by Vikki Vaught
Jonathan sat down next to a table where the jar of ointment was sitting. Kathryn picked it up, then rubbed the ointment on his knee and massaged it into his skin, as she knelt down before him. Looking down at his knee, she didn’t see the look of desire burning in Jonathan’s eyes, but she couldn’t help noticing the material of his smalls stretched tightly across his thick shaft. It was so fascinating, that she wanted to reach up and touch it, but she was too shy to do it, especially since it was daylight. Once she finished tending his knee, Jonathan pulled her up and sat her down on his good knee, and then kissed her deeply as she opened her mouth for him.
Jonathan reached behind her, and unbuttoned her gown. Before she knew it, he had it pulled down, along with her chemise, and was feasting on her breasts. Pleasure broke over her, sending ripples of fire up her spine. Her breasts grew heavy, and her nipples taut, as he licked one with his tongue while he gently flicked his thumb over the other.
Kathryn ran her hand over his smooth muscular stomach, and she felt his shaft swell even further under her derriere.
Jonathan groaned. “We have to stop, or I’ll never be able to get myself back under control in time for tea. You have no idea what you do to me.”
Kathryn smiled coyly. “I’ll leave you so you can get dressed. Jonathan, I’m thrilled that you react like that to me. I love how it makes me feel when you touch me. I’m not ready to fully make love with you, but please, just give me a little more time. I’m hopeful that I can conquer my fears, where before I would never have imagined that I would be this comfortable with what we do.” She stood up, leaned down, and kissed him passionately, then left the room.
After tea, Jonathan went off with Matthew to see his stables. While they were looking at the prime horseflesh that Matthew owned, Matthew asked, “So, how’s it been going with Kathryn? Have you worn down her resistance, or are you still taking a lot of cold baths?”
Jonathan grinned, showing how immensely pleased he was over the situation with Kathryn. “Things are progressing faster than I expected. While we haven’t made love yet, she has allowed me quite a few liberties. I feel that she should be able to overcome her fears in the near future. I just know if she would fall in love with me, her passions would burn hot enough to defeat the fears she has. We had a situation with one of the housemaids, and I thought that it would stir up bad memories and set us back for weeks, but she handled it much better than I expected.”
“What kind of situation did you have?”
“One of the chambermaids ended up with child, and it turns out she was brutally raped by several young men from Bath. She was unable to give any type of description, other than that they were gentry. I expected Kathryn to fall apart over it and withdraw back into her shell, but she handled the entire episode with a calm demeanor.”
Mathew looked at him with a shocked look on his face. “That’s awful. You couldn’t get any information? I guess it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, if they were gentry. Who would take the word of a chambermaid over a member of the gentry?”
“That’s why I didn’t push the issue. I went and talked to the girl’s parents, and at first, they wanted to kick her out, because they’re very strict Wesleyans. Then I told them that I would support Nancy and her child, so they relented and said they would keep her. So tell me about some of these racing horses. Do you ever take them to Doncaster and race them?”
As they walked out of the stables, Matthew turned to him and said, “Sanderford owns Doncaster Stables, and he’s let me breed some of my mares with his Arabian stallion. I expect to have some births any day now. I’ve raced Jezebel and won. That was a nice purse. The odds were ten to one. If I can have a few more runs like that, I would become a much wealthier man.”
“I didn’t realize Sanderford owned Doncaster Stables. That’s one of the best breeding farms in England. I’ll have to talk to him about breeding some of my mares. Matthew, Kathryn mentioned that Henry used to detest you, but now you’re the best of friends. What changed?”
Matthew looked embarrassed. “I think I told you about my mistress. Well, Henry blamed me for causing Helen so much grief, and I deserved it. Cecilia made Helen’s life miserable the first year of our marriage.”
“Kathryn told me about it. At least you were able to move beyond it. I’m sure that it was hard on Helen.”
Looking tormented, Matthew replied, “It was my own stupid fault. I should have broken it off with Cecilia before I ever went to London to look for a wife, but unfortunately, I didn’t. That’s something I’ll regret all my life. I’m truly blessed to have her as my wife. Eventually, Sanderford forgave me when he realized how much I love Helen.”
