Eirin Ch. 03

Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments. I hope you like this installment as well. For those asking, I have four installments already written and I am submitting them on the day the previous one came out. That makes 5-7 days for each posting.

I hope you enjoy.

meg

Lord Hawthorn stared down at the sleeping beauty in the bath before him. Her long dark hair was spread across a towel behind her on the floor, and her skin was a rosy hue from the heat of both the bath water as well as the fire that had been built up in the room. Apparently Maria was afraid of her catching a chill because the room was exceptionally warm. He heard a sound off to the side, and saw Maria standing there, a set of bedding in her hand. "How long has she been asleep in there?" he asked her.

"Oh, my lord, I am so sorry, I did not expect you back so soon. Just let me drop these linens in the hallway and I'll rouse her to go back to bed. She just looked so peaceful there, and I made sure the room was plenty warm for her," as usual Maria was talking non-stop as she moved around the room. Lord Hawthorn had come to think that was one of the things he liked most about her.

She had come to the castle as barely more than a child, just eighteen years old, and pregnant. She hadn't said a single word the entire first year she had lived there, Lord Hawthorn fully believed that she was now making up for lost time from when she wouldn't speak.

It had been the cook who had taken her in, and given her tasks to keep her busy and away from the rest of the castle staff. That was how Lord Hawthorn had come to know her so well. He would spend time with her when he was hiding from his step-father in the kitchen. Once her daughter was born, she realized that she wanted more for her life. She was determined to be better than what she arrived at the castle as. She worked hard on her speech and dress, forcing Lord Hawthorn to spend hours talking to her so she could mimic his speech, and even making him find appropriate styles of dress and mannerisms for her station.

As time had gone on, Cook had given Maria more and more responsibility and forced her to interact with the castle staff more and more so that she was more comfortable and confident in herself. After Lord Hawthorn's step-father had died, he had arranged a marriage for Maria, and she and her husband had moved out to the village. Maria had continued working in the castle even after she had moved out of it; she swore she would never leave it, claiming that nothing would run right if she wasn't there to see to it. Lord Hawthorn loved her dearly for her devotion and let her take over the hiring and training of all the maid staff in the castle.

Maria reentered the room after dropping off the linens and went to wake Eirin. That brought Lord Hawthorn out of his musings and he quickly intercepted her. "I'll carry her, there is no sense waking her if she's already asleep. She doesn't like the potion the healer left to help her sleep, and I think the more she can sleep without it the better anyway".

Lord Hawthorn stooped and lifted Eirin out of the tub while Maria came to wrap a cloth around her to dry her off and keep the chill from her body. He carried her to her room, and laid her gently on her bed. Both he and Maria rubbed her down to make sure she was dry and Maria produced a nightgown for her to wear to bed. While Lord Hawthorn held her, Maria slipped it over her head, and smoothed it down her body.

Maria looked up at Lord Hawthorn and asked if he would like her to stay with the girl and watch her through the night. Lord Hawthorn beckoned her out of the room; closing the door softly behind him. "Thank you, Maria, for offering, but that will not be necessary, I will be able to hear her if there are any problems. It's late, get Michael to hitch up a cart and take you home; your daughter will need you more tonight than Eirin will."

Maria turned back to the room as if thinking about what she should do, then finally shook her head and turned to leave. At the last minute she turned back to the lord, "Did you inflict all her injuries, my lord?" She looked embarrassed to be asking it, but also determined to know his part in her current state.

Lord Hawthorn turned his face from her, trying to come to terms with the part he had played in her discomfort and fear. Finally, sighing, he turned back to the maid. "I did not cause all of the injuries she has, but I caused the majority of them. I was unaware that she was a virgin when she arrived. After listening to her father, I assumed she was a loose girl. Then she kicked me, and I lost control of my temper. I did not hit her on the head, but I might as well be responsible for that, I was not specific enough in my instructions to Jonathan, and he left her locked in her room with no light. She hit her head on the shelf."

