This story is for persons of eighteen years or over. All comments, good or bad, are welcome and all will be answered.
Part Three
But dear diary, this sadly, was not to be. Three days later, the six of us went out riding. Because of his gammy leg, he had to be helped up into the saddle and his foot placed in the stirrup by one of the grooms. It was fine when he was up and we thoroughly enjoyed the ride out. We'd been out for nearly two hours and had just begun to make our way back, when the men decided to have a race back. With tally ho's, they set off, with us sedately cantering behind then. It must have been a rabbit hole or something like that, for we suddenly saw one of the horses do a cartwheel, crushing the rider as it went head over heels.
We all screamed and forced our horses into a gallop, not sure at that distance as to which rider it was that had fallen. My heart was up in my throat and I had a ball of lead in my stomach for I was pretty sure who it was. This was confirmed as we got closer because I saw James remount his horse and go flying off towards the Manor. It was Nicholas standing there with tears streaming down his face waiting for us to arrive.
Before James had gone off, they had dragged my poor William from under the screaming horse that was still thrashing about on the ground. Poor William, and through my own flowing tears, could see that he was dead. I flung myself off my mare and fell over his broken body, his eyes lifeless as I tried to lift up his head from that horrible angle that it was in. I think I was screaming as loud as the horse as the crying girls dragged me off William and held me in their arms.
I felt, rather than heard, the pounding of hooves on the turf as James and the grooms came racing up to us. I saw him jump down from his saddle and could see that he had a pistol in his hand. He went over to the screaming horse and raised it up to the head of the stallion.
`Shoot me! Shoot me first,' I screamed and I still jumped at the sound of the pistol shot. The screaming of the horse stopped abruptly but mine didn't, not until Constance slapped me. Then it became sobbing as I saw a cart come over and stop near William's body. The men lifted him up and placed him in the back as I was lifted up from the ground, and being supported by Constance and Elizabeth, stumbled the half mile to the Manor, following the cart that carried my poor dead husband.
So after only seven weeks of marriage dear diary, I was a widow. For three weeks I stayed in my rooms, listless and lustless. The girls kept coming in to cheer me up but to no avail. Even when I was offered the lovely breasts of Constance, all I could do was bury my head in them and cry. I would lie awake nearly every night and then see dark circles under my eyes in the morning.
Even though my maid brushed my hair at least three times a day, it still seem lifeless, like my poor William now six feet under the earth. I could still see that coffin being lowered into the ground, wishing that I was in there with him. Though I hadn't know him very long before we got married, I had come to love him and more so when he took me on our wedding night. I realised that I was missing a man's hardness up inside me, to soothe the inner pain and cool the fierce heat that kept building up in my belly. Even my nipples were getting sore and tender and sometimes I couldn't even bear to rub them myself. It was only when I was idly going through drawers of my dressing table when I saw my box of sanitary towels that the truth hit me.
Dear diary, I was pregnant. My last period was just before I got married, so that meant that I had missed two periods. I sat down in shock before I started to cry again. First married, then widowed and now was expecting a child that wouldn't have a father. I was still crying an hour later when Elizabeth came into my bedroom. She then cried with me, but I think her tears were more of happiness for me, for I would still have something of big Willy to remember him by. Before I knew it, I had Constance there, my mother and both my aunts and it was bedlam with everybody crying for different reasons.
This fact brought me out of my self imposed exile and back into the world and began to take an interest again in everything. But it was still a man I missed and told the girls this, so it was a couple of evenings later. I was in my room when a knock came to my door and I found James there, looking somewhat apprehensive and hesitant. I drew him inside and he sat down next to me on the settee.
`Constance hasn't stopped talking about you for some time now. About how you needed a man to talk to, and she has volunteered me.'
Oh she is sweet, and so are you to come to talk to me,' I said as I lay my head on his shoulder. You don't know how lonely it is in here at night without someone to talk to. When we were girls, we were always together, even at night. But now that Elizabeth has Nicholas and Constance has you, I'm left all alone,' and I began to weep on his shoulder and his arm came round to hold my shaking body.
But it's not just the talking that I miss James, it's...it's what a man has that a woman really needs.' My hand had gone down onto his upper thigh and I could see the start of an erection inside his trousers. That and the feel of a man's lips on my own,' I said, lifting my face up to his and I saw him waver for just a moment before he bent his head and gave me a soft kiss. My hand then moved on his thigh and covered his hardness and began to rub it as we kissed.
Oh James,' I said when we broke away from the kiss, my hand staying where it was. Kiss me again and show me that I'm still a woman, please.' His kiss was more passionate now and I only moved my hand to take his and put it inside my gown so that it could cover my breast. Then I went back to rubbing him. His hand roamed over my breast, the fingers gently pressing the flesh as he traced the edges of my hardened nipple.
