‘Then it is well that the manner of your relief will be a pleasant one.’ The light in the cabin clicked off. ‘Now, get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us, and I do not wish you over-tired.’
Richmond, London, 4th June.
The Wooster residence was not an especially large place, for Richmond, but it had two storeys of aboveground dwelling space, cellars which housed the lower-ranking staff, a rear, detached wing which housed the remainder of the staff, and between them a courtyard which Antonia referred to as her ‘sun terrace,’ when there was any sun to shine upon it.
‘It should be a fine place for you to practise your taiji chuan, Kate,’ Antonia said as they looked out through the French window of the small drawing room. There was a knock on the door and a petite girl no older than Kate appeared to be entered with a tray. ‘Ah, Kate, this is Little who pretends to be a maid while secretly wishing to sing upon the stage.’
Little gave her mistress a grin. She lived up to her name, being not much above five feet, and slim with it, and she was a pretty girl with black hair, pulled into a bun, and blue eyes. Either she had amazing corsetry or a substantial bust for a girl of her size, and a slim waist. She was dressed in black with a white apron, and looked good in it. ‘Ma’am knows as well as I do that the stage is for the pretentious and wicked.’
‘Oh? A new aim then? Espionage perhaps? A dusky femme fatale sent to steal the secrets of foreign lords.’
‘I’ll leave the intrigues to you, ma’am, if it’s all the same.’ She put down the tray and poured two cups of tea. ‘I can’t be addressing this young lady as Kate, ma’am.’ She had a southern London accent, softened by some education.
‘Yes,’ Kate said, ‘you can. Miss Kate if you must, for I have no doubt that you are more highly born than I even if I may claim Doctor Barstow-Hall as my guardian.’
Little looked up at Kate with a smile and was about to say something when her eyes widened. ‘Oh! Begging your pardon, ma’am. I mean, Miss Kate. Your eyes caught me by surprise. I hazard I’ve never seen eyes like them.’
‘Except on a cat,’ Kate said, smiling. ‘No offence is taken, Little. I am, unfortunately, used to such reaction.’ She was not used to Little’s next action, however, and her cheeks coloured a little as the maid looked more closely. Antonia did nothing to stop the familiarity, which also surprised Kate a little.
‘I like them,’ Little said after a few seconds. ‘The way they almost glow… Golden, they are.’
Antonia smiled. ‘Well and good. Should anyone ask for Kate, Little, she is “Miss Felix” to those outside this house, aside from her guardian.’ She gave a glance to Kate. ‘It is most often Little who answers the door since she enjoys a room downstairs. As for other duties, Miss Kate may require assistance with her corset, but I believe that should be about all.’
‘I wish to be of no inconvenience at all,’ Kate agreed.
‘It’s no bother to me,’ Little replied giving a little curtsey before heading to the door. ‘Mrs Wooster takes so little effort it’s a wonder she needs a maid at all.’
‘Would you ask Mister and Mrs Bridger to attend us, Little. I’d like to introduce them properly.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ And then the door closed behind her booted feet.
‘She’s a dear, and you’re wrong about your status. Margery attempted to pick my pocket once in Soho, and David and I decided to give her proper employment rather than casting her into the justice system. She is an orphan and not at all of good family. Had we left her there she would have ended up selling her body I have no doubt. She constantly dreams up some new way to make her fortune, but I do not think she would willingly leave for love nor wealth beyond measure.’
‘She seems nice.’
‘She is.’ The door opened and a middle-aged man and woman entered, him a little on the plump side, her round in the face and smiling. Kate had met the man, briefly, when he had opened the door for them and then gone off upstairs with their bags. ‘And these are the other two members of the household I need to introduce. Kate, this is Mister and Mrs Bridger. Mrs Bridger sees to it that we eat far too well and looks after us in general, and Mister Bridger does… did for David and now handles such activities as are more suited to the man of the house.’
