Courting Miss Greene Ch. 03

"Erm, no, sir," answered Lizzy, casting a glance at her fiancé. "It was all very sudden."

"We could get one down town tomorrow," suggested Robert.

"No, no, hold on just a moment," said Uncle Albert. He pulled a chain from his neck and removed the ring that was dangling on it. "Let's see if this will fit." He handed the ring to his eldest son.

Robert's heart pounded. It had been his mother's wedding ring. "Father, I --" Robert choked up, unable to finish the sentence.

"Oh, come on now, boy," the old man said in a soothing voice. "I'm sure she would've been pleased to see you with this little darling. Go on. Try it on."

Robert took Lizzy's left hand. They all gasped. The ring fit perfectly.

"Now, a little kiss would be appropriate," suggested Uncle Albert.

Robert bent down to kiss his fiancée. He was so happy, he forgot about all the other people in the room. Lizzy squirmed in his arms when he deepened the kiss.

"And I do mean a little one!" his father added, cocking an eyebrow.

Robert pulled away from Lizzy and looked around the parlor. Everyone was staring at either the carpet or the chandelier. Lizzy's face was flushed red from embarrassment. "Forgive me, I --" he stammered.

"Oooh, nothing to worry about. It's all official now," his father interrupted. "At least I'm glad you've lost your head over a sweet, little lady instead of a wolf-thing like what-was-her-name-again. I never liked that one very much."

Lizzy blinked when the old man drew a face. She cast a questioning glance at Robert. "That was years ago," he explained, "when I was young and foolish..." Lizzy tried not to laugh when she saw Robert frown at his own words. "I mean younger and more foolish," he corrected himself with an apologetic smile.

"Ah, I see," said Lizzy, smiling back at him.

"Yes, yes, let's not look further into the past. Let's look ahead to the future," urged Uncle Albert. "I can already see one thing coming up immediately," he continued.

"Dinner!"

Abby blinked at the dresser. They were back: the bottle and the drinking glass on the silver platter. Only the note was missing. Well, of course the liquor was intended for her. Abby supposed the mystery man did not like sober women. She shrugged. It had felt good the first time. There was no reason not to humor him. She filled the glass and sat down on the bed to empty it. It did not take long before a familiar sensation overwhelmed her. She put the glass on the nightstand and crawled under the sheets. She lay on her side and stared at the window, waiting for the stranger to appear. Something pulled at her consciousness. She could no longer keep her eyes open.

Somehow she found herself back in Windfarn, in the forest near Ol' Granny's house. Her heart jumped. She could use some advise from the old woman, especially concerning men. Abby ran down the forest trail while autumn leaves whirled around her. She kept running. The path went on and on. This did not seem right. Had she gotten lost? She had a feeling someone was following her. Abby stopped running and tried to turn around, but she was frozen in place. Someone stood behind her and she did not know who he was, nor could she see him. For a moment she was scared again when she realized she was naked.

A hand caressed her arm while lips brushed over her shoulder. Abby shivered at the new sensations. It must be the same man from before. She wanted to ask him who he was, but she was unable to speak. Abby sighed, realizing she could only surrender to his touch. His hand traveled under her arm to cup her breast and press her back against him. Abby felt comforted by the warmth of his body enveloping her. His finger rotated around her nipple until it got painfully hard.

Abby's breathing intensified. She hoped he would not neglect her nether region. She concentrated on the muscles of her arm and somehow managed to move it at last. Rejoicing at this accomplishment, she guided the stranger's hand from her breast down to her crotch. He seemed to understand what she wanted, but he teased her with a light touch of his fingertips up and down between her outer lips. Every now and then he would tickle her pleasure nub. Abby got excited by that, but she wanted more. She turned her pelvis to lead him to her little opening. According to the book she got from Robert it was a bit further down from where she had tried to probe herself before. She held her breath when the stranger pressed through the inner lips at her entrance.

Oh, finally!

She jolted from the sensation and all of a sudden she found herself back in bed again. He must be lying behind her. She gasped for air when he worked his finger deeper into her tight tunnel. She could tell how wet she was from the ease with which he slid in and out of her. She gyrated her hips to let him stimulate her from different angles. She should have been embarrassed to behave like that now the dream was gone, but Abby was too turned on to care about it. She only hoped the stranger would not leave her unsatisfied the way he had done that first night.

