An Elizabethan Adventure

"Ah well send and tell Lord Archer him that I shall wait on him shortly with a view to discussing his indebtedness and I look forward with interest to his proposals to repay me plus the significant amount of interest that is daily accruing."

For some of the others give them warnings and we will review them in depth later. She looked relieved, but rather puzzled at my leniency to Lord Archer. At her insistence we then went through a number of other outstanding smaller debts, and I decided to leave the decisions to Emily Roper and where possible give others a short time to repay with threats of foreclosure . I decided to be tough and get myself well known.

"How is it my father made so much money.?" I asked her.

" Well My Lord your father bought two houses of um ill repute in Curzon St in London some years past, and seeing the possibilities, he added gambling rooms to the best one. He encouraged all his cronies to visit, and he became very rich through the profits of the er brothels and the winnings from the gambling rooms. Despite his warnings, many stupid people started to lose quite heavily and gave notes on their properties to cover their losses, hence he was able to take their land, houses and other assets as security. Many have been sold and others rented back to the original tenants at a profitable rental"

Mistress Roper was obviously very efficient, and seemed to me to be very trustworthy. My background in trade in Zanzibar allowed me to get a quick understanding of the estate accounts, and I sensed that all was not well with some of the tenant farmers. This was shown clearly by the vast amount of arrears in rent payments and the lack of money spent on tenant repairs.

" I understand that your husband is the estate supervisor, but he does not seem as efficient, as you are yourself Mistress Roper and I note that the tenant farms show a clear lack of prosperity."

I looked closely at her and she was obviously embarrassed.

"Nay don't worry Mistress Roper, I shall see for myself before the day is out."

I sat back and looked at her. "I have no doubt Mistress Roper that you were the brains behind the whole of my fathers business operations. Much as I loved and respected him, I doubt my father had the ability to do this on his own."

She blushed and said coyly. "My father was in business My Lord, . and I learned the lessons well from him".

I suddenly had a thought and I looked carefully at her.

"I dare say Mistress Roper that you were also my fathers mistress. Am I not right?"

She blushed, and looked away. "My Lord I am a married woman."

"That is no answer." I replied cynically.

It was then that a knock on the door brought in her husband. My first thoughts were right, he was a shifty looking man dressed in a dark green coat with his tricorn hat tucked under his arm, and he had great trouble with making eye contact.. After he had come forth with some groveling comments and small talk, which did not impress me I said.

"Roper saddle up my stallion Devil, and we will tour as much of the estate as we can before mid day."

We left the Manor with Roper following in my wake. The more I saw of the man, the more I disliked him. Within the hour I knew that I had cause for concern. It was obvious the tenant farmers had little liking or respect for him and it was clear that the tenants had been given little support following two bad harvests. It was a mystery to me why my father had not intervened and then I realised that probably some form of blackmail had probably been employed. In other words, Roper allowed my father to sleep with his wife and in exchange he was allowed excess freedom to milk the estate funds. I guessed somehow, that he also imposed his presence, on some of the tenants farmers wives and daughters, a point which was confirmed on my final farm visit.

I had at some point during that mornings inspection, decided to dismiss the man and on arriving at the last farm on our route. I sent him on back to the home farm and rode down to an extremely dilapidated farm, a farm that I had remembered as being extremely prosperous in my youth.

As I dismounted the door opened and I was confronted by a young lady with lovely golden hair who I remembered well that she had been called Joan, a housemaid who worked at the Manor house. I also remembered that I had before my departure enjoyed her favours from time to time. She curtsied and said

"Welcome My Lord dost thou remember me?"

I replied "Aye Joan that I do and you are even more beautiful than I remembered." I turned my attention to a young child of about four or five years of age hanging on to her skirts.

"And this be Agnes your Lordship the offspring of one our nights of passion together."

For a moment I was stunned, and embarrassed somehow, I knew that she was right. She opened the door wider and invited me inside the farmhouse. .

"Things do not go well for you Mistress Joan?"

