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On the Twelfth Night... (Madam Mim and Xana)

"I am not sure I can be trusted to loosen your laces, ma petite jonquille. I'd much prefer to strip you out of that dress." Viola teased, brushing Olivia's curly tresses away from her neck. Still, she obliged her wife, resting hands on her hips once Olivia was satisfied. But when her wife requested a dance, how could she refuse?

"I never let scandal get in the way of my happiness," Viola said, “But first, I want to give you your present. I think it will go just lovely with that dress.” Viola wasted no time clasping the necklace on Olivia’s throat, fingers ghosting over skin. She met Olivia’s eyes in the mirror, and pulled her wife closer. “Shame, It’s only half as radiant as your smile.” With one more kiss against Olivia’s cheek, she spun her wife around, looking down into those dark eyes.

Viola hummed a baroque melody, with one hand resting on her hip and the other clasped with Olivia’s. The silks of their respective dresses whispered over the floor as they moved together, Viola enjoying herself. She did like dancing, just not so much with men who insisted on leading when they had no idea. But dancing with Olivia always felt so right, and with eyes closed, she lost herself in the pleasure of it. Closing the distance between them, Viola cared for nothing more in this world that the taste of her wife.



Sebastian caught himself as he climbed the stair to Olivia’s wing of the manor. Already guests had begun arriving, and still she wasn’t yet ready. It wasn’t like Olivia to be late to her own party like this. She was so concerned with keeping up the appearance of a happy, functional marriage, that leaving him to greet the guests alone was disconcerting. Perhaps she’d taken ill again? She had need awfully nauseous in the past week or so, a result of her pregnancy, no doubt.

He should check on her, at least. He knew she wanted to announce her pregnancy at the party, but if she were too ill to attend, he could at least offer an explanation. But her door was open a touch. If she wanted privacy, it would be closed, wouldn’t it? Clearing his throat, he pushed the door open, “Olivia?”

There, in the center of the room, stood his wife and his sister, tangled in an intimate kiss. A far more intimate kiss than Olivia had shared with him since they first tried to be together. Both women glanced at him, shock wide in their eyes. Rage had stolen his voice, rage and betrayal. Was this why Olivia invited Viola back? It was the same time she given him the arrangement.

It all came together now. For two months, they’d been sneaking around right under his nose. Like he was an idiot. She never stopped loving the imposter she’d married, and, even after learning the truth of arrangement, instead of doing the honorable thing, and giving him a second chance to win her heart, she’d chosen to sink to his sister’s perversions.

“If you are quite done,” he begun, his voice straining for calm, “Our guests have arrived, and they would expect to see husband and wife together, greeting them.” His glare fell upon Viola then, leaving little doubt who he blamed.
 
Olivia laughed when her wife threatened to strip her out of the dress that had taken so long to squeeze into. "I fear you would be disappointed," she admitted. "I'm far too queasy, I would be afraid of something dreadful happening while you were down there. But a dance..." There truly was nothing in the world she wanted right now so much as an anniversary dance with her wife. Viola insisted on giving her a present first, though, and turned her around to clasp it behind her neck.

"Oh minette..." she breathed, fingers playing at the delicate gold and shimmering opal. "It's beautiful."

"Shame," Viola said, wrapping her arms around Olivia's waist and pulling her closer, "it's only half as radiant as your smile."

With another kiss she spun Olivia around and pulled her in to dance, taking the leader's position. Olivia didn't know the first thing about leading on a dancefloor, and Viola was also her husband, after all, so she had no problem putting one hand on her shoulder while her wife clasped the other. With their voluminous skirts it was difficult to get close but they managed. Olivia giggled when Viola began humming a tune for them to dance to, moving her around the room as best she could with the furniture and their skirts in the way. She melted into her wife's kiss, moving the hand on her shoulder to wrap gently around the back of her neck to pull her in closer.

"Olivia?" There was her husband--her lawful husband--at the door. His face went from pale to red in a matter of moments and Olivia didn't think she'd ever seen him looking quite so enraged.

"Sebastian!" It was only after a few dreadful moments that she had the presence of mind to step away from the woman who was legally her sister-in-law. It was not only perverse but technically incest by both civil and church law, and they'd been caught. He could have them both jailed if he so chose, even with only his word to go on. "Please, I can explain--"

"If you are quite done," Sebastian interrupted, audibly straining for calm but his voice shaking with rage, "our guests have arrived, and they would expect to see husband and wife together, greeting them." When his glare fell upon Viola, Olivia moved in front of her protectively.

"Of course." Fear and anxiety left her struggling for words. "I was just--" The fear was too much. Already made sick by the baby, the sudden emotion had stripped her of the last of her control and she pushed Viola aside, tripping over her skirts before falling to her knees at the bucket which had been constantly in her room for the past few weeks. Even when there was nothing left to come up she dry heaved for a few terrible moments before she was able to rinse her mouth and chew on a few mint leaves. Weak, pale, and shaky she finally rose to her feet some minutes later.

"I'll see you downstairs," she said quietly to Viola, kissing her cheek chastely as she passed to take her husband's arm. On their way to the stairs she leaned in to speak softly to him. "Sebastian, please...I would like to speak with you once all the guests have arrived. Privately." She was actually a little glad to be on his arm; it kept her shaky knees from buckling entirely.
 
The humiliation of being caught by her brother couldn't diminish Viola's concern for Olivia, especially as she fell to her knees to let up her food. Viola followed her down, rubbing circles on her back and pulling her hair out of her face, so it wouldn't get messy. Sebastian stood impassive, jaw tight and eyes narrow. Viola wondered briefly if he was going to hit her this time. They fought like animals as children, and even well into their teens when Sebastian became heavier and stronger. But Viola never shied away from conflict, using smarts and speed to keep things competitive between them. Even now, weighed down by the layers of skirt and constricted by her corset, she’d fight him, if only to protect Olivia.

