by P J Perryman
Though he squeezed her arm gently, his touch left her cold and empty inside. Chastity wanted to weep from helplessness and she watched with sadness as her husband walked away to rejoin the party across the room.
***
Lord Esher had to wait a long while before the King was ready to receive him. When at last an audience was granted, he found his sovereign in an ante chamber momentarily away from all the other guests. He appeared to be in good humor, with a glass of sherry in one hand and a plate of meats in the other. The King smiled as the handsome Lord bowed low before him, and ushered him to rise.
“Ah, Lord Esher, it has been some time since we last met. Where was it, Weymouth, I think? There’s very good sport to be had in that part of the county.”
“Indeed sir. Your Majesty is very kind to remember it. It was a shooting party I believe.”
“Not at all, not at all. My Queen is down there now. She loves the fine weather in the South and since I could do very well without her on this occasion, I left her there.”
Not knowing whether the King commented in jest or earnest, Lord Esher remained silent. Though the royal couple was famous for their happy marriage, the king was known to have a very peculiar sense of humor, and Esher did not know him well enough either way to interpret him.
“So, I am told you have a private matter of some urgency you wish to discuss?”
“I do, Your Majesty.”
“And would it have something to do with that pretty wife I saw you parading in the lobby when I arrived?”
Robert’s jaw dropped open. The King knows I’m married? He knew the gossip would travel swiftly but this was faster than he had imagined.
“Oh come man, don’t look so surprised. I am the King after all, and I have very good intelligence on just about everything. And I am always interested in the conjugal activities of my noblemen. Almost as soon as I arrived the news of your matrimony reached my ears, and news of her humble origins came swiftly after that. I must say, I’m surprised, I would never have thought the daring Lord Esher would take on a commoner for his wife. But then I suppose we are all fools in love, are we not?”
The King’s eye fell on a particularly choice cut of meat, which he ate with gusto and followed with a large swig of sherry.
“Have you tried Devonshire’s sherry? You should, it’s very good.”
“I haven’t sir, no. The thing is I did not marry for love. I’ve been the victim of the folly of my friends, for we were married when I was under the influence of alcohol. In truth, I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“Oh my, that is unfortunate.”
“I thought perhaps that you, as head of the church, would be able to undo things?”
“Dear lord, no. If the traditions were observed, the vows spoken, the registry signed, not even I can undo a union presided over by God. I’m sorry, Lord Esher, but there it is. You must put this silliness behind you now and make what you can of it. There is nothing more to be done.”
A servant handed Lord Esher a glass of the Devonshire sherry, but fine or otherwise, all things tasted bitter to the young man at this moment. He drained his glass to please his sovereign, but behind his mask he was at his wits end. His position was untenable, and it was all the fault of that wretch Tom Warren, a man he had once hailed as a friend.
As the King ended the audience, Lord Esher bowed respectfully, while inside black thoughts of vengeance circled his heart. He only wished Tom would be as crossed in marriage as he himself was.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
Chastity had never known her husband to be happy, but on the journey home his mood had turned positively sullen. His spoke not one word from London to Surrey, and when the coach stopped he didn’t wait for the coachman but jumped down from the box and dashed inside.
Chastity herself took her time entering their manor for she feared the day would not end well.
“Could I have some wine?” she asked. The servant bowed silently, and his mistress entered the manor library. Perhaps not as grandiose as the famed library of Devonshire House, the Esher library was by no means deficient in books. Chastity took a random volume from its shelves, and stared at the words on the page. She wished she could read them. She flicked through the leaves and was pleased to find pictures of the characters, and though she did not know the nature of the book, she guessed this was some kind of children’s book.
Chastity was just returning the book to the shelf when her husband joined her in the library. She curtsied.
“Do you read?” he asked.
“No sir, I never learned how.”
“Do you want to?”
“Yes, I think I would like to. Will you teach me?”
“No, I have no gift for instruction. But I can engage a tutor for you if that’s what you wish.”
They were interrupted by the servant who came in with his mistress’s wine. “Leave it there on the table.” The servant bowed, respectfully and disappeared, closing the great oak doors behind him.
Robert strolled across to a window and stared out onto the lawns. The library faced the back of the house. There was a fine shrubbery there, and he stood there for a while, thinking.
Chastity helped herself to a glass, and automatically offered one to her troubled husband. “I’m sorry to cause you so much grief,” she said.
Her husband took the glass, and though he did not smile his eyes were now calm and gentle. “Thank you.”
“I understand you spoke to the King, was it about us?”
“What else?” he answered caustically.
“And is there nothing to be done?”
“It would appear not.”
“I’m sorry.” In truth her heart was glad of the news, but she did not want to upset her husband. She rested her hand gently on his shoulder and looked out into the gardens. “This is a very beautiful place, my Lord.”
“Thank you. The house was built by my father, and I have lived here my whole life. It was the saddest day of my life when he died.”
“What was he like?”
“My father?”
“Yes.”