"Nay My Lord I am being evicted next quarter day, your steward will not give me time to pay my dues. Unless I am prepared to lie with him, a thing that I will not do My Lord. He assumes that because I am a widow woman, that I will give myself to any man."

Fear not Mistress Joan, you will not be evicted without my say so." I told her, as I gave her five guinea pieces which was all the money I had with me.

"This mistress is only part of what I owe thee, for the support of our child and more will follow. l do however, believe that it is not possible for you to stay on in this farm and manage it properly, so I will ensure that you have adequate suitable employment at the manor and suitable accommodation, but leave it with me and I will inform you of my decision in the matter."

I was boiling with rage as I returned to the manor. I dismissed Roper on the spot and gave him four hours to vacate his home. He was not a happy man and swore vengeance on me, at which I had two laborers throw him in the duck pond and gave him only an hour to be gone. They did this with great gusto, obviously enjoying their task.

On entering the house I sent for Mistress Roper and told her what had transpired.

"You are not dismissed Mistress Roper, you still have employment, but I will understand if you wish to follow your man. Just let me know what your intentions are as soon as possible."

Chapter 2 Next

Chapter 2

I learn the Ropes

As I lay on my bed after an extremely heavy lunch thinking about the mornings events. Still in my memory was my previous life and the meeting with Jammarree at the art gallery. It seemed to me now that I was living in some sort of dream and I would be woken shortly. I heard a faint tap on the door and Mistress Roper entered.

" My Lord with your permission I will stay in your service,, and that villain who purported to be my husband has now gone. He never was my husband, as we never married. Your father wanted a married man for the post, and so between us we fabricated the lie. Your father found out when I told him sire, but by then we were lovers, but for several reasons your father never revealed the truth. Eventually Roper also found out and threatened to reveal our affair, but he also had some other hold over your father sire which I never found out. I owe you that explanation sire, but now if you wish me to go I will.. I miss your father greatly, he was more than a lover, he was the husband I never had, and I tried to be a wife to him as far as I could. With respect my Lord, your mother never cared one whit for him, not as I did."

"I am glad Mistress Roper" I said. "He was a lucky man indeed. Perhaps one day I shall be so lucky. I am glad you are staying but from now on I will be asking you to take more responsibility, and increasing your salary substantially. But I do need your total loyalty. I have a very special mission to accomplish,. and need to be free from trivial estate matters."

Mistress Roper blushed, and looked down at me, she blushed and started to undress, obviously misconstruing the intent behind my statement. Then I realised that whilst talking to her, I had grown a quite significant erection that she had obviously seen. I thought that perhaps I should put her straight, but she was a really beautiful woman, and obviously quite willing for a closer involvement as I of course was.

Emily quickly undressed, and her beautiful nude body, crawled on the bed to join me. I did not speak, but I put my arms round her, and hugged her to me. I knew that she had made a decision, and that she was going to stay with me. She lay with her back to me, and so I could put my arms round her and feel her ample breasts, this allowed me to gently fondle her hardening nipples, her warm buttocks nestled against my groin and she put her hand behind her to pull my cock between her legs. I could feel the wet warmness of her. She smelt nice, and I knew that she had washed, and taken special care of her toilet, and appearance before she had come to my bedroom

She turned round to face me, not for a second letting go of my cock. Her lips touched mine softly, and I let my hand wander down her warm belly, and my fingers found her warm wet vagina lips. I gently probed her pussy lips. She pulled my hand away, and placed my cock between her legs, so that it mashed up against her pussy lips. My cock was wet with her juices. I kissed her gently on the lips, and ran my hands through her hair, as I did, so I felt her stretch, and gently push her warm body against mine. I rolled Emily over on her back and kissed her lips, probing her mouth with my tongue . We were both breathing heavily. I turned round and licked my way down to her pussy, and started licking her with my tongue. I think this was the first time that she had experienced this kind of lovemaking, as for a brief second she tensed, and I thought she was going to pull away, but I persisted. Suddenly her body seemed to explode with orgasm. I continued my licking and probing with my tongue, and she was moaning out loud.