"What of the bruises on her breast, arms and legs?" Maria questioned him. She knew she was making him uncomfortable, but she felt she had to know. She had never told him the circumstances surrounding her appearance at the castle, nor of her condition when she had arrived. But, the fact was, she had been raped by her previous employer, and when he found out she was with child, he had beat her severely for not preventing it from happening. He had then turned her out, and threatened her life if she ever told a soul what had happened.

The lord was dead now, and probably no one would care, but she still kept her silence, even from her own husband and daughter. As far as she was concerned he had done her a favor. Coming to Castle Wells had been the best things she had ever done. She was so grateful when Lord Hawthorn had decided to stay on here after his step-father had died, and left him as the heir, rather than returning to one of his other castles. She would have followed him, but she felt most comfortable here.

Lord Hawthorn looked even more ashamed as he admitted to the bite mark and bruise on her breast, but denied having caused injuries to her arms or legs. He did admit that they had not been there before she arrived, so they had to have happened in the castle, but as of yet, he didn't know how they had occurred.

After Maria left, Lord Hawthorn got ready for bed, but he did not go to sleep. He was awake much of the night listening for sounds from Eirin's room; lest she have trouble, and he sleep through it. While he was listening, he was also thinking. He was confused about his feelings towards Eirin. Towards dawn, he reached the decision that he had to continue to think of her as merely a servant. He had brought her here as punishment for her own actions. He was wrong to have taken her virginity in such a manner, but not wrong to have taken it, period. It was his to take, just as everything of hers was his. In the future he would be much gentler with her, but not allow himself to become too attached to her. After having made that decision he fell into a sleep that while it wasn't exactly deep it was restful.

Eirin woke up back in her bed, feeling much better than she had the day before. She was even able to get up and use the chamber pot by herself. Before Maria arrived, she tried to take a visual inventory of herself. She gently felt the stitches in her forehead; they were beginning to itch, and she wished she could see what they looked like, but she didn't have a looking glass in her room. Looking down at her breast she could see that the bite mark was completely scabbed over, and all the redness had gone. The bruises on her arms and knees were more yellow than blue now, and weren't at all tender to the touch.

All in all, she was quite satisfied with her recovery, and promised herself that in the future she would avoid angering those who would injure her. That included the big man as well as Lord Hawthorn himself. He seemed to only be interested in one thing anyway, so as long as she didn't fight him, he shouldn't have cause to hurt her. What use would it be to fight him? She no longer had her innocence to protect; it would seem pointless to act the maiden now.

After Eirin had put her nightgown back on, saying a silent thank you to whomever had provided it, she lay back on the bed and took inventory of her room.

The next morning while Lord Hawthorn was getting dressed, he could hear Maria's cheerful chatter coming from Eirin's room. Then he stopped in his preparations for the day when he heard Maria ask Eirin about the bruises on her arms and legs. He heard Eirin say that they were from 'the big man' pulling her from the room, and that she had tripped on the stairs and been dragged up a few before she had regained her balance.

Lord Hawthorn sat heavily in his chair. She would never adapt to life here. She had been abused since the moment she had walked in the door. He couldn't figure out why it was so important to him that she accept her life here, but it was. He was then hit with another revelation. She had not spoken a single word to him since she was in his study on the day she arrived. How was that? She had spoken to Lori her second day here, and then to Maria both times she went in to see to her, but she had never spoken to him. He decided he would pay more attention and see if it was only him she was not speaking too. It upset him more than he liked that she wouldn't speak to him, but he wasn't sure how to get her to talk without ordering her to. Somehow he thought it would feel empty if she only talked to him because he made her.

This young girl was an enigma. She was obviously strong and brave; she had lain there and let him stitch her head. She was sensual and sexy as hell, watching her come had been the most erotic sight of his life. She was stubborn, and apparently smart; she had yet to speak to him in two days but she also hadn't snubbed him in a way that made him angry. He found himself wanting to know more about her. Also, the more he found out about her, the more she didn't match with the story Phillip had told him.

