My contribution to James/Miranda/Thomas Appreciation Week 2017!
The Art of Asymmetry
Rating: Mature
Words: 5,469
Her sketches of people tended to veer into caricature with their lively emphasis of all things out of the ordinary – a large nose, a double chin, a foppish gesture -, and had thus quickly been ruled unfit for display among polite company.
Thomas encouraged her to keep a rotating selection framed on a dresser in the chamber connecting their rooms.
It was a week into their affair that Miranda first sketched James.
One evening, James forgot his tricorn in her bedroom and the next time he visited, she sent him to the connecting chamber to fetch it. He re-emerged, face scarlet.
“Has Thomas seen the sketches?” he asked, twitching a restless hand at the dresser behind him, where a perfectly innocent profile of his face sat amid lush bursts of lilac blossoms and vicious caricatures of Thomas’ least favourite Members of Parliament.
“Only the ones that show little more than what he has already seen of you,” Miranda promised. She noticed the way his thumbs kept running along the swooping brim of the hat. “Why, would you give me permission to share the others? My dear husband does admire the sight of such well-honed strength as yours, love.”
Something hushed over James’ face, a spectre of what she sought to banish before all: shame.
Miranda rose from her seat. “James, I would never want to embarrass you. I assure you, I would never without your approval -”
“You have it,” he cut her off and fixed his eyes upon hers, proud and quietly stormy. “Show him. I’m sure the sight of a working man’s coarseness will inspire him when he is caught up in his own hard labours, talking policy over tepid tea with bewigged old men.”
And James put on his hat, all manners forgotten in his haste to leave, and kissed her roughly before sweeping out of the room.
Miranda sat down where she stood, stomach fluttering over the amalgam of upset and arousal that had been on his agitated tongue.
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