But there was no fight right now, no yelling. No more anger than the tone of his voice and the hate in his eyes. Sebastian valued keeping up appearances as much as Olivia, and there would be no major scandals while the house was filled with guests. And Olivia, ever dutiful, took Sebastian’s arm to continue the charade. Viola couldn’t put into words why the sight enraged her so, but she could hardly see herself going downstairs now, putting on a fake smile as if everything were alright. Perhaps that inability to perform for public eyes was the real reason she was still unwed at 23.

After a few minutes, she’d made for the ballroom. At least there was wine down there.


Sebastian’s breathing was measured as they descended the stairs together. Purposeful, concentrating on the rhythm to distract his mind from the betrayal he’d walked in on. How could he be so stupid? Cuckolded by his own sister! For months they must have been sneaking around, laughing at him behind his back. Well, things would change now. They would have to

"Sebastian, please...I would like to speak with you once all the guests have arrived. Privately."

“I think we will have quite a bit to discuss,” he acknowledged, not looking at her. Unable to look at her without seeing Viola’s lips on hers. Perhaps the only saving grace of this sordid situation was that it ensured the child she carried was his. Viola may try to usurp his position, but she was still incapable of creating life. With one last deep breath, Sebastian prepared himself to play the role of the happy husband, awaiting the moment he could turn this arrangement back in his own favor.
 
Olivia usually enjoyed parties. They weren't something she positively lived for, like some women she knew, but they were fun. Sure there was pressure to be the perfect hostess, but she had never heard any complaints even when people thought she wasn't nearby or listening. But now standing here in the ballroom with her husband was a perfect hell. They greeted guests, standing closely together with their masks fixed carefully in place, holding hands and looking for all the world as madly in love as they had on their wedding day. In truth they were strangers to each other nearly as much as they had been on that day, and hostility radiated from Sebastian as they greeted their guests enthusiastically.

The dancing was worse. They gazed deep into each others' eyes as they were expected to, but there was nothing there. His eyes were cold, hers fearful. Olivia could sense the resentment and hatred in each kiss. She had wanted to be friends with him, truly she had. But how could he ever stand to so much as look at her now? She knew how it had been to grow up with parents who despised one another; she hadn't wanted that for her children. The party was well underway and surely nobody would notice if they went missing for a few minutes. Olivia glanced over to her wife, being chatted up by a very handsome stranger, before tugging on Sebastian's arm and leading him out through a door in the corner.

This door led to a hallway past the parlor and the drawing room, and at the end went left to the library and right to the chapel. After a moment's consideration Olivia led him to the right. There were many places a person could hide in a library; it was much easier to check the small chapel for eavesdroppers. After doing just that Olivia stood in the aisle near the altar where she had been married to Viola and turned to face her husband.

"We fell in love, Sebastian," she said with a shrug after a long, silent moment considering what she wanted to say. "I fell in love with a man who was intelligent and witty and interested in me, and he didn't discourage me from doing anything that I put my mind to the way that many husbands do. Then I figured out that that man was Viola--long after I had figured out that you had a mistress in the village--and I made a decision. I decided to pursue my happiness just as you were pursuing yours instead of living--existing, really--in a loveless marriage with little hope of repair after such betrayals of my trust. I won't apologize for that decision and I won't apologize for falling in love, but I will apologize for not being more frank with you about it. I was afraid, and that's my failing." Olivia didn't look away as she addressed him, knowing that any sign of weakness would give Sebastian the power to use this against her. She wanted to resolve this with as little yelling or threats as possible. "I pray for your forgiveness, but I'm not so delusional as to expect it." The baby decided now was a good time for another strong wave of nausea and Olivia supported herself subtly with one hand on a pew and the other on her stomach, but she managed to keep her gorge suppressed.
 
Viola watched nervously as Sebastian and Olivia left the party together. They often did that as these such parties, making a spectacle of it so no one grew suspicious of their arrangement, but Viola this time was so much different than the others. Before, they were retiring to have sex. Perfunctory sex, with the strict goal of conception, but Viola knew more or less, he wouldn’t try to hurt Olivia.

Now though? The look in his eyes when he caught them together still haunted her. That rage, that betrayal. It was an audacious thing, for him to feel betrayed after what he did to Olivia, but he didn’t need to be justified in his anger to be a danger to his wife.

What could Viola do? Following them into privacy would only spread terrible rumors, rumors they already sought to quash with their elaborate arrangement. Rumors that could damn Olivia and her both, if the truth came out. All she could do was pray Sebastian remembered Olivia was carrying his child, and restrain himself from anything too stupid.




“Olivia, my sister is sick in her head. The last thing she needs is you encouraging her!” Sebastian seethed, careful to keep his voice low enough to be contained within the chapel. “I thought you were helping her, turning her into a proper woman so she could actually find a marriage. This whole time you’ve been feeding her delusions!”

“Perhaps I was wrong to seek a mistress, but you banished me from your heart before I had a chance to really know you. You loved a version of me that didn’t exist, and I didn’t know you yet, much less love you. Viola poisoned you against me before I even showed up, and instead of seeking to reconcile our marriage, you chose to defy God and nature to take her to your bed.”

He sighed and turned away. “The only thing I asked, when you came to me with your proposal, was that it wouldn’t be someone I know. That was my only condition, and you already knew then you couldn’t uphold that requirement when you agreed to it. You are just as guilty as me.”
 
"I said that it would be no man you knew," Olivia corrected. It was a technicality, she knew, and a cheap defense but a defense nonetheless. "And whose fault is it that I fell in love with the wrong person? That I married the version of you that didn't exist?" she demanded. "You who were foolhardy enough to start a duel. You who got yourself so injured you couldn't stand, and then weren't man enough to admit to it. You who sent your sister in your stead to impersonate you, to make me fall in love with you and then rip that perfect husband away from me and replace him with a selfish lover who would have me whittle away my hours playing bridge and gossiping instead of doing what I enjoy, just because it doesn't conform to what your idea of a lady is. Whose fault is it that your sister stood here on our wedding day and not you?"

