by Sarah Thorn
''I've brought you some apples, bread, and butter,'' Emily said lifting the bag onto the table. The warder came across and looked.
When it was time to go, Emily clung to her father and had to be pulled away from him. When she was outside in the fresh air, she vomited. ''Don't worry about it, young lady, it gets us all like that the first time,'' a fat lady with a dirty coat said.
*****
''Emily, Emily,'' Helen shrieked as she bounced into Emily's bedroom. Emily was lying under the covers thinking about her father and the awful place he was in. ''We're going to a party, look.'' Helen looked at the bed and saw Emily's face appear.
''That will be nice,'' she said in a melancholy tone'' She hadn't slept and she had dark rings under her eyes.
''Emily, I'm going to take you in hand. It's no good, I can't stand by and watch you torture yourself anymore. Now sit up and listen to me.''
Helen was nineteen and full of life. She'd had a privileged upbringing in a large house, with servants and acres of garden to play in. Her mother Beatrice, Emily's mother's sister, had married a stock broker who'd died at a young age and left her a fortune. She'd never remarried and brought Helen and James up by herself. ''We've been invited to a party by Roger Carruthers, it's his twenty-first birthday. Do you know the Carruthers family?''
''No, I don't,'' Emily said looking at the gold colored card in Helen's hand.
''Well, they are very rich, and all of society will be there. I know you are feeling melancholy about your father, but you can't do anything about the situation. You need to start eating more, you're so thin. We'll find you a beautiful dress and a lovely pair of shoes, and we'll go to the party and enjoy ourselves.''
Enough Emily told herself. Helen was right, she couldn't change the situation, so she would begin to live her life. ''Do you have a dress I can borrow? All my dresses went into the auction when they sold our house.''
''We will do better than that. I'll ask mother if we can go shopping. We'll both buy a new dress and new shoes and new everything,'' Helen threw her hands into the air in a gesture of jubilation. Emily laughed, Helen's mood was infectious.
Helen somehow managed to convince her mother that she and Emily desperately needed a new dress each, and new shoes, and if mother could possibly afford it, new shawls. Aunt Beatrice was concerned about Emily and thought it would do her good to go out into town and be treated. Helen jumped up and down when he mother nodded in agreement. ''Can we go today mother, please?'' she begged.
That evening, Emily and Helen stood in Emily's room and looked at the spread of new clothes in front of them. Two dresses, two pairs of shoes and two magnificent shawls. ''Come on, let's dress up,'' Helen suggested. When Emily nodded, she rang for her lady's maid. When Jane arrived, she was confronted by two giggly girls standing in their undergarments. Jane was twenty-three and had been with the family for two years. She was from Yorkshire, a no-nonsense woman with a dry sense of humor.
''Right, Miss Helen, stop dancing around and stand still,'' she said as she put the dress over Helen's head. It was a navy blue and made of satin. Helen raised her arms, and it fell down over her. ''Mrs Jones really has a good eye, doesn't she,'' Helen said of the lady who owned the dress shop in town.
''She does. You look lovely,'' Emily said looking at the way the dress hugged Helen's large cleavage. Jane fastened the back of the dress, and Helen did some twirls in front of the mirror.
Jane turned her attention to Emily whose dress was red. Jane liked Emily. She was a sensible woman who had the same kind of humor as she did. Unlike Helen, who Jane found shallow and excitable, Emily had depth to her character. She was intelligent, well read and interested in more than parties. Whenever Jane helped Emily to dress, she was impressed when Emily talked about the situation in the Crimea and the plight of the poor. Jane also liked dressing Emily for another reason. Emily was a beautiful woman with a perfect figure, and she carried her clothes so elegantly. Helen was stocky, but Emily was tall and slender, with a decent bust and curvaceous hips.
