"The Queen's Assassin" (closed)

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Village of Treyla
Upstairs before breakfast

Clara stirred at the sense that Morrow was moving about, only to suddenly realize that he was under the bedding, sneaking in between her thighs as he urged her knees apart. She laughed, asking unnecessarily, "What do you think you're doing down there?"

Morrow's answer came as another wonderful orgasm at the service of his lips, tongue, and fingers. When he emerged again, she kissed him and kicked her own fluids from his lips and cheeks. She whispered playfully, "You're right. I do taste good."

Later, after breakfast:

"Morrow of Kinth," Clara heard her lover tell the target of their clandestine efforts, adding, "And my traveling companion, Clara."

Clara offered out her hand to the Viscount, which he took, bowing forward respectfully. He didn't kiss Clara's hand as Morrow would Betty's in a moment; he being a Viscount and her presumably a Commoner, the protocol was that doing so was his prerogative.

Morrow, of course, kissed Lady Betty's hand; part of the plan they'd formulated involved Morrow flirting with Ulronni's daughter and opening the possibility of an eventual personal union -- a marriage of financial benefit for all -- to see if Ulronni bit.

This didn't leave Clara jealous at all; she understood that there ultimate goal here was to con the con, that being the crooked Viscount. Also, there was the attraction that Clara felt for Ulronni's daughter, a yearning that had only increased in temperature after the encounter with the fair Rosalyn.

Clara moved closer to Betty, whispering, "All this talk of dirty, dark copper mines gives me the chills. Would you like to step outside with me, Lady Betty, and enjoy some of the early morning sun?"

"Happily," Betty responded giving her father a playful glare before giggling and reaching out to pat him on the arm. "Clara and I are stepping outside, Da."

Ignoring that Clara might be a mere Commoner, Betty slipped a hand into the crook of Clara's arm and headed them toward and through the door. Outside, the crisp, cool morning struck them hard, causing both to wrap themselves up tighter in their hooded cloaks.

They chatted aimlessly about the newly arrived autumn, the small village life versus that of the bigger city so near, and the differences between life here in the Republic of Yalla and that in the Meretheni Federation.

Clara had to be careful about that last topic, obviously, as she herself had never been in the distant land. The younger Betty confessed that she'd never been there either, which gave Clara more freedom to be creative.

Then, beginning to realize that she couldn't stop thinking about what she and Morrow had done with Rosalyn last evening and how badly she wanted to repeat it with this young beauty, Clara decided to get creative once more. She looked back to the Inn's entrance to ensure that neither of the men were close, then pulled Betty closer.

"I'm not really Lord Morrow's traveling companion," Clara whispered. When Betty looked confused, Clara asked, "Do you know what that means ... traveling companion?"

"I ... I don't think ... no, I don't suppose," Betty said hesitantly. When Clara explained that it was a polite way of saying it meant two people were sharing the same bed while traveling for purposes other than simply saving money on two rooms, the still-in-her-last-teen-year Betty flushed a bright red, giggled nervously, and confessed, "No! I didn't know. How scandalous"

"I know!" Clara agreed, joining the laughter. She continued her fallacy, "But as I said, we are not as such. Lord Morrow is simply and quietly escorting me between locations where I teach a select and exclusive upper class clientele the Art of Frenkish Grooming."

Again, Betty's face filled with confusion. "The Art of ... I'm sorry, what?"

Clara smiled wide, again checked for the men, then in barely more than a whisper, went into a detailed explanation of the topic of which Betty had never been informed, let alone participated.

The girl's shock only seemed to deepen as Clara's explanation continued. With each detail, she hesitantly made inquiries to deepen her understanding of the hair removal art.

Suddenly, behind them, the door opened and the voices of the two men still talking of copper filled the girls' ears. Betty pulled Clara close, begging, "You must tell me more if this ... grooming ... please!"

Clara feigned concern about the request, saying, "Well, I'm afraid that Lord Morrow and I may be departing the area today."

Betty insisted that the pair stay in Treyla another day, saying with excited hope, "You can stay with Da and I at our home. We have plenty of--"

Betty wasn't able to finish, as the men interrupted by pulling the two women separate directions. Ironically, Ulrinni and Morrow had already made plans for the girls that fit Clara's take perfectly. Morrow guided Clara on keeping her eyes open for illegal activities.

She in turn told Morrow about her new career, which surprised him, of course. "This guarantees me proximity to Betty until at least tomorrow, likely longer. That work for you?"

It did, obviously. Clara rejoined Betty, and the two road of toward the Viscount's estate with two of Ulronni's men escorting them.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Village of Treyla
Outside the Inn

(OOC: I looked for a more "sophisticated" image for my character, Morrow. The best I could find that seemed to fit the context of our RP is the AI generated one below.)


"You sneaky little devil you," Morrow whispered to Clara when she explained what she'd concocted for Lady Betty. He also happily remembered the previous night with Rosalyn, of course. And he was pretty certain of what Clara's real goal here was. He asked with a devilish smile, "Do I get to watch?"

"This guarantees me proximity to Betty until at least tomorrow," she promised him, "likely longer. That work for you?"

"Yes, very much," Morrow said. He looked to Ulronni, smiling as he gave the man a friendly wave. To Clara, he said, "I need two days likely. To be invited into his conspiracy to cheat the Crown. And to learn the names of some of his conspirators."

Taking and kissing Clara's hand and giving her a respectful bow, he said louder, "I shall whither without your company, m'lady, but I am sure that you are in good hands."

He watched the two women mount their horses and ride off. To Ulronni, Morrow asked, "Shall we check out this mine of yours, Viscount? I am very eager to learn of what business and profit we might find in one another's association."

That night:

Morrow and Ulronni had spent much of the day either in, at, or speaking of the mine. They broke for lunch at one point. At another, they rode to a nearby river to speak about Meretheni. Morrow, thankfully, had far more direct knowledge of the Federation than had Clara. This was helpful, of course, because Ulronni would have been far more difficult to bluff than had his daughter.

They met with some of the Teamsters who hauled the copper. Morrow could see in the way Ulronni spoke to them that there were secrets being kept. The whole of the mine's extraction was supposed to be reported to the Crown's Chamberlain. This Royal Official was responsible for assigning the correct taxation amount, of course.

There was a great deal of corruption along any production line in any industry in just about any State. Morrow knew this. He was no idiot. Everyone took a piece that wasn't theirs to take. The miners slipped valuable ore or stones into their pockets or bags. The mine owners, like Ulronni, failed to report their full amount of extraction. The smelters skimmed a bit of processed ore one it had been purified. The teamsters lost a wagon occasionally, perhaps to Highwaymen or to a wagon lost down a slope.

And then, of course, there was the Chamberlain. He often got his skim off both sides of the taxation profit. First, he lowered the tax on the ore for a piece of the saved amount. Then he slipped a few (or sometimes many) of the coins from the collected tax amount before it reached the Treasury.

Morrow had a suspicion that this last handler of the coin, the Chamberlain, likely cost the Crown more than all the other forms of graft combined. He'd told this to Luna when they'd first talked about his new project. She'd promised him that they would take care of this corruption as well. Publicly!

They returned to the Inn for an early dinner. Before heading inside, Ulronni wondered aloud. "Perhaps we should head for my estate, rather than remain in the village another night."

"No, no, we should remain here," Morrow countered. He wanted Clara to have more time with the man's daughter. "It's late. It will be far after dark by the time we get there, and I hear that there is a Highwayman problem in these parts."

"Not in my County," the Viscount corrected proudly.

"Still," Morrow said as he turned Ulronni toward the Inn's entrance. "I'm hungry. I feel I owe you at least dinner for all that you have done for me today. And I have someone I think you would enjoy meeting."

"You, the man from Meretheni," Ulronni said, laughing, "You are going to introduce me to someone in a village in my County?"

Morrow suddenly found himself wondering whether or not the Viscount might have already had the pleasure of knowing the fair Rosalyn. He found himself worried that such knowledge of the girl might change his ongoing con for the worse.

They took the table the copper mine owner and his daughter had sat at the night before. Rosalyn, who normally tended the second and third floor guest rooms, not the tavern, arrived to take their order.

"Viscount Ulronni," Morrow began the introductions, "Have you had the pleasure of being served by Rosalyn of Treyla?"

Ulronni surprised Morrow. The Viscount had passed on kissing Clara's hand when introduced to her. And yet now, he stood from his chair, took Rosalyn's hand, leaned forward while staring her in the eyes, and kissed her fingers. He practically hummed, "Pleasure, m'lady."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

(OOC: Good pic. I don't care that it's AI. Some of mine are obviously. Speaking of pics, I didn't like the pic for Rosalyn that I used before, so I switched it to the one I use below.)

The Village Inn, the village of Treyla
Evening:

Rosalyn didn't typically work the Tavern floor, but peeking out to see how busy things were, she immediately spotted Morrow and smiled with delight. Even though Clara had said that she and Morrow might call on her again, she hadn't honestly believed that she would see either of them again, particularly so soon. Morrow was sitting with another man -- a Viscount or Count? -- who Rosalyn remembered had stayed the night as well, accompanied by his daughter, who'd been named Lady Betty.

Rosalyn wouldn't have believed that Morrow and the Nobleman knew each other; they hadn't socialized the previous evening, nor had either man spoken of the other during her moments of serving them. The thought of serving them made Rosalyn smile with delight; while she'd ensured that the Noble had had clean bedding, hot water for his wash bowl, and enough firewood to keep the fire burning through the night, Rosalyn had provided Morrow with sexual satisfaction in his bathtub, something that he and his traveling companion had made possible for Rosalyn as well.

Catching the Tavern Keeper as he passed by to fill plates of food, Rosalyn asked if she could tend to the men in the corner table. He scrutinized her appearance -- she was wearing stained, tattered clothing for cleaning rooms -- with her hair in a bun atop her head. She promised, "I'll change. Please."

After he nodded his approval, Rosalyn rushed to a small bedroom in the back of the first floor. It belonged to the owners niece, who was currently working the Tavern floor. Stripping down to her undergarments, she donned the niece's clothes and let her hair down, tying it into a braid. When she finished, Rosalyn looked fetching. She hurried out to the Tavern, slowing before approaching Morrow so as to not look too anxious to see him again.

When she got close, Rosalyn took notice of Morrow's appearance, studying him a moment; it was odd to see him dressed and not naked in a bathtub. She approached slowly from behind the second man, wanting her most recent lover to see her first; she didn't know how he would react to seeing her, particularly since he was sitting with others. When Morrow did finally catch her attention, he instantly revealed his delight at seeing her, which was a great relief.

"Viscount Ulronni," Morrow said standing, "Have you had the pleasure of being served by Rosalyn of Treyla?"

Viscount! Rosalyn thought to herself. That's what he is. Ulronni surprised both Morrow and Rosalyn by standing and very respectfully -- and somewhat flirtatiously -- taking the latter's hand and kissing it as he purred, "Pleasure, m'lady."

Rosalyn instantly blushed, performing a quick, sharp curtsey as she responded, "M'lord. My pleasure ... too."

