In the Forest of the Night & The Barmaid and the Blacksmith

by Lizbeth Dusseau

“I don’t think of such things.”

  “But don’t you think it’s wise to consider it? Don’t you have physical passions you want satisfied?”

  She blushed.

  “See, I know you do. I refuse to live without mine satisfied.”

  “I would think that Jonathan would be a fine lover. He’s so gentle and sweet.”

  “But how will you know?”

  “You sound as if you’d have me “try him out”, like I’d try on a new dress.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing so casual as that, but I certainly wouldn’t take chances with my whole life!”

  For an instant she looked as if she agreed with me. “Isabella, have you had carnal knowledge of a man?”

  “Would it affect your opinion of me if I did?”

  “It’s so bold.” She was very excited.

  “You’ve heard the rumors, I suppose.”

  “So they’re true?” she asked.

  “I’ve not regretted it for a moment. Doesn’t it concern you that we live in this old staid English world of ours, while there is wildness and passion in the cities and places beyond. It just seems that we have this tiny sheltered world where we do things the same as they’ve been done for generations. But in other places, women are not the same as we are, they have careers, fine educations, and sex.” I know my eyes lit when I uttered that word.

  “You’ve never told me these things, Isabella.” She looked as shocked by my daring speech as she was by my carnal knowledge. “You don’t plan to stay in our county, and marry well?” she wondered.

  “I think my life would be over. I want to be woman of the world.”

  She shook her head in amazement.

  “I admire your boldness,” she said.

  “But you have it too, Meg. I saw you dancing last night, all that old English reserve was gone. Oh, please, don’t let all your burning desire end up turning you into a grim Mrs. Cullum.”

  “Oh my god no! I’d never want to be like that old bitty.”

  “But maybe she was like you once. You have a very similar laugh,” I joked.

  “We do?”

  “Just be sure, that you really want your Jonathan for the rest of your life, before you go making this grand commitment,” I warned her.

  I think Meg had had enough of my shocking lecture, and I had ignored Monsieur Gordot too long. He was at the other end of the room eyeing me with a steamy agitated gaze.

  “I have to go, Meg darling, whatever you decide, I am happy for you.” I left her in a stew, a grave look on her normally amiable face. I’m not sure why I was so hard on her, except that these were questions I was considering myself, and I was bringing her into my quandary, whether she liked it or not.

  ***

  “My aren’t you chatty, my dear?” Phillipe whispered in my ear, as his mouth descended to my ear, his tongue lapping liberally at my earlobe. “You ignore me so, Isabella, after I have given myself so wholeheartedly to you. You wish to break my heart so soon?”

  “You’re declaring your love?” I asked, teasing him.

  “Certainly we have enough lust to last these few weeks here.”

  We strolled casually out of the room, while I hoped his hand on me was not noticed by anyone. He was being far too forward, especially in front of all these eyes.

  “Despite what you say about my inviting you to my bed, I didn’t, and we both know that. You rudely assumed a great deal about me, and though I willingly and joyfully had you last night, I don’t think that is license to assume too much.”

  “You are a conniving one,” he remarked. “You hold back with your words, when what you really want is more.” We were along the back hall of the estate house, in the quiet solace of a forgotten corner. A small conservatory was just a pace away, but Phillipe was not content to take me there. I could only assume he wanted more opportunity for exposure.

  He pushed me against the wall firmly. My hands in his hands were pinned on either side of my face, as his lips descended to my mouth. The hot rush from my groin leapt to its feet much too eagerly, my body ready to play again, while my mind was still considering what this man was doing to me.

  He raised my long skirt to my knees and then above, seeing the lace garters holding my stockings. He was not content with that.

  “You dress well,” he informed me, noticing how accessible I was to his designs. He pulled up on my chemise and down on my underwear, baring my sex for his eyes to see.

  “Ah, you’re wet, as I expected Isabella. We’re both shameless, I’m ready too.”