Helen looked on jealously as Jane fastened the back of Emily's dress and stood away to look at her. ''You look very elegant, indeed,'' Jane said. Helen wondered why she hadn't said that about her. Emily looked in the mirror and gasped. The dress flowed over her beautiful body touching all the places gentlemen so admired. Emily liked the color, it was between deep red and maroon. The edging around the puff sleeves was the same color as her eyes, Mediterranean blue.
*****
It was a windy April evening when Helen and Emily set off in the coach to the Carruthers residence. The horses pulling the carriage were restless, and they pulled at a rate the coachman didn't agree with. As he held them on the reigns, the coach lurched from slow to fast in sequence, throwing Emily and Helen around until they both began to feel travel sick. Helen leaned out of the window and shouted, ''Driver please, we are being thrown around mercilessly, kindly do something about it.''
When they arrived, the two ladies clambered out of the coach, grateful to be on firm ground. Emily looked at the house. It was a large English manor house with a great lawn in front of it. The oak tree in the middle reminded Emily of the tree at their previous home in Kingston. The one her father had made a tree house in. A footman in a wig and breeches accompanied them to the ballroom in a side wing to the house. When they went inside, the party was already underway.
The ballroom was the most magnificent room Emily had ever seen. A highly decorated ceiling held six large chandeliers which she noted were swinging gently back and forth as the warm air rose to them. The dance floor was full of couples dancing in rings around each other. Emily so hoped she'd fill her dance card because she loved dancing. Her mother had taught her all the popular dances, and on the odd occasion she had gone to a ball, she'd received compliment after compliment about her dancing.
''Emily, look.'' Emily followed Helen's outstretched arm.
''Ah, cousin James. He looks very handsome, doesn't he,'' she said.
''No, I am not talking about my brother, I'm talking about the man next to him. Mr. Dirksen. He's so handsome.''
Emily looked at him. Helen was right, he was the most handsome man in the room. Tall, dark and beautifully dressed in a blue tail coat with matching waistcoat and white trousers, he looked so noble.
James saw the two ladies and motioned for them to come over. ''Emily, I don't think you know Mr. Edward Dirksen?''
''No, indeed I do not. My pleasure sir,'' she said curtsying.
Edward took her hand and touched his lips with it. ''The pleasure is mine,'' he said. ''Miss Emily, James has told me a lot about you. He says your dancing is exemplary, would you do me the honor of adding me to your dance card?''
''Yes, sir, it would be a pleasure. I look forward to it.'' She noticed how Edward looked at her. It was the look her mother had told her about. When a man's eyes drop from your eyes to your chest, it's one thing, but when his eyes travel back again you know he is interested in you, she'd always said. And if her mother had known how women looked at men, she would have seen that Emily was more than interested in Mr. Edward Dirksen.
''I am sorry to hear that your mother passed away recently,'' Edward said. Emily dropped her eyes to the floor. ''I see that I have upset you. I only mention it because the same thing happened to me, five months ago.''
Emily looked up at him sympathetically. If he knew how she felt, he would understand why she sometimes didn't want to get out of bed. ''I am sorry to hear that. It is a terrible feeling isn't it?''
''Yes indeed it is. Perhaps I should have expected it at my age.''
''Why, sir?''
''I am twenty-nine, and I suppose the older you get, the more likely it is that your will lose your parents.''
Ten years older than me, she thought. Interesting, why hasn't he got a wife? It isn't because of his looks, perhaps he has been too cautious and prospective wives had become tired of waiting for him. ''I think whenever it happens it is terrible.''
''Let us ta
lk of something more pleasant,'' he said. ''May I tell you how extremely beautiful you are?''
''Thank you, sir. I am pleased you find me so. May I ask what you do for a living?''
''I am a gentleman. I support several good causes but mostly I am involved with a church group which helps people in need.''
''So you are rich,'' she said with a smile.
''Yes I suppose you could say I am. My family owns an estate in Surrey called Cobham Hall. Perhaps you've heard of it?''
''Yes, I have been there. I am sure my father did some building work there. I used to go with him. It was in summer, maybe three years ago.''
''Yes that's it. I think the firm was called Lucas.''
