Courting Miss Greene Ch. 03

Upon returning to her room, Abby was disappointed to see the dresser still as empty as she had left it that morning. She knew the drink had something to do with the man who had appeared in her dream. When she undressed, she decided to take off her chemise as well, just in case he would return after all.

Abby was stark naked when she got into bed. She had never slept nude before. The sheets were cool against her skin. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head. While she arched her back and writhed under the blanket, the friction from the fabric made her feel sensual in a new way.

She recalled how frustrated she had been the previous night when the stranger could only touch her through her clothes. Abby made it up to herself by caressing her body while she thought about him. She remembered how much she had wanted to feel something inside of her. She spread her thighs and touched herself at the center, looking for the little opening. She frowned while she probed the soft, moist flesh with her fingers.

Where exactly was it?

She had found it once before, but felt no pleasure when she entered a finger in there so she always used to tease her little nub instead. Certainly the entrance could not have shrunk away! Abby pouted. Thomas was right then. She was uptight, literally. Abby sighed in disappointment and removed her hand. Perhaps she should consult the medical section of the library tomorrow. Her gaze wandered around the room while she let herself drift off. All of a sudden her heart missed a beat.

A man was standing on her balcony outside!

Abby's eyes widened. She could see him well enough since she had not drunk anything and the curtains were still open. It must be the stranger from last night! She was sure of it! She could not make out his face, but he seemed to be looking at her. For a moment she was afraid he would come in. The next moment she was afraid he would leave. Abby lay frozen under the sheets and stared at the dark figure, trying not to blink her eyes in case he was a dream after all. Abby no longer trusted herself to tell whether something was real or not.

She liked the look of him: those broad shoulders, the narrow hips, the nonchalant way he leaned against the wall. She wondered what he wanted. She did not have any precious possessions, except for her maidenhood. If he wanted it, she would give it to him. She wanted to give it to him.

Abby was not sure how much he was able to see. It was probably too dark to read her face, but he should be able to make out her body in the moonlight. In a series of slow movements she pushed herself upright to sit on her knees, letting the sheets slide down her back before stretching her legs while she turned around to face him. She leaned back on one hand to caress her body with the other, bending a knee to show the curve of her thigh and calf. Her head fell back when she arched her back to expose her slender torso. She lowered herself onto her elbow, emphasizing the curve of her hips in contrast to her waist.

From the balcony outside, Thomas was enjoying Abby's little show. He licked his lips while his eyes roamed all over the naked form she displayed without constraint. He grinned when he recalled Abby's failed attempt at pleasuring herself. She was probably trying to enlist some help in that department and he was more than willing to give it to her. Thomas had not intended to do anything tonight as a way of teasing her and making her more desperate for their next session, but the way things were going he found himself tempted to enter the room after all. Leaving was not an option, neither was standing there all night.

He reached for the door handle.

Abby was startled by the sound of footsteps down the hall. In a reflex, she turned to look at the door and covered herself. When she looked back at the balcony again, the man was gone. Abby blinked. He was either incredibly fast or she had been dreaming after all. Her heart pounded. She had to know. Abby wrapped herself in a sheet and got out of bed. She shivered in the cool night air when she walked onto the balcony. There was nobody there. Perhaps he could make himself invisible, but why would he disappear like that?

Abby cleared her throat. "I won't tell anybody if you come in... and I won't resist... I promise!" She felt silly talking into the night air like that. Even if he could hear her, the mystery man would not reappear out of thin air just because she said he could have his way with her. Abby decided to go back into the room before she would catch a cold. He probably was just a dream after all.

Thomas was clinging onto the rope under the balcony. He had a pretty good hunch Abby would come outside and he did not want to get caught climbing up the wall. He felt encouraged by Abby's words. This would change things. She was willing to have a rendezvous with a real man, not just some figment of her imagination.

This could get interesting...

Now Uncle Albert was back at Alder Hill, Abby's mind did not get the chance to wander off during breakfast again. The old man entertained his guests by asking each of them the silliest questions and giving equally silly replies to the answers. Abby welcomed the distraction. It felt as if she had known this family for a long time already. Except for Thomas, but she did not want to think about him.