I pulled back and watched Emily as she lay panting heavily from her exertion. She lay with her eyes closed, enjoying the afterglow of our coupling . Her pussy was wet with her juices, and I knew she was more than ready for my cock... I kneed her legs apart, leaned down and kissed her, probing her mouth with my tongue, whispering to her to guide my cock to her waiting slit. Her small hand nervously brought my cock to her pussy. I flexed my legs to press against her, barely touching her.. I very much wanted to slide all the way in and fuck her hard, but I knew that I was probably larger than anyone she had been with before. After getting the head in, I stopped for a few seconds, but she raised her hips to get more of me in. I slowly pushed more of my cock into the tight love tunnel feeling her muscles beginning to grip me as I entered. She was very wet from her orgasm, making my entry easier than I expected and she was moaning with pleasure. I began a slow rhythmic movement in and out. My large cock filled her, with each inward push. I lay fully upon her, grasping her buttocks with both hands Emily lay under me, not crushed as I being a perfect gentleman, took my body weight on my elbows.

Suddenly she had a second orgasm making her moan in joy. It was at that point that I stopped, and held still. for a moment We continued fucking, I was holding her tight, and then I felt her third orgasm gripping my cock even tighter. I could hold out no longer and pushed my cock as deep as it would go, the large head pressed against her cervix, I began to cum, pumping a large volume of semen into her.

We lay together for a long time as we recovered from our exertions. Then she spoke "I am sorry my Lord, I did not mean to do this, when I came to see you, but you are so like your father, and as I have told you, we had a very special relationship. Your father, like you, could not marry me, but for the past few years I was more of a wife to him than your mother ever was."

"You want to carry on that relationship with me then Mistress Roper?"

"It was not my intention My Lord, but I am not averse to more lovemaking if our experience today is a foretaste of things to come." She said shyly.

I turned and kissed her. "You are an attractive woman, and a very competent business woman. I need to work very closely with you, and I am sure that we would probably have been tempted after a while."

During our conversation that afternoon as we lay their, I found that Emily Roper had been acting as housekeeper, as well as her other duties. She obviously coped with an enormous work load. This had worried me, as I needed to have more of Emily's time. Now after finding Joan the mother of my child,. the perfect solution occurred to me, Joan would make an ideal housekeeper, and she could have Emily's cottage. It was then that I told Emily that I needed a very large change in her duties. I said "Mistress Emily I want you to be my personal assistant, and you will vacate your cottage, and move into the manor house. You will have your own personal maid, and relinquish the housekeepers post. I have someone in mind who I believe is capable of taking your place as housekeeper. How does this suit you"

For a moment she was very quiet. My Lord I am confused, what do you expect from me?"

"Mistress Emily I have a very special and secret task that I need to carry out and you will need to travel with me on occasion, and you will also need to take on much more financial responsibility. You see Mistress, I am a very rich man in my own right, much richer than my father ever was, and you will have full operational control of my estate as well. I also have a task which I vowed I would complete in my lifetime, and I need you to take that on board, as well to leave me free to do what I must.."

She sat up on the bed and looked down at me. "My Lord I am not a whore to be bought." I laughed at her anxiety. Mistress Emily I saw the books this morning. I also know bookkeeping and financial management probably as well as you do. I think that you are the right person for the job, but you will probably have some male opposition, but I will support you. If we never make love again, the job is still yours - what do you say?" She smiled "Thank you my Lord, and now I must show you something more."

She got off the bed and without dressing she went to the door of the large wardrobe still full of my fathers clothes. She looked back at me.

" Come sire."

I followed her also in the nude. She pressed a knob on a panel at the back of the wardrobe, and a secret door slid open revealing a staircase leading upwards. Holding my hand, in the dark she led me up about twenty steps and we came into an attic room. The attic was lit by overhead windows.

Walking across the attic she pulled aside an old portrait and revealed a door. She fumbled above the door for a key and then inserting the key in the lock she opened it. Behind was a large room with a bed with lighting from the roof window.

but round the walls was a series of pornographic sketches.