“Well, I’m glad he was able to forgive you, and that you’re now good friends. I really like Sanderford, but I’ll make sure I don’t ever get on his bad side. We had better get back to the house. Kathryn will be wondering what we could be talking about for so long.”
Chapter 21
Mid November 1823
Once the men went outside to the stables, Kathryn and Helen went up to see the children. They spent a pleasant hour in the nursery before going to her sitting room to talk. As soon as Kathryn sat down, Helen asked, “How have things been going for you this past fortnight? Jonathan seems relaxed and happy, and so do you. Have you let him make love to you yet?”
Kathryn smiled affectionately over at her. “I’m immensely happy. Jonathan’s a wonderful husband. I’ve fallen in love with him. We still haven’t made love, but I’m feeling much more comfortable with the idea of intimacy.”
Helen smiled triumphantly. “Oh Kathryn, that’s wonderful. I’m so pleased that you’ve fallen in love with him. I just knew the two of you would have a wonderful relationship. I liked Jonathan from the very beginning, and I knew you wouldn’t have married him if you hadn’t loved him. I promise you won’t regret making love. When you love someone, it’s the most amazing experience of your life. I have some news to share with you. I’m going to have another baby. I’m two months along, so the baby is due in late June. I just became sure this week.”
“Helen, how do you know when you’re with child? I’ve always wondered how a woman knows before she starts showing.”
“Well, if you have regular monthly courses, it’s fairly easy to tell, because they stop when you’re with child,” Helen explained. “I just missed my second one in a row, so that’s how I know that I’m about two months along. I love my sons, but I do hope that I have a daughter this time.”
“I hope you do too. I’d love to have a baby. Thank you for telling me this, because I’m hopeful about overcoming my fears. It’s just that if Jonathan were to lie on top of me, it would bring back horrible images of what my uncle did to me. As long as he stays on his back, I find it much less threatening.”
“Kathryn, there’s many positions that can be used for making love. The man doesn’t always have to be on top.” Helen looked embarrassed, but then she continued speaking. “In fact, oh…this is so embarrassing, but if it will help you…I ah…enjoy it quite a bit being on top. It gives me a sense of power, and I love it!”
Kathryn’s cheeks flushed. “Helen…oh my…I can’t even imagine. I’m glad we talked. I do find it embarrassing to talk about it all, but if it will help me overcome my fears, then it will be well worth a little embarrassment. Well, I need to go to my room and get ready for dinner. Are you sure you’re all right with Elaine taking her meals with us?”
“Oh, of course. When I first got married, Margaret, Matthew’s sister, was only sixteen, and she always ate with us. I think that by the time they’re fifteen they should eat with the family.”
“Oh good, I know she’s thrilled about it.” Kathryn was relieved, because she knew how much Elaine was looking forward to being included. “She’s almost sixteen anyway. Her birthday is on the twelfth. I’m hoping that once Jonathan sees her behaving, he’ll start letting her eat with us at home. He’s actually quite old-fashioned about some things.”
Helen
grinned. “Well, sixteen is an important birthday, so we’ll have to give her a small party.”
“Thank you, Helen. I know Elaine would enjoy that. Well, if I’m going to be ready in time for dinner, I need to go back to my room. See you at dinner.” Then, with a wave of her hand, Kathryn left and went to her room.
Elaine was on her best behavior that night, and dinner was a jovial affair. After dinner, the ladies left the gentlemen to their port and cigars. Kathryn worried about that since she knew Jonathan had problems with drinking, but she just had to have faith that he would be able to handle it. She followed Helen and Elaine to the drawing room.
Once the ladies left the room and the port was brought to the table, Matthew started to pour two glasses, but Jonathan spoke up. “Ah, none for me, Matthew.”
“Jonathan, what do you drink?” Matthew asked. “You don’t drink brandy, and now you don’t drink port. I noticed you at dinner, and you barely touched the wine, and what you did drink, you watered down.”
