Eirin Ch. 04

"My lord, I hardly see that my health is a concern of yours, and I would appreciate you not bringing up my courses. I have not asked for a healer, and do not skip out on my duties. Do you have cause for complaint concerning my performance in your bed?"

Lord Hawthorn contained his sigh. When she had first arrived he would have been able to read what was going on in her head, but he had been in the dark for too long. He no more knew what she was thinking or feeling than he knew what the cat in the barn was thinking or feeling. He could feel his patience stretching thin. Before he could form a reply to her, Eirin had stood up and started for the door. "Where are you going?"

"My lord, I apologize if my physical appearance is not to your liking anymore. I will do my best to rectify the situation for you. It is now time to begin breakfast, and I have agreed to help in the kitchen. Have a pleasant day; I will see you this evening." With that, Eirin was out the door, leaving Lord Hawthorn staring after her. She just told me off. Me? If she would not give him the information, he would get it from somewhere else.

As Maria was serving his breakfast, he asked her to sit with him for a moment, and dismissed the remaining servants. "Maria, I am worried about Eirin, she has become too thin, and she looks sick."

"Yes, my lord, I know."

"That's all? Why is she so thin? Why are there circles under her eyes? What does she do all day that keeps her from the castle?" Lord Hawthorn was losing his patience with how vague the answers were. He almost expected it of Eirin, but Maria's loyalty had always been to him above all others.

"My lord, can you not see what you are doing to that poor girl?"

"Me? What in the world are you talking about? I see her for barely two hours a night!"

"Not you personally, the situation you've put her in. Many of the servants do not like her, they are mean to her, steal her food, trip her in public, hide items that belong to her. Do you know I think someone put something into her food to make her sick? I've offered to intervene for her, she is such a dear, after all, but she has refused. I think it's her pride, that she can't stand having to ask for help. You've put her in an untenable situation, and I've waited long enough to speak my mind. You have treated her beyond contempt; I am not surprised she is suffering for it. I never thought I would be ashamed of you, but I find I am, and I hate feeling this way!" Having worked herself into a tizzy, and ashamed of letting her mouth run away from her, she stood up abruptly and made her way to the door.

When Maria reached the door, Lord Hawthorn called her attention back to him, "Please tell Eirin that dinner is at six o'clock this evening, and I will expect her to join me." Maria nodded her head, looking slightly more pleased and left the dining room.

At dinner that evening, Eirin arrived at exactly six o'clock, her hair once again put up in a severe bun, as it had been since she started working within the castle, and she was wearing another high necked, long sleeved dress.

"Good evening Eirin, I am so happy you could join me. Please have a seat, the first course should arrive any moment now." Lord Hawthorn was trying to be light with Eirin, he was unhappy with how their conversation had gone this morning, shocked at the animosity she seemed to feel for him. His conversation with Maria had been even more disconcerting, he'd had no idea that Eirin was having such a difficult time fitting in here. He knew she worked with old Joe in the garden, and he'd heard more than one stable hand mention how she was the one to send shirts to when they were torn. He had just assumed that everyone had accepted her.

"Thank you Lord Hawthorn, for inviting me to dine with you, though, I can not imagine why you would have." Eirin was still being stiff, but he hoped to break down the walls she had erected around herself.

"I enjoy your company, and wished to have more of it. This seemed an ideal time to be able to sit and chat. After dinner, I was hoping you would join me for another game of chess, I so enjoyed it." Lord Hawthorn gave Eirin a wide innocent smile, and she narrowed her eyes at him, obviously wondering what he was up to.

When the soup arrived, Lori set the first bowl in front of Lord Hawthorn, then went to put the other bowl in front of Eirin. Eirin eyed her soup, but didn't pick up her spoon. "Oh, Lori, I believe I will take the bowl of soup that you put in front of Eirin, if you don't mind, and she can have mine."

Lori stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. Finally, she gave a small curtsy and switched the bowls, but her hands now had a slight tremble to them. Lori hastily retreated from the room, while Lord Hawthorn lifted a spoonful of the soup to his lips. He blew gently on the soup before tipping the contents of the spoon into his mouth. He started swallowing, but choked on it and started coughing. His face turned red, and he was hitting his chest.

