I.
Ivy's eyes fluttered open. Had it been a dream?
She flinched and gingerly rolled over. She was sore between her legs. No, it hadn't been a dream.
Pippin had been in her bed. He'd kissed her. He'd lain on top of her and...
Her stomach fluttered and she closed her eyes, searching for memories of what it had been like: his kisses, his weight pressing her down, warmth between her bare thighs, hardness pushing into her.
He'd cried afterward, sobbing an apology while she held him.
Lovemaking hadn't been what she expected. It had been... disappointing.
But she loved him.
II.
Ivy went to her wardrobe and reached inside, down at the bottom, and pulled out a pillow. She kept it hidden away so the maids wouldn't wash it. She hugged it to her chest and pressed her nose into it.
She went back to her bed and crawled under the blankets, bringing the pillow with her. She curled up around it, clutching it to her chest so she could breath in Pippin's scent. It made her body feel...strange, and she pressed her thighs together over the growing throbbing between them. She ran her hand over her tingling breasts and moaned.
III.
He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't. He should get up and leave and go back to the party. And then he'd have another drink or two or three, and forget this ever happened, forget what she'd said--I love you--forget that he'd let her pull him down the hall to her room... He shouldn't be here. "I have to go."
He tried to stand, but his legs were weak from too much drink and Ivy's hand was on his chest, pushing him back down.
"If I wasn't Merry's daughter, would you want to stay with me?"
Pippin cringed. Yes.
IV.
She gasped, suddenly unable to breath. Her heart was pounding and she felt dizzy. She downed her drink, breathing heavily. She thought she was prepared for this, this first sight of him since they'd...
He caught her eye and for a moment the rest of the room faded to a hazy blur. She only saw him, his green eyes watching her. Her lips parted and her body tingled. She wanted to go to him, to press her body against his...
"Ivy?"
She turned. Her father was scowling at her. She returned the scowl and turned back, but Pippin was gone.
V.
She was giddy, like she'd drank too much wine. Her body felt like she was floating in the Brandywine. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Her belly was aflutter with butterflies and she felt tingly everywhere else.
Ivy laughed--she couldn't help herself--and took Estella's hands. She danced a circle around her step-mother. "I'm courting, Estella!" she said incredulously. Her father had given permission. He was friends with Pippin again. Pippin was free of Diamond. And he wanted her. Her laughter suddenly turned to tears. "I'm so happy!" she sobbed.
Estella laughed and pulled her into an embrace.