The Healing of Eve Ch. 05

Two and a half months later Beth and I were sitting in the bright conservatory overlooking her small garden, enjoying the first cup of coffee of the day. It was a cold but sunny Saturday and the hoar frost covered the trees in a glittering blanket of ice that glistened in the pale sunshine. We had been quietly pondering how best to make use of the upcoming day when the phone's strident ring shattered the stillness of the morning.

"That's odd," Beth said, a frown furrowing her brow, "who would be calling at this time on a Saturday morning?"

"Let it go to voicemail," was my immediate response. I was peeved at the interruption. It was not even nine o'clock and I had been enjoying the brittle light on the ice-bound trees and the cheerful sight of a chilly-looking robin grabbing mealworms from the bird feeder. Beth hesitated; I knew that she too was unhappy at the unwonted intrusion into our morning ritual, but her sense of duty prevented her from ignoring the interruption. I understood of course. As High Priestess of the coven she could not really allow the call to go unanswered, however inopportune the moment.

With a sigh, Beth put her half-empty coffee cup down and went inside to answer the phone. After a couple of minutes she returned with the instrument and an expression of concern on her face.

"Hang on a second Mary," she said, "I'm going to put you on speaker so that Hazel can listen as well." Mary must have expressed her surprise at my presence so early on a Saturday morning because Beth's face turned a delightful shade of pink as she said, "You obviously haven't heard about Hazel and me. We moved in together recently; in fact it was during the preparation of Eve's Rite that we realised that we were in love with each other." Like most people who have known us for any length of time, Mary's reaction was surprise that it had taken us such a long time to realise that we were meant to be together and joy that we had eventually found each other but the brief congratulatory interlude did not disguise the concern in her voice.

Mary was the High Priestess of a coven in a small town about fifteen miles from where we lived. Beth had known her longer than I, but we had met previously on matters related to the business of our craft. I thought of her as a level-headed and compassionate guide to her sisterhood, and I knew she possessed a deep understanding of the ancient lore.

"Mary is worried about Eve," Beth filled me in on her prior conversation. "Please start from the beginning again Mary," she said, "Hazel was instrumental in everything that happened during the ceremony and afterwards. Don't hold anything back on her account."

In the two months since we had performed the Great Rite in which Eve had been the Chosen One nothing untoward had happened. We had been concerned for Eve's well-being after the ceremony and had insisted on her staying for a couple of days under the care of sister Ash, who had also participated in the rite. When she left to return home, Eve had seemed well, even uplifted by the lasting positive energy of her sacred orgasm, and she had returned to her daily life seemingly with no lasting Ill-effects.

Now, from the note of concern in Mary's voice and the fact that she had called Beth at home on a Saturday morning I guessed something unexpected had happened. Beth gave Mary the opening she needed. "Tell us what's been going on with Eve," she said.

"She's pregnant," Mary came straight to the point.

"How lovely," was my first thought and congratulatory remarks were in the process of being made when Mary interrupted. "But Eve swears she has not had sex with a man since the ceremony, she believes that she became pregnant during the rite itself."

This news rocked me back in my seat. My mind raced. The ancient lore spoke of such happenings, but I had put such talk down as myth and legend. I had certainly never encountered it in modern times, and I am well versed in the lore. I looked at Beth, if she was shocked, she showed no sign of it and calmly questioned Mary.

"How does Eve know that she is pregnant?" she asked.

"She tells me that she has missed two periods, having been very regular before, She did not think much of the first, putting it down to the emotional upheaval of the ceremony. But after the second she began to wonder. She says that there are other changes, her breasts have become more sensitive, and she has felt some nausea in the mornings. So she took an over-the-counter test and it was positive."

"Has she seen a doctor?" Beth asked.

"No." Mary replied, "she came to see me first. I think the conversation with the doctor about her relationship with the father would have proved rather difficult."

Beth smiled a wry smile. "Yes, I can see that would be a tricky one," she said, then asked the question that was also on my lips.

"Do you believe her?"

Mary did not hesitate. "Yes Beth, I do. Extraordinary though her story is, I believe her. I have known her for a year and, as you know, she is a novitiate to the Sisterhood. I have been her guide and mentor from the beginning and in that time I have found her to be entirely honest and open, refreshingly so in fact."