What was most pressing was the fact that the just sound of her voice made him hard. He could not be in the same room with her without bringing one or both of them to completion. He could not be around her and still keep his hands off her. For both of their well beings he needed to find a way to occupy himself until she was well enough for him to sate his own lust on; once that was done, he would slake hers.

Eirin stepped out of the hot bath. She had never known what a luxury a bath could be until she had come here. Even with her horrible guardian and his equally horrid daughter, she'd still had baths every day. They might not have been as long or as relaxing as she would have liked but she had enjoyed them just the same. Here, she could only bathe when Lord Hawthorn was gone.

Maria usually set up the bath after he had left his room in the morning to go to his study, but she was so worried about him coming back that she rushed through it, with little or no enjoyment. The difference today was that Lord Hawthorn had left for London a couple of days ago, and her stitches had come out yesterday. Now she was free to wash her hair and body thoroughly.

She had been glad that Maria had left her alone to bathe today. She couldn't help but be curious about the feelings Lord Hawthorn had provoked in her when they were in her bed. She had been embarrassed before, but her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her. While she had been in the tub, she had explored the places Lord Hawthorn had touched.

She had begun as he had, at her breasts. She started by just rubbing her fingers over them. They did pucker up, but she didn't feel the same jolt as she had when he had touched her. Then she remembered that he had done more than just brush his fingers against them. He had licked one of her nipples. Well, that was out of the question, there was no way she was going to put her tongue there.

But, he had also pinched it! She gave it a try. There was that jolt. She felt it all the way through her, not just on her breasts, but down through her stomach straight to her center. She decided to try what else would work. She twisted her nipple and pulled on it, and felt her chest constrict with the emotions running through her. She really liked how it felt to play with her nipples, but that is not where the best feelings had come from when Lord Hawthorn had been in her bed.

Eirin slowly stroked her fingers down her stomach. It tickled, but it was more than that, it made her body tingle in a way she wasn't used to. She was embarrassed to let her fingers go any farther south, but playing with her nipples had made her loins tighten and she really wanted to relieve the pressure that was building up. She finally couldn't stand the suspense anymore and started stroking her fingers lower.

First she tangled her fingers in her own hair. It was courser than the hair on her head and it felt good to rub her fingers through it. Then, she slid her fingers through her slit. She moved her fingers around, just trying to familiarize herself with what was down there. Her lips were surprisingly puffy, she hadn't expected that. Also, it was slippery, like it was wet in more ways than just the water from the bath.

She felt the button at the top of her slit and jumped in the water. That was it! That was the spot Lord Hawthorn had touched her with his thumb. Amazing. It didn't feel quite as good as when Lord Hawthorn touched her there, but it still felt good. She continued on with her explorations and found her hole. Tentatively she stuck her middle finger into her hole. It was nothing like she thought it would be. She could feel herself squeezing her little finger. How had he put his whole …."thing" in her? No wonder it had hurt. But his finger hadn't hurt at all.

She scooted farther down into the water to stretch out more and see what else was down there. She felt the piece of skin between her bottom and hole. Oh, wow, when she pushed on that she felt it in both her bottom and her center. She would have to explore that further. She was scared now, but in for an inch in for a mile. She let her middle finger wander down to her pucker. It was crinkly and tight. She tried to see what would happen if she pushed on it. It didn't feel bad, but she was scared to push too hard on it. What if she hurt herself?

By now her core was begging for more attention, so she decided to finish exploring that today, and figure out the rest tomorrow. She moved her other hand down to her center, and with the fingers of her left hand she circled her hole. She used the index finger of her right hand to massage her button. She felt a jolt every time her finger brushed over it. It still wasn't like how she felt when Lord Hawthorn had been doing it, and she was beginning to feel frustrated. Then just as she was about to give up, she pulled up on her button instead of across the side. Oh, she thought, this is what he did to me! She pulled up again and felt the same sense of electricity shoot through her. She kept pulling back on it, until it started to be more painful, almost like it was too much.

