Elisabeth's First Lesson

Elisabeth smoothed the front of her pleated dress while checking to make sure it was securely pinned before knocking on the ironbound oak door. Jacob's summons so late in the evening had made her more nervous than she cared to admit, even to herself.

"Enter," Jacob's deep tenor voice called out after nearly a minute.

The oak door stained nearly black with age opened at a touch and Elisabeth walked across the Persian rug to stand before Jacob's desk. The library was always a place of musty quite with the walls hidden behind shelves of books that stretched all the way to the twelve foot ceilings. Elisabeth took her place, the only sounds the crackling of the small fire and the scratching of Jacob's quill as he worked on the parchment he was penning. Elisabeth's lips pursed as Jacob continued to keep her waiting, his pettiness all too familiar and trite as she resolved to outwait the silly man.

Elisabeth took the moment to examine Jacob who was still strong and handsome even in his early fifties with broad shoulders and the physique of someone who worked as hard as any of his laborers. She was still uncertain of the new styles from London, but Jacob's dark black hair shot through with gray as well as his trimmed beard and thick sideburns gave him a distinguished look even with his upper lip shaved. She glanced at the grandfather clock which showed it a quarter till nine and back to Jacob with his coat cast over the back of his chair and his linen shirt unbuttoned to expose the curly mass of hair on his upper chest.

The fire gave a loud pop and Jacob sighed before setting his quill aside and sprinkling sand over the parchment before finally looking up to Elisabeth.

"Ms Bartlett, I'm afraid I've heard some unfortunate news regarding you and my daughter," Jacob finally said.

Elisabeth tried to school her expression as she regarded Jacob's brown eyes levelly. She knew this to be yet another of his petty games he played with the other household servants. By baiting them with an inane and empty allegation he'd have them tell the tale on themselves in their nervousness.

It was Jacob's turn to squint at Elisabeth in irritation as she refused to rise to his bait and he pushed back from his desk to regard her.

"Well, do you have anything to say?" Jacob asked impatiently.

"Say as to what?" Elisabeth shot back, "I've not heard what this news is to be."

Jacob's jaw tightened before he gave a curt nod.

"Very well," he finally said, "It was brought to my attention of the lewd and carnal nature of your conversation with my daughter today at the stables."

Elisabeth's lips twitched as what she had suspected was confirmed and she'd wager a shilling as to it having been Leroy to have come running straight to Jacob after having his ears pinned back.

"Alexandria and I had a few words today at the stables, yes," Elisabeth replied evenly, "I'd not ascribe them to be lewd."

Jacob waited for Elisabeth to continue and when she didn't he cocked his head as his face flushed in anger.

"But you'll not deny carnal?" Jacob growled.

"As your daughters Governess I believe what I decide to discuss with Alexandria is between her and I," Elisabeth shot back, her own face becoming flushed.

"I'll not have you discussing carnal knowledge with my daughter!" Jacob said angrily, "You'll not impugn upon her innocence!"

Elisabeth's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Jacob for several moments.

"Your daughter is a woman now," Elisabeth replied more evenly, "Perhaps you'd prefer to have Leroy and the stable hands to have continued their discussion with Alexandria and not I.

"I'm sure they would have had no qualms impugning upon her innocence."

"You dare suggest Leroy would do such a thing!" Jacob spat, "It was he wh..."

Jacob cut off abruptly but Elisabeth had all the confirmation of who had been carrying tales to Jacob that she needed.

"I would never suggest that Alexandria is naught but pure," Elisabeth said, "But innocent?

"You have one of the largest herd of horse in West Midland and are right to be proud, but you've been taking Alexandria to see your prize studs breed the mares, she's been helping them foal since she was knee high.

"Innocent Alexandria is not."

"Be that as it may," Jacob retorted, "You are not to discuss such sinful and carnal topics with Alexandria!"

"And if not I, then who?" Elisabeth asked, "Perhaps you'd be more suited to discuss her monthly visitor or how to deflect the attentions of a few coarse and unwanted men in the stables with a choice word or two?"

"Such is not to be spoken of!" Jacob said angrily, "Father O'Malley made it plain in his sermo..."

"Father O'Malley!" Elisabeth spat, "Tis the same Father O'Malley who was seen by half his congregation running naked down Bell Street when the bailiff came a knocking on a certain bawdy house!"

Jacob chocked back a laugh before glaring at Elisabeth sternly.

"I don't know where you've heard such slander..." Jacob began.

