All of Us Fit in Our Places

"Enjoy them while you can, they'll be grubbed up at the end of the season."

Turning, Kim saw a rugged, weather-beaten man with his sleeves rolled up. He wasn't quite Crocodile Dundee, he'd need the hat for that, but otherwise he was straight out of the Aussie playbook.

Valerie stepped forward. "Mr Thompson, can I introduce my friend Kimberley Wallace?"

He smiled his brilliant smile and stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

"Call me Wayne. It's a pleasure, Ms Wallace."

Kim dimpled and took his hand. "Charmed, I'm sure."

"Another foreigner, like me!" he exclaimed.

"I am a British citizen, but originally from the States, yes. What brings you to these parts, Wayne?"

"I'm going to help these lunatics make champagne."

"Wow! Really?" Kim was impressed.

"Gonna give it a go. Mrs Piper is expecting a return on her investment."

"Who's Mrs Piper?"

Valerie explained. "It's a bit complicated, but the older of the Stanforth boys is getting married. Mrs Piper is the wife of his fiancée's sister."

"Wife? I didn't think that was legal in this country?"

"As I understand it, they're not legally married but to all intents and purposes they are. It's not just them either, they're part of a quartet."

Wayne laughed at Kim's expression. "If you meet her, you'll realise nothing gets in Rosemary's way! Now, if you'll excuse me, ladies, I've got to go and poke my nose around the land purchase,"

He walked a few paces and then turned. "Mind you, if you'd like to try a glass or two of the stuff, come to the winery around six."

"Thank you, Wayne, that would be delightful," Kim said.

Wayne smiled his enormous antipodean smile.

"Ladies," he said in farewell and walked away down the hill.

"Flirt!" snorted Valerie as soon as he was out of earshot.

Kim caught her bottom lip in her teeth and batted her eyelashes.

"Oh, you're shameless! I'm a respectable woman!"

"Not too respectable to kiss your girlfriend?"

Valerie turned serious. "Are we? Are we girlfriends?"

Kim softened. Valerie was too vulnerable to play games with.

"Sure are, honey. If you'll have me."

Valerie's face lit up and she took Kim's hands.

"Whoa! What's this?" a voice boomed. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd got yourself a special friend, Mrs C. Nudge-nudge, wink-wink!"

Valerie abruptly let go of Kim's hand as they turned. Striding up towards them was a young man probably not that many years younger than Kim herself. He was not bad looking in a raffish way. However, Valerie's reaction, her face drained of all expression, put Kim on her guard.

He stopped a few feet from them, smiling with his hands on his hips. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Valerie took a step forward. "Giles Stanforth, this is Doctor Kimberley Wallace, a friend of mine."

Kim was taken aback, Doctor Wallace?

"A doctor, eh? Immigrant too?"

Kim blinked. "I'm a British citizen."

"Yeah, but you're not local, not with that whole mulatto thing going on." He stared at her with his head on one side.

She pursed her lips. "I was born in the United States."

Valerie was looking at the ground and suddenly Kim understood what was going on.

"I'm a consultant at Guy's Hospital in London. What is it that you do, Mister Stanforth?"

The smile slipped slightly. "I get around."

"I'm sure that you do," she said coolly, matching him stare for stare.

He shrugged and turned his attention to Valerie. "Bit up market for you, Mrs C, eh?"

Kim was astounded. This was a conscious act of cruelty.

Valerie looked up and said simply, "I'm fortunate to count Kim as my friend."

"Yeah, that'd be right. Anyway, who was that?" He pointed to where Wayne Thompson could still be seen in the distance, making for the boundary.

"I believe he's something to do with the winery."

"Why wasn't I told?"

"That would be between your father and Mr Forbes. My responsibilities lie within the house."

"Huh. Hadn't you better be getting on with that?" With that he turned on his heel and marched away.

When he was out of earshot, Valerie, who was looking at the ground again, said, "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"He's an SOB!" Kim spat.

"Fortunately, he's the only one, although God knows what you'd make of his mother. Less fortunately, he'll probably end up in charge around here. There's more than one of us wondering whether we can stay if that happens."

"But he's not the oldest, is he?"

"No, but Charles will probably be away too much. He's not the heir in any case so will be no brake on Giles. He fancies himself as a nobleman."

"There's nothing noble about that man. Why will the older one be away?"

"Charles has a very well paid job in London. The income helps keep this place afloat."