  Seconds later, I glimpsed his fully erect cock protruding from his trousers. That was just prior to his body force pressing me to the wall, opening my thighs so he could thrust inside me. He had to lift me to his height, but that was no problem. With a practiced ease he had me locked fast to him, his hands clinging to my rear end, his rod poking itself briskly in and out of my squeezing channel.

  I was too undone to offer any kind of protest, and I wondered as he took me so easily, if he was just trying to prove a point. Insisting on the same ready compliance I gave him the night before, I’d declare the kind of woman I really was.

  “Ah, ah ah yes,” my tiny cries were recorded only by the empty air around us. I was feeling an orgasm rise in me despite my reluctance. How could he have me so easily, and in two different places? Was I a woman who ruled my passions, or was I controlled by them?

  There was little time to speculate, even my ardent lover appreciated the need for all due speed under these precarious circumstances. I heard a grunt, as he jabbed me hard, his moment quickly over.

  He withdrew, and set me on my feet again. “Shall I leave you here?” he asked, sounding piqued with me.

  “Oh, please, do not!” I cried softly, as I was feeling with my own hands for some release.

  He smiled delightfully and leaned in, his hands playing games with me to find the very ripest sensations, and take them to a finale.

  I finished just in time to hear the door at the far end of the hallway open, and Phillipe and I scooted quickly into the conservatory to recoup.

  “You know you could have taken me in here,” I remarked, as I was adjusting my clothes to look presentable.

  “And would it have been as much fun?” he asked. There was a saucy grin on his face. His lip on one side of his mouth was turned up ever so slightly, which made for a very bratty expression. His crudity was polished to a fine point, making a mockery of gentlemanly virtues. I found him too enchanting to ignore, but he scared me a little. I wondered if I could trust him. So little experience with men. William had been so honest and forthright. He’d led me briskly into sensuality but not the world of scoundrels and villains. I was afraid I had much to learn.

  “I have to consider you and me, Phillipe,” I told him.

  “Consider us?”

  “How you have the advantage with me.”

  “You needn’t worry. I need my reputation as much as you need yours, whether you believe it or not. As long as we have some harmless sexual fun, no one gets hurt, and we can harbor our secrets.”

  “But you talked of my claiming your heart,” I said.

  “And you did, but many women claim my heart,” he admitted.

  “So, I’m not the only one?”

  “Right now you are.” He leaned down and kissed me.

  Was I getting honesty? I seriously doubted it, though I was getting another lesson in lust.

  That evening I was shocked to find Adrian Mannerly joining us at the dining table. Apparently he’d arrived hours before, though I’d gone to my room to spend the afternoon reading. I wanted the time alone, with all the intrigue of Meg, and Phillipe, and her houseguests, I needed a respite. The quiet was welcome.

  “I asked about you, Isabella, and they said you were sleeping,” Adrian told me when he sat down beside me.

  “Oh, I was just reading. We’ve really had a fine time here, I wish you could have been here from the start.”

  From the other end of the table,
Phillipe was gazing attentively at me, raising his glass of wine in a small salute, acknowledging this little tête-à-tête with Adrian. I watched him turn around and begin an animated conversation with Darcy Lake, a little brunette pixie who had sensuous quality about her, though she was often so quiet, I really didn’t know much about her at all. I detected that Phillipe was eyeing her with the same seductive eyes that he’d lured me with. Was Darcy claiming his heart too?

  With the Frenchman’s attention safely fixed on another woman, I turned my attention to Adrian.

  “I am working out a position in London,” he told me.

  “Really.” I was delighted to hear that.

  “It will take me away from this wretched place,” he moaned a little.

  “I’m glad someone thinks the way I do,” I told him. Adrian and I had discussed our feelings about life on other occasions, and he shared my assessment of this over protected world we both were born into. That was why I was so attracted to him. “So when does your position start?”

  “Not for several months. I still have some studies to complete, but it looks good. And it’s just a start. The company has offices in Paris and New York. I’ll be in New York in three years, I promise you.”