Later that day, Abby went to the library. The encyclopedia she had been going through did not include illustrations on the subject of her interest so she had to look further. She took out a book from one of the shelves in the most likely section and browsed through the pages.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Robert!" Abby slammed the book shut at once and put it back, shaking her head. She hoped Robert would not be able to guess what she was looking for.

He peered down the same shelf, took out another book and handed it to her. "This one has pretty detailed pictures," he said. "Don't ask me how I know."

"Robert, I...!" stammered Abby while her face turned red. He gave her an understanding smile, instead of the mocking one she had feared. Abby breathed a sighed of relief. Robert was such a fine gentleman indeed! She realized she was quite fond of Robert and she was not afraid to tell him so. "Robert, I must say... I do like you a lot," she said. "Not romantically, you know. But I think we're very much alike and I'm really glad to have met you... even after that rocky start."

"Why, Abby! How sweet of you!" laughed Robert. "Then you really have forgiven me! So we're friends now?"

"Of course!" replied Abby. "If you ever need any help, just let me know."

"Well, I'd do the same for you," said Robert.

Robert and Abby smiled at each other for a moment.

All of a sudden a voice cried out, "Abby! How could you stab me in the back like that?"

Robert and Abby turned to see Lizzy standing in the doorway, shaking with anger while tears welled in her eyes. Abby gaped at her sister for a moment. "It's not what you think, Lizzy!" she cried. "Really, it's not!"

"Lizzy!" Robert called out. He moved towards the other girl, but she turned around and fled. He turned to Abby in dismay.

"Talk to her, Robert! If you care about her at all, then tell her so!" urged Abby.

Robert nodded and ran after Lizzy.

Abby let out a deep sigh. She thought about following them, but Robert should take this opportunity to declare his love to Lizzy. She should give them some privacy. If he messed things up again, she could always take care of it later.

Lizzy ran to her chamber, closed the door behind her and locked it. She could hear Robert running down the hall, but she was not ready to face him. She knew what was coming. Robert would give her a perfect explanation for what she had seen in the library, and then she would have to admit she had been a silly goose for shouting at Abby like that. Lizzy regretted her little outburst already and she wished she could take it back.

Her heart pounded. The footsteps had stopped. Robert was standing at the other side of the door!

"Lizzy..."

"Leave me alone, Robert! I don't want to talk!" She bit her lip, taken aback at how mean she sounded. How could she think about loving a gentleman like Robert? She was just a mean and silly little girl. She did not deserve him at all. The thought made Lizzy's heart ache again and she burst into tears.

"Lizzy! You're not crying, are you?"

The girl answered by turning up the volume. She hoped it would be enough to make him go away. Could nobody tell when she wanted to be left alone? The door gave a slight budge when Robert tried the handle. Lizzy was relieved she had locked it.

"Lizzy, I have a key! I'm coming in!"

Her heart missed a beat. She had not expected that! Lizzy ran away from the door and threw herself onto the bed. She buried her face in one of the pillows by hugging it with her arms and held her breath to listen.

A key turned inside the lock. The door opened a moment later.

Robert sighed. What was he doing? He had entered a young ladies' bedchamber without her permission. Even though this was his house and he could go wherever he pleased with the master key, he should have respected her wish. But now he was here, he might as well move on. Robert sat down on the bed behind Lizzy and put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. It only prompted Lizzy to start sobbing again. Robert looked at the door. He thought he heard footsteps down the hall. He hoped it was Abby.

Lizzy was choking from crying in her pillow. She needed to clear her nose, but she did not want to do something so unflattering with Robert in the room. She tried to tell him to go away, but she was barely audible with a stuffy nose as well as a pillow pressed to her mouth. "Muuh-umeeyy!"

"What was that, Lizzy?"

"Ggoohh-uuweeeyy!"

"Oh, baby..." Robert pulled away Lizzy's hand from underneath the pillow and turned her over onto her back. Lizzy knew her face must by a mess from all the crying. She shook her head at him while she tried to yank back her hand. She did not want him to see her like this. Robert grabbed her other hand as well, hunching over her to prevent her from returning to her previous position.

"Let goh uhv mee...!" she cried. She tried to struggle, but she was powerless against him.

"No, baby, don't be like that!" he said. "I love you, Lizzy. Don't you know?"

