Chapter 25: The Wedding

It was easy to dress for the ordeal since I had been told exactly what to wear. I also looked for the signet ring my father had given her - I had taken it out of her jewelry box in Sydney - and slipped it into my pocket, besides the wedding rings I had to give to Peter. He appeared promptly at noon, looked at me and asked what I had done the night before. He knew that Maureen and Eileen were at the Meriton Apartments on Adelaide Street.

“You look happy and exhausted, but not as a man who will be married today. What did you do?”

I could not tell him that I had spent the night with a beautiful woman, so I said that I was exhausted because I could not sleep (which was true for most of the night) and that I was happily looking forward marrying Maureen, which was very true.

“Let´s have lunch; I have made a reservation at a riverside restaurant, and we will share a bottle of good wine. Not too much, just enough to relax you for the ordeal.”

The rest of the afternoon was a blur - running here, getting a makeup, taking the makeup off, arguing with the head usher, waiting for the time to pass, seeing my friends and colleagues, greeting Sir Allan and his wife, telling Eileen that I would not say anything about the night, calming her down on the diamond earrings, and getting to the church on time to stand there waiting for Maureen. There was a funny moment when Mary Ann walked in among the bridesmaids, moving to one side of the altar. She looked at me and a brilliant smile appeared on her face. I smiled back, but she remembered suddenly where she was, and the smile of joy turned into a serene smile of happiness.

Then the main door opened, and she appeared - my Maureen. Dressed in a beautiful off-white wedding gown prominently displaying the opal pendant I had given her as my first present, she was accompanied by an old friend of Eileen, who had offered to stand in for her father. Her face lit up when she saw me standing there, waiting for her. She was everything I ever had hoped to have, and now we were together for always. It was heaven. The ceremony passed rapidly, and we just looked at each other and were alone in this world.

Finally, he came to the last question.

“Will you, James Gustav Reichsgraf de Winter, have Maureen Siobhán Monahan, to be your wedded wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

He must have practiced the strange name and did not stumble. Maureen looked surprised and I whispered that I would explain later. The priest repeated the question whether she would take James Gustav Reichsgraf de Winter as her lawfully wedded husband and her yes was loud and clear. We kissed, exchanged rings, and were married, at last. I whispered once more to sign her name on the wedding certificate exactly as it was typed; she looked at me and her eyes were suspicious, but she took the pen and signed, looking carefully at the typed name ‘Maureen Siobhán Reichsgräfin de Winter’, and copied it. Everyone applauded and I took her hand and put her signet ring on her finger.

“Maureen my love, when my father died, I inherited what was left of the family’s fortune. Moneywise there was nothing, but my father was the last of a long line of proud officers and part of the Prussian nobility. Remember our motto ‘Honor et fortitude’? This goes back centuries and I’m now the last in line and you and I must assume the responsibility to never let this family be extinguished. This means that you are now Reichsgräfin de Winter, which in English terms means you are a Countess. Enjoy it and remember your responsibilities!”

I reminded her that she would still travel with her maiden name, because to change her passport and other documents would take some time. According to German law, however, once she married me, she had become a countess. She shook her head and told me that I owed her explanations, and a lot of them.

When we arrived at the main reception room, there was silence for a moment, and then a whispered uproar. An important person, appearing a Major General, at least according to the uniform he wore with golden epaulettes on his shoulder and embroidered badges on his chest, announced us, tapping his staff three times loudly on the floor,

Tap. Tap. Tap. “James Gustav, Count de Winter!” Tap. Tap. Tap. “Maureen Siobhán, Countess de Winter!”

I watched Eileen - she was surprised at first with her eyes wide open, but when she digested the information and which did not take long, she started to smirk with satisfaction - she had counted coup again on her social friends. Sir Allan grinned and told me later that I had really managed to surprise everyone, including my bride. He had researched his genealogy and checked old family ties and somewhere, many years ago, he had found a connection.