  I wondered if there was something behind that promise, did he think I’d be a part of that promise?

  “I think I’ll be there too,” I told him. His face was so peaceful, just as I remembered it. There was a gentleness about him that I relished. None of the darker qualities Phillipe possessed, and none of the double talk either. I immediately wished that Adrian had been at Meg’s two days before—before my entanglement with the Frenchman.

  After dinner, Adrian invited me to stroll the grounds with him.

  “It’s still chilly,” I said. “I was inside all day. Hopefully the weather will lift by morning. I’d really like to ride again.”

  “We’ll ride together,” he said. “For now, just grab a sweater, I need to get away from this place for a few minutes, all this genteel breeding.”

  “It does get a little much, doesn’t it?”

  “And Meg, she’s as daft as a mad woman right now.”

  “You just see the lights in her eyes,” I said. “I think it has something to do with an announcement.”

  “Ah, this is an engagement party?” he said.

  “I’d bet on it.”

  “So, go get something to slip over your shoulders, and we’ll get away from it all for a while.”

  I could already hear the sound of American jazz coming from the drawing room. It was heaven to my ears so used to Strauss and Bach. I’d love to dance again. But I’d walk with Adrian instead. There would be plenty of time for dancing later.

  As I was taking the back stairs of the house quickly to retrieve my sweater, I heard steps behind me, and looked around to see Phillipe.

  “You haven’t forgotten tonight, have you?”

  “What about tonight?” I asked.

  “I want your door open.”

  “But I …” He didn’t give me time to reply, but the solution was simple, I could just as easily lock the door as unlock it.

  I did lock the door that night. After an evening with Adrian it seemed crude to enjoy my physical passions with another man, when it was Adrian’s body that I wanted sharing my bed.

  In the days that followed, I saw Phillipe Gordot’s passions fix on Darcy Lake, while my own were set on Adrian. Phillipe and I shared just our furtive glances as I watched him move on Darcy, and I won my Adrian over more and more each day. I wondered how Phillipe was doing with his conquest, while I was certain that mine was taking exactly the course I desired.

  To my surprise one night, I found Phillipe in my room once again. I didn’t remember leaving the door unlocked, but perhaps I had.

  “What are you doing here,” I gasped when I saw the jubilant man standing over me.

  “I’ve come to enjoy your bed again, Miss Isabella,” he replied.

  “But I thought you’d be with Darcy,” I said. I watched him begin to undress, realizing that my own desires were at a peak and would enjoy some sexual release.

  “Not yet, Isabella. Some things take time,” he said. “You’re not sleeping with Adrian, so I see.”

  “I’m content to wait,” I told him. “And you should be too.”

  “Don’t deny your desires, you want what I have here.” His cock was quite erect. And though I know I should have refused him, I couldn’t ignore my rampant lust. Being so intimate with Adrian, and then not intimate enough, perhaps this one indiscretion could be excused. Such was the explanation I gave myself.

  We rolled about the bed as we had before, his hands doing such remarkable things to me. I was as ravenous as I’d ever been. Was the Frenchman more adept with his tongue and his probing cock? Or was I simply so over-flowing with need the way it surged in me so strongly. I admit, I was exhausted before we took any time to rest.

  “Darcy is a challenge for me,” he said as we were enjoying the aftermath of sex.

  “Can’t get her to drop her drawers for you?” I teased. “You must be slipping.”

  “I shall have her,” he vowed. He was nibbling at my breast. Such a fine way with his mouth.

  “I don’t doubt you will,” I said.

  “And you’ve had no luck bringing your beau to bed?”

  “You would not be here, if I had. Then again, perhaps I’ll save myself for marriage.”

  “Ah!” He raised up and laughed in my face. “Since when do you need to reclaim your virtue?”

