Be Still My Nose (Poldark, Elizabeth / George)

[kiku]

This story is dedicated to @Jess Starseed1111

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. The characters Elizabeth and George Warleggan belong to the BBC and Winston Graham. I do not claim any ownership over them.

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“Darling, are you ready to leave?” A bit impatiently, George Warleggan stood in front of his wife’s dressing room. “You know the Earl and Countess of Snobworm will not be amused if we arrive late at their reception.”

A second of silence followed, then the door opened, and Elizabeth appeared, giving her husband a light smile. George held his breath. She looked simply stunning: A ruby coloured festive robe enveloped her body, with a matching necklace adorning her wide décolleté. Her long brown hair was put up into a very elegant arrangement with many shimmering pearls woven into it. “You look… marvellous!” he whispered.

“Thank you, dear. Let’s go.” Gracefully taking his arm he had offered her, she joined him to board the waiting carriage. Soon, they had reached their destination – a large, pompous mansion named Snottystone Manor.

After a luxurious banquet, the festive evening dragged on with lots of meaningless small talk and stiff dancing, which Elizabeth hated, but was able to perform perfectly. Secretly, she longed to get out of her tight bodice, and relax in a nice hot bath…

“Elizabeth, my dear!” She suddenly heard a shrill female voice warbling at her with artificial cheerfulness. “I must show you this exquisite new perfume my husband has bought for me – especially for tonight! It’s called Pink Pepper Dream!”

Forcing a smile on her face, Elizabeth turned towards the older woman with a head full of expensive looking tiny curls, wearing so many pieces of sparkling jewelry Elizabeth wondered how she could still walk upright. “Oh, Lady Snobworm!” Elizabeth tried her best to sound enthusiastic, looking at the big crystal flacon in the woman’s hand. “Certainly I would like to see your new perf… ooooogh!” Gasping, Elizabeth involuntarily waved her hand in front of her face. The Countess of Snobworm had squeezed the ball-shaped atomizer so strongly that a thick cloud of heavy, sweet and spicy perfume filled the air around her. Elizabeth felt her sensitive nose react immediately. A sharp stinging tickle spread inside her nasal cavities, causing her to hastily pinch her nose. “Eehhhhhh… excuse mbehhh…” she stammered, her breath hitching as she hurried away as fast as she could.

“Elizabeth?!... Well, really! Young people have no manners these days!” she heard the Countess’ indignant remark behind her, but she didn’t care. Pink Pepper Dream… She definitely had to add this to the long list of perfumes her nose couldn’t handle! “Heegghhhh… heeeeahhhhgghh…” Desperately, Elizabeth kept her fingers clammed around her madly upset nose while gathering up her long robe with her other hand as she hurring along the corridor, trying not to stumble. Knowing she couldn’t suppress her sneezes that were urging to get out much longer, she feverishly looked around for a space to hide. But there were people everywhere!

“Oh, there you are!” She saw George walking up to her with a slightly worried expression. “Are you all right, darling? – Oh, is there something bothering your nose?”

Elizabeth nodded, her beautiful hazel eyes were half closed. “P-perfube… Lady Sdobworb’s perfubehhh… Aagghhhh… I have to sneezehhhh…”

He noticed other guests were beginning to stare at them, so he protectively put his arm around his wife and led her to a corner in the broad corridor that was half covered by a curtain. In the course of the months since their wedding, he had come to know Elizabeth’s hypersensitive nose and its strong reaction to many kinds of perfumes. And since he was a totally devoted husband, he wanted nothing more than give her relief whenever she needed it.

“My love, let me help you.” George dug a fresh white hanky out of his pocket and gently brought it up to his wife’s troubled nose she was still pinching with her fingers. Gently, he pulled her fingers away and enfolded her nervously twitching nose in the soft cloth.

“HeeeYYEEMMPPH!” Elizabeth’s sneeze was stifled by George’s strong fingers pressing the cloth to her itchy nose. Still, she was worried about the sound, and looked around hectically.

“No worries. Nobody heard you!” George smiled, cautiously removing the hanky from his wife’s nose.

Elizabeth looked at him gratefully as her nose scrunched up with itchiness. She would never have believed that George Warleggan actually was such a kind man deep in his heart. His love for her was genuine, and little by little, she had managed to bring out the best of his character. He was no longer a mean-spirited, revengeful person, but a decent, generous man. And she had grown to love him. Her heart was on fire for him.

But her nose was on fire too – not in a romantic sense, unfortunately.
The pungent, peppery fragrance stuck to her nasal membranes, tickling them mercilessly. “Aaaghhhh… hyyaahhh…” she gasped helplessly as her face contorted. I mustn’t sneeze! I mustn’t sneeze! My sneezes are not soft and ladylike! I must hold them back!

Seeing her desperate expression and the widening of her delicate nostrils, George could read her thoughts easily. She was horrified by the thought of bursting into a sneezing fit in this place – crowded by people who were very conscious of their high social status, always eager to find faults in other people’s demeanour. “Easy, my love!” he said softly, placing his finger under her nervously trembling nose, pressing up against her widely flaring nostrils. He didn’t want to stifle another sneeze of hers since he knew that could not be healthy. He had to find a way to soothe her urge to sneeze… stop it in the middle of building up inside Elizabeth’s nose… if that was possible at all.
Gently, he began rubbing her nose, letting his finger glide along her twitchy nostrils, softly pinching the nicely shaped tip of her nose.

He could feel her relax a little, but the tension in her expression told him unmistakably that her nose was still tickling badly.

A group of cheerfully chatting guests passed their hidden corner, Lady Snobworm’s loud voice sounded through the hall, and a strong whiff of Pink Pepper Dream wafted through the air – finding its way right into Elizabeth’s sensitive nostrils.