`Make love to me James,' I whispered in his ear, and we rose as one and moved to the bed. I shucked off my robe and stood naked before him as he hastily undressed and we got onto the bed. His erection pressing hard up against my thigh until I pulled him up on top of me and then it was digging into my stomach.
`Now James, now,' I begged as I opened my legs for him to get between, and then he was sliding into me. That wonderful solid piece of flesh was opening me up again and my legs went up for full penetration as my arms went round his shoulders to hold his heavy weight on my body.
`Oh God Alice,' I heard him say into my neck as he began to move. I held him tight as he moved in and out of me which didn't last very long. He was soon driving himself hard into me in shorter strokes as he reached his peak and with a grinding of pubis, he shuddered and came inside me. I could feel a slight sheen of sweat on his chest as he came down to lay on my breasts as I felt him give out a few last twitches inside me.
`Oh James, you don't know how happy you've made me. I'm glad that you came along here tonight. I've so missed having a man do this to me.' He raised himself up onto his elbows, staying inside me as we kissed. But as we kissed, I could feel him gradually slipping out of me and when he finally came out he rolled over onto his back. It was my turn now, so I rolled onto my side and kissed his jaw, his neck his shoulder. Chest and stomach before taking him into my mouth to suck and tease his wilting penis. He gave out a groan.
`Constance knows you very well because she said that you would do this,' I lifted my head up off him to look up at him.
`No. Don't stop, please.' So I began again and it wasn't long before I had him up to another full erection. I used my hand now along with my mouth and brought about another release for him, holding there as he came, and I sucked and swallowed till he had finished. Only then did I let him go and slowly kiss my way back up his body to lay in his arms.
That was wonderful Alice,' he said and I felt his arm tighten to give me a squeeze. Constance won't go as far as that and do what you just did, thank you.'
`No it's me who should thank you and Constance for coming here. Tell her that when you are back in her arms, which I think you should do pretty soon.'
`You're right,' he said, giving me one more kiss before getting out of bed and getting dressed.
`Thank you James,' I whispered as I blew him a kiss just before he left the room. I snuggled down in the bed at peace with the world and fell asleep with a smile on my face and a taste of him in my mouth.
As I have said before dear diary, all the occupants of the Manor had one dinner together in the main hall, once a month. The rest of the time, the three families had separate sections of their own within the Manor. As we three girls came from each one of them, we had decided to have our three sets of rooms together in one of the wings and we had our own separate dining room. There were six of us but now, sadly only five would have our meals all together, though I had been absent for several weeks now from the table.
But I went down to breakfast this next morning to find the other four already eating. There were choruses of good mornings as I went and kissed Constance whispering my thank you to her and then to his surprise, kissed James as well.
`Well you seem full of the joys of spring this morning Alice,' said Elizabeth as I sat down at my seat with a full plate of food.
`I'm in love again and I must say it's nice to be loved,' though it was supposed to have been an enigmatic statement, they all knew exactly what I meant.
`It's Nicholas next then,' said Elizabeth, and he nearly choked on the sausage he was eating and his face went bright red.
Well it was our agreement,' she said defensively, and we can't have Alice moping about the Manor because we've lost big Willy.' I gave her a wan smile but saw that she was right. I couldn't live in the past, not now I had a reason to live with what was growing in my womb.
You are all very sweet people and I love you all,' I said, helping myself to coffee. But your own wishes come first. Just put me at the end of the list.'
Nonsense,' said Constance. We're like the Three Musketeers, all for one and one for all.' We all laughed at this.
`Which one of us is to be d'Artagnan? James said as he smiled across the table towards Nicholas.
The one with the biggest sword,' choked out Elizabeth, which made us all howl with laughter again. We'll let Alice decide that after she's seen to Nicholas tonight.' Nicholas kept his head down his face having gone red again. `Then you can tell me what it's like when she does you know what,' she said in a stage whisper, giving him a nudge.
`James has already told me that,' Constance said with a laugh and it was my turn to blush. James had a big smile on his face at this.
See!' Elizabeth nudged Nicholas again. He's grinning like the cat that got the cream.'
`No, I got that,' I said, which sent them into more howls of laughter. I must admit, this was the best way of breaking the ice and cementing our friendship, and I should add, loving of each other.
So that night, it was a timid knock at my door and a very shy Nicholas came into my room. I was wearing my peignoir so he could really see what he would be having later in the night.
`I...I was ordered to come here tonight to...' he stammered.
To be of service?' I smiled. Come on Nicholas, don't be shy. It really should be me that acts shy and all coy,' I said taking his hand and drawing him to the settee. `I'm glad you've come to see me.'