Eirin ran to him, and started beating on his back. He tried to ward off her hand with one of his hands while reaching out for his glass with the other. He took a drink of wine then took a tentative breath, testing his ability to take in air. After clearing his throat several times, he said he would need to speak to the cook about her liberal use of pepper. His voice was rough from coughing, and his eyes were watering.

Eirin couldn't help herself, she knew she shouldn't, but she started laughing. She threw back her head and laughed from her belly. It felt so good, she couldn't remember the last time she had really laughed; definitely not since she had arrived in this house and probably not since long before that. Finally she looked up and saw the lord staring at her. She sobered quickly, embarrassed of having forgotten herself. She went to sit back down and picked up her spoon automatically. She finished the rest of the meal in silence without looking again at Lord Hawthorn. He had had the most peculiar expression on his face when she was laughing, and she couldn't seem to get it out of her mind.

They were playing chess, but Lord Hawthorn's mind was not on the game. He had been so shocked to hear her laugh at dinner; he realized she had not laughed in the entire time she had been in his house. She had a beautiful laugh. It was deeper than he expected, and very full. He hated the high trilly laughs that the current debutants were trying to imitate. They seemed to grate on his nerves.

He looked up when he noticed that Eirin had not only moved, but had check-mated him. He stood up and reached for her. He wished that they had talked more during the dinner and game afterward, but his mind had been elsewhere. He decided that they would spend each evening together.

As they reached Lord Hawthorn's room, Eirin started towards her own to undress and prepare for her night with Lord Hawthorn. However, she was stopped when he took hold of her arm and turned her back towards himself. He reached out and pulled her in for a hug. She was confused at his actions; he always allowed her to prepare in her own room and meet him in his bed.

She started undressing him, beginning at his shirt, but was stopped by his hands over hers. "I am in no hurry Eirin." With that Lord Hawthorn led her to a chair by the fire, and sat down on it, pulling her sideways onto his lap. He took the pins from her hair, letting it fall free around her shoulders. Her hair was beautiful, even with how much she was losing, it was thick. He ran his fingers through her hair, starting at her scalp, and going all the way to the ends, brushing his fingers over her breasts as he went.

When Lord Hawthorn was satisfied that her hair was tangle free, and flowing over the both of them, he turned towards her dress. Once again, she was wearing a high-necked dress, the buttons done all the way up. Her sleeves were pulled down, covering her to her wrists, and he knew that under the skirts she was wearing ankle-high boots with heavy woolen stockings. He couldn't figure out how she could be so covered up when the afternoons were so warm. Most of the servants dressed lighter as the months got warmer, but Eirin seemed to find more clothing to put on each day.

Lord Hawthorn slowly unbuttoned the neck of the dress; he was looking in her eyes as he went, and could see them start to glaze over with lust. He loved that look, and knew he would never get tired of it. She once again reached for him, but he put her arms back at her side and told her to leave them there. He continued unbuttoning her dress, but now his eyes followed his progress. He pulled the sides of her dress back from her chest seeing the nicely rounded mounds of her breasts through the thin cloth of her chemise.

Shortly after she started having sex with him, he had ordered her to stop wearing a corset. He didn't like to think of her binding all her luscious curves under hard bone. She didn't need it anyway, even with the loss of mass in her breasts from weight loss, she was still a good handful, and they sat high on her chest, invitingly. Her hips barely flared out from her waist and tapered to her legs that while they were short, were a perfect compliment for the rest of her. Lord Hawthorn leaned forward and took her nipple in his mouth, feeling it pebble up beneath her chemise. She reached up and held his head to her, but didn't try to rush him again.

He stayed at her chest, worshipping her breasts with his tongue and teeth for a long time. He wished he could stay like this forever, lost in her scent and feel, but he was hard and aching, and she was twisting on his lap, torturing his already suffering cock. He stood her up and finished undressing her, kissing and licking various parts that he uncovered. He roamed his hands over her smooth flesh, feeling goose-bumps rise as his fingers passed. He then stood up himself to undress, but was stopped by Eirin's small hands on his fingers.