Kate got a bow and a curtsey from the couple, and prepared herself to counter the deference, but Mister Bridger got in first. ‘Little mentioned that we should prepare ourselves for a shock with your eyes, Miss Kate, and that you preferred to be treated as one of us, rather than a gentlewoman.’ He had a voice which sounded as though the words got jammed up a little somewhere in his nose and a clearly very carefully educated accent.
‘And that’s all well and good,’ Mrs Bridger went on, ‘but whatever your breeding, you’re a guest in this house and the ward of a true gentleman.’ Her accent had more London in it and her voice was a little higher than her frame and face suggested. ‘So if you’ll not mind the presumption, if you don’t take advantage of the deference we’d prefer to treat you just as we would any other lady staying on a visit.’
‘I would be honoured to meet the demands of such a compromise,’ Kate replied, smiling.
‘Now there, see? That’s a ladylike way of saying it so there’s no point in denying it. If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’ll make an excellent pâté.’ With their relative positions confirmed, Mrs Bridger turned to Antonia. ‘You’re back a full two days ahead of schedule, Mrs Wooster. I was going out tomorrow to restock. I hope you’ll be happy with what’s in the larder.’ Antonia said nothing, merely looking at the older woman for a second. ‘Yes, I know, grubs in the Transvaal. I’ll have something ready when it comes time for dinner.’
‘Grubs in the Transvaal?’ Kate asked when the Bridgers had gone.
‘David and I were caught out by freak weather in southern Africa. We lost a lot of supplies to a flash flood and were forced to make do with what we could find. That included some form of large caterpillar the natives said was a local delicacy.’
‘And was it?’
‘Words cannot describe the taste. Certainly not any words suitable for polite company. Compared to that, what Mrs Bridger can produce from leftovers and cupboard supplies is a banquet fit for at least a prince.’
~~~
Kate was not entirely sure what princes ate, but by the time she was retiring to the drawing room with a glass of sherry and Antonia, she could tell why Mister Bridger was not a thin man. What was taxing her was why Antonia was not approximately the shape of a blimp.
‘That was “we have nothing in so you’ll have to make do?”’ she groaned as she settled with less decorum than Mrs Morton would have liked into a chair.
‘I did say,’ Antonia said, settling into her own chair with the air of a woman who has eaten a little too much. ‘She actually cooks less when there is more to cook with. You’ll need your strength tomorrow though, so it’s not a bad thing.’
‘I believe my stomach may disagree. You know I trust you, but you keep dropping hints that suggest tomorrow is going to be some sort of battle.’
‘A battle which has been going on since the dawn of time, dear Kate, at least among humans. Though I believe I once saw a young female gorilla making bedroom eyes at David.’
Kate grinned. ‘I don’t really understand.’ Antonia schooled her face and placed her hands in her lap, turned slightly away, dipped her eyes, and then looked up at Kate, her lips slightly pursed. Something fluttered in Kate’s stomach and she had a sudden urge to growl. ‘Oh… my.’
Antonia smiled as though she had not noticed Kate’s discomfort. ‘Thankfully, David prefers his women with a far less impressive coat of fur. Besides, the silverback was looking as though he felt he had to assert his rights and we decided it would be best to back away. However, men and women have been playing a game down through the ages, ritualised and complicated by society, and yet essentially very simple and, at its core, the most basic thing in the universe. Without it we would not ha
ve children, and we would likely not have the bond which exists between husband and wife to raise them. Humans would be a very different animal.’
‘I don’t think I wish to have children, Antonia.’
‘And you won’t. You remember I asked if you had been bleeding? Your negative answer tells me something I suspected but was unsure of. I do not believe you will ever bear a child, Kate. Whether by accident or design, your father’s experiments have rendered you incapable.’
Kate frowned, looking down at her sherry glass. ‘I do not believe that to be a bad thing. I would not wish my form upon another.’
‘It also eliminates one of the risks associated with the activity you will be engaging in tomorrow, and Mister Thomas is a reliable sort who I trust to avoid the other risk. Don’t worry, Kate, you are in good hands and I believe you will find that your medicine has an enjoyable flavour as well as being quite filling.’
5th June.
