Chapter 8

Peter LeBrun laughed at the tale. “So it was a case of the human left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing?”

“That is a good description, sir. The English were in competition with the Spanish, so neither would do anything to help the other in any way. It could be that the turkeys got from Spain to France, and from there to England, where exotic species were all the rage in that era. The English would have been unaware that it was an American bird.”

“I can believe that scenario, Mr Robertson.”

“Please, sir, do call me Reginald, or preferably Reg. Everyone else does.”

“Very well, Reg, provided you call me Peter, or preferably Uncle Peter, as you are married to my niece.”

“I shall be happy to do so, Uncle Peter. As the father of such a wonderful set of twins, you merit praise for that achievement alone.”

Uncle Peter glanced at Frances, slightly concerned at the comparison between Frances’ looks and his gorgeous twins. She smiled sweetly, and told him, “Uncle Peter, you needn’t concern yourself about what Reg might say. He treats all girls according to their personality, brains and abilities, not simply on what they look like. For example he married me, and Erika, and Freda, and Prudence.”

Peter seemed embarrassed at this comment, and admitted, “I had heard from my girls that you and Reg were not exclusive, but I didn’t think you could all be married.”

“You are quite correct, Uncle Peter. We found that Reg could only marry one of us, so we elected to have no marriage, but a group commitment that is just as strong as a marriage. We held a public ceremony to tell the world – or at least the university community – that we are a family, and we are now known as married there. The other girls and I all regard ourselves as married, and we girls all changed our names by deed poll to be Mrs Robertson, so we are effectively married, and eventually we will have Reg’s children.”

“What? All of you?”

“Yes, Uncle Peter; all of us.”

“My goodness,” exclaimed Peter LeBrun. “Are your parents aware of this?”

“Yes, uncle. We explained it all to them, and they are on board with it. We invited them to our Commitment Ceremony, and so they saw that we meant it. We have visited them recently, and they saw that we love Reg and he loves us, and that is all there is to it. They have been very generous to us.”

“Frances?” asked Peter, looking around. “There was another young woman here that I was introduced to, but you didn’t name her as one of your marriage team. Who is she, if I may ask?”

“Oh, that’s Fiona. Hang on a mo.” She glanced around, and noted that Fiona was not in evidence. Grabbing Erika, she whispered, “Where’s Fiona?”

Erika whispered back, “The loo. She found she was still dripping cum!”

“Okay. That’s fine.”

She turned back and told Peter, “Uncle Peter, Fiona is what you might call a volunteer. She is a couple of years older than us, but was unhappy. She has a proverbial evil stepmother who wants rid of her, so Fiona is looking for a stable family she could put up with, and whom could put up with her and her problems. She is a clever girl, already a graduate in sociology, and embarking on a PhD course, but has emotional needs. She has just moved in with us to see how she likes it, so don’t embarrass the girl.”

“Oh, I see. I shall say nothing, Frances. You are being very nice to everyone around you, aren’t you? I am impressed.”

“Oh, we are not nice all the time, Uncle Peter. We had a run-in with a teenage burglar and his family, and we had a bully problem at the university, but we dealt with these. Prudence’s Dad made this building more secure, and Freda’s father, as a lawyer, handled some legal matters for us in relation to the burglar, when his family tried to bribe us to drop our complaint. Our families have been very helpful in a number of ways, including financing the twins’ salary here. You chipped in, too, didn’t you?”

“That’s right, we did. We were glad to see Carol and Holly settled in a safe environment where they will learn their occupations and be happy with it. I suspect it was your idea.”

“All I did was observe that we had difficulty with looking after ourselves while studying, and the twins were looking for exactly that kind of work. We could offer them jobs if the finance was there. I just put the two problems together, et voila!”

“Well, thanks for that insight, Frances my dear girl. How long do you expect my girls to remain here?”

Frances looked him in the eye, and informed him, “That is up to them, Uncle. We hope they will continue to work for us. We have several years to go on our courses, so we hope they will be here for that period. They have agreed that if we start a family, they will help with the child-rearing, so that we can continue our studies while having children.”

She paused, then went on, “Of course, Carol and Holly have plans in the way of children themselves, so who knows what they will do in the future?”

“They seriously want children? I thought that was simply little girl fantasies that would change as they grew up.”