Two hours later:

Bouncing in Ulronni's lap while she grasped the headboard behind the Noble, Rosalyn cried out loudly as the orgasm exploded through her body; her mind spun wildly as the euphoria overwhelmed her, leaving her lost to the world. Her face to the heavens, she felt the Viscount's teeth taking hold of one pert nipple, nibbling before moving to the other as his hands clutched her tits tightly.

As she came down from her cloud, she looked into the man's face, smiling, then giggling long and loud. She leaned in, kissing him passionately between deep breaths. She told him, "Thank you, m'lord. You are really something."

As she dismounted, Rosalyn turned and looked across the room ... to Morrow, who was sitting in an armchair, watching the encounter with a happy smile on his face. She let loose a laugh of obvious embarrassment, blushing again as she said, "And thank you, m'lord."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread


The Village Inn, the village of Treyla
Evening:

Ulronni groped at Rosalyn's tits and bit at her nipples as she bounced in his lap. She seemed to like it. He liked it. He liked her. He'd already cum inside her twice. Once had been just moments after they'd entered his room. He'd bent her over the bed, lifted her skirt and shift, hurriedly exposed his groin and cock, and rammed into her.

He hadn't lasted long. Rosalyn was simply too wet, warm, and tight. She'd quickly set to stripping him and putting him on his ass against the bed's headboard to mount him. And again, he'd found the pleasure and erotic excitement too much for him. He groaned out a second time as he filled her with his seed.

Ulronni was satisfied in seeing Rosalyn cum as well. It was nice to know he could drive such a young thing to ecstasy. Descending from her high, she slid off, whispering, "Thank you, m'lord. You are really something."

He wanted to ask if she told all her paying customers that. To pad their egos. He kept his question to himself, though.

Morrow had told Ulronni that Rosalyn wasn't a whore. Not really. She was just a girl who liked sex and didn't mind taking a few coins to go along with her orgasms. But money had been exchanged. It was the reason Ulronni had allowed Morrow to sit in the corner and watch. The Viscount wanted the Lord from Meretheni to see that he'd gotten his money's worth.

"And thank you, m'lord," Rosalyn said to Morrow.

"No, thank you, girl," the voyeur responded. To Ulronni as he was standing, Morrow said, "I'm going downstairs for an ale. You take your time. The girl's yours for the rest of the night if you have that kind of energy left in you."

"You're not taking a turn, sir?" Ulronni asked as he slid out of the bed. He reached out a hand to pet Rosalyn's bare ass before slapping it hard enough to make her yelp. Laughing, he said, "She's too much for me, friend. I'm going to go for that ale, and you can keep this minx busy for a while."

Ulronni began donning his clothes. Morrow looked to Rosalyn with a questioning expression. She made it clear that he was welcome to be with her again. He told the Viscount, "I'll be along soon. Don't drink all the ale."

Before he left, Ulronni dropped more Silver Sovereigns on the table. Morrow objected, saying, "She was my treat."

"No, no," the Nobleman said, patting Morrow's shoulder. He looked to the naked woman splayed on the bed. "This is a gratuity for a job well done. I hope to partake of you again in the near future, Rosalyn."

Ulronni headed out the door. Morrow looked to the servant again, admiring her. Then he began undressing. They would fuck just once. Morrow could have spent the whole night inside Rosalyn. But he needed to speak more with the Viscount about their copper ore deal.

When he left, he told Rosalyn, "When you're finished with work, you can sleep the night in my room if you wish. We could continue this."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread


The Village Inn, the village of Treyla
Evening:

Rosalyn was in seventh heaven lying there in the afterglow of another delicious orgasm; she'd never before been paid to enjoy sex before, and enjoy it she most certainly had been.

"No, thank you, girl," Morrow said in response to Rosalyn thanking him for arranging her meeting with the Viscount. The mean discussed who was going to partake of her next, causing her to smile wide. When Morrow looked to her for a sign of whether or not she wanted him, Rosalyn parted her thighs to flash him her pussy; it was the lewdest thing she'd ever done to a lover before, causing her to laugh loudly. Morrow told Ulronni, "I'll be along soon. Don't drink all the ale."

The Nobleman left more coins behind, looking to Rosalyn and telling her it was a gratuity for a job well done. "I hope to partake of you again in the near future, Rosalyn."

"You know where to find me, m'lord," she said with a smile and a kiss blown to him.

Morrow undressed and came to her bed for another go around, but he told her he needed to get down to the Viscount to talk business. He told her she could spend the night in his room if she wished, finishing, "We could continue this."

"I can't, m'lord," Rosalyn said with a pouty bottom lip. Rising to clean her womanhood before redressing for work, she explained, "My parents will expect me. They don't know that I do this ... fuck men who aren't my husband." She blushed, then giggled. Feeling she needed to set the record straight, Rosalyn explained, "I didn't do this before you and Clara, m'lord. Honestly. I'd only been with three men before you ... and two of them--"

She drew a sudden, deep breath as the emotion of recalling those events hit her. Softer, she only said, "Well ... I didn't ... didn't want to, is all."

Morrow was ready to leave as Rosalyn went to him, wrapping her arms around him to kiss him and grope his groin. Their mouths separated, and as she pulled away, she said with a sincere tone, "I would do anything for you and Clara, m'lord. And you don't have to pay me for it."

She hoped he would believe her. Rosalyn saw a future with that pair, though, she didn't honestly know what that future might entail.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Reenan Estate
Midway between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep
The County of Ulronni

Sunset:

Clara was surprised when she learned that Betty hadn't actually been heading them toward the Keep in which she and her father lived. Betty laughed, as if surprised of Clara's surprise, and explained, "On for goodness sakes no. It is a two-day ride home from Treyla. That is why Da and I were staying at the Inn while he was visiting the copper mine."

They passed through a thick, dark forest and emerged from the shadows to find low rolling hills of mature grains, some of the acreage already being harvested by crews of peasants attached to the estate. In the middle of the 200+ acres was a stone tower. When they got closer, Clara would guess that it was about 20 feet in diameter at the bottom and just a few feet narrower than that at the top; 30 feet tall, with crenellations around the top and just enough scattered windows to indicate that it was composed of three separate floors; and accompanied by a smattering of structures made of stone, wood, mud, or a combination therein.

"This is my mother's brother's home," Betty explained as they got close enough for a man atop the tower to recognize her and wave excitedly. She waved back excitedly, saying, "That's him there."

She kicked her horse into a canter to get them there quickly, and stopping near her uncle, Betty practically leapt out of her saddle into his arms. They laughed as Rolph swung his niece around in circles, kissing her cheek several times before letting her drop to her feet. He then looked to the second woman, his delight showing in his face, even though he attempted to tamp it down.

"And who is this lovely with you, my Betty," he asked, eying Clara as she swung her foot over the front of her saddle and -- with one of the escort's helping her -- finding the ground beneath her feet.

"This is my new best friend in all the world, Lady Clara of Kinth," Betty said as she practically dragged her uncle to the other woman. Thinking her uncle wouldn't know, she announced, "Kinth is in the Meretheni Federation, on the Great Steppe Canal." She hurried to Clara, grasped her hand, and -- again dragging -- lured the woman to her uncle, saying, "Lady Clara, this is my uncle, Rolph. Lord Rolph of Windham. This is Windham, his estate."

Rolph reached out a hand to Clara, into which she laid her still gloved one. He kissed it softly on the fingers, a very respectful greeting for the lady that he presumed her to be, then corrected, "Well, not my estate."

"Close enough," Betty said, cutting off his explanation. She slipped a hand into the crook of his arm, then grasped Clara's hand with the other and urged them both toward the house; behind them, the two escorts just assumed that caring for the horses fell upon them and went to work doing so. Betty began rambling on quickly about her uncle, his estate, the many peasants who served him as loyal laborers and who he, in turn, served as a benevolent Lord.

Then, as they reached the steps rising to the 2nd story doorway into the tower, Betty exclaimed, "Uncle! We're starving after our ride. You must feed us your venison stew and some of that bread that Manthalyn makes." To Carla, she bragged, "Mantha makes the best bread. You'll never want to eat anyone else's bread for the rest of your life."

She took the stairs first, still dragging Clara behind close to her as her uncle took the steps a little more casually and safely, considering that while the stairway had a railing attached to the stone wall, there was no protective railing on the outside of the steps.

Inside, Betty dragged her new best friend in all the world through the tower keep, showing her all of the rooms and features. It was a typical Keep to the best of Clara's knowledge; she'd been in a couple of similar structures during her life and assumed they were all essentially the same. For some of the tour, it was just the two girls hurrying about; other times, Rolph caught up to the girls and offered details when prompted by his niece; and once each they came across the two House Servants, the first being the incredible Mantha when they reached the kitchen, and the second being a 12-year-old boy named Timmon who was delivering wood to the various rooms for the evening's many fires.

"Timmon thinks that he's going to marry me soon and become Viscount of Ulronni when my father passes," Betty said as she pulled the boy to her bosom in a bear hug. He did his best to feign resistance to the hug, but Clara could see that the shorter lad enjoyed having his head pulled tightly into the bosom of the taller, beautiful young female. Betty continued, "But what Timmon has to understand is that I must marry a Nobleman, and for him -- a mere Commoner--"

The way Betty said it was playful and in no way demeaning, which the interaction between them told Clara was understood by each. She continued her social lesson, still clutching him to her, "--to marry me, he will have to first marry a lesser Lady ... perhaps the daughter of a Sheriff ... or a Court Advisor ... then, after she has tired of him yearning endlessly for me ... whispering my name as he sleeps next to her ... she will flee to some distant land with a Highwayman or some other scoundrel who only wants her for her money and body ... and only then will the two of us, Sir Timmon of Windham and Countess Betty of Ulronni ... be able to wed and live happily ever after."

Timmon had been feigning his attempt to free himself, but when suddenly Rolph was in the doorway, the boy managed to free himself in an instant. He begged his leave, snatched up the wood carrier, and hurried for the door and an escape from punishment for a moment of physical familiarity for which he had not permission.

"Mantha has questions for you regarding the meal you wish prepared, my Betty," Rolph told his niece. She hurried out the room and down the stone stairway without a by your leave to Clara. The man of the Keep chuckled, asking, "Would you like to see the best part of my home?"

"Yes, of course, please," Clara responded, falling in behind him as he, too, went for the stairs. But he went upwards instead, taking her to the roof, where she looked out over the estate with awe; the sun had just fallen behind the tree line to the west, and the fields -- waving in a light breeze -- seemed to roll as if the seas on fire. She murmured softly, "It's beautiful."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread


The Village Inn, the village of Treyla
Evening:

"I can't, m'lord," Rosalyn said when Morrow offered her his room for the night. "My parents will expect me."

"Of course, sorry," he apologized. He'd forgotten for a moment that she wasn't the whore he, Ulronni, and even Clara to an extent had been treating her.

As if she knew what he was thinking, Rosalyn told Morrow, "They don't know that I do this. Fuck men who aren't my husband."

He caught her blushing from her blunt statement. Morrow stepped closer, ready to comfort her with reassurances that he didn't see her that way.

She giggled, saying, "I didn't do this before you and Clara, m'lord. Honestly."

Morrow suddenly felt like a shit. Did you do this? Did you turn her into a whore?