`To see you is right,' he gave a little laugh as he was clearly eyeing my body through the almost transparent material of my nightie. I reached for his hand and placed it underneath and onto my breast.
`Would you like to kiss me?' I asked.
`Yes please,' he stammered, and so I moved into his arms and gave him a passionate kiss, letting his hand wander over my breasts. I felt down below to find him hard, so not wanting to tease him, quickly took him to bed where it didn't take long for him to mount me and give me a good fucking.
As noted before, dear diary, it was not as long as that of James, but was thicker and so of the two in performance, I had to say that they both gave me good service. As with James, when he finally pulled out of me, I went down to give him oral sex. His second coming was just the same and I relished that throbbing cock in my mouth as I squeezed out the last drops before swallowing it all in one go.
`I didn't know it would be as good as that Alice, thank you.'
`Thank Elizabeth for letting you come to me. You'll come again I hope?'
`Definitely. That is if she'll let me,' he laughed. The shyness having gone as he let me kiss his body. Then he surprised me by first kissing my breasts before going down to lick and suck at my sex. I didn't have an orgasm with either of them that first time. I think it was the shyness of us that held me back.
Next morning at breakfast, I kissed all four of them on the lips and thanked them all again for seeing to my needs, and we became one big happy family. I wouldn't have sex with either of the men during my ovulation cycle, but either Constance or Elizabeth would visit me during these times for us to enjoy each other again. They eventually did a swap of husbands to try each other out as it were, but again care was taken to the timing because it wouldn't do to get pregnant by the wrong man.
In our part of the Manor, I would dress as I chose, but when outside or at the monthly main meal, I then wore widow's weeds. We'd been so tied up in our own affairs that everybody else in the Manor seemed to be on a different planet to ours. Therefore it came as a surprise that my brother William was engaged to be married to none other than the second daughter of the Earl of Rockbourne. He owned estates a few miles off to the west of us in Dorset. So it was a good match for both of them in terms of status with William being in line to be the next Earl of Redwood. The wedding was planned for the spring of next year.
Then next month it was announced that Charles was to be married, also sometime in the spring. His future wife was the daughter of an eminent barrister in London, Charles having paid court to her on his visits with Uncle Albert.
To round it off as a treble, Rupert too was engaged. We didn't even know that he'd been going a courting. She was a daughter of a Rear Admiral, retired, who lived on the east side of the New Forest, overlooking the Solent. A date hadn't been set but it was expected to be in the summer, after the other two had been taken into wedlock. This pleased us immensely, having new sisters come to live at the Manor, so it was something to look forward to. I was into my eight month when Elizabeth, looking flush at breakfast announced that she too was pregnant. Cries of joy and kisses she got from all of us, though a guilty look did pass between James and Nicholas. Elizabeth saw this and assured them both that it was definitely Nicholas who was the father.
Now your baby will have a playmate,' she said to me as we hugged. I do hope yours is a boy and mine a girl,' she gushed. `Then they could become sweethearts and get married and we'll be tied even closer to each other.' I laughed and echoed her wishes that the child I was carrying would be a boy. In fact I kept praying that it would be so that I could name him after his father.
It was two weeks before Christmas that I went into labour. It was painful to say the least and they said that my screams could be heard all over the Manor as the baby finally emerged. But such is the wonder of nature that the pain suffered is nothing to the joy when a small living creature is placed in your arms that you have carried for nine long months within your body. I cried for joy and also for the loss that William was not there to see his son. I couldn't resist more than once to check to see that it definitely was a boy and hoped that the small penis and balls he had would grow to be as big as his father had been. He definitely took to the breast like his father had done, his lips attaching themselves to my nipple like a limpet. To such an extent that even his little fists would come up to knead the breast to squeeze out more milk.
Everybody, and I mean everybody of the Manor came up at various stages to look and see the baby. The first child to be born there since Elizabeth, nearly eighteen years ago. In another six months or so, Elizabeth would produce and I didn't think it would be long before Constance announced her own forth coming event. Then there would be the wives of brother William and cousins Rupert and Charles there to add to the family.
My baby William seemed to bring the Manor back to life since the tragic death of my William. Nearly all that saw the baby commented on how sad it was that his father was no longer with us for this wonderful event. I shed many tears over these uttered sentiments, them not realising the anguish they caused in their good faith in saying these things.
It was a very Merry Christmas that year in the Manor.
Dear diary, there is so much I could say, but it would be pure verbiage and much hyperbole that would soon bore any reader, God forbid, considering what I have already told you about myself and the others. Suffice it to say that I loved to watch little William grow day by day.