“Uncle Peter, they have ALREADY grown up, I assure you. Starting a full-time job is a sign of growing up, isn’t it? Their future desires in the way of children are up to them, and we in this household will do our best to act in loco parentis. Does that help?”

Peter sighed. “My baby girls have grown up. In some ways I am sad, for I enjoyed watching them grow over the years; but at the same time I have to let them become adults with their own ideas of what they want to do with their lives. You will face the same dichotomy a couple of decades from now, Frances.”

“I expect so, Uncle Peter, but I hope I will know when to give my children their freedom.”

“I am sure you will. Now I should be getting home again. Where have my girls got to?”

“The others have have been showing them their bedrooms and helping them unpack. We were unsure if they wanted to share a room, or have their own places, so we are starting with them having their own rooms. If they want to be together, we can sort that out later.”

“I never thought of that. They have always shared, but if one of them fancies a boy, she may want a bit of privacy. That was a wise thought, Frances.”

“Perhaps. We do not have any intentions of letting either of them have a boy in their bedroom; not for the present anyway.”

“You really mean to act as a mother to them, don’t you?”

“Uncle Peter, I can tell you confidentially that I have been designated Chief Wife of this family, so being in charge of the twins is not a great extra task.”

“An unusual title, Frances. I shall keep it to myself. I don’t think your parents will want to know that title!”

At this point there was the sound of clattering feet as the twins and their handlers came down the stairs from the bedrooms.

“Daddy! We have our own bedrooms here! Can you imagine that?”

“So I was just hearing, girls. Don’t abuse the privilege, through. I am just about to leave, so is there anything else you need?”

Carol told her father, “There was a chair in our room that I particularly liked, Daddy; the leather one with the wooden arms. Can we ship it here?”

“I don’t see why not. We’ll leave the rest of your furniture as it is, so that if you come back to visit, you can use your old room. Okay?”

Holly came in with, “That’s great, Dad. Give our love to Mummy. Tell her we are happy here. The girls are SO nice. We haven’t even had time to say hello properly to Reg, but we saw lots of him back at Uncle Paul’s.” The double meaning was lost on their father.

“Right. Farewell, girls. Behave yourselves as your mother expects.”

“We will, Daddy. ‘Bye,” they chorused, each giving him a kiss.

The rain had stopped, so Reg and Frances went out to see him off, trailed by the twins. Peter told Frances, “We will probably send the chair by carrier. That is easiest, and cheaper than driving both ways.”

“Thanks for bringing them and their baggage, Uncle Peter. It was nice of you.”

“That’s what fathers are for, Frances. Reg, look after my girls, and that includes Frances.”

“Will do, sir.” he said, while Frances interjected, “Reg knows how to take care of me properly, Uncle Peter. We have taught him what to do, so he has been well trained.”

Peter LeBrun was uncertain of what she was referring to, so took it as Reg learning to do as he was told.

Once the car had left, Reg and Frances returned inside, where the twins now greeted Reg the way they really wanted to. They smothered him with kisses, and pushed their breasts against his chest. Eventually Frances had to intervene.

“Girls! Girls! Enough is enough. You will be living here, so Reg will always be within easy reach. Let him breathe for now.”

The twins recognised Frances’ common sense approach, so ceased their attentions for the moment. Reg told them, “Girls, remember that your prime task within this building is cook and housekeeper. All else is incidental.”

Holly looked at Frances and pointed out, “So, Reg is incidental? Not a priority for you, then, Frances?”

Frances remonstrated with her, “That is misreading my words, Holly. Looking after the building, and cooking for its residents is your primary focus. That is what you will be paid for. Seeking Reg’s attention must come lower in your priorities, girls. Remember my words from before you arrived, about your work having to be satisfactory before we let you near our Reg for anything else?”

Holly’s face fell. “Awe ... yes, Frances. I thought you didn’t mean that seriously; just a joke.”

“It is important that you learn when I am being serious, Holly. I am your boss, remember?”

Holly gave her a mock salute. “Yes, sir, boss lady!”

“Right. As soon as you are settled in with all your luggage unpacked and put away, today’s first duty is a working tour of the building, when you can list all the things that need doing, maintenance-wise, and how often. I have laid out a couple of notebooks and pens for you to use. Repairs are simply to be noted and reported to me, and I will determine the action on these. Some may require a tradesman.