"Let's go back to the house." Kim linked her arm through Valerie's.

***

Later that afternoon, they rendezvoused by the door to the winery. Kim was struck anew by how old everything was in this country. A stone above the door was inscribed 1679. At the end of the seventeenth century the land of her birth was a clutch of European colonies on the east coast.

"Ladies!" Wayne Thompson emerged from the door. "Come through to the yard, we'll get a bit of sunshine and I've set out a table."

The interior of the building was cool and dark. Unfamiliar machinery lurked in the shadows. A square of brightness beckoned, and it took Kim's eyes a few moments to become accustomed to the sunshine.

A small round table was just to one side of the door. There were four chairs, and one was already occupied by a slim, neat woman with straight black hair in expensive looking clothes.

"Mrs Piper!" said Valerie in pleased surprise.

"Hiya, Mrs C. You know you can call me Rosemary, don't you? It didn't take Wayne two minutes to get familiar."

The Australian grinned as he pulled a cloth off a chrome bucket sitting on the ground by the table to reveal two bottles sitting in ice and water. He fished one out, wrapping it in a white cloth to catch the water dripping off it.

If Kim was any judge, Rosemary was sporting South-Asian genes in about the same proportion as her Hausa heritage.

Valerie set about introducing her for the third time that afternoon as Wayne expertly eased the cork from the bottle and filled the flutes.

Kim contemplated the condensation frosting the side of her glass and the sunlight glancing off the bubbles in the liquid inside. "You know, I could get used to this."

Rosemary chuckled. "If we manage to pull this off then we won't be importing it."

"What are you doing?" Valerie asked curiously. "What's this about a land purchase?"

Rosemary and Wayne exchanged glances. Then she leaned forward conspiratorially,

"Can you keep a secret?"

Kim and Valerie leaned forward together.

"I'm finessing Charles' younger brother, a tosser called Giles."

Valerie blinked.

"How? And why?" she asked, aware even as she said it, that Kim was muttering terrible invective under her breath. It was oddly reassuring.

"The 'Why' is that Charles is worried about Dearborn, Anna is worried about Charles, Jen is worried about Anna and Charles. Anything that concerns my wife concerns me.

Charles is working his socks off at that high flying job of his to help keep this pile afloat. For some unknown reason, this place is currently coming to Giles, and by all accounts that one likes to pose as the country squire, but he doesn't want to put the hours in.

The 'How' is this gamble on the winery. Wayne thinks we can make wine as good as this. We just have to make it in quantity. For that we need more vines and for that we need more land."

"We?" said Valerie, eyes narrowed.

"Dearborn can't afford the purchase and I quite fancy owning a share of something posh. If I can put together a good business plan to guarantee the survival of the estate, then maybe I can elbow Giles aside."

"What would happen to Giles?" Valerie asked slowly.

"Don't know, don't care," Rosemary said crisply.

"I think I like you already!" said Kim. "Wayne said you were married to Charles' sister-in-law. Is that true?"

Rosemary softened. "My darling Jen. And David and Em and our children."

"Yeah, Val said you were a quartet."

Valerie looked sideways at Kim; it was the first time she'd used the diminutive. Her lover spared her a brief, mischievous glance that was not lost on Rosemary.

Wayne looked suspiciously at them from under his bushy eyebrows and Valerie felt a distinct pulse between her legs. Somehow, she knew that Kim had felt something similar. Life was full of surprises lately.

Before they opened the second bottle, Rosemary announced that she had to go. She offered Wayne a lift, but he declined.

"I'm enjoying the sunshine with two lovely sheilas and some half decent sherbet, even if it is French!"

Rosemary shook her head and took her leave.

"Where are you staying, Wayne?" Valerie asked.

"I've got a room at the Six Bells. Rosemary's picking up the tab but it's a bit of a drag. I need to be around here to see what needs doing, while staying out of sight."

"I have a spare room you could use for a while," Valerie said carefully, and Kim snorted.

"That'd be great! It'll be much easier to come and go incognito if I've already got a base on the estate. You're sure it's okay?"

"I'll soon let you know if it's not."

"Ripper! Wait, what about Kim, you're not going to make the Doc sleep on the couch, surely?"

"Val and I will share," Kim put in.

Wayne reached for the other bottle. "I did wonder."

He smiled in that wonderful open honest way of his and Valerie thought she might be falling in love for the second time in as many weeks. She looked at Kim and wondered if she might be about to be extraordinarily lucky.