“I…don’t seem to be able to handle spirits very well,” Jonathan explained, feeling embarrassed about having to admit his problem. “I do still drink watered wine, but only with my meals. I was still allowing myself port, but on the trip here, I overindulged on it, so I’ve decided that I shouldn’t drink it either.”
“Why do you think you drink too much? Everyone overindulges at times.”
“It all started because of my injury,” Jonathan admitted. “I was in so much pain, and I drank to get some relief. Right before my brother died, I had started drinking whiskey every night, and I was barely eating any food. We went to the assembly rooms in Bath, and to make a long story short, I got drunk and made something of a spectacle of myself. At first, I thought that if I would just left the whiskey alone, I’d be all right, but then I overindulged on brandy, and now port. So I don’t want to take a chance that I’ll get drunk again.”
Matthew had the footman take away the port, and requested coffee instead. Once the footman returned with the coffee, they just enjoyed their cigars, along with the coffee. “For the rest of your stay, we’ll just have cigars and coffee, no port. I can take it or leave it, so I’ll just leave it while you’re here. I think you’re a strong man to recognize that you have a problem and then do something about it. I think that my younger brother has a drinking problem, so I respect anyone who can leave it alone.”
Jonathan felt a huge sense of relief that Matthew didn’t seem to judge him for having a drinking problem. “How old is you brother? Is he out of school?”
“Gregory’s one and twenty, and he’s in the navy. He was sent down from school when he was eighteen. I haven’t seen him in two years, but he writes occasionally and seems to like the navy. Before I bought him his commission, he was drinking and carousing around with his friends all the time. The worst part was the gambling. He even had to fight a duel because of it. Before my boys were born, I worried about what would happen if I died without an heir. I was ecstatic when Helen had the twins and greatly relieved, to say the least.”
Hearing Matthew talk about his brother made Jonathan think about how he’d lived his life before he met Kathryn, and he felt so grateful for the changes he’d made in his life. He still knew he wasn’t good enough for her, but he was determined to never live that way again, so Kathryn could be proud of her husband.
“Your brother is still quite young, and you never know—he may have changed. Two years can make a big difference at that age. Well, I’m sure that the ladies are wondering what we’re doing. Shall we join them?”
After Jonathan and Matthew joined the ladies, they went to the music room, and Jonathan played while Elaine sang. Everyone had a pleasant evening, and Helen assured Jonathan that he played as well as Mary. At ten o’clock, everyone retired to their beds. Jonathan was proud of Elaine. She’d handled herself very well tonight. It was hard for him, but he had to accept that Elaine was on the cusp of womanhood. Thank God he would have Kathryn there to help when she made her come out in two years.
When Jonathan arrived in Kathryn’s room, she glanced over at him, giving him what she hoped was a seductive look. “I think that I’m ready to take another step closer to making love. You have to promise me that you’ll just lie on your back and let me explore. When you lean over me, I get images of my uncle, and that’s what frightens me. Will that be all right with you?”
“Sweetheart, whatever you want. I’m yours. I’ll just lie down beside you and put my arm around your shoulders. Is that acceptable to you?”
“Yes, it’s just if you lean over me too much that I get scared. I do like it when you hold me in your arms.” Jonathan let her take the lead. She leaned over him and started kissing him passionately, and he responded. He rubbed her back and stroked her shoulders. Kathryn started kissing down his chest and she took his flat nipple into her mouth and began to suckle while she gently rolled the other one between her thumb and forefinger. She ran her hand down his smooth stomach and toyed with the waistband of his smalls.
His breathing became shallow, and he made a slight groan as Kathryn pulled the tab loose. Once they were untied, she pushed them down a little bit. Her hands were shaking, but she was determined to touch him. She reached inside his smalls and gingerly touched the tip, but when she felt something wet, she pulled back.
“That’s my seed you felt. I promise it won’t hurt you. If you really want me to enjoy this, let me show you how I would like you to touch me.” Jonathan took her hand, guided it down to his shaft, and showed her how to stroke him through his smalls.
