by Susan Thomas
It was back to normal on Tuesday except, of course, it wasn't normal. Now she was a married woman going to the schoolhouse from her new marital home. Several women from the League of Moral Women sniffed, tossed their heads and refused to reply to her pleasant, 'Good morning'. Parents and others though called a welcome to her and Beth blushed; they would know what she had been doing. The day passed normally and Beth went back to her home to begin her other wifely duties. Henry had arranged that the women who did his cleaning and washing should continue. Beth had the children to teach but after preparing for the next day she went home to make a meal for her husband. Just saying that to herself thrilled her. Her husband the sheriff. Henry wanted her twice that night and Beth was pleased that it was all so much easier for her and that Henry got so much pleasure; but she wondered how she was different to Emily because Emily reported enormous pleasure from the marriage bed and although quite pleasant she got no great pleasure.
On Wednesday a large group of tired men rode into town. It was Sheriff Haskins from another town some distance away. He had roused a posse to deal with a gang that had robbed their bank killing a deputy and a customer. They had chased the gang into Henry's jurisdiction. Henry too roused up some volunteers and then prepared himself. He had quite a few weapons but his favorites were two Colt Navy revolvers. He carried one in a holster and the other tucked into his belt. Beth had watched him loading the cylinders carefully allowing not a single grain of black powder to escape him. He also had two spare cylinders which he preloaded so as to always have plenty of ammunition. He had explained to Beth that modern Colt revolvers now loaded with cartridges but he was fond of this pair and didn't plan on being sheriff for too much longer. Leaving his deputy in charge, Henry's volunteers set off with the posse led by Sheriff Haskins to chase down the gang. As he said goodbye to Beth she felt a pang of worry.
She kissed him. "Come back safe."
He smiled enjoying the feeling of his wife worrying. "I will. When we've sorted out the school we're advertising for another sheriff. I only stepped in to save the day."
With Henry and Charles gone, Beth and Emily converged on each other. They decided to start their League of Women (Kindness, Compassion and Friendliness for All Women). Mary Spencer was the first to join although John warned her.
"Mary, I'm not happy about this league. I can see trouble brewing with the other one. I doubt Charles and Henry will be either and I can foresee our two girls being in for a bottom warming session."
"Well really John, it is perfectly harmless and there needs to be something rather more pleasant for women than the Moral League. Why, some women aren't even allowed to join the Moral League because they have been deemed immoral by Emmeline Philips."
"I'm warning you Mary, if there is any trouble you will be going across my knee and I am not promising it will just be my hand that is used."
"John! Really! I am fifty years old. It's been many a year since you needed to discipline me."
"Mary, you're young enough to enjoy making love as you do, so you're young enough to be spanked and any trouble and you will be. That is a promise."
The next to join was Cath O'Connor. She had been a mail order bride. It was common knowledge that, left orphaned at fourteen, she had been working in a brothel before she married. She now had two children. Beth taught her children and two nicer, better brought up children, would be hard to find. In addition, there was no one faster than Cath in helping out those in trouble. In spite of that Mrs. Philips had banned her from membership because she was 'an immoral woman'. After that a steady stream of women joined. Most were parents of children at the school. Although Emily was the person who came up with many ideas, she relied on Beth as the organizer and between them they decided the inaugural meeting would be a week Saturday. Beth was a little anxious about what they were doing. Henry had made it perfectly clear he would spank her if he felt she needed it and she had a horrible feeling he would not approve of what she was doing.
Chapter 7
Isaac Franklin Jones had finished his breakfast and was annoying his wife. He was opening his mail at the table while she was still sipping a cup of coffee. She did not approve of such behavior and was about to make her feelings plain when her husband suddenly swore loudly.
"Really Isaac. Such language!"
Isaac handed her a letter, "It's from the superintendent of the orphanage where we put the other one. He has had two enquiries from some damn lawyer about the girl's background and he is now coming to visit to interview older members of staff. He felt I ought to know though God knows how he found where I live."