Edward Jonathan Thomas was a very personable young man. He dressed immaculately and had a firmly muscled body to hang his clothes from. He was tall, but he would not quite have matched Kate, which was why Antonia had arranged things as she had. His eyes were a clear blue and his expensively cut hair was blonde, and he had a strong jawline which spoke of masculinity, and he was a very masculine man. In fact, he had made masculinity his business.
Antonia met him personally at the door and took him immediately up the stairs to the upper floor. She paused far enough from the head of the stairs that her voice would not carry to anyone, by which she meant Margery Little, listening below, and far enough from Kate’s room that she believed the young lady Thomas was to visit would not hear despite her enhanced auditory abilities.
‘Our usual arrangement, Mister Thomas,’ she stated, ‘save that I have a young woman in need of your services.’
‘Always happy to oblige, Mrs Wooster.’
Antonia nodded and handed him a sealed envelope. ‘This is a special occasion. You will be her first.’
To his credit, Thomas looked a little taken aback. ‘I don’t usually… I mean, of course, if you believe this is a suitable introduction then I will not refuse your request, but–’
‘Kate is a very special young woman, Mister Thomas. She has been through some very trying experiences. You will note her eyes, which are unusual, and you will, of course, make no remark upon them unless it is a compliment, but I would suggest making no remark at all. She deserves the best, which is why I thought of you. Please ensure that she receives it.’
‘Mrs Wooster, I have always endeavoured to ensure that none give better service.’
Antonia smiled. ‘I am aware of this, Mister Thomas. She is ready for you. The door at the end of the hall.’
The room was not dark but not brightly lit. The drapes were drawn and a single lamp at the bedside provided enough illumination that Kate could be seen in the bed. The sheets were drawn up to her chin and she looked nervous. Her amber eyes were wide, though her pupils were round in the gloom. Her black hair was loose, lying across the pillow in rivulets.
Thomas closed the door behind him, smiled, and walked across to the side of the bed. He gave a bow and said, ‘Milady, I am Edward Thomas. Mrs Wooster has requested that I come to you.’
‘I’m Kate,’ Kate said, her voice barely a whisper.
‘May I sit, Kate?’ She gave a nod and he settled on the edge of the bed, almost as though he meant to leave soon. ‘You seem nervous and there is truly nothing to be nervous of. My duty here is to ensure that you have a pleasant afternoon and I assure you that I mean to discharge my duty to the utmost.’ Another nod and he reached out gently, taking the hem of the sheet and pulling it down to expose her breasts. She swallowed hard, but did not resist. ‘Beautiful,’ he said, almost under his breath.
‘Thank you,’ she replied softly.
He smiled, and she caught her breath as his hand slid around the side of her right breast. There was a scent in the air she did not recognise, a musky, animal scent, and she was surprised to discover that it seemed to be coming from her own body. Either Thomas did not notice or did not mind; his hands slid over her body seeming to wish to feel every part of her. She moaned as his thumbs teased her nipples into almost painful hardness.
When he stopped to move the sheet from under him, the loss of his touch left her bereft. When his hands returned, the sensation seemed so much more intense and she forgot entirely that she was now entirely naked before a man. She had not been such since Charles had found her, but this experience was so much more pleasing.
His hands glided down, across her stomach, and over her hips. He gently persuaded her thighs to part, stroking the skin and eliciting tiny cries of pleasure from her. Her mind was full of sensation. She could sense another scent now, a more masculine one mixing with her own. He wanted her as much as she wanted him to continue. When his fingers slid over her labia and began a gentle, circling pressure, the sudden burst of pleasure left her writhing on the bed. His fingers parted slick lips and he discovered the thick nub hidden beneath, and she began to pant as he stroked it gently. Seeing that his activities were having the desired effect, his fingers increased both pressure and speed. Kate hid her face in her hands as her body lost control entirely. There was a growing, intense pressure between her legs which was spreading rapidly and threatening to overwhelm her entirely. Light flared behind her eyes and her back arched. She clawed at the sheets and cried out, and she was unsure whether it was agony or ecstasy, but she never wanted it to stop.