"Old Miss Charnley for one," Elisabeth cut in again, "You'll never hear a more apt tale of Father O'Malley with his wee one swaying from side to side as he dashed by as if all the hounds of hell were..."

"Enough!" Jacob cut in and closed his eyes to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"This!" Jacob finally said and placed both of his hands palm down on his desk, "This is exactly what I do not want you to be discussing with Alexandria!"

"But..." Elisabeth began.

"No!" Jacob shot back, "I forbid it!"

Elisabeth stared at Jacob for several moments before giving her head a small shake.

"I ask again, if not I then who?" Elisabeth finally asked.

"No one!" Jacob said angrily, "I'll not have her exposed to such coarse manners and language!"

"You do your daughter a disservice, Jacob," Elisabeth said quietly.

"Oh, is it to be Jacob now and not Mr Trowbridge?" Jacob asked sarcastically.

"It is," Elisabeth replied, "If you'll not allow me to do the job you've set me to then I have no choice but to tender my resignation.

"I'll pack tonight and be on my way come morning."

Jacob's mouth gaped open as Elisabeth turned and strode from the library. She angrily palmed away the tears in her eyes the moment the door closed without a thought to having used Jacobs given name or turning away from him without being dismissed, two firsts that would have been unthinkable only this morning. She had been Alexandria's governess for ten years now, but if the stubborn pigheaded mule couldn't see the woman she had become and insisted on treating her as a child tomboy, if he placed her in harm's way through his own ignorance and stupidity then she couldn't be a part of that and had no choice but to leave.

Elisabeth stormed into her room and slammed the door behind her to stand glaring at the mirror mounted to the armoire. Several strands of her red hair had escaped her bun but she ignored that as she glared at her pleated dress and white cotton blouse.

She'd have to wear her woolen dress and stout shoes if she meant to travel in the morning, but she pondered as to where. She despised London with the crowds cheek by jowl, streets covered in filth and the river a fetid open sewer, but Manchester or Birmingham were no better.

A sudden though of the Colonies came to her, the dazzling stories of Yew York and Charles Town and her pulse quickened at the possibility of seeing those magnificent places she had read so much about. She had saved close to eighty pounds over the years working for Jacob, enough to secure passage as well as a few months of living expenses if she husbanded her money carefully.

Elisabeth kicked off her low heeled polished shoes while unpinning her dress, the marvelous adventure unfolding before her eyes. From all she had read Charles Town sounded preferable to New York, the climate of Charles Town ascribed to that of Southern Spain while New York might be a bit more primitive than what she wanted to experience for herself. She unbuttoned her blouse and folded it neatly on the bed before slipping her skirt off while planning the trip in her mind. It would take a few days by carriage to reach London and possibly as much as a week or two to find passage to the Colonies.

Elisabeth slipped her stockings off, the excitement coursing through her as she quickly planned on what would be most needful to pack in the limited space of her trunk while unlacing the draw on her linen shift.

She wasn't sure how long the trip across the ocean would be, perhaps as much as several months from what she had read with all the dangers and uncertainty any trip upon the ocean entailed. Elisabeth slipped her shift off her shoulders while composing a letter to Alexandria in her mind to explain her sudden departure.

A knock sounded and Elisabeth's door opened without pause as she spun around.

"Mis Bartlett... Elisabeth... Perhaps you spoke a bit rashly, I was hoping to implore you to sta..." Jacob began only to come to an abrupt stop when he saw Elisabeth clutching her shift over her bosom.

Elisabeth's stunned shock dissolved into anger as Jacob accused her... her!... of speaking rashly and she glared at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude..." Jacob stammered.

"Rashly Jacob Trowbridge?" Elisabeth spat, "You dare say it was I who spoke rashly!

"Are all men such fools or did you truly have to strive to attain such heights?"

"What?" Jacob asked in shock.

"Perhaps you and Father O'Malley conspired over a few drinks to truly define what foolishness you could strive to achieve?" Elisabeth continued as she stormed over to face Jacob.

"See here Mis Bartlett," Jacob began.

"Your daughter Alexandria is no longer the child you wish her to be, Jacob," Elisabeth shouted over him, "She's a woman, a good woman but you'll leave her wanting without someone to teach her the ways of being a woman.

"Your wife, god rest her soul, would have done for, but you hired me to see to Alexandria's education and now you're fool enough to tell me... nay, forbid me from doing just that!"

"I'll not have you discuss such shameful things with Alexandria!" Jacob said just as angrily.

