Losing Inhibitions

This is set in the UK in the 1970s, so attitudes are very different. There is no social media, mobile phones, or internet. There will be other POV stories interacting with this one. This chapter is more about inhibitions and family rather than sex.

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Juliette sat between her husband, Bernard, and her father-in-law, Arnold, in the restaurant in Southpool. It was their third visit this holiday to what Arnold called the Club. Bernard always spent one week each summer with his father, but they were here for two weeks together. After which, Juliette would stay on for the summer holidays, and Bernard would come up for the weekends. Bernard's sister, Daphne, would arrive next weekend and stay for six weeks. Her second son, James, would stay for two weeks and visit at weekends for the rest of the holiday. Bernard's youngest sister, Arabella, and her family would visit for two weeks, and Daphne's eldest son and his wife would stay for the two weeks after that.

This was in part because it was Juliette's first visit to the family home, and the plan was that she should get to know the rest of the family. The main reason was that Arnold was getting weaker and might not survive the winter. Indeed, when they had first arrived, he was not the same elegant man who had been quietly attentive to her aunt at the wedding four months ago. He now used a stick and looked frail even for 73. He had also seemed bored with life.

He had perked up a bit in the last few days. His housekeeper, Mrs Withers, had attributed it to Juliette and Bernard being there. Perhaps she was right, as it was clear that the old man was almost as anxious as Bernard and her for them to have a child. Indeed, he was very solicitous about her welfare and how the marriage was going. He also made it clear when he discussed things with her that he did not blame her for the fact that there was no sign of morning sickness yet.

She knew that Bernard and his father were not close, but they were family. She had gathered that Bernard disapproved of his father but was unclear why. Both had done their best to be polite for the first ten days. Only on their second visit to the Club did she begin to understand that Bernard disapproved of his father's moral character.

On the first visit to the Club, the waitresses who had attended their table had been polite and professional. Grampa looked around the restaurant, seemed to spot something, and spoke with the manageress on the way out.

On their second visit, a younger waitress had been assigned to their table. She had stood next to Grampa when taking his order and had chatted with him. She was young, five foot four and a blonde. She wore a tightly fitting black skirt which reached to just above her knees and a white blouse which struggled to contain her breasts. She had a distinctive laugh, which her aunt would describe as mucky.

By halfway through the meal, they'd learnt that she was called Samantha, that she was 18 and was going to university next year to study English. She was trying to earn some spending money by working for as much of the summer as possible. Her parents had just moved to Spain, and now her father had retired.

By dessert and coffee, Arnold had asked, "So, do you have a boyfriend?" He had a gentle Lancastrian accent as opposed to his son's accent, which was BBC announcer quality.

The girl had giggled, "I'm fancy-free and free for anything fancy. I didn't think there was any point in getting into a serious relationship before going to university. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy life. I've just given up having a steady boyfriend, not given up going with men." She then giggled and said, "That came out wrong. What I meant to say was I still like going out with men."

Arnold had laughed, "It's an advantage of being a seaside town. Each week, thousands of new young men with money to burn will be ready to take you .... out and have a good time with you."

"Sounds a little exhausting, even for me." There was the mucky laugh again.

"I'm sure you're equal to the challenge."

The woman had laughed, touched uncle on his arm and said, "Well, it's early in the season now."

Juliette could feel Bernard beside him, seething with anger, and put a hand on his knee to try and help calm him down. She had worked out by now that Arnold's flirting with the waitress annoyed his son.

At the end of the meal, Arnold insisted on paying, and Bernard looked aghast at the tip that he insisted on giving. Arnold had looked at him and said, "I'm rewarding exceptional service. I haven't enjoyed a meal so much for a long time, and her friendliness was part of it."

Bernard muttered, "Oh, her friendliness, of course." On the way out, Arnold spoke again to the woman in charge, who looked over at Samantha and nodded.