“Hyyaaahh!” she gasped in panic as the massive tickle overwhelmed her, and he knew this time there was no way to stop the sneeze. He could only help her muffle the sound. Hurrying to cup the hanky to her nose again, he felt the vibration as Elizabeth sneezed again and again with restrained force, burying her nose in the soft fabric: “HhhagggGUSSSSHHHuh!... HuukkkSSHHah!... HnnnnNNIIISSSHHah!... HhnnNNTTCCHHHHugh!... Agh, my nosehhhh---HunnNDDSSSHHHegh! *sniff*... I need tohh… HuckkKKKSSSHHugh!”

“God bless you, my dearest.” He wiped her nose, rubbing it again gently. “You need to get out of here, I see. Come on, let’s go.” Still holding her protectively in one arm, he guided her out of the corridor, into the large entrance hall. Through a haze of tickliness, Elizabeth noticed her husband was briefly talking to someone, informing them that she was not feeling well, and that they were going home.

At last, outside! Still sneezing fiercely but muffled, Elizabeth didn’t dare yet to release her nose out of George’s soothing, cloth-covered hand to breathe some fresh air. That would have to wait until they were safe. Walking up to their carriage, they noticed that Lawrence, their coachman, hadn’t returned from chatting with the service personnel of Snottystone Manor yet, so they were all by themselves. Gallantly, George opened the carriage door for his wife, and helped her climb in. Sitting down beside her, George slowly took the hanky away from Elizabeth’s sneezy nose. “No more need to restrain yourself, my dearest!” he smiled.

Relieved to know that nobody except her husband could hear her anymore, Elizabeth finally gave in to the ferocious tickle in her sensitive nose. Feeling the soft fabric of George’s hanky he was holding lightly to her quivering nostrils, she let her tremendous urge to sneeze take control: “Hyaaaaahhh…. HaaaaaEEEESSSHHHHh!.... HiiiYYYEEESSSHHHHagh!... Hyehh—hehhh—heeeIIIISSSHHHHEEW!... EEESSSSHHHHAAAHH!... Nghehh… HennnNNEEESSSHHOOHH!... HehhhhIIISSSHHOO!... HeIIIISSSHugh!... HaaaaIIISSSHHHHgh!... HaaaaaIIISSSSHHHHHagh!...Ahhh, my nosehhh…hihhhhh…HiiiiiEEESSHHOOhagh! HaaaaEEESSHHOOhagh!... HheyyyYAASSHHOOH!”

“Oooohhh good heavens, bless you, my love!” George breathed, his hand never leaving her nose, wiping it tenderly with the hanky.

“Oh George, Ihhh… hiiiEEESSSHHHEEWW!... I’b sorry you have to see be like this... haaaIIISSSSSHHHugh!... Hhehhh... HheyyyYAASSHHkh!” She sniffled wetly, and George saw that her nose, which had turned red from all the sneezing, urgently needed a good blow. “Go ahead and blow your nose, my love. I’ve got plenty of handkerchieves with me,” he said with a smile.

She did as he told her, feeling safe to do what was comfortable without having to worry about not being ladylike. When she had emptied her irritated nose, George immediately pulled a fresh hanky from his pocket. When he brought it up to her reddened nose, she tried to smile, but her face scrunched up again. “Thaahhh… thanks, darling, you’re so sweeeHHIIISSHHEEWW!” She sneezed violently into the hanky he was holding, then was about to take it from him.

“That’s all right, dearest.” Still smiling, he kept the hanky in his hand. “Let me take care of your enchanting nose. I can see it is still very upset. – Bless you!” he added quickly as another forceful, itchy sneeze burst into his hanky. Hoping to give her some relief, he started rubbing her nose again, massaging her itchy nostrils as well as the sensitive sides of her slender, elegant nose. “Does that help, my angel?”

“Ooohhh… yes! *sniff* Thank you so much, darling!”

“My pleasure.” He slightly bent forward to give her a soft kiss on the nose, which made her sneeze again, but right afterwards she gave him a happy, sniffly smile. “George… we don’t have to go to Snottystone Manor ever again, do we?” She wrinkled her nose as her nostrils flared.

“Not if we don’t want to, dearest. Don’t worry – I am an expert in finding good excuses!” he reassured her with a proud grin. Then he softly stroked her twitchy, red nose. “Whoops-a-daisy, bless you!” Realizing he had made her sneeze again, he reluctantly decided to leave her nose alone.  

Snuggling to each other in the safe little space of their comfortable carriage, they both looked forward to a romantic night together.

[NoV]

This was great - love how Elizabeth is powerless to control the sneezes herself and needs help to properly catch the sneezes in the handkerchief. Luck old George  

[kiku]

@NoV Thank you! 😊 I really love describing a helpful person taking care of their beloved's sneezy nose. And it was great fun to write George gallantly producing a hanky to soothe Elizabeth's beautiful tickly nose... 🫠

@Jess Starseed1111 Thank you! 💕 I'm so happy you like it! 🌸 Thank you for your kind words. I love red dresses too, and I thought with Elizabeth's brown hair and hazel eyes she would look gorgeous in red. And I just had to make George a nicer character than in the series (and probably the novels too - haven't read them), LOL.

Right now I'm not planning a Part 2 for Elizabeth and George (yet??), but, as promised, I'll post a story focusing on Demelza and Ross within the next couple of days (or even later today, depending on how much time I have to write).

Thank you again! ❤️

[kiku]

@Jess Starseed1111 LOL OK, I will keep the cravat thing in mind! And the dresses, corsets etc... Hmmm. I'll have to keep those things in mind once I'll be admitted to the adult board, then it will be more fun to include aspects like that. 😉 But I think even if it's all nice and clean and SFW (which I usually prefer anyway), we can have fun with the clothing thing. 😊