The pleasure kept building up higher and higher. He held his finger down deep inside of her and used his thumb to rub her little nub, hard and fast. Abby heard herself moaning in pleasure. Her body trembled all over. "Oh, yes... Yes!" she muttered. "Don't stop!" she added, realizing she could speak at last.

He used his other arm to pull her into a tight embrace and stop her from shaking. "You like that, don't you?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yes, yes! Oh, please!" she begged. "Please, go on!" She inhaled deeply and froze when she got close to her release. She grabbed his arm to prevent him from moving his hand away, but she did not have to worry about that this time. Abby cried out when the stranger pushed her to the highest pleasure she had ever experienced, causing her body to shake and spasm involuntarily while a throbbing sensation washed over her body.

He slowed down the stimulation while he continued planting kisses across her neck and shoulder. Abby felt her entrance closing and relaxing around his finger. She whimpered since it hurt her a bit, but she was pleasantly surprised at how long it lasted. After a while, she squirmed in his arms. He pulled out his finger. It sounded like he was licking it clean. Abby frowned. The pervert! She wanted to get mad at him about it, but she had to admit it turned her on.

His weight shifted from the bed. "And now, milady, I bid you good night," he said in a low voice.

"Will I see you again?" asked Abby.

"You will if you want to," he answered over his shoulder while he turned away. The man walked out onto the balcony and closed the doors behind him. He took his leave with a courteous bow. Abby watched him move to the balustrade. Her mouth fell open in amazement when he disappeared into the night.

Was he real or not?

Lizzy let out a deep sigh. She had just finished the romance novel she had been reading after lunch for the past few days.

"Was it no good?" asked Robert, sitting across the reading table.

"Oh, it was very nice and romantic," answered Lizzy. "They got married in the end as one would expect. He carried her over the threshold into the bedroom, leaving this reader none the wiser in front of a closed door."

Robert laughed. "I see. You wanted to get all the juicy details."

Lizzy pouted. "Could you blame me? How else am I supposed to know how it's done?"

Robert bent over the table. "Well, there's always the naughty book section," he said in a hushed voice. "It's locked, of course, but as you know... I hold the key," he explained, pulling out the tiny metal object from his coat pocket.

Lizzy covered her mouth to keep herself from giggling while Robert led her to a side room of the library. They sneaked around on tiptoes and looked over their shoulder, making sure nobody was around to discover their mock secret mission.

"Where to start?" muttered Robert while his gaze wandered over the leather bindings. "Something tame for the little lady?"

"No, I want something wild!" demanded Lizzy with an angry pout.

"Oooh, something wild," echoed Robert. He tried to keep himself from grinning. "I believe this one should do." He took out a book and turned around, holding it up in front of his chest.

Lizzy blinked at it. It looked just like any other book. She reached out to take it from Robert, but he would not let go. Lizzy cast him a questioning glance.

"You are indeed over eighteen, I presume?" he inquired with a solemn face.

Lizzy gasped, offended yet amused. "Robert Clark!" she exclaimed. "Give me that!" She yanked the book from his hands and bolted out the door.

"O-ho, a little thief!" Robert bellowed.

Lizzy squealed and giggled while she darted through the library, clutching the book to her chest. Robert followed his fiancée around, making sure to stay one step behind. Abby stood in the doorway, frowning at their antics. She had hoped Robert would help Lizzy become more mature, but things turned out to be the other way around.

"Abby, help me!" cried Lizzy when she spotted her older sister.

"No, Abby!" said Robert. "Help me!"

"Oh, the dilemma!" sighed Abby, rolling her eyes.

Lizzy screamed when Robert finally caught her from behind. He lifted her from the floor and spun around.

"Stop! I'm getting dizzy!" cried Lizzy. "Oh, put me down! Put me down!"

Robert stopped spinning. "Return that book at once!"

"No!" cried Lizzy.

Abby yanked the book from Lizzy's clutch. "What book is this anyway?" she asked. Robert and Lizzy held their breath while they watched Abby open the book. She would certainly not approve!

Abby frowned while she browsed through the pages, pausing to read a bit before skipping to a different part. Her cheeks flushed red while her eyes flashed left and right. She slammed the book shut and waved it at her younger sister.

"Where did you get this?" she demanded.

Lizzy gulped. "From the naughty book section," she answered in a small voice.

