The Passions of Bronwyn

by Martina Martyn

  The next day there was a commotion coming from the stables and Ned came running up to the house.

  ‘Nero has gone,’ he shouted, ‘his stable is empty. He can’t be far away because I have only just mucked him out, he was there then. I only went to get fresh hay and when I got back he was gone.’

  All the available staff ran back to the stables with him. Wyn, Betty and William were amongst them. They spread out to see if they could find anything.

  ‘Let’s go back to the barn,’ suggested Wyn. ‘You never know, he could have been taken there.’

  Betty and William agreed.

  We’ll all go together,’ said William, ‘if there is someone there he could be dangerous.’

  They crept up to the barn door and looked through a crack in the wall. They could see a horse’s tail so knew Nero was in there.

  ‘Go and get Ned,’ William whispered to Betty.

  Betty ran off.

  ‘Keep quiet,’ William said very quietly, ‘we can’t do anything until Ned gets here. Just stay out of sight.’

  Luckily there was no movement inside or outside the barn. Ned and Betty came running back. Ned had a shotgun with him so he and William pushed open the barn door. Inside they could see Nero but there was no sign of anyone else.

  ‘What now?’ asked William.

  ‘We wait,’ replied Ned.

  William called to Wyn and told her and Betty to go and see if they could find Constable Wilson. They ran back to the house where Constable Wilson was sitting in the kitchen having a cup of tea.

  ‘Come quick,’ Wyn said, ‘they’ve found Nero but there is no sign of anyone else.’

  When they got back to the stables they found William and Ned inside. William was sitting on top of a man.

  ‘This man is employed by Sir John Porchester,’ William told Constable Wilson, ‘his name is Pratt.’

  ‘Let him up,’ the Constable told William, ‘I want to talk to him.’

  William let Pratt up and Constable Wilson sat him down on a hay bale.

  ‘Alright, why did you steal the horse?’

  Pratt looked up and told the Constable that Sir John Porchester had instructed him to steal the horse because Charles Brompton owed him a lot of money through gambling and he wanted some of it back now, he didn’t want to wait to maybe get some of it out of Mr Brompton’s Estate. There would be a lot of creditors. Nero was a Thoroughbred and was worth a lot of money.

  Constable Wilson took him up to the house to see Mrs Brompton, ‘she will have to decide what to do,’ he said.

  When they got up to the house William took them into the hall and told them to wait there until he had spoken to Mr Carter. He went up to Mr Carter’s room and told him what had been going on. Mr Carter said he would have to speak to Mrs Brompton.

  ‘Wait downstairs with them,’ he told him. ‘I’ll be down in a moment.’

  William went back downstairs and told the others they just had to wait. A few minutes later Mr Carter came down and told them that Mrs Brompton would see them.

  ‘You are to go too,’ he told William and Ned.

  They all went up to the drawing room where Mrs Brompton was waiting. She asked a lot of questions and then said that Pratt could take Nero but Sir John Porchester had to agree to wipe out the rest of the debt in return. The horse would not leave the stables until he had agreed. Constable Wilson told her that this was agreeable to him but first he wanted to question Pratt about the murder of Mr Brompton to make sure he wasn’t involved.

  ‘Murder,’ Pratt exclaimed, ‘I wasn’t involved in no murder, I just did what I was told and nicked the horse.’

  ‘Well, you won’t mind coming with me so that I can make my own mind up about that.’

  He turned and nodded to Mrs Brompton, took hold of Pratt’s arm then left. William and Ned went downstairs to the kitchen and told Wyn and Betty what had happened.

  ‘What do you think?’ Wyn asked them, ‘do you think it was him that killed Mr Charles?’ ‘No,’ said Ned, ‘I think he was just after the horse. I’d better get back to the stables and settle Nero, he’ll be very upset after all this.’

  The next day Constable Wilson came into the kitchen and told them that he had let Pratt go because he didn’t think it was him that killed Mr Charles.

