A Wedding in Wottfordshire

"Hmm, about that. I don't care. If we find we truly love each other, we'll find a way to be together when the time comes."

He was shaking his head, denying the possibility, so I continued, "But Geoffrey, I'm not sure if that matters. You see, I spoke with Aunt Eliza at length yesterday when I was completely convinced that you were Rob, the bandit, after finding out about your horse. She told me that her uncle and my great uncle, Lord Randall, was a notorious womanizer and that he was well known for having liaisons with his house staff. Years after they took over the manor, Uncle John and Aunt Eliza even found his journal that detailed some of those affairs...including a lengthy one with your mother. You said you never knew your father, so who's to say you're not Lord Randall's son? She's checking the journal to be sure of the dates."

He stared out the window and shook his head. "No, not son. Bastard, you mean, so the dates won't matter."

"No-oo," I said gently. "You see, Lord Randall never had any children that he claimed—he even willed his estate to his little brother, my grandfather—so you're every bit as legitimate as any others who may be out there. And I'll tell you, Geoffrey, if that's good enough for me and we find that we love each other over time as much as I think we might, that'll be good enough for my father, too."

He considered what I said for several moments before it struck him. "Wait! Then that means we would be cousins."

"First cousins once removed, true, but a relationship between us, if we choose to have one, would be completely legal and ethical according to Lady Eliza, my aunt, who in her capacity as baroness, knows such things. Assuming, that is, you have no objections."

I smiled at him as he slowly nodded, accepting the idea.

I slipped my hands around his neck and pulled us closer so my lips met his. The fear, the doubts, and all the anxiety of the week melted away as we kissed and my tongue pushed into his mouth and met his own. We each moaned quietly as our hands roamed, mine through his hair and his over my back. My eyes closed in blissful elation, finally witnessing, I think, Hilary's missing fireworks.

We were both breathing hard when we paused and Geoffrey's eyes were once again locked firmly on my own.

"Lady Cather—

"Cat," I corrected.

He nodded in reply, smiling at me and I pulled him over and leaned against him, encouraging him to put his arm about me, making me feel loved and safe.

After learning that Geoffrey owned the roan at Nigel's stable, I became completely convinced that Geoffrey was in fact Rob and that the feelings I thought I'd had for Rob were actually the same feelings for Geoffrey. As such, I ached for him, wanting him to be kissing and hugging and loving me as I'd spent so much time dreaming during the past week.

Yes, I wanted it so badly, for I'd learned during the week that I really liked sex. I really wanted him to make love to me then and there, but I'd also learned a lot of other things during the week, including the importance of getting to know someone well before making assumptions and rushing into things.

No matter how much I ached for him now, I knew there was a chance for us for more so that last part became most important to me. I took his hand and pulled it tight against me as I said, "Hold me, Geoffrey, and let's see where this takes us."

***

Chapter 12: Beyond

On arriving home, father came walking out of the stable to greet us when he saw the coach approaching but I feared he was going to have apoplexy when he saw Rob's body tied over his saddle.

"Renald! Is Cat—"

The window was already open so I yelled out as I waved to him, "Hi, Father, I'll explain in a moment. Everything is fine."

On stopping, Geoffrey hopped out of the carriage first and helped me out as my father came running up.

"Father, allow me to introduce Geoffrey White, Third Stableman in Uncle John's service, and my escort on the way home. He dealt with a highwayman who stopped us." Turning to Geoffrey, I said, "and Geoffrey, this is my father, Winston Debane, Lord of Humden."

My father, having turned white just moments before, looked relieved and was even smiling broadly as he extended his hand toward Geoffrey. "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. White, and thank you for protecting my daughter on her journey home."

It was only then that I realized my hand was still clasped firmly in Geoffrey's and I blushed as red as my father had been white. When I hastily released him, they shook hands and Father thanked him again before turning to me.

"And now, Catty, I finally understand why you didn't want Lewis along."

I grinned, allowing his assumption to pass uncorrected.

***

Inside our little manor, which had been rebuilt following the fire, Lewis and Gallagher brought in the big crates and unpacked them to reveal the portraits that Aunt Eliza had given me. Father, clapping his hand over his mouth, suddenly had tears streaming from his eyes when he saw the painting of my mother.

