Misleading The Marquis

10 - Bane

Bane watched George closely as she resettled for the third time against the plush overstuffed bench in their compartment on teh airship. He Couldn't tell if she was in pain or if she hated flying... and he was not sure why he even cared just now.

She made a lovely picture, changed out of the rags and into something a marchioness would actually wear. Her figure had eluded him altogether in the second hand gown and boxy worn coat.

Looking at her now anyone could see that Lady Brisbane had been hiding certain... talents... which were now accentuated by the corset that cut her shape into a full hourglass. Brisbane liked her even less for it.

When She'd been homely at least he hadn't felt so ugly. But now she was turning out to be just as wickedly beautiful as her cousin, with far more fullness to tempt a man to madness than Georgina had ever been able to boast of.

These thoughts and more had Bane shifting in his seat just as much as George was.

It would be a two day flight home, and this was the very last compartment available on the whole machine. Ironically, it had been labeled the honeymoon suite, and thus was priced so high that a typical traveler would've opted for something economical.

It had worked in their favor, as newlyweds desperate for transportation, they now sat in the spacious red and gold compartment, complimentary champagne chilling in a bucket nearby and a full private lavatory at their disposal. Bane wished again he'd thought to insist on a maid coming with her from her uncle's house.

How on earth was he supposed to help her with anything... especially now that She'd a broken leg...

"When will we take off?" George asked, her voice nervous. Bane bit back a smirk.

"Soon, I am sure," he answered in a disinterested tone, but eyeing her just the same. She was sitting on her hands as if to keep still and chewing on her lip in a way that made him horribly distracted.

"Do you think they're using the Edison four thousand?" she blurted next, her gaze swinging from the window to his face.

Bane blinked stupidly, She'd caught him staring at her mouth, and now she was staring directly at him in broad daylight - something he tried to avoid with beautiful young women as a kind of rule.

"What?" he stammered, his mind racing to catch up with her words instead of the softness of her lips.

"The radio," George said with a dip of her head as if he should understand her pefectly and not be horribly distracted, "What model do you think a ship like this would use?"

"I - I have no idea," Bane groused, shifting again. She leaned forward, resting her chin on both hands now as she varied her glance from their compartment to the view of the tarmac outside.

"Is it a newer ship?" she asked next, sitting up now - why Couldn't the little thing just keep still?

"Honestly George!" Bane barked, running a hand over his face, she just looked up at him wide eyed and mystified, "Since when do you know anything about radios?" he asked, grasping for a subject.

"Oh... well..." she hesitated, staring at her lap again for several long seconds, "I am a member of the Radio friends amateur division," she answered quietly, "Bit of a hobby of mine."

"And we wrote letters?" Bane asked in confusion, "I do own a radio, could've sent you one at the very least and it would've been easier than waiting for a carrier pigeon every month."

"Georgina Marie doesn't know anything about radio," she answered quietly, looking up at him now with shame in her expression. Bane sighed and rubbed a hand over his face again.