That night, she and her husband had another try at creating a child of their own. It went a little better than usual. This time, he managed to become hard enough to get inside her a couple of times, but he couldn't keep it up for more than a couple of thrusts. They never talked about it, but she was worried that she was doing something wrong. She lay there and let him do what he wanted to her, but it didn't seem to match what her friends from church had told her about the marriage bed. While she knew that sex was meant to be fun as well as for children, so far, that had not been her experience. She also felt that he didn't seem to enjoy it much either. However, it was important to her and Bernard that they have children quickly and, in particular, a boy to carry on the family name. They, therefore, kept trying.

Today, before they went to the Club, Arnold had got his housekeeper to bring out his Sunday best suit and to give him a haircut. He also insisted on walking, albeit using a stick, rather than allowing Bernard to drive them. It was a slow fifteen-minute walk to do four-tenths of a mile, but he seemed more energetic than he had at the start of the holiday.

This time, they were shown to a table in an alcove. Arnold sat at the back of the table, giving him a good view of the restaurant. Bernard sat opposite him, and she was between them.

They were given the same waitress, who greeted them cheerfully while handing out the menus. Bernard was livid, and when Arnold went to the bathroom, he whispered to her, "Watch what he does with his hands."

"Sorry, dear?"

"He's going to see just how friendly that waitress is prepared to be in return for a good tip. He likes this table because no one else in the restaurant is behind him or to the side, and so can't see what he is up to."

They looked back at the door and saw Arnold having a quick word with the waitress before heading slowly back to the table.

When he returned, he said, "Just ordered a bottle of champagne. I want to toast your marriage properly now I'm over the bug I had when you arrived."

When Samantha walked over to them with an ice bucket and three champagne flutes, Arnold greeted her with enthusiasm. "Ah, my dear girl. Are you going to pop my cork for me, or should I get my son to do it?"

"Don't worry, sir. I've had plenty of practice at popping.... corks for men and not spilling anything. I'm very good with my hands."

"You know how to twist things in just the way to make them come... out easily."

"Precisely, sir. I have the knack. Practice makes perfect, and I've had plenty of experience for a girl my age."

Bernard's right hand was on hers, and he felt him gripping it hard. She looked at Samantha and realised that she was wearing bright red lipstick and that there was at least one more button undone on the blouse than when she had handed them the menus. She was flirting outrageously with a man old enough to be her grandfather and seemed to enjoy it. What was disconcerting for Juliette was that she envied the girl's confidence and swagger. She'd never felt comfortable with boys or men her age or with suggestive remarks.

The girl stood between Juliette and her father-in-law and made good her boast about popping the cork without making a mess. Indeed, when the cork popped, she kept it in her hand.

"You weren't lying about your technique or experience. Well done." This was, of course, from her father-in-law

She first poured Juliette a glass. She then lent over to hand Bernard a glass. Juliette glanced behind and saw that Arnold's hand was stroking the waitress's legs between her knees. After Arnold had been poured a glass, he said to Samantha, "Help me up, my dear."

She assisted, and Arnold raised his glass and said loudly. "To the young newlyweds." She noticed that the hand without the glass was around the waitress's waist and that she was leaning into him.

The rest of the meal was excruciatingly embarrassing for Juliette. Bernard had not hidden his distaste for his father over the last two days. She worked out afterwards that Arnold had chosen to ramp things up in a public setting, relying on Bernard's dislike of making a scene to avoid a shouting match and prevent him from storming out.

They studied the menus and were nearly ready to order when Grampa Arnold spoke, "My dear Juliette, I do hope that I live long enough to see a grandson who can carry on the family name of Cockburn." He pronounced it Cock-burn,

Juliette's aunt had told her that Bernard had been married before, but the wife had left him after ten childless years. He had only remarried after she had died, although he had divorced her after she had told him that she was pregnant by the other man. He had said that he wasn't divorced in the eyes of God or himself, but it would be unfair for his wife's children to be known as bastards. She rather admired him for that attitude.

"It's pronounced Coburn, pater."

"Not in Southpool. We've always been proud of being the biggest cocks on the dung heap and living up to the implications of the name. What was good enough for me, my Da, and my Grampa is good enough for you."

At the same time, Arnold caught Samantha's eye, and she came over to take the order. As she did so, Arnold knocked a fork off the table and started to bend over to pick it up.

