Chapter 1

Pregnant? Father? Good grief!

Reginald Robertson was stunned. Okay, it had to happen eventually, he accepted, but he didn’t expect it so soon.

“Fiona? How certain are you?”

Fiona gloated, “I conducted the test twice, and got the same result each time. That usually confirms it, according to the instructions with the kit. There are various ifs, buts and other constraints on the results, that the manufacturers put in, but that is just to cover themselves. It should be definite.”

“Still, I think we should ask the doctor in the medical centre to medically confirm it for you. You don’t want to inform your folks and later have to confess to your stepmother that you got it wrong, do you?”

Fiona’s face fell. “Oh, God, that’s true. I wouldn’t want HER to be able to say that. I’ll phone the health centre first thing on Monday. But you ARE pleased, Reg, if it is proved correct?”

“I AM pleased, Fiona. What my wives will have to say about it, though...” He grinned cheekily.

Frances interrupted, “Reg, stop that teasing! You know perfectly well that we are okay with Fiona being pregnant. With a bit of luck we will have a succession of such announcements over the next few weeks.”

“Yes, dear. Sorry. I must apologise, Fiona. In my excitement, I tend to over-react. You now have something else to pray about in church tomorrow, lucky girl.”

“Hey, yes. Of course I will. All I want is for things to go smoothly with the pregnancy, and that I have a healthy baby. It is not too much to ask, is it?”

Freda had been quiet, and now spoke. “Reg, about tomorrow ... even if Sidra and her mother are church-goers, they have to stay out of sight for now, so they can’t got to church this weekend, not without checking it out first.”

Erika was in agreement. “Yes, that is the best thing to do for now: play safe. We can work out when and how, but we can’t have them go to church as new local residents. That would pin them down for anyone searching for them. Why don’t we have them be officially visiting the area, and just popping in to a church service? If they want to go more regularly, we could find a group of churches and allow them to visit each one once, with the same story.”

“Worth trying,” agreed Reg. “Still, I would prefer they stayed away from churches and other public places for a few weeks, except for shopping, where we control things.”

He paused to think, then asked, “Do I have to go to bed with Jessica tonight again, do you know, Frances?”

She glared at him. “Last night you didn’t wake me up to tell me about it before you went. I should have been told earlier than this morning, Reg.”

“Sorry, Frances. I had assumed Prudence would have woken you to let you know.”

“Well, of course she didn’t! She knows how irate I get if woken from a deep sleep, and you did fuck me to sleep quite thoroughly, my man.”

“There you are, then. Should I have made you angry by wakening you up just to tell you I was off to sleep with Mrs Sadaf?”

“Ah, if you put it that way, I suppose I have to forgive you.”

“Thank you, my love. It doesn’t answer my question though. Does anyone know how she is feeling this evening?”

No-one did, so when Sidra walked into the room, Frances collared her.

“Sidra, how is your mother tonight? Is she going to be able to sleep alone; does she want one of us to be with her, or does she need our Reg again?”

Sidra thought for a moment.

“You know, I don’t really have an answer to that. Shall I go and talk to her in private?”

“Good suggestion, Sidra. You are the one she is most liable to confide in.”

“You want me to go ask her now, or nearer bedtime?”

Frances grimaced a little as she pondered, then told Sidra, “If she needs Reg again, he has to attend to the sexual needs of two of his wives before he is available for cuddling duty. Make it clear that if she wants someone with her earlier, it has to be one of us ladies.”

Sidra reflected, “It probably depends on how tired she feels, as to when she goes to bed. I will remind her to shower first, so she is not sweaty or anything. Was she sweaty last night, Reg?”

“I didn’t notice, Sidra. She was wearing a nightdress and fell asleep as soon as she felt me cuddled up to her, then I drifted off shortly after, I think. I slept all night except when I had to go pee; didn’t even feel her go off to the toilet during the night, she told me.”

“Right. I’ll go see her now.” Sidra left.

Frances declared, “If our Pakistani ladies are staying home tomorrow morning, someone should stay with them. I’ll speak to Holly and Carol about that. Teenagers are seldom enthusiastic church-goers, anyway.”

“None of us have done much church-going, Frances,” Reg admitted. If we are going to be a family with children, perhaps we should make an effort in that direction?”

It was left at that, and Reg returned to his reading of ‘Geologic Time’, by Don Eicher. Reg himself was fascinated by mankind’s varying concepts of time, from place to place and time to time. Mediaeval Europe’s idea of a short-lived Earth, assumed to be around 6,000 years old if one took the ancient Hebrew texts literally, contrasted strongly with the South American cultures’ vision of an immensely longer span of time. Similarly, Indian philosophy viewed time as infinite, via an endlessly repeating cycle. The ancient Greeks also had the idea of a wheel of time with no beginning and no end, but Aristotle saw time as merely the measurement of change, and not an attribute by itself.

Mithraism, an early competitor of Christianity, derived from Zoroastrianism another repeating cycle, this time of 12,000 years.

China, on the other hand, developed a multitude of views on time, with no overarching concept of what time actually was. The Chinese were influenced by their ideas on balancing forces – the yin and yang principle – which distracted them from the Western concept of time as progression towards an end.

