April 23rd, 1891 — Oakshire Hall, Kent

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Antigone had impatiently waited out the rest of the ball as well as the journey home which showed remarkable restraint and self-control in her opinion. However, as soon as the front door was closed and the servants had scurried off Tig rounded on him. Remove the vow! Some of the frantic energy she'd felt earlier returned. On an impulse she reached out and grabbed his upper arm tightly. It was a gesture of dominance, she told herself, it wasn't anything to do with supposed fear or desperation; it wasn't clinging it was controlling.

You have to remove it or at the very least alter it! If she'd made a scene earlier trying to save her own life surely he wouldn't have appreciated it. Yes she'd been wearing a mask but if the whole room had come to a standstill it would only take one person who recognized her to say something and that would be that. It would benefit him to remove it as well as her, it was abundantly clear after all that he had grown attached to her. He had protected her life more than he'd threatened it, hadn't he? She thought so anyway although she wasn't exactly keeping count.

As far as she was aware it wasn't called an unbreakable vow for the sake of hyperbole but surely that constraint was just for the average wizard with no imagination? He was supposed to be better than that, he'd know a way or else he could find one!

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Outfit | Tag: Tiberius Lestrange | Notes:

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   Tiberius Lestrange

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From Tiberius' perspective that ball had been entirely unremarkable (and just as thoroughly unenjoyable as balls in general). He'd danced with Antigone once near the beginning of the night, then a handful of other dances with various female relatives who dropped a hint that they felt so inclined tonight, then he'd spent most of the night at a card table in one of the side rooms. He had only noticed Antigone's demeanor in the carriage, and even then he hadn't know exactly what was going on, only that she seemed to have something on her mind. He'd lingered in the entryway at Oakshire Hall to see whether she would bring it up or not, rather than pressing on towards his own bedroom as he usually would. He didn't have to wait long for her to break the silence, though when she did it took him half a second to catch up to what she was talking about. There was only one vow of import in their lives, however, and it was clear from her tone that whatever she was talking about wasn't a trifling matter.

"You can't alter it," he said, peering into her eyes to try and determine where this statement had come from. He'd never been good at deciphering emotion on others. Was she angry? Frightened? She was more animated than usual, and speaking with some urgency, and she had grabbed his arm. This wasn't a request she'd been contemplating in the back of her mind for some months; it wasn't a carefully constructed argument where she'd done her research. This was impulsive, and driven by something. "Why? What's happened?" he asked, brows lowering. Antigone couldn't have broken the vow, or else she wouldn't still be here, but something had changed.

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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Her grip on his arm tightened noticeably - if her hand hadn't been thus occupied she would've been clenching it into a fist like she had with her other hand. She hadn't expected him to ask that, but then she hadn't really thought about what he might say exactly only that he'd probably be resistant to the idea as he had been every other time she'd raised the issue.

She clenched her jaw and mentally squirmed when she thought back to the momentary flicker of attraction she'd felt. How could she fully communicate the seriousness of the situation without revealing that she'd felt an involuntary pang of... of lust? It was humiliating. Not only had she felt like she'd thoroughly lost control of herself but it had happened because she'd been reminded of him. Any thought of whether he might consider it akin to adultery was the furthest thing from her mind.

It was at least ten seconds before she spoke, enough time for a flush to rise in her cheeks and her scowl to deepen. When you were thinking up the terms did you ever take a moment to consider whether the damn thing could read intent? I don't suppose you did, did you? If I unwittingly touched a portkey destined for Peru I'd be dead on arrival, isn't that so? The very thought of him being so careless with her life - no matter how many years ago it was or what had happened since - was making her seethe. How close had she really been to death that evening?

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Outfit | Tag: Tiberius Lestrange | Notes:

  

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Tiberius waited out her long silence, growing more curious as the seconds stretched on. Something had happened that she didn't want to tell him about, he supposed. That seemed logical if it was something related to the Vow. If she'd almost broken a tenant, she likely wouldn't be eager to advertise the fact to him. On the other hand, if she didn't want to tell him what had happened, why bring it up in the first place? She had to have known he would ask about it, or at least wonder where this was coming from. If she was trying to keep secrets, this wasn't a good way to go about it.

Intent — he raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't concerned with your intentions," he said plainly. "I was concerned with the potential consequences of your actions, since at the time you seemed so entirely unconcerned with them." Intention made no difference to him when weighing the social impact of her decisions or the assessing the damage she might have done to the family reputation, which had been his chief concerns when introducing the Vow. True, he hadn't anticipated a scenario like the one she'd just described, but it was so far-fetched that even now he thought it a reasonable risk to assume. How often were people accidentally abducted by stray portkeys and whisked off to foreign countries? Surely that couldn't have been what had happened tonight.