She fondled and touched for a long time, and then he gently moved her hand away. “If you keep doing that, I’ll explode, and I don’t want to frighten you. When a man gets too excited, he releases his seed, which comes out of the tip of his shaft, and right now I’m very close to that happening.”
“Don’t you want that to happen? Would it make you feel pleasure as you have made me feel pleasure, if you release your seed? I want to give you the same pleasure that you have given me.”
“Sweetheart, if you’re sure about this, then just keep rubbing me through my smalls.” Kathryn tentatively smiled up at him and started rubbing him again. She squeezed his shaft, and she felt it swell and grow even harder as she continued to touch him. It was actually quite exciting to watch Jonathan’s face as she fondled him. She found herself becoming aroused. She ran her hand up and down his shaft. She started moving her hand faster as she squeezed his member. Suddenly he gasped, letting out a deep, keening sound, and then fell back against the pillows with the most contented smile on his face that she’d ever seen.
“Did you feel pleasure, Jonathan?” she huskily asked.
“Oh, yes,” he replied, “Now let me return the favor. Roll onto your side facing me so I can touch your luscious breasts.”
Kathryn lay there waiting in anticipation as he began to stroke her breasts. He kissed her deeply and soon their tongues were dueling. Kathryn’s breath grew shallow, and her heartbeat accelerated as his hands traveled down her body to the apex of her thighs. He slipped his hand between her slender thighs and touched her special spot, ever stroking faster and faster. Then he sent her spinning dizzyingly over the edge into ecstasy. They lay there in each other’s arms as her breathing returned to normal.
“Thank you, darling, for the gift of your trust. I love you, and I just want you to be happy. You’ve brought so much joy into my life, and you have made me a better man. When I first met you, I was just going through the motions. I wasn’t really living, and now I feel like a new man. I hope that someday soon you’ll trust me enough to throw off all your fears and truly be my wife, but you take as long as you need. I’ll be waiting right here when you’re ready, my love.”
He gently kissed her forehead, and then they fell asleep.
The next day, Kathryn and Helen arrived at the Marquess and Marchioness of Ralston’s estate at four o’clock for tea. The butler showed them into the drawing room, where Lady Ralston was waiting for the
m. As they entered the room, she said, “Helen, it’s so good to see you. This must be your sister, Lady Kathryn.”
Helen hugged Cassandra. “Yes, Cassandra, this is my sister, Lady Sutherland. She recently married the Marquess of Sutherland. She arrived yesterday.”
Cassandra beamed as she handed a cup of tea to Kathryn. “Lady Sutherland, welcome to my home. I’ve looked forward to meeting you. Congratulations on your marriage.”
Kathryn took a sip of her tea, and then she said, “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Ralston. Helen has told me what good friends you’ve become. I appreciate the opportunity to do your family portrait.”
“Please, call me Cassandra. I’m sure that we’ll become good friends. I’m so pleased that you’re able to do our portrait. We’ve talked of having it done for a while now, but we wanted the children to be a little older. Brian is now six years old, John is five, and Lucian is four. I hope you’re used to rambunctious little boys, because mine certainly are.”
Kathryn nodded as she smiled over at Cassandra. “Oh yes, I have quite a few nieces and nephews. I’ve painted all of them several times. I recently did a family portrait for the Earl and Countess of Shelton, and they had three children. Then I did a family portrait for my husband’s brother and his wife before they died. My husband is guardian to their two children, so I’m very used to children and love to paint them.”
“I was so sorry to hear about your husband’s brother and wife. I’m sure that was just dreadful. Helen told me about it. Please accept my condolences on your loss. From what Helen told me, you were there when it happened. I’m sure that you were able to help Lord Sutherland a great deal. Now you’re married to him. Did you fall in love with him when you helped him get over his loss?”
“It was very difficult, and I’m just glad that I could be there for my husband. Of course, we weren’t married when they died. I met my husband when I painted his portrait, and we became good friends. Then when his brother and his wife passed away, we grew closer. He asked me to marry him and help him raise the children. We fell in love after we married. I never expected to marry, but I’m very happy, and he’s very supportive of my art.”
