A Wedding in Wottfordshire

"Continue," I commanded as I steadied my grip and braced my arms to resist his thrusts.

"You want me to...?"

"I want you to show me that it works. Fully. Proceed."

Wilfred nodded and grabbed hold of his chair, pulling it around to steady himself while he started a slow grind, pumping himself in my hands. It was too much for me, so I knelt in front of him, allowing me to better brace myself to give him more resistance.

After the first few unsteady rounds on both of our parts, we seemed to get into the rhythm, with the muscles in Wilfred's abdomen and hips rippling as he pistoned with increasing force into my hands like one of those new steam engines that were now being used in some mills in cities to the south.

Watching him, I began to feel warm and uncomfortable, my sex practically throbbing as I thought about Wilfred being in me doing this rather than in my hands. I'd never had serious thoughts of such things, even with Nigel Andrews, until Rob awakened them this morning, wresting them most violently from a deep slumber to a raging hunger in the short time we'd shared. To feel Wilfred's cock burying itself deep within me—

Of course, I would in no way consider actually doing that with him since it would be a betrayal of dear Susannah—and my dear Rob—I told myself angrily, forcing my eyes to focus on that purplish head popping out of my hand toward me, its angry eye seeking, before it retreated into its sheath and slipped back into my makeshift tunnel for another round. As he did it, I felt an almost overpowering urge to reach down and rub my itch, to relieve my aching need, but that, I knew, would probably mess up our experiment in determining Wilfred's capability.

His breathing changed and his speed increased, leading me to believe his time was soon. He informed me of such, just moments later, "My seed, milady, it will spurt soon."

Having been on the receiving end of such an event for the first time that morning, I made sure he was pointed away from me when I felt his pulse and saw the first stream fly. Another followed and then several more, smaller as his face slowly relaxed into a broad contented smile. He looked down at me and whispered, "Thank you, milady. I can still be a man for my Susannah."

His cock shrunk a bit where I could hold it with one hand, so I did while I reexamined his single ball. It still felt as substantial as before, so I nodded, leading him to smile even more broadly. It was then that I saw some of his seed still clinging to his foreskin spout, so I milked it forward gently, catching a dollop in my hand.

Letting go, I stood up and sniffed it, nodding when it smelled, as best as I remember, just like what Rob had sprayed on my belly that morning. Dipping my finger in it, I smeared it around a bit before lifting it to my tongue, dabbing it on the end, checking the taste. That, too, was similar to Rob's, a bit bland, but nothing offensive that would make me question it. I licked my finger clean and then looked at Wilfred, his eyes wide, as if in disbelief.

"What? It tastes right," I said.

He looked even more shocked then, but I had no more time for discussion. It was almost midnight and we had an early morning ride planned, so I wiped what little remained on my hands on the towel by his washbasin as he pulled up his trousers before I said, "I must go. Please check the hall to make sure no one is about so I can make my way unseen."

He nodded again, his eyes still wide, before opening the door and looking out. "It's clear, Lady Catherine. Thank you and please give Susannah my love."

He was still looking quite oddly at me as I put my bonnet and shawl back on and slipped by him, running my fingers through the hair on his glorious chest as I did, and out into the hall. Once I escaped from the third floor, I removed the bonnet once more, no longer caring if anyone saw me since I was merely out for a walk since I couldn't sleep.

It was then that it struck me. Wilfred knew nothing of Rob or my encounter with him, so when I told him that his seed tasted right, Wilfred must have thought...thought I meant in comparison to the horses we examined for purchase! He must have thought....

I snickered like one of those horses before clamping a hand over my mouth. I could barely contain my laughter as I made my way back to my room.

***

Chapter 3: Day Two—The Morning Ride

I awoke the next morning with Hilary opening the curtains. "Time to rise, milady. Your uncle said the ride will begin in 30 minutes when all are assembled in the courtyard."

Still tired, I rolled over, hugging a pillow to me as if it was my Rob, sharing my bed with me. I wanted to go for the ride, to see if I could find him if he was indeed here at the estate, but I was tired.

Hilary's hand was gently shaking me. "Milady, it's time."

