Courting Miss Greene Ch. 02

The idea amused Abby.

"You're on," she said.

"Could you ever get used to this, Abby?"

"I believe I could, Lizzy, as long as I wouldn't have to haul in the water myself."

Abby and Lizzy sat opposite each other in a large tub. Both of them could use some relaxation after their respective misadventures. A hot bath was just what they needed. One of the bathroom walls had a large mirror. Lizzy could not see herself sitting in the tub so she stood up to look at her reflection.

"Lizzy, what are you doing? Get down here!" said Abby.

"Why? What's the point in having a mirror if you're not going to look into it?" the younger girl asked.

Abby sighed. "Bathrooms are small spaces. Mirrors make small spaces look larger. It's placed high on the wall because of the steam from the bath. It's obviously not for preening yourself in front of it... so please stop doing it!"

"Oh, Abby! You're always so smart, but aren't you curious to see yourself without clothes? We don't have any mirrors in the bathroom back home," said Lizzy.

"That's because mother and father encourage modesty, not vanity. In your case especially, since you're the only one of us who actually has breasts worth mentioning," the older girl replied.

"But you have the best hair and skin, Abby," said Lizzy. She paused for a moment. "Do you think Robert would like my breasts?" she asked.

Abby cringed. "I'm sure he would." she answered, clenching her teeth.

"Really, Abby? I mean, they're not too big, but I think they have a nice shape," said Lizzy. "Look! If I push them up and let go, they bounce back like this! Did you see that, Abby?"

Abby palmed her face. "Yes, Lizzy. How could anyone not see that?"

"But you're the only one here, Abby," replied Lizzy.

"Ha! Ain't that a shame!" cried Abby while she let her head fall back.

From behind the mirror, Robert's gaze was fixed on the nubile girl in the other room. He reached down with his hand, almost without thinking. "No, that ain't no shame... That's damn hot! Oh, don't stop, baby... Show me more!" he breathed while he felt himself harden.

Lizzy released her breasts to pull back her wet hair from her shoulders. She noted the way her breasts moved when she lifted her arms. The light reflected off of her wet, soapy skin. She turned left and right, inspecting herself from every possible angle. She gazed over her shoulder while she continued turning. Her eyes followed the womanly curves of her waist and hips while her hands smoothed over the various bumps and dents of her slender frame. She grabbed her buttocks and squeezed them a few times.

"Oh, yeah... that's a firm ass..." muttered Robert while his hand worked overtime. She bent over. Robert gasped at the sight of her blushing peach. Faster now, he was getting close.

Lizzy used her fingers to open her little cleft, exposing the pink lips in between. A pensive look appeared on her face. "Abby? Do you suppose Robert would fit in here?" she asked.

That did it! Robert cursed just before he went over the edge.

Abby let out a long, deep sigh. "How am I supposed to answer that, Lizzy? I haven't seen what Robert's got in his pants, nor do I care to find out. It's very disrespectful of you to wonder these things about an actual person."

"Don't you ever think about anyone in particular when you touch yourself, Abby?" asked Lizzy.

"I most certainly do not!" replied Abby. "My dream lover is one big anonymous shade. He's allowed to climb onto my bed in the dark and flutter out the window when he's done."

"Oh, Abby! How boring!" exclaimed Lizzy. She returned to sit in the water.

"It's not boring. It's the proper thing to do. Imagine constantly thinking about one man and then end up marrying another. How frightfully upsetting that would be!" explained Abby.

Lizzy hugged her knees and remained silent for a moment. All of a sudden her face contorted. "Then I'd better stop thinking about Robert because I won't be marrying him!" she cried.

Robert was moved while he watched Lizzy sob bitter tears. He also felt guilty. He should not have been here, touching himself, seeing and hearing things that were not meant for him. Somehow he had been drawn into the secret corridor the same way he had found Lizzy by the roadside. Robert retreated to his personal quarters to contemplate the events.

Thomas smiled to himself while he eavesdropped on the conversation through the ventilation ducts above the bathroom ceiling. For a moment he regretted not using the mirror since the youngest sister was obviously giving a little show, but he was more interested in the other girl anyway. He felt he had gotten to know her rather well from that little talk.