“I found the origin of your family name. Your ancestors fought in the east of Germany with the Teutonic Knights and stayed there when land became available. They had been elevated to the rank of Graf and then to Reichsgraf, after supporting the emperor in one of the battles he won. The name ‘Winter’ came from the bitter winters they had to endure. Do you agree?”

I nodded and said that the ‘de Winter’ must have come from somebody with a French influence. He also wondered why ‘James’? My mother had had an English background and for that reason, had chosen that name of her father. Obviously, the ‘Gustav’ came from my father, honoring my paternal grandfather.

He was satisfied that his genealogical knowledge was correct and added a comment.

“We are somehow related, James. You can call me Allan, especially since a Count is higher in social graces than a simple personal knighthood!”

“May I respectfully refuse this, Sir Allan? You earned your knighthood, I inherited mine. You’ve shown during these years that you deserve it, and I’ve just started. I respect you as an executive and I hope that I’ll learn a lot from you in the future, but I respect you even more as a man. I’ll get there one day, but today I would feel more comfortable if I continued to call you Sir Allan. But please call me James; if we ever meet on a formal state dinner, it might have to be different, but I don´t see this coming up soon.”

He looked at me and then at his wife. “This man is strange, Ellen, and he continues to surprise me. It’ll be fun to watch him in the future. Well, James, go ahead and enjoy the evening and your wife; I see that Mrs. Monahan is more than satisfied and this announcement has topped everything!”

I turned back to Maureen and took out another little box.

“This my wedding day present, my love.” and when she opened it, she found the emerald ring I had bought in New York. Her eyes opened wide - it was a beautiful Colombian emerald in a classic setting with a few baguette diamonds to emphasize the brilliance of the stone. It was a really outstanding piece of jewelry that showed off her green eyes and added to her beauty. She kissed me in front of everyone and then ran off to show the ring to her friends.

Eileen appeared and gave me a kiss on my cheeks and whispered, “I want to know why Maureen is a Countess. Can I be one, too? And why did you give Mary Ann these beautiful diamond earrings? And I saw Maureen showing off an emerald ring you just gave her. I’m family, too!”

I looked at her and waited for a moment. She stopped, took a deep breath, and said, “Please forgive me. You’ve never forgotten me and even if you had these trinkets only for them, the fact that you love me is worth much more than a precious stone.”

She gave me another kiss and turned away, calling to one of her friends. I took her arm.

“Eileen, you’ll always be family and never be forgotten. I do love you and even if your love for me is worth much more than a trinket, I believe that somewhere there is a little box for you, too.”

I searched through my pockets and found the last box; when she opened it and found the ruby brooch, I had bought for her; she just looked at me and then leaned into me.

“This was not necessary, but it’s appreciated very much. I owe you - when you come back from your trip, I’ll pay with interest in any coin you want - front and back entrance, blowjobs, anytime and anyhow.”

“Eileen, this little present is not given because I want to have sex with you. I give it to you because I love you. If you decide, however, one day to go out of your way with your fantasy, I shall not say no...”

She grinned and told me that she had some fascinating ideas! I helped her fit the brooch on her evening gown and as Maureen, she went to her circle of friends to show off. My three ladies were content, and I was happy. I was looking for Mary Ann and saw her talking to some young women at the other end of the room. She must have felt my glance, because she stopped, turned around and looked back. It was funny as a huge grin appeared on her face; then, realizing where she was, it was replaced by a small smile. She could not, however, hide her happiness in her eyes. She said something to the ladies and came over. It was even funnier watching her walking - eager to come but feeling something tender in the lower part of her body.

She stopped and curtsied. “Count de Winter, how nice to see you so happy on your wedding day. I remember, however, something you said to us some days ago, something like honesty, full disclosure, and never hiding anything from the people you love. Any comment, Count?”

I remembered a marine being dressed down by his sergeant and used the same method.

“Ma’am, no, Ma’am. No comment, Ma’am.” A marine never apologizes!

“Well, Count, when you come back from your honeymoon, there will be no mercy! Just wait!”