''Then it was my father. I remember your house. Oh, it's very beautiful, and the gardens are fabulous.''
''My mother was the gardener, I'm afraid it doesn't look nearly as pleasant now.''
They danced with each other, and he was very impressed by Emily's ability. She was light and graceful, and the sight of her smiling at him as her breasts wiggled made him feel excited. He already knew he wanted her.
*****
Henry Lucas bit into one of the apples his daughter had brought him. It was the only one he had left, the others had all been stolen, as had the bread and butter. As the sweetness engulfed his palate, he closed his eyes and thought of his wife. When her pretty face rolled across his mind, he cringed at her last words. ''Look after our daughter.'' He hadn't, he was stuck in this place, leaving her to fend for herself.
''Henry Lucas, are you in here?'' a voice shouted from the front of the cell he was sitting in with twelve other men.
He stood up and looked at the shaft of light coming in as the door opened.
''I am, who wants me?''
''Come out here,'' the warder said, the keys on his belt swinging to and fro. Henry stepped out of the cell and fell to the ground as someone hit him on the skull from behind. He groaned and tried to get up, but a boot on his neck held him down.
''You can go now, warden,'' the man said. ''Very kind of you to point him out to me, here's what we agreed.'' He handed the warden some money and the warden left them to it. He'd got his money and didn't care what happened to any of his prisoners. As far as he was concerned they were all criminals and deserved to die.
The man bent down and pulled Henry to his feet. He was a big man, probably a hired thug Henry thought. Henry sank to his knees again after the man hit him with force in the stomach. He groaned, resting on his hands and knees. Not finished yet, the man brought his knee down onto the back of Henry's head, flattening his face against the ground. As Henry looked along the ground, he saw the feet of another man standing in front of him.
''Henry, how nice to see you again. I'm sure you're enjoying His Majesty's hospitality.'' Henry recognized the raspy voice. It belonged to Benjamin Harvie, the man he'd entrusted with the finances of his business before Harvie had robbed him. ''I hear you've been talking about me, to the constabulary. Well, I'm here to tell you to stop.'' Harive nodded to the big man who pulled Henry to his feet once more. He held him by the throat as Harvie continued. ''Stop talking to the constabulary about me or your daughter gets it, do you understand?'' The mention of his daughter drove Henry to kick out at Harvie, earning him a punch in the face from the thug. ''Teach him a proper lesson, then throw him back in the cell,'' Harvie said as he walked away. When the big man threw Henry back into his cell, some of the other prisoners wretched at the sight of him. Only one prisoner helped him, the Reverend Peter Wright.
*****
Having been invited to Cobham Hall, Emily asked Helen to be her chaperon. When their carriage arrived outside the stately home, Edward was waiting to meet them. Emily looked out of the window and instantly recognized the place that she had visited with her father a few years ago.
''Emily, Helen, how nice to see you. Thank you for coming to Cobham Hall.'' He took Emily's hand and held it to his lips. They looked each other in the eyes and smiled, a loving smile. ''Come inside and take tea with me,'' he said.
They drank tea and talked about the weather and other mundane subjects until Edward began to find Helen's presence irritating. He called his sister who Helen knew. ''Helen would you like go into the garden with Mary? It's such a nice day.'' Helen looked at Emily, who nodded her approval.
''Emily,'' he said once Helen and his sister had left. ''How I have longed to see you again. I have thought about nothing else but you since we first met at Carruthers.''
''And I you Edward. I have missed you too.''
He stood up and sat next to her on the sofa. ''I am in love with you Emily.''
Emily pouted at him, and he kissed her. When he pulled back, Emily took his lapel and tugged him towards her again for more. ''And I am in love with you, Edward,'' she whispered.
Edward looked out of the window and saw Helen and his sister setting off on a walk of the grounds. ''Come with me, my dear,'' he said. Emily looked at him quizzically.
''If you want me to follow you to your bedroom, I will only do so if you promise to marry me.''
''I promise, I will marry you, there is nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you.''