"An anonymous shade, is it?"

"May I ask what happened to your head, boy?" inquired the older Mr. Clark at the breakfast table.

"Oh, I fell from my horse when I came home yesterday," answered Thomas. He cast a quick glance at Abby. "It's just a scrape, really. I should be able to take off the bandage in a few days."

"Such a reckless boy, you are!" said Mrs. Clark, shaking her head. "You ought to be more careful!"

"Were you in such a great rush to get home?" continued Mr. Clark. "Robert had not expected you back in two more days."

"I'm afraid I, erm, ran out of cash where I was staying," answered Thomas. "I'll leave tomorrow to pay my dues, but I should be able to get back before father's birthday... and the dance, of course."

"I hope you weren't staying at a brothel," said Robert, "otherwise you'd probably not make it back in time."

"What? Do I look like I'd have to pay a woman?" asked Thomas, looking offended yet amused.

Mrs. Clark cleared her throat, giving her plate a stern look.

Abby frowned at Thomas. "Either way, you're reckless with your money as well as your life," she said, going along with his story. She could not help but feel disappointed. If Thomas was leaving, when did he intend to prove himself a gentleman? Perhaps he had changed his mind about the challenge. In that case he would be a coward as well as a scoundrel. Abby would have gotten angry about it, but she lacked the energy after throwing that fit yesterday. At least Thomas had been right about that.

"How about you, Lizzy? How are your feet this morning?" asked Robert.

The girl was startled since she just about to try the fried mushrooms. "Well enough, thank you," she answered.

"I was wondering if you'd like to pick things up where we left off yesterday," continued Robert. "With the dance rehearsal, I mean."

"Erm... Well, now that Thomas is here, maybe I'd better dance with him and you can dance with Abby," suggested Lizzy.

"Why, I believe that's the cleverest thing you've ever come up with, Lizzy," said Abby, knowing her sister wanted some distraction from Robert.

Robert and Thomas were quick to agree with Abby, hiding their disappointment in the fact that neither of them would be dancing with the young lady of their interest.

When everybody had finished their breakfast, they made their way to the hall. The older Mr. Clark sat down at the piano. He did not know how to play any actual dance music so he performed "Woolly, the Little Lamb" in the appropriate tempo to accompany the dancers.

Thomas led Lizzy to every corner of the hall, singing the children's ditty with mistaken lyrics in a low voice to keep the older Mr. Clark from hearing. He tried not to be too naughty, considering the challenge he had taken on himself, but it was enough to cause his dance partner to blush.

"Oh, Thomas! I'm afraid your memory has suffered quite a blow as well!" laughed Lizzy.

Robert tried to ignore Thomas and Lizzy while he danced with Abby. He felt agitated every time the other pair sailed into view. Lizzy was with a younger man, just as Robert himself had advised her. He saw Lizzy giggle each time Thomas whispered into her ear. Robert did not like it. He wished he could take back the things he had said to her. What a fool he had been!

"What's wrong, Robert?" asked Abby.

"Oh, nothing," he answered. "Just wondering why those two are having such a jolly good time, that's all."

"Why?" asked Abby. "You're not jealous of your little brother, are you?"

"Well, he always was the better dancer," replied Robert.

Abby laughed. "Very clever." She knew Robert would have been dancing with Lizzy right now if he had not messed things up yesterday. Perhaps it was better this way. Her younger sister could not deal with any more heartbreak right now. They had come to Northfair to enjoy themselves and Lizzy should do just that.

They spent the rest of the morning rehearsing various other dances. In the afternoon, the older Mr. and Mrs. Clark took Ethan and the Greene sisters out with the carriage for a tour of the surroundings.

Robert retreated into the library. He tried to put Lizzy out of his mind, but failed in doing so. When he first met Lizzy, Robert had not expected the initial attraction to grow into something more. He thought she could not truly be interested in him because he was so much older than her. Yet her feelings must have been strong, otherwise she would not have fled Alder Hill like that. He recalled the way she blushed when he held her in his arms; or the tears in her eyes when he found her hiding in the shrubbery; and later in the bathroom when she decided to stop thinking about him because he would not marry her...

Or would he?