***

After Wayne cleared the glasses away, they stood, pleasantly fuzzy, in the late afternoon light.

"Why don't we go back to the house? After all, you've not seen the room, so it might not suit you."

Kim squeezed her hand gently and Valerie bit her lip.

Back at the cottage Wayne and Kim settled themselves at the kitchen table.

"I think I've got some whiskey somewhere," Valerie said working her way round the cupboards, ostensibly looking for the whiskey but gradually edging closer to Wayne.

Kim saw how his eyes strayed and lingered. "Val's got a great ass, dontcha think?" she said quietly.

"For sure," he murmured, running his fingers lightly over that magnificent curve.

Valerie stood and regarded Wayne seriously and he started to stutter an apology.

"Actually, Wayne, we were rather hoping you would," Kim said softly.

Valerie took his hand and placed it back on her rump.

"Are you okay with this?" he said, worriedly, looking up at her.

"I want you to, Wayne. In fact, I think I need you to."

Kim stood and walked round the table to stand with Valerie. Wayne looked between the two of them trying to understand what was happening.

Unconsciously he put his hand through his hair, almost as if he was trying to make himself a little more presentable. The two women exchanged glances. He didn't know it, but he'd just made himself infinitely more desirable.

Kim jinked sideways to sit on his lap and reached up to take Valerie's hand.

"How about it, Mr Thompson? Have you got what we need?"

His hands went involuntarily to Kim's waist. They felt him shiver.

"I'll do my best, Doc, I'll do my best."

His vulnerability was palpable. Valerie inspected him for a moment and then put her free hand on his shoulder.

"We'll be gentle with you, Mr Thompson, I promise."

***

Valerie sat at the opposite end of the bed. Thank goodness she'd never bothered to replace the super king size she'd shared with her husband, there was barely enough room for the three of them.

Kim was kneeling over Wayne, her full lips enveloping the purple crown of his shaft. If that wasn't erotic enough, there was the mouth-watering sight of her amazing behind, raised up as she bent to her task.

Valerie reached out and ran her hand over the smooth skin and then down the slick gulf where her lover's cunt splayed open. Valerie brought her fingers to her mouth and tasted Kim's arousal.

"Strewth!" Wayne groaned, "You two are driving me insane!"

Kim's giggle was muffled by the cock occupying her mouth and Valerie said, "I think it's time for the coup de grace!"

She bent forward and ran her tongue up the length of her lover's slit. Kim tensed, but Valerie was already clambering up the bed to kiss Wayne. He moaned as he tasted one woman on the other's tongue and his body stiffened with his climax. Valerie felt drops of heavy liquid splatter over her and looked round to see more cum on Kim and his torso.

She sighed dramatically, "What a mess!" and moved to lick some of the milky stuff off Kim's breasts.

"Oh God!" he gasped.

"That should give you some staying power," Kim remarked as she ran her fingers through some of the small pools on his chest, bringing them to her lips and licking them clean.

"Then you can give us a proper seeing to!" Valerie chirped brightly.

***

The next morning, Valerie rose early and sat on the edge of the bed where Kim still snored gently. She felt a little sore, some parts of her had been exercised for the first time in an age, but in herself she felt more whole than she had for many years.

Valerie had forgotten how much she enjoyed sex but first Kim, and now Wayne, were putting that right.

She shivered as she remembered how her tight cunt had enveloped Wayne's cock, and his hard meat had pounded her; all while Kim straddled her head, so Valerie could eagerly lick and suck her lover's slick flesh. How Kim and Wayne had scrambled to swap places, Kim to lick his thick white cum from between Valerie's gaping sex lips, he to offer his shaft for Valerie to clean with her lips and tongue. And then yet more permutations and climaxes in an evening of carnal delights.

She squirmed her thighs together and determined to reward them appropriately. Shortly her lovers were being lured downstairs by the smell of coffee and frying bacon.

"I think I've died and gone to heaven!" Wayne exclaimed as he came into the kitchen. "Proper tucker and two beautiful women!"

Valerie caught her lower lip in her teeth and grinned at him. "Think you might stay a while, then?"

As they were eating, Kim remarked offhand, "Wouldn't it be great to be the family in that big house."

Valerie stabbed a piece of sausage with her fork and pointed it at her.

"I love Dearborn and the people who live and work here. I've worked in its service all my adult life. But it's not right that the family own all this simply through the accident of their birth."

