Chapter Fifteen #2
“Most certainly, along with a couple of those egg sandwiches.”
“Go find yourself a spot to eat and I’ll bring them.”
He found himself going to a cream-colored upholstered chair with a large table to his right.
The chair was comfortable, more than most in the room.
Most were not upholstered, instead with simple cushions on the seats.
They were upright and finished in dark stain.
Cathryn unfortunately was going to get to occupy one of the leftovers from the Elizabethan period.
She brought him a steaming cup of tea and set it on the table near him. When she returned moments later, she carried a plate of sandwiches and cakes. He thanked her and waited for her to bring her own tea and cake.
“I’m glad you thought of this. I don’t know about you, but I am tired from lack of sleep and traveling.”
“I am.” She glanced at the window. “Looks like a storm might be coming in.”
“It does. Won’t have a chance to go out for a walk before it hits. I for one am satisfied with staying indoors.”
She smiled demurely in his direction. “As am I. I’m sure we can find something to occupy our time for a couple of hours.”
He pretended not to have heard her or what she was insinuating. For being a shy, inexperienced lover, she now looked for ways for them to be together. He enjoyed this hidden side of her and waited to see what she would do next.
In a bold move, Cathryn stood in front of him and unfastened his trousers and coaxed his throbbing cock out of its hiding place.
She lifted her skirts and impaled herself with his cock.
She rode him with bold confidence Charles hadn’t seen before.
He knew he couldn’t last, not with the way she was testing him.
Taking one hand, he began to finger her, which made her jump and beg for more.
As she began to unravel, he picked her up off his cock and stood her up as he did the same.
Bending her over the chair, he thrust himself as far as he could go and exploded deep inside her.
Withdrawing, he fastened his trousers and ran a hand through his tousled hair. Still breathless, Cathryn came and kissed him before walking away toward her own suite of rooms.
“I warned you I had something naughty in mind,” she said as she opened the door.
“Yes, you did, and I certainly wasn’t expecting that.”
Her laughter was the last thing he heard as she slipped through the doorway and closed the door.
*
The following two weeks were filled with preparations for their move to their new home.
Charles and Arthur made the trip to London together for the papers to be signed.
Arthur had meetings for Parliament, but he made sure his schedule was clear when it came to the attorney and estate.
Charles knew his brother wished he would stay but understood his reason for being on his own.
He had finished his latest book and was now in the process of preparing it for his publisher. His manuscripts were always pristine when he turned them over to them.
Oxford had invited him to speak yet again, only this time they wanted him to come on a more regular basis.
His reputation was growing. So, while in London, he and Arthur made the journey to the university.
Charles was ecstatic when it was mentioned he would be back to give the students more of what they seemed to be interested in—Charles himself.
While he was away in London, Cathryn, with help from Daphne and even Sam the parrot, got everything packed and ready for the journey.
Books filled a lot of boxes, along with Charles’s papers.
She hadn’t asked him about packing them for him, but took the utmost care in making sure everything was kept in the order he had them in.
The only people missing were Roxanne and Graham. They had departed for the Continent so Graham could conclude some business deals he had going. Vienna and Antwerp were their immediate destinations.
Arthur promised to come over to see the house and help Charles with what he needed to make it a working estate once again. Part of that would be a knowledgeable estate manager.
All the way to their new home, Cathryn was talking non-stop she was so excited. Like a magpie or Sam, Daphne’s parrot. At first, Charles thought she was talking directly to him but soon realized she wasn’t.
They had a perfect day for moving into their new home. It was a beautiful summer day, a blue sky with hardly a cloud in the sky. When a cloud did appear, it was a large puffy one lazily floating by.
Finally, Charles thought he best put Cathryn’s non-stop chattering to a slowed down version by trying to hold a conversation with her.
“You wouldn’t be excited, would you?” he asked.
“I’m beyond excited!” she exclaimed. “This is our home. I’m mistress of my own house now.”
“Yes, you are.”
She turned to face him more directly. “Does the estate have a name? If not, we should choose one.”
“Yes, I believe it does. I found the name quite odd. Xanadu, I believe was what the widow and her husband renamed it.”
“That is odd. I don’t care for it at all, do you?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then we must come up with a proper new name,” she said.
“Yes, I suppose we should. The perfect name will come to us; you’ll see.”
“You’re right. Once we’ve settled in, something will come to us.”
He cleared his throat. “Have you written your sister or brother?”
“No, I thought I’d wait.”
“Why?”
“I wanted my first letter to them to be from our home, and I’m thinking of asking them to dine with us.”
“Perhaps ask them to stay a few days?”
“We’ll see. Just letting them know where we’ve settled is enough for now,” she said.
“Fair enough.”
The carriage was nearing the estate. Charles could tell by the landscape. It had been neglected for a couple of years. Slowing, the carriage made a left turn onto a gravel drive. Majestic oak trees lined each side of the drive, just as Charles remembered.
Beyond the oaks, on either side of the drive were two cleared grass lawns. Charles wondered what, if anything, they were used for. His thoughts were interrupted by his bride.
“The house, the house! Doesn’t it look majestic, Charles?”
“Yes, it does. Once we get things taken care of, it’ll look even more regal.”
