A Summer in Olympia Ch. 04

Maurice put her flute down after the last reverberations died away and sighed. "That was a lovely piece, Mr. MacLeod," she murmured.

"Yes, quite good my boy, quite good," Sir Charles said, jumping up from his chair and bolting across the room to wring my hand with embarrassing enthusiasm. "That's why I wanted you to spend this time with us, to share this wonderful gift you have. I swear, you will have a fine reputation very soon, and I shall be glad to say that I knew you before your fame. Doubt not of my support of your career, Mr. MacLeod, in the years to come, for we must make sure you have the security to pursue your art to its fullest."

"Thank you, Sir Charles, thank you." It was another Sunday afternoon musicale in the drawing room of Olympia, near St. Louis, Missouri. Maurice and I had just essayed a piece for flute and piano I'd brought in my luggage; I'd premiered it at Leipzig five years ago to rave reviews from my classmates, but I had yet to get a publisher interested in it. Looking around the room, Lady Alice treated me to rare smile and Pearl had put down her book, her face holding an unusually warm expression. Penny was clapping enthusiastically as well, her face bright red from the heat.

"On that note, I think should call it an afternoon after such a splendid entertainment. We should withdraw to the veranda where the breezes still play and cool drinks that I am certain await us. One little bit of business: I have decided it is time for me to take a hunting trip to Mr. Perkins' ranch in the mountains of Colorado. He has been begging me to visit for weeks. The opera is finished and will not need my input until rehearsals begin. We will be taking the Tuesday morning train westward; Gus and Max will be accompanying me. Mr. MacLeod is occupied with his work here, and so will not be traveling with us. Are any of you ladies interested in going?"

Lady Alice fanned herself dramatically. "I'm sure there's nothing for me in Colorado, but perhaps if I could spend some time in the mountains it would be a welcome relief from this beastly climate."

"I don't think I'll be going," Pearl said, her face buried in _Tartuffe_ by Moliere. "It will be a dreadful journey, and I seem to be able to abide the heat better than you can, Mother."

Penny looked excited. "I've never been to Colorado, and I hear it's absolutely gorgeous. Besides, Lady Alice will need the company since Pearl's going to remain here. Perhaps Paul Bunyon will appear over the peaks of the mountains."

"I believe Paul Bunyon is a Minnesota legend," I interjected.

"Pooh, such a spoil sport you are Mr. MacLeod," she sighed. "Anyway, it should be like the Alps, and I loved my tour of the Jura. Count me in."

"Will you be requiring my service, Sir Charles?" Maurice asked gravely.

Sir Charles thought for a moment. "Well, I had thought you would enjoy the journey, but someone will need to manage Olympia in my absence and I do not believe anyone else is qualified. I'm afraid you, Maurice, must stay here and look after things until I return. We shall need Mrs. Edwards to look after the ladies, Gus and Max can perfect the butler's trade, but the rest should stay here. Very good, that's it then. To the gentle breezes, friends."

The veranda was slightly cooler, and between the shade and the beverages the party's disposition improved. Penny babbled about mountain legends from around Europe, which Sir Charles amplified and embellished. Lady Alice complained occasionally, looking grim as she feverishly sowed an intricate floral design into a white cloth, perhaps contemplating her weekly duty to Sir Charles that evening. Maurice was inscrutable as usual, although I could catch an odd gleam in her eye when she glanced at me. Pearl stayed immersed in her reading, as usual, cold and distant. I sipped my lemonade and wished for something stronger.

That evening Mrs. Edwards stopped by before I retired. "You heard the news: Monty's going west. Would be nice if he gave his staff better warning: I've got a thousand things to do before Tuesday."

"Will everyone be all right in your absence?"

"Oh yes, Maurice will look after them; they respect her. You may take your meals with Miss Pearl or alone as you wish. Should you need any mending, just call Amber's attention to it and it'll be done straight away. I'll instruct them to undertake a top to bottom cleaning while we're gone, so if you need to go away for a day or so, feel free. Now I must run, so much to do!"

I bent to my work the next day and ignored the labors around me: without Sir Charles' daily demands on my time, I should be finished with the main score by week's end and have the parts done ahead of time. By chance, the new director of the St. Louis Choral-Symphony Society was an old classmate from Leipzig, and I dropped him a line seeking a meeting to discuss the new opera. The only problem I had was that from time to time when I stopped my work to rest my eyes, I could see Penny's plump naked form tied in front of the window with her hair swirling around in the breeze. It wasn't particularly stimulating for me since I wasn't fond of her mindless daily prattle with Lady Alice, but it was distracting.