Beth turned to me. We had known Eve only for a matter of weeks but the preparation for the Great Rite had required me to delve deeply into Eve's intimate life and it was exactly as Mary said. I had found her to be transparently honest. I thought it would have been impossible for her to deceive me, I am not without sensitivity to these things, and I said so.

"Beth, you know Eve," I said, "I am sure she believes she is pregnant. And if she says she has not been with a man then I am certain it's true. But surely there is a medical explanation for this. A phantom pregnancy for example, or some kind of hormonal imbalance."

Beth hesitated before speaking, her eyes were clouded, and I had a sudden feeling of foreboding, as though a chill had swept through the room.

"That is true," she said quietly, "yet we cannot discount the possibility that she was impregnated by some intervention of the Goddess at the culmination of the Rite. Such things are written in the old texts. Oak, you must discover what you can of these matters." Beth used my craft name, it was my High Priestess giving her Lore Mistress an instruction, not my soulmate asking for my help.

"Of course, Sister," I became formal, "although there is scant knowledge in the modern texts. I will do what I can."

"I know you will," Beth's voice had lost some of its coldness, but I was hurt, and I did not immediately know why.

"Mary," Beth continued, "we must get Eve seen by a doctor. I suggest that we ask sister Guelder Rose to see her. To our great good fortune, she is a consultant Obstetrician in her daily life and has a private practice so Eve can attend without a fuss. I will call Rose immediately after this call and explain the circumstances."

The relief in Mary's voice was palpable.

"Thank the Goddess," she said, "I was at my wits end knowing what to do for the best."

"Do you mind if I call Eve myself and arrange things," Beth asked. Strictly Eve was a novitiate of Mary's coven and Beth was being careful not to step on Mary's toes.

"Of course not," she said, "I am seeing Eve this afternoon. I will tell her of our conversation, which by the way she knew was to happen, and tell her to expect your call. Just keep me informed."

"Certainly," Beth agreed and with few further pleasantries, Mary said her goodbyes and hung up. Beth placed the phone on the table and sank back in her chair. She looked drawn. I was not used to seeing her like this and was desperate to take her in my arms to ease the pain that was etched on her face, but there was something in her demeanour that held me back. I could only wait for her to speak.

After a few moments Beth looked at me. Her eyes betrayed a deep-seated uncertainty that seemed foreign to her nature. "I must phone Rose," she said, "and then we need to talk about what may be happening to Eve." I nodded and Beth picked up the phone again. Rose answered almost immediately, and Beth explained the situation. I could hear only Beth's side of the conversation, but Rose obviously agreed to make time to see Eve as soon as possible and gave Beth the contact details of her secretary so that Eve could make the necessary arrangements. Beth's load seemed a little lighter after she had finished with Rose and she even managed a wan smile as she looked into her half-empty and now cold coffee cup and said, "I think I need another coffee." She looked too distracted to deal with the intricacies of the coffee machine and she gratefully accepted my offer to make it. I took our cups through to the kitchen and returned shortly with two steaming cups of the fragrant liquid. Handing one to her, I sipped mine and waited for her to begin.

"Hazel, I have a strong sense that something bad is happening to Eve. I don't know why I feel that way and that makes me even more worried," Beth's face betrayed her deep concern.

I needed to be practical. "We must see Eve," I said, "we have only had the briefest of conversations with Mary, everything is second hand. I trust Mary and Eve herself, but I don't propose to lose sleep over this until Eve has seen Rose and we have had a chance to have a proper conversation with her."

Beth looked relieved. She smiled and some of the joy of the day returned to her eyes. "You're right of course. We'll do exactly that."

By the following Thursday, Rose called to say that she had seen Eve and so I rang to invite her to the cottage for dinner. I deliberately kept our conversation to the pleasantries and the practical arrangements, and Eve was free on the Saturday. We cooked a simple casserole and had an informal meal round our kitchen table. After dinner we went through to the sitting room and Eve and I settled ourselves on the sofa in front of the blazing log fire while Beth drew the curtains, shutting out the darkness of the winter night. We had talked of this-and-that over the meal, and it had been pleasant enough, but there had been no discussion of the weighty matters that surely it was now time to air. Beth went to the sideboard where she famously kept a decanter of what she said was 50-year-old Cognac but which I had long suspected also contained a touch of her personal magic. Whatever the nectar was, I always found it magical in its restorative properties. Without asking, Beth poured three small glasses, placed them on a silver tray and delivered them to us, before folding herself, catlike, into her favourite armchair. She raised her glass to us, and I took a sip of the fiery liquid, feeing its warmth suffuse my body as I swallowed. Eve did likewise and there was a palpable release of tension in her body as the spirt did its work. We sat for a moment in comfortable silence, cocooned from the outside world, watching the flames dance in the fireplace, warming and alive. It was Beth who spoke first.