"Go away, Hilary. I need more sle—"

I felt her hair fall against my face a moment before her lips met mine, causing me to open my eyes with a pleasant smile. Hilary's mother, Mrs. Raines, had been my mother's attendant, cook, housekeeper, and best friend, so Hilary, who'd been my friend as a child, had become my handmaid as well when I became a teen. We had shared our first tentative kiss several years later, and had practiced from time to time after that so we wouldn't be completely unskilled when the need arose with men of our choosing. Her kiss this morning was something new and exciting, well beyond our gentle kisses of the past.

"Mmm," I moaned as her tongue swept between my lips, gently probing and then with more ferocity, similar to what Rob had taught me with his kisses not twenty-four hours before. My eyes wide, I withdrew, unsure where continuing might take us. "Hillie, dear, Renald has fooled me completely. I didn't know him capable of teaching you such things."

She giggled. "No, Cat! He was truly as unskilled as I was so we experimented and discovered it together. What do you think, milady? And may I go there again tonight?"

I ignored her first question, unsure exactly what I thought, but agreed on the second, barely controlling a grin, before telling her to be careful. "As much as I love you, dear, the thought of a little Hilary or Renald anytime soon is too much."

"Oh, no, ma'am. Nothing like that, believe me. Well, nothing quite like that," she added with her giggle. "Yet."

***

Three stablemen were holding the horses in groups as the riding party assembled in the courtyard. Suzie's horse, I saw, was equipped with a side-saddle; I wasn't sure which I'd be riding but I quickly made sure there were no more of the monstrosities. If there were, some poor man wasn't going to be very happy.

Susannah and Wilfred came out together, with her in her long, billowy skirt, clinging to his arm as if she didn't have a care in the world Wilfred must have told her that he was no longer concerned about his condition or else she was so happy to see him she wasn't thinking about it.

"Excuse me, sir," said one of the stablemen as he turned, almost bumping into me. It was only then that he saw my hair, in a long, blonde ponytail down my back, and that my riding trousers were cut somewhat differently than a man's. Or maybe he saw that they fit me quite differently, anyway. "Milady! Excuse me!'

When I rode the hills and byways of Humden, I always wore riding trousers and boots, and this day was no exception. It would be another eight years before Jules Pellier would reinvent the sidesaddle and the feelings on women riding would change, so I felt no qualms about approaching and removing him from the stable boy's string when I saw Royal, one of Uncle John's horses that I'd ridden before. He was sporting a typical saddle. Though I had no idea who was planned for him, I decided he would be mine for the morning and took the reins with no intention of giving them up.

"Milady, forgive me, please. Lord John said nothing about the need for a second side-saddle."

"No forgiveness required, nor is another such saddle for me; Royal will be perfect for me as is...though the stirrups will need to be adjusted for me."

The young man, perhaps a couple of years older or maybe a tad younger than me, nodded and handed off the rest of his string to the other hands while I swung up into the saddle. He approached and looked up at me hesitantly.

"Well, get on with it." More softly and with just a hint of a smile, I added, "Please?"

He nodded, fighting off a smile of his own as he slipped a hand behind the stirrup leather and my boot, pulling the stirrup up correctly. He was looking up into my eyes as I raised my leg so he could access the buckle below, tighten up, and reseat the strap. I think he glanced at the hole number for he moved to the other side and did the same. His hand lingered on my boot this time, as he looked at me. His eyes, I saw, were the same rich brown color as my Rob's.

Yes, with each man I'd met in Wallingford, I'd studied his eyes. Rob had worn a hood with a narrow mask slitted for his eyes over it and a black hat matching the rest of his clothing on his head. I'd only seen his brown eyes and a bit of tanned skin before he masked my eyes to keep me from learning his true identity. Still, I felt his skin and smelled him, a manly aroma that made me want him to hold me all the more.

I leaned down, beckoning him to come closer with a tiny "come hither" of my finger. "Thank you, kind sir. And what is your name, pray tell?" I whispered, barely audibly.

He responded in a like manner, leaning in close where I inhaled the scent of his hair and his body. "I am Geoffrey, Geoffrey White, milady, Lord John's Third Stableman."

A mix of horse, leather, and manly sweat, much like Rob. Yes, Geoffrey was definitely a possible candidate for my mysterious lover. "Thank you, Geoffrey, Third Stableman."

Others in the party were mounting and I looked around to see Wilfred and another helping Susannah up into the side-saddle. A partial grip on my arm drew my attention though; Uncle John released me when I turned toward him and he grinned.