"Noh...! Nooooh!" sobbed Lizzy, shaking her head. This was not happening! Why did he have to say that at a time like this? How unromantic!

"Baby, it doesn't have to be like this!" said Robert. "I know you want me!"

Lizzy only pouted, staring at the floor.

Robert needed to try something else. He bent down to kiss Lizzy, but she turned away her head. When his lips smoothed over her neck, she struggled anew with all her might.

"Noh!" she cried, trying to kick him with her legs. "Leev mee uhlooohn!"

"Baby, I --"

"Rooobbeeeert!" a deep voice bellowed.

Robert was roughly yanked away from Lizzy. He looked up at Ethan, too startled to speak. Ethan did not care to wait for an explanation and punched his older cousin square in the face. Lizzy gasped in shock when Robert fell to the floor, clutching his nose.

Ethan turned around. "Lizzy, are you alright?"

"Oooh, Eethuhn! Yoo puhnched 'im!" cried Lizzy.

He stared down at his little sister-in-law. She did not seem to be relieved at all now she was safe. Ethan tried to comfort her, but she shook her head at him and muttered something unintelligible. He gave her his handkerchief to clear her nose and decided to wait for her to calm down.

Ginny stood in the door, aghast at what she had just witnessed. She had always trusted Robert, but she could not forgive him for trying to force himself on her baby sister! Ginny ran up to Robert and pummeled him with her fists, screeching with rage.

"Stop! Ginny, no!" cried Abby when she arrived at the scene. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw blood running from Robert's nose. "Oh, Ginny! What on Earth did you do to Robert?"

"Erm, that was me..." confessed Ethan.

"Don't side with him, Abby! He tried to violate Lizzy!" cried Ginny. She got off from Robert and sat down on the bed to comfort her youngest sister. Abby ignored Ginny and helped Robert to his feet.

He could only breathe through his mouth, but tried to speak anyway. "I wasn't... trying... to violate her!" he stammered.

"Like hell you were!" scoffed Ethan. "You were forcing her down on the bed and you ignored her when she said 'no'! You even blamed her for your own actions... How could you take advantage of a young, innocent girl like that? You didn't even bother to seduce her. You're no better than Thomas!"

Abby cringed at that. "Surely, there must have been some misunderstanding," she said, looking at Lizzy.

The younger girl had finished clearing her nose. "Don't be mad at Robert!" she said. "It's all my fault!"

"Don't say that, Lizzy. It's never the girl's fault," replied Ethan. "Nothing you could have said or done would excuse a man from doing what Robert was about to do to you. He should have been able to take 'no' for an answer, especially at his age. He's responsible no matter what."

"Oh, Ethan!" sighed Ginny. "You're such a hero!"

Lizzy tried to think of something to say, but she could not argue with Ethan. Robert had crossed the line when he came into her room unbidden. He should not have sat down on her bed, nor should he have held her down like that... And then he tried to kiss her as well! If Ethan had not pulled Robert away, where would he have stopped? Lizzy shivered at the thought. This was not what she had in mind when she fantasized about making love to Robert. She could not face him anymore. Lizzy stared at the floor, wishing none of this had happened.

"Robert, why don't you get cleaned up? We'll talk about it later," suggested Abby. When Robert left the room, she turned to Ethan and Ginny. "Actually, I'm the one to blame," she said. "Lizzy saw me and Robert in the library together and she assumed the worst. I sent Robert after her to explain the situation. I wanted to give him a chance to declare his love to Lizzy, but I suppose he was a bit clumsy about it..."

"A bit clumsy?" echoed Ginny.

"I wouldn't put it that way, Abby," said Ethan. "You didn't see what we saw."

"Well, what exactly did you see?" asked Abby.

Ethan bent down towards Lizzy, but stopped himself when he was about to grab her arm. He did not want to cause the girl further trauma by having her go through it all again. He gave Ginny one of the pillows instead so they could reenact the scene for Abby together. Ethan had to improvise a bit since he could not remember Robert's exact words. It came down to saying he loved her and he knew she wanted him, and then he tried to kiss her. Ginny blushed, cringing from embarrassment, and cried "no" repeatedly while shaking her head. Her two sisters looked on in horror until all of a sudden Lizzy laughed out loud.

How silly it looked!