Kim gave a delighted little laugh. "Why honey, you're a communist!"

Valerie looked at her severely. "I have no job security, no assets aside from the few thousand I have in the bank. If Giles gets to run the place, we'll be at his mercy. He could toss me out on my ear, and I'd have no right of redress. The fact that it might be someone else running it doesn't change anything."

Kim and Wayne stared at her.

"The winery is a great project, and we'll have to work very hard to make it a success, but it's the family that will own the fruits of our labour. Did you know the estate was developed using profits from the slave trade? Mrs Stanforth inherited it through the American root of that business."

She turned her attention back to her breakfast, demolishing it with short angry strokes.

Kim and Wayne looked at each other and Kim was reminded that Valerie ran the house, managing the staff and the logistics. She might not have any formal education or qualifications, but she was certainly not dumb. And they had grown up in very different worlds.

***

The pitch

Rosemary had been baffled as to how, having been in the Stanforth's care for over two hundred years, Dearborn had come to be owned by an American.

Anna had uncovered much of the estate's history while browsing Paul's considerable library. She related the tale over drinks.

"It's fascinating! Turns out that the original, much less grand farm, was owned by another Charles Stanforth, towards the end of the eighteenth century."

Her fiancé raised his glass in acknowledgement.

"He had a son, Nathan, who emigrated, probably because of a combination of the Napoleonic Wars and a succession of bad harvests. When his father died, the farm was left in the care of his uncle, but Nathan never came back from the Americas.

His sons, however, turned out to be astute businessmen, especially at the tail end of the slave trade. Money was sent to Dearborn because they fancied themselves as gentlemen and wanted a country seat to match.

Then the American Civil War came along, the family businesses were destroyed, the money to England dried up, and what was left of the family fortunes came into the possession of the Lawrence family. About a hundred years after that, a distant uncle died, and Dearborn ended up in the lap of Monica Lawrence. She and your dad are actually cousins."

"Most of that I knew," Charles said. "The present mess is all our own making."

"Chin up, Charles!" said Rosemary. "I'll just go and charm your mum. Job done!"

"What?" she said, as everyone else winced.

Em rose to her defence. "If anyone can swing it, it's Rosemary."

Rosemary flushed. Praise from Em was her heroin.

***

Having been briefed by Anna, Rosemary had a fair idea of what to expect when she fetched up at the Lawrence estate. Even compared to the Grange where she had spent her former married life, Dachaig was impressive.

Thankfully, being married to Harold had given her the tools to deal with the rich and entitled, so she was not daunted by the size of the house or the grandeur of the interior.

Rosemary ruefully conceded that 'money drying up' for the Lawrences, or for herself, for that matter, was a quite different kettle of fish to straitened circumstances for ordinary folks.

The heat outside was fierce, but the interior was much cooler. Lofty ceilings and polished stone floors in the hall took some of the sting out of it as Rosemary idled, admiring the décor as she waited to be announced.

If Monica was surprised to see her, she didn't show it. Anna had said that she looked different from when she'd seen her in England. Rosemary thought she seemed quite regal as she rose from the settee in the parlour.

"Mrs Piper. A pleasure to meet you, what brings you here?"

The low southern accent did not take Rosemary by surprise, as it had her wife's sister.

"I'd like to discuss a matter of business."

Monica inclined her head. "Well then, please be seated. Will you take tea?"

***

Rosemary wound up her pitch. "If I can buy the land off the Johnsons then the vineyard will become commercially viable in perhaps as little as six years."

Charles' mother looked at her quizzically. "You're serious?"

"I've been looking for something to do since my husband died."

Monica's eyebrows rose. "You've been married before?"

"Technically I'm not married now."

"Semantics," Monica snorted. "Anyway, back to the point, why us and why this?"

Rosemary laughed. "Valerie Cane asked that exact same question! Well, why you is because Charles worries about the future of Dearborn; and I offered to take a look, perhaps gain a fresh perspective. Once I saw the vineyard I wondered if it had potential and knew an ex-pat in the trade. I didn't have any firm ideas until he told me about the soil.

And as for why this, well, my late husband called me a guttersnipe and I like to think he'd approve of me using his money in this way. It's partly that that's behind my request for a small section to be devoted to Viognier."

Monica's eyes invited her to elaborate.

"Harold used to treat me to a bottle of Condrieu on special occasions and it also has a special meaning for me and the missus."