"I'd only been with three men before you," she continued as Morrow reached her. He took her upper arms into his hands as she explained, "And two of them. Well, I didn't, didn't want to, is all."

Morrow pulled Rosalyn into his arms, pressing her head to his chest. He told her with a sincere tone, "I'm sorry that that happened to you."

He understood that she was saying that she'd been raped. If he knew who those men were, he'd cut their balls off and feed them to them through their nostrils. His thoughts came back to what he'd done to Rosalyn, though. "I pray to the Gods that I have not hurt you with the way that I have treated you. I want you to know that I don't think of you as anything other than a strong-willed young woman who knows what she wants and knows how to get it."

Morrow took her head in his hands. He kissed her forehead with wet lips. He kissed her on the lips softly. It wasn't erotic as was usual with them. He told her with a sincere tone, "You are special, Rosalyn."

He looked into her eyes as he considered his next words. Morrow didn't like to lie to women. Well, unless he was conning them. Or preparing to kill them. Or both. He wasn't planning either of those for her, of course. He kissed her with a bit of passion. Then he told her, "I will take care of you, Rosalyn. If you will allow me. You'll never want for a roof over your head or food in your belly."

Morrow wanted to make sure that she didn't misunderstand him and quickly added, "I can find you a good husband. A man who will treasure you and honor you, as I and Clara do. Maybe a smithy. Or a shop keeper."

He smiled. He couldn't tell her who he worked for, of course. His association with Luna, Queen of the Republic of Yalla, was not yet public. Still, he promised her, "If you want, I can find you a position as a Chamber Maid or Handmaiden. I know people in high places. And I'm not talking about a particular Viscount who you already met."

Ironically, if she had the chance, Rosalyn might want to work in Ulronni's home. As what, though? House Maid? Or Consort? The Countess Ulronni had died, of course. There was a cold place in the man's bed.

Hell, Ulronni could marry Rosalyn. That wasn't going to happen, obviously. She was a Commoner. She worked in a Tavern. She fucked men she'd just met. For money. While other men watched. Who knows, though. Maybe that was what Ulronni wanted. Morrow would have to think on this.

He separated from her to gather his cloak to depart. Rosalyn came to him. She wrapped her arms around him, kissed him, and groped his groin. He smiled and laughed. "I have to go, Ros'. Sorry."

"I would do anything for you and Clara, m'lord," she said with a serious tone. "And you don't have to pay me for it."

"I believe you, and I appreciate it," Morrow told her. He kissed her passionately. Then, before he departed, "And we're going to take care of you."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham Estate
Midway between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep
The County of Ulronni

Sunset:

(OOC: The pic for Rolph might look young. We can say he's Betty's mother's 8-years-younger brother.)

Rolph hadn't been expecting Betty's return for a few more days. She and her father had stayed for a night just two before today on their way to Treyla. He recognized his niece's horse by its unique coloring first. The other rider with her most certainly wasn't his brother-in-law.

He descended to the ground level to meet his unexpected guests. Betty practically attacked him, causing laughter and teasing. Only then did Rolph catch sight of Clara. She was the most beautiful creature he'd seen on the estate in years, even considering Betty.

Introductions were made, and Betty rushed them all back to the Keep. Rolph followed, his gaze glued to Clara's hind end. She was in riding clothes with no bustle. The shape of her ass as she walked caused Rolph's cock to begin hardening out of hunger.

It had been almost a year since he'd been inside a woman. It wasn't as if he didn't have options. He could name 4 or 5 estate workers who would willingly part their thighs for him. And there were at least twice that many whores within half a day's ride. No, Rolph had simply chosen to put his time into the estate rather than his cock into a pussy.

Until now. Rolph already knew that he had to have Clara. He didn't know anything about her, of course. Who was she? What was her station, her status? Was she already spoken for? His niece had been very friendly with her. Seemingly over friendly. Rolph had caught Betty kissing a female field hand once. She'd explained that she just wanted to know what it was like. He'd shrugged it off as experimentation. He'd done a little of that as a kid, too. Were Betty and Clara that way now. Only, more than kissing?

He had to find out. Rolph casually followed the pair into the house. He informed Mantha about dinner guests, telling her to break out the special bread. Upstairs, he was surprised (or not?) to find Betty accosting poor Timmon. The boy nearly shit his pants when he saw his Noble Lord in the doorway.

"Mantha has questions for you," he began, explaining about the cook's needs. Betty ran off, leaving Rolph with the subject of his lust. He asked, "Would you like to see the best part of my home?"

When she looked out upon the estate, Clara mused, "It's beautiful."

Rolph was again looking at Clara. He almost missed the compliment of his place. "Oh, yes. Yes, it is. I've worked very hard on it. It didn't look like this when I first came here."

He explained his earlier comment to Clara. "I'm not of Noble birth. My sister is."

Rolph's face showed sorrow as he corrected, "She was. Delora died recently. Our father, Gabrien, was from Abad, in the Fenwater. He was a Noble. A Count. When Delora was, what, 8 or 9? Her father met my mother. He was married, of course, and my mother was a dancer. About as close to a whore as they come, Delora's mother reminded me all through my childhood.

"Anyhow, my mother died in childbirth," Rolph continued. "Gabrien had loved my mother so deeply that when she died, he insisted that I come to live in his home, as his legitimate son. Oh, Delora's mother didn't like that one bit. But she dealt with it. Dealt with it by never letting me forget who and what I was. A bastard.

"When Gabrien went on a search for a husband for his daughter," Rolph went on, "he found Viscount Ulronni of the Yallan Republic. Delora actually like the man, and they married after just a couple of months. Her wedding present to her new husband was me!"

Rolph laughed. "She'd told him immediately upon his declaration that he wanted to marry her that I came as part of the package. Ulronni agreed. But he didn't want to see me any more often than necessary. So, he gave me this estate. It had been in shambles at the time. I'm still working to make it fully work. But I'm close."

While he'd been talking, Rolph had walked to the crenellations and was staring off into the darkening sky. He only realized that he'd drifted away when Clara asked if he was okay. Again, he laughed. He studied her a moment. He decided to take a leap. The worst that could happen is he felt he needed to leap to the ground after her answer.

"It would be easier, of course, if I wasn't doing it all alone," he mused as he stared at Clara. He clarified, "If I had a wife. A good woman who could help me with the house. The workers. Maybe give me a couple of strong sons. Maybe even a daughter. Beautiful like her."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Village Inn, the village of Treyla
Evening:

(OOC: This overlays partially with Rosalyn and Morrow's previous post.)


"I pray to the Gods that I have not hurt you with the way that I have treated you," Morrow told Rosalyn when she spoke of feeling like a whore after meeting him and Clara. "I want you to know that I don't think of you as anything other than a strong-willed young woman who knows what she wants and knows how to get it."

Rosalyn smiled, delighted with Morrow's words. She'd always been a confident woman, ready to stand up for herself when faced with adversity. She'd helped support her family through hard work from a young age; Rosalyn had only a very basic education, some reading, writing, and numbers that she learned at home as there had never been time for her as a mere female to go to school. But she was anything but ignorant at the same time; she understood the world around her, how it worked, and who made it work, from the most peasant of Commoners to the most powerful of Nobles and Royals.

Morrow kissed her and told her with a sincere tone, "You are special, Rosalyn."

Her lips widened, nearly splitting her face. "Thank you, m'lord. Thank you, Morrow."

"I will take care of you, Rosalyn," he promised. "If you will allow me. You'll never want for a roof over your head or food in your belly."

Somehow, her smiled widened even further. Rosalyn immediately thought exactly what Morrow was now fearing she would: that he would have her living in his home. Oh, the word marriage didn't enter her mind, of course; she was a peasant from a small town, and although she was unsure of Morrow's actual social status -- Commoner, Noble, something in between? -- Rosalyn knew that he had Clara.

"I can find you a good husband," he said, reading her reaction to his I will take care of you reaction. "A man who will treasure you and honor you, as I and Clara do."

Rosalyn kissed Morrow, saying only, "Thank you." He talked about getting her a position in some well-to-do or even noble person's home. He told her, "I know people in high places."

"I bet you do," she said, laughing. Rosalyn didn't know Morrow's exact position or occupation, but she'd already guesses that he was well connected to people of power or money or both. He spoke of how he wasn't thinking she should work for Ulronni, to which she mused, "He wasn't that bad. I would need to train him in bed, of course."

Morrow told her he had to go, to which she said with the most sincere tone, "I would do anything for you and Clara, m'lord. And you don't have to pay me for it."

"I believe you, and I appreciate it," Morrow responded. He kissed her again before promising, "And we're going to take care of you."

Rosalyn watched Morrow head out the door to reconnect with Ulronni. She stood there for the longest moment, still naked to the skin. She reached to between her legs, feeling at her womanhood. She was swollen from the rough treatment by the Viscount; his initial fuck of her from behind had been hard but quick, so it was mostly her own energetic, almost fierce bouncing in his lap afterward that had done the damage. She smiled, knowing that she'd hurt and walk funny for the rest of the night.

Even though she should have gone back to work, Rosalyn instead poured herself a hot bath and soaked in it until the water had gotten too cold for comfort. She wasn't worried about her employer, the Inn's Keeper, getting angry with her; he surely understood that the disappearance of two Noble Lords at the same time as her vanishing wasn't something in which he should be sticking his nose. He and the other girl would tend to the patrons well enough.

Finally, though, she slipped out to dry, dress, change the wet bedding on the Viscount's bed, and return to her work. The regular downstairs barmaid had taken over Rosalyn's work upstairs, so Rosalyn spent an hour or so doing her work clearing tables and doing the last of the dishes. Her boss gave her the stink eye none the less, to which Rosalyn said, "You don't have to pay me tonight, sire. I failed you. Please forgive me."

"Because you've already been paid?" he insinuated, giving her body a conspicuous up and down ogle. Rosalyn had worked for him off and on for two years, and he'd never attempted anything sexual with her before. Now, though, after what he knew has happened upstairs, he moved to her with a hungry look in his face, asking, "Maybe I should get something for letting you do business in my place."

"Maybe you should ask the Viscount and Lord Morrow whether or not they want to share me with you," she said sharply. He backed off, fearful of the wrath of the Nobleman to whom he served. Rosalyn tossed the dirty dish towel at him, saying firmly, "I am done for the night. I'll be back tomorrow ... maybe."

It was already after midnight by now, and only a pair of drunkards remained in the tavern. Morrow and Ulronni had already returned to their rooms, Rosalyn presumed. She bundled up tightly against the cold and hurried the quarter mile to her home. Her parents stirred at the sound of her but otherwise returned to their slumber without a word. They trusted that she was safe and secure despite the odd hours of her work; neither of them believed that she was an innocent maiden anymore, but neither believed she was the type to sell herself either. They would have been disappointed to learn what she'd done the last two night, even though the silver she carried with her now -- money she'd slowly spend on the family over time -- would have been very welcome.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

Atop the Windham House, looking out over the estate

Midway between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep
The County of Ulronni

Sunset:

(OOC: I like the pic for Rolph.)