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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It wasn't a surprising revelation - if it could even be called a revelation - but it did compound her anger. Then it stands to reason, she paused for a split second as the memory of earlier, of how close she'd come to death sent a heady wave of adrenaline washing over her, that you didn't consider for a moment the possibility that someone might try to take liberties with me! She dug her nails in to his arm. The more she thought about it the more indignant she felt, the more horrific an oversight it seemed. Death or public scene? For someone so concerned with the consequences of my actions you didn't think that through, did you? She willed her grasp on his arm to miraculously cut off the circulation.

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Outfit | Tag: Tiberius Lestrange | Notes:

  

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Tiberius blinked. "Did someone?"

Someone must have tried to do something, or else why would she be bringing this up? He'd suspected that something had happened to cause this conversation, but he hadn't anticipated something like this. He was still having a difficult time believing it, truth be told. Antigone had never made a habit of making herself particularly desirable. She could feign politeness on occasion, but that was about all she had in terms of charm. She was attractive enough, but so were dozens of other young women who were far better company. It seemed far-fetched to think Antigone would have encouraged any potential attentions, given the Vow. Anyone who was taking liberties would have had to do so against her will, and if that was the case... why? Why not pick anyone else, who was a softer and easier target for such a thing?

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   Ursula Black

Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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Did someone? Was he being intentionally dense? It didn't occur to her that he might be questioning the likelihood of such a thing, as far as she was concerned she was plenty appealing to the opposite sex so why shouldn't someone be be attracted to her?

Obviously, she snapped through gritted teeth. Her grip on his arm finally loosened and then her hand fell away altogether. She folded her arms across her chest and scowled at a random spot on the floor a few feet behind him. She hadn't thought she'd have to reiterate the fact and in doing so she found herself embarrassed to be bringing further attention to the fact that she'd experienced a rare instance of female vulnerability.

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Outfit | Tag: Tiberius Lestrange | Notes:

  

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Despite her blunt answer, Tiberius was still finding this difficult to believe.

"Well — you shouldn't have encouraged them," he threw back. Presumably if she was this upset about it she hadn't openly solicited the attentions (and anyway, he didn't think she was that short-sighted — at least not anymore). Even so, he assumed she must have done something to attract or invite attention to herself if someone had made an overture of some sort. Those sorts of things didn't just happen out of the blue. A young man wouldn't choose a stranger out of a crowd and then flirt all night without any sort of encouragement from the object of his affections. Even if it had only been a look or a gesture, she had to have done something to make him feel it wasn't a complete waste of his time to try.

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

---

There probably wasn't a more inflammatory statement he could have made to her in that moment than the one he chose. All of the fury and frustration she'd painstakingly bottled up, every violent urge she'd felt that evening suddenly bubbled to the surface and the eruption made her initial outburst seem meek by comparison. I DIDN'T! She marched toward him and grabbed for his shoulders, continuing to push her way forward with the determination of a bulldozer. I refused to dance with him but he insisted, I only gave in to avoid a scene! I insulted him, I said I had a husband, I threatened to disembowel him if he didn't put his damn hands back where they belonged! Even as she could feel herself shaking with blistering rage there was a traitorous undercurrent of want trying to undermine not dissimilar from earlier that evening.

How far do you suppose another man can touch me before I die, Tiberius?! She suddenly released his shoulders and snatched instead at his waist. This wasn't enough! She harshly reenacted for him the way the stranger's hand had moved downward from her lower back. Nor was this! Without missing a beat she pressed herself against him, closer than the stranger had dared but not by much. Or this which came after I threatened to kill him! Tig seethed silently as she glared at him. When she spoke again her words were no longer shouted at him but the anger in her voice hadn't lessened any. How exactly was I encouraging him?

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Outfit | Tag: Tiberius Lestrange | Notes: I could've written all of the dialogue in caps but I thought it'd be overkill.

  

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Tiberius felt as thought Antigone were preparing to crawl into his skin with the way that she moved towards him, though admittedly much of the feeling there was due to the intensity of her expression and words, not the physical actions themselves. The hand that she put on his lower back was pushing the boundaries of what might be considered proper for a social dance, but he didn't think it fell into the realm of things that might trigger her Vow. As she was still standing, evidently he was correct. Still — it was obvious that the interaction had affected her. Tiberius tensed, but didn't back away from his wife. "Who was it?"

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

---

Tig opened her mouth to unleash further fury but then realized he hadn't actively dismissed her this time, it was possible he was about to but it was unlikely he was asking after the man's identity only to tell her she'd overreacted.

I don't know, she muttered bitterly. He reminded me of- Tig caught herself just in time to stop the word 'you' tumbling out her mouth. Never mind that the comparison itself was hardly helpful in terms of identifying him, she was appalled at how close she'd come to opening that can of worms. The metaphorical can of worms might have remained closed for him but it wasn't for her. Suddenly the closeness she'd instigated thrilled and mortified her in equal measure.