Maureen passed by and asked if there was any problem, but Mary Ann just smiled.

“Countess, I just reminded your husband that hiding important matters from his wife and friends is not something he taught us. I believe that we should have a serious discussion about morals and ethics when he comes back!”

Maureen nodded and admitted that the past hour she had had similar thoughts, but that she would resolve this the next week, and she would revert. Mary Ann said that she had a little bit of a headache, and her hand touched her hair, gliding down to her new earrings, but that it was nothing serious. Maureen just laughed, happy for her.

Then the music swelled up, calling for the bride and the groom to dance. Maureen had learned a lot, and it was easy to lead her in the classical waltz tune. Then it was Eileen’s turn, and she just floated around with me, telling me how much she adored the surprise and how wonderful it was to surprise her friends and rub some past social snobbery into their faces. Then it was Mary Ann’s time and all she said was how happy she was for Maureen and me and that she knew that we would be happy for the rest of our lives. With a little smile she whispered, “James, my love, you’ll be happy, and I’ll be happy at your side, protecting Maureen and you, loving you and knowing that you will love and protect me, too. I’ve never been so happy in my life!”

She almost kissed me, but at the last moment stepped back.

“James, there is nothing I can do here, but when you will be back in Sydney, prepare yourself. Oysters, champagne, caviar, whatever it takes. The first night will be mine!” And blushing, she whispered, “I have already selected my vodka, my love.”

We were called for the traditional cutting of the cake (it was a huge monstrous and kitschy affair), taking hundreds of wedding photos, and I insisted on have at least one of the four of us together. People wondered, but they did not understand the bonds that existed between us.

When Eileen saw that I was looking at my watch, she called Maureen and me to a small room at the end of the main room. She closed the door and took a document out of her purse, “Sign here, Maureen - excuse me, Countess de Winter”.

Maureen signed and I observed that she was using her new name and there it was - Maureen Siobhán Reichsgräfin de Winter. She looked at me and smiled satisfied.

I nodded and Eileen continued, “Maureen, since we founded our company, you always had a small share of nonvoting shares and the dividends, when they started to appear, were used to fund your expenses. Considering that you never spent a lot of money, even in your rebellious days, the money accumulated and you’re now very well off. I decided that I want to see you more in our meetings, deciding where this company will go, and as my wedding present to you, I’ve added ten percent of voting shares; you now have ten percent of voting shares and five percent of non-voting ones in your account. This means that you will have significant influence on decisions of my company, and I would really like to see you at least once a month in the director´s meeting. You have to prepare for those meetings - you’ll have to say what you believe, and we will listen. The first meeting will be in three weeks’ time.”

She turned to me.

“James, I wanted to give you a present, too. You know what’s mine is yours, but a formal procedure occasionally is necessary. I cannot give you my company or even a part of it since there would be serious conflict of interest issues. I wanted to purchase your apartment for you, but you did that already. What else is there? I cannot give myself, because you have me already, my body, my heart, and my soul. So, I wrote this little document - it states that in the future whatever you want from me and whenever and how often you want it, I will give to you without questions and hesitation. It does not change anything between us - actually it is not necessary as you know, but it pleased me to write and formalize it.”

She handed me the scroll; it looked quite serious, with a notary seal and little red threads hanging down.

“Now, it’s time for you to leave; enjoy yourselves and I expect you to pass through Brisbane for a weekend before work starts. I’ll take Mary Ann under my arms and teach her a few tricks on how to please a man. James, I hope that you return strong and healthy! Just a last question - you opened Maureen’s gift with love and care, but why is she walking as if she had run a marathon? It seems that every muscle hurts! What did you do to her? Did she sleep at all? She smiles like the cat that has eaten the cream, the fish, and the canary - so you must have done something right.”

“Well, she is not a little girl anymore, and she participated with great enthusiasm. The rest you have to ask her yourself, because a gentleman does not tell on his trysts.”