The Europeans were being misled by the contemporary attitude of literal thinking about the Bible texts. The Hebrews loved to use pseudo-historical stories and morality tales to convey more complicated ideas, and they simplified the time factor accordingly to gain more impact. Their viewpoint was that time for God was not the same as time for humans, and so viewing a ‘day’ as 24 hours human time need not be the same in God’s view of time. Assuming that time for God is the same as for us, is to impose a human-centred view of the cosmos. Most early concepts of time were strongly influenced by religious belief, cultural standpoints, or myth-influenced philosophy, Reg had come to understand, producing a number of differing viewpoints.

Even today, time was not fully comprehended, allowing science philosophers and science fiction writers to play around with concepts of alternative universes where time is different.

Reg’s theorising was interrupted by Frances tapping his thigh for his attention. He looked up and saw that Sidra had brought her mother into the room. It was clear that Mrs Sadaf had been crying, and Sidra looked worried.

Sidra said to Frances, “I found my mother in her bedroom, crying her heart out. I have managed to get her to stop, but I still don’t know why. I brought her here, for you grown-ups to deal with.”

Frances peered at Mrs Sadaf for a long minute, then asked her, “Jessica, is this delayed-action shock? You feel depressed and unable to cope?”

Jessica nodded, confessing, “I just feel so terrible, Frances. I can’t seem to stop crying.”

“I understand, Jessica. The trauma of the last day or two, after the stress of not knowing what had happened to your daughter, has all piled up on you. It is not your fault; it is the culmination of the whole complicated series of traumatic events. This is just your body and mind reacting to all the pressure there has been on you. I cannot tell you how long it will take you to get over it, but get over it you surely will.”

“You think so, Frances? It is not a long-term ailment?”

“Nope. How do you feel about sleeping, tonight?”

Jessica looked embarrassed. “Can I speak with you privately, Frances?”

“I don’t see why not. Let’s go to your bedroom and have a chat, woman to woman. Sidra, I have to tell you that this is not for your ears, even though you are now sixteen. This is adult women’s talk. Come along, Jessica.”

Frances and Jessica went out, hand in hand, and were soon in Jessica’s bedroom. Jessica cuddled to Frances, telling her, “I am still upset, Frances, so I need some help tonight.”

“I follow you, Jessica. You need Reg again.”

“Yes, please, but also ... more.” She seemed apprehensive.

Francis raised her eyebrows. “More what, Jessica?”

“Tenderness, closeness, that sort of thing. May I sleep with him without my nightdress, Frances?”

Frances furrowed her brows this time, and enquired, “Is there more?

“Frances, I do not want to impose on your generosity, but may I get Reg to place his hands gently on my breasts, to show tenderness, so that I feel ... at home, here?”

“Jessica? Are you working your way up to him fucking you, my dear?”

“Oh, no! Not immediately, at least. I had been putting off my husband for a long time, partly as my way of punishing him for beating me, but partly because I found his base intentions unwanted. He had not been bathing as frequently as he should, and it put me off him. Your Reg is different. I am told that he showers daily and always smells nice ... a good manly smell. He certainly did last night; it was so pleasant that I fell asleep with exhaustion at once, or I might have asked him ... No, not without your approval.”

“MY approval? Jessica, I may be Senior Wife, but I do not have carte blanche to offer my husband to women outside our marriage. We ALL have to approve such an offer. I think I can allow some petting, if it helps you, but no further unless all Reg’s wives agree. Is that clear? It is for your benefit as well, Jessica. We all have to abide by the rules of this household.”

“That would be wonderful, Frances! Would you clear it with Reginald, in case he finds me unacceptable?”

“I don’t expect Reg to find you unacceptable, Jessica. You are not old and ugly; in fact you are probably prettier that any of us who are married to Reg. What age are you, Jessica? You can’t be that ancient.”

“I am thirty-five, Frances. I was married at nineteen, and had Sidra the following year. After that, I used protection, an I.U.D. from my doctor, to avoid having more children, without telling my husband. Then I was uncomfortable with the I.U.D., and switched to birth control pills. My husband merely thought I had become infertile, thank goodness.”

“Thirty-five is still young, Jessica. You could have more children, if you so desired. However, that is not the question at issue. I shall speak to Reg about permitting petting between you. Go to bed when you are ready, but have a shower first. Reg will come to your bedroom when he is free to do so. He has previous duties to attend to as a husband.”

Jessica nodded her acknowledgement of that duty, which came first.

Jessica had drifted off to sleep when there came a tap at her door. She scrabbled until she found the light switch and turned it on. “Come in,” she called.

The door opened and Reg slipped in, clad in his pyjamas. Jessica gestured for him to come to her, and as she sat up to do so, the bedclothes slipped down and exposed her breasts. Reg stopped in his tracks and stared, wonderingly.

Jessica told him, “Take off these pyjamas, Reginald, and come to bed. It is cuddling time again, but closer, on this occasion.”

“Frances explained, but I didn’t really expect this,” he stammered.

