Chapter 2

In this chapter Captain Jack Harrow goes to the Carstairs Estate for a shooting party with his old friend Colonel Lionel Carstairs. They reminisce about the war and the topic turns to young Jeffrey and his prospects. It comes out in the conversation that the son is already betrothed to a Miss Priscilla Honeywell in another town and that they will be wed as soon as Jeffrey completes his studies at Cambridge University. Captain Harrow confides to the elder Carstairs that he will make every effort to keep his daughter safely away from the randy Jeffrey and stop trouble before it starts. When Sir Lionel talks to his son, he discovers that the lad is not truly smitten with the young girl but considers her a "Tasty dish" prime for the picking. They laugh together at her naïve nature and the elder man agrees to stay out of his son's affairs so long as Jeffrey does nothing to jeopardize the upcoming marriage to the very rich Priscilla.

The simple fact of the matter is that the disturbingly friendly Captain Jack Harrow constantly nursed a nagging sense of not being one of the "in crowd" of landed gentry and countrified aristocracy of whom The Carstairs family represented the upper echelon. He knew that he was a "late to the table" of moneyed estate owners in the district but his little empire of ships and dock storage facilities had earned him a pretty penny in a time when money was paramount to success in society.

He was not sure of the reason for being invited to the Carstairs shooting party but he was most appreciative of being included in the guest list. His daughter did not accompany him because females were generally not included in such outings. It was most likely attributable to the fact that most females, at least those who did not already live on or next to the estate where the shooting party was held, had little interest in rude talk and heavy drinking at such affairs.

Captain Harrow arrived early on the day of the shoot and had much opportunity to sample the renowned ale brewed in the basement of the grain storage facility. He was in a jovial mood early in the day and the scrumptious repast delivered at mid-day did much to mollify his displeasure at missing several shots he normally would have made without a second thought.

Later that afternoon, he was closeted in the study with both the senior Sir Carstairs and his handsome son Jeffrey having some delicious claret when Sir Lionel brought up the fact of his son's betrothal to some wench in a distant estate. The name escaped him because he was somewhat forgetful after a morning of ale and an afternoon of claret. There seemed to be a lot of hemming and hawing about agreements and such and then, he was startled when Sir Lionel warned him to keep his daughter away from his son Jeffrey, who was soon to be heir to all of his estates.

Captain Jack was a bit mystified by the declaration because he had not the slightest inkling of any liaison between his daughter and the handsome young man. It was obvious that the younger Mister Carstairs was much embarrassed at his father's blunt words but he sat obediently silent and nodded his head in agreement like a dutiful son.

The seldom irritated man of the sea gulped down his claret and stated his opinion that young people should have the right to choose who they want for a partner in life but that he could easily understand the Colonel's position and was certain there would be no trouble on that score. After that strange conversation, the tone became much lighter and they all quit the study for the anticipated evening meal in the main dining room.

Later that evening, when Captain Jack was dozing in the high backed chair in the downstairs den, he was roused from his slumbers by the sound of heavy panting nearby. At first, he thought it to be one of the dogs who had wandered in to get warmth by the sizzling fire. A quick glance around the corner of the high back confirmed to him that it was a semi-nude couple copulating like animals on the sofa right in front of the fireplace. The golden shadows of the flames outlined the unmistakable features of the younger Carstairs in the throes of a deeply felt ejaculation into the tightly clenched nether hole of the pretty serving girl whom he had thought too young to be in the company of so many rough fellows on a sporting weekend. For a moment, he thought the young female was reluctant to be used in such a manner by the son of her employer, but she thanked him for his attentions in a sweet voice as soon as he withdrew his dripping member from her private place. Thinking no more of the matter, Captain Jack went back to his quiet slumber and made no mention of it to his host.

On the last day of the shoot, he was invited to the large stable that housed dozens of mounts for the estate. Some were for simple riding exercise, others for racing, and a select grouping of hunting mounts for cross-country obstacles. The carriage horses were kept with work horses in a separate stable. They were recipients of less expensive feed supplies and did not receive the extensive pampering of the recreational mounts. He was gleefully told by Sir Lionel that it would be a sporting treat and one that he would remember for some time. When he arrived in the rear exercise room, he was surprised to see a circle of the shooting group gathered around a riding bench with stirrups and straps to hold the rider in place. Seated astride the bench was the same serving girl who had been handled roughly by young Mister Carstairs in front of the fireplace. The poor girl was obviously frightened and humiliated by the fact she was stark naked in front of a gaggle of strange men.

"This is most stimulating, Captain, this little slut has been pilfering jewelry from my wife's dresser and caught red-handed by my Jeffrey. He is going to give her 20 stripes of the cane to teach her a lesson she won't forget. This one will not be able to sit for the rest of the week."