The excursion to see the hunting party off Tuesday morning was quite an affair. I never thought Gus and Max would get all the luggage aboard the train, and Sir Charles had a animated conversation with the conductor until all was to his satisfaction. I'm sure I saw banknotes passing between them, which probably facilitated the transaction When the young men returned and joined the party on the platform, I saw them next to Sir Charles; their profiles were identical, and although their coloring favored their mother, their foreheads, noses and cheeks were copies of the older man.

The return to Olympia was quite lighthearted as the three children enthusiastically regaled us with English folk songs Pearl taught them. It was quite charming, and their talent was much better than the popular entertainment I'd attended in America or England. Maurice shared a couple of Irish tunes with us, and I eventually contributed a couple of camp songs my father taught me from his army days.

The new pattern quickly emerged: I worked through the day in solitude and joined Pearl for tea in the afternoon. She left her books in her rooms and proved a companion of agile wit and perception on her own apart from her parents. Maurice invited me to billiards, brandy and cigars after the meal, and we spent the time amiably, as two men would, with no suggestion of a repetition of her service to me earlier. One night I made a risque remark, drawing a raised eyebrow and a glance over her shoulder at the wall. Then I remembered the vistas from the secret passageway I had before, and wondered who might be watching.

One Friday pre-dawn we were favored with a thunderstorm and great sheets of rain, which brought welcome relief from the late June heat. When I awakened in first light, I noticed two bodies in bed next to me, sitting cross legged. "Good morning, Mr. MacLeod," Opal said, kneeling left of my body. "I hope you slept well. Since it is impossible to go swimming this morning, I thought it would be a good idea to demonstrate some womanly arts to my sister Pearl, who is quite curious about everything."

"Good morning, Mr. MacLeod," she purred into my right ear. "Since I know you're an early riser, and there is a pair of binoculars in this room, what you see now is nothing new to you."

I pulled myself up to my elbows and noticed both young women were naked. Opal smiled and said: "I was telling Pearl about the ways a woman could please a man without surrendering her maidenhead, and since her mother seems to have no knowledge of such things, thought I would demonstrate. Would you care to assist us in this endeavor?"

Pearl was beaming, her face almost glowing, as she began to stroke my thigh. A closer look at Opal showed her form almost perfect: nicely curved in every way, pert breasts and nipples, long, soft, blonde hair, and warm brown eyes. Pearl was thinner and more angular, her blue eyes had lost their customary chill, and her breasts were conical and slightly larger. "How come you two are in such close rapport?" I asked.

"We've shared a bed since we can remember," Pearl said. "We were born two weeks apart in the same household, and have shared a bed since then. Peapods."

I shook my head trying to clear the cobwebs. "Are you cousins?"

"Sisters. Half sisters," Pearl replied. "We have the same father, as you surely must have guessed by now."

The puzzle was complete: Sir Charles was the father of Mrs. Edwards' children. The resemblance I saw earlier at the train station confirmed it. It brought back a horrible memory for me, but I suppressed it quickly.

Opal broke the spell: "We know you've been looking at us in the morning, you haven't always been careful enough to conceal your interest. The master bedroom and Penny's rooms face the other direction, as do my mother's and the children's; my brothers are always preoccupied with the barn, and know the consequences for invading our privacy are more than they care to pay. So your cooperation is expected this morning, Mr. MacLeod." Taking my penis and stroking it gently, she began lecturing: "This is how one starts. Move your hand up and down his shaft until it begins to stiffen."

Turning her head, Pearl studied the technique clinically for a few moments. "Does it matter whether it's in the open or not?"

"It's easier in the open, but rubbing the organ through the pants is quite stimulating as well, if you have plans to release it later."

Pearl encircled me with her delicate hand and took over while Opal moved down to the base. "It doesn't seem to take long to reach full stature, does it?"

"No, I think not," Opal said, giggling. "Another good move is to tickle the testicles, like this." Her fingers began to play across my orbs, making me tingle. "A combination of these techniques will usually make him aroused even more quickly, if you have both hands free. And if you keep this up long enough, this alone will make him climax and spend his sexual energy."