Eirin gently moved his hands down to his sides and started undressing him herself. Not as she had before, with quick, hurried movements, but as if she was unwrapping a present she had been waiting for for a long time, and she wanted to draw out the moment. As she unbuttoned his shirt she leaned in to him, he expected to feel her tongue or teeth on his skin, but then realized she was just smelling him. He brought his hand up and caressed the back of her head.

"I love the smell of you. You smell spicy and masculine." Her words were barely a whisper and Lord Hawthorn was momentarily surprised to hear her speak before he realized that she normally only spoke when he made her. At those times she spoke loud and her voice was almost guttural, like she was trying to hold her words in. Now her voice was lyrical and mesmerizing.

She continued to take his shirt off, and walked around him, letting her hands wander across his back, making him shiver at the contact. Once she reached his front, she merely put her arms around him and leaned her head against his lower chest. He could feel her breath on his chest, and was overcome with emotions as he wrapped his own arms around her and held her against him.

The stood that way for several more minutes until Eirin pulled back to undo his pants, she looked down as she worked, and Lord Hawthorn could see her fingers trembling as they tried to release him.

Lord Hawthorn used a finger to raise her chin so he could meet her eyes. He was shocked by what he saw there. Her eyes held such emotion, there was lust there to be sure, but he thought he also detected fear, and something he couldn't figure out. He pulled her to him again and lifted her into his arms to carry her over to the bed. Once he had laid her down, he slipped his pants off and slid in next to her.

Instead of immediately coming over her, as Eirin expected, he lay next to her and ran his hands over her skin. She felt this was different somehow, more like he was calming her, instead of trying to enflame her. She turned toward him, and lifted her hands to his chest, feeling his muscles bunch as his arms moved. She kissed his chest and tried to move lower, but he held her were she was, and continued caressing her skin, running his hands down her back and across her buttocks.

Finally, he lifted one of her legs over his hip, and smoothed his hand over her thigh dipping his fingers in between her legs to feel the wetness that was gathering. He slipped his fingers through her folds, but again Eirin felt it was a calming motion, rather than one intended to drive her crazy with passion. She could feel herself slipping away, everything was new. She was so used to how forceful he was, bringing her to the brink of release and then pulling her back until she was sobbing and begging for him to let her come.

Eirin started moving her hips, feeling his fingers slide into her from behind and his cock rub against her clit in front. Feeling her movements, Lord Hawthorn gently slipped himself into her, keeping them on their sides facing each other, with her leg over his hip. He didn't have as much control in this position but their movements were softer, less hurried and more intimate. He also felt closer to her, feeling her breath fan against his neck as he supported her body with both of his arms.

He heard Eirin's gasps and felt her shiver as she had a small orgasm. She sunk deeper into his arms, completely relying on him to hold their position. Lord Hawthorn had never felt the trust from another person that he felt from Eirin at that moment. He wrapped his arms around her buttocks, and turned onto his back, holding himself within her. Eirin remained lying across his body, and he pulled her knees up to almost his chest, raising his own knees for support.

Holding onto Eirin he gently rocked her body on top of his own. He didn't actually pull out or push in, just rocked them, feeling her entire body brush against his chest and stomach. Before long, Eirin raised herself up on her arms and looked down at him. He smiled at the confusion in her eyes, and rested his hands on her hips. He helped her raise and lower herself until she got the hang of it then moved his hands up to cover her breasts.

"You have all the control here, it is you who will decide the speed and depth at which I will enter you." Lord Hawthorn's voice was barely a whisper as he spoke. He watched as Eirin's eyes widened with knowledge that he was telling the truth. He could feel her testing how much control she had. She shifted forward and back, and even in tiny circles. She then lifted herself off of him shimmied back down on him. He moved his hands back to her hips to steady her, but did not put any pressure on her. He didn't want her to feel like he was trying to take control. The next time Eirin lifted off him, he helped her come back down with more control.