Olivia sighed and rubbed her face. "I've wished before that it had really been you," she admitted. "Or rather, that Viola had been you. Falling in love with a man would have made things so much less complicated. Falling in love with my husband wouldn't have brought us to this point. She's the only woman I ever have or ever will turn my eye to, Sebastian...this isn't easy for me either, you know." She brought her hand down for fear of smudging her makeup. "I tried to love you, Sebastian. Truly I did. After bringing your sister into our bed to watch us, after the way you made love to me in a way that made me feel used, even after I realized that you were unfaithful, I tried so very hard to love you. For six months I tried to love you, tried to bring myself to be able to lay with you without fear or shame, tried to reconcile the bliss of my first month of marriage with the man I was left with once Viola left. I asked for time, and in that time I truly tried with all of my being to love you, to trust you, to want to be your wife." She swallowed hard and looked up at him. "By my math, and correct me if I'm wrong, you waited a whole three weeks before deciding that I wasn't worth the wait while I spent six months putting my whole being into making you worth the effort."

Olivia folded her arms across her chest, watching him and trying to hide that she felt like death warmed over. "Even these past few months while we've tried for a child, while your sister has been here with us, I thought you and I were growing closer," she admitted. "I would never throw over Viola, but I had started to think that perhaps if she were okay with it I could eventually talk to you about making our marriage a little more than keeping up appearances. That perhaps we could come to be friends, close friends even, with an arrangement that wasn't quite so rigid when it came to trying for children. You've grown more considerate in bed, pleasurable even, and I felt as though we were beginning to enjoy one another's company as friends. But clearly you aren't amenable to accepting Viola as my wife, and as she's your sister I can't say I entirely blame you." Olivia didn't take her eyes off of him. "So where does this leave us, Sebastian?"

~*~

"I knew you would look positively stunning this evening." Bastien grinned when Viola turned around and bowed, taking her hand and kissing it. "I couldn't imagine a woman like yourself any other way, really." He straightened and smoothly took two flutes of champagne from a passing servant and offered one to her. "Your brother looks very much in love with his wife; I'm very happy for him. And Madame Baccarin is looking very...healthy, if you catch my meaning." He smiled congenially again and winked before raising his glass. "To their continued happiness and to your future happiness," he proposed, "and hopefully to happy announcements." He drank to them before relaxing his posture a little and stepping ever-so-slightly closer.

"I confess though, I mention it because I hear rumors all about this party," he admitted. "There are a number of people commenting on a certain glow about Madame La Comtesse, though others are just dismissing it as wishful thinking and gossip-mongering. I would be glad to hear such news, but honestly I am not here for them." Bastien looked slyly sideways at Viola. "How are you this fine evening, Mademoiselle? It's been so long since we've met; I look forward to catching up."
 
Olivia's words stung, stung like the scars that hadn't healed perfectly since his lost duel. Another day, perhaps, he could have seen the logic in her words, and conceded her greater point. But now, while his blood boiled with the betrayal of catching her with his sister? He was hurt, and dammit, he had a right to that hurt.

Then she confessed she had wanted more of their arrangement, something even closer to the marriage they had originally envisioned. It sounded nice, almost. Nicer than what they had before. Changes he would have welcomed gladly, if not for what he had just walked in on. If not for what she were asking him to accept.

"It's abomination," he charged, voice hard in an attempt to control his anger. He could use logic too. "A sin before God and nature. Don't think because she's gone this long unmarried that she will remain so, available for this perverse affair. She will marry, Olivia, and that will be the end of all of this."


Viola didn't want to make small talk with Bastien. It was the last thing on her mind, to soothe the ego of a man while the woman she loved was alone with an angry husband. But she couldn't go to Olivia right now, and she needed distraction from her worries. Wine was a comfort, but not an ideal one.

"I knew you would look positively stunning this evening." Bastien grinned when Viola turned around and bowed, taking her hand and kissing it. "I couldn't imagine a woman like yourself any other way, really."

“Oh, well, then it was worth the hour it took to squeeze me into this dress,” Viola quipped, accepting the champagne. Still, she tried to force a smile. It was supposed to be a party, and she was the only present to keep up the happy charade.

"Your brother looks very much in love with his wife; I'm very happy for him. And Madame Baccarin is looking very...healthy, if you catch my meaning."

“If Countess Olivia has an announcement to make, far be it from me to undercut her with unsubstantiated gossip,” Viola cooed, with a half smirk on her features that may as well confirm his suspicions. It really was supposed to be a happy day for Olivia and her, and even Sebastian, but it was hard to hold on to that happiness in light of what happened.

"How are you this fine evening, Mademoiselle?"

“About as well an unmarried woman in her twenties can be expected to be holding up,” She started, playing up mock distress before grinning big, “Absolutely fabulous.”

Bastien laughed along with her, which was an unexpected. Most men didn’t take well to her disdain. What sort of woman disparaged marriage? And what sort of man took to that?

“It's been so long since we've met; I look forward to catching up.”

Was he really just that persistent a suitor, or was there more to Bastien than Viola had initially considered? Perhaps he was worthy wasting a few hours with.

“As do I,” Vila decided, almost surprised to hear the words come out of her mouth. Pointing with her glass, she turned a question towards him. “How is it you aren’t yet married?”
 
Olivia jutted out her chin, clenching her teeth. They were both hurt, him probably more than her, and she tried to keep that in mind...it was just very difficult when he was being such an insufferable prig! She didn't know how successful she was at hiding the fear behind her eyes at the thought of Sebastian marrying Viola off and some man taking her away, only seeing her on holidays and birthdays, maybe special occasions... She couldn't allow that to happen.

