Elizabeth's Flight: a tale of loving discipline out west

by Susan Thomas

  "Perhaps Mr. Jones had a mistress," Henry said thoughtfully, "and his wife refused to take both girls."

  "No." Charles was dismissive. "Why would she agree to take one, and what about the real mother? I'm writing to the orphanage again. I'm going to search their records and perhaps speak to anyone who was there at the time Emily was left with them. I'm also writing to a college friend and asking him to find out something about Mr. Isaac Franklin Jones, where he came from and how he made his money. Also this Rankin Blake character. There is something very odd about all this and both of my noses... lawyer and newspaper man... are twitching. I might not bother given the distances, but this is our girls involved."

  Chapter 6

  Beth was outside the school seeing off the children. It was a lovely time of day. The few parents meeting children loved to chat to her. The girls often hugged her goodbye and the boys liked to give her a cheery wave as they walked off. The success she was getting as a teacher was so rewarding after all the criticism her mother had piled on her constantly. Two ladies approached that she recognized; their children had grown up and they were now prime movers in The League of Moral Women (Morality, Decency and Purity for All Women).

  Mrs. Emmeline Philips was the wife of Josiah Philips who owned the bank. She was tall with white hair pulled up high on her head. She had a strange way of smiling confidentially when saying something nasty and often whispered when talking to another woman. Her friend was Mrs. Annabelle Beck whose husband owned a lumber yard just outside town.

  "Good afternoon Miss Franklin." Mrs. Philips had her head to one side smiling and whispering.

  "Good afternoon." Beth was wary. Emily had made her feelings about the league very clear. They were very judgmental and created a lot of unpleasantness among the women in town. Beth thought if her mother lived here she would soon be fully involved.

  "We were wondering," Mrs. Philips whispered, "who will be taking over from you."

  "I'm sorry, what do you mean?"

  "Well, Miss Franklin, you are marrying Sheriff Flight. You won't be carrying on teaching once you have a husband to care for will you?"

  It was just the opening shot from the league. Miss Franklin could not teach once she was married and if another teacher wasn't available the school would have to close, saving the town considerable expense, until a new teacher could be found. For Mrs. Flight to carry on teaching was immoral. A woman had her husband to care for. The Town Council had to make a decision and there was uproar. Parents wanted Beth to carry on at least until a new teacher could be found. The League campaigned against it. Mr. Philips and Mr. Beck, both on the Town Council, had no choice but to preserve domestic peace by siding with their wives.

  Emily was beside herself with anger and vowed that as soon as Beth was married she was going to start a counter league. The sisters decided to call it The League of Women, (Kindness, Compassion and Friendliness for All Women). The Town Council debated the issue. It was normal for women teachers who got married to leave teaching. Some schools specifically banned married women from teaching but against that were the parents who didn't care if Beth was married. If Sheriff Flight was agreeable they wanted the school to continue until a new teacher could be found. Henry thought hard and decided Beth could continue teaching while the search was made for her replacement. He sensibly suggested Beth be involved in appointing someone. By a narrow margin the council voted to retain Mrs. Flight once she was married.

  After that there was talk of little else but the wedding. Mary made Beth a similar wedding dress to Emily's and Beth looked just as stunning as her sister had. She was overwhelmed by the kindness shown to her by parents of the children she taught. Most were hard up but she was given many gifts: homemade preserves all beautifully presented; useful objects lovingly carved from wood; a quilt (from Mrs. Hancock); two kitchen stools; and, from one widower father, a rocking chair he had made. Beth felt very tearful at the love she was being shown.

  Beth felt the wedding was approaching with the speed of an express train and she was getting more nervous by the day. It was her wedding night that was bothering her. She wanted to do her duty by her husband, but it all seemed so complicated and embarrassing, plus she worried that it would hurt when he entered her. So much happened on the day of the wedding she actually had no time to be worried. Finally, she and Henry left for his little house set near to the jail house and sheriff's office. He had promised her he would build a bigger property but in the meanwhile this would be their home.

  Now, alone with her husband, Beth was overwhelmed with nervousness. She felt ridiculously shy and had no idea what to do or how to proceed. Any advice Emily and Mary had given her departed her head and she felt in a total panic.

  Henry seemed to sense it all. "Come here to me Beth." He held out his arms as he said it.

  She obediently went to him and he enveloped her in his strong arms and began to kiss her gently. She relaxed into him. Kissing was nice... she didn't mind doing this one bit.

  When Henry finally stopped he spoke, his voice sounding gruff, "You're a beautiful woman Beth."

  She smiled. "That's kind but I'm not beautiful. I have a silly nose and freckles. Beauties do not have those."

  "Most of them are spoilt little madams. Beauty is both inside as well as out. You're beautiful in every way. Beth, I want to make you my wife now."

  Beth's stomach lurched but she just nodded. Henry took off his jacket, his waistcoat and neck tie, and began to unbutton his shirt so she began taking off her dress. It took her quite a while to get off the different layers underneath until finally she was only in her corset, drawers and stockings. She turned to see Henry, now naked, staring at her. She could feel the tide of red rushing into her face. It seemed to start low down at her neck and, like a rip tide, rushed powerfully up her face and on into her hair.