Robert had been engaged once, but he broke it off when he found out his fiancée only wanted him for his money. He had been wary of women ever since, but Lizzy did not care about his money. She wanted him with a passion no other woman had shown before, even though she was still a virgin. Robert wanted to take Lizzy to his bed, but it did not feel right to use that sweet, young girl as his mistress. He had been drawn to her in some mysterious way twice already. Robert concluded he was connected to Lizzy on some deeper level. He did not know how or why. He only knew one thing.

He wanted to marry her.

Thomas rummaged through his wardrobe. He had told Robert he was packing his bags for tomorrow. Most of the clothes he needed were easy to find: a black shirt, black trousers and a pair of black boots. He also found a black cape, but it was red on the inside. He was not sure whether to use it. There was even a black hat he had not seen in years. However, that was not what he was looking for.

At last he found it at the bottom of a trunk with various other accessories. He had worn it only once before as part of a costume. Nobody would recognize him in this. He tried it on in front of the mirror and smiled. No, the smile would give him away. He needed to get serious. Very serious...

There were a few more items he needed. He made his way down to the cellar. There was always plenty of rope there. It's regular use was to tie caskets and barrels during transport. Thomas had discovered years before there were many other things you could do with rope: fun things... with women.

However, this time the rope was for himself. He also needed some nice liquor: sweet yet strong, something he knew women liked to drink. Thomas took a bottle of his choice and continued on to the guest quarters.

Thomas knew the younger sisters were lodged in separate chambers, but he was not sure which sister was staying in which room. He had to guess. One was cluttered, with clothes and accessories scattered all over. The other was tidy and organized... even the bed was made.

"That looks like my Abby!" he chuckled to himself.

He made his way up to the attic above Abby's room. He put down the liquor, secured one end of the rope to the nearest beam, and cast the other end out the window. Without much difficulty, he managed to lower himself onto Abby's balcony. Now for the most important part: the exit.

He could not actually flutter his way out, but he did not want it to be obvious he was climbing up the wall either. He decided on a move that would look like he jumped off the balustrade, but in reality he would catch the rope further down where it had been looped around the console brackets. He practiced this several times, until he thought he could do it with his eyes closed.

It had to be perfect.

The next morning, they gathered at the breakfast table again. Abby noticed one person was missing. She did not wish to inquire, but since nobody else brought it up her curiosity forced her to do so anyway.

"Where's Thomas?" she asked.

"Oh, he left at the break of dawn," answered Robert. "I know what you must be thinking. Please accept my apologies on his behalf."

"Thank you, Robert," said Abby. "I won't waste another second thinking about him."

Mrs. Clark had no idea what that was all about so she just said: "Indeed, you only need to think about what you'll be wearing at the dance."

"I already have," replied Abby. "It's the dress I wore at Ginny's wedding. I don't really have anything fancier. Neither have Ginny and Lizzy."

"I thought so," said Mrs. Clark. "That's why I'm inviting you girls to go shopping with me down town this afternoon. We'll visit all the boutiques for the latest fashion. Consider it a gift from me."

The Greene sisters bounced in their seats, uttering little squeals that normally would have been hysterical screams. That was the extent to which they could contain their excitement.

"Thank you, Mrs. Clark!" said Abby and Lizzy in concert.

Ginny got up from her chair to hug her mother-in-law. "Thanks so much, mom!" she said, and kissed the older woman on the cheek.

Ethan could see his mother's heart melt at that. He knew in her heart she had always wanted a daughter. He loved Ginny even more for fulfilling that wish. She truly was a treasure.

As planned, they spent all afternoon going from one boutique to the next, looking for the perfect evening dress for each sister. The older Mr. Clark was forced to tag along since he was the one who would actually be funding the purchases. Ethan and Robert decided to keep him company, knowing how tedious it was to go shopping for clothes with ladies.

The sisters agreed to wear different colors to distinguish themselves from each other. Lizzy's eye fell on a pale pink dress made of a gauzy material, embroidered with little roses. She thought it was her privilege, being the youngest. When she tried it on and showed herself to the gentlemen, Robert gasped at the sight of her little cleavage. He kept eying Lizzy, oblivious to the others who cast him a questioning glance. Lizzy blushed under his gaze. She did not need to try on any other dresses.

