The young woman's eyes were downcast when she entered the store Silas owned. He watched as she furtively glanced around. Upon finding no other customers inside the apothecary, she made her way to the counter.
Silas stood behind it, giving her a courteous smile. "How may I help you today, miss?"
The woman, who couldn't have been more than twenty years of age, still refused to meet his eyes. It was then that he recalled her name: Ruth. Though she rarely frequented his store and had never before done so unaccompanied, he knew of her. She lived in the hills surrounding the small town where he'd set up shop, but even in their rural area, gossip traveled fast.
Silas had heard talk of Ruth being discovered in a barn with a married man, her skirts lifted while he rutted away between her thighs. Her family hadn't been cruel enough to send her away for her transgression, but she was as good as branded by shame. And the married man who had transgressed with her? Well, he'd suffered little more than an outraged scolding from his wife.
Ruth finally lifted her head, but she gazed past Silas at the myriad vials and jars lining the shelves behind him. Her expression grew befuddled as she struggled to explain why she'd ventured into the apothecary. Studying her, Silas found she was quite pretty, with vivid blue eyes and full lips. Her dark curls were drawn back from her face and neatly gathered at the top of her head. Her cornflower-blue dress was old and out of fashion, with none of the bows and bustles women now preferred. Buttons lined the front of her bodice, and the dress's cinched waist revealed her buxom figure.
When Silas spoke again, his voice was soft and cajoling. "Your name is Ruth, correct?"
She finally looked at him directly. Her cheeks flushed with humiliation, for she understood how he knew her.
He continued talking as if she'd answered his question in the affirmative. "What can I help you with today, Ruth?"
She searched Silas's face, as if to detect the same judgment in his countenance that she saw in everyone else's. He wanted to tell her she wouldn't find it. Though he was almost forty years old, he remained a bachelor. Several months prior, he'd been seen visiting the house of a woman of ill repute. Tongues had wagged throughout the town, yet Silas was unfazed. He was the only druggist for many miles around, and even if his reputation suffered, his business would not.
As a man, he could make such choices with few consequences. Ruth wasn't nearly as fortunate.
Whatever she saw in Silas's expression persuaded her to be frank. "I've had pain recently, a tenderness..." Her blush deepened even more as she vaguely gestured toward her dress bodice.
Silas's stare lingered on Ruth's bosom. She possessed just the figure he so desired, her body soft and curvaceous. The thought of her unclothed and draped across his bed sent a hot rush of lust through his veins.
"You mean to say, you've had pain in your breasts," Silas murmured.
Ruth raised a hand to her forehead, as if to shield her face. "It's been agony as of late," she revealed. "They have always been quite tender, but now the pain's grown worse, and my mother says it's a curse for... for what I've done."
His heart softened toward the woman then. "The tenderness you're experiencing isn't due to a curse." He leaned a little closer, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "In all likelihood, it's to do with your monthlies. Are they still coming regularly? You're not with child, are you?"
"No!" Ruth cried, daring to look at him again. She appeared stricken by his question. "I'm sorry, doctor, but—"
"I'm not a doctor," he said. "You're welcome to call me Silas."
"I'm sorry, but I don't have money to pay you. I was only hoping there's some sort of home remedy you can recommend." She spoke in a rush, clearly rattled.
Silas clasped his hands before him on the counter. "There's an herb I can give you. Chasteberry should alleviate the tenderness and help with other discomfort due to your monthlies. And you don't have to pay me for it right now. I'll put the balance on your account, with no accruing interest." Silas would have given the herb to her free of charge, but he was certain she wouldn't accept charity.
"I don't have an account here," Ruth pointed out.
Silas merely smiled. "I'll open one for you now, and you can pay me back when you're able. How's that sound?"
She swallowed hard, hesitating only a moment. Then she nodded. "Thank you, Silas. I am grateful for your kindness, and I promise I'll pay for the medicine as soon as I can."
As Ruth waited at the counter, Silas began preparing the chasteberry for her. All the while, he felt a deep, insistent longing stir within him. His mind was fixated on Ruth's breasts, so full and tender, and aching for relief. He was desperate to see them, and as he thought of how he might do so, his hands trembled, betraying his excitement. Out of habit, he smoothed back his hair. It was still thick and dark, and he was rather vain about it. Women often gave him admiring looks and coquettish smiles. He wondered if Ruth found him handsome as well.
Silas placed the herb on the counter before her, and she gave him a smile. As she reached to retrieve the small bottle, he covered her hand with his own. Her eyes widened at his boldness, but she didn't pull away.