Both smiled and she let us go. We said goodbye to our friends and went back to the hotel where Maureen had spent the last two nights. We had the Honeymoon Suite, and everything was prepared for us - flowers, champagne, candles lit, a faint smell of perfume, music in the background, tout comme il faut.

We closed the door and I turned to my wife. “Countess, we’re finally alone. How can I serve you?”

“Count, my husband, first you can kiss me; then you can kiss me again, and then you can take my dress off. Let´s see what happens then. By the way, how should I address you?”

“The formal way is Your Lordship, my dear. And you are Your Ladyship. Other than that, I’m James, Count de Winter, and you are the Countess de Winter. And if we ever were in Germany and went to one of these functions, you might hear ‘Erlaucht’, but all I want to hear from you is that you love me.”

“That you will hear all your life, my love. One more issue - can I have a crown?”

I laughed and said no, a crown is for higher nobility than the status of my family. She could have a coronet, however, and I promised I would have made one for her one day. She pouted, but then turned around and told me to take her wedding gown off, an order I executed with enthusiasm. She started her work on me and shortly we were looking at each other, nude and glowing with pleasure. She told me to have a drink whilst she got ready for bed, and I went to the other bathroom. A bit later I opened a bottle of Dom Perignon and waited for her.

When the door opened, an angelic vision was standing there - beauty personified. To my surprise there was no transparency, no seduction, but a long white nightgown that covered her from neck to feet.

“James, this is my mother’s nightgown on her wedding night, and she was happy with my father. She gave it to me so that I would be happy with you all my life and you with me. I don’t want sex tonight; I want to be held in your arms and start a new life. This night I just want tenderness and love, security, and protection, giving and taking.”

I took her in my arms and kissed her, and then lifted her and laid her on the bed. I had placed the ice box with the bottle already beside the bed and handed her a glass of the champagne. She emptied it and lay back, looking at me.

“Come here, husband, come into my arms.”

She hugged me and placed my head on her breasts, and I nuzzled a bit but feeling like her, kept still and enjoyed the moment. She kissed my head and whispered that she had never been so happy in her life, and that she was convinced that every day it could only improve. We told each other how much we loved each other, whispered romantic nonsense, remembered our first time together and were just plainly happy. Not the normal wedding night, but much sweeter. Then she closed her eyes as her tension was slowly diminishing, but before she fell asleep, pushed the top of her gown down and offered her breasts for my kisses - tradition had been established and was followed. A final kiss and we were asleep.

We had an early flight and there was some movement beside me when I opened my eyes, Maureen had slipped out of her gown and was investigating my lower head.

“George has been ignored by me the last days and I´ll have to make up for this now.”

She started to investigate every part of my penis; first with her hand and then with her mouth. It seemed to be okay because she moved faster and took me deeper into her mouth. Her tongue circled the tip and it being very sensitive, I reacted trying to put my hand on her pussy to contribute to her pleasure. She did not want any of this and concentrated on pleasuring me and it took only a few moments before I lost control and came in her mouth. She swallowed almost all; only a few drops of my seed escaped and dripped down on her breast. She grinned and wiped them off with her finger and licked them clean.

“Part of my breakfast I had already; would you provide the other part, please?”

I pulled her up and laid her on her back; she was wet already and opened her legs to allow me to come in. It was easy and I penetrated her deeply; she smiled and encouraged me to go deeper, to go faster, and then she came to her very satisfying climax. I followed her immediately since love and youth can help to recuperate in a miraculous way and filled her with my fluids. We clung to each other with little aftershocks running through our bodies. Then we relaxed and looked at each other.

“Husband, this part was lovely and will keep me satisfied for the day; could you please provide the nutritious part of our breakfast, too?”

She was more practical than I had thought - she was right, and we were hungry, but would a little rest in each other´s arms be so bad? And wasn’t it the wife’s responsibility to provide breakfast? I shook my head and got out of bed to follow orders; she whistled, however, and called me back.

“Where are my kisses?”