"You're a public figure Isaac that's how." She read the letter through quickly. "The stupid man doesn't tell us who this lawyer is or where he is from."
"Elizabeth is behind this, you mark my words. I told you that girl was clever and now somehow she has set wheels in motion. This could ruin me if it goes any further."
"Calm down. This may be nothing to do with Elizabeth. The other one may have started looking into her background, that's all, but it does need nipping in the bud. Leave it with me. Blake has people working for him that I can use. I'll deal with it."
---oOo---
Beth had made a big pot of vegetable soup; it was the first time she had done so on her own and she was pleased with the results. With Emily she had made a steak pie and her twin had assured her that the Flight brothers, for some unaccountable reason, loved cold meat pie. It was late Saturday afternoon when Beth had a strong feeling Henry would be back that evening. She put the soup on to heat slowly and lit the boiler fire to heat water for a bath. As she waited she worked on her preparation for school. She didn't feel she was a very good wife at present as she hadn't enough time to attend to household matters, but Henry had said that in this case the education of the children must come first, and anyhow he wasn't used to a house run by a good wife. As the evening drew into night Beth began to think her feeling was all wrong; the soup and water for the bath were hot but there was no Henry. Then she heard a sound and there was Henry coming through the door. He had four days of beard on his face, a black eye and it looked as if he had fallen in a marsh and then dried out. He stank of marsh.
Beth gave a cry and rushed at him. "Whoa back, Beth. I'm filthy, and I stink of that damn bog."
"I don't care. You're back." She threw herself into his arms and kissed him, feeling his beard scratch her face. He was right, he did stink, but she was overwhelmed with feelings of relief and pleasure. "Right: food first and bath second or the other way around?"
Henry smiled warmly. Being welcomed like this was lovely. "Food, shave and bath in that order. I'm starving."
Henry ate his way through several bowls of hearty soup with big chunks of bread. He followed it with the best part of the pie assuring her that cold meat pie was one of his favorites, and drank a huge amount of coffee. Beth sat watching him eat. She was feeling a strong pleasure at his presence. She had loved seeing Martha but this was different; this feeling sent little shivers of delight down her back. When he had finished she got out the zinc bath while Henry shaved. It took a good few buckets to get it filled and then Henry stripped off his filthy clothes revealing a great many scratches and bruises. Once Henry was in the bath Beth began washing him. She was very gentle with him as there were so many small injuries. Then she washed and rinsed his hair several times. Finally, she made him stand in the bath and poured buckets of warm water over him to rinse him. The water left in the bath was a dirty brown-grey. All the time she bathed him Henry made soft appreciative noises. Beth was astonished at the depth of emotion she felt, for it had not been a love match and she had only been married a week. Finally, she was satisfied Henry was clean and she allowed him to leave the bath and handed him towels to dry.
It was only when her husband had finished toweling himself that she saw he was getting an erection. "Henry! You can't want to..."
"Why not? I feel whole again. What's wrong with wanting my wife like that?"
Be
th couldn't help herself. She giggled. "Well we'd best go upstairs then."
"Take off your clothes first."
"Henry! That's not decent."
"Why? We're married. This is our home. There's no one else here and no one can see in. Take off your clothes...every stitch mind."
"I can't...we're downstairs. It doesn't seem right."
"Beth Flight, only last week you promised to obey me in your wedding vows. I'd hate to have to deal with disobedience."
Although his eyes sparkled with humor, Beth had a funny feeling that if she did disobey him he might just spank her. Anyway, she suddenly felt excited at the thought of undressing like this. It seemed rather naughty to her but also delicious. She began taking off her clothes.
"I'm pleased to see you've done what I said and left off the corsets."
Beth giggled again. "Well I didn't want to be spanked for disobedience but I hope Emmeline Philips doesn't notice. She already disapproves of me and thinks it immoral not to wear corsets.
