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It was a cool evening in October where I met Miss Lenora Lawrence. It had been her cousin, John Braine, who invited us to the casual affair. He was another bowler who had played a few matches with Zingari and wanted to celebrate the end of the season with drinks and parlour games at his father’s property. The country house was respectable, on a beautiful stretch of farmland in the Avon Valley near Bath. Bunny and I arrived around noon, and it had gotten far into the evening when the introduction was made.
“Raffles? May I present you to my cousin, Miss Lawrence?” Braine’s voice interrupted Bunny’s, who had been explaining to me in a hushed voice that he did not enjoy playing blind man’s bluff. “She just arrived moments ago, but has already taken an interest in you.”
I followed Braine’s line of sight to where Miss Lawrence was seated near the window. She wore her hair curled and pinned beneath an extravagant hat. Striking blue feathers and flowers adorned the top which complimented her lavish floral dress. Her fashion was expensive and her eyes were curious, but she kept pushing her hat up as if it wasn’t pinned properly and shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
“Of course,” it was difficult for me to turn down an offer. “Come along, Bunny.”
Bunny perked up and nodded, until Braine interrupted once more, “My apologies. She only wants to speak to Raffles.” He was a plain spoken gentleman, but not unkind.
Still, Bunny shriveled at this and looked toward me with his mouth agape. He already had a slight blush in his cheeks from drinking and it deepened at being refused.
“It’s alright, Bunny.”
“What am I meant to do?” His voice was pitched higher than usual. I felt the need to refute that whine.
“You know you are perfectly capable of socializing on your own,” I said brusquely. It was never my intention to offend, in fact, I believed Bunny was wonderfully friendly when conversing with others. I turned away from him, but part of me hoped he would call back — he let me walk away. I had a desire that arose when Bunny questioned me. It was not disgust or annoyance, but a pull. A need to hinder any doubt of my control, which Bunny handed to me wholeheartedly, but felt worthless at the moment Bunny decided not to call back. I wanted to play that game with him, the one where he is provoked and squirms at my prevaricating.
Miss Lawrence stood when I approached and Braine introduced me.
“It’s lovely to meet you,” I smiled at her. She curtsied and her hat faltered. Once again, I noticed more of her luxury fashion displayed in the jewellery she wore around her neck and wrists. The sunlight from the window hit the glittering gems and highlighted the delicate fabric of the dress.
“Oh, please excuse my appearance! It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr Raffles.”
“I’m afraid there’s no excuse for your appearance, Miss Lawrence.”
Her eyes lowered, “Right-”
“Why do you need to excuse your beauty?”
She looked up in surprise and gave a shy smile. By the end of the night, I will have stolen something of her’s.
---
As various guests left for the night, I was still seated with Miss Lawrence. She had told me that she recently moved in with her uncle because of her parents’ deaths, and confessed that both of them came from a working class background. Being welcomed into the wealthy landowner side of her family was still disorienting, but she loved the accessories that came with it. As she explained where she acquired her newest ring, my thoughts drifted back to Bunny. If we found a place to stay nearby, we could come back after midnight to burglarize her rooms. Planting the crime on another guest could be easy. Although, it might be better to take something of her’s before we left tonight and make a quick getaway.
My eyes drifted around the room, searching for my rabbit. I had seen him earlier, making pleasant conversation as expected, but now he stood alone. There was no mistake he had been watching me when he quickly looked away — I kept staring at him. The drink in his hand was nearly empty, and I wished to remember how many he had. I felt that pull again, and willed Bunny to look at me. Instead, he started walking over, and stood right in front of me. Miss Lawrence’s words drifted off as she came to look at Bunny.
“I’m leaving,” he announced at the floor. Something in my mind needed him to see me. I thought if I saw his eyes, then I would find an answer or understanding in them.
“Bunny, I am still talking with the lovely Miss Lawrence. I think we can stay a bit longer.”
I barely finished my sentence before Bunny shook his head and started, “No, Raffles. I am leaving.”
I gave a glance to Miss Lawrence. She was minimally affronted by Bunny’s tone, and waited patiently. If I could shout at my rabbit to look up and into my eyes, I would. At the very least, I could indicate my plans for theft or remind Bunny of his loyalty. He still stared at the floor.
“Bunny, it is quite a long train ride home — I think it’s best you leave with me.”