"Where did you learn about this, Opal?" I asked.

"Paris."

"I like this, the feeling is wonderful to have my hand on his hardness like this." Pearl looked at the crown of my shaft clinically. "Does this feel good to you, Mr. MacLeod?"

"Please call me Frank. I think we can dispense with formality in this context, Pearl."

Opal began to lick my balls and run her fingernails on my thigh. "This is also good," she said, "most men enjoy this and find most women will not do it."

"Oh, let me try," They switched places, and Pearl's tongue probed until it found a sweet spot on my scrotum. "Does the mouth and tongue play a role elsewhere here?"

"I'm glad you asked that, for this is something that will make almost any man happy and make him forget any other agenda." With that, Opal began licking the top of my penis as her mother did, taking it in and sucking it, making me shudder; Pearl watched from her perspective, with her mouth still on my nutsack, her tongue dancing between the two orbs. I stroked her hair and she murmured incoherently, which was a worthwhile reaction.

Pulling off, Opal pointed at the various ridges of the penis: "Running your tongue up and down these ridges will add to the stimulation. Alternate this with sucking, in random order, for best effect." Sticking out her tongue, she ran it around the crown, making me quiver. "You see."

"May I?" Pearl asked.

"Of course, Peapod," she said sitting back. Pearl came up and started running her tongue along the edges, the end of her tongue agile and unpredictable, making me thrust upward in response. "Now take the whole head of it in and suck," Opal said, which Pearl did. "Run your tongue around while you suck, I think he'll like that." I could do nothing but nod in agreement, since speech had deserted me.

They took turns going up and down my shaft while the rain drummed on the window. A thunderclap startled them and they giggled before returning to their work. I felt my need to release growing closer, and just as I approached the mountain top, they switched and in the transition the moment was spoiled. After this happened twice more, I protested: "Your timing is perfect: just before I can express my full satisfaction with your work, you change positions and my desire is sidetracked."

Opal stroked my testicles with a mock pout on her face. "I guess we'll have to give you release, Frank. Would you like the honors, Peapod, or would you like me to do it?"

"I remember Penny commenting she didn't like the taste." Pearl said pensively. "Is it unpalatable, Peapod?"

Opal shook her head. "It can be an acquired taste, and our Penny would be well advised to acquire it if she wants to maintain her virtue. Someday she will end up surrendering her precious jewel because of her haughtiness. But she would never listen to our advice. Tell me, Peapod, surely you tasted something as you were sucking it before."

"Yes. It didn't taste like much of anything, but it wasn't unpleasant."

"Then the final result won't be unpleasant to you," Opal said, nodding.

Pearl thought for a moment. "Then I wish to find out what it's like now, Peapod. You can have your turn next time." With that, she engulfed my manhood with determination, licking and sucking fervently. Her breast was close to my hand and I grasped it, squeezing gently and teasing the bud: this made her moan and groan, which increased the sensation. Opal began licking my orbs below and I found a perfect teardrop breast in reach of my other hand: it received my ardent attention and generated moans that further stimulated me.

Soon I could hold back no longer, and Pearl held on doggedly to catch and swallow all I had to offer. Opal sat back and watched as her sister drank my liqueur, smiling and keeping her breast in my reach. Pearl did not relent until I became flaccid in her mouth before she released me. A stray drop oozed from the end and Opal moved quickly to lick it up, giggling. "You see, Peapod, not so bad," she whispered.

Licking her lips, Pearl looked thoughtful. "Yes, quite palatable. I could do this again."

"Not now, please," I said quickly.

Opal giggled. "It's time I got back to the kitchen. Amber's not a bad cook, but she and Ruby get silly on their own at times. Maurice and Connie will still be taking care of the animals. Breakfast will be at your door in fifteen minutes." She jumped to her feet and scampered through the secret door. Pearl stayed, leaning on me and watching as I still played with her breast, smiling. She said nothing, and left a few moments later through the same egress.

I cleaned up and was just finishing my dressing when Connie arrived with my breakfast. The day was busy as I finished the full score of _Andromeda Chained_ and received a note from Alfred Ernst that he would meet me at the Choral-Symphony offices on Monday afternoon. At dinner, Pearl was the same as she'd been all week, with little different in her mannerism than an occasional lingering look when she thought I wasn't looking at her. Maurice was absent the entire day, so I spent the evening shooting billiards alone.