When it had and she looked up through hooded eyes to see him smiling at her, she said, ‘I believe, sir, that a gentleman would disrobe at this juncture.’
He lost no time in complying with her suggestion.
~~~
A little over an hour and twenty minutes later, Thomas almost staggered from the room to find Antonia sitting on a chair near the stairs. He gave her a slightly weakened smile.
‘You are longer in your task than usual, Mister Thomas,’ Antonia said, a smile playing over her lips.
‘I felt myself unable to leave your companion unsatisfied and she was… quite difficult to satisfy. Madam, you are sure she has been with no other?’
‘Quite sure.’
‘Then she has quite remarkable natural talent, Mrs Wooster. There is no extra charge for my time.’
She bowed her head to him and stood. ‘Let me show you out.’
When he was gone, she walked back to Kate’s room, entering quietly. Kate lay on her back, the sheets drawn up to her waist, though one knee poked from beneath, and her arm was thrown over her eyes. Antonia paused, looking down upon the scene, and her breath caught in her throat. ‘You are a most beautiful animal, Kate.’ She walked over, sitting down in the same spot that Thomas had occupied earlier, but she pulled the sheets up a little to cover Kate’s breasts. ‘Decorum, dear, even from a woman who has just left a strong man barely able to walk.’
Kate’s arm had dropped to her side and now she pulled the sheets higher. Her eyes dipped away. ‘My apologies.’
Antonia sat back a little. ‘I have hurt you, and that was not my intention. We are all but animals, if Mister Darwin’s theories are to be believed, and you… you are surely the finest of them. Do not be ashamed of that side of you which must be kept hidden for conformity’s sake. There is beauty, and power, in all of nature’s rich variety.’
Kate peered at her for a second and then sat up, the sheet falling away from her chest. She did not replace it, but instead lifted her face close to Antonia’s, sniffing. Antonia’s cheeks coloured as she turned her head away, but that just left Kate’s soft breath on her neck. ‘Kate…’
‘You… you are aroused. I know that scent from myself. Is it what I have been doing with Mister Thomas or me which provokes you?’
Antonia drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘In truth, a little of both.’ Kate nuzzled her face closer against Antonia’s neck, lips grazing the skin. Her arms slipped about Antonia’s waist. ‘No, K
ate,’ Antonia whispered. ‘We must not.’
‘Why?’ A bland, simple question; a remark of genuine curiosity.
‘Society frowns upon such liaisons and you are the ward of my greatest friend. Do not think that I deny you from my own wishes, but instead from a sense of propriety which, in this case, I feel is justified.’ She forced herself to turn and smile. ‘Besides which, I believe you have had quite enough exercise for one day, young lady. Too much of a good thing makes the taste less sweet.’
Kate fell back onto the pillows, grinning, and pulled the sheets up to cover but one of her nipples. ‘I will bow before your greater experience, Mrs Wooster.’
Antonia stood, returning the grin. ‘Foul temptress. I shall instruct Little to attend you in thirty minutes to help with your corset. Do try to be decent before she arrives.’
6th June.
‘What is she doing, ma’am?’ Little asked as she brought tea to Antonia, who was watching Kate from the window.
‘It is, I am told, called taiji chuan, an exercise regimen of Chinese origin which helps her maintain her “inner balance.”’
Little walked over to stand beside Antonia, the familiarity ignored as they both watched Kate moving slowly and precisely through the forms.
‘It’s beautiful, in a way,’ Little said after a minute. ‘Like ballet, but slowed down. I’m not sure how it constitutes exercise though.’
‘I believe there is more to the control of the muscles than would meet the eye. All the movements are very precise and must be carried out perfectly. You must agree that it seems to have the desired effect.’
‘Oh, I’ll agree with that, ma’am. Miss Kate appears very fit indeed.’
‘See the way her movements never move her centre of gravity outside the placement of her feet?’
‘I hadn’t noticed, ma’am, but now you mention it… It’s so graceful.’
Unobtainium 1: Kate on a Hot Tin Roof Page 7