He raised his head, but turned his gaze toward the woman next to me, “Sorry I couldn’t make your acquaintance, Miss Lawrence.” He walked away without waiting for a reply.
Bunny weaved past the various guests that were still in attendance, talking in small groups. He walked right in between two chairs of gentlemen chatting, through the two large settees in the center of the room, and opened the grand front door with more force than necessary. He did this all without bidding our host goodnight and with a precision that I had not seen before. Most seemed unaffected by this display despite Bunny’s uncouth behavior. I could not take my eyes off him until the door was fully closed. I kept waiting for him to turn around, but did not know if I wanted him to or expected him to. The last I saw of Bunny was his coattails and the back of his fair hair glancing off the sunlight.
“Well, that seemed rude!” Miss Lawrence sounded bemused rather than irritated.
My jaw tightened, “…Yes. It was.”
“Will he be alright?”
I turned back to her and smiled to answer in affirmative, but stopped. I was being truthful about the long ride back to London, and I did feel it better for Bunny if we left together. I had the ridiculous thought that Bunny might get lost on his way to the station. Glancing at the door once more, I quietly said, “It seems he made his own choice.”
Miss Lawrence smiled awkwardly and pulled at a thread on her sleeve.
It might have been too forward, but a feeling akin to desire pushed me to stand swiftly and offer her my hand. I could not sort through any thought that lured me into my mind. With confidence, I made what should have been a question into a statement, “Why don’t you show me those gorgeous rings we were discussing earlier.”
---
It was late when I had finally returned to the Albany, nearly one in the morning. I left Braine’s house quickly after my encounter in Miss Lawrence’s room. She still clearly had a tenuous grasp on the rules one follows when in wealthy company, but it was a pleasant reprieve from having to follow those rules myself. Our conversation had carried on as she showed me her assortment of rings, but I could not take my mind off the way Bunny had behaved that evening. I patted my coat pocket to ensure his gift was there. It ended up being the only thing I could take from Miss Lawrence’s collection without arousing suspicion. All we shared were a few more stories and a chaste kiss before I had to leave to catch the latest train of the night. I left, frustrated that I had tried — and failed — to stop worrying about my rabbit. My plans to sleep off my feelings and speak with Bunny in the morning were interrupted when I found the very man in my sitting room.
He was sat near the mantel-piece in the same clothes he had worn when I saw him last. He looked a bit lost in thought and I might have recognized a melancholy in his red-rimmed eyes, but I did not have time to consider it before he stood quickly at my arrival and started speaking.
“I’m sorry for being here without you knowing first, Raffles, but I think I made a fool of myself this evening and… how was the rest of your night with Miss Lawrence?”
He trailed off as I replied, “Yes, you did make a fool of yourself. I will tell you about my night, however, I believe I have a gift for you that will remedy all of this. I was going to wait until morning, but seeing as you are already here.”
I reached into my coat pocket and gently placed Bunny’s gift on the table before taking a seat on the sofa. Bunny’s eyes lit up at the jewel I placed on the table, but paused before asking, “What is it?”
“It is a brooch with a cabochon cut noble opal in a collet setting.”
Bunny knitted his eyebrows and stared in confusion at the gem. The opal appeared as a bright white, but when held at different lights or angles, it shone in a brilliant display of colors. Glinting between blues and reds and greens — reflecting in a smooth surface atop the golden setting where it laid. It was one of the more simple items that Miss Lawrence kept, but when I opened the box on her dresser, this brooch was the one that I had to have. The complex colors did not need any emphasis from being surrounded by diamonds, their hidden beauty was enough to catch my eye. It was small and simplistic enough to not be missed from her box of jewels, and handsome enough to draw attraction when worn. When I looked at it long enough, I could feel all my worries and upset at Bunny that night fading away. It was only right for him to have it. Perhaps, we could both be lost entirely in this gem and forget everything except for how wonderful it feels to be loyal partners.
“This is a heart shaped brooch,” Bunny was open-eyed and open-mouthed.
“Yes, it is a noble opal.”
“Cut in the shape of a heart.”
“Cabochon cut.”
“A heart surrounded in gold.”
“Collet setting.”
“You are gifting me a heart brooch?”
Bunny seemed to be getting dangerously close to a place I normally refused to prod, but knew existed. I wondered if what I had done tonight was meant to lead to this. Maybe I had orchestrated all of it to usher us into something new, or maybe my rabbit had put these pieces into play.