"Sarah," he whispered, before reaching out to take my hand and pull me into a hug. "She was always so beautiful, and I see her every time I look at you."

He'd said that I looked like her many times before, but I'd always compared myself to her as I recalled her, when she was older and more mature, whereas the original of the portrait that we were viewing had been painted shortly after she and Father had married, so she was probably about my age or even younger in it. As I studied the portrait, I think I could finally see what he meant and I smiled at my good fortune to resemble her so much.

When the portrait was hung as he wanted it, he looked at the others and said, "Catty, I'm going to send Eliza and John a thank you letter for them helping make our little manor feel more like home."

"I thanked them, Father, but I'm sure they'll appreciate hearing from you, too. Speaking of them, may I speak with you in private?"

Geoffrey looked nervous, much as he'd looked around me through much of the week when he'd been trying to hide his secret, as Father and I stepped outside to talk.

"Father, do you like Geoffrey?"

"Very much so, Catty, particularly since he appears to have saved you from the hands of a bandit."

Damn his time! He knew there was more to the story than I was telling but I left him wondering as I said, "I like him a lot, Father, and there's more to him than meets the eye. He's a stableman now, but...well, here. Uncle John wrote you a letter."

He opened the seal with his knife and read it through probably twice before handing it to me.

Uncle John declared that, based on an entry that he and Aunt Eliza had found in Lord Randall's journal some years after John had become baron, that Geoffrey was indeed an unclaimed son of the late lord. It sounded more definitive than I'd expected, leading me to suspect that Aunt Eliza had already checked the dates and confirmed it. Or perhaps she was doing me a favor? I didn't know but either way, Father was happy with it.

"In the letter to Uncle John and Aunt Eliza, can you ask if Geoffrey can be released from their service to come work and live here? He wants to run his own stable, but we don't have a real stableman, so he could—"

Father held up a hand to stop my ramble. "We could use him and based on the way things have gone for the past couple of years, we can afford him now, too, especially since he'll help us grow the herd and our operation. What this all means is that there's only one really important question left to be answered. When that young man asks my permission to court you, do you want me to agree?"

I nodded, short and fast, and he smiled.

***

Father and Geoffrey went out for a ride that afternoon and neither of the scoundrels were ever willing to tell me exactly what was discussed, but I do know that Father agreed to allow him to court me and that he offered him the position of our stableman, along with the right to board his own horses and grow his herd with ours. I say herd because since Rob had no identification on his body and there was no one to claim his effects, Father gave Blaze, our name for Rob's horse, his saddle, and Rob's pistols and sword to Geoffrey for his service in rescuing me, in addition to a small bag of coins.

Speaking of Rob, he was buried in the back corner of the cemetery of our little parish church. Geoffrey, Renald, Hilary, and I showed up for the burial, but there were no mourners present.

That evening, Father appointed Hilary as my chaperone, leading us both to suppress giggles, and Geoffrey was assigned the little guest room on the far side of the house from my bedroom, possibly to help blunt our mutual temptation. That didn't work, but then again, I suspect Father figured it wouldn't but did it for appearances anyway.

I went to see Father that evening before bedtime to thank him. He was completing what appeared to be a lengthy letter to Uncle John. I gave him a letter that I'd written, too, and asked that he return the pistols that my uncle had lent to Geoffrey and me.

He agreed and added teasingly, "Of course, I've requested Geoffrey's release of service so he can work here. You don't suppose John's going to have any issues with that, do you?"

"I don't know, Father, but I'm pretty sure Aunt Eliza will set him straight if he objects."

He chuckled but became more serious as he added, "I've got a good feeling about this one, girlie, not like the one at the wedding. Geoff just might be a keeper if you play your cards right so take your time with him to be sure."

"Oh, I will, Father. Trust me."

"I do, sweetheart. I always do."

