Marriage Training Ch. 01

She knew that she should feel grateful, but instead she felt more anxious than ever. While she had been a little frightened of her debut and the pressure to marry well, and she should probably be relieved that those burdens had been taken from her, now she felt anxious about what her husband-to-be might expect and whether or not she could please him. It had been made clear to her by her father's letter, Mrs. Cunningham and her own sense of duty and indebtedness, that she needed to please her husband.

Of course, it seemed that Mrs. Cunningham thought she could mold Vivian into exactly the kind of wife that would please Lord Howard best. Vivian had excelled at her studies ever since arriving to the school, to live up to her father's expectations. Now she vowed that she would continue to do so with this new course of study.

*******

Lord Gabriel Cecil, the Earl of Cranborne and son of the Marquess of Salisbury, came to Mrs. Cunningham's Finishing School early in the morning the day after Vivian's birthday. His dark, wavy hair, just a bit longer than the fashion, fluttered gently in the breeze as he rode up on his horse, Lucifer. The Earl was an extremely attractive man, just turned thirty, and he had been waiting for this day for over two years, ever since he'd seen Vivian Stafford at a wedding and decided almost on the spot that he wanted her.

Not just because she had been beautiful, although she was, or for her innocence, which was both refreshing and seductive to him, but for the creature that he sensed underneath. Although she'd been a very demure and obedient young lady, he was well acquainted with enough women to see her latent sensuality, the passionate woman that she would eventually grow into.

Ever since seeing Vivian at that picnic he'd fantasized about her, discovering her family's financial situation had immediately brought to mind Mrs. Cunningham's Finishing School. Now, after two years, he was at the school to discuss the final portion of Vivian's training to be his wife, and the portion of her studies that he was most interested in. His step-mother had met Miss Stafford at a tea earlier this week and had told him that the young lady was not only beautiful, but well-mannered, demure, and would make any man a fine wife.

The past two years had crawled by as Gabriel had looked forward more and more to Miss Stafford's birthday and the commencement of her new training. Brokering the negotiations with the Baron had been the easy part; waiting was much more difficult. The day was finally here, not quite the day he was most looking forward to which was when he would be able to take his bride home with him, but today was another sort of special day. Today he would talk to Mrs. Cunningham about the training he wished his future wife to receive and he was also going to finally be able to see Vivian for the first time since that fateful day at the wedding. Not only that, but he was going to be able to watch her examination by the school's doctor, a procedure which he was quite looking forward to in some respects and dreading in others. He wasn't particularly enthused of having another man seeing, touching and examining his wife-to-be, but he understood the necessity of the invasive examination to her training and he was certainly looking forward to seeing how she responded to it.

Handing Lucifer over to one of the grooms he was escorted up to the school and to Mrs. Cunningham's office by one of the footmen. She was already seated behind her desk and she immediately popped up and curtsied as he entered the room. A gentleman in his late thirties was also present, he stood up and bowed, obviously already informed of the Earl's identity.

"Mrs. Cunningham," Gabriel said, taking her hand and bowing over it quite elegantly. "How lovely to see you again."

Although she had told Miss Stafford that she didn't know whether or not she would find her future husband attractive, Mrs. Cunningham privately thought that if she didn't then there was something wrong with her. The darkly handsome earl with his brooding, pewter-grey eyes and waving black hair looked especially splendid attired in his riding outfit. Gleaming black Hessians on his feet set off muscular legs which were hugged by soft, calf-skin breeches. The hunter green of his coat brought out tiny specks of the same color in his eyes, and despite his ride his cravat was flawlessly white and tied with a deceptively simple looking knot. All in all, he was the kind of young man to make young ladies swoon and Mrs. Cunningham considered him the perfect match for Vivian. Never had she seen such a well-matched couple; they would glitter in Society and, despite the fact that many young ladies and their mamas would be jealous of Vivian's coup in marrying him, no one would question why they had married.

"My Lord," she said. "Thank you so much for coming this morning. This is Dr. John Monroe. Dr. Monroe, Lord Cranborne." The gentlemen shook hands and sat down across from Mrs. Cunningham. "Miss Stafford's examination with Dr. Monroe is schedule for an hour from now, I thought it would be best if we met beforehand and discussed how thorough an examination you would like her to have. Dr. Monroe can describe the possibilities for you."