  He stepped forward and in a very gruff voice told her he would help her out of her corset. "I don't want you wearing these things in future. They are an abomination to women and men both."

  Beth wasn't unhappy about that. She had been forced into her first corset by her mother at the age of twelve after Martha had been dismissed. However, she was embarrassed as he undid the laces and helped her out of it. Her embarrassment grew when he found the laces of her drawers and untied them. As they fell around her ankles her hands rushed to hide her modesty but Henry took hold of them and gently pulled them aside.

  "You're mine now Beth. There is no call for modesty between us."

  She stood, naked apart from her stockings, as her naked husband began kissing her again. His body was warm against hers and the kissing was nice. As he kissed her she could feel something pushing against her. A shock went through her as she realized what it was. Henry's penis was growing and getting ready to enter her. Henry stopped kissing and led her to the bed. The burning in her face seemed to flicker on and off like lightning; one moment gone, leaving her pale, and the next moment back again, burning. He guided her to lie on her back and then he lay beside her, propped up on one elbow, leaning over her. Her eyes were drawn as if magnetized to his penis. It was now huge and she drew in a sharp breath when she saw it. How was that going to fit inside her?

  Henry began kissing her again which relaxed her a little and then he left her mouth and moved down to her breasts. He began to stroke them with his hand and every now and then gave a gentle squeeze. Soon he put his mouth to her nipples and sucked gently nipping her every now and then with his lips. Beth liked what he was doing and it relaxed her a little more. She nervously put a hand in his hair and ran her fingers through its thick richness. Henry stopped attending to her breasts, looked at her, smiled and then taking her legs, moved them apart. Beth knew what this meant. He was going to make her his wife now and she grew nervous all over again.

  "Beth, don't be scared. I'll take it nice and slow."

  She smiled weakly. Henry still lay next to her but now his hand moved down between her legs and he began to rub slowly and gently the outside of her mo
st private part. The heat in her face grew until she felt it must catch fire but she tried hard to relax. He was her husband. This was not wrong. Then she felt a finger gently enter her. It moved around and she gasped aloud with embarrassment. So far, being a wife was one series of highly embarrassing moments. He parted her legs a little more and, lifting himself up, moved and knelt between them. Beth's nervousness grew as she glanced down and saw the huge penis, stiff and hard, so close to her entrance.

  He took his penis in his hand and began to push slowly and carefully against her entrance. She could feel it begin to poke into her and almost panicked. She took a deep breath to calm herself and lay back on the pillows. It was Henry's pleasure that was paramount now. She must relax and let him do it. As he pushed into her he felt larger and harder than she could believe. It wasn't hurting her exactly but it was very uncomfortable. Suddenly he thrust hard and buried himself deep into her. Beth yelped with surprise and discomfort. Henry murmured reassurance and began nuzzling her neck so she tried once again to relax as he now began rocking his body and moving his rock hard penis backward and forward inside of her.

  Beth lay back, as much as possible, and, ignoring the discomfort, began to chant a mantra in her mind, "Relax, relax, relax." It seemed to work, for Henry's penis began to glide in and out rather than push, and as it did so she began to relax more. It didn't feel too bad at all... in fact as he did it more it became quite pleasant in a strange tingling way she had not experienced before. The more she relaxed the faster Henry seemed to rock his penis. He was breathing very hard now and making small grunting noises and then abruptly he gave a great groan and pushed deep into her. He went very still for a moment and then with another groan he began thrusting again making guttural noises as he did so. Then he sighed loudly and lay down on top of her, all energy seeming to leave him.

  Nervously Beth put her arms around him as he lay there. "What just happened?" she whispered.

  Henry's voice was gentle. "I made you my wife Beth and planted my seed inside you."

  He moved from on top of her and lay down alongside her holding his arms out for her to come to him. She rolled over into him and he put his arms around while she put her head on his chest. It was a nice feeling being in the arms of this man...her husband. To her surprise he almost immediately dozed off. She was relieved she seemed to have given him pleasure and really he had been kind and gentle. She hadn't enjoyed it as Emily told her she would but it hadn't been awful, a little uncomfortable to begin with but that had passed. It was a good feeling being in the arms of a strong man and besides she was now safe with him. Rankin Blake could never practice his cruelties on her.

  She ran her hands over his body, gently so as not to wake him. How different a man was from a woman or even a boy. She glanced down at his penis and marveled at how it had shrunk back. Truly a man's body was a marvelous thing. Suddenly she became aware of his scent. It was so different to a woman. Not unpleasant but...she tried to think of a comparison in her mind. His scent was an untamed mountain, whereas a woman's was like a herb garden. It pleased her to think of Henry as an untamed mountain: strong, safe and wonderful. With that thought she fell asleep.

  Not long after Beth drifted off into sleep Henry woke up. He looked over at the sleeping softness of Beth and couldn't believe that she was now his wife. He would have liked to make love again but he wouldn't wake her. He knew that for a woman, her wedding day was very tiring and the first night had been an ordeal for her. He had tried hard to be gentle with her but he had only been with experienced women. She aroused him so much but she had no idea how attractive she was. Emily was the same; how the two girls could be so utterly unaware of their attractiveness bewildered him. They both thought they looked silly. Beth also had no idea how people warmed to her. She seemed to exude some sort of power to make people love her. No wonder that Blake man had wanted her even if it was with a perverted lust.