Clara had noticed the way Rolph occasionally looked at her, knowing that he was thinking of all the things he could do with her within the bedding in his tower bedroom. She was anything but innocent and naive, and she knew what men were thinking when they looked at her like that. She listened to his tragic story of how he'd come to be Lord of Windham, feeling empathy for him while contemplating her own story as well.

"It would be easier, of course," he continued, "if I wasn't doing it all alone."

Clara couldn't help but smile a bit; she knew where he was going with this even as he was still formulating the words he wished to speak. There had been no mention of a wife by Rolph or even his niece, so Clara was certain that the man was either widowed or never married.

"If I had a wife," he continued, "a good woman who could help me with the house. The workers. Maybe give me a couple of strong sons. Maybe even a daughter. Beautiful like her."

"It would make things easier, yes, m'lord," Clara agreed. She was very unsure of her own future at this point, not knowing whether she was to remain at Morrow's side or not. But one thing Clara knew she didn't want was to be the wife of a farmer, even if he did hold titles to the land he worked. She considered her words, then said, "If you would permit me to do so, m'lord, when I return with Morrow to the Capital--"

As soon as she'd spoken that word, Clara realized that she'd made a mistake; she was supposed to be from Kinth, in the Meretheni Federation, wasn't she? But wait, no: it had only been stated that Morrow was from Merethini and that Clara was is traveling companion. She could be from the Capital City of Yalla, couldn't she?

Either way, she shrugged off the misstep and continued, "I know a great many important people ... noble people ... even Royals. I could speak of you ... see if there is any interest in such a wonderful man as yourself."

She listened to his response, then smiled devilishly as a thought began bouncing about inside her skull. She stepped a bit closer -- currently, they were almost as far apart on the Keep's top as two people could be without falling over crenelations to the ground -- to speak to him without possibly being heard by anyone on the floor below them who might either be coming this way or eavesdropping.

"Perhaps you should be thinking of a wife chosen from those closer to home, m'lord," she said, still nearing him. She let Rolph believe for a moment that maybe, just maybe, she was speaking of herself before speaking the name in her head, "Perhaps you should be considering Lady Betty for your wife."

He reacted, and Clara continued, "The match is perfect, is it not? She is you half-sister's child ... barely your niece in that regards. Besides, men and women with closer relationships than that have married. The Emperor of the Frenkish Empire had three of his own sisters in his Haren ... full blooded sisters, with whom he produced children, one of whom followed him onto the Throne when he himself died. There are others, of course.

"Lady Clara is of noble birth," Clara continued, still inching closer to Rolph, "and whether or not Viscount Ulronni wants to admit or accept it, you are of noble birth, too, m'lord. Your father was a Count. He was a titled Noble. That makes you a Count as well."

Of course, that wasn't precisely true. Clara couldn't know whether or not Rolph's father's titles had gone to another son, and in all likelihood they had. Then, smiling with delight, she continued, "But the real reason for this match is simple: Betty adores you, m'lord. I see that. I'm sure that you do, too. And I've seen the way you look at her."

Actually, that wasn't so much true; Clara had once caught Rolph ogling Betty, but he was a man, and Betty was a beautiful, young woman -- a maiden! -- and no man could resist peeking such a young woman's way without feeling a tingle in his crotch.

"She loves you with ever fiber of her heart, maybe as an uncle now," Clara continued, now nearly within arm's reach of Rolph, "but given the opportunity, I think she would show you a love that went far beyond that. The two of you are meant for one another. Trust me. I know these things."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

Atop the Windham House, looking out over the estate

Midway between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep
The County of Ulronni

Sunset:

"It would make things easier, yes, m'lord," Clara agreed when Rolph said he needed a wife.

She was slowly closing the distance between them. He began to think that perhaps his hint had worked.

Then she dashed his hopes by speaking of returning to the Capital with Morrow. It was the first time Rolph had heard the man's name. He presumed it was a man at least. Her husband? Her escort? Her lover?

Ironically, Rolph didn't catch her mention of the Capital at all. The name Morrow had his full attention.

She continued, talking of the great many important people she knew. "I could speak of you ... see if there is any interest in such a wonderful man as yourself."

Rolph's lips widened in a smile at her compliment. If I was such a wonderful man, he thought, you'd want to stay here and be that wife.

Then she shocked him by saying, "Perhaps you should be considering Lady Betty for your wife."

Rolph chuckled, initially thinking the thought outrageous. But Clara continued. "She is you half-sister's child ... barely your niece in that regards."

She continued, speaking of other Nobles and Royals who'd married people related to them by blood. Rolph thought about that connection between Betty and himself. Clara was correct. Betty was only his half-sister's daughter. He himself knew a man who'd married and had children with his full-blood sister. It had barely raised an eyebrow, even amongst his relations.

"Lady Clara is of noble birth," Clara continued, "and whether or not Viscount Ulronni wants to admit or accept it, you are of noble birth, too, m'lord."

She was right on this, too. His father had been a Count. He was dead now. And his eldest, legitimate son had, of course, claimed the title. However, that son had died recently, too. And there were no other living children.

Rolph could, if he wanted, make claim on the titles and all that came with them. The only reason he hadn't was the distance involved. The lands associated to those titles were in The Fenwater. They were more than 800 kilometers away. (OOC: map; compare Yalla in the south to Abad in The Fenwater, almost due north.)

And there was no way of knowing whether those titles and lands had value anymore. Rolph had left Abad almost 20 years ago. He'd been just 12 years old at the time. What he recalled was that there were issues related to the lands and the lowering value of them. Had things changed? If so, had it been for the better or worse?

"Betty adores you, m'lord," Clara declared. "I see that. I'm sure that you do, too. And I've seen the way you look at her."

Rolph had to look away, embarrassed. He thought he'd hidden his ogles of his niece better than he had apparently. He felt silly that Clara had noticed it so quickly. He'd been hungrily yearning for his niece for years. She'd been a beautiful child all her life. It was when she began developing that Rolph took notice.

At first, he'd tried to see her as often as he could. He'd invited his sister and Betty to Windham often. But then Rolph ended that. He'd realized how inappropriate it was becoming. He'd realized that he was going to do something wrong if he persisted in his infatuation.

Things changed again when his sister died. Delora's death had left Betty lonely. She spent time with her father, of course. But she hadn't been able to talk to him about her mother, his wife. She'd needed someone she could talk to about Delora. She'd needed her uncle.

She'd begun spending a night or two or even more two or three times a month. Rolph had enjoyed it, of course. He loved his niece more than life itself. But it had been hard as well. At nights, when she retired to her own bed, he would go to his to masturbate to fantasies of her.

"The two of you are meant for one another," Clara assured him. "Trust me. I know these things."

Rolph considered what she was saying. It wasn't as if he'd never imagined Betty being his. His lover, his consort, his wife. the mother of his children. He realized that he was hard as a rock imagining it. He smiled, chuckled softly, and said, "It's getting cold. We should go downstairs."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

Atop the Windham House, looking out over the estate

Midway between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep
The County of Ulronni

Sunset:

Clara could see that Rolph's mind was actively mulling over her suggestion that he consider his niece as his wife. She doubted that this was the first time he'd considered Betty as at least a sexual partner; she was far too sweet, cute, and innocent for a man such as he to not consider as at least a conquest, blood relationship aside.

"It's getting cold," he said, finally speaking. "We should go downstairs."

Clara smiled wider, cocking her head to one side as if to say Really? Really? That's all? But she let it go, turned, and descended two floors to where Mantha -- now with Betty's help -- had prepared a meal for them. Betty didn't hesitate to begin rambling about this and that and the other thing; Clara couldn't believe the energy the girl had, even after the long ride from Treyla. Betty spoke of things she felt her guest should know, and Clara asked many questions and offered many compliments when the times for either was necessary to show her interest.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of Rolph and Betty becoming a couple, though. Her attention shifted between the two of them often, and the interactions between the two of them only cemented her belief that the uncle and niece should be married and practicing at making little noble babies.

When it came time to call it a night, Betty helped the cook and Timmon -- who was an orphan and slept in the Keep in Mantha's room -- put things away and clean other things up. Clara got Rolph away from the other, drawing him to a roaring fire where she wished to speak privately to him. He poured them both small quantities of a core-warming liqueur, and as they sipped at it, she asked quietly, "Do you know what it means for a woman to be Frenkishly groomed, m'lord?"

Rolph's response confirmed his knowledge of the phrase. Clara imagined that he'd been with one or more women who'd been groomed such. She checked for the others, saw no one, and continued, "I am a Frenkish Grooming Artist. It is my reason for being in Yalla. I am here servicing patrons ... and teaching others the Art."

A laugh in the distant kitchen alarmed Clara until she heard Betty and Mantha arguing about who'd spilled something somewhere, possibly on one or the other or both of them. She looked back to Rolph, continuing, "Lady Betty has asked me to teach her Art ... and I have committed to do so. She is of an age where soon ... possibly very soon...?"

The last was intended to emphasize her earlier suggestion that Rolph needed to think of his niece as a wife and, therefore, lover. She continued, "She will be presenting herself to her husband soon ... and she wants to do so in the Frenkish way." Clara paused to sip at her drink. "I will not be able to begin her education tonight as I do not have my tools. I was not expecting to be needing them until my return to the Capital City of Yalla.

"However ... I am sure that Lady Betty will want to know more about the Art," Clara continued. "If she does ... tonight, when we retire ... I will reveal to her an example of Frenkish Grooming." She meant, obviously, her own body. "I will reveal myself as an example ... after which ... I will ask Betty to reveal to me the canvas upon which I would be practicing my Art."

Clara paused, sipping the rest of her drink before handing the glass to Rolph. "For security reasons, I know that some of these old Keeps have little peep holes ... so that their Noble Lords can check on their guests ... or nieces ... to ensure that they are safe and secure. Does your Keep have such useful security measures, m'lord?"

She didn't know whether he would confess to such peepholes if they existed. If he did admit that they existed, Clara was done with her hints; if he said there weren't such things, she would say that it was such a shame that sometimes bed chamber doors didn't fully close at night.

Either way, Betty arrived about then, asking, "Whatcha talking about?"

Clara would tell a tale of how Rolph had been telling embarrassing stories about his niece, to which she would laugh embarrassingly, confronting him and asking, "What did you tell, Uncle?"

They would finish and head away from one another for the night. Betty had told Clara that she could sleep with her in her very large bed. Once inside, Clara began questioning the other young woman about her uncle; initially, Betty thought Clara was considering the man as a potential husband for herself, but Clara set herself straight, asking, "Haven't you considered Rolph as your husband?"

Betty laughed loudly, exclaiming, "What? Are you crazy?"

The two -- sitting or lying on the big bed or bouncing between it and other locations within the room that took up half the level -- spoke on that and other subjects of love, marriage, lust, and more for over an hour before things got quiet and, after that pause, Betty asked, "What's it feel like?"

"What's what feel like?" Clara asked, feigning ignorance. When the girl said nothing but diverted her eyes to her groin, Clara laughed. "You mean Frenkish Grooming?" She described the process, speaking of oily, hot baths, soapy skin, very sharp razor blades, and more. Then, as promised to Rolph, Clara asked, "Do you want to see what it looks like when you're finished?"