“Oh he was a kind, quiet man. Not much for London life he spent his days managing this place, taking care of the tenant farmers. My mother died when I was an infant so my father was everything to me.”
“Do you have any brothers and sisters, other than Lady Ashworth?”
“No, my sister is all. And Tom Warren has been my friend for as long as I can remember.”
Robert turned and looked down into her face. She was beginning to recognize his signs of desire, so she put her glass down on a side table and stood obediently, prepared to do his bidding. Up until now, his attentions had always been violent and unwelcome, and his foul mood a few moments before prepared her now for more of the same. Yet she was mistaken.
Lord Esher’s forefinger coaxed the curve of her neck, and he moved up and down her skin, and then tilted her face toward his.
“This attire does become you very well, Chastity. In many regards you were quite the belle of the ball.” His lips brushed gently on hers, but then he pulled away and kissed her nose and forehead, then he moved back down again to explore her mouth a little more deeply. As he kissed her, his hands slipped down to her bodice, and to her surprise his tenderness evoked a response in her his roughness never could. Her skin danced with every touch, and she felt a curious glow in her belly, that drew her to him like a magnet.
In spite of his desire, Lord Robert fumbled with difficulty at the strings to her bodice. Her maid had sewn her into this one and nothing short of scissors would release her from it.
“Confound it,” he said. Before she knew it, his hands slid inside the top of her fabric, and with one strong tug he ripped the thing away, tearing the shift below and exposing her breasts.
His impatience didn’t frighten her, on the contrary, his desire kindled hers, and she returned his kiss deeply, delighting in his touch as his hands explored the curves of her breasts and teased the tips o
f her nipples.
“God I adore your breasts,” Robert moaned. A second later he had slid down to devour them, and Chastity felt he was trying to consume the whole of her. She put her hands to the back of his head, encouraging him to feast freely.
Back he slid to her mouth, this time shedding his own jacket and breeches, and like him she was desperate for the touch of his skin against hers. Unclothed and glorious, her young husband pulled away her skirts, and with a sharp smack to her buttocks, he picked her up and carried Chastity over to the library sofa. She reveled at the corded muscles in his forearm, and took the liberty to caress his neck in return. She was rewarded by yet another deep kiss, and closing her eyes. Chastity was lost in a delicious world of oblivion, where cares and worries were never entertained, there was only her, Robert, and the desire between them.
When her husband was spent, he laid behind her on the narrow sofa, his arm protectively wrapped around her, keeping her from falling onto the rug below. She felt safe in his arms, and since the King had ordained the marriage good and unbreakable, allowed herself a single indulgent thought—that Robert was hers to have and to hold and that nothing could separate him from her. Chastity smiled, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
THE PICNIC
Lord Esher had been wrong about not receiving invites into company. In fact, quite the reverse, for many of their set were anxious to witness this marvelous marriage at first hand. Robert saw this for what it was, and tossed the morning’s invitations casually onto the breakfast table.
“What is it my love?” asked his lady wife as she chewed on a mouthful of kedgeree. In front of her was a small book, for she was studying hard at her letters, being anxious to please her husband as well as keen to learn for herself. She was secretly studying elocution, and her good ear was evident, so that only a few vowels now betrayed her humble origins.
“They want me to parade you like some kind of exhibit. These are all invitations to dine with my friends over the next few weeks.”
“Shall we not go?”
“No, we shall not.”
Robert picked up the final invitation and sighed when he read the name of the addressee. “I think we might go to see this one, for I have business with this man that needs attending to.”
“Oh, who is it from?”
“Tom Warren. The invitation is to a picnic on Friday next, and since we have no prior engagements, I see no reason not to go.”
“I thought you had come to detest the man?”
“I have. We shall go nonetheless.”
“A picnic, I never been on one before.”
“Well, they’re highly fashionable right now and it’s a little unusual, which would appeal to his vanity. I’m sure he would consider a simple supper very tedious.”
Lord Robert slipped the invite inside his jacket pocket and watched as his new wife leaned over the book, her pretty mouth forming the letters as she read.
“Do you like what you’re reading?”
“Oh yes sir, very much so.”
“What is it about? Something romantic no doubt?”
Chastity smiled. “Yes sir, I believe that’s what Mr. Whitby said it was.”
“And how do you like your tutor?”
“Very much, though he smells a little musty at times and appears lost without his wife.”
“Ah yes.” Robert recalled how the elderly man he had engaged to instruct his wife had recently become a widower.
A servant stepped forward and began clearing away the breakfast things. “Could you leave my tea, I’m not quite done and like it cold,” said Chastity.
As soon as the servant left, Robert leant across the table to get his wife’s attention. “Do not ask the servants what you want. Their place is to serve you. Just tell them. Remember, your wish is a command, and they are paid to obey.”
“But Robert, I’m not comfortable giving orders. Surely a please or thank-you will cause no harm.”