I carried on, “Well, opals are quite fashionable now, but I suppose they do carry some superstition. King Alfonso XII of Spain was gifted an opal as well. It was given to him by his past contemptuous lover. After she had been cast aside for the sake of his marriage to Princess Mercedes, the King gave the opal ring to his new wife. Their marriage only lasted a few months before Mercedes had fallen ill and passed away. There is much speculation that her death was due to that very opal.”
“Oh, that is quite a story!”
“Yes, although, the Romans held the gem in high regard. I believe it was Senator Nonius who said he would rather go into exile than be made to give up his opal ring.”
“Exile…,” Bunny repeated with a quaver in his voice. “Now I’m wondering — how did you obtain this opal?” Bunny still had a wide eyed look, but his lips curled up in a playfully familiar way.
“I stole it-”
“That’s what I assumed-”
“-from Miss Lawrence’s room.”
It was as if Bunny had been hit. His entire expression fell, “You were in her room?”
“Yes,” The quiet of my voice surprised me. I had no shame about my exploits, although, this particular one felt like it had to be hidden. Not just because of the nature of the crime, but because of the way my rabbit had reacted to it. What came from the gift was not apologies and forgiveness (I also imagined myself to be the one to pin the brooch upon Bunny’s lapel), but bewilderment.
“Oh… what happened, then?”
I had no choice, but to begin my story. As Bunny listened, he took a pale blue handkerchief from his coat pocket and laid it out on the table. Carefully, he placed the brooch on the cloth and folded it over, so it was encased in the handkerchief. I was aware of what my rabbit was doing, but far too engrossed in my own story to question it. I avoided speaking of when Bunny left the house and merely started at the moment I was brought into Miss Lawrence’s room — I became fully engrossed in my tale of thievery. Bunny wore an impassive look that told me my words were washing over him.
I continued on, “As we sat on the edge of her bed — I noticed the softness of the sheets. Quite expensive tastes coming from someone of her class, but that was reflected in much of the rest of her room. Of course, I was led to believe she kept her most valuable jewellery in the ornate box on her dresser. Pretty things for pretty things.”
Bunny stood stiffly at the mantel. His back towards me with a familiar tension in his shoulders, and he was doing the most demure shift from foot to foot. He hesitated just a moment before picking up the mantel clock.
“As I had my eye on the box, she put her lovely hands on my shoulders and leaned in for the slightest ki-”
A heavy thud and shatter rang in my ears. The movement made by Bunny was so quick that it hardly registered, but it was clear what had transpired. My sweet rabbit took the clock and struck the jewel with it, breaking it within the handkerchief. He wore the same horrified look that I had seen many times before during our burglary exploits. His widened eyes and parted lips looked as if he had not a clue what he’d done.
“Bunny!” I exclaimed, breathless from the show of force that came from that innocent face. I never forgot the courage Bunny had under his sheepish demeanor — it was what drew me to him in the first place — but it still astonished me at the moments he decided to reveal it.
“I- I- I don’t want her jewels,” Bunny stammered. He lifted the clock and placed it back square on the mantel, avoiding my eyes.
“Right,” I smiled genuinely. “Is the opal not good enough for you?”
I felt a stir within me, an itch that was not unlike the one I felt when I was close to cracking a lock. I kept myself frozen despite this, and I watched carefully for Bunny’s next move. He seemed to have a restlessness within him as well. He moved his fingers aimlessly around the clock, “You mentioned the King of Spain, but… well… have you read Anne of Geierstein?”
The title sounded familiar, but I knew Bunny to be slightly more attuned to the popular literature than I was. I had to admit, “No. Enlighten me, dear rabbit.”