Well, what is good for the goose is good for the gander, tradition is tradition, and as a German I should know this. So, I bent down and spent some time on this delicious duty until she pushed me away.

“Breakfast, James Gustav, Count de Winter!”

She must have turned into a monster during the night, and I mumbled to myself, asking where was the loving and tenderness she had always shown? She looked at me and smiled. “Come here, my love. Kiss me and let me show you, my love.”

She hugged me and whispered that it was so easy to tease me, but that she really was hungry, and would I pretty please call room service? This was the Maureen I knew, and I was happy to get her what she wanted. The food was excellent, and the only annoying part was the unending ‘Count de Winter’ here and ‘Countess de Winter’ there; it was as if they wanted to train for a formal function. Maureen seemed to enjoy it for a while and then sent them off, she would service me. We finished the champagne, and she finished our luggage. The flight to Bali was at ten o´clock and after checking out, there was no bill since Eileen had paid already. The car was waiting for us, with a grinning Mary Ann and a very satisfied and glowing Eileen in it.

Eileen could not stop talking about the event, how happy she was, and how absolutely delirious the moment was when we walked in and were announced as Count and Countess de Winter. Her friends just died!

“How could you not tell me? I could have made so much more out of the wedding!”

“Eileen, that was why I didn’t tell you. I wanted to surprise Maureen and to avoid the wedding turning into a circus. It was bad already! Remember that it was our wedding, not a social mega-event!”

She nodded at the end, and Mary Ann stepped in.

“Maureen, I’m so happy for you. I know now what the two of you have, because James has given me a small part of it. You’ll always have me at your side, and whenever you need help or support, you know that you don’t have to look very far!”

When we arrived at the airport there was not much time to say goodbye. Mary Ann kissed me on my cheek as she saw people looking at us, and whispered, “Enjoy yourself and Maureen, consider yourself kissed all over and remember all the time how much I love you...” and stepped back to hug Maureen.

Eileen was more courageous and kissed me on my mouth, but the message was the same. “I love you and expect you back as soon as possible - my body yearns for you!”

Both yelled, “Have fun and don’t do anything that we wouldn’t do!” and off we were on our honeymoon.

The flight was short for Australian standards - only a bit over six hours, but we arrived at 14.45 with a car from the hotel The Legion Bali waiting for us. It took some time to arrive in Semyniak, but the reception was glorious. Eileen had changed our names on Saturday night and when we said - ‘Reservations for Winter’, the General Manager appeared and welcomed us.

“Count de Winter, Countess, I am so happy that you selected our hotel. We have selected our best rooms for you; could you follow me, please.”

He led us to a big suite directly facing the Pacific where flowers were all over the room, a bottle of Veuve Cliquot in an ice box, fruits on the table, the whole works. It was a gracious living room with local bamboo furniture, a bedroom with a huge bed, and a comfortable bathroom with a Jacuzzi. Waves could be heard plunging onto the sand, and occasionally there were some bird calls. It was what we had planned for; the hotel was not big, but the recommendations were that the service was outstanding.

“If you prefer, I can send a maid to unpack for you, while you have a drink at the bar. We have cocktails at o’clock and dinner is served starting seven thirty.”

Maureen looked at me and nodded. “Let´s do this. Thank you for the offer - we were married yesterday, and I am still exhausted.”

“The bar is straight ahead; I will call the maid and advise when everything is ready.”

We handed him the keys to the luggage as our valuables were in Maureen’s handbag and went to the bar.

The bartender looked at us and asked, “What can I get for you, Countess?”

She wanted just a fruit juice and I settled for a glass of Chardonnay.

“James, is this always this way? I don’t think I would like it. It is nice as an experience, but this service is way overboard. I am Maureen de Winter, and that is sufficient for me!”

I shrugged and told her to accept it but admitted that it seemed that here they really went too far (had Eileen her fingers in this?), and that I hoped that people would soon get tired of this. It was nice once in a while - she had seen what reception we had at the hotel, and in the future, we would use it for better restaurant reservations, tickets to the opera, flight upgrades, but today just lean back and enjoy it. Did she really wanted to spend an hour unpacking, or did she prefer to have a drink and relax? She considered the question and responded that once in while it was fine.