The kitchen area, before we start today, is simply for recognition that the pair of you will need to check it over for any missing implements, materials – dishcloths, etc. – and ingredient supplies. Got it?”

“Yes, Frances,” they chorused.

“When do we start the cooking, Frances?” Carol wanted to know.

“Make that tomorrow. Today is investigation and note-taking day.”

“Okay. We can live with that, cousin.”

Reg found himself tapped on the shoulder from behind, and found it was Freda.

“What’s up, Freda darling?” he grinned.

“My Dad has just been on the phone to me. I emailed him copies of your mother’s documentation, and he says the data is fine and will allow him to get the legal process started, but he needs the originals for the court when it gets to that stage. He wants to get to that stage ASAP, so I need you to authorise passing the originals to him, dear.”

“Of course, Freda. They are no use to me as it is. Their value is when they are in the hands of our lawyer – your Dad. How do we get them to him?”

“He can get a courier firm to collect the parcel from here today, and deliver it to him early tomorrow. He will send me a security code for recognising the courier as genuine. The courier will give you that code when asked for identification.”

“Sounds well planned, Freda. Can I leave you to deal with it from this end? Make sure the parcel is fully secure against tampering.”

“Sure, Reg. I like having a modicum of responsibility. Any message to go with the parcel?”

“Just a message of grateful thanks from this family; and I really mean it, Freda; your Dad is a wonder!”

“Thanks, Reg. I wish I could say the same about your mother, but she is still in the ‘possibly reformed criminal’ category.”

“I understand, Freda. Your assessment is true, so I can’t complain. Just in case I haven’t said so recently, I love you, Freda!”

“You are my own true love as well, Reg. I love being your wife!”

A thought struck Reg. “What about...” then he shut his mouth, remembering he should not ask such questions.

Freda queried, “About what, Reg? You lost me there.”

“Sorry. It was my old difficulty, worrying about costs. I know now to drop such questions. You girls have hammered that into me.”

“In this case, you don’t need to bother about costs, darling. Daddy will ask the court to award costs to you, as the innocent victim, so Daddy’s charges will be paid by the insurers. I can’t imagine any other outcome.”

Reg allowed his relief to show as he said, “Wow! I had read of that, but I admit I hadn’t considered it in this case.”

“Daddy being a lawyer, he would have thought of it from the start, my darling boy. Lawyers are good at getting adequately well paid, you know.”

Reg smiled with pleasure, knowing his father-in-law would be exceedingly well paid; lawyers don’t come cheap. “Great. I am pleased for him, Freda. He deserves all he gets.”

“Huh. I sometimes wonder, Reg. I think some legal costs get inflated, based on the ability of the client to pay; the richer the client, the higher the charges for the same work. It is like antiques and art work, with rarity pushing the price up. In the legal profession, it is often the level of the client’s finances that determines the level of charge. That way, the legal profession are able to take on some cases pro bono publico. Everyone benefits to some extent.”

“I get you. Some of your Dad’s knowledge has rubbed off on you, Freda.”

“Just as well, sometimes. I’d better get that stuff parcelled up and sealed, Reg, in case the courier comes soon.”

“Oh, right. I’ll let you get on with it, love.”

Lunch was a buffet style affair; snacks en masse to be taken and consumed until you were full. Unlikely as it appears, it did not lend itself to discussion. Each member of the family was busy selecting their favourite snacks, or had their mouth full, or were going back for a refill. As a result, Reg’s interaction with the twins was little more than ‘hello’ in passing. Fiona was not permitted to spend time with Reg. She had taken her chance during the morning, so now the others made sure she was diverted.

She had earlier been introduced to the twins; told they were the new staff. They in turn met her as a new resident of the household. It was left unclear for the present what her exact relationship was to the Robertson family. The twins assumed she was a lodger in difficulties, being given help by the family. The fact that she seemed older than the Robertsons made that more probable than a close relationship.

That was the position until it dawned on Fiona that Frances was a cousin of the twins. She became annoyed at this apparent nepotism, giving jobs to relatives, and so when she met the twins during the afternoon in a corridor, she confronted them.