"So you would make your sister and your wife both miserable, just for your pride?" she sneered. "I've allowed you to carry on your affairs and I still don't care what you do in your own bed. I've spoken of just going back to where we were this morning and becoming closer in our marriage, of giving you what you want, and you're so spiteful that you would throw that away just to get back at us?" If they weren't in a chapel she would have spit at his feet. "If I lose her, you'll lose me forever Sebastian. "Consider that in your calculations. So I'll ask again: where does this leave us? And do take your time and actually think this time, darling."

~*~

Bastien laughed along with Viola when she declared that she was positively fabulous being unmarried and in her twenties. When she turned the question of marriage on him he raised his eyebrows mildly. "Are you offering?" he quipped with a sly smile. Taking a sip, he shook his head. "I imagine a very similar reason as you, Vicomtesse." He paused in what he hoped was a meaningful way. "I simply haven't found the right one yet. Although from the rumors, I hear you're quite a fright to your suitors. Honestly, m'lady, it's like you're not even trying." He gave her his most charming smile and winked.

"Given your reputation I'm surprised you're here making small talk, to be entirely honest," he admitted. "You must really love your brother. You don't seem the type for parties. Or has la Comtesse worked her magic on you? I've never met her myself but I hear she's quite a winning woman."
 
Sebastian tried to consider what Olivia was suggesting, tried to grasp at the compromise she was offering. She had been understanding, given everything, and it was hypocrisy to give in to his emotions. After another deep sigh, he was able to think better.

“Olivia I…I don’t know. Tonight, I am hurt and angry.” He shook his head, suspecting she might chastise him for his feelings. “I don’t want to stand in the way of your happiness. I agreed to your arrangement in the first place, didn’t I? Perhaps you were right to lie about it because I can’t be sure I would have given my blessing if you were up front. Now…” He walked away, leaning by the window to take in the sprawling expanse of the gardens. “We were so happy this morning. You’re…you’re carrying my child. I want to go back to that happiness, that promise for our future. I need time to accept you and Viola together, but tonight I still want to celebrate our growing family.”


"I imagine a very similar reason as you, Vicomtesse." He paused in what he hoped was a meaningful way. "I simply haven't found the right one yet. Although from the rumors, I hear you're quite a fright to your suitors. Honestly, m'lady, it's like you're not even trying."

Viola knitted brows together, not entirely sure what to make of Bastien. “Are you looking to be frightened, Monsieur? I warn you, once the beast has been unleashed, she cannot be caged against so easily. And I have filled my silly woman’s brain with unladylike volumes of science and philosophy.”

"Given your reputation I'm surprised you're here making small talk, to be entirely honest," he admitted. "You must really love your brother. You don't seem the type for parties. Or has la Comtesse worked her magic on you? I've never met her myself but I hear she's quite a winning woman."

Viola simpered, thoughts of Olivia always bringing up her mood. Even if she were still worried about what was going on between Olivia and Sebastian. “She’s incredible. I am quite fortunate to have her as a sister in law, and truthfully her marriage to my brother has spoiled my expectations of marriage.” A true statement, though not in the way most people would take it. The arrangement Olivia had made with her brother had allowed them a real chance at the only relationship Viola suspected she could find happiness in.

“I should introduce you, once the happy couple returns,” she suggested, still concerned for her beloved. “I imagine you are interested in catching up with Sebastian as well, yes?”
 
Olivia sighed when Sebastian crossed to the window and declared that he just wanted to get back to celebrating. She found herself suddenly very tired and more than a little ill. She crossed to him and cautiously hugged him, uncertain as to whether it would be a welcome gesture at this point.

"It's a lot to process," she admitted, "and I'll give you time. I owe you at least that much. Then when you're ready we can talk about what all of this means for us--as individuals and as a couple--and for our family. But tonight let us forget everything that has happened and celebrate our family." Olivia gave her husband a chaste peck on the lips, wanting to be back to where they had been that morning. That morning they had been friends at the very least, and their sex life had been slowly getting better, and she had been deliriously happy with her wife. "Just please don't shut me out again." She smiled weakly and took his hand tentatively. "Shall we get back to the party and announce our happy news?"

~*~

This was the problem with these damnable social rules: one could never tell when one was having a conversation in code. They were either having mind-numbingly dull small talk, or Vicomtesse Baccarin had just admitted to an affair with her sister-in-law. But Bastien smiled nonetheless.

"She's a formidable woman, from what I've heard." He leaned in conspiratorially. "But between you and me, I am deeply interested in seeing how much you can scare me." He grinned and straightened again. Viola was pretty enough, after all, and he was sure if she tied her hair back and wore men's clothes she would look exactly like Sebastian. Bastien would be lying if he denied that this was one of his primary reasons for pursuing her, but she seemed a delightful woman in her own right.

"I would be delighted for the opportunity, of course," he agreed when she suggested he catch up with her brother. His stomach turned flip-flops at the idea, but he concealed it well. He had to. "Look, where they come!"
 
Sebastian responded to Olivia with a kiss on the forehead, wishing it were easier to accept the idea of sharing her with his sister. Why was it easier to think he was sharing her with another man?

“I think we could all use some happy news,” he agreed, wrapping an arm around Olivia for show. Farce of a marriage or not, she was carrying his child, and that was something precious among this entire mess. With that thought in mind, it didn’t take much to force a smile, and he led his wife back to the party.



Viola was surprised to find herself actually enjoying Bastien’s company and the delightful banter between them. Surprised, and perhaps a bit guilty, because she suspected this was an attempt to court her. Of all the men who tried and failed, Bastien was the first elicit any interest from her. But she could never be the wife he deserved, and neither of them would be happy in the long term. Olivia was the only one she could be happy with.

At Bastien’s suggestion, she turned to catch Olivia and Sebastian returning to the party, both wearing smiles. Perhaps her brother had taken their affair better than she expected? Still, there was a coolness in Sebastian’s eyes as she approached with Bastien, and he ignored her to shake Bastien’s hand.