"Good morning, niece. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Uncle John," I agreed. "Eventually. Now that I'm up, I'm quite ready for a nice ride today. And you, Uncle?"

"Fine, fine! And a perfect day for it, it is. Ah, I see you found Royal. He will be glad of your company this morning."

I think he was going to say more but the throng was milling about with the last of the riders arriving. They mounted quickly, final adjustments were made, and soon we were off.

Wilfred and Susannah were near the back of the group while Royal would have been far ahead of even Uncle John on Hercules if I'd allowed it. As it was, the front group alternated between a trot and a canter, occasionally going to a full gallop for a short stretch.

Susannah's group, on the other hand, never went faster than a trot, never closing the distance where we could speak. It was when we drew rein and waited at the crossroad that they caught up so I could catch her eye. She gave me an almost pained, expectant look. I nodded in reply before turning back to Uncle John.

"Please pardon me, Uncle, but my duty calls despite her dependence on that hideous saddle."

He chuckled. "You can blame your aunt for that, and possibly even shoulder a bit of the responsibility yourself."

"Sir?" I said, not following him.

"When Susannah was young, Eliza and your mother talked frequently about your growing proficiency and willingness to expand your horizons beyond the paddock. Eliza was dead set on keeping our daughter within sight distance so she limited her to the paddock and the side-saddle."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," I said, hurt that the excitement of my youth might have been used to limit Susannah's.

My uncle smiled. "No, don't be. It was a convenient excuse for Eliza to limit her range and to protect her from dangers beyond our bounds. If it hadn't been you and your rides, she'd have had another excuse. Now, go, and give my daughter her father's love."

I wheeled to the side as the front party took off once more, and joined in beside Susannah with a brief nod and "Good morning" to Lord Wilfred. His eyes, I noticed, did not meet my own, though he had a little smile.

Susannah leaned toward me—a scary spectacle in that ridiculous saddle—so I leaned in to accept her kiss, but instead, she whispered, "Wilfred told me that you got to the bottom of the issue last night and that all is well?"

I kissed her cheek, giving a nod and a little nudge to steer her back upright. "Don't worry. We'll talk later."

She smiled and the three of us took up the rear of the riding party. Susannah didn't push her Daisy, and soon we'd fallen even further behind the rest, with Uncle John and his group well out of sight, somewhere far in the lead. Royal and I tried to push Daisy along, but Suzie was enjoying her own pace until we came to an open gate in the long, low rock wall that served as a fence along the quiet way.

She grinned at me, reined Daisy into the gate and took off at a fast canter that I didn't dream her possible of achieving. She made for a large group of trees on the far side of the field. Wilfred, not seeming to have a clue as to what had just happened, shrugged his shoulders and spun his fine horse after her, taking off at a gallop in pursuit as Susannah neared the little forest.

That left me, supposedly responsible for them as their chaperone in any private moments, by myself so I wheeled Royal and took off after them.

***

My dear cousin, much more fit than she'd let on, had gotten down from Daisy by herself and tied her up by a pond hidden in the wood by the time I arrived. Wilfred was just finishing the same and he stepped in behind Suzie, looking at the quiet water of the little pond, sliding his arms around her when she leaned back into him. I'd barely tied my Royal where he could drink when Suzie turned toward Wilfred, tipped her lips up and they were kissing where anyone with eyes could see!

"That sneaky little bitch!" I chuckled to myself, realizing that she'd planned this well before the ride, having probably arranged to have the gate open, hanging back like she was having trouble controlling the gentlest horse this side of my old Blossom, and then escaping when no one could see. She'd probably give the excuse that she'd had trouble and had to head back for home, giving them time to—

Wilfred's hands were holding her, pressing her tight against him and I was fairly certain, from the sensuous rocking motions of her hips and bum, that Wilfred's problem hadn't returned and that she'd discovered the presence of the little worm that really wasn't. I considered stepping that way to fulfill my proper duty, but all their hands appeared to be visible and nothing that shouldn't have been seen was, so I sighed and leaned against a big sycamore tree to do my monitoring duty from a respectable distance.

