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agreed it was time to call it a night. After hugs, kisses, and goodnights, the pair walked up the stairs together, before going their separate ways on the landing. Hope pushed her bedroom door open, before turning round to see Arran watching her go in. "Good night Arran," she said softly.
    She was glad to see the copper bathtub and its contents had been removed. She placed her lit lamp down beside her bed, and looked down at the inviting bed. How she had missed such a simple comfort. She quickly removed her clothes and slipped on the cotton nightdress that had been left for her. After pulling back the covers, she slipped between them, before leaning over to put the lamp out.
    The room fell into darkness and she laid back her head on the soft pillow. Hope was certain the moment she closed her eyes, then sleep would take her. Strangely, no matter how comfortable and clean she now felt, she could not sleep. There was something missing, something she had become accustomed too. Over an hour or so later it dawned upon her what that missing something was, Arran.
    Without so much as giving it a second thought, she threw back her covers and climbed out of the warmth and comfort of her bed. After lighting her lamp, she quietly opened her bedroom door and stepped across the dark landing area. She did not knock, but went straight into the room Arran was sleeping in, and closed the door behind her. "Psst, Arran, are you awake?" she whispered. "I am now," came the reply.
    Hope stepped up to Arran's bed and placed her lamp down upon the table beside it. "Can I get in with you?" she asked quietly. In the flickering light, she could see the smile on Arran's young face. Those blue eyes sparkling like sapphires. He threw back the covers, and Hope had to put her hand to her mouth to stop herself making a noise. "Arran, you don't have any clothes on...at all," she added surprised.
    Hope did not really mind seeing him without clothes on, in fact if anything she quite enjoyed it. She cast her eyes down his slim well-toned body. How could she not like looking at something so pleasing to the eye? The only question now was whether she wanted their relationship to move to the next step. Although technically she had lain in Arran's arms every night of their travels, she had never slept with anybody before.
    Her mother had always told her that most, not all, women preferred to save themselves for that one special person. Usually that meant not sharing a bed with that person until your wedding night. Hope however had already made her mind up, and slowly untied the bonds holding her nightdress on. She smiled as she noticed the look on Arran's face as the white cotton garment slipped slowly off her shoulders on to the dark floor. She was now as naked as he was, and she could tell he was certainly as pleased as she was.
    Hope blew out the lamp, and in the darkness climbed beneath the covers. The immediate touch of Arran's lips on hers, and his fingers running across her skin made her feel alive. She did not know whether Arran had ever bedded anyone before her; and if truth were told, she did not particularly care. Of one thing she was certain, and that was he certainly knew which parts to touch. His hands appeared to be everywhere she wanted them to be, and she longed for more. As if knowing the time was right, Arran gently lifted himself over her. "I love you Hope," he said as he gently entered her.
    The first light of day was breaking through the window in the bedroom. Hope, still enveloped in Arran's arms and with her head on his chest, felt comfort listening to his soft breathing. She lay there for a little while, before realising she had better quickly make a move. She would need to return back to her own bed before any of the house staff realised what the pair of them had been up to.
    Reluctantly, and somewhat regretfully she gently slipped out of the bed. After replacing the cotton nightdress she had dropped on the floor, she made her way out of the