"You've bred horses for decades, do you find your stud servicing the mares shameful?" Elisabeth demanded.

"Of course not!" Jacob shot back, "What nonsense!"

"Then what do you find so shameful in these?" Elisabeth demanded and let her shift slip from her hands exposing her breasts.

Jacob froze as if someone had struck him, his mouth hanging open and his eyes drawn to Elisabeth's chest. Elisabeth felt a moment of triumph before her face turned crimson as she realized what she had done but wasn't about to give up her momentary advantage.

"I happened upon Alexandria today in the stables while your prize chestnut stud was servicing a mare," Elisabeth yelled, "Leroy and three or four of the other stable men quite intent on discussing the virtues of the chestnut with her.

"His length..." Elisabeth added as Jacob licked his lips.

"His girth..." Elisabeth continued as she felt a soft caress of air across the hard points of her nipples.

"His stamina and ability to service several mares each day..." Elisabeth breathed softly.

Jacob seemed entranced as he stared at Elisabeth's breasts. She wasn't a large woman and had been accused of being as flat as a man on occasion, but she was rather proud of her dark areolas and prominent nipples. Slowly, as if still in a dream Jacob reached up to pinch and roll one of Elisabeth's nipples between callused fingertips.

"Mmmm," Elisabeth sighed as her eyes closed for a moment, "Alexandria would have been fine I'm sure, but a few choice words, a comparison to Leroy's length to that of a babe's pinky had them all scurrying like scalded cats."

Jacob chocked back a laugh and pulled his hand away as if he were the one who had been scalded.

"So that's why Leroy came telling tales," Jacob said with his eyes never leaving Elisabeth's breasts.

"Alexandria is a woman now, Jacob," Elisabeth said softly, "She needs a woman to explain what that means, the responsibilities that entails."

"What?" Jacob asked sarcastically, "You wish to teach her to throw her modesty to the winds and expose herself?"

Elisabeth reacted without thinking, her arm rising as she lashed out at Jacob. A sound like the crack of a whip sounded in the room as her hand struck Jacob's check who stared back in amazement.

"You dare!" Jacob growled and stepped towards Elisabeth who stood her ground.

Jacob reached out with both hands and seized Elisabeth's breasts in his callused hands, squeezing her painfully as he forced her back several steps while kicking the door closed behind him.

"What do you claim to know to teach Alexandria?" Jacob demanded, "You! The spinster who've not been with a man since you've come to work for me!"

Elisabeth gasped in hurt surprise even if what Jacob had said wasn't completely true. There had been a few encounters over the years, even one last May Day of a young ships officer ashore for a time in hope of a ships berth, but the years had indeed been lonely.

She reached up to slap Jacob again who seized her wrist in his hand as he shoved her backwards so that the back of her knees struck the bed and she fell to lay sprawled on her bed. Elisabeth cried out as she fell backwards, her shift slipping farther down her torso to expose her stomach while Jacob glared down at her and began to unfasten his belt until he froze with a stricken look.

"Do you find me so shameful, so unappealing?" Elisabeth asked when Jacob took a hesitant step away from her, "Go on with you then!

"Perhaps you're not as much the stud as your dear horses!"

"Damn you woman!" Jacob shouted angrily, "You've no right!

"It's not but dishonor to force myself on a servant as you know damned well!"

"Then it's a fine thing that I no longer work for you, isn't it," Elisabeth shouted back.

Elisabeth's eyes were drawn to the front of Jacob's breeches as he gave a growl in the back of his throat. He quickly finished unbuckling his belt before pulling it from around his waist in one smooth motion.

"Take that off and turn over," Jacob said as he glared down at Elisabeth.

"What?" Elisabeth asked as her heart skipped a beat, the warm glow that had been banked between her thighs bursting into a roaring flame.

"If ye've gone an forgotten how t' behave I'll damn well remind ya!" Jacob said as he let his boyhood accent slip into his speech, "Now take those rags off and turn over a'fore I rip them aside me'self!"

Elisabeth's eyes darted from the leather belt that Jacob was holding by the buckle up to his eyes and back, her apprehension and fear at the sudden turn of events at war with her growing excitement.

"You'll make it doubly worse if I must tell you a third time!" Jacob demanded.

Elisabeth couldn't help but flinch before lifting her hips up enough to slip her shift down her thighs to fall to the floor, Jacob's eyes boring into her naked flesh and exposed womanhood.

"Jacob..." Elisabeth said breathlessly, "Mr Trowbridge..."