Then she turned to me and asked, “Tell me about Mary Ann. It was funny to look at her when she came back. She grinned so happily but moved as if a lot of muscles really hurt. She ran to us and hugged me and thanked me a thousand times that I had given her to you, that she knew that you were mine, but that she was allowed to get a part of our happiness, that you had been wonderful and that it had not hurt at all, that you had made her come and come again, and when would we be back in Sydney?”

She smiled happily. “We might have awakened a monster, my love, but she is a loving monster. I had to stop her because people started to stare at us; thank God we were in a private area, and nobody could hear us. Then she hugged Mom and promised her that she always would stand back as she was my mother and your lover, but that she would do everything for Mom to deserve her love and trust and would never ever hurt me or Mom. She wanted to be friends, really good friends. She only hoped and prayed that we would give her the opportunity to continue to be with you, to be your lover, to protect you in the office, to make love again - James, she babbled and babbled until I finally had to stop her! It was so funny!”

She laughed contentedly.

“I told her that she was family now and family protects itself. She would always be welcome in our home and in our bed, and she did not have to ask for it - it will be freely given. James, you’ve now three women who want your attention; how will you handle this? And don’t fool yourself since Mary Ann is now forever with us! And tell me - how do you attract us? I was the first, Mom the second, and now Mary Ann. We’re so different, but we all are totally dedicated to you and would never look at another man. Please, will your collection of your women now stop?”

I thought about this little problem and asked for a double bourbon as I needed strength.

“My love, what happened between you and me was a miracle and cannot be repeated. We are bonded heart and soul, and what you feel for me, I feel for you. Nobody will ever come between us. Your mother somehow crept into my heart - her sadness, her intelligence, her drive, her beauty, her love for you - suddenly she was in my arms, and you accepted that. She is different from you and attracts with her sensuality and her open willingness to be sexually active. My love, I said this before - making love with you is everything - tenderness, love, trust affection, the best sex ever, and at the end, we look at each other and we’re happy. With Eileen it is different; making love to her is sex, love, affection, sensuality, and at the end, we’re satisfied, exhausted and content.”

I stopped and sipped my bourbon.

“Mary Ann? I don’t know since we made love just for one night and she gave me her virginity. By the way, that note was so tender ‘Open your gift gently!’ and I did open her very gently! It was pure bliss for her and me. At the beginning, I had thought that perhaps one day we might find the right man for her, but at least for now she’ll not look at anybody except me. This is a huge responsibility and I’ll need your help to carry her and not to hurt her. She knows that you and I are one; she’s satisfied now to be beside us, to share trust and bodies, and I don’t see any difficulties now. What will happen in a years’ time or two, that´s what I´m worried about. I believe that it’ll be wonderful to stay together; did you realize that Eileen talks mainly about herself, but Mary Ann talks about us, and what she can do for us? Whatever will happen in the future, we’ll resolve it when it comes up.”

I finished my drink and smiled at her. “Darling, we’re now on our honeymoon and I refuse to discuss other women!”

Maureen looked at me and I could see in her eyes her decision tree being analyzed. Then she nodded and said, “Okay. In Sydney we have another discussion.”

She asked for a glass of wine when the General Manager appeared and told us that the apartment was ready for us. Walking back, he told us about the attractions of the hotel and surrounding areas, the restaurant that offered local and international dishes and that it had won already two international awards, and that the chef Dean was giving cooking lessons if two or more people were interested. They had also an excellent cellar with Australian and New Zealand wines, and he hoped that we would enjoy our stay.

The cabana was generous in its space, with its oriental décor and a view towards the ocean, and we saw that everything was properly put away. Maureen looked at me. “Perhaps I could get accustomed to this; James, my love, if this ever happens, get me back to reality, Countess or not.”