"Is someone waiting for you right now?" he asked.
Her smile vanished, yet she answered him truthfully. "I came into town with my brother, who's gone to visit his sweetheart. I imagine he'll return to fetch me in an hour or so."
The store was still empty except for the two of them. It was strange, Silas realized, for there to be such a lengthy lull in customers. His voice was surprisingly steady, almost nonchalant as he told Ruth, "While I'm quite sure your ailment is not serious, I do have some medical training. If you're comfortable accompanying me upstairs, I could quickly examine your breasts for any obvious abnormalities."
Ruth gasped. For several moments, she didn't speak. She seemed too stunned to respond to his offer in any way. Then she began to breathe a little faster. Silas watched the rise and fall of her breasts as if mesmerized.
"Of course, I understand if you'd rather I didn't examine you," he said. Sliding the bottle toward Ruth, he began to explain how she should take the herb for maximum benefit. He wouldn't have her thinking she had no choice but to go upstairs with him.
"You can examine me," Ruth interjected. "What I mean to say is, I would like to make sure everything appears alright."
Silas struggled to keep his expression neutral. After giving her a curt nod, he left the counter and went to the store's front window, where he placed a sign indicating the apothecary was currently closed. Once the door was locked, he turned to Ruth. "Shall we go upstairs, then?"
Neither of them spoke as she followed Silas up the narrow stairway. He led her to his bedroom at the end of the hall. Ruth looked around, her gaze briefly settling on the bed. When Silas closed the door, she started at the sound, soft as it was.
His demeanor was businesslike while he regarded her. "Lower the bodice of your dress, and of course, you will need to remove your corset and chemise." He strode to the window, looking out onto the street while keeping his back to her. "It's a fine day, isn't it?"
"It is," Ruth agreed. Her voice held a slight quaver as she undressed.
Silas closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Already, he felt his member hardening, and he attempted to will away his lust. It wouldn't do to alarm Ruth.
"I'm ready, Silas."
He slowly turned toward her. The first glimpse of her bare breasts immediately stoked his arousal, and he had to fight back a moan. Fortunately, Ruth kept her eyes averted and didn't notice his erection straining at the fabric of his trousers. Those lovely globes, even larger than he'd imagined, seemed to beckon to him. Her nipples were prominent and somewhat elongated. They were the same enticing pink as the blush now heating her cheeks. Her left breast was slightly more rounded than the right, but Silas thought they were perfect even in their asymmetry. A puddle of saliva gathered on his tongue, for he yearned to draw those rosy peaks between his lips.
When Ruth finally looked at him again, he closed the distance between them. Standing directly before her, he hoped she wouldn't glance downward and discover how readily he had responded to her nudity. "Will you allow me to palpate your breasts?" he asked in a husky voice. She blinked in confusion, prompting him to clarify. "May I touch them?"
Ruth stared at Silas's chest as she nodded. His hands no longer visibly trembled while he placed a palm beneath her left breast. Ah, the weight of it! And her skin was so soft and warm against his. Silas rested his other palm atop her breast, then gently kneaded her flesh. She whimpered, and he immediately stopped. "Are you tender to the touch, Ruth?"
She shook her head. Her eyes had widened, and he felt as though he could drown in the blue of her irises.
"Shall I continue?" he whispered.
Ruth nodded. "Please do." She sounded a bit short of breath.
Silas resumed his intimate examination. While touching her, he ached to kiss her mouth. In the quiet of the room, he imagined he could hear his own fierce heartbeat.
He felt of her right breast in the same manner. "I observe no abnormalities. Your breasts appear perfectly normal."
A relieved smile appeared on Ruth's face, softening her strained features. He couldn't help but smile in return. At that point, the examination should have ended. He should have instructed her to dress and then accompany him back downstairs.
Yet Silas couldn't bring himself to take his hands from her breasts. Instead, he cupped both of them. Ruth trusted him now and didn't suspect anything amiss. She went so far as to look down in mild curiosity while he squeezed her flesh.
Then he grazed his thumbs over her erect nipples.
She released a moan. When her gaze met his, he was determined to hold it. They were both breathing faster now, both of them aware of the line he had crossed.
"Are your nipples sensitive?" he asked.
"Very much so," Ruth confessed.
He continued fondling them. "Have you been handling them roughly, Ruth? Perhaps while pleasuring yourself?"
"No!" That look of mortification shadowed her eyes again, but she didn't withdraw from Silas.