Samantha said, "I'll get it, sir." She went down quickly but took her time getting up, allowing Arnold to stare down her blouse. He took full advantage of it. The girl winked at Juliette.

Samantha put the fork in the pocket of her blouse, putting further strain on her cleavage and took their order. When she left to get a new fork, Bernard said, "She's young enough to be your granddaughter, pater."

"We're both having harmless fun, Bernie. Actually, she could be my great-granddaughter. Still, Juliette is young enough to be your daughter. Actually, without anyone breaking the law, she could be your granddaughter. Perhaps I should encourage you by looking for a stepmother of Juliette's age to be Juliette's friend and discuss women's matters with her."

Bernard looked furious with himself and later admitted that he should have known how his father would react. She and Bernard had married four months ago. They had first met at church six years ago during the summer holidays. He had been friendly, but it was only after, as a favour to her aunt, he offered her a job as his secretary when she left school at 16 that they started to get to know each other properly. They got formally engaged on her 18th birthday and married three months later. She was still eighteen, and Bernard was fifty-three.

She had saved himself for marriage. She had always felt uncomfortable with boys her age, and her aunt had warned her that they were only after one thing. It wasn't a passionate marriage to judge from what some of the other wives she knew had hinted at, but he tried to be kind and gentle. He'd been distraught by the bleeding and her pain on the first night. While she left her job to marry him, the fact that she had worked for him for two years and he was so much older meant that she was used to obeying him as an employee. He did look after her, and she was grateful.

"There's no fool like an old fool."

"Speak for yourself, dear boy. I won't inflict a stepmother on you ..... well, not unless I get her pregnant first. Then I would do the honourable thing just to please you, Bernard." The older man winked at Juliette.

Bernard went to the gents to compose himself. Juliette sipped her champagne. She rather liked the taste.

"Sorry, Juliette. I'm afraid that after more than a week of each other's company, we can't help it. I had hoped he'd knocked you up when I heard about the marriage, but I should have known better. Your aunt assured me that you were a good girl, and it does not surprise me that my son behaved before marriage in the manner he believes gentlemen should do with good girls."

He clinked her glass. "I'll try and be a little more tactful with him for the rest of the evening."

"Thank you, Father."

"Call me Arnold or Arnie. If you can't manage that, call me Grampa. That's what the rest of the family call me now, even my daughters."

"Thank you, Arnold."

"Don't worry. I'd still like you to stay here for the summer to properly meet the rest of the family. Bernard can visit at weekends as we can manage each other for a few days at a time, especially if the rest of the family is around."

"I'll talk to Mr Cockburn -- sorry, Bernard. I'd like to meet the rest of the family properly." She blushed. She still instinctively thought of Bernard as her boss rather than her husband.

Of course, she had seen the rest of the Cockburn family at the wedding, but that had been a hectic day for her, and everyone had been on their best behaviour. Daphne had spent most of her time amusing her 13-year-old twin girls, and her second son James had been attentive to her bridesmaids to the mild irritation of Bernard and the amusement of the women themselves. Arabella, her husband, and her children had also been charming. Even Arnold had behaved himself and had made her aunt feel like a witty and attractive woman at the main table. Daphne's oldest son, Mark and his wife had been a bit remote but polite. They had no children.

She had taken dictation for letters to nearly all of them from Bernard when she had been his secretary and heard him fulminating against most of them apart from his sister Daphne. She had found it hard to match the people she'd met at the wedding against Bernard's views of them, but, as he said, they had been on their best behaviour.

"Good. It may also help Bernard understand them better if he can get another perspective. It won't be long until he is head of the family now."

Before she could say the polite phrases, he moved on, "Take some advice on clothes from Daphne. You are an attractive young lady and should dress accordingly. You hide yourself too much. It's as though you are trying to make yourself invisible. Bernie needs to realise that you are an attractive woman and a dutiful wife."