"Mr Trowbridge now, is it!

"Turn over!" Jacob demanded again.

Elisabeth hesitated for another moment and then turned over on the bed to lay on her stomach, her entire body jerking in shocked surprise when she felt Jacob's callused hand caress her milky white ass cheek.

"Get up on your knees with your forehead to the sheets!" Jacob demanded.

Elisabeth moaned as she complied and then cried out when she felt that callused hand reach between her legs to spread them farther apart so that her sex was exposed.

"Ohh!" Elisabeth cried a second later when a loud crack sounded when the belt slashed across her butt.

Elisabeth heard the hiss of the belt as it cut through the air and instant before her body jerked as Jacob struck her again and then a third time. Each strike was a fiery brand across her naked flesh but also feed the flames of her desire, her vulva and clit burning just as fiercely as the fiery welts across her skin.

"Ohhhhhh, Lord!" Elisabeth moaned with her mouth pressed down into the fabric of the bed to muffle any should she might make.

More blows slashed across her skin until her legs were shaking and tears wetted the sheets beneath her cheek until she lost count of the number. As suddenly as they had begun the blows ceased while Elisabeth sobbed into the sheets of the bed, her fists clenched around handfuls of the cloth. Again Elisabeth's body jerked when she felt Jacob's callused hand caress the hot red welts that now crisscrossed her skin and then gasped when she felt his fingers slip between her ass cheeks to test the warm wet embrace of her body.

"A mare in heat," Jacob sighed as he plunged two fingers deep into Elisabeth's body.

"Ohhh, take me, Jacob!" Elisabeth sobbed.

Jacob removed his fingers before his hands roughly spread her thighs farther apart. She moaned in as much anticipation as at the caress of air brushing over her wet inner lips and vulva, her arousal setting much more than just the welts of her ass aflame and then shrieked as she felt the belt smack across her exposed sex.

Elisabeth brought her fist to her mouth and bite her hand hard enough to draw blood as more and more blows started to rain onto her sensitive wet folds, the pleasure and the pain equally mingled. Somewhere in the back of Elisabeth's mind she knew that Jacob was barely striking her, that the tip of the belt was barely kissing her lips, vulva and clit, but the sensations were still overwhelming and she suddenly felt her body convulse in intense pleasure with a rush of warm liquid pouring down her inner thighs. Elisabeth legs gave way and she collapsed onto the bed to stop shrieking without ever having realized that she had been, the blows instantly stopping. Elisabeth could only sob face down on the bed, the shame... the pleasure more than she had ever experienced and listened to the soft rustle of cloth from behind her.

"Come here," Jacob ordered the same instant Elisabeth felt his familiar hard hand take her by the hips.

Elisabeth allowed Jacob to guide her, his hands remarkably gentle for having so recently been so cruel as he lifted her back up onto her knees and pulled her back to the edge of the bed. Elisabeth was still snuffling back tears when she felt his hands gently spread her thighs farther apart before a soft, firm presence slipped up and down between the wet folds of her inner lips. The pressure was a balm to her stinging lips and she gasped as Jacob ran what she knew to be his hard manhood across her burning clit.

"Your body's aflame!" Jacob crooned while circling his glans around Elisabeth's dripping vulva before sliding smoothly into her body.

"Ohhh, god, Jacob, please... please!" Elisabeth moaned.

Jacob began to slowly thrust into Elisabeth, her body rocking forward on the bed with each wet slap. After several thrusts Elisbeth bit back a curse when she felt Jacob smack her burning ass cheek with the palm of his hand.

"Just like a mare in heat," Jacob growled, his pace increasing as he slapped Elisabeth's ass again, "Hot and dripping wet!

"So ready to take a studs hard member!"

Elisabeth couldn't hold back and started screaming with every smack of Jacob's hand with her face buried in the beds linens, her hips thrusting back to meet each of his thrusts as tears streamed down her face. She was amazed that she could feel the burning passion building again, the heat from her abused lips and clit combining with the fresh pain of Jacob's hand striking her ass.

Jacob suddenly grabbed Elisabeth around the waist to pull her bodily back while he thrust into her with a loud grunt and wet slap of their bodies meeting. Elisabeth felt the passion blaze through her body, her sheath squeezing down on Jacob's length as she cried out a final time. With a final grunt Jacob thrust deep into her body and held himself there as she felt the warmth of his seed splash deep within her. With her entire body shaking Elisabeth felt her legs give out and she collapsed to lay quivering face down on the bed.