Betty hesitated, then nodded excitedly. Clara took the girl's hand, dragging her from the bed to put her in the middle of the room. She took a moment to raise the wicks on the lanterns, brightening the room. Rejoining Betty, Clara turned her back to her, saying, "Help me out of these."

Articles of clothing began falling away, revealing more and more of Clara along the way. Suddenly, she was standing naked before Betty, whose eyes were glued to Clara's bare groin. The nude woman held her arms out wide and turned slowly as she said, "Under your arms ... your legs ... obviously where your legs meet ... and between them. It's all removed, skillfully ... by someone trained in the Art."

"You do yourself?" Betty asked.

"Sometimes," Clara answered. In truth, Clara had always done her own artwork. She'd heard of the tradition once as a young teen and asked her mother about it, only to be slapped; Clara's mother believed that Frenkish Grooming was only done by married women, harem slaves, and brothel whores, and she wasn't going to see her daughter mixed up in such things. "But sometimes I have another Artist to it for me." She paused, now facing Betty again, and said bluntly, "Show me my canvas."

Betty didn't immediately understand, and when she finally got it, her eyes swelled, her mouth dropped open, and she asked, "What...? Now...? Here...? In my uncle's home?"

"Why not?" Clara asked. "We're alone. It's not like he can see us." She laughed. "Would I have taken all of my clothes off like this if I thought he was watching?" Seeing Betty again looking over her naked body, Clara asked, "Would you feel more comfortable if I put on a sleeping gown?"

"No," Betty said after a moment of hesitation. "No, that ... that isn't necessary."

She and Clara began undressing her, and while it took a little longer than it had to strip the older woman, Betty was soon standing there as naked as was Clara. Betty crossed an arm over her bosom, hiding some but not all of its wonderful features as her other hand dropped to hide her crotch.

"Stop that," Clara playfully chastised. "I can't know what I'm working with if I don't see you." She pulled the girl's hands away from her body, then turned her fully around once, then a second time. "You're beautiful, Betty. Perfect." She really was perfect; wonderful hourglass shape, firm medium sized tits, an equally firm, pear-shaped ass. Clara murmured, "He's going to love this."

"Who?" Betty exclaimed, again doing her best to hide herself. "Who's going to love this...? Love me...? I mean, love seeing--"

Clara's laughter stopped the girl, reaching out to pull the hands away again, this time against significant resistance. "Your husband, silly," Clara told her. "When you finally get married, on that wedding night ... he's going to love what he sees. You are perfect, Betty. Everything any man would want in a wife ... and a lover."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

OOC:

• When we began our story, I was rather ignorant about the "real world" hierarchy of the Nobility throughout history.
• I placed the Noble ranks in descending order as: Baron/Baroness, Duke/Duchess, Count/Countess, Viscount/Countess, and (common) Lord/Lady.
• Even though this is nearly entirely backwards, we are going to stick to it.
• If you are following along with our story: first, I want to say thank you; and second, I want to say go with it.
• By the way, any Noble might be referred to as "Lord" or "M'Lord" at any point. That is different from "Lord" as a title, though.
• In our story:
  • Lord/Lady as a rank is a man/woman who has been knighted but does not hold a hereditary title.
  • Many of these people hold stations such as Sheriff or Royal Advisor.
  • To become a Lord/Lady in most cultures, a person must be knighted by a person of Royalty. In some, knighting to a non-hereditary title of Lord/Lady can be performed by a higher-ranking Noble, typically a Baron or Duke. (Don't go all GoT and think any person wielding a sword can pull a Jaime/Brienne.)

The Windham House

Midway between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep
The County of Ulronni

Following dinner:

"Do you know what it means for a woman to be Frenkishly groomed, m'lord?" Clara quietly asked Rolph.

His sudden change in expression showed that he most certainly recognized the term. He hadn't meant to show his knowledge so obviously. But Rolph hadn't expected Clara to so unexpectedly bring up something so personal.

She told him her cover story of being a Frenkish Grooming Artist, then explained, "Lady Betty has asked me to teach her Art ... and I have agreed to do so."

"No," Rolph said without hesitation. "No, absolutely not. She's too young--"

Clara cut him off, though, telling him, "She is of an age where soon, possibly very soon ... she will be presenting herself to her husband ... and she wants to do so in the Frenkish way."

"No!" Rolph repeated "She's just a child."

Betty was anything but a child, of course. She was already months past her 18th birthday. Most Noble girls her age were already into their second or third year of marriage. Some even more than that, although, often (because of the girl's youth) those marriages hadn't yet been consummated.

Rolph didn't want to admit that Betty most certainly was old enough to marry. He wasn't entirely sure what his resistance was at this moment. Was it because, like Clara had suggested, he wanted her to be his own wife? Ironically, if she was to be his, Rolph would be all for her undergoing the Art.

"I will not be able to begin her education tonight as I do not have my tools," Clara went on, ignoring Rolph's opposition. "I was not expecting to be needing them until my return to the Capital City of Yalla."

"This is a decision that needs to be approved of by her father," Rolph tried. "He should be the one who--"

Again, Clara ignored him, continuing, "However ... I am sure that Lady Betty will want to know more about the Art. If she does ... tonight, when we retire ... I will reveal to her an example of Frenkish Grooming."

Rolph face had been filled with confusion about what to say or do. Clara's comment about an example of Frenkish grooming meant only one thing: Clara's own body. Rolph was already hard as a rock in his trouser. Now, though, his cock began twitching ever few seconds with desperate yearning.

She explained that she was going to reveal herself to Betty. Then, "I will ask Betty to reveal to me the canvas upon which I would be practicing my Art."

Rolph's heart was beating fast he only now realized. Clara asked whether his Keep had peep holes. Without even thinking, he murmured a simple, "No."

He understood what Clara was saying was going to happen. And suddenly he wished that the small Tower's construction had permitted secret passageways that might include peep holes.

Rolph flinched as if stuck with a needle at his niece asking from nearby, "Whatcha talking about?"

He spun to look at her with a horrified expression. Had Betty heard their conversation? Was the truth of his lust for her going to get out?

Clara saved Rolph by spinning a tale about Rolph telling embarrassing stories about Betty. She laughed embarrassingly, asking, "What did you tell, Uncle?"

Rolph remained quiet a moment. His brain was unable to think of anything other than Betty standing in her bed chamber naked as she was taught the Frenkish Grooming Art. His niece prompted him again. Rolph rambled haphazardly through some story about her falling in the creek one day when she was little. Neither of the women seemed too impressed with his story telling ability.

They called it a night. Betty and Clara headed for her room on the next floor up. Rolph told them he had to secure the outdoors first. He took a walk outside after dark every night. It was no surprise.

Outside, when in the right position, Rolph looked up to the window of Betty's bed chamber. He saw the light of a lantern dancing upon the glass and ceiling beyond it. But other than that, nothing. He stood there imagining Clara doing her job. Again, he got stiff.

He finished his wandering about the Keep and headed back inside. He secured the door and the shutters for the windows of the lower floors. He ascended clear to the top of the tower for a look around the estate. Sometimes he caught the flickering light of a fire in the woods. Sometimes it was simply wanderers camping for the night. Other times it was thieves and rustlers. If the latter, Rolph would signal the men living in the hovel below who were responsible for night-time security. They'd deal with the issue.

He descended to the level with his bed chamber. But he paused at his door. He recalled Clara's offer to let him peek upon his niece. It was wrong, of course. So wrong. And yet he found himself descending the stairs to her level of the Keep.

Rolph paused in the passageway outside Betty's door. Moving closer, he found it cracked a bit. Clara had come through as she'd said she would. He stepped back and blew out the candle burning on the outer stone wall. The passageway went almost pitch black.

Moving back to the door and peeking through, Rolph found Clara standing before his niece fully naked. His eyes swelled. She was beautiful, with firm breasts, a narrow waist, and a wonderfully curved ass. She was in profile to Rolph, so he couldn't see her Frenkishly groomed crotch. Her legs were hairless. He could see that. But that wasn't really what he wanted to see, was it?

Then Clara said, "Show me my canvas."

Rolph reached down to grasp his manhood. He was so hard and so needing relief. He wanted to whip out his cock and stroke it right here. But he resisted.

With great surprise, Betty asked about Clara's request, "What...? Now...? Here...? In my uncle's home?"

"Why not?" Clara asked. "We're alone. It's not like he can see us."

If only she knew, Rolph thought. He quickly corrected his thoughts, She DOES know. She cracked the door open. She invited me. What is this girl thinking?

Soon, the two were working to get Betty out of her clothes. Rolph pressed up closer to the door for a better look. Item after item, Betty's body was exposed. Finally, she was as naked as the other woman. Betty hid her features, but Clara chastised, "Stop that. I can't know what I'm working with if I don't see you."

Rolph's grip on his cock tightened at the sight of Betty. She was even more beautiful than Clara. At least, Rolph's yearning mind told him that. Clara seemed to agree, saying, "You're beautiful, Betty. Perfect. He's going to love this."

Rolph pulled back from the door, his brain screaming What? What are you doing?

Betty was thinking along the same lines, asking "Who? Who's going to love this...? Love me...? I mean, love seeing--"

Clara laughed. She covered, "Your husband, silly. When you finally get married, on that wedding night ... he's going to love what he sees. You are perfect, Betty. Everything any man would want in a wife ... and a lover."
She was right, of course. Betty was the most beautiful creature Rolph had ever seen. Oh, sure, the relationship between them was affecting his conclusion a bit. And the lewd nature of his peeping. But even without those, Rolph would have thought that about his niece.

He moved his face back to the door to watch. Clara turned Betty all the way around for a better look. Then again. Then a third time, pausing her at each quarter portion of the turn. Rolph was pretty sure she was going this for him. He told himself to remember to thank the woman.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

(OOC: Great message above. That was very helpful. I knew most of it already, of course, 'cause you told me, but having it so organized in a post that I can refer back to was helpful. I'm sure that if anyone is reading our RP, they'll appreciate it, too.)


The Windham House

Midway between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep
The County of Ulronni

Bedtime ... sort of:

Clara had cracked the door earlier while Betty was distracted with other things, and she noticed the extinguishing of the candle in the hallway when the light coming through the crack ceased. She hadn't been certain that Rolph would take this opportunity, and it made her smile to know that he had.

"You're doing nothing wrong," Clara promised Betty when the girl hid her womanly features behind her hands and arm. "Relax! Remember, I'm your best friend in all the world. You said it yourself."

Betty released a shocked squeal when Clara swatted her bared butt cheek, then giggled and confessed, "I'm sorry. I ... I don't do this."

"Do what?" Clara asked as she playfully pulled the girl's hands away from her bosom and groin.

Betty gestured toward her nakedness, saying, "This! I ... I don't ... stand naked with other people."

"You go to the Public Baths in the Capital, yes?" Clara asked as she began turning the hesitant Betty in order to look her over from all angles. Really, she was trying to give Rolph a full look at his niece.

"I've only ever been to the Capital twice," Betty responded, "and certainly not to bathe in public."

