts up in a lovely display.  Her hips were full in the puffed skirts.  She looked almost seductive, inviting, if one could over look the disgusted look on her face.  Or maybe it was distress.  One glance at the high flush across her cheeks told her that she wouldn't be able to keep this dress on for too long. 

Taking as deep a breath as her corset would allow and made her way to the door.  She wondered whom her mother had invited to dinner tonight.  Over the last four weeks it had been a steady succession of gentlemen paraded before her.  The worst had been Duke Radington, who at forty-four was simply looking for a wife to tend his brood of children.  She shuddered every time she saw him.  His calculating look told her he already had her pregnant with one of his children on each of her hips. 

“No thank you.” She said out loud. 

It wasn’t even the gentlemen that bothered her; it was the thought that her mother felt it was necessary to treat her as though she needed to be married.  She was capable of taking care of herself despite what society said about women.  Margaret was intelligent enough and strong enough to go against society if necessary. 

She descended the spiral staircase slowly not bothering to admire the pictures of her ancestors on the wall as she normally did. Breathing and making it to the dining room were her only concerns. She approached the door and waited for Radcliff, the butler, to introduce her to the room.

"Nice of you to join us at dinner, Margaret." There was noticeable censure in her voice even though she looked at her lovingly.

"Sorry, mother, you know how fashion is, I must look my absolute best if I am to catch the gentlemen's eye." She smiled demurely before sitting at the table.

Margaret noticed that there was a well-dressed gentleman standing across from her. She curtsies at him politely and took her seat.  She went about eating her dinner without bothering to wait for the introductions. Eying him superstitiously through her lashes, she assessed him. He was dressed in the latest fashions in England. Color was all the rage in ton this season and he obviously kept up. With his starched white, high collared under shirt and blood-red overcoat, he reeked of high society. His age was indeterminate, though she guessed him to be around her age of twenty and nine years. He was handsome with his black hair, high forehead, straight royal nose, and strong jaw. He had piercing blue eyes that popped against his lightly sun-kissed skin. Yes, very handsome.

The dinner progressed with very little conversation or eating on Margaret's part, though she enjoyed listening to his thoughts on the variety of topics her mother asked him about. She was nodding in agreement over his thoughts concerning the Prince of Wales and the recent upheavals in the kingdom, when her mother abruptly turned to address her.

"Margaret, I have some news for you. I'm sure you'll be pleased once I tell you."

Oh no, the look on her mother's face told her that the news would do a lot of things, but pleasing her would not be one of them. She felt her heart beat a little faster and a slight lightheadedness struck as she waited.

"First, let me introduce you to Duke Readington of Westing. He has presented a grand offer that I could not pass up." Her mother smiled in a way that made the lightheaded feeling increase. She knew what was coming even before the words left her mouth.

“Please,” His deep voice resonated, “Call me Richard.”

"Margaret, he has asked for your hand and is offering a large sum to wed you. He asks that you be married soon as he is in need of a son."

Even though she knew what her mother would say, she was still shocked.  That shock quickly gave way to anger in the face of what was going to happen to her. Margaret stood so abruptly that she knocked over the high-backed chair she had been sitting in.  Her ire rose so fast she couldn’t control herself or the tremble of anger racing through her.  Spots passed before her eyes, but cleared quickly alerting her to the fact that she was not going to last much longer. She addressed her tirade to the man sitting across from her.

"I will not marry you." She stated vehemently. "I will not be sold off to you like some bred cow to produce a bunch of children. I am not nor have I ever been cattle to be bought and sold. You may find someone else to meet your needs, my lord, because I am not able to."

"Margaret!" Her mother was aghast at her behavior

"Do not 'Margaret' me! You sold me off, mother. Sold me off to a complete stranger." Margaret felt her face flush and saw her vision began to tunnel. Trying desperately to stay with it, she stepped back from the table. "I will not do this, I will not."

He spook again. "You have no choice, my dear, I have already secured your hand and your mother's delicate situation dictates that this marriage should proceed." He said quietly.

"Do not speak to me, you whoremonger. Do not tell me what I should or should not do." Margaret took another step back.

"Margaret." There was a warning in her mother's voice.

"I will not..." As she started to turn and walk away, the wave of lightheadedness intensified and she fainted to the ground.

When she came to, she was lying on her bed under her covers and her rib crushing dress was in a heap on the floor. She looked around and found, not her maid, but Duke Readington standing at the foot of her bed. It was the height of impropriety for them to be alone together like this.  When she tried to speak he stilled her with the rise of his hand.

"Lie still, I will only be a moment. Listen carefully; your family is in trouble financially. I am not sure how much your mother has really told you, but you both are in real danger of being tossed out on the street. Your father's money is gone and it is charity is keeping clothes on your back. I have offered enough money to pay your debts and keep the estate going. I am merely doing us both a favor, I need a son and you need money." He walked around the bed to stand over her.

"I do not know you and you ask me to just marry you? I think not." She was being defiant even though she was shocked at the enormity of their situation.

"Margaret, I will not make you stay with me forever. I only ask that you stay with me long enough to produce the child I need and then I will allow you to return here under the pretense of needing to care for your mother. I will not be cruel, I am only asking you to consider what you will be losing." He reached up to touch one of the posts.

She looked up at him and realized what kind of situation they were in. Trade her freedom and her body to keep a roof 0ver her head; those were her options. Margaret took a deep breath and agreed for the sake of the people she held dear.

"I will do this, but you must release me when I have done what you ask and continue to take care of mother and I both." Her sounded resigned

"Deal and shall we seal it with a kiss before I go?"

She eyed him speculatively.  He was attractive despite their circumstances and something in her needed to know if there would be any sort of desire sparked between them.  She nodded reluctantly and he leaned down to give her a passionate kiss that made her heart quicken. He pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes.

"All will be well." And with that, he left her there to think.

Author's Note

How does it sound? There is more, but I'm posting the start.