Her attraction to him was no longer novel but it wasn't something she ever thought about, it was something that reared its head and blinded her judgement at certain moments but she efficiently compartmentalized it at all other times. Now she found herself contemplating just how powerful and perverse it was. Where had it come from? How could it have so much control over her? More importantly, how could she prevent herself from acting on it now when it was still of vital importance to her that he take the threat to her life seriously, that he do something to ensure that any similar instances in the future wouldn't lead to her death.

Why did her hands still have to be on his lower lower back? Why was he still so close?

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Outfit | Tag: Tiberius Lestrange | Notes:

  

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Tiberius couldn't have finished her sentence; he was oblivious as to where she was leading, or why she'd cut off so abruptly. It was fair that she didn't know who the man had been given the masquerade feature of the evening, but why wouldn't she have given him as much detail as she could? Unless he was in an elaborate costume, things like his hair or skin color should have been evident, and at least an approximation of his age. If he reminded her of someone, that was the surest clue of all. If she wanted Tiberius to do something about the interlude, she ought to have shared it.

Unless... was it possible that she had encouraged him, before tonight? If she had only just parsed together his identity herself and realized it might prove incriminating, that might be a reason to withhold the information. Of course, the thought immediately ignited Tiberius' curiosity. Who was this shadowy figure whom his wife might be inclined to protect?

Tiberius reached one hand up and tipped Antigone's chin up, so that she would have to meet his eyes. For all the good it would do — he'd always been terrible at reading expressions and interpreting emotion. He could have used legilimency. He was sorely tempted, despite having resolved years ago not to use that particular skill against her. He rolled one corner of his lower lip between his teeth, considering.

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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There was surprise first and then her stomach seemed to flip and start knotting itself so frantically she almost felt physically ill. Without consciously deciding to her hand flew up and grabbed his wrist. She didn't make any attempt to pull his hand away from her, she simply held on to his wrist and tried to avoid eye contact.

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Outfit | Tag: Tiberius Lestrange | Notes:

  

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Tiberius held her gaze. The tension between them lingered and stagnated. He wasn't going to use legilimency on her, curious as he might be. The fact that she was still standing here meant that nothing could have happened, and she knew the consequences if anything ever did, so ultimately it was a fruitless curiosity. Nothing would come of this. He ought not to even waste his time wondering.

But of course he was wondering. Who did she even talk to? He knew very little about her daily life, aside from where her path periodically intersected with his. She had leisure to go where she wished during the days while he was working, and money to spend. He'd always assumed she filled her days with some banalities that he couldn't have been bothered with — women's things — but suppose she had a habit of attending horse races, or some other event that might put her in close contact with gentlemen? Suppose she'd gotten close to one of them through that avenue? She would have been playing with fire to flirt with anyone, but — well. Antigone had done more thoughtless things before.

Tiberius removed his hand from her chin, attempting to shake off her hand where she'd grabbed him. "The Vow will remain."

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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Her stomach continued to knot and writhe as his eyes bored into her even as she willed it to stop, for him to remain unaware of it. Finally he let go of her face and she could feel him trying to shake her off but instinctively she tightened her grip. As soon as she realized she regretted not letting her hand fall away and restored some physical distance, especially when she realized she'd followed it up with a thumb movement which was disturbingly reminiscent of a caress.

Tig felt briefly nauseated by this digression before it was replaced by the return of her seething anger. She dug her nails in. Does my life still mean so little to you? There was a slight hesitation before her reply as these words caught in her throat and were thrust back down again. Then should I die in a compromising position in another man's arms or am I allowed to fight back and cause a scandal? Because those are the only options you're leaving me with! Suppose I allow the next man to go about his business to spare you the embarrassment of a public duel, you'd never be completely certain I hadn't reciprocated. Wouldn't that bother you? The possibility that I'd willingly risked death, that I considered it worth it just to have someone else touch me... You'd be powerless to do anything about it and everyone would know. She didn't believe for a second that she'd ever risk her life so pointlessly but he didn't know that, and there had been an uncomfortable tightness in her chest since he'd spoken and it made her want to lash out in a particularly vicious fashion, to goad him into extreme emotion of some sort. If it made him jealous angry, somehow, she sensed, that would make it go away.

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Outfit | Tag: Tiberius Lestrange | Notes:

  

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Tiberius started off by glaring as she held onto his wrist and launched into her diatribe. He opened his mouth to interrupt with I'd defend your honor if you just told me what was going on, but she left no space for him to speak. A duel might be inconvenient, and a publicly known one even moreso, but he'd deal with the fallout if the tradeoff was having a wife who was loyal, and publicly loyal. What she suggested next, on the other hand, made his blood boil. It wasn't the idea of her being with someone else — he didn't think, anyway; he'd shared Valeria with her husband for years and the knowledge hadn't lessened his desire for her at the time — but rather the suggestion that it could be anyone else.

He took a step closer to her, effectively removing all distance between them. His left hand, with hers still around his wrist, went to her neck. He grabbed her with enough force to be at least uncomfortable, perhaps bordering on painful, but not outright dangerous. "You want to see how powerless I am?" he hissed.

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