“It’s been too long Bastien,” Sebastien declared, shaking Bastien’s hand with both of his own. Turning to Olivia, she explained, “We were schoolmates for the longest time. I do believe this is the first time you’re to meet my wife, Olivia?” He gave them a chance to meet before adding, “Bastien’s uncle is the Duke of Normandy.” Viola raised an eyebrow at that, wondering if that was intended for Olivia or her. Perhaps he still wished to get rid of her in marriage.
 
On their way back Olivia had to stop once to vomit violently into a very expensive vase, then to apologize to Sebastien and rinse her mouth. She was ecstatic to be pregnant...but not to have all the symptoms of pregnancy. Eventually they made their way back to the party, wearing as close to genuine smiles as they could get. When Sebastian let go of her to shake Bastien's hand she took Viola's hands and squeezed them gently, hoping to convey that she was alright.

When they were introduced Olivia curtsied politely, raising her eyebrows at the mention of Bastien's uncle. "I'm very glad to make your acquaintance, Marquis Carbonneau. I've heard many great things about your family."

"Bastien, please," he insisted. Buttering up the sister-in-law probably wouldn't hurt either, though she seemed a charming woman in her own right, in any case. "Sebastian I had heard you had married a beautiful woman but reports do her no justice. And all of our years at school together and you failed to mention your equally beautiful and charming sister." He gave her a small bow and another disarming smile. "How dare you, sir?"
 
Viola wanted so much more than to hold Olivia’s hand, but she was painfully aware of the audience of partygoers and the careful secret they still needed to keep. Just once, she wished she could say hell to their guests, and hold the woman she loved.

Instead, she grabbed a glass of champagne off a nearby servant’s tray. “Drink,” she whispered, pressing the glass into Olivia’s hands “At least a little. The bubbles should help with nausea.”


“Well, considering that we are nearly identical twins, it would have come off rather arrogant to proclaim her beauty. As if I were announcing my own good looks,” Sebastien argued. Not to mention the fact he hardly saw his sister as woman, much less an attractive one. But Bastien seemed more interested than polite, and Sebastian let himself get his hopes up.

The Marquis was notoriously picky, a trait he shared with Viola. His sister had to know Bastien would be a good catch, even if she weren’t interested in men. Whatever relationship she shared with Olivia, she was still going to have to marry. And if she married to Bastien, perhaps it would be a second chance to connect with Olivia and have his wife all to himself.



Bastien was positively charming But viola felt the need to get attention off her. Unlike the other suitors, Viola felt uneasy about chasing this one off. And there’d be hell to pay with her parents, given Bastien’s stature. At least Olivia’s news could keep the heat off her.

“Oh, I can hardly hold a candle to Olivia’s glow,” Viola insisted. “But you are very sweet, Bastien. And speaking of glow, I do believe our lovely Comtesse has announcement to make. Perhaps one that will explain why she will have to leave her own party early?”
 
Olivia took a slow, deep breath in an effort to calm her stomach and nodded to Viola, taking the champagne with gratitude. Her throat closed at the smell of it, but she managed to force a little bit down. God! Why did something so wonderful have to feel so horrible? She, too, noticed the way that Bastien seemed interested in Viola and glanced over to gauge her wife's reaction. Perhaps Sebastian wouldn't send her away, but surely he was still going to force her to marry. If Viola seemed to like the Marquis as a friend, perhaps she could find a way to encourage it without seeming like she wanted to be rid of the woman she loved.

"You say that as if your own good looks aren't worth announcing, dear husband," she teased with a grin. He was handsome, after all, and just because she was in love with his sister didn't mean she couldn't compliment him. Viola encouraged her to make the announcement, offering her an early out, and she nodded. "Yes, perhaps you're right." Olivia had wanted to try and stick the party out, but as the night went on and she tried to calm her stomach with bread and champagne, the worse she felt. Taking up a fork she delicately tapped her glass, a motion taken up by those around her until the entire room was silent.

"Dearest friends," she began, unsure of what to say. She'd been expecting Sebastian to make the announcement before Viola had nudged her into it. "Thank you all for helping us celebrate our very first anniversary together. Once we have learned to walk and talk there are few firsts left for us in this world which truly matter, and we cannot express our gratitude completely enough for your presence at one which does. There is, however, one more first for us at least in the near future. My husband the Comte and I are expecting our first child in the Spring of next year." Olivia smiled as excited chatter briefly proceeded applause and the occasional cheer. She waited for it to die down before continuing. "I thank you once again for sharing in our joy and implore you to raise your glasses, to toast the safe arrival of our young Comte."

"To the young Comte," was echoed as the guests raised their glasses. The band struck up again and then began the procession of well-wishers, starting with those nearest.

"Let me be the first to congratulate you both," Bastien said with a genuine smile, wringing Sebastian's hand heartily then kissing Olivia's. His heart had fallen at the announcement, despite knowing that he'd never had a chance in hell at Sebastian in the first place, but there was no use in being sour about it. At the very least, he might be able to secure himself more closely. "A family Sebastian! I think the only man in the world luckier than you will be the man to finally convince your sister to tie herself down."

"Not exactly subtle, is he?" Olivia murmured with some amusement in her wife's ear. "Your brother means to make you marry, you know. Better you pick someone than he does, and the Marquis seems as good a man as any."
 
Viola hid her cringing in a deep drink of champagne. Why couldn’t he be more of a boor, or a jerk, so she wouldn’t feel so bad about turning him away? And even Olivia ¬–Olivia!– was encouraging her to consider Bastien. She expected her wife to understand why she couldn’t marry, and yet here she was, encouraging her. It stung, even as she knew Olivia’s words were true. Someday, her parents or her brother would force her to marry, and their choice might not be so pleasant. But that wasn’t a concern right now, not with Olivia’s pregnancy capturing everyone’s attention.

While Olivia was busy receiving well-wishers, Viola invited Bastien outside, into the gardens. Away from the party and Sebastian’s angry eyes and the expectations of womanhood. “You are quite the charmer, Bastien. I still don’t understand how some ambitious young woman hasn’t sunk her hooks in you yet, but I am glad you are taking your time to find the right wife. You deserve a woman who would be a good match for you.”

