TWO

After a little while, they were done, and she was dressed up tightly and pretty in a light blue corseted lace dress.

The corset was so tight Elizabeth could only breathe like a Tuberculosis patient---that is, barely and weakly.

Her hair was pulled into an intricate updo with pearls, beads, and braids. Her large sapphire jewelry necklace and earrings weighed heavy like rocks both on her chest and on her ears. And her makeup was done as requested, a layer so thick, her face was a little tight.

If she smiled, she may have cracked all the rogues, powders, and paints. So, she reserved herself to limited expression.

By the time she had made it out from her room and walking around her estate to handle daily affairs, she was a beautiful sparkling peacock with the feet of a waddling penguin.

She was moving slowly down the steps of her manor's grand staircase foyer entranceway. At the bottom of the stairs, she noticed there was movement and traffic coming in and out from the main doors. Attendants and servants were hauling luggage, bags, and various other crates outside.

She knew what the commotion meant, yet she was wishing she was wrong.

"Winston!" Elizabeth kept moving down the stairs as she called to one of young man carrying a luggage bag to the doors.

The man stopped a good few feet away from the doors, other servants circulating outside behind him. "Ma'am," he replied, setting the luggage down to the ground.

Elizabeth's eyes bounced from the all the luggage, the moving men carrying them, and then to the doors. "What is all this?" She was down to the last few steps.

"Mister Raynes requested us to pack his luggage," he said, swiping seat off his forehead.

Her tongue grew dry, and her eyes fluttered. "...For?"

He scratched the back of his neck, clearly exhausted from all the hauling and moving as he adjusted his breathing. "He's uh---."

"---Ben." Elizabeth interrupted the luggage boy as she saw her husband strut from an opposing hallway and into the main foyer circle.

He was carrying a briefcase and was dressed in his best. His hair was slicked back and his suit shirt was cleanly ironed and pressed. Even his brown clog shoes were polished. As he moved a wave of smoke from his smoking pipe followed.

"Oh." Benjamin's voice was flat. "Elizabeth, I see you are awake." He glanced once at her as she quickly finished her way down the steps.

"Ben." She approached him cautiously, clutching a fistful of her dress up for walking. "Are you leaving?"

"I must travel for some business." He sucked on his smoking pipe, pausing to puff. "Did the commotion the wake you? I was hoping to leave before it alerted you." He surveyed the movement of men carrying his bags for loading his car.

"No, the commotion did not wake me," she said, viewing him up and down. "But you were gone just a few days ago. So soon again?"

He was unresponsive.

"Benjamin?" She asked again, but once more he didn't reply. Instead, his dazed focus was staring at something past her.

Confused, she glanced behind trying to find the source of his distraction. As she turned, her husband was spurred to quick realization. He pulled his eyes away from whatever he looking at and glanced back to his wife.

"Yes, um---." He paused to clear his throat. "It is an important matter. You understand." He puffed on his smoking pipe gaining his composure.

Elizabeth peaked behind again and then back to Benjamin. He had moved his eyes, but it was already too late. She knew what had distracted him.

"...I see." She swiped a look at the ground and swallowed firmly. The muscles in her neck were visible as her body turned firm and rigid. "How long will you be gone?"

"I am not sure."

"Will you be away for long?" she asked, her brows furrowing tightly.

"I may be."

"Oh." She tried to mask her disappointment. "Travel safely, then," she muttered a little lowly and offered a pressed line smile.

"Yes." He shook his smoking pipe and stuffed it into his trouser pocket. "As always, be sure to keep the estate in order while I am away, Elizabeth."

"Of course." She nodded her head in a bowed manner.

Without another word or reply, he went about his way towards the doors.

"You're doing great, boys!" Benjamin paced past some huffing young men who were fighting to get one of his travel luggage crates out of the door.

"Thank you, sir!" Both of the men replied in an eager manner.

Elizabeth turned watching as her husband prepared his exit. He moved quickly away from her, but was moving slowly as he passed the men, giving them a cordial smile and a once over. His eyes briefly went from the sweat on the young men's muscles to shuffle of the folds in their pants.

Her chest tightened, and she was quick to turn away, turning her backside to it all. In that quick second, his momentary interaction with them made her firmly grimace and her clutched fist clench even harder.

She was still carrying a fistful of her dress, her fingers digging so deep she could feel her nails in her palm even through the layers of the fabric. She was holding it so tightly she hadn't even realized she had pulled up much of the dress which exposed a large area of her leg.

She could see the lace pattern of her stocking and the hemline of her stocking garter.

She knew she was not pretty like the other woman who once offered for a chance at her husband's heart.

She slightly raised her dress a little further to view more of her skin.

She knew some of the moving boys were still moving things, but most of the crowd was heading to outside to finish loading her husband's vehicle. But, even if anyone was to see her slowly raising up her dress and exposing more and more flesh with small increments, would it not be a sight they would not want to see?