Clara laughed, then explained that the public baths were not really public. They talked about them and the people who use them for a bit before Clara asked, "Then ... I'm the first woman you've seen nude?" Even in the low light of the lanterns and candles, Clara could see Betty blush. She stepped closer, telling her softly, "You have no need to be embarrassed, m'lady. There is nothing wrong with this. And I am your best friend ... remember?"

Betty smiled, then giggled. "Okay. You're right. Nothing wrong ... best friend."

Clara stepped a bit closer, looking Betty in the eyes as she asked softly, "If you've never seen another woman in the nude ... then ... you've never touched another woman before ... while nude?"

Betty laughed nervously, responding, "No! Of course not."

Closer still, Clara asked, "Why do you say it that way, m'lady?"

Betty didn't immediately answer; Clara could see that she was searching for an answer that was currently eluding her. The two were so close now that barely two inches separated their bosoms. Clara said, softer yet, "It's how a young woman learns."

"Learns...?" Betty asked; she was beginning to breath a bit faster, her bosom swelling and shrinking a bit more than normal. "Learns what?"

Clara took Betty's hands into her own, intertwining their fingers as she answered, "Things a young woman needs to know ... but can't learn from a man. Shouldn't learn from a man ... if she wants to remain a maiden ... remain pure for her future husband."

She slipped her fingers out of Betty's and caressed her hands up the girl's arms before pulling the two of them ever so slowly together; their breasts met first, then -- as Clara caressed her hands down Betty's back to pull her forward there -- their bellies and groins. Then, moving her face closer to Betty's, Clara met the girl's mouth with her own in a soft kiss.

"You've never kiss anyone before," Clara asked in whisper when their mouths separated. Betty shook her head, and Clara kissed her again, this time more erotically, with parted lips and her tongue extending to touch the other woman's lips. "Do you like this ... kissing, m'lady?"

Betty engaged more fully with the next kiss, then moved her hands to Clara's back to join the embrace actively. The kiss became passionate, with opened mouths, dancing tongues, and soft moans of pleasure. When their mouths parted for a moment, Betty answered the earlier question, "Yes, Clara ... I like this."

Clara continued to pull Betty's body into her own with one hand as the second caressed its way to a young, firm breast, squeezing it and toying with the nipple. Betty moaned louder, giggled, then whispered, "That feels good."

"There's more to learn, m'lady," Clara whispered as she swapped hands to grope and pleasure the other breast. With a seductive, suggestive tone, she asked, "Would you like to learn more, m'lady?"

Betty was conflicted by her thoughts and emotions; she was certain that there was something wrong with what they were doing, but at the same time, it felt so good, and she wanted to know just what more there was to learn. She whispered to Clara, "Please. Show me more ... much more."

Clara would take Betty to the latter's bed, laying her atop the bedding as she made passionate love to her. Betty showed hesitancy at each new lesson but then went along with each eagerly. Clara fingered the Lady to her first ever orgasm -- she would learn later, not now, that Betty had never reached climax during masturbation -- before slipping down the girl's body to drive her to another one with her head between her thighs.

Along the way, Betty began to explore Clara's body as well, caressing her hands all about, groping the Artist's breasts and suckling on her nipples. Clara would have liked to feel Betty's mouth on her pussy, her tongue on her clit, her fingers up her vaginal canal, but she didn't pressure or even guide the young thing to do so.

"Show me," Betty whispered after she'd come down from her second euphoric peak. When Clara asked show you what, Betty licked her lips as the same time that she caressed a hand downward far enough to just ever so slightly touch the upper reaches of Clara's outer labia. "I want to do for you what you did for me, Clara. Will you teach me?"

"Of course, m'lady," Clara said, a wide smile spreading her lips. "It would be my pleasure ... in more ways than you can imagine."

Clara would walk Betty through what to do down there, and -- shockingly -- the virgin-to-all-things-sexual actually drove Clara to an orgasm. Betty was in awe of Clara as she exploded; even though she herself had climaxed twice herself, she really couldn't say that she'd seen an orgasm as she'd been overwhelmed by the explosions of pleasure at the time.

The two finally slid inside the bedding, curling up together as if they'd been lovers for years. Betty whispered, "Thank you, Clara. Thank you for everything. For teaching me what that was all about. I ... I never knew."

They whispered sweet nothings until finally each had fallen asleep.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

(OOC: OMG!)


The Windham House

Midway between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep
The County of Ulronni

Bedtime ... sort of:

You shouldn't be watching this! You shouldn't! You should go, leave. GO!

Chastise himself as much as he did, Rolph remained at the door. He couldn't stop watching. He knew that women sometimes had sex with other women. He'd once watched a pair of whores in an upscale brothel do each other for the viewing pleasure of the paying Nobles and other Middle-Class male patrons. And he'd once known two women who lived together in that way, though, of course, he'd never watched them please each other in the way two women did.

Watching Clara and Betty hold each other, kissing and caressing and groping, was the most erotic thing Rolph had ever experienced. That was until the Artist took his niece to the bed and made love to her. Betty was quite a joy to watch as her mouth and fingers worked the younger woman.

But it was Clara that drew most of Rolph's attention. She writhed and moaned, grasping desperately at the bedding or at Clara's hair. When she orgasmed, she cried out so loudly that Rolph feared the other two people in the house might hear her and fear she was in danger. He actually withdrew to the stairs to look for their unwelcomed approach. When he found neither Mantha nor Timmon climbing the steps, he returned to continue watching the wonderful show.

The pair settled for a moment of gentle caressing before Betty whispered something Rolph couldn't make out. Betty sat up taller, sliding a hand down Clara's body as she said louder this time, "I want to do for you what you did for me, Clara. Will you teach me?"

"Of course, m'lady," Clara said. "It would be my pleasure ... in more ways than you can imagine."

Rolph watched the pair continue their love making. This time, it was Betty who was pleasuring Clara. The Nobleman at the door had been gripping his cock through his trousers most of his time at the door. Now, though, he loosened his belts to allow his hand to slip down into his crotch.

He watched Betty and listened to Clara, all the while stroking his length. It didn't take long, though. He'd been primed and ready to go for quite some time. Rolph feared detection and backed away from the door as his cock began leaping within his hand. His heart pounded, and his mind swam. He remained away from the door until he'd come down from his high.

Again, Rolph heard the cry of a female orgasming. He returned to the door to find the two pulling the bedding over themselves. The show was over. He watched them a minute or so more. They kissed and caressed and finally curled up in each other's arms to prepare for drifting away.

Rolph made his way to his own bed chamber a level above. Stripping and sliding into bed, he masturbated once more. He imagined being in bed with both women. They took turns pleasuring his cock or kissing him. He slipped into unconsciousness and had wonderful dreams throughout the night.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham House
On the Estate of Lord Rolph of Windham

Midway between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep
The County of Ulronni

Sometime later...

Clara held Betty to her until the girl's breathing indicated she was asleep. The older of the two ever so gently slipped out of the bedding, finding the robe and soft, warm, slip-in footwear that had been laid out for her earlier in the day by Mantha. She stood near the fire for several minutes, looking for signs that Betty would unconsciously realize she was alone and awaken.

When she was sure that the girl would remain asleep, Clara slipped out of the room and climbed the stairs to the next level; she pulled a candle from its holder and pushed the heavy, Oak door open enough to get inside. The creak of its old hinges caused the man in the nearby bed to sit up, instinctively looking for danger.

Rolph found Clara holding a finger to her lips to indicate a need for silence. She crossed the room to stand next to the bed, offering out the candle to the man; his bed chamber's only illumination was the light of the nearly full moon shining through a window. She asked in whisper, "Did you enjoy what you saw, m'lord?"

As he was in the middle of his answer, Clara interrupted, "Lady Betty will be your wife. I will endeavor to see that that happens. In the meantime, though..." She pulled loose the tie around her waist and shrugged the robe off her shoulders, letting it drop to gather around her feet. Nude, she pulled back the bedding to climb in next to Rolph, telling him, "In the meantime, I need you inside me."

Presuming Rolph did nothing to stop it, the two of them would spend as much time as he wanted fucking each other wild.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham House
Home of Lord Rolph

Between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep

Late:

Rolph was in the middle of a wonderfully erotic though physically impossible dream. His subconscious interpreted a lover's scream as something else. Something real. A squeal. His door's old hinge.

He popped up. It took a long moment to separate fantasy from reality. Rolph finally identified Clara's face in the dancing flame of the candle. A finger to her lips indicated a desire for his silence.

She walked to his bedside. Rolph realized he was hard as a rock. Had he been before seeing her? During the dream? Our did that just happen?

She whispered, "Did you enjoy what you saw, m'lord?"

Rolph didn't know what to say. What he'd seen was the most incredibly erotic experience of his life. And it hadn't even involved him! He'd been a spectator!

He considered lying. He contemplated saying he hadn't watched. Hadn't peeked through the door. Hadn't seen Clara naked. Betty naked. The two of them kissing. Caressing. Groping. Fingering. Eating. And the moaning, crying, and screaming? How did he deny seeing and enjoying that?

"Very much," Rolph was suddenly whispering back. "Thank you, Clara."

He could have left it there. He'd already admitted too much. But Rolph went on. "I would never have done something like that on my own. I shouldn't be thanking you, Clara. I..."

Rolph wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say. Something about what he'd done not being noble. Not being what an uncle did with his niece.

It didn't matter, though. Clara interrupted Rolph with, "Lady Betty will be your wife. I will endeavor to see that that happens."

Clara's statement was bold. It was unexpected after what he'd just witnessed. He hadn't expected to see the two young things make love to one another obviously. He'd enjoyed it immensely, of course. His trousers need to be washed now because of the event.

But Rolph hadn't seen the connection between the two women pleasuring one another and his eventually marrying one of them, namely Betty, of course. How had Clara seducing his niece made his taking her as a bride more likely?

Rolph's contemplating those deep questions was interrupted by Clara suddenly being naked before him. Then she was slipping into his bed, saying, "In the meantime, though, I need you inside me."

Her concerns that he might stop her from what she was doing were entirely unfounded. Rolph let Clara lead the way, until she (with his dutiful assistance) had caused herself her first orgasm.

She did so from atop Rolph. He treasured watching her work from so much closer than he had from outside Betty's bed chamber door.

He'd cum, too, of course. Hell, Rolph hadn't lasted more than a handful of Clara's up and down movements atop him. He could have shot his seed all over the bed simply by Clara looking at his cock and demanding cum!

After that, Rolph took charge. He rolled Clara to her back and fucked her long, deep, and hard. They came almost as one. It was so satisfying. Holding her to him as each of their hearts pounded to the euphoria was simply wonderful.

Rolph would have continued. He wanted to give Clara so much more. He wanted so much more from her, too. But that moment seemed like such an appropriate stopping point.

He rolled to his back, pulling Clara into his arms. His heavy breathing waned, making soft conversation possible.

"I want Betty for my wife," Rolph confirmed. "But this."

Again, Rolph was confused. Clara had promised Betty to Rolph. Then she'd fucked him. What the hell?

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham House
Home of Lord Rolph

Between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep

"I want Betty for my wife," Rolph confirmed, adding, "But this."

Clara immediately cut off Rolph's doubts and concerns with, "This wasn't about you or Betty. This ... was about me. What I needed, m'lord."