Abby cleared her throat.

"And where would that be?"

"Oh, there you are!"

Abby and Lizzy slammed their books shut, startled to find their eldest sister all of a sudden standing at the head of the reading table. "Hi, Ginny!" they answered in concert.

"Where have you two been?" asked Ginny. "I've searched the library ten times already!"

Lizzy blushed. "Oh, we were in..."

"... one of the side rooms," finished Abby, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Lizzy changed the subject before Ginny could ask any further questions. "So how did the archery lesson go?" she inquired.

"Oh, it was such great fun!" answered Ginny with a big smile on her face. "I'm going back to the archery range tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want to try it out for yourselves?"

"I only use violence in self-defense," said Abby in a stern voice. "I thought I had made myself quite clear on that."

"But it's purely for sport!" argued Ginny. "Of course I would never shoot an animal, or a person for that matter!" Her gaze wandered off. "Besides, Ethan says I have talent!"

"Of course he'd say that," replied Abby in a skeptical tone. "You can do no wrong in his eyes."

"Where is Ethan anyway?" asked Lizzy.

"Where's Robert?" asked Ginny in return.

"Oh, that's right. He went looking for Ethan," remembered Lizzy.

"And he found him," said Ginny, "for some guy talk," she added with a frown.

"So that's why you showed up here... all alone," concluded Abby. Her older sister pouted and nodded her head. Abby shook her head at her. "Surely you can stand to be parted from your dearly beloved husband for a few minutes," she said.

"Make that many minutes," sighed Ginny. "Otherwise Ethan wouldn't have sent me off to find you." She found herself a seat and sulked, propping her elbows on the table before resting her chin on her hands.

"I wonder if I'll be like that when I'm married to Robert," said Lizzy. "I mean, I love him an awful lot, but I can still function without him."

Abby cast her younger sister a suspicious glance. "Exactly how far did you get with Robert anyway, if I might be so bold to ask?"

Lizzy blushed. "Not very far," she admitted. "I mean, I'm positively dying of curiosity, but he's... trying to do the right thing, I guess." The girl let out a deep sigh and turned to her eldest sister. "At least you're going to be with Ethan again tonight while I'll be making sweet love to my pillow."

Ginny took pity on her youngest sister, still a stranger to the pleasure of a man's love. "Have you talked about when you're getting married?" she asked.

"Oh, it could take forever!" answered Lizzy. "Father Albert wants to throw a big wedding so they'll need to be able to prepare for that, and of course Robert still has to talk to dad. It could all take weeks or months. Maybe even a year! Don't you think it's rude to make a girl wait that long?"

"Well, it certainly wouldn't take a year!" exclaimed Ginny. "But yes, that would be rude. You should tell Robert how you feel. Marriage is all about communication. You might as well practice while you're engaged," she said as if she were an expert on the subject.

Lizzy's gaze wandered off. "Practice, huh?"

Ginny blushed. "I meant talking!"

"I know that's what you meant," replied Lizzy, "but still I --" She broke off the sentence when she noticed Abby casting her a sharp glance. "Oh, we shouldn't be talking about things like this! It's not fair to Abby since she hasn't yet, erm..." she shrank under her sister's stare.

"Yet what?" demanded Abby.

"... found a man," finished Lizzy in a small voice.

Abby was tempted to tell her sisters about the stranger who had been visiting her at night, but it seemed quite foolish to talk about it now. She was not even sure whether he was real. In the end, a dream lover would be just a dream and not a lover. She cleared her throat and tried to sound pleasant. "Don't worry about me," she said. "Robert really loves you, and you're wearing his mother's ring. You might as well be married already. The wedding is just a ceremony, a social construction to let other people know the two of you are together."

"I agree with that," said Ginny. "I didn't really have to wait until I was married to Ethan, but it all happened so quickly it wasn't a problem for me." She smiled while her gaze wandered off again. "And Ethan was such a gentleman, he didn't bring up the subject himself."

Lizzy let out an audible gasp. "Then Robert surely won't bring it up either, with him being a gentleman as well!" she exclaimed. The girl paused for a moment when she drew her conclusion.

"Which means it's all up to me!"

"Robert!" "Lizzy!"

They stared at each other for a moment when they met in the hall, waiting for the other to continue. Neither of them had spoken much at the dinner table, preferring to meet in private before addressing the issue that had been on their mind.