When Beth was as naked as her husband, Henry began to kiss her and Beth kissed him right back. She felt his erection grow until it pushed uncomfortably against her warm body. Abruptly he picked her upright and held her in his arms. Beth screamed, clutching at him. "Henry! What are you doing?"
"Taking you upstairs to bed you of course."
"You can't. Put me down. I'll walk up."
He ignored her and began carrying her sideways up the steep narrow staircase. Beth screamed and hung on to him tightly all the way but Henry wasn't even breathing hard when he reached the top. There was only the one large bedroom built into the roof with a ceiling that sloped dramatically towards the walls. He carried her over to the bed and laid her gently down, leaping on to land beside her in a neat athletic way.
Beth looked at him astonished. "I don't know how you can have the energy and you're so strong. How do you do it?"
"I've been thinking about making love to you since I left."
Henry wasted no more time but began kissing Beth passionately and she responded eagerly. Their tongues met and probed one another as Beth shed all nervousness about what they were to do. She held his head to her and kissed him harder and harder as he ran his hands over her body. She found herself excited by the lean strong body of the man in her arms. He broke away and his mouth and tongue were everywhere on her, nuzzling in making her arch her back and pant with pleasure. This treatment on her breasts sent strange delicious tingles scudding down her body and between her legs, and even her bottom, which seemed deliciously wicked to her but which excited her greatly.
Then he was between her legs...not with his member but with his tongue. Beth was shocked and pushed him away but he removed her hands and went back; she remembered her vows and was obedient. Then his tongue was down between her legs, flicking in and out on some part she had never touched. It was so intimate, so shocking, she thought she would die of embarrassment but then the feelings started. What he was doing generated more than tingles and she lay back panting with the sheer intensity of the sensations his tongue was creating. She shut her eyes and her breathing grew shorter and more urgent and suddenly Henry saw a huge ripple run up her tummy and seemingly right up to her breasts. Beth sighed deeply and her whole body relaxed.
She opened her eyes to see Henry looking down at her smiling. "Oh my, Henry. What just happened?"
He didn't answer, just grinned at her and then she realized he hadn't even been inside her yet. She reached out for his member; that shaft so silky and soft on the surface and so hard inside. She began pulling on it intending to pull it towards her but instead she ended up rubbing it up and down in her cool hand. Henry clearly liked what she was doing and then a wave of strong feeling swept her. She'd never felt it before but she knew its name and was shocked that she...a woman...should feel it. It was lust.
She let go of the hardness and taking hold of Henry she kissed him almost savagely. He responded in the same way and it was as if they were fighting one another. They rolled around and Beth ended up on top of Henry kissing him with that same savage intensity. Henry heaved and lifted her clear into the air and came down on top of her without hurting her in the least and without losing contact with her mouth. He reached down and pushed one of her legs aside and moved swiftly between them. Then he was inside her in one powerful movement. Beth cried out with pleasure and wrapped her legs tightly around him. He didn't so much rock inside her as he had before, but was like a steam pump, his great piston thrusting hard in and out. Beth held him tightly with her arms and legs pulling him in to her and making inarticulate noises as he thrust harder and harder. Suddenly, she threw her head right back and screamed, her whole body shuddering violently. It pulled Henry out of control and he began pumping his seed into her with fierce thrusts.
They lay together for some time simply breathing heavily and wondering at what had happened between them. Beth could hardly believe the way she had behaved...it had surely been wicked, decadent even, but it had felt so very good and Henry was pleased. It was her duty as his wife to give him pleasure but he had also given her the same. That couldn't be wrong could it? Exhaustion finally sent Henry into a deep sleep but Beth did not sleep. She lay thinking about her feelings for him. She had married, not for love, but to avoid marrying Rankin Blake, to be safe from him. She had planned to be a good and dutiful wife, and Mary had promised that if she was, then love would follow one day because Henry was a good man; but now she had such feelings for him. She had felt so tender towards the bruised, tired and dirty body of her husband. As she had washed him the strength of her tenderness had been far more than duty. Then, when he had begun to make love to her she hadn't done her duty at all. She had been seized with a primeval lust for him and they had given pleasure to one another. Now as she lay next to him listening to him breathe she felt something hard to describe. Was this love? Could she love him so soon?