***

Our stable had been too small for years, so with the addition of Geoffrey's two big roans he and Father began discussing options for rebuilding it as a new and larger structure while we awaited a response from Uncle John. They didn't actually start any work, but were making measurements and drawing, drawing and re-measuring. Since Father had directed the rebuilding of our little manor following the fire, I figured he knew what he was doing so I only teased them a little about not measuring right the first time.

In addition to work around the stable, things were quite busy over the next few days as Hilary, Mrs. Raines, and some of the other women of our village, and I prepared for Renald and Hilary's wedding the following weekend. It came off, simple and beautiful, in our little village church. It was just in time, too, for they found out shortly thereafter that she was indeed with child. While no one ever questioned it, Hilary, Renald, and I had agreed, in case they did, to answer that they had quite an exciting and fruitful wedding night.

With Uncle John's agreement on releasing Geoffrey from his service so he could begin working with Father and with Uncle John and Aunt Eliza's encouragement on our courtship, Geoffrey began working with the horses and Father undertook the reconstruction of the stable, making it larger and using Geoffrey's input for improvements and the possibility of future expansion. With the people of Humden seeing real changes for the first time in several years, they were encouraged and a number of couples, including a few older ones, joined Hilary and Renald in expecting a new addition to their families.

I don't think they were thinking about starting a new family, but I noticed, with Hilary out from under her wing, that Mrs. Raines and Father appeared to be growing closer, too. I smiled about that, hoping that they would enjoy any intimacies they might experience together. That Hilary and I might someday be sisters brought each of us a smile.

During that time, Geoffrey and I continued seeing each other and our love was confirmed, growing and blossoming as the summer continued and fall began. We greatly enjoyed getting to know each other well, often spending hours talking as we rode through the countryside on nearly matching roans or on his roan and my Charger.

With most of the leaves having fallen and the winter cold coming soon, it was on one of the last warm days of fall when we stopped in a little grove by a stream for a picnic lunch that I'd packed for us. We'd done this occasionally, but this day, to me, was special. After lunch, we sat together, with Geoffrey's back against a tree and me sitting in front of him and leaning back against him. His arms were around me, making me feel snug and secure.

"Geoffrey, thank you for being you and for loving me. I love you too," I told him for the first time.

"Oh, Cat! I do love you so much, sweetheart."

I turned toward him and said, "Show me. Make love to me, Geoffrey. Now."

"Cat, are you sure?"

I'd wanted it again ever since that day in the coach, but I'd learned a lesson, that one needs to truly know a person with their mind in addition to knowing them with their body if they really want a relationship to work. "Yes, my love, completely sure."

We lay together on the blanket that I'd brought as a picnic cloth over a thick bed of leaves, helping each other out of our clothes and then kissing and touching as we'd both wanted to do for so long. Geoffrey caressed my tits, nuzzling, kissing, sucking, and holding them, telling me how he worshiped them as I smiled the whole time but then he kissed down my tummy and didn't stop. He did things to my little nubbin with his mouth, his tongue, and his fingers that sent me over the top time and again until I could take no more and had to urge him, "Enough, Geoffrey. Please."

He was grinning, quite proud of himself, I'm sure, when he asked if I was ready after giving me a short break.

"No, not quite yet, mister," I said, pushing him down similar to how he'd done me.

"What are you doing?" he gasped as I trailed kisses down him similar to how he'd done with me, but the real gasp came when I used Mrs. Cherry's secret on him.

Geoffrey's moan when I took him in my mouth was a sound of great surprise and intense pleasure. I worked him for a bit and got him close but then added something Hillie had discovered after marrying, taking him almost to the brink before stopping and saying, "Now I'm ready, my love."

Once over me with my legs high and spread wide for him, he buried himself in my quim in one long, delicious stroke, causing us both to give the most pleasurable sigh. He withdrew part of the way and then returned as I pushed myself against him, wanting every bit of his iron deep within me. Onward we went, holding each other tight until we reached our peak and I felt his pulses deep within me as my spasms milked him.

We followed with quiet words of love, but it was his arms around me, holding me tight against his strong chest that told me just as much as if no words had been spoken at all.