Robert gave a little bow. "Ladies first," he said.

Lizzy blushed and looked down, fidgeting with her hands. "I've been thinking, reading stories is fine and all, but we're engaged now and that's good enough for me. Your love would have been good enough for me." She cleared her throat. "Lots of people don't wait, you know? I mean, you didn't wait, did you? So why should I?"

Robert blinked at his fiancée, surprised yet relieved she had brought up the subject first. He would have felt like he was taking advantage of her, even if Ethan believed her parents would not hold it against him. "Ah, yes. The dreaded double standard," he answered. "You're entirely right, of course. I can't argue with you about that... so I won't." He coughed into his fist. "Bedroom. Now."

Lizzy gasped when Robert took her hand. Her heart pounded with excitement while he led her to his quarters. She trailed behind him and tried to meet his eyes, but he would not look back at her. When he opened the door for her, Lizzy blushed at the sight of the king size bed dominating the chamber. She could not help but feel intimidated while her eyes wandered around the room. "You're just as neat as Abby!" she exclaimed, trying to relieve some of the tension.

Robert shut the door behind her and locked it. "Let's not talk about Abby right now," he said in a low voice.

Lizzy gave him a nervous, little smile. She trembled on her legs when Robert drew her into his warm embrace and gave her a slow, tender kiss. She kissed him back as best she could, wondering whether she had bitten off more than she could chew this time. After all, she had a history of doing silly things. Would this be another one of them?

No. Both of her sisters had approved of this idea, although it had been quite out of character for Abby to do so...

Lizzy squirmed when the kiss deepened, self-conscious of the fluid escaping between her legs. She broke the kiss and pushed her hands against Robert's chest to create some space. "I'm so hot," she sighed.

"So am I," muttered Robert. He let go of Lizzy. "We should take off our clothes."

She gasped. "Oh, yes. Of course!" Lizzy looked down at her dress and back up again at Robert.

"There's a chamber screen in that corner," he suggested. "I'll pull it out for you."

"Oh, thank you," said Lizzy, wondering to herself how many ladies had used it before. She smiled politely at Robert and stepped behind the oriental lacquer screen. Each of the four panels featured one part of a scene depicting birds flying over foreign-looking mountains and trees. Lizzy peered at them for a moment: they were crane birds, not geese. She breathed a sigh of relief, but she could not keep her hands from trembling while she tugged at her clothes. She listened to her fiancé undressing on the other side of the partition. "Robert? You're not, erm, taking it all off, are you?" she asked.

"Oh? I thought you were curious!" he teased.

"I was," the girl replied, "I mean, I still am, but..."

Robert stood right on the other side of the screen. "You know, if you're having second thoughts about this, you should feel free to tell me so," he said in a kind voice.

"No, I want to," said Lizzy. "I'm just feeling a bit shy suddenly."

Robert grinned. "That must be your maidenly coyness. Please allow me to take care of that." He put out his hand where Lizzy could see it. "I'm still wearing my pants," he assured her. Robert smiled to himself when she accepted his hand. He drew her out from behind the screen, but she resisted when her shoulder was revealed.

"I'm entirely naked," she confessed in a small voice.

"That was the idea, wasn't it?" asked Robert while he tugged at her hand. He gasped when Lizzy stepped out from behind the partition. The candlelight cast a warm, soft glow on her body. Her free arm was curved around her waist. Robert was a bit surprised at that. She did not cover anything that way. "Look at you. You're so pretty," he said. He released her hand and let his eyes roam over her perky breasts to the down between her slender thighs and back again.

Lizzy smiled and blushed under Robert's gaze, ogling his mature, masculine body in return. Without thinking, she reached out to touch the hair on his chest. She shivered. What was she doing? Compared to him, she was only a gosling who had just gotten her adult feathers.

"Mmm..." muttered Robert when her fingertips brushed over one of his nipples. "Just you wait until I do that you," he grinned. He reached for Lizzy's breasts, but she lost her nerve and evaded him.

The girl giggled and squealed while she led her fiancé on a mock chase around the room. In the end, she jumped onto the bed. Robert halted and gaped at the sight of her when she crawled around the blanket on her hands and knees. Lizzy wondered for a moment why he stood back. Looking over her shoulder, she gasped when she realized what he must be looking at.