“It’s perfect.”
He grunted as he continued to look out the window.
As they neared the house, the tidier the grounds appeared.
The remaining gardener had been hard at work and Charles was sure he’d had help, because upon the completion of the estate transfer, he’d sent word to clean it up and begin restoring the gardens and estate in general.
Knowing he didn’t like change of any kind, purchasing this estate was a major change. All had been since he had left Wight. Charles thought he’d come a long way in accepting people as they were, and as long as they didn’t get into his space, he was content.
Sometimes he would even go as far as to force himself into socializing. At first, it had been extremely difficult. Now it was still hard, but he was learning what triggered his anxiety.
“We’re here! We’re home, Charles!” Cathryn grabbed his hand, the one closest to her, and squeezed it so hard he thought it might break off.
“We are indeed. You may let go of my hand, my love.” He rubbed his aching extremity as she continued looking out the window of the carriage.
Love, my love. Where had that come from?
It was odd. Endearments were foreign to him.
He rarely used them because he found them out of character for himself. Was this the beginning of a change?
The carriage came to a stop in front of the house. He thought Cathryn was going to burst through the carriage door rather than wait for a footman to open it and escort her out. She was that excited. Instead, he opened the door and disembarked, putting his hand out to assist his bride.
The front door had opened in the meantime and the butler walked out. He neared them before bowing to them both.
“Milord, milady. I trust you had an uneventful journey?”
“Yes,” Charles said. “Did our things arrive?”
“They did, milord. Everything was taken care of. If you want anything moved, feel free to tell me and I’ll have it taken care of.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’m sure you’d like to freshen up after your journey.” He extended a hand and followed behind them to the main hall.
Picking up a letter that had been sitting on a center table, the butler passed it to Cathryn. “This came for you this morning, milady.”
“Thank you,” she replied. She took the envelope and looked it over carefully. It was a fancy script but she had no idea who could have sent it. She’d open it in the privacy of their chambers.
“Would you care for something to eat?”
“A light lunch would suffice,” Charles said. “A pot of tea, some cheese, bread, and fruit should do.”
“Where would you like to dine, milord?”
“In our chambers. The sitting room.”
He and Cathryn made their way to the chambers. When he closed the door behind them, she took off her shoes and set them to one side. With her letter in hand, she sat in a chair nearest the windows.
She broke the seal and removed the letter. After reading and rereading it, she burst into a smile. “Charles! I’ve been invited to play for the Prince of Wales and his wife, Princess Alexandra, in two weeks’ time.”
“That’s wonderful! Where will you perform?”
“It doesn’t say. Only that the prince’s secretary will be in touch with details.”
“That’s quite an honor.”
“It is. I’ll write a reply once we’ve finished our meal.”
“That would be smart, letting them know you accept and add any questions you may have,” he said. “I’m proud of you.”
“I wonder if there’s some specific occasion or if it’s simply another one of their parties.”
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon,” he replied.
“The prince is known for enjoying a good party,” she said, placing the letter and envelope on a nearby table.
“We’ll go to the music room after we eat and see if the piano needs tuning. If it does, I’ll get someone out here immediately.”
“I can still play it as is. It would just be nice if it were in tune,” she replied.
She walked over to a small round table near the windows. It had obviously been used as a place to take meals if the occupant didn’t care to go downstairs to eat.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Charles went over and opened the door to let the footmen in with their meal. He instructed them where to leave the food and waited until they left before joining Cathryn.
He sat down and watched as she poured them each a cup of tea. She passed one to him and placed the other where she was going to sit.
“This is nice,” she said, surveying the various plates. She passed an empty one to him and sat down. He watched as she chose a piece of each cheese, some apple slices, a piece of warm bread, some cold roasted chicken.
He slathered butter on the chunk of bread in his hand. “I agree. This is nice.”
“It is. Not too much. Just enough choices,” she replied.
“What would you like to do when we finish eating?”
“First, I would like to see what condition the piano is in. After that, see if my things are being put away. Perhaps take a bath and change clothes.”
“Yes, I suppose I should check on Frazier and what he’s up to.”
He watched as she picked up a piece of cheddar and popped it in her mouth. It was sensual how easy it came to her.
“While you’re doing that, I should find the housekeeper and set up a time for us to meet in the next few days.”
“What for?” Charles asked.
“The housekeeper is the one who makes sure the household is running smoothly. We meet regularly, and she comes to me if something urgent occurs.”
“Makes sense. Like an estate manager, only inside.”
“Yes. I’m going to meet her in the music room. If the piano needs tuning, I can instruct her to get someone out immediately.”
“I thought…” Charles stopped himself. She was so excited right now with everything going on, she probably didn’t recall something she said an hour ago. He’d let it go. It was nice to see her in this state.
“What?”
“Never mind. I answered my own question.”
“I’m going to reply to the Prince of Wales’s letter first and I’ll ask what he would like me to play,” she said.
“Very well. I’m off to find Frazier.”
His wife was so engrossed in writing to the prince that Charles doubted she heard a word he said. He left the room in search of his valet. After that, he decided to take a walk to the stables and make sure their horses had settled in and to introduce himself.