With the coming of winter, our moments of private intimacy were fewer and further between, but when we had the opportunity, we were often as playful as Wilfred and Susannah had been in those hot summer days leading up to their wedding, but, unlike Renald and Hilary, we were quite careful in timing our moments of extreme intimacy with moments when my cycle allowed and we could find appropriate privacy.

It was at Christmastide of 1824 when, with Father's blessing, Geoffrey asked me to marry him. I agreed, of course, setting our wedding for early summer just as Susannah had done.

However, unlike Wilfred and Susannah's wedding, our guests came primarily from Humden, plus Aunt Eliza and Uncle John, Wilfred and Susannah, and just a few others from further afield. Susannah, having given birth to their son just weeks earlier, feared to make the trip but she forced herself and stood in as my matron of honor with dear Hilary serving as my bridesmaid while a smiling Renald held their sleeping baby girl.

Our wedding celebration was much smaller than Susannah's but everyone in Humden was invited to the wedding and the wedding feast. When the sun set and we were sent on our way, we walked out to the new cottage that Father had built for us some distance behind the main manor house. There, Geoffrey carried me across the threshold and into our wedding chamber, what would be our bedroom in the time that followed. He eased my feet to the ground and then unlaced my dress and helped remove it and my undergarments. Moments later, I turned toward him, standing up completely naked in front of him for his observation, and I hoped, admiration, for the first time.

"Oh, Cat, you're so beautiful, my love," he whispered, sliding a hand up to cup and caress my breast as he leaned down to kiss it. He was kissing and suckling my nipple as an unexpected moan emanated from my depths.

"Oh, Geoffrey, please, let's get you out of this so you can make love to me, my husband."

Unlike my dress, which he'd carefully laid to the side, I tossed his clothes as fast as I could strip them from him and then pushed him back on the bed, climbing atop and straddling him where my hot sex rested almost perfectly against his heated rod. His eyes were wide as he saw me strain against him and realized my intent, while I was silently thanking Hilary for the whispered suggestion about her and Renald's discovery when I pushed down and felt him enter me.

Down and down I went until I felt us pressed tight against each other. Unable to control myself, I groaned aloud even as Geoffrey did the same before I rose above him, riding him, slowly at first and then faster and faster like the expert horsewoman I was. The muscles of my legs, hips, and stomach had long been strong from such riding, but I'd been practicing some other exercises as my sweet friend had suggested and it wasn't long before I could feel the payoff, with my fireworks rapidly nearing as Geoffrey drove up and into me, matching and opposing my movements.

"Oh, Geoffrey!" I cried as my world experienced the most delightful explosion ever and he called my name and sent pulse after pulse of his hot seed into me.

I collapsed forward a moment later, my soft tits pillowed against the strength of his hairy chest. We lay there, each catching our breath for a few moments before he turned my face toward his and kissed me. The kiss would have gone on and on, I'm sure, but suddenly his now-softer cock and about a quart of his milky cream slipped out of me leading us both to laugh aloud.

There was a stack of towels on the bedside table that Hilary had left for us for just such an emergency, so I grabbed one to keep matters from getting any worse. She'd also told me that she'd left us a stack of sheets for our bed, those that had been given to us as wedding gifts plus a number she'd borrowed from women in the village to help bless our wedding night.

"Those are for if things get out of hand—or out of something, as I suspect," she'd laughed.

When we were done, I rose, still completely naked and took Geoffrey's hand, leading him out the door onto the private patio behind our quarters.

The summer breeze was cool on our bare skin, but I didn't care, breathing the fresh air as I heard the sounds of the band from Liverpool playing in the courtyard in front of the manor house and the sounds of dancing and joyous laughter of our few guests and all the villagers from Humden. I smiled, swaying to the music as I thought how perfect the evening was and how glad I was that others from our village and beyond were enjoying it, too.

Looking up into the western sky, I saw the constellation Leo nearing the horizon. It wouldn't be visible much longer, disappearing again until the following spring, but it made me smile, reminding me of the events of the summer before that brought Geoffrey and me together.

His hands circled me, resting on and caressing my belly that I suspected would soon bear the fruit of our love. Leaning back against his strong chest and feeling his hair against my back, I slid my hands over his and rested the side of my head against his.