Aside from the fact that Ethan and Ginny were rather bad actors, Lizzy realized she had been silly for reacting to Robert that way. He said he loved her! What more could she wish for? The others stared at her, not sure whether she was really laughing instead of crying. It was hard to tell since tears were streaming down her face. At last Lizzy calmed down again. Her heart soared while a big smile appeared on her face.

"What a silly goose I am!"

Robert had washed his face and put on a clean shirt. It was his good fortune Ethan had not broken his nose. He waited in the hall, careful not to show himself unless he was wanted. Ethan and Ginny came down first. They did not look angry anymore. Robert took it as a good sign.

"I'm sorry about punching you, Robert," said Ethan.

"Me too," added Ginny.

Robert was a bit surprised at that. Ginny had not actually caused him any harm. "Thank you, both of you, but I'm fine," he said. "How is Lizzy?"

"She'll be down in a moment," replied Ginny. "Abby is still trying to boost her morale. Lizzy seems to have pulled herself together, but she's feeling rather silly about the whole episode."

Robert sighed. "She's not the only one," he said. "I'm feeling quite ashamed of my own conduct. All I can say is, if I had really wanted to violate her, I surely would have locked the door behind me. I plead guilty to all other charges."

"Well, I'm hardly one to talk," said Ethan. "I used to stalk Ginny before I proposed to her. She wasn't amused at that either, but I suppose all's well that ends well."

"Oh, here they are!" said Ginny.

Robert watched Abby and Lizzy walk down the stairs. He offered his arm to Lizzy and she allowed him to lead her into the garden. Lizzy noticed the others stayed behind in the hall. She wondered for a moment where Robert was taking her. When they approached the fountain, she started to suspect what he had in mind. They sat down on the same bench as before.

Robert remained silent for a moment while he gazed down at Lizzy. " Lizzy, can you forgive me?" he asked.

"For what?" she asked in return.

Robert sighed. "For being slow to catch up with you," he answered. "I should have known I loved you when I first set my eyes on you. I could have saved both of us a lot of heartache and misery, but instead I brushed you off with a wild goose chase for a younger man and left myself to chase after you in turn..."

"... on a silly goose chase?" suggested Lizzy with a smile.

"If that's what you want to call it," laughed Robert. "Would you have me for your silly gander, Lizzy?" he asked.

Her heart jumped. "Oh, Robert! Of course I would!" she answered.

Robert leaned in towards Lizzy. Her young heart pounded when he pressed his lips onto hers. It was her first kiss and she was getting married! Lizzy did not have much time to ponder the situation. All thoughts left her mind when she felt Robert's tongue lick at her lips. She opened her mouth to let him in and followed his lead, remembering her sister's words. Lizzy pulled Robert down by his collar, afraid he might stop. She imagined they were back in her bedroom and he was lying on top of her. She shivered when she pressed her body against him. She wanted to feel all of him, but she was disappointed when Robert broke the kiss. Had she done something wrong?

"I'm sorry," she said, "I don't have any experience with men at all."

Robert grinned. "You don't need to worry about that," he said, "but there's no reason to rush it either, especially not outside in the garden... unless you'd like to loose your maidenhood behind the hedge."

Lizzy gaped at him. "That's not what I meant!" she exclaimed.

"I'm just teasing you, baby," laughed Robert. "Let's go back inside and tell everyone the good news."

Uncle Albert had gone out with Ethan's parents that afternoon. When they returned to Alder Hill, he noticed there was some excitement among the younger people. His son would not tell him what was going on until they were all seated in the parlor.

Robert moved to stand in front of the fireplace in the middle of the room and cleared his throat. "I have a little announcement to make," he said, "and I think you're going to like it, father."

"Well, don't keep me waiting then!" said Uncle Albert, moving to the edge of his seat.

"I'm engaged to be married," said Robert, "to Elizabeth Greene." He extended his hand to Lizzy, who promptly rushed to his side.

Ethan's parents smiled at each other. They were rather surprised, but kept calm nonetheless. This seemed very familiar somehow.

Uncle Albert got up to embrace his son. "Bobby! Finally!" he exclaimed. The old man peered down at Lizzy. The girl bit her lip, looking a bit nervous. "Has Bobby given you a ring, my dear?" he asked.