"I must say you look radiant Eve," she said, and indeed it was true. Eve positively glowed with vitality, her pale skin warmed by the firelight and her eyes shining as she looked steadily at Beth.

"Why thank you," Eve said. She hesitated, as though not sure how to respond to this compliment. "I feel so at ease here."

Beth's smile was warm. "Why don't you take your hair down?" It seemed to me an unusual request and I looked at Beth quizzically, but she was giving nothing away. Eve seemed to find nothing strange and complied without demur, removing the clip that held her hair in place and shaking her head, allowing the auburn tresses to fall to her shoulders. I could not stop myself from reaching out and re-arranging it, loosening the tangles that the clip had left behind. Her hair was smooth and glossy under my fingers and was that the faint smell of tea-tree oil, perhaps from an exotic shampoo? Eve shivered as the backs of my fingers brushed the nape of her neck. My immediate thought was to ask her whether she was warm enough, but I caught Beth's eye and the realisation dawned on me. Eve was not cold, she was aroused and Beth had sensed it. I looked more carefully at Eve. The warmth of the fire, or the inner heat of the spirit she was drinking might explain the flush on her cheekbones, but the firmness of her nipples, clearly outlined against the fine knit of her jumper hinted at a different, and altogether more interesting explanation. I took another sip from my glass and waited.

"How have you been since the ritual?" Beth asked as Eve smiled her gratitude for my grooming.

I've been fine," she said, "but it was a life-changing experience and I'm not sure I have processed it yet. It was an extraordinary night, wasn't it?" Her eyes shone as she re-lived the events that had brought her here.

She paused and posed a question of her own. "Do you remember losing your virginity?"

I could not help but laugh. Eve looked crestfallen. "Why is that funny?" She said.

I put a reassuring hand on hers, "It's not really funny and I'm not laughing at you," I said. " I lost my virginity at the age of 16 in a drunken fumble on the back seat of a car, to a boy that I hardly knew. Neither of us knew anything about sex, the entire experience lasted less than 10 minutes, I felt almost nothing, came nowhere near an orgasm, and couldn't wait to get home to have a hot bath. I was lucky not to get pregnant. What struck me as funny was the contrast between my experience and yours I suppose." I just stopped myself from saying "although as it turns out you did get pregnant," allowing Beth to chip in, before I had a chance to put my foot in it.

"Eve, I'm afraid my first sexual encounter was not an ideal experience either. I was at ballet school, I would have been 18 years old at the time. One of the teachers, I'll call her Margaret, a woman in her mid-thirties I suppose, took a particular interest in me. She told me I had a special talent and spent many hours coaching me, initially at the school and then later she would take me to her home. Looking back, I find it hard to believe how naïve I was."

Beth smiled ruefully as she continued, "one evening at her house I hadn't warmed up properly and got a bad cramp in the thigh while I was rehearsing. I was doubled up with the pain and Margaret got me onto a floor mat and started to give me a massage. To give Margaret her due, she was a great masseuse. She fixed the cramp in a few minutes, but she didn't stop there. Before I really understood what was happening the thigh massage morphed into a full body massage and in the course of that she somehow managed to get me out of my leotard. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't unwilling and I'm sure I could have stopped her at any time. It was my choice to let her continue. I'm not saying that the balance of power in the relationship was right. It clearly wasn't but you can imagine how things progressed.

Margaret had a bottle of scented almond oil close by, not a coincidence, I'm sure. She must have been waiting for just such an opportunity. She massaged it deep into my skin, the scent was intoxicating, overpowering even, and her touch became more and more intimate. She was knowledgeable and inventive, and I let her explore my body without hindrance. Soon enough she had me crying out with pleasure just by the way she touched my breasts. In the end I was so aroused that I climaxed almost as soon as she put a finger inside me. I remember she kept saying, 'Shh, quiet darling,' but she didn't let my cries stop those delicious fingers from coaxing every last ounce of pleasure from my body.