Emily stood up and followed him upstairs. If Helen came back, she would have to wait for her, she thought. She was good enough to keep her mouth closed and not tell her aunt.
The bedroom Edward took her to wasn't large or overly luxurious, it was intimate. The fire was lit and the afternoon sunlight shone through the window. The bed was a small four-poster covered in white linen. There was room for a small chest of drawers and an easy chair.
''So this is your private retreat,'' Emily said, impressed by the ambiance.
''Yes, I like this room. Most of all I like the bed, it's very comfortable.''
Emily sat on the edge and tested it. ''Indeed, it is, very comfortable.''
He took her hand and pulled her to her feet again. ''I love you, Emily, and I want you.'' They kissed, a passionate kiss that left them both gasping for breath. He stepped back and looked at her. Her blue eyes shone in expectation, and her face was slightly flushed with excitement. He kissed her again, this time, his hands snapping open the buttons on the back of her dress. When he'd finished, he pushed the dress back from her shoulders. Her breasts sprang free, and he bent down and kissed her nipples. Emily held her breath and closed her eyes. What he was doing was making her more excited than she had ever been before. She had on the odd occasion explored her own body, and even brought herself to orgasm, but her climaxes had been devoid of the kind of passion he was creating in her now.
She had never seen a naked man before, and she was curious. When she looked down at him, she could see his manhood outlined in his trousers. She couldn't resist, and she placed her hand on him. She was surprised by how hard it was and how it seemed to move when she touched it. Sensing she was eager, Edward unfastened his trousers and dropped them to his ankles. Emily now had access to his naked flesh, and she wanted to explore it. She ran her hands over his thighs and onto his buttocks, they felt heavy and taught. As her hands returned to the front of him, she began to play with his balls. She loved the feeling of them. Everything on her body was smooth and delicate but his sack was rough to touch and the hairs coarse. She loved the contrast of their bodies. She moved her hand to his shaft and was amazed how hard it was. She had no idea what to do, but instinct told her to stroke up and down, and when she did his moans confirmed she'd made the right decision.
They undressed each other, taking their time. When they were both naked Edward picked her up and placed her gently on the bed. As he lowered her, Emily took hold of his shaft and pulled it towards her. When she licked the tip, he dropped her, turned her to him and pushed her legs open. What he did next, Emily could never have imagined would please her so much. His tongue found her womanhood making her scream. Two minutes later she was straining against his mouth as her orgasm crashed over her. As her breathing slowed down, he climbed on top of her and placed hi
mself at her entrance. When he pushed into her, she moaned and pawed at the bed sheets. When he was fully in her, she felt for the first time in her life what it was like to be filled by a man.
His thrusts took her breath away, and soon she began to pant again. He cupped her face and kissed her. Her complexion was flushed with the effort of their love-making and her neck damp. As she moved her head from side to side, he increased the pressure of his thrusts and bent down to take a nipple in his mouth. Emily came again, thrusting her legs around him and grinding her pelvis against his. She was quite exhausted, but the feelings he was awakening in her were so strong and pleasurable that she didn't want it to end. Edward was finding it difficult not to come. She was so beautiful, he'd had to close his eyes on occasions. Every time he looked at her face, her breasts and down to the soft thighs that cradled her pubic hair, he felt driven to the edge. Now he was unable to prolong it any longer. Emily gasped as he pounded her harder. When he called out her name, she felt a gush of warmth deep inside her, and it felt wonderful. What she'd liked most about the whole experience was how much she'd turned him on.
*****
The party season was in full swing when Emily, Helen, James, and Edward were invited to a ball at the home of the Duke of Marlborough. The Duke's palace was just outside London and set in some of the most splendid parkland in the country. As their coach approached the palace, Emily hopped in delight as she saw a stag grazing in the middle of a huge group of doe. When the coach pulled up in front of the enormous building, one of the horses neighed as if telling the passengers to get out. Edward jumped down and held out a hand for Emily.