The next day, a bright and sunny one, was one of solitude: Pearl and Opal went to visit a friend of Lady Alice's in St. Charles and Opal told me before she left Maurice decided to ride the entire grounds, which would take him all day. I spent the morning reading, and after an early afternoon nap went over the ridge to the lake the girls went swimming in every good weather morning. It was a peaceful spot, and I sat under a linden tree watching the fish snap at insects on the surface until time for tea.

Opal served me tea and stayed to make sure I was all right. Her smile was broad and knowing, and I could not resist teasing her: "You are certainly experienced for your age."

"I learned a lot in France. People are so much different there than England."

"I've heard. So you must have escaped your brother's protection from time to time."

"I didn't need my brothers' protection. What my mother didn't teach me, my chef, Madame Bonchamps did, including what I taught Pearl last night. No Englishwoman would be that . . . practical."

"Tell me, how come you had to move from England?"

She grew very solemn and looked back and forth. "Give me a moment." Going into the hallway, she looked around, and then behind the door to check a secret passageway. "Sir Charles' family found him too great an embarrassment for them. He wrote a cantata for the Midland Choral festival that was badly received and badly reviewed, then he wrote a letter to the editor that should have been intercepted before it was published. Maurice was a little ill that day, and Sir Charles was too angry and resolute, so he posted it before Maurice could read it. Sir Arthur Sullivan protested the review as well, and wrote a letter in support of him, but Lord Brougham was too outraged and wanted him gone. Threatened to cut Sir Charles off from his inheritance and have him cast out of polite society if he didn't leave the country."

"I see. Only in England. Well, maybe not."

She gave me an odd look. "Frank? What?"

I looked into her compassionate brown eyes and decided not to share. Despite our intimacy that morning, I didn't know her very well, and my experience taught me extreme discretion. "Sorry, I shouldn't. It's bad enough I have dark memories without making you their partaker. Just know that I know how to pleasure a woman with putting her in danger of losing her virtue."

Her eyes widened. "That's good news. Perhaps you will share this with me sometime."

"Indeed. And Pearl as well if she is willing."

"I guess so," she said, pouting slightly. Perhaps there were things she didn't want to share with her bedmate.

I decided to change the subject. "Is it true that you shared a room growing up?"

"Yes, mostly. Pearl and I are very different, but we are closer than any other sisters we know. We've shared a bed since infancy. We can hardly bear the other's absence for long, and my sojourn in France was difficult for both of us. If she had gone to Colorado, I would have had to accompany them as well."

"Fascinating. What of the future? Surely someday she will marry and leave."

Opal rolled her eyes. "I don't think Pearl is interested in marriage; she's an intellectual and hardly takes notice of affairs of the heart. No young man has ever succeeded in getting her attention, no matter how learned or well bred. We've talked about it: Pearl will inherit Sir Charles' portion of the Brougham fortune, as well as her mother's sizable legacy, so she will be extremely comfortable the rest of her life. I shall stay with her, and if a young man catches my eye, she will make it possible for us to be together without being too far away from her."

I finished my meal and she started collecting the dishes. "I would like to talk with you more, Opal. Especially about Maurice."

"Maurice is a mystery to me. His ways are so different, that's what comes from being an Irishman, I guess, but he's different from every other Irishman I've known. I know he's thirty seven, was in the Army in India, and he came into Sir Charles' service just after his discharge."

"I see. Does he seem, less than masculine to you than most men?"

She shook her head. "No, he's been a perfect gentleman, actually like a father to us. He and Mrs. Edwards work together well."

"Did the Brougham family want you and your family off the family estates when Sir Charles left? Did they think you were an embarrassment as well?" A sheepish nod was my answer. "And Sir Charles felt guilty and chose to bring you with him when he came to America?"

"Lady Alice has always been nothing other than kind to us," she protested vigorously. "They've always looked after us, sent me to France to learn cooking, sent Amber to learn tailoring, sent the boys to learn the ways of horses. She wanted us to be literate and Pearl always taught them what she knew. She let Pearl and I be close, when it would have been an embarrassment to the rest of the family, had they known. I will hear nothing against Sir Charles or Lady Alice, no matter what the rest of the world thinks of them."