  ‘It wasn’t him that had the camp site in the trees,’ he told them, ‘we never did find out who that was, they never came back. We were there for a couple of days but nothing. He says he was still in London when Mr Charles was killed, Sir John Porchester had a house party so all the staff were needed.’

  ‘Do you believe him?’ William asked.

  ‘Yes, I think so,’ replied Constable Wilson. ‘I should be hearing back from Huddersfield soon about Frank Cooper’s family so we might have more clues to go on.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  A few days later Wyn was cleaning the bedrooms when she heard a scream come from the direction of the stables. She ran downstairs and out of the front door, William was already outside.

  ‘Did you hear that?’ Wyn asked him.

  ‘Yes, where was it coming from?’ he asked.

  ‘From the stables I think,’ replied Wyn.

  They ran towards the stables and got there in time to see Ned backing slowly away from the door.

  ‘What’s going on?’ asked William.

  Ned didn’t say anything, just pointed. William turned and looked, ‘oh my god!’ he exclaimed. Inside William saw Miss Catherine sitting on a bale of hay with the Frank Cooper lookalike standing behind her holding a knife to her throat. They could hear him saying, ‘I can see what Frank saw in you, you feel and smell so good.’ He moved his free arm down her body and started stroking her breasts. ‘Maybe I’ll have a taste of your body before I kill you.’ He suddenly saw William and Ned watching him. ‘Don’t come near or I’ll kill her,’ he told them.

  ‘You aren’t Frank,’ said William, ‘I cut him down so who are you?’

  ‘He’s George Cooper, Frank’s identical twin brother,’ a voice behind him said.

  William turned round to find Constable Wilson standing behind him. ‘We’ve just heard from the Constable in Huddersfield. George here disappeared not long after Frank died. He’s been camping out around here since then looking for an opportunity to get back at the Bromptons.’

  ‘Yeah,’ George cut in, ‘I was going to kill them all for what they did.’

  Catherine Brompton was in tears by now, ‘I loved Frank,’ she sobbed.

  ‘Maybe you did,’ George replied, ‘but you didn’t stop him being sacked and sent away did you?’

  ‘I wasn’t here, I was sent to a school abroad straight away,’ she cried, ‘I didn’t know what had happened to him.’

  George started edging her out of the door. ‘Stay back,’ he warned them, ‘don’t try anything, she’ll die if you do.’

  He pushed Catherine out of the door and backed her away from the stables.

  ‘Don’t follow us’ he warned.

  Wyn had been out of sight the whole time this had been going on but had heard everything. As George was backing Catherine out of the door she ducked out of sight behind the stables. She watched as George pushed Catherine across the field. Wyn ran alongside them on the other side of the hedge that ran along the edge of the field, she could see that Catherine was crying and trying to talk to George. Wyn followed them until they entered a small shed on the far edge of the estate, she watched them go in then ran back to the house. She ran up to William, Ned and Betty breathing heavily. Once she caught her breath she told him where they were.

  ‘Constable Wilson has gone back to the station to get more men,’ William told her. ‘We’ll have to go and get him ourselves.’

  The light was beginning to fail by the time they made their way towards the shed that Wyn had seen them enter. When they got there they could see a faint light shining in the window. They crept over and looked through. George was sitting on a bed with Catherine. He had his arm around her. They couldn’
t hear what he was saying but they could see him stroking her face gently with his fingers. Catherine put her hand around his head and brought his face down to hers. She kissed him long and hard.

  ‘Oh no!’ exclaimed Wyn, ‘she’s pretending he’s Frank.’

  George was caressing her breasts and running his hands all over her body. Catherine pulled the pins out of her hair and ran her hands threw it seductively. She undid her dress and George helped her take it off until she was just dressed in her under clothes. George quickly took his clothes off and Catherine lay down on the floor waiting for him. He started kissing her all over and they saw her body arch in pleasure. George suddenly ripped her underwear off, lay on top of her and thrust his hard member into her.

  ‘Come on, now’s our chance,’ said William, ‘let’s get Catherine away from him.’