Then my friends, my dear friends and lovers came to give me what I had missed for the past two, no, three months. A pair of loving arms holding me, lips that were soft and tender and spoke of the love that they had for me. Then to feel the softness of another breast press against mine and alternately, the hardness of a male once more inside me. I was in heaven having the better of two worlds with the people most dearest to me, giving and sharing their love. Then when Elizabeth entered her eight month, I gave Nicholas the release he needed in all the ways that I could. But I have jumped ahead slightly, because before we came to that stage, we met our future sisters.
William's affianced, Penelope Lytham, was the first to visit the Manor, a sweet thing that at first, seemed to be a bit too mousy for him, but she proved us wrong. She could be a little spitfire if the mood took her. But we took her to our hearts straight away as we did that of Cynthia. She was the girl for Rupert, her father, the retired Rear Admiral Sir Eugene Carter-Jones, and with a Christian name like that, couldn't help but rise to the rank he attained before retirement. She was an only child that came late to the lives of her parents who'd almost given up on having children. For her, we were a godsend of young people and she blossomed out in our presence. The third was somewhat more difficult to place, Diane Hepworth, coming from London to our backwater where things seemed to run at a much slower and more relaxed pace than what she was used to. It took her several years to adopt our attitude towards life in general.
But it was nice to meet them all and we had great fun at the weddings as they happened, and there even came talk of us having to extend the Manor even more to accommodate us all if you take into account that we still had John, Henry and Percy to get betrothed, though I didn't see much chance of that event happening with Percy. But these extension plans were shelved for the time being as there still was ample space to absorb these newcomers. It would have to be done later if there were to be more children as a result of these unions.
It was about this time that Constance gave us her happy news that she had finally joined the club and was due to become a mother. We were ecstatic and bubbled over with pleasure at this news and there were many kisses passed between us all.
The boys, or I really should say men, had their nuptials and the manor rang again with laughter and music when they all finally moved in. Then Elizabeth had the baby daughter she had wished for that was christened with the same name of Uncle Albert's mother, Emma. Shades of Jane Austen. She was a bundle of joy and immediately betrothed to little William. We all were happy for her and Nicholas who was as proud as a peacock at being a father. It was Constance who astounded us by producing twins. Now it was James who strutted about with that fact that he could, in time, punch out two for the price of one.
What idyllic days they were. Sex went on the back burner when we had the children to play with, though it wasn't something that could be ignored. The relationship between us was more relaxed and it was the welcoming of an old friend when you took one of them into your bed, whether it was male or female. I even occasionally went into and shared the bed with Constance and James, and on another night be with Elizabeth and Nicholas. It kept us together as a group, a family that we had become.
The years began to roll by as we watched the children grow, rolling and frolicking in the grass as they played. It took time for Howard and Daniel, the twins, to grow strong enough to join William and Emma in their games.
Tragedy also struck the Manor during our happiness. Penelope, wife of brother William died during childbirth. It hit us all hard as we had so been looking forward to another child to add with ours. The whole manor went into mourning at this loss and it was a miserable Christmas, not what we had been accustomed to. Then the manor was struck with another blow when Diane's child was stillborn, though she survived, it was pronounced that she wouldn't be able to have another child. If she did conceive, the doctor said that he wouldn't give her odds on being able to survive another pregnancy.
It was almost as if the males of our family were blighted, whereas the female line produced children at the drop of a hat. Elizabeth announced she was pregnant again, but she had a doubt this time as to which of the two men could be the father. She had made that mistake of having both of them during her ovulation period.
We all waited with bated breath as she came to her term and were overjoyed when both mother and daughter survived. We congratulated Nicholas, but consoled him at the same time that it wasn't a son, which he had hoped for this time. At least she was trying to keep the status quo in regard to the sex of the children. She was christened with the name of Claire.
Rupert and Cynthia hadn't as yet brought forth any offspring, and it wasn't for the want of trying. I saw them many nights coupling and struggling to get the seed implanted to grow within her body, but it just wasn't happening.
William looked round for another wife because of the inheritance, but before he found one, our country came to be at war with Germany.
What a furore this caused to the Manor. Every man jack wanted to go, and most of them did. My brothers William, Percy and Henry. Then there was Rupert and John and following them was Charles. Two of the grooms and four footmen and an ostler and one coachman. They all went and joined the Fifth Hampshire Regiment.
We were so proud of them the day they all came on leave before going over to France. William and Rupert as lieutenants and the other four as sub lieutenants. The other hands of the Manor were privates, though there wasn't much private about them that I didn't know. Even Arnold was amongst them.
There was much kissing on their final day of their leave. We'd had a big dinner and even had those of the downstairs that were going were allowed, for the first time ever, to dine with us on that last night.
There were many tears from us womenfolk as our men went off to war, even the odd male retainer, too old to enlist, had tears in their eyes as the men marched off to pick up transport in the village. It would have been the battle of Redwood Manor to stop them going if we knew then what the outcome would have been.