“Don’t be too sure about that. You only have to look across the Channel to see that times are changing. Servants no longer know their place, so it is your duty to remind them of it at all times.”
“But Robert, surely kindness will serve our interest better. If we treat them as people, will they not return our kindness and treat us with respect.”
A dark shadow crossed her husband’s face. “It is not your place, wife, to lecture me in the order of society. It has been this way for years, it is the order of things, and that is all you need to know.”
“But—”
“Enough!”
Robert rose from the table and walked round to her side. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her to her feet. “If an education is going to put ideas like this in your head, I shall have it stopped immediately.”
“No Robert, please.”
Ever quick to ignite, his temper got the better of him. Lord Esher picked up the book and threw it angrily across the room. “I expect obedience from you, Chastity, and by God I shall have it.”
He squeezed her wrist hard and pulled her to him. But there was no fear in those deep, unfathomable eyes. The light kindled there was desire. His passion had awoken hers, and her look was both exciting and erotic. At once their lips locked, his desire was greedy and demanding, forcing her back onto the table behind her.
From the corner of his eye Robert spotted the servant returning for more trays, but he turned and spit a desperate, “not now!” at the man. The servant retreated with his head bowed, and quietly closed the door behind him.
“Please Robert, take me now, I can’t bear it when you’re angry with me.”
In one tug he removed her undergarments which fell in tatters to the morning room floor. He did not take the time to enjoy his wife. On this occasion his attentions were brutal and selfish, and she felt the full force of his passion. His release came quickly, and though he suspected Chastity had not climaxed herself, his intensity left her breathless.
Sated, he remained on top of her, continuing to explore those intriguing lips. Yet around them the house stirred, so reluctantly he pulled away and helped Chastity up and off the table. As the couple rearranged their clothing, he pondered the strange feeling in his heart, no longer sure whether Tom was owed a curse or a thank you.
***
On the morning of the picnic, Lord and Lady Esher arrived in an open top barouche which was perfect for an excursion of such nature. As always, Chastity was excited to experience something new, and had worked hard with her lady in waiting to look just right for the occasion.
Lord Esher had yet to present his wife with any of the estate jewelry. She guessed at the reason behind his reluctance, but since he had given her so much already, Chastity had not felt the loss of it. So she was dressed now in a simple cream linen dress, embroidered with pink and purple flowers that made her think of meadows and summer. But for adornment she wore nothing, not even a wedding band since the subject had not been raised by either party.
When at last she vacated her bedchamber and descended the stairs to join her husband, Lord Robert said nothing but simply nodded. He took her hand to help her climb into the carriage, and handed her a small picnic basket once she was comfortably seated.
Tom Warren’s estate was some five miles west of their own, near a small village called Denwood, famous for sheep rearing and wool products. The weather was favorable for the short journey, and she found Lord Robert uncommonly communicative. Chastity was pleased. She loved to hear him speak, regardless of the subject. Her husband had a fine, deep voice that penetrated her heart and always caught her attention. Though he rambled on about trivialities, she didn’t mind, enraptured as she still was by this strange new world of wealth and fashion.
The party at Denwood was fairly small, made up of just a few close friends and all of whom she knew already. Chastity was both happy and relieved. She had come to dread her husband’s reaction when the people of his acquaintance were informed of their union. She breathed a sigh of relief to find only Tom
Warren, Lady Sudbrooke, and Lord and Lady Ashworth were to join them.
She found Lord Ashworth to be a simple, dull fellow, quite pleasant in a way but with very little to say for himself. Robert had informed her that his sister had married him for money and status, for the Ashworth’s were an ancient family with vast estates and a fortune amassed from years of service to the monarchy. His new wife, Lady Eliza Ashworth, was something else altogether. Like her brother she was clever and intelligent, though unlike him, she had a sweet nature and smiled a great deal more.
“Hello, dear sister,” Lady Ashworth said, as Chastity stepped carefully out of the barouche. “What a charming dress that is, so nicely cut and such pretty embroidery. You shall have to tell me who it is making your dresses, though I warn you now I plan to steal them for myself.”
“My lady in waiting knew an excellent seamstress. Her name is Pearl, and though I’d rather you didn’t steal her, I’d be happy to share her with you.”
“Silly girl, you must learn not to give away all your secrets, for there is nothing so saucy as a little mystery and intrigue. Isn’t that right Mr. Warren?”
Tom Warren was talking to a servant, giving final instructions before the party set off on their adventure. Hearing his name mentioned he turned, and went to greet his arriving guests.
“I’m so glad you could make it Lady Esher, for you are my guest of honor and the brightest new jewel of my acquaintance.”
Though Tom Warren’s oily words made Chastity wince as he took her hand, his words had an altogether different effect on another member in their party. Lady Sudbrooke stood just a few feet away and appeared to wince as he spoke. She swiftly lowered her eyes to hide her true feelings. Chastity wondered if she had any designs on the young man. Even though he had no peerage, she had learned his fortune was believed to be in excess of fifteen thousand pounds a year.