  They pushed the door open and rushed in. William pulled George up off of Catherine and Ned hit him hard. He went down and Ned hit him again just to make sure then tied him up with the rope William had found in the shed.

  Catherine was crying and screaming, ‘leave Frank alone, I love him.’

  ‘It’s not Frank,’ Wyn told her.

  ‘It really isn’t,’ added Betty, ‘we saw his dead body. We know it’s not him.’

  Catherine just broke down completely and Wyn and Betty had to support her all the way back to the house where Mrs Danvers took her off them and led her upstairs to her bedroom. William and Ned put George into a wagon and took him into the village to find Constable Wilson.

  ‘How did you get him?’ he asked.

  ‘It was Wyn who found him,’ William told him. ‘She followed them and then came and got us.’

  ‘What will happen to him now?’ asked Ned.

  ‘He’ll go to prison for a very long time,’ replied the Constable. ‘There’s no doubt it was him who killed Charles Brompton.’

  The next day Mrs Danvers came down to the kitchen and told them that Mrs Brompton had decided that she’d had enough of the bad luck they’d had since they’d been at the country house and she had to see the family solicitor to sort things out, so they were all going back to London. Wyn and Betty were to start packing up the kitchen and William and Ned were to pack up the rest of the house.

  ‘What’s going to happen to Ned?’ Betty later asked Mrs Davis, ‘there aren’t any horses in London.’

  ‘It looks like Mrs Brompton needs him for something else because he’s coming with us,’ Mrs Davis replied. Betty was relieved that she wouldn’t have to say goodbye to Ned as she was getting very fond of him.

  ‘Think of all the places I can take him in London,’ she remarked to Wyn, ‘he’s never been there. We could all go out together it will be fun.’

  The next few days were hectic with everything having to be packed up.

  ‘It doesn’t look like we are ever coming back,’ commented Betty.

  ‘We aren’t,’ replied Mrs Davis, ‘Mr Carter says this house is going to be sold to pay off Mr Charles’s debts.’

  ‘That’s a shame,’ said Wyn, ‘I’ve enjoyed it here.’

  ‘Me too,’ replied Betty, ‘this was my first time in the country and I really liked it but it’ll be nice to get back to smoky, noisy old London.’

  On the last night Wyn, Betty, William and Ned walked down to the village inn for the last time. They had a few glasses of ale and then walked slowly back to the house.

  ‘I’m going to miss this,’ William remarked.

  ‘Me too,’ replied Wyn, ‘even though some awful things have happened.’

  When they got back to the house, Ned took Betty off one way and William took hold of Wyn’s hand and pulled her towards one of the outbuildings near the house.

  ‘It’s too dark,’ exclaimed Wyn.

  ‘Just wait here,’ William told her. He disappeared inside and Wynn saw a faint light appear. ‘Come in,’ William said. Wyn walked through the door to find a bed of hay with a blanket laid over it and a lit oil lantern hanging from a hook.

  ‘Oh my,’ she exclaimed, ‘you’ve been busy.’

  William came over to her and put his arm around her.

  ‘I just wanted our last night here to be special,’ he told her.

  He pulled her closer to him and kissed her gently on the mouth.

  ‘It’s lovely,’ Wyn told him as she kissed him back. The kiss between them grew more passionate and she could feel the hardness of him against her. They sank down on to the hay bed he had made. She pushed herself against him and he moaned. She let her hand wander down his body until she could feel his erect member. She took hold of him through his clothes and started moving her hand up and down. He was kissing her harder, pushing his tongue in her mouth, it was making her feel very excited. He started undoing her blouse which made her pause and push him away.

  ‘No,’ she said, ‘we can’t, I don’t want a baby.’

  ‘It’s alright,’ William replied, ‘there are other things we can do.’