Bunny let out what I think he meant to be a noise of frustration. I heard it as a strangled whine instead, “The character, Hermione, she’s generous and smart and- and- she’s described as ‘animated.’ She’s a lively dancer, but she always wears this opal clasp in her hair that is said to reflect her emotions. Shining brightly when she is happy or glowing a dark red when she is upset, if you can imagine it.” Bunny was speaking quickly now and smiled weakly as he continued to recall the story, “She is a tutor for the Baron of Arnheim, too. You see, Hermione’s father is a part of the Persian Magi. While the Baron protects her and her father, she teaches him in all the ways of their religion and shares the wisdom she has. Naturally, they wed and have a daughter. On the christening day, one of the ladies attending accuses Hermione and the Baron of being demons! In an attempt to dispute the accusation, the Baron puts holy water upon his wife’s head and the opal she wears! Hermione collapses in a sudden pain and that brilliant, shining opal completely loses all of its colour! She- um- then she dies afterwards…”
There was silence as Bunny abruptly concluded recounting the tale. I attempted to make sense of the story in my head, and piece together whether Bunny had a purpose to telling me this or if it was simply rambling to cover up his embarrassment. It seemed he was not fully aware of his actions — running his hands along the mantel and straightening the various artistic photos I kept there.
“Are you worried that I am giving you a demonic opal?” My curiosity was genuine, but I could not hide my amusement.
At this, Bunny turned to me with a panicked expression, “No, not at all! Actually, Hermione’s opal had nothing to do with occult practices or her death. No, she died because she was poisoned by the very woman who had accused her! The opal was… incidental. Caught in the crossfire, so to speak…”
“Ah, I see,” there was a moment where we held one another’s eyes.
Then, Bunny looked at the handkerchief, now with the couple pieces of the brooch that had tumbled out on the table. He frowned, but a look that I might even call satisfaction came into his eyes, if it were not for the slight downturn of his lips and what he said next, “Oh, Raffles! Should I have done that!?”
A real laugh broke from my throat, short and delighted.
“Alright, laugh at me! I don’t regret it, then! What I do regret is asking you in the first place about this whole… ordeal!” Bunny attempted to glare at me with his blushed cheeks.
My amused grin met his red face, as it had many times before. There was no doubt about the feelings Bunny had. Just as I suspected jealousy before, there was jealousy now. There was such a joy in playing these games with my rabbit, and I had a desperation to see how long he would keep batting until I finally dismissed him. I could contain my restlessness no more, and I was eager to grab hold of something. I rose from the sofa while Bunny’s eyes shifted from myself to the floor.
“Would you like to hear another tale of opals?” I lowered my voice. I took one of Bunny’s hands from where it hung at his side, flexing awkwardly, and held it in my own — a delicate gesture. I brought it near to my face in a way that suggested I might kiss the knuckles, but I simply ran my thumb over them and admired his hands. As expected, Bunny leaned in just a bit to hear me, “King Louis XI of France. He had a royal jeweller that was gifted in the setting of stones. As it happens, when setting a precious opal, the jeweller fractured it completely. Do you know what the King did?”
Bunny opened his mouth, wordlessly, and made a quiet noise of query.
I gave the softest brush of my lips to Bunny’s skin, “He cut off his jeweller’s hands.”
Bunny drew in a breath, but did not pull away nor say anything. This was the thrilling moment in all our relationship. The moments in which I made a display of all the things Bunny could despise me for, and yet, there was never a doubt of my rabbit’s loyalty. I could not help but perpetuate his devotion. I felt the fevered desperation inside of me anytime I watched him squirm, and I always wanted to steal away his intermittent morals. I kept Bunny’s emotions in the back of my mind. I knew his feelings, but I could not allow us to speak of them. Just as I hid aspects of our burglary out of fear he would run and ruin it all — I hid his love for me. I did not know if either of us had considered whether my love was hidden. My open thievery and enjoyment for women seemed like a barrier, but now, it was clear that both these activities always came back to my Bunny. It reaffirmed his very loyalty while maintaining the distance between us. Now, it was not enough. That distance was closed. I still felt that itch within me, and I needed his final act of allegiance.
“What gift can I give you, then? What do you want, Bunny?”
I expected hesitation, but the immediate reply came, “You.”
“You have me,” I said, pushing past the breath caught in my throat.
“If I had you, you wouldn’t have talked to her in the first place! You wouldn’t have been in her rooms and she wouldn’t have… kissed you,” Bunny whispered the last part.
I ignored this statement for both our sakes. Miss Lawrence made for a great story of seduction and burglary, but Bunny occupied more space in my heart and mind than he understood. I repeated myself, “You have me.” Instead of a faint brush of my lips, I earnestly kissed his knuckles individually. I barely made it to the last one before Bunny’s hand drew me up to his face and kissed me. It was with all the same courage he demonstrated moments ago, and I eagerly returned it.