Viola sighed deeply before continuing, looking out over the gardens. “I am not that woman. I would not be a good wife to you. Not out of any dislike or spite, mind you, merely inability. You deserve a woman like…like Olivia.” She smiled wistfully at the name, heart filled with affection for her wife. “A beautiful, charming soul who makes the days brighter just for being near. You wouldn’t be happy with me, Bastien, and I couldn’t bear to keep you in such an unpleasant marriage.”
 
Bastien followed Viola out into the gardens, offering his arm to her as they walked. When she commented again on why he wasn't married he chuckled good-naturedly. He'd heard that from many a woman who had decided to fruitlessly pursue him at least for her own diversion. "Well, fortunately since I am a man--and a well-situated man--I can afford to be a bit pickier than most without raising too many eyebrows," he answered with a shrug. "Because I do deserve a good woman, and I am in the privileged position of choosing my own fate and deciding who that woman is."

His smile fell when Viola rejected him flatly. The way she talked about Olivia, if he hadn't known better he might have guessed that she was in love with her. But surely after a lifetime of hearing that she was everything Olivia was not, watching such a woman day in and day out must have worn on her immensely.

"Viola..." he stopped and turned to her, taking both of her hands in his. "Olivia is beautiful and charming, but what on Earth have I said tonight which makes you think I would want a woman like her?" He smiled gently. "I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for a woman in your position. You are intelligent and athletic and outspoken; you like what you like and you don't give a damn what other people think of it. Women like Olivia, if you don't mind my saying so, are a franc for five. You are a rare beauty and a rare sort of woman." Bastien took a deep breath and looked down at her, squeezing her hands gently.

"I am aware that you neither want nor need a man, Viola, but I am also aware that your brother is rather...traditional. Whenever we spoke of you while we were at school he would never fail to bring up what a tomboy you were and that if he were in your father's position you'd have been married off or packed off to a convent the second you turned sixteen." It grieved him to speak so of Sebastian, but it was the truth and one of his failings he had overlooked in his besotted haze. "I'm not asking you tonight to marry me. I doubt you would appreciate such a gesture anyway. But I would like for you to consider it, or to at least consider becoming friends. You will soon be in need of a husband, and I will soon be in need of a wife, and neither of us seems terribly inclined to marry whoever our parents foist upon us; why not be saddled to someone we at least find amicable?" He smiled sadly. "We've just met, and although you've correctly divined my intentions I am not in the habit of proposing to women I've just met. But...perhaps at least get to know me a little better before flatly rejecting me?"
 
It took every ounce of Viola’s willpower not to react as Bastien spoke of Olivia. Bringing her sister-in-law down, so that he may elevate her instead. Of course, reacting to his statement would have revealed the truth of her affections for Olivia, a secret she absolutely had to keep, to protect their relationship and family. Still, her fists clenched.

“I am not opposed to friendship, Bastien, so long as you can refrain from disparaging my sister-in-law ever again. Olivia is a part of my family, and I treasure her quite dearly.” Viola snapped her mouth shut at that before more praise of her wife could flow from her lips. “I just wish I could make you understand that declining your proposal, whether now or in the future, is a favor to you, and not a judgment of your worth.”

It was her turn to sigh. Bastien had a point, that they would likely be forced to marry at some point, but Viola didn’t want to worry about that now. Tonight, she just wanted to enjoy her wife, and the beautiful miracle Olivia carried. “Come now. We should probably return to the party before salacious rumors are started. My reputation couldn’t possibly take the hit.”
 
Bastien raised his eyebrows at Viola's anger at his assessment of her sister-in-law. "Viola I apologize for offending you," he said sincerely, back-peddling as nimbly as he could. "I didn't mean to disparage Olivia. I find her a charming and beautiful woman worthy of Sebastian's attention; I only meant that a woman like her isn't what I'm looking for in a wife. I was trying to compliment you...But between ourselves and the hedges, I suppose that one of the reasons I'm not yet married is that I'm absolutely terrible at talking to women." He smiled good-naturedly, using self-deprecation to attempt to take her attention from his gaff. "And I respectfully disagree with your assessment of yourself, if you truly think you're doing me a favor by turning me down." He winked and offered her his arm again, intending to walk with her more in the garden. But then she suggested that they return inside and he acquiesced reluctantly.

"Absolutely," he agreed. "How are you supposed to scare off suitors if they're given false hope that you are in any way amenable to them?" Bastien smiled again and led her inside. He frowned, however, when he found Sebastian dancing with some other woman and Olivia nowhere to be found. "It appears as though your dear Olivia may have retired early," he commented. "Perhaps her condition finally got the better of her. My sympathies for that; I cannot begin imagine what a woman must go through for the sake of motherhood."
 
Did not know how to talk to women. Viola sighed deeply so she wouldn’t scoff. No, he was a masterful charmer, even as he tried to get away from the remarks he made about Olivia. There was just no way for him to understand how much that upset her, and that was a good thing. It meant that no one believed for a second there was anything more to her relationship with Olivia other than sisterly affection. Let people think that Viola Baccarin had only longed for a sister growing up and latched on to her sister in law in replacement. That lie would keep them safe.

Her amused laughter turned to vexation as she saw her brother dancing with another woman. How could he claim to be so angry at her for loving Olivia when he didn’t bother to?

“I really should check on Olivia,” Viola decided, pulling away from Bastien, “Since my brother is trying to play the good host all on his own.” It was on the tip of her tongue to call attention to his merrymaking while his wife lies sick in bed due to his child. But peace between the siblings was fragile enough and tonight was not the night to needle at it. So, she arranged a plate of simple, bland foods, as well as a bottle of champagne to carry up to Olivia, in addition to asking a servant to make up a pot of tea to bring up to Olivia’s room.