She rolled to lay her torso atop his, wrapping a leg over the top of his nearest leg; Clara could feel his wet, sticky cock against her hip and pressed hard against it, wanting to tease it back to life.

"I needed this," she repeated firmly, "And if you wouldn't have given me what I needed, I would have left the Keep and found it in one of the hovels outside."

Clara chuckled, buried her head in the crook of Rolph's neck, then confessed, "No, I wouldn't have, m'lord. But that doesn't change what is and what isn't. This--"

She gestured an extended finger, indicating the two of them before continuing, "This isn't!" Clara kissed Rolph passionately, then explained, "You and I ... this was just fucking. This was just me needing you, and you giving me what I needed."

Clara smiled, telling Rolph, "Thank you, by the way. You were magnificent." She wasn't just padding his ego; he truly had satisfied her immensely, with the last orgasm actually being three or four of them all crunched together with mere seconds between them, making them appear as if just one, long extended climax.

"But this was just lust ... passion ... fucking," Clara said firmly. "What you have with Betty is love ... deep, honest love. Each of you might want the other to believe it is just the love of an uncle for his niece ... a niece for her uncle ... but each of you is lying to yourself ... and to the other.

To be honest, Clara didn't know this for absolute certain. Oh, she understood the Human need and drive, and she knew that there concept of blood relationships didn't trump them. Clara had seen how Rolph looked at his niece, and she'd listened to Betty talk about Rolph's wonderful ways. The was a fuel for a fire there. Clara had only to provide the spark.

"I'm going to fix this," Clara said, reaching a hand down to grasp Rolph's cock; it wasn't hard again yet, but it would be after she gave it the milk maid treatment for a moment. As she moved atop Rolph again, Clara promised, "By the time I depart your estate, Betty will be begging you to marry her ... and you will oblige her."

With Rolph's cock again hard enough to penetrate her, Clara lowered herself down upon it as she thought about Morrow and his end of the operation intended to bring down Betty's father. Clara hadn't told Morrow any of what she was doing here with Viscount Ulronni's daughter and brother-in-law; she didn't know what he would say when he learned of it all, possibly later today, possible a day or two after that.

But Morrow was a smart man and a quick thinker. He'd make Clara's actions work for him. She began bouncing in Rolph's lap again, slowly driving herself to yet another orgasm ... only to then demand a second one before she exited Rolph's bed, cleaned herself up with a rag and pitcher of water, and -- exhausted and desperate for sleep --slipped out of his room and back into his niece's bed without Betty ever knowing she'd been gone.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham House
Home of Lord Rolph

Between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep

"This wasn't about you or Betty," Clara cut Rolph off. "This ... was about me. What I needed, m'lord."

She explained what she'd seen this adventure in his bed to be. Rolph was unsure as to whether he should be offended or not. Then Clara told him, "Thank you, by the way. You were magnificent."

He smiled, pleased with her compliment. Most of his past sex partners had been upscale brothel whores. It was just what a nobleman did for release when he wasn't married. Whores nearly always told their patrons that they'd been magnificent. It was part of their job.

Rolph found himself conflicted as to whether he should believe Clara or not. He didn't consider her a whore. She hadn't asked him for anything in return for fucking him. And to be honest, she'd seemed more interest in her own pleasure than his.

But had that been part of her act? Clara had told him she was a Frenkish Grooming Artist. That seemed very erotic to Rolph. Then she'd seduced his niece. She'd even taught Betty how to please her. And now she was fucking Rolph while promising him that he'd soon be fucking Betty.

He didn't know what to think. At the moment though, he didn't care. She was lowering herself onto his cock. Rolph drew a deep breath, letting it out in a pleasured groan. She rode him slow at first. Rolph watched Clara's face. He could tell when she found just the right position.

Then she fucked him. Really fucked him. Rolph emptied inside her again. He expected to go soft. He'd cum three times. But watching Clara atop him, cum and cum and cum. It kept him hard enough to keep pleasing her. It was the greatest sex Rolph had ever had.

Clara cleaned up and dressed for her return to Betty's bed chamber. Rolph watched her intently. She was so beautiful. So perfect. So erotic. He wondered, Maybe I should make you my wife?

But Clara was right about him and Betty. He hadn't known how much he wanted his niece as his wife until Clara. Had I wanted Betty before this? he questioned himself. Or did Clara tell me what I wanted? Rolph would have laughed at the irony of him thinking virtually the same thing Clara herself was.

No, Rolph told himself. He was convinced that he'd always wanted Betty. As Clara moved to the bed chamber door, he said with all sincerity, "Thank you, Clara."

(OOC: I'm writing another post for Morrow, but you can respond to the above if you are online.)

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Village Inn, the village of Treyla
After breakfast:

Morrow sat with the Viscount eating breakfast and discussing the day ahead. He'd convinced Ulronni that the two of them could make a great deal of money together. Of course, Morrow's goal wasn't profit. He wanted to uncover the depth of the corruption associated to the nobleman's sales of untaxed copper ore.

To do this, Morrow needed to learn names, locations, and processes involved. Morrow could have entrapped Ulronni by hinting that they stood to make more profits by operating outside the laws of the Crown. But he didn't want that. Morrow wanted the Viscount to offer this to him.

And, luckily, Ulronni did. He laid out clearly how, for years, he'd been getting around his tax obligations to the Crown. He spoke of teamsters diverting shipments. Of bribes to Sheriffs and Crown Inspectors. Of ships secretly loaded in the dark of the night.

By the time they finished breakfast, Morrow knew all he needed to know. He told the Viscount he needed to return to the Capital to arrange payment. Ulronni offered his hand to Morrow, saying, "I can have a shipment at the docks in six days."

"Six days," Morrow agreed, taking the man's hand. He stood, Ulronni stood, and they made their ways outside toward the horses they'd already ordered prepared for departure.

At this moment, Morrow could have sunk a knife into the Viscount's ribs. He was carrying the Queen's Rights in his pocket. The piece of parchment laid out Morrow's rights to capture, arrest, maim, kill, and punish otherwise in her name.

But Morrow was in no hurry. And he had other concerns, namely Clara. She'd ridden off with Ulronni's daughter the day before. Morrow believed that she was at the Viscount's home. What happened to her if he killed the Nobleman here outside the Inn? Queen's Rights or not, Ulronni's people would not be kind to Clara. She would be taken into custody. She'd be mistreated. Tortured. Raped. Morrow wasn't going to chance that.

"You'll see that my traveling companion is sent escorted to the Capital, m'lord?" Morrow asked the Viscount.

"Of course," Ulronni said with a respectful tone. Then, his lips spread in a smirk. He asked with a suggestive tone, "Would it be inappropriate for me to ask for Lady Clara's presence in my bed before she returned?"

Morrow's lips spread in a knowing smile. The three of them had had quite a time together the night before last. He asked suggestively, "Would my permission be of any benefit to me, m'lord?"

Ulronni thought a moment. He offered, "An additional point off your cost?"

"One point, one night?" Morrow asked. The nobleman nodded politely. "If Lady Clara agrees."

They shook hands again, then headed their separate directions. Morrow wondered whether or not he should have gone with Ulronni. Was Clara in any danger of being alone with the Viscount? Lady Betty was there. Presumably.

Morrow decided that his new path was safe enough. He rode for the Capital.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham House
Home of Lord Rolph
Between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep

Late morning:

Clara slept soundly, exhausted from the exertion and repeated orgasms with both Lady Betty and Rolph. When she finally awoke, she found the bed otherwise empty and steam rising from the bathtub awaiting her in the far corner of the girl's bed chamber. Clara stripped and slipped into the water, feeling the soothing oils upon her skin. The delight of the bath nearly put Clara back to sleep, her new slumber interrupted by the arrival of the House Servant.

Mantha offered her assistance, helping her finish her bath, dress, and put her hair up in an elegant, braided bun. The servant brought her breakfast, telling her, "Lady Betty and Lord Rolph have already eaten. They are outside, working."

Clara asked to take her breakfast to the tower's top wall, giving her a view as she ate. Rolph's estate was even more beautiful in the light of the early morning. The fields of grain stretched across the open lands surrounded by thick forests, with a crew harvesting in the north. She caught sight of Rolph leading the men swinging scythes, waving to him when he glanced her direction. She smiled to herself; her night with him had been magical, and -- honestly! -- she was somewhat sorry that she'd so strenuously promoted his niece as his future wife.

Coincidentally, Betty arrived on the roof of the tower just then, bouncing over the stones to wrap her arms around Clara. She excitedly exclaimed, "Hello, best friend in all the world!"

"Hello, best friend in the world," Clara responded, smiling to the beauty.

Betty asked Mantha to fetch a pot of hot water and tea leaves, and once the servant was out of sight down the tower stairs, she looked to Clara and whispered, "I want to kiss you, badly, friend."

"Don't!" Clara responded, smiling and giggling. Betty giggled, too, shaking her head to indicate her understanding; from a majority of the property, anyone looking this way would be able to see the pair, though, they might not understand any sort of intimate interaction between them. Clara told her, "I want to kiss you, too, friend. Maybe we'll go downstairs and...?"

Betty giggled again, nodding her head enthusiastically. Clara looked out to Rolph again for a moment, then looked back to his niece. "Your uncle is a good man, isn't he?"

"Oh, yes!" Betty agreed. She found him in the field. "He's been very good to me since my mother died. Rolph was my best friend--" She pulled Clara to her, not caring whether someone saw them and made assumptions. She finished, "--until you, friend."

Clara repeated what she'd suggested the night before, "I think the two of you should be wed."

They talked about it for nearly an hour, pausing only when Timmon -- filling in for the older servant with bad knees -- brought up the platter with hot water, tea, and snacks that Mantha thought the women might want. Clara had always been good at talking people into things they didn't want or didn't know that they wanted. By the time she'd finished, Betty was asking, "So ... what do we do next? Rolph is my uncle. I can't simply ask him 'Will you be my husband'."

"I like that you asked 'What do we do next', m'lady," Clara pointed out. "I have already spoken to Rolph about this."

"What?" Betty exclaimed, laughing and blushing a deep red. "You didn't!"

"I did!" Clara confirmed. She told Betty about the conversation she'd had with Rolph, leaving out the delicious moments of sex that had happened between the moments of dialogue. "Your uncle believes what I do ... that the two of you belong together ... not as uncle and niece, but as husband and wife ... the Lord and Lady of Windham House."

Clara thought about that title a moment: Lord and Lady of Windham House. The only reason the title didn't include the name of a territory -- a County, Duchy, or Barony -- was that Rolph's title of Lord did not include hereditary rights to the Windham House and property serving it; if Rolph died today without an heir, Windham would return to Lord Ulronni, and even after Rolph had fathered an heir, the estate would still revert to the Viscount upon Rolph's death.

There was an exception to that, of course: if Rolph fathered a child by a Noble woman, such as Lady Betty. If they were to have a child, that Noble child would inherit Windham. Not only that, the house and property of Windham would become a County, which would then entitled its Lord or Lady to the title of Viscount or Countess. That wasn't the reason Clara was doing what she was doing, of course. For reasons that she still couldn't fully explain to herself, she had almost instantly come to believe that Rolph and Betty should be together as husband and wife.