His lips were deliciously soft, which was a pleasant counter to the rough passion he displayed in chasing my mouth when I tried to pull away after a moment. I did not attempt to back away after that, and it wasn’t until my tongue pressed its way up against Bunny’s that he moved away with a gasp. His hand still hot against my face and his other pressed against my side. He was grabbing my hip far tighter than he needed to, but in the midst of our fervid kiss my hands had also moved to clutch his waist.
“I want you- you- I need you-,” Bunny murmured the plea and looked exclusively at my lips, no doubt as wet and red as his. He continued despite a blush appearing on every patch of skin I could see. “You need to show me. Show me I have you, A.J.”
“My dear rabbit,” I grinned and I couldn’t help myself. I pulled Bunny even closer to me, so my body pressed against his. I leaned into his ear, “Will you be breaking anymore jewels?”
I never got a response to that question. Instead, I felt a hot breathe and hesitant bite on my neck. Bunny whined, “I despise when you call me that.”
“Why is that, my dear rabbit?” I teased.
“Because… I like it far too much.”
I captured his lips again and felt the heat grow between us. Bunny seemed to be trying to attach to me as he forced every part of himself upon my body. He wrapped his arms fully around me in a firm embrace. I placed a kiss on his cheek, his neck, his ear, his nose, and repeated this over and over again. Bunny’s whines of pleasure reminded me of the precision he left the country house with — a purposeful and tantalizing action that was sincere all the same.
“My rabbit, my dear rabbit, my pretty rabbit, my sweet rabbit…” I breathed in between each kiss. I dragged my hand down his side and up again, feeling him tremble against me. A hard twitch of Bunny’s hips and I felt his arousal, matching my own.
Our need was clear, and I paused for a moment. I took in Bunny, his face was red and through his gasping he let out faint noises. His eyes were tightly shut, and I could have no more of this if I could not see him.
“Bunny. Look at me.”
There was another twitch of his hips against my own, and I groaned when the hardness of his clothed cock brushed mine.
“Look at me.”
Bunny opened his eyes with hesitation and we stared at each other, lips parted and panting.
“I am your’s. And you are mine.”
Then, there was another grind against my hips. Once more again, and Bunny held my eyes as he let out a loud moan. His body stiffened for just a second before shaking and constricting me enough to bruise.
Bunny’s eyebrows raised high and he started to shake his head, “Oh, no…”
It was obvious what had happened, but I looked down to confirm it. There was a damp patch on Bunny’s trousers next to my still hard bulge. A sense of pride washed over me and I grinned. He pulled off of me immediately and he took all the heat from before with him. Bunny turned to walk to the other side of the room and turned to walk back to me again — he started an awkward nonrhythmic pace.
“No, no, no…” My rabbit continued to stammer. “Good lord, Raffles, I don’t know what to say! Please, I… I just don’t know!”
My arousal hadn’t gone away, if anything I felt it stronger knowing how my rabbit’s body reacted to our brief encounter. I clicked my tongue, “That is such a shame, Bunny. I had no idea you were so easy,-”
“Easy!?”
“-but I should have guessed. That’s quite a disappointment.” I walked over to where Bunny was pouting and halted his pacing by grabbing his forearm. I pulled him with me, “Come along, Bunny.”
“Ah- along to where, exactly?”
I sighed and turned to my rabbit, “The bedroom.”
“Oh… I suppose we are tired…” Bunny stated absentmindedly, as if he had no recollection of what had transpired moments ago.
“We will not be sleeping, my dear rabbit. First, we are going to get you out of those soiled clothes. Then, you will finish me off. After that, I’m hoping to make you spend once more.”
Bunny’s smile grew as I ran him through this plan. He chuckled, “Twice.”
“Excuse me?”
“I bet you can make me spend twice more.”
I returned his hungry smile, “How ambitious.” I gave Bunny a gentle kiss before leading him to the bedroom, and my rabbit eagerly followed every step of the way.
---
The morning after, I rose early from my bed. It was still dark and I admired Bunny’s silhouette for just a moment before going out into the sitting room. The handkerchief was still there with the shattered and forgotten opal brooch. I carefully folded it to keep all the pieces inside and placed it in an envelope on my desk as to look inconspicuous. Despite it being broken, it could still be worth a good sum of cash and I would have plenty of time the next few days to find a reliable buyer. If I used that cash to buy Bunny a new book or fountain pen, he needn’t know.