---oOo---
Henry was still asleep when Beth woke the next morning. She crept downstairs and performed all her ablutions before putting on her best dress for church, with an apron on top, to begin making him breakfast. As she worked she sang. She felt different today - not just a dutiful wife but a happy loving wife. When Henry arrived to singing and breakfast he felt something strong inside him for this pretty girl he had married. He had wanted a wife and family and would have been prepared, like Joe O'Connor, to take a woman who had been a whore, provided she was willing to now be a wife and mother. He hadn't expected to experience the feelings of love and tenderness that now coursed through him as he listened to her sing in the warm kitchen. He could tell Beth had been brought up with very firm notions about what was proper and decent. She had been very nervous and reserved when he had consummated their marriage but last night... last night a passionate woman had been unleashed. Not only was she passionate but also kind and caring. He realized he was falling in love with her.
They left the small house arm in arm and both with bright happy smiles on their faces. Townsfolk acknowledged them as they made their way to church, pleased their sheriff was back safely and noting to one another how happy the newly married couple were together. It was only after the church service that Henry found out about the League of Women.
"When were you going to tell me about this, Beth?"
"Well I haven't had much opportunity have I? But I would have told you all about it today."
"This sounds like Emily making mischief."
"No mischief, honestly Henry. It's just that the Moral Women are having such a bad effect on everything. They interfere and gossip and as for me, you know the Moral Women won't speak to me now because I am married but working as a teacher. Why, even one of my parents won't speak to me - Pete's mommy. Pete still comes to school because his dad insists but she won't come near me anymore. Cath O'Connor isn't allowed to join Moral Women, not that she wants to, because Emmeline Philips says she is immoral because of what she once did. How is what she once did relevant? She doesn't do that now and we don't know al
l the things that led her to doing it. Our motto is 'Kindness, Compassion and Friendliness for All Women'. We just want to make things better for the women of this town. We already have had nearly as many women as they do join us."
Henry looked at his young wife and saw how strongly she felt and sensed she would be stubborn and determined if he told her she couldn't carry on with the project. On the surface there was nothing wrong with what the twins were doing but he sensed trouble ahead. "Very well, you can carry on with your league. But I am warning you Beth, this had better not lead to any trouble. I don't like making threats but you know what will happen if trouble comes from this."
Beth felt her rare temper ignite. "Do I?"
"Yes you do Mrs. Flight. Don't disrespect me now."
Beth's temper evaporated. Henry was right; she did know and she had been about to be very disrespectful. "I'm sorry. They've got me all worked up."
"So, Mrs. Flight, what will happen if this leads to trouble?"
"You'll spank me Henry. But that isn't going to happen. It's going to be fine." But Beth had a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach that not all was going to be fine and she was going to be finding out just how hard Henry's hand was.
On Monday, Charles returned from his journey to the orphanage and called a family conference for the evening. That evening at the Spencer home Charles, Emily, Henry, Beth, John and Mary Spencer sat around a table after Arthur had been put to bed. Charles had been adamant that Arthur was not to be present. He told them that he had not gotten very far with the present day staff of the orphanage, but that he had obtained the address of an old lady who used to work there and had set out to visit with her.
He reminded them he had been born and brought up in the West. He was used to dangers all around - from wild animals through extreme weather on occasion right on to outlaws and other dangerous men. As second nature he was aware of his surroundings, and as he walked he had a feeling he was in danger. Without making it obvious he had checked around and realized he was being followed. Deliberately he had gone down a dark alleyway and then stepped back into the shadows. Sure enough into the alley came a neatly dressed man carrying a long knife held down at his side. He had stepped out and hit him hard, knocking him out.