She didn't stop at a single orgasm either, and each climax was more intense than the one before. Afterwards she wrapped me in a towel and helped me shower, then she made me a hot chocolate and drove me home. She was very sweet actually, and quite matter of fact, scolding me for not warming up properly and telling me how to improve the dance routine we'd been working on."

Beth and I had long since shared our stories and so I knew of Margaret and this encounter. But I had not heard Beth tell the story with so much attention to detail and with such expression in her voice. I felt as though I had been an observer of the scene, and I was turned on by it. I had a vivid picture in my mind's eye of the lithe dancer's body squirming with pleasure beneath the hands of the older and more experienced woman. I felt the familiar butterflies in my stomach and the dampness between my legs as I listened to Beth's compelling voice. Eve too was obviously affected in a similar way. She listened entranced to the story, her breathing becoming faster, lips parted and the flush of her cheeks beautiful to see. Beth was no fool, I knew perfectly well that she was using the opportunity of Eve's question to initiate something. But I still did not know to where it would lead, or what my role was to be.

"How did it all end," Eve asked, her voice slightly husky now.

Beth smiled wistfully, "Ah, perhaps for the best, although at the time I did not think so," she replied. "All this happened on a Friday and as it happened, I had the weekend and Monday free. When I came back to school on the following Tuesday, Margaret was gone. We were never given a proper explanation but much later I found out that I was not the only student that Margaret had been 'coaching' and I suppose that one of the others complained about her and so she was summarily dismissed. I guess it was hushed up by the school to avoid a serious scandal. Maybe money changed hands, I don't know. Anyway, that was the last I heard or saw of Margaret. I missed her coaching, her actual coaching I mean not her 'coaching,' although had she stayed, I probably would have let it happen again. I liked her, and she made me see stars." Beth laughed. "I would have wanted that again."

"How badly?" Eve's question appeared to take Beth by surprise.

"Do you mean how badly did I want Margaret to give me another 'happy ending' massage?"

"Not that in particular," Eve spoke with a hint of desperation in her voice, "how badly did you need sex once you knew what it was like?"

Beth looked thoughtful, "I enjoyed the experience, it was certainly a lot more fulfilling than Hazel's first sexual encounter sounded, Margaret was an experienced woman, she knew how to give pleasure, and I learned some of the secrets of my own body under her tutelage. But I didn't feel any great urge to repeat the experience with anyone else, I was rather too busy with my dancing at the time."

Eve looked at me with the obvious question unasked. "I'm afraid my experience had rather the opposite effect," I said. It was a clumsy, loveless, and somewhat messy fumble that put me off sex for quite a long time.

"But what about you Eve?" Beth spoke quietly, "has the ritual affected you?"

Eve nodded slowly, "I crave sex," she said, turning first to me and then to Beth, "I wake in the night my body aching to be touched. It's a hunger that I can't seem to satisfy.

I caught Beth's eye and the minute dip of her head told me all I needed to know. "Well perhaps we can at least try to assuage your appetite tonight," I said, and without further ado, placed my hand on the nape of Eve's neck, tilted her head towards me and gently kissed her. Her lips were warm and soft against mine, but she held them tight shut. For a moment I wondered whether I had misjudged the situation, but to my immense relief I felt her relax into the kiss and as my lips explored hers, her breathing quickened and she responded to the movement of my hand as I caressed her neck.

Beth looked on with a smile as our kisses deepened. Eve sighed at the first gentle probing of my tongue, opening herself to me and returning my kisses with all the pent-up ardour she so obviously felt.

Eve drew back from the embrace, her eyes shining, and her cheeks flushed with desire. She stared at the zip fastener at my throat holding my robe closed and her thoughts were so transparent I could not help but smile. I held her gaze and nodded. She turned to Beth who remained seated in her armchair. "Whatever is right with Hazel is fine my me," Beth said. I caught her eye and saw the tell-tale signs of Beth's arousal. I knew that before long she would be an active participant in our lovemaking.