'This my lord was your fathers secret den. And the sketches are his own work sire"

I stood for a moment looking at the drawings, and sketches, not realising that my father had been so talented and then she led me to a ledger on a side table. In the ledger was a biography of nearly every man and woman on the estate, and in the nearby village of Lacock with details of all the intimate affairs that were, or had been going on, and intimate details of peoples sexual preferences, and habits. Their was also a list of the times and places where my father had taken advantage of the various ladies of the district, and a write up on their abilities or otherwise.

One of the first I noticed, was a commentary of my sister Ethel's husband and the fact that he was apparently deceiving my sister, and having an affair with the vicars lady. My father had also noted that the vicar was not properly ordained, and his so called wife was actually his sister, but for some reason once again my father had not taken any action in the matter.

The vicars wife (sister) was noted as being of slim build extremely good looks and of loose morals, with a lively personality and good company. I noted however, that my father had not taken advantage of her charms, or if he had, he had not recorded them. I looked at Emily and I said.

"Dear lady there was a bond between thee, and my father, were you not jealous of his affairs" "Nay My Lord, he could not marry me as he had a wife, and he could not marry a commoner even were he not married. I was well content with life with your father sire. He kept me well satisfied"

I realised then that the class restrictions were very tight. To be born out of a wedlock was a terrible disadvantage, But to be born as the illegitimate child of one of the upper class did not carry the same stigma but was often recognised.

As I started reading the very descriptive notes in my fathers log book, I became aware that my erection had resumed its action status. The erotic notes and sketches had been too much, and Emily now aware of my predicament dragged me willingly towards the bed where we spent another pleasant hour, before we resumed the reading of my fathers log book. After a time Emily led me to another concealed door which led downwards. Every few steps came to a landing on which was a door, she showed me that each door had a peephole which looked into the rooms of the female staff. At the present time most of the staff were still about their duties, but I noted that each door could be easily opened from the outside.

Eventually on reaching the ground floor she opened a door that led into the stable yard. It was hidden from sight by a very large growth of bushes.. We could only peep out of the door as we were still in the nude so we returned to my fathers secret den. I read with interest the note relating to our resident vicar, who according to my father was servicing half the females in his flock on a regular basis and who was not, according to my father ordained, inasmuch that he had previously been unfrocked by the Bishop for unbecoming conduct with members of his congregation at a previous parish. I gather that my father was loath to do anything about it, because of the scandal if it became known, that my sister Ethel was married to Marsden who in turn was allegedly having an affair with the vicars sister. But I was pleased to note the marriage could not be legally binding, so my sister Ethel was really a free woman should she so wish..

I did not feel that I was bound by fathers restrictions, and I vowed to do something about this in due course. It followed that as he was an unfrocked priest all marriages, baptisms and funerals he had officiated at, were not legal, which meant that a lot of ladies in the locality were living in sin as it were. I was inclined to do something about it immediately, but Emily Roper suggested that we let it lie for a bit, and first consult the Bishop and think closely about the repercussions as she rightly pointed out, it would cause chaos.

She pointed out "Sire, it may turn out that a lot of ladies, and indeed some men might decide to change partners, if they knew the marriage was not legally binding. This would also lead to a lot of children being declared bastards. But I was intrigued by the glamorous vicars sister, and given a chance, may well get better acquainted.

***********

Two day later I put my resolve to go and see my sister into action. It was a bright sunny day, as I rattled through the countryside in the light chaise. The roads were badly rutted, and the journey was uncomfortable, We frequently had to stop at the pay tolls. However, as I was the Lord of the Manor I was exempt from payment on my own property. The groom driving was new to me, and seemed somewhat nervous of me, and not inclined to talk. As we drove over the rutted roads I started to recall much of the detail about my sister Ethel. We were always very close, and my visit to her was a matter of priority From the time I was born, we were put in the care of a stream of nursemaids and governesses. We rarely saw our mother, although father doted on us. I always got the impression that once mother had produced the mandatory son, she felt her duty was done, and from then on she spent most of her time in town with the high society crowd spending the family wealth. Our father was a country lover, and preferred to spend more time at home. There was no real affection between them, and it appeared my father was quite happy to let her live her own life as long as she let him live his.