  “Virtuous I’ll never be, I do not wish it on my enemies, but you’re getting too much of me Phillipe,” I said. Pushing him away, I got out of bed, and looked back at this naked body, the dark hair on his chest, his strong thighs and very inviting groin. His body had been so good for me, but it was time to end it. “You won’t find my door unlocked again,” I told him bluntly.

  “Is that so?” I don’t think he believed me.

  “Yes.” I’d had enough of him and was feeling a little guilty that I’d allowed him such easy access to my bed, especially since all my lusty thoughts should be turned to Adrian.

  “Well, that suits me. I think Miss Darcy can be had for just the right kind of talk, and soon.” He snickered.

  “Be kind to her,” I said, realizing all the more that this man was not sincere, and his intentions to women were nothing but physical.

  “Haven’t I been kind to you?” he asked.

  “As dear as a best friend,” I said smiling.

  “Should you find your Adrian lacking … “ he started.

  “I won’t,” I assured him.Chapter Six

  As my relationship with Adrian Mannerly became more serious, I realized that it would be best to be completely forthright with him about my virtue. Adrian was so completely honest with me about everything. And so very deliberate. There was not a soul that didn’t assume we’d be engaged before this house party was over. One lovely afternoon, when he took me on a picnic alone, I suspected that he would make his feelings for me and our future known. It was time for me to speak.

  We’d ridden out some distance from the estate grounds to a spot I’d never been before. We had to ford the small stream that ran through the Stewert property. There, on the other side of the stream was a secluded meadow where we were worlds away from the rest of life, especially from the often frenzied activity of Meg’s house.

  We were eating small sandwiches the cook had prepared, talking easily when Adrian asked me to marry him. As soon as I heard those words, I thought that my heart would leap out and take hold of his proposal, but instead I was cool to the question. There were a few matters to take care of before I could ever commit to him.

  Adrian watched me carefully, I suppose wondering why I’d not instantly responded, “yes”.

  “So Isabella, what do you think of my offer?” He looked a little anxious.

  “Adrian, you need to know that I am not a virgin,” I said directly. I didn’t know how else to say it
.

  He looked at me curiously, obviously not expecting this announcement.

  “Should I take back my proposal?” he wondered aloud.

  “That’s up to you, how do you feel about marrying a woman who has known a man other than you?”

  “I’m in love with you, Isabella. I can’t love you less for your declaration.”

  “You mean that?” I asked sincerely.

  “I do. And as long as we’re confessing, I am not a virgin either.”

  I smiled. It put us on equal footing. He put his hand to my chin and leaned in to kiss me. “I’d heard about your indiscretion,” he said.

  “Does the whole county know?” I asked.

  “I usually discount such gossip,” he said.

  “But you were not put off by the rumors?”

  “Actually, it made you more intriguing to me,” he said.

  That delighted me, and made me all the more certain that Adrian Mannerly was the man I wanted to marry.

  Adrian’s eyes had often gleamed lustily at me. I often sensed his carnal desires on the surface of our time together, but he’d always been too much a gentleman to move on me physically. I wished he would, I thought as I stared at him. The way his enchanting manner was getting inside me, my poor throbbing thighs and wet cunt were hard pressed not to advance on him!

  Perhaps he was reading my thoughts, because moments later he toppled me to the ground, his body pressing against mine.

  “I have no concerns about the former lover in your life,” he assured me. “As long as now, I’m the only one.”

  “You are, Adrian,” I assured him. “I couldn’t even think of sex with another man. And I have to admit, my mind has been racing with thoughts of being in bed with you.”

  He brought his lips to mine. We had kissed many times, even embraced wildly, with our hands making their first tenuous journeys to sexual places. But this time, there was a different quality about Adrian’s gentle assault. I had the distinct feeling that he’d not stop before we’d reached a completion. I wondered if it made a difference to him that he claim me completely. Would making love to me be a symbol of his dominion over me? I wasn’t offended by the idea at all. I could easily push virtue aside one more time. Waiting hardly seemed necessary considering that I was already a sexual woman.