  He had no doubt that their children would be raised in a home full of love and understanding. It was astonishing how the children in school seemed to eat out of her hand and she was only eighteen. It was clearly a gift. She wasn't even the mischief that Emily was and which had earned her several spankings from his brother. That she was stubborn and determined was clear; she had shown that by the way she had set out to avoid marriage to Blake. Probably, at some point, he'd have to spank her for those traits but perhaps not too often. He certainly hoped not; he'd rather make love to her than discipline her. He lay back down, and with one hand cupping one of her breasts, he fell back to sleep.

  It was the brightness of morning that aroused Beth from her dreams. For a moment she was bewildered by where she was but then memory returned. She was married! She was safe from Blake and Henry was a good man. He had been so kind and gentle with her last night. She untangled herself from his arms, With a start she realized she still had her stockings on and removed them before putting on her night dress and a dressing gown. Downstairs she opened the back door and walked across the small yard to the privy. Henry promised that the new house would have a modern water closet but in the meanwhile they would have to use this. Beth didn't mind; she knew she had been privileged in the background she had. After using the privy Beth washed herself, especially 'down there' which was a little sore and messy with what they had done last night. She made coffee and wondered what to do about Henry. Should she take him a cup? At that point Henry came down. Coming into the kitchen (which also served as dining and living room) he walked up to her and kissed her.

  "Thank you for marrying me Beth. I am one very lucky man."

  He too went outside and then had a wash but when Beth went to sit down with their coffee he said, "Let's take it up to bed."

  "But it's the daytime and it's Sunday. Shouldn't we..."

  "No one expects us to be at church today Beth. Come on, we'll take the coffee with us."

  Beth thought her mother would have a fit at this behavior. She was very proper about everything. She suddenly grinned at the thought she had no need to take any more notice of her mother and without another word picked up the coffee pot, put it on a tray (another handmade gift from a parent) with the cups and carried it upstairs obediently. It was a very pleasant feeling being in bed next to this strong man, her husband. A little shiver of pleasure ran through her. She had expected that when they had finished their coffee they would get dressed but Henry had other ideas. To her surprise he began to take her nightdress off.

  "But Henry, it's daytime now."

  "The Good Lord doesn't mind when a husband and wife join their bodies. That is a man-made idea."

  Soon he was naked beside her and she enjoyed the warmth of his strong body as he began kissing her again. This time she was bolder. She began to kiss back and their kissing grew in passion. At first she was shocked when his tongue probed her but then she too was doing the same...Beth lost herself in the sheer pleasure of kissing and being kissed. Her hands too grew bolder; she ran her fingers through Henry's hair and pulled his head into hers. It took very little time for her to realize that Henry's member was huge and hard again. It pressed against her body, hot in its urgency. She pulled away from him and looked down at it. It wasn't so frightening this morning. She wondered if she could touch it and then looking up at his face she saw amusement.

  "Go on Beth. He is for you and only for you. You may touch or hold him as you will."

  She put one of her cool soft hands down and cautiously took hold of the huge shaft. She gasped. Although it was stiff the skin was lovely and warm and soft. She ran her fingers over the tip and found it was slick with moisture. She glanced up to see if she was hurting him but Henry was clearly enjoying her touch.

  "Why is he so slippery at the end?"

  "Because he is more than ready to go into you."

  "Oh!" Beth felt the rip tide of her blush begin again. She should have known. He was being so patient with her. She lay back and opened her legs wide for him. Henry smiled and kissed her again and then unhurriedly positioned himse
lf between her legs. She saw him place the hardness of his member against her opening and push. This time it slipped into her easily. There was a little discomfort from last night but then that passed as Henry began his rocking again, his member thrusting slowly in and out of her. Beth watched this time, lifting her head up and looking down, amazed at what was happening. It wasn't at all uncomfortable this time and in fact she rather liked the feeling of this huge thing inside her. It slid smoothly in and out sending quite pleasant little tingles running through her body. She put her head back on the pillow and felt Henry's hot body against her. Clearly he was getting enormous pleasure from doing this and that pleased her. Henry's rocking grew faster and faster and he was breathing very hard with his exertion. The force with which he thrust into her grew and Beth began to make little gasping sounds as he did so. Suddenly Henry gasped loudly and began thrusting very hard indeed before giving a great cry and slowing down to a complete stop. Beth knew this time what had happened - Henry had placed seed deep inside her. With shock she realized that she could already be with child.

  The rest of Sunday passed in pleasant idleness. The Town Council had given both Beth and Henry leave to take Monday off. The school was closed on Monday and Henry's deputy was on duty. Henry took her to bed quite a few times and increasingly it became easier for her. She thought it might be because she was more relaxed and knew what to expect. She was a little sore from the first time but it didn't hurt at all. However, other than being mildly pleasant she had not experienced the great pleasure Emily seemed to get. Was there something lacking in her?