“Girls, I understand you are related to Frances?”

Holly was quick to agree.

“Yes, Frances is our cousin. We were visiting Uncle Paul and Aunt Dolores when we met Reg and the other wives. Reg was a real sweetie, and we were enamoured of him almost at once. He is a man worth being interested in, don’t you think?”

In a moment, Holly had swept Fiona’s assumption into oblivion. The twins’ interest was in Reg, of all things. Deflected by this revelation, Fiona declared, “Yes, I soon found him interesting enough to want him for myself.”

Holly and Carol both halted when they heard this. Carol demanded, “You fancy him as well, do you?”

Fiona suddenly realised what she had revealed, and tried to divert attention away from her.

“What makes you interested in him, girls? Hasn’t he got enough women to satisfy already?”Holly frowned at this and retorted, “Oh, he is happy with his wives, I agree. We just need him to take our virginity for us. We know he is a safe man for that job.”

“Oh, he is good at that job, I agree,” admitted Fiona, then blushed. The twins stared at her, and Carol offered, “Don’t tell me he is fucking you, as well as his wives?”

Fiona found herself stuck for words, despite being years older than these teenagers.

Her silence and red face told its own story. Carol turned to Holly, “He is, Holly. He is fucking her as well! How come?” she demanded of Fiona.

Fiona confessed, “I asked him. I needed a man I could depend on; and a stable family where I could feel comfortable and safe.”

Holly retorted, “No way! You are a liar. Reg wouldn’t fuck you simply because you asked. He has higher ideals than that.”

Carol added, “Frances and the other wives would have to give their permission, for Reg to even touch you. Are you a slut, then?”

Horrified, Fiona declared, “I was a virgin, young lady, and Reg’s wives DID approve of me, after giving me an extensive grilling.”

“A virgin? At your age?” Carol accused.

Fiona responded angrily, “Yes, at my age! I am a graduate, working for my PhD, and until now, I steered clear of entanglements with boys. You don’t seem to have the same high moral standard that I did.”

Holly was not going to let her away with that. “Did? Past tense? You dropped your standards so you could have your way with our Reg?”

“What do you mean, YOUR Reg? He is your employer, girl. You shouldn’t talk of your employer like that.”

The argument had brought attention from elsewhere, and Prudence had heard the last of the exchange. She slipped away to fetch Frances as family policewoman.

Frances was there in moments, and called out, “Girls! Enough of this arguing. It is time you got to know each other properly. Now what was this all about?”

Holly rounded on her cousin, “This hussy has been fucking Reg, we discovered. She claims you gave her permission; as if you would!”

Fiona, in turn, accused the twins, “These two have their eyes on our Reg, Frances. You had better warn them off!”

Frances took ma step back, and regarded the three of them with dismay. This wasn’t what she had planned. She decided she might as well make a clean breast of al the facts.

“Girls, come into this bedroom, all three of you. I need to tell you something.”

She ushered the three into the nearest bedroom, which happened to be Erika’s, but she knew Erika would not mind.

She got all three to sit; the twins on the bed and Fiona on the single chair. She herself remained standing, giving her the height advantage.

“Girls – that means all three of you – you are all starting from a false preconception. Let me tell you: you all are here as potential extra wives, in the future. You are not in competition for Reg’s favour. You are in competition for MY favour, and that of the other wives. Is that clear?”

“What? The staff are here under false pretences?” Fiona was confused.

Frances clarified, “No. We invited them to work here, to cover a multitude of questions, but they had asked me earlier if Reg could remove their hymens for them, before any job offer came. The job is partly to give them work experience, partly to protect them from workplace bullying, and partly to solve an important need by this family – looking after the house and cooking means so that we can all concentrate on our studies. The parents of us wives are all contributing towards their salaries, so they will work hard for their pay, but what happens with Reg as we go on is still unsettled.”

Carol corrected her, “Frances, you said we were ALL here as potential extra wives. Did you really mean that?”

Frances sighed as she answered, “I didn’t mean to say that, but it was the truth. I didn’t want to have you two concentrating on Reg until you grow up a bit more. We wanted you to discover yourselves first, and possibly meet nice boys; and only if that didn’t happen would we be thinking of letting you join our clan in that way. At least that was the plan...”