My cousin, I saw, was quite the kisser, and seemed to have Wilfred quite heated. My eyes widened a moment later as he picked her up and she encircled him with her legs, her long riding skirt billowing around him. A second later, they were both breathing harder as he backed her into the trunk of a big oak tree and started thrusting against her much as he had in my hands during our experiment the evening before. My duty, of course, was to break up this cunning round of physical intimacy, but my own breathing, I realized, was suddenly shorter and quicker and my spot, apparently like Susannah's, was aching for attention of its own.

Perhaps a bit of such physical intimacy when fully clothed wouldn't hurt anything?

Wilfred was grinding himself against her, his pants rippling from his movements, as her little moans wafted across our side of the pond. My head felt as if it was spinning, so I stepped around part of the sycamore, arguably to be able to watch out for riders approaching in the field along the tree-line by which we'd come but also to give them, and me, some privacy. Well, maybe me, anyway. Seeing no one approaching, I peeked around the tree at them, seeing Wilfred continuing his slow grind against her as she moaned in delight. My hand slipped down to slide into my skirt; it was only then that I remembered I was wearing my riding trousers!

Popping the side button, I slid my hand down, deep down, and soon found my goal. While I didn't make it a practice to visit it with such intent very often, what I was witnessing and thoughts of what I'd experienced not quite a day earlier made me want it badly and my fingers started playing over and around it, using Wilfred's actions and Susannah's moans as my guide. It wasn't long before I was quietly feeling the rising heights that Susannah was so vocally announcing before I, too, plunged over the edge.

Giggles brought me around as Susannah played along the pond's edge while Wilfred used a handkerchief to wash his hands, and, I believe, more. I hastily withdrew my hand and refastened my button before moving forward, with Susannah seeing me stumble around the big roots of the sycamore, mistaking my actions for tripping over the gnarly members rather than struggling through my euphoria.

"Cat! Is all well?"

Righting myself, I glared at her for a moment, noticing the wet spot at her crotch despite the dress's dark color, before breaking a little smile at the broad smile she herself was sporting. "We'll be missed if we don't get going soon," I told her. "I'd rather not have to explain our delay."

"That damn saddle caused me problems and, when we couldn't adjust it to be comfortable, we decided to stop by the pond for our horses to drink before heading home. We'll skip over any details?"

Restraining my laugh at the little minx's deviousness, I nodded, figuring it was as good an excuse as any.

***

Chapter 4: Day Two--Afternoon Investigation

Doubling back, we arrived at the manor just minutes before the rest. Three stablemen came out to help, but Third Stableman Geoffrey made a straight line for me and took Royal while sneaking little glances at me when he didn't think I was looking. I realized this because, against my better judgment, I found myself returning the favor and immediately feeling embarrassed about it, thanked him and quickly moved away so at least I would look no more.

"Susannah, we must be off," I told her as she approached before grabbing her arm and leading her away with Wilfred looking dumbstruck.

"What is it, Cat? Are we supposed to be somewhere?"

Well, not really, but an excuse is an excuse so I made the most of it to escape from Geoffrey's shy but admiring eyes that I suspected still followed me. I had enough issues in my life and didn't need to add a sweet but bashful admirer to the list.

"Ah, Suzie, more guests are arriving today, so you and Wilfred should meet them. One doesn't greet guests in clothes one has been riding in," I said, leaving the "or humping in" part unsaid. The skirt of her dress appeared to have dried, but I suspected the stain might still be noticeable if one looked.

Once we were alone, the emotions she'd bottled up inside burst forth. "Cat, it worked! My worries are over! My Wilfred is a man and can do what needs to be done. And, oh, can he ever!"

"Shhh! Not another word about that. If someone were to overhear, they might think poorly of you and that I'd failed in my chaperoning duties."

With a thoughtful look, she nodded. "Perhaps, or perhaps that I'm being prudent? As for your duties, no, not failed, not at all, but...maybe relaxed them just enough that Wilfred could assist me in said prudence and prove to me that he can perform as needed when the time comes?" She was grinning when she finished, proud, I think, of her reasoning.

"Perhaps so," I agreed with a nod and a smile, not revealing that wasn't my intent at all and it was only that they'd surprised me that I'd fallen behind in the first place. Still, I rationalized, a bit of harmless play had eased her mind about his ability, allowed Wilfred to gain confidence to ensure that he could do his duty and more when the time came, and had allowed all three of us a happy release that wouldn't upset anyone.