The part about trying to be invisible was true. She had been a shy, gangly schoolgirl. She was tall, at five foot ten, and unluckily for her, had had an early growth spurt. She had been known as the Giraffe for most of her time at her girls' boarding school. She had gone there at the age of twelve when her parents died in a car accident. She hadn't been badly bullied at school, as she'd been good enough at netball and lacrosse to be saved from that. She just hadn't fitted in that well as she was quiet and hard-working. In the holidays, she had lived with her spinster aunt, who had done her duty kindly rather than demonstratively. She was better at making cups of cocoa than hugs.

Even if Arnold was trying to behave, Bernard was still seething. He asked Samantha when she was serving the main course and the second bottle of wine, "So, you don't mind old men staring at your breasts and putting their hands up your skirt in exchange for a bigger tip?" His voice expressed disdain.

Juliette tried to hide her dismay. She knew that her father-in-law would not appreciate the remark.

Samantha had looked at him and said, "Well, it depends on how they stare and touch. Honest appreciation is fine. Grabbing is out." She'd glanced at Arnold as if to hint she did not mind his attentions.

Bernard harrumphed, and the girl continued, "I can look after myself. Anyway, lunches and dinners in this room are fine. The men who eat here are gentlemen. It's the dinners upstairs in the function room where I have to be careful."

Arnold intervened by saying, "Besides, that skirt is designed to minimise the scope for grabbing."

Samantha laughed, "Well, yes. It's tight enough to prevent real problems. I could wear a shorter one down here, but for the functions, I need them like this. I only have the two work skirts anyway."

Juliette asked, "Why not trousers?"

The waitress looked at her and said, "In this room, trousers would be fine. I don't know if you've ever waitressed at a rugby club dinner, ma'am, but..."

Arnold said, "I know the problem. I'll explain to her, Samantha."

When the waitress left, Arnold gently said to Bernard, "I and your mother brought you up better than to be rude to the staff."

"Don't talk to me about my mother. Anyway, I wasn't insulting her. I was just interested in the answers."

"Fine. I apologise. As you are so interested, I will tell Juliette why a thick tight skirt and not trousers."

"Pater....."

"I thought you wanted to know the answers."

"Very well." This was said in a grumpy tone.

"Juliette, for the marauding rugby player or the lascivious old man, trousers allow a more intimate grab from behind than a thick, tight, knee-length skirt. You are right in supposing that a short mini skirt is more dangerous than either."

"Oh." She guessed at what her father-in-law was hinting at.

"My father knows about such things, dear. He is no doubt speaking from his vast experience. No doubt, the same experience which assures him that Samantha is the sort of tart who does not mind his attentions." This was said in a quiet voice but full of feeling.

Arnold laughed and raised his glass in Bernard's direction. "Let's toast your wife, dear boy." Juliette was puzzled and then worked out that Arnold had no problem with his son being rude to him about his sexual immorality.

Whether it was because the waitress had worked out that, as her tip was coming from the older man, winding up Bernard was the way to go or was doing so for her own amusement was unclear. Anyway, when she next refilled Bernard's glass, she leaned over the table from beside Arnold. This allowed the older man to caress her bum while at the same time confronting Bernard with her breasts.

Juliette put her hand on Bernard's upper leg, but he pushed her hand away and then said sorry to her. Bernard went to the toilet again and spoke to the waitress on the way. The girl shook her head.

Arnold laughed, "I wonder whether he was propositioning her for a knee trembler. Sorry, my dear, that was a joke in poor taste. I know my son. He was probably telling her that my heart was not up to the excitement of her leading me on or that she should not flirt with me and tease him in front of his wife. I will have to increase her tip, of course."

He laughed, "No need to reply. Anyway, my dear, if you and he want to have children, you must convince him that you want to be treated as a woman, not a porcelain doll. With luck, he will forget himself tonight."

She blushed at that. Bernard did treat her as though she was fragile.

"Perhaps you could tell me more about your schooldays while Bernard has a sulk and recovers his temper."

She did as he suggested, and they got to the end of the meal without further unpleasantness. They walked home, but Arnold handed Bernard the stick and walked without support. He was clearly in a good mood and had given Samantha an even bigger tip than last time.