“How are you holding up, love?” She called into the room, setting the food down on the vanity. “Shall I peel you out of your corset now?” She giggled to herself at the thought but didn’t seriously consider it. Her main concern was Olivia’s comfort. Though, if it would get her mind off her sickness…

“Did you ever feel bad about the suitors you had reject?”
 
"Of course," Bastien acquiesced with a bow. He, too, had noticed that her brother was dancing with one of the more beautiful women in the room--Sebastian always had fostered an appreciation for the finer things--but wouldn't complain to have the opportunity to be alone with him. Or, at least, more alone than with his wife and sister there. "Do give your sister my regards, Vicomtesse. Until we meet again." He graced her again with that charming smile before watching her leave and immediately monopolizing Sebastian's attention once he had finished his dance with the beautiful blonde.

"Mmm..." Olivia groaned when Viola asked how she was doing. Once so radiant at the party, her hair was now down and rather bedraggled and she was looking pale as she laid half-off the bed, with a bucket on the floor nearby. Her shoes and stockings were haphazardly strewn across the floor, and her face was tearstained as she laid on her side with the enormous pannier propped up, her legs comically small beneath the mountains of fabric. "Can you please?" she asked tearfully when Viola asked to peel her out of her corset. "I...I couldn't do it on my own and I gave Tess the night off and...and..." She sniffled and her chin quivered as she tried not to burst into tears again. She'd had difficulty with this sort of thing before, and it really was a ridiculous thing to make such a fuss over, but for whatever reason this time she had been overwhelmed with frustration, anger, and some strange sort of self-esteem issue.

As Viola helped her out of the fabric death trap, she asked about whether Olivia had ever felt about about rejecting suitors. "Sometimes," she admitted with a shrug. "A few of them were nice enough, but just...not right for me, in one way or another. Others were positively awful and I didn't feel bad about it at all. Why?" She looked over her shoulder at her wife and smiled. "Bastien proposed, didn't he?"
 
Viola took to undressing Olivia, offering tender caresses to soothe her distressed wife. “It’s okay, love. I am only sorry I lingered down there as long as I did.” That much was true. Bastien was pleasant company, but she always preferred Olivia’s. And she suspected she always would.

"Bastien proposed, didn't he?"

“No, not quite. Though, he admitted that is his intention. He even made a good case of it, for practicality if nothing else just…” Viola released a heavy sigh and grabbed one of Olivia’s feet. She rubbed the ball in a firm, circular motion, “I think about the wedding night, and it makes me ill to my stomach…” she stopped herself, guilty as she recognized the irony of the situation. Complaining about being sick, while Olivia lied sick in bed.

She switched to the other foot. “Sorry love. I just don’t understand the appeal of men. They’re rough, and hairy, ungainly. And the way their…genitals just protrude out form their bodies…” Viola shuddered and shifted closer to Olivia. Working on her calves now, she kneaded the tender muscles until her wife could relax. “And to think, that would be my life. Sharing my bed with a man who repulses me, while longing for your touch, and the caress of your soft skin. And Bastien deserves better than that, doesn’t he? Better than a woman who can’t stand the thought of lying with him.”

By then a servant arrived with a pot of tea. Viola accepted and placed it on the table by Olivia. “Try to drink this, love. It should settle your stomach.” Leaving her with a kiss on the forehead, Viola worked herself out of her dress. It took a bit of stubborn maneuvering, before she got half out of it and needed Olivia’s help.

“I figure if I can avoid marriage for just a couple more years, I’ll be utterly unmarriable. Far too old, by, oh, 26 or so.” Viola teased, in a dressing gown and back in bed. Now, she massaged Olivia’s back, starting soft, but digging in as time passed. “Enough about me, though. Is there anything else I can get you?”
 
Olivia breathed deeply, relieved to be out of her gown and feeling better if not a little embarrassed at how upset she'd gotten over so little a thing. She groaned as Viola rubbed her feet and calves, not having realized just how sore they were until then. She did manage a weak chuckle at her wife's disparagement of men's genitals and shook her head.

"It is quite shocking at first," she admitted, "and sometimes even after you've gotten used to it. But it can be quite pleasurable, if they're thoughtful enough..." Olivia bit her tongue, stopping that line of thought. If Viola were merely a friend perhaps she would have been more comfortable talking about it, but she wasn't going to remind her wife of what she'd had to do with her brother to start this family of theirs, and she certainly wasn't going to give her cause to worry about having a sexual rival. Viola suggested that Bastien deserved a wife who could tolerate lying with him and she shrugged. "Men find a way. Your brother has, after all. I don't know her name but she seems to keep him very happy, and that frees up my time to be with you."

When the tea arrived Olivia carefully pushed herself into a sitting position and slowly sipped her tea. She giggled as she watched Viola's struggle with the dress and eventually put her tea aside and slid out of bed to help her. With the two of them in dressing gowns and in bed, Olivia snuggled against her wife and carefully sipped her tea.

"I'm alright Vi," she promised. "But I'm afraid you won't be able to avoid marriage. Sebastian's more determined than ever to marry you off; better a friend than a stranger, you know." She looked up at her meaningfully. "Then maybe you could stay here."
 
Weeks passed and tensions settled between Olivia, Viola, and Sebastian. He spent more time out of the house with his mistress, and Viola spent more time in bed loving her wife, trying out all of the toys Olivia had purchased for them. She could admit she’d grown quite fond of fucking Olivia with the wood phallus, bodies pressed together in a glorious sweaty heap. She even found she rather liked the sensation of being penetrated, so long as Olivia was fucking her.

Bastien kept in touch in frequent letters, proving himself to be quite eloquent and charming in writing. Olivia encouraged her to keep communication open, and truly, Viola didn’t mind so much. Bastien was becoming a welcome friend, aside from the invisible pressure to marry. Viola half hoped he might announce his betrothal in the next letter, but instead he kept mentioning how much he longed to see her again.