Abby chose a gown that did not have too many frills, but looked very flattering on her nonetheless. Everybody thought the purple was rather dark, but Abby said anything else would make her look frivolous, which she was not. They all had to admit she was right about that. Abby mused she was not interested in attracting a lot of male attention, and the purple would help her blend into the night should she choose to go outside during the dance.

Ginny was careful not to look frivolous either, for the simple reason of being a married woman. She decided on an elegant, champagne colored dress. It was sleeveless and included a shawl she could wrap around her shoulders. The others agreed it looked very sophisticated on her. The shopkeeper suggested matching hair and wrist corsages to go with the dresses.

Each outfit was now complete.

When Abby retreated to her chamber that evening and started to undress, she had the eerie sensation of not being alone in the room. She closed the curtains in front of the balcony doors, even though she knew nobody could see her from the other side.

As she put away her clothes, she noticed a silver plate with a bottle and a drinking glass on the dresser. It included a little note mentioning her name. Abby frowned. Did Robert send her this? As a way of being a generous host? Abby took the cork out of the bottle with relative ease. It had already been opened before. The liquid had a strong smell. She decided a little night cap could not hurt. She poured some of the liquor into the glass and took a sip. The taste was not bad.

She sat down in front of the mirror to brush her hair. She tried different ways of putting it up, adding her new flower corsage to see how it would look at the dance. She licked her lips. That liquor did not taste bad at all. Abby poured herself some more and took a bigger gulp this time. A ripple of warmth spread from her stomach up to her head and down her arms. It made her a little dizzy. Abby was not used to drinking liquor. She would tell Robert so in the morning, but she needed to lie down now. She put the cork back into the bottle, blew out the candles, and got into bed.

The eerie feeling still haunted her. Abby grew restless, unused to sleeping alone. She had welcomed the privacy away from Lizzy, but she realized now it made her vulnerable. If someone entered the room, there would be no help for her. She drew the blanket up to her chin and crossed her hands on top of her chest. Somehow she felt a bit safer this way.

Abby tossed and turned. It did not take long before sleep, as well as the drink, took effect. She started to drift off. It became hard to move, but she tried to open her eyes every now and then. She thought she saw some movement behind the curtains. She tried to turn her head to see whether she could make out anything. It looked like a moving silhouette, but it could also have been a change in the light outside, a draft, or merely her imagination. Abby could no longer open her eyes, she was so sleepy!

Abby dreamed she was inside a boutique, wearing her purple dress. There was a strange man outside, entirely dressed in black. He stared at her for the longest time through the window. Abby could not make out his face under the rim of his hat. Was he wearing a mask? All of a sudden he stood in front of her, startling Abby. Where were the others? They had gone and left her behind! Abby's heart pounded. She was scared and unable to move. The man reached out a hand and caressed her cheek. His touch made shivers run down her spine. It felt nice. Surely he did not intend to harm her in any way.

He took her hands from her chest. Abby realized she was back in bed when her hands were brought down into the pillow above her head. She did not understand what was happening. Strange lips touched hers. It was a soft, gentle kiss. Could this be what kissing a man was like? It felt so much better than she had imagined. Abby's anxiety was replaced with excitement. She had trouble breathing so she opened her mouth to take in more air, but then a tongue slipped inside. Abby would have jolted if she had been able to move, but instead she could only lick back at the strange tongue.

The weight on the bed shifted. Something warm and heavy pressed down on top of her body. The kiss deepened. It became more passionate. The tongue pulled out several times to lick at her lips, and then it pushed back inside her mouth again. It sent a tingling sensation down to her nether region, as if her mouth was connected to those lips below... as if that strange tongue was also stimulating her there. She hurt in that secret spot as if her body was opening up, readying itself for the intruder.

"Uuuhhhm..." she muttered.

Abby wanted it to happen. She wanted the stranger to enter her little tunnel and she did not care how. Her body felt like a ton of bricks, but she used all her strength to push her pelvis up against that weight. She hoped there would be something hard that could slip inside of her, and finally give her the release she was so desperate for.

"Not yet, darling..." a strange, low voice whispered.

"Please..." she wanted to beg, but no sound came out. "Please...!" she tried again.