And then there was what Morrow was doing: bringing down Viscount Ulronni. Lady Betty was, of course, Lord Ulronni's daughter, but she couldn't currently inherit her father's lands and titles if he was to die. He was a Viscount, while she was just a Lady. And she wasn't married; for right or for wrong, that was the law of the land, and if Betty's father was to die today, the County of Ulronni would go to his closest male relative, Betty's male cousin.

The irony was that if Betty was married -- to a Noble, at least -- her Noble husband could inherit the titles, lands, and everything upon them, as well as control over the peasants working the land in their Lord or Lady's name. The inheritance wouldn't be in Betty's name, of course, but her children by that husband -- by Rolph, if Clara got what she wanted -- would inherit them. And that was about as good as it could be for Betty.

Clara explained this to Betty, with the two of them talking until Timmon appeared again to warn them of the storm clouds quickly approaching from the horizon. They all went inside, finding Mantha preparing lunch for the extended family. After that, the three of them -- Clara, Betty, and Rolph -- went up to his bed chamber and sat near the fire, where Clara spoke her thoughts to the two of them for the first time together.

Betty sat there in silence for the longest time, looking between the two of them; each time her uncle looked to her, she nervously diverted her eyes, unable to hold his gaze. Finally, after Clara had said what she wanted them to hear, Betty asked her, "Could you give my uncle and I a moment?"

Clara felt that she'd done all she could and stood, telling them respectfully, "M'lady ... m'lord ... thank you for entertaining me and my thoughts." To Betty she said, "I will await you in your quarters, m'lady...?"

"Yes, please ... friend," Betty said, smiling at the last word. She watched Clara head out of the room, closing the door behind her. She didn't immediately look Rolph's direction, and when she did, Betty realized that she was trembling deep to her core. She said with a meek voice, "You are the most important person in the world to me, m'lord." She hesitated, adding, "I include my father when I say this. I love Da ... and he loves me and has taken very good care of me since Ma's death. But ... he's not you, Uncle. I ... I can talk with you. You hear me. Da listens ... but he doesn't hear."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham House
Home of Lord Rolph
Between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep

Late morning:

Rolph had had no idea what Clara was going to explain to him when the two of them and Betty retired to his quarters after lunch. His niece had sat there in silence during the other woman's monologue. Each time Rolph looked Betty's way, she was studying him. And each way, she immediately diverted her eyes. Embarrassed? Shy? Both? Neither?

Finally, Betty asked Clara, "Could you give my uncle and I a moment?"

Clara thanked the two of them for listening, then left. A moment of silence passed. Rolph didn't know what to say, so he simply didn't speak. Finally, in a meek voice, Betty said, "You are the most important person in the world to me, m'lord."

"Any you me, Betty," Rolph responded.

"I include my father when I say this," she clarified.

It didn't surprise Rolph to hear this from Betty. He'd always had the feeling that the two of them weren't as close as many parents and their children were. Honestly, Rolph had always felt that his brother-in-law treated Betty as more of a possession. She was trading stock who Ulronni would one day give away to some random Noble in exchange for some product, service, or piece of property of financial worth.

She talked of her love for her father. But then she said, "But ... he's not you, Uncle. I ... I can talk with you. You hear me. Da listens ... but he doesn't hear."

Rolph stood and crossed to sit in the couch with her. He took her hands into his. Even though he didn't think it was true, Rolph told her, "He tries, Betty. I really think he does. It's just." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "With your mother's death, your father found himself lost. I, I don't think he ever really understood what being a father meant. Your mother raised you, while he took care of everything but you. It wasn't his fault. It didn't make him a bad guy. He just. He just didn't understand what you needed."

Rolph paused. He began caressing his thumbs over Betty's hands. He'd never done this before. It was a bit more intimate than he'd ever permitted himself to do before. He was her uncle. Half-uncle, if one wanted to be be specific. Still, his frequent thoughts of her as a woman, not as his niece, had prevented Rolph from touching Betty in any sort of intimate fashion.

"I need to say something, Betty," he said in a sincere voice. "First, I, I want to speak on what Clara said about the legal ramifications of a marriage between the two of us. Clara is correct. If we married, your future would be better secured. Upon your father's death, hopefully years from now, you would inherit all that is his.

"Yes, yes, the titles would be in my name," he confirmed. "The County would legally be mine as well. But I think you know me well enough to know that it would be yours! I would be there to help you manage it all. I would not, to use a simple word, be the boss."

He squeezed her hands, clearing his throat as he got into more personal topics. "Our children. Your children. They would inherit the County. They would inherit Windham. It would all be theirs after we were gone. They would be safe and secure. Right now..."

Rolph didn't want to speak of how things would be otherwise. As it was, Betty was nothing more than a piece of property belonging to her father, to be traded for something he wanted.

"I love you, Betty," Rolph said softly, again squeezing her hands in his. "I have always loved you. I have loved you as my sister's daughter."

He cocked his head to encourage her to look into his eyes. Sincerely, "At the same time, I have loved you as a woman. I have watched you grow up, Betty. You have become everything who any man would want to be his wife. I am no different. If you would accept me as your husband, I would go to your father and ask for your hand."

He smiled, clarifying, "On hands and knees, I would go to your father and plead to become your husband."

Suddenly, images flashed into Rolph's mind of what he'd seen the night before. He'd looked into her eyes during this entire conversation. Now, though, his gaze dropped for just an instance as he ogled her delicious body. He licked his lips without thinking. He wanted to kiss her so badly.

Rolph was certain that Betty was feeling the same way he was about all this. It wasn't him who'd begun this. But, had it been Betty? Or had it been Clara. All Rolph knew was that he was desperate to kiss her. Desperate to hear her say she wanted to be his wife. Desperate to be with her as the Artist had been the night before.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham House
Home of Lord Rolph
Between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep

Midday:

Rolph spoke of how he believed that Betty's father had done his best by her. She understood and agreed. However, she also knew that it had not been enough; she'd needed more from him, which was why she'd come to her uncle's home so frequently, particularly after her mother's death.

"I need to say something, Betty," Rolph said in a sincere voice. He spoke of what he called the legal ramifications of a marriage between them. Betty understood it all, though -- to be honest -- she'd never actually thought about what happen to her and her father's titles and property if he was to die before she married. Then he got personal, saying, "Our children ... Your children. They would inherit the County. They would inherit Windham. It would all be theirs after we were gone. They would be safe and secure. Right now..."

"I understand," Betty interrupted with a soft voice. "Right now, if Da was to die, I wouldn't..." She went silent a moment, finishing with a vague, "It would be a bad situation."

"I love you, Betty," he said. Rolph spoke of loving her as his niece, but then shifted to, "At the same time, I have loved you as a woman."

He spoke of her growing into a woman, and Betty couldn't help but smile; Rolph had never spoken of her as anything other that a child, and it warned her heart to hear Rolph speak of her as being the woman who she'd only just realized she was after having sex with Clara last night.

"If you would accept me as your husband," Rolph said, "I would go to your father and ask for your hand."

Betty laughed when Rolph said he'd crawl across the County to get her father's blessing. She reassured him, "That won't be necessary, m'lord."

As the conversation had progressed, Betty' eyes had been able to spend more and more time gazing into Rolph's. Now, as she stared deeply into his eyes, Betty said with all the love, want, and desire in her heart, "I would love to be your wife, Rolph."

His mind was filled with lewd thoughts of her, not that Betty could know that. Ironically, hers was thinking the same of him. Betty had no experience with sex with a male partner, obviously, yet her brain was filled with a hunger to get that experience.

That wasn't going to happen now, even though Betty wanted nothing more than to crawl naked into Rolph's lap. Seeing him look down at her body while licking his lips, though, was too much to keep her away from Rolph.

She squeezed back on his hand as she leaned in, pressing her lips to his in a kiss that quickly became very passionate. As hands moved to bodies, though, Betty quickly pulled away, nervously saying, "No, m'lord. I ... I can't. Not ... yet."

She stood, saying, "I must speak with Clara. May I have your leave?"

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham House
Home of Lord Rolph
Between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep

Midday:

"I would love to be your wife, Rolph," Betty told the man. She read his face and leaned forward. Their mouths met. The kiss began soft and sweet.

Soon, though, the embrace became more erotic. Lips parted. Tongues touched. Breaths became hungry sighs. Hands found bodies.

At first, Rolph was surprised at Betty's skill at this. Then, he remembered how she'd spent her night.

Suddenly, , Betty pulled away, saying, "No, m'lord. I, I can't. Not yet."

"No," Rolph whispered. "I understand."

"I must speak with Clara," Betty said. "May I have your leave?"

"Of course, m'lady, go," Rolph said, already on his feet. He took her hand and kissed it. "I'll wait. I've been waiting. Even before I knew I was waiting, I was."

Rolph watched Betty go, waited, then left as well. He had duties he needed to deal with. He found Timmon hauling firewood. "I want you to keep your eyes open for Lady Betty. Don't bother her. Just let her know when you see her that I am out harvesting grain."

"Yes, m'lord" the boy said. He seemed excited to have a special mission. After that, Rolph went to work.

He couldn't concentrate, though. Each time someone made an inquiry of him, Rolph had to ask the question repeated. He couldn't get Betty out of his mind. Not that he wanted to.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Windham House
Home of Lord Rolph
Between the Village of Treyla and the Ulronni Keep

Nearing Sundown:

Clara and Betty rode out to Rolph in a cart with Timmon, delivering a barrel of well water and a vast selection of hot and cold foods. Clara had never worked in an agricultural setting or even dealt with many who had, so she was surprised to find more than twenty residential peasants and their supervisors still working. Betty explained that this time of the year most of the peasants were in the field from the crack of dawn until he last vestiges of dusk.

"We have a band of Nomadi, too," she said, pointing to a group of twenty or more people working in another section of the field; they were all very colorfully dressed as was typical for their ethnic group. Betty explained, "They come from the Great Steppe, moving around the world, following the planting and harvesting. They'll be here until the grain harvest is finished or the rains begin, whichever comes first."

"The rains end the harvest?" Clara asked naively.

"No, not necessarily," Betty answered. "If it's really bad, 'specially with a hard wind, the crop with be ruined, and my uncle will have to abandon the harvest. But no, the Nomadi don't work in the rain." She caught Clara's confused expression, laughed, and continued, "Dunno. They just don't. It's a cultural thing."

They hopped down from the cart and walked through the stubble to the shade at the forest's edge, waiting until Rolph responded to Betty's wave to join them. He came over with his food and drink, and Carla informed him, "I need to go to the Capital ... to get what I need to do my work ... with Betty."

She meant her needs to perform her Frenkish Grooming, which -- of course -- was a fallacy she'd created to get close to Betty. Rolph didn't know that Clara was lying, of course, so he had no reason to stop her. Remembering that Morrow was working to take down Viscount Ulronni, she stressed, "I think it would be beneficial to you both if you did not delay in seeking Viscount Ulronni's blessing for your marriage ... a marriage which should take place immediately."

Betty smiled to Rolph, nodding her agreement to her uncle.