Eirin's rhythm was quickly fading, and he could see that she was about to come again. He pulled her upper body down to him so he could take her nipple into his mouth, while still helping her control her thrusts. As he helped Eirin rock on him, he felt her tense up and she gyrated upon his crotch. "That's it sweetness, come for me. You are beautiful when you come." Lord Hawthorn spoke tenderly to her as she started to slump over him, he then took hold of her hips once more, and with a single thrust started emptying himself into her depths.

Once he had finished, he held her over him, and ran his hands down the length of her back. He could hear Eirin's breathing starting to return to normal, and she tried to break out of his hold. As Eirin lifted herself off of him, Lord Hawthorn pulled her back down so they were once again lying on their sides facing each other. The candle had gone out so he couldn't see her face, but he could still hear her breathing, and he felt her tense up.

"I want you to stay with me tonight. I would like to hold you and feel you close to me, please?" As he was speaking, Lord Hawthorn drew her head against his shoulder, then her leg over his waist. Her skin was so soft he felt he could slide his fingers over it forever, and never tire of feeling it.

"All right, I'll stay, if that is what you wish," Eirin's voice was soft, almost tentative. She rested against him, feeling his hands smooth over her, while she let her arm drape across his chest to rest her hand over his heart. Tonight was different. She felt as though he had given of himself, instead of taken from her. In the past, even when he forced pleasure on her, it was like he was taking the pleasure from her. However, tonight, he'd given up control and in doing so, had seemed to give more of himself.

Eirin fell asleep feeling his heartbeat against her hand and hearing his breathing through his chest. She awoke in the night lying across him again, and feeling his hands as they massaged the cheeks of her buttocks. She could feel his erection already deep within her. He squeezed her cheeks and thrust gently within her causing her to inhale sharply at the sensations.

Lord Hawthorn could tell that Eirin he finally woken up. He had woken up himself quite a while ago to find her draped across his body, hugging him with both her arms and legs. He couldn't stop his erection once it had begun, and though he didn't want to wake her, he couldn't help himself from exploring her in her sleep.

He had run his hands across her back, and down her ass. He loved her ass, and knew he wanted to take her there someday. He'd never taken a woman in the ass, but he was fascinated with hers, and the thought of sinking his length into her made him almost come without any stimulation at all. Instead he let himself sink into her while she slept, trying not to startle her too much.

Once she was awake, he held onto her while flipping them over so that he was on top. Her body was loose, as if she wasn't fully awake yet, but she was still squeezing his cock with her inner muscles making him moan out loud. Lord Hawthorn used long slow strokes, trying to keep Eirin in her half-awake, half-asleep state. He raised her legs over the crook of his arm, and lowered his head to lap at her nipple.

Eirin was whimpering and he lifted his head and gave her a kiss on the mouth. He kissed her slowly and thoroughly, running his tongue along the seam of her lips until she opened them. He then let his tongue slide along her teeth until it reached her own. He drew her tongue into his own mouth, and caressed it, sucking and licking. Eirin was holding him tightly now around the neck, and he knew they were both close. He put his head into the hollow of her neck, trying to hold on until she came, when she suddenly bit his shoulder. The pressure of her inside walls massaging his cock, and her teeth in his shoulder sent him over the edge, and he continued thrusting into her until he had emptied himself.

Lord Hawthorn fell to his side next to Eirin and turned her so that she was on her side facing him. He tucked her head under his chin, and wrapped his arms around her to hold her close, feeling her entwining her legs with his. He fell asleep listening to Eirin's breathing.

Across town Melissa was in her lover's townhouse throwing everything she could get her hands on. She was furious. She had told him tonight that she was pregnant and they would have to get married. That was when he had told her that he knew she was sleeping with several bachelors and there was no way he would marry her. He didn't know if the baby was his, and there was no way he would marry a woman who imagined she could cuckhold him. He had left her there and told her not to steal anything on her way out.

Melissa was beyond enraged. She had picked this man on purpose; she knew the child was not his, she was too far along for it to be his. However, the man whose child she was carrying was married, so she knew he would not help her. She had believed that Lord Bantam would be easy to manipulate into marriage. He wasn't the richest lord in London, nor was he the best looking. However, he was plenty rich and had always had an easy going manner.