  His hand skimmed over her erect nipples and she moaned. She opened his trousers and pulled his erect manhood out. She started moving her hand up and down along the length of him. He was really moaning by now. ‘Oh don’t stop,’ he said. While she carried on moving her hand, she guided his hand further down her body until he reached the heart of her sex. Holding on to his finger she showed him how she liked to be touched. He started rubbing in her special place and she arched her back in pleasure. He was breathing heavier now, ‘faster,’ he said, ‘do it faster. Ooh that’s it don’t stop, yes that’s it,’ he was saying while he was moving his finger round and round her intimate place. She could feel such a strong wave of pleasure building in her body, she didn’t think she could stand it. William was writhing in pleasure now, ‘oh that feels wonderful,’ he was saying, ‘don’t stop, oh that’s it,’ and she felt him shudder as his seed spilled out over her hand. At that moment Wyn felt her body tense then her body seemed to explode in pleasure. She had never felt like this, not when she touched herself or when Betty touched her. This was something special.

  When Wyn and Betty were in bed that night they talked about their experiences.

  ‘I really love William,’ Wyn told Betty.

  ‘You didn’t let him did you?’ asked Betty.

  ‘No,’ Wyn told her, ‘we just kissed and touched each other. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had. I want him so much.’

  ‘I know, we’re the same. I nearly gave in but I’m just too scared about what could happen.’ said Betty.

  Wyn sighed and said, ‘it’s getting so hard to stop, I just want more of him. I want to feel his hardness inside me.’

  ‘I know, but stay strong, you never know, you might get married,’ Betty told her.

  ‘Oh that would be good,’ replied Wyn. ‘Imagine being married to William. Sleeping with him every night with his hard body next to me in bed.’ She shivered with pleasure.

  Betty laughed, ‘go to sleep,’ she told Wyn, ‘we have a long journey tomorrow.’

  CHAPTER NINE

  The next day was freezing cold with a thick layer of snow on the ground.

  ‘Oh my,’ exclaimed Wyn, ‘this is going to be a long and cold journey back to London.’

  ‘It certainly is,’ agreed Mrs Davis, ‘you’ll have to put all your warmest clothes on. Come on now, get moving, we have a lot of work to do before we leave even though most of the house has already been emptied. Run upstairs and help Miss Catherine and Mrs Brompton with their belongings.’

  Wyn went along to Miss Catherine’s room to find her just sitting despondently on her packing chest. ‘Is this all your things?’ Wyn asked her. Catherine nodded. ‘Come along then,’ Wyn said, ‘we have to get this chest downstairs.’

  Catherine looked up at her, ‘I don’t want to go back to London, I don’t want to be anywhere where Mother is. She has ruined my life,’ she said.

  ‘You can’t stay here,’ Wyn told her, ‘the house is going to be sold. Come on. I’ll help you get the chest down the stairs.’
Wyn took her arm and led her down to where Mrs Brompton was waiting for them.

  ‘Come on,’ Catherine she said, ‘we need to leave for the village, we have to say goodbye to some people.’

  ‘No,’ replied Catherine, ‘I’m not going, I don’t want to be with you.’

  ‘You will do what I tell you,’ Mrs Brompton replied angrily, ‘you have caused enough trouble for this family already. It’s because of you I’ve lost my husband and now have to sell this house, so stop being troublesome and do as you are told. When we get to London you’re not staying there, you will be going to live with your Aunt Constance in Surrey.’

  Catherine didn’t respond, she just sighed, gave her mother a frosty look and walked out of the door. Mrs Brompton followed her then turned and told Wyn that they would be gone for a couple of hours and that they would be leaving for the station at midday so they all had to be ready to leave. Wyn went down to the kitchen and told Mrs Davis what Mrs Brompton had said.

  ‘That only gives us a couple of hours,’ Mrs Davis said, ‘you two girls run up to your room, bring down your boxes then go and find William and Ned. Tell them to search the house and the stables to make sure there is nothing left behind. Then they can go and tell the carriage drivers what time to be here.’

  Mr Carter had organised local men to drive the carriages to take everyone to the station before he and Mrs Danvers had left for London to get the London house organised for the family’s return.