Unfortunately for Viola, Bastien was not the next suitor to seek her hand. Arnulf would arrive this afternoon, and Sebastian might throw a fit fi she didn’t at least give him a chance. There was a fragile peace between the siblings, and Viola didn’t want to be the one to break it.

“Perhaps I can scare this one off by this evening, and spend some more time between your thighs,” Viola teased, kissing her wife’s neck as she tightened her corset. Not too tightly, of course, just enough to support her fuller breasts. Viola had not been shy about showing her appreciation for her wife’s changing figure.
 
Olivia giggled as her wife kissed her neck and expressed a longing to be between her thighs. She was finally showing now, not enough to excuse not wearing a corset, but enough that anyone who saw her would know, and she shifted uncomfortably as Viola laced her up. She constantly worried about the baby, but plenty of women had been through multiple pregnancies in the current fashion and both they and their perfectly healthy children had lived to tell about it. It was nothing, therefore, she couldn't handle.

"I don't know," she teased back. "Arnulf. Such a strong name. What is he, Prussian or something?" He was, in fact, Prussian but she had gathered from her more gossipy ladies that his French was impeccable. Apart from that all she could glean, in her clumsy way of gossiping which she had never quite gotten the hang of, was that he was 'nice enough.' What that was supposed to mean, she couldn't tell. "You may actually fall for him, darling. And bless you both. I do hope I'll be the matron of honor?" She grinned as she turned and kissed her wife then took her hands. "When you absolutely can't stand him any longer, and only if you've actually made an effort, mention taking a walk in the garden and I'll faint. Oh, unless we're in the garden..." Olivia thought for a moment. "Then mention the plum trees, and I'll faint from the exertion of it. You can whisk me away to my room and claim that you couldn't possibly leave me alone. I'll have to take supper in my apartments, of course, and we'll see him at breakfast." She nodded, happy with her plan, and took her wife by the hand to start toward the stairs.

"Oh but my love?" She stopped and took both of Viola's hands again and looked at her seriously. "This is for your survival. If you think you could come to tolerate him, don't hold back on my behalf. I do understand, you know, and I would rather you hear with the baby and me, married to some man, than celibate and shipped off to a convent somewhere. Anything to keep our family together." Olivia kissed her deeply before leading her to the stairs.

Arnulf waited in the foyer where Viola had stood not much more than a year ago. Olivia stood at the top of the stairs for a long moment, watching him fidget and mime kissing a hand and bowing shallowly, mouthing to himself. Struggling not to giggle, she exchanged a look with Viola before getting her expression under control and setting her foot heavily on the first step, the click of her heel alerting him to their presence. He jumped and spun around, smiling a nervous, lipless sort of smile as they descended the stairs.

"Reichsfreiherr von Wurttemberg," Olivia said with a smile as the neared the bottom of the stairs. That they would send someone so lowly-ranked to court their daughter infuriated her on Viola's behalf, but she supposed her wife had probably scared off most of the equally-ranked nobility. "What a pleasure to meet you at last."

"The pleasure's all mine," he said with that weird, lipless smile of his, his voice somewhere between a mumble and a squeak. She silently made a wager with herself that she would be pretending to faint within two hours. "Comtesse Baccharin, I presume?" He bowed haltingly and took her hand to kiss it. What lips he did have felt somewhat like a frog's skin, but she curtsied politely anyway.

"And allow me to present my sister-in-law and dearest friend, Vicomtesse Viola Baccharin," she said with a smile, nudging her wife subtly as a prompt.
 
“I would do anything for you and our family, love.” With one last glance in the minor, fixing the stray strands, Viola sighed, and forced a smile. “Even this.”

When it couldn’t be avoided any further, Viola followed her wife into the grand hall, taking note of Arnulf as the descended the stairs. Tall and gangly, was he actually man or some overgrown boy? She supposed he wasn’t the worst match she’d been offered up.

Viola offered a shallow curtsy, “Reichsfrieherr.” The harsh syllables didn’t sit well on her tongue, and speaking the title left her feeling as if she were clearing her throat of phlegm. Like he had with Olivia, he took her hand and kissed it, and Viola’s stomach turned at the thought of kissing those lips even once, much less for the rest of her life. Was it merely because he was a man, or was there something particularly pathetic about him?

“Shall we adjourn to the parlor?” she suggested, biting her tongue before she could suggest walking in the garden. She’d promised Olivia she’d give the man a chance, and she didn’t want to let Olivia down. On that note, she offered Arnulf her arm, with their limbs looped together, she could feel just how skinny he was.

“Yes, and perhaps something to drink? It’s so much warmer here than home.”

Weather, really? She kept a fake smile plastered on her lips, holding back a sarcastic retort. Could he pick a more tedious topic of conversation? “Well, summers are warm and winters are cold, and I suspect it’s mostly the same wherever you go.” She glanced over at Olivia, wearing a look that said, See, I can be genial.

He released a dry laugh, “Have you traveled much, Vicomtesse?”

Alright, that’s a little better. “Throughout France, but not much farther, I am afraid. I imagine your travels are more interesting than mine.” Viola half listened as he spoke, droning on about Austria or Hungary. Her mind turned towards Olivia, wondering if they couldn’t travel some. Perhaps after the baby was born.

Thoughts of their growing family gave strength and truth to the smile she forced herself to wear as the three of them entered the parlor. Viola was grateful Olivia joined them, even if she were only playing the role of chaperone. She sat beside her wife –dear sister-in-law, as far as anyone else knew– across a small table from her suitor.

“So, Arnulf, how do you prefer to pass the time? Dueling, perhaps?” Viola asked, grasping at some common point between them.

“Dueling?” He shook his head vigorously at that, “No, nothing so…violent.” That Viola managed a straight face, and she considered herself infinitely patient for that. “I am quite fond of music, and I play bass.”

“Bass?” she repeated, genuinely surprised. Perhaps there was something interesting about him, “what can you play? Anything popular?”

“I know a few songs, but you probably never heard of them.”
 
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