She decided to try different things than what he did to see what she felt for each one. She push down on her button, and felt her hips jerk. When she pushed and pulled both, one after another, her hips moving forward in the tub to meet her fingers. She started moving her other fingers in and out of her hole. She was in her own mind, no longer in Lord Hawthorn's chambers, or a tub; her entire being was centered on her fingers and the feelings she was experiencing. Her entire body was moving, sloshing water over the edge of the tub.

She knew she was about to experience the same thing she did in her bed, just a little bit farther. She pinched the base of her clit and felt herself spiral out of control. Her moans echoed through the room. She threw her head back against the edge of the tub and felt herself sinking within the water. It was too much, she couldn't take these feelings. Lights were flashing before he eyes, and she squeezed her thighs around her hands as she came back to herself.

She sat in the tub like that for some time before the cooling temperature of the water started to sink into her mind. She sat up suddenly and looked around. There was water all over the floor. Looking down at herself, she could see that she was flushed; her nipples still hard and her breathing ragged. She lay back in the tub until she could collect herself. She would clean up in a minute.

It was late. Lord Hawthorn had just arrived back at the castle. He should have waited until tomorrow, he knew that. But, he couldn't. Her week was up; had been up yesterday. He had given her another day just to make sure she was ok. Lord Hawthorn was exhausted; he hadn't slept in days. At first he worked in and around the castle from sunup until long after sun down. When that didn't work, he decided to visit a friend in London. He had spent the last three days staying up all night, drinking and playing poker. He would drag himself to his friend's house in the wee hours of the morning, drop into bed and fall asleep without even taking off his clothes.

He would wake up within a couple of hours hard and aching, his dreams filled of Eirin and her wonderful copper body. Her golden eyes swam through his dreams, making him moan in his sleep. He needed relief. He wanted to go straight into her room and take her again now, but he knew she was asleep and didn't wish to wake her. He needed to plan his seduction so she would be receptive to him. He wouldn't be able to stop himself if she pulled away from him.

He decided he couldn't wait for her; he quickly shed his clothes and laid down on his bed on top of the covers. He could hear her turning over in her bed, and it made his stomach tighten at how much he wanted her. He reached down and took his cock in his hand. It was so hard it was pulsing. He ran his fingers over the spongy head. He used his thumb to spread drops of pre-cum. He ran his hand down the length of his cock, feeling the ridges, and took hold of the base. Then squeezing his hand even tighter pulled his hand back up from the base to the head. Once again he massaged the soft head.

His mind started wandering, and he imagined her lips circling the head of his cock. He reached down to cup his balls, rolling them between his fingers. His hand was moving faster now, imagining her tongue moving up and down. He could feel himself preparing for release, and his hand lost all sense of rhythm. His strokes were centered on the head and the sensitive underside of his cock as he arched his back and finally felt his seed spurt from him. He continued to squeeze and rub his cock, though more slowly now until he felt it start to soften. He reached over and grabbed a rag from the table beside his bed and cleaned his seed from his stomach. Throwing it on the floor he rolled over and fell asleep without even bothering to cover himself up.

His last thoughts before sleep were not of Eirin, though, they were of Phillip and some of the things he had learned while in London. He tried to remind himself to ask Eirin some questions about Phillip but was asleep before he could form a coherent thought.

Eirin woke up excited for another day when she felt great and didn't have to worry about Lord Hawthorn being around. It had turned out that she liked living here much better than living in her own home with her guardian and his daughter. Not everyone was nice to her, and the maid, Lori, had been down right mean, but as long as she avoided the people who thought of her as nothing more than a whore, she was happy. She had spent some time walking around the grounds yesterday, and it was beautiful. There was a lake to the back that had ducks and she had met some children there yesterday who had been adorable. She had even found the library, which was wonderful, and borrowed a book to take to the garden with her. She had fallen asleep there with the sun shining down on her, and had peaceful dreams for the first time in years.