Leaning forward, Dr. Monroe gave the Earl one of his most easy going smiles. He'd been doing this for years and he realized that for some men it could be quite aggravating to have their future wives handled, even by a professional, and had found that examinations went much more smoothly if the gentlemen in question could be part of the decision on exactly how they would be handled. A handsome gentleman in his mid-thirties, Dr. Monroe had dark blonde hair and very pale blue eyes that some of the young ladies described as "icy." Although he wasn't quite as tall as the Earl, who was several inches over six feet, Dr. Monroe was tall enough to loom over the young ladies in a most effective manner and his broad shoulders and muscular body made those young ladies who weren't completely intimidated by him titter and fake illnesses to see him. Of course, finding that he had no patience for young ladies who did the latter quickly reformed any maladies.

"As I'm sure Mrs. Cunningham has explained to you, there will be a peephole so that you may watch the procedure and ensure that the examination is handled to your satisfaction," he said matter-of-factly. The Earl nodded, appreciating the doctor's professional manner and sensitivity to the situation; after all, he hadn't been thrilled to know that another man would be touching Vivian and seeing that the man in question was a rather attractive man did nothing to ease that anxiety. "The examination will be completed by me and Miss Stafford's companion, Mrs. Banks. We usually begin by stripping the young ladies down, which is more of a test of obedience than of her health, but it will also give you the opportunity to examine her for any flaws or changes you might wish to make. We'll have questions for you afterwards, including whether or not you'd like to have her body hair removed, so this will give you the opportunity to make an informed decision. After that I usually test muscles and body responsiveness with a massage, which can or cannot include her breasts and nipples dependent on your preferences. Her temperature will be taken with a rectal thermometer, which should give us an idea of the elasticity of her anus, and we can test that further for you if you'd like. I will perform the usual check for her maidenhead and then, if you'd like, we can check her responsiveness to digital manipulation. Some gentlemen request both manual and oral, either I or Mrs. Banks can perform the tests if you decide you'd like them included. That's usually the conclusion to the examination unless you'd like an enema or douche to be performed as well."

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, not exactly slouching, but the way a predator might recline while considering its prey. He fully appreciated the options laid out by the school, especially as these were all things he would have liked to do to Vivian himself, but he could see where it would be less frightening for her to have her companion and a physician perform the examination. At least he would get to watch.

"I would certainly like her bottom tested," he said without even the hint of a blush. "I plan on using it often once we're married and I'd like her to be ready and, if not happy, at least accepting that she will be used thus. Although I would not want her stretched very far during her training."

"Understood, my Lord," said Mrs. Cunningham smoothly. "Most gentlemen prefer to have their young ladies prepared for such activities without over acclimating them to the activity itself."

"Exactly so," said Gabriel, pleased that they understood each other so well. Truly he had chosen well when he'd decided to send his future bride to Mrs. Cunningham's! "I would certainly like her responsiveness tested with the massage, including her breasts and nipples. If Mrs. Banks could test her responsiveness to digital and oral pleasure, I would appreciate that."

Dr. Monroe nodded, not looking at all disappointed which Gabriel found vastly reassuring. It seemed that the good doctor was not particularly interested in Miss Stafford as a person, although Gabriel was sure that the man would thoroughly enjoy the examination. What man wouldn't? "Would you like us to test her nipples for pain as well? I know you haven't gone over the specifics of training with Mrs. Cunningham and whether or not you'll be including clamps as part of hers, but if you are then we can include it as part of the examination.

The idea appealed and after mulling it over for a moment Gabriel approved.

"I think the douche and enema as well," he said. "I would like to see how she reacts to them before deciding how I would like them included in her training."

"Very good, my Lord," said Dr. Monroe approvingly. "If I may be so frank, I think it's best to see how she'll react to each situation before dictating training. Not all gentlemen are as thorough and it can cause setbacks."

For a moment Gabriel wondered if he should be offended - after all, what care does an earl have for a doctor's opinion - but he decided to take the compliment the way it was intended. After all, Dr. Monroe must have seen quite a few young ladies progress throughout their training, from examination to graduation, and he would be quite knowledgeable about which procedures produced the best results.

"Thank you," he said. "I suppose we'll meet after the examination as well?"

"Yes, both Dr. Monroe and Mrs. Banks will join us for the discussion," said Mrs. Cunningham. "I've found that it's best to include all parties, excepting the student of course, in order to ensure that your directions will be completely understood."

"Very good," said the Earl, feeling quite pleased. It was obvious that the success of their operation was well-tested.

"If you'll excuse me," said Dr. Monroe, standing. "I should go prepare for the examination."

The gentlemen shook hands before Gabriel returned to his seat as Dr. Monroe left the room. He and Mrs. Cunningham spent the next half hour wrangling out the remaining financial matters, although he was severely distracted by the anticipation of Miss Stafford's upcoming physical exam. Of course, considering that he was bargaining, that might have been Mrs. Cunningham's aim all along. As he'd noted, she had quite a bit of experience in these matters.