“I need your closeness, Reginald, and this is the best way to achieve that result.”

Reg walked to the bed and shed his pyjama top, then paused as before, looking embarrassed. She observed that his penis was tenting his pyjama bottoms. “Take them off, Reg. I have long been a married woman, so you don’t have anything I haven’t seen before. See it this way: it is a compliment to my attractiveness, so nothing to be ashamed of.”

Reg unfastened the bottoms and let them drop to the floor. Jessica looked him over, saying, “Not bad at all. I can see why your wives like your attention at night.”

Reg admitted, “Sometimes it is not just at night.”

“My goodness. A ravished man, is it?”

“No, but I hate to refuse when asked. That is why I was pleased to see Frances as my Senior Wife. She organises all the lovemaking, and that avoids unnecessary pressure on me.”

“Well, young man, I am not asking for sex tonight, so relax. I simply want for us to be able to feel each other, skin to skin. I want to see how it feels, with a younger and gentler man. It is something new for me.”

“You poor woman; you must have put up with so much!”

“I did, but please don’t remind me. I want to forget that man; not think of him at all. I have been avoiding even saying his name. Your presence will help me to forget that monster. Please, get into bed and cuddle me close, with your arms round me.”

Reg did as he was bid. The bed had been warmed up by Jessica’s presence, so he found it encouraging, especially when she wrapped her arms round his torso and pulled him against her breasts. His penis was suddenly trapped against her belly, the way he was lying, and he was grateful that it was not against her groin area.

“Gosh, you are lovely and warm, Jessica” he whispered to her. “Your breasts are much firmer than I expected; very much like those of my wives. You may be in your mid-thirties, but you feel like a mid-twenties girl.”

“My goodness; you do have a nice way with words, Reginald. Frances was right about you. But remember, no actual sex. I just want a reassuring and comfortable cuddle with you, body to body, to reinforce my femininity in a non-confrontational way.”

“You will forgive my hardness against you, dear lady?”

“Naturally, Reg. It proves to me that I am still the kind of woman who can be desired, instead of simply a female for fucking, which is what I was with my husband. It makes a big difference.”

“Jessica, I do ONLY what my girls desire me to do, so that is what we will do.”

She sighed with pleasure at the body touches, and his pleasant man smell in her nostrils. There was a hint of female aromas on him too, so she asked, “You have made love to at least one of your wives tonight, Reg? Or am I wrong?”

“Two wonderful girls allowed me to enjoy their charms, Jessica, so I am sated. I was surprised my penis did not agree with my that assessment. You have a reviving power all of your own,” he admitted.

Jessica gave out a girlish giggle.

“I have never had my charms assessed in that way, Reg. My husband simply wanted me to open my legs for him to have his way with me. Do you do things for your wives before penetration?”

Reg was surprised. “Of course! That is the way they taught me how to make love, and I agree with them. The woman should be the priority in lovemaking. She should get what she wants first, and then the man will deserves what he desires. Women can have multiple orgasms, I found, but men have just the one and have to wait a considerable while before being able to perform again. My wives allow for that when there are two, or sometimes three, in bed with me of a night. One may prefer to have sex in the morning when we wake up.”

“Thank you for telling me that, Reg. May we go to sleep now, like this?”

“If that is what milady desires, that is what milady gets,” quipped Reg.

This time during the night, when Jessica needed to get up to pee; untangling herself from Reg caused him to wake, and he found he needed to pee as well, so they shared the facilities attached to the bedroom. Jessica went first, and found that Reg simply watched her with interest. He was used to this with his wives, so didn’t ogle or make her uncomfortable. She soon relaxed.

She wiped herself dry, then got up to allow Reg to use the loo. She took the opportunity to watch him in turn, and when he headed back to the bathroom door, she stood aside for him, but he stopped and raised his hands towards her chest with the obvious intention of fondling her breasts. He asked, “May I?”. She just nodded, and he laid his hands on her mammaries, gently and thoughtfully massaging them.

He remarked, “Yes, quite firm, as I thought. You DO have nice breasts, Jessica.”

She paused for a moment, startling him and making him wonder what was happening with her.

Suddenly, she grabbed hold of his arms and pushed herself against him, kissing him passionately. While he welcomed this and responded as expected, Reg was puzzled by her behaviour until she released him and said, “That was a lovely compliment you paid me, Reg. My husband never paid me compliments, so this was something special for me. I want you to know that.”

“You have been severely deprived, dear lady,” he said, and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, in return for her earlier kissing spree.

She shivered slightly, and asked, “Can we get back to bed again, Reg? I need warming up again.”

With alacrity, he rushed to attend to her request, and within a few minutes both were asleep once more.

Morning was a wake-up call, in this case by Frances opening the bedroom door and switching on the light. “Morning you two? Still asleep?” She looked closely at the pair who were coming awake. “Are you glued together?”

Jessica became embarrassed and pulled away from Reg “Oh, sorry, Frances. He is YOUR husband, after all.”

“Yes, but at the moment he is your security blanket. Was it worthwhile, Jessica?”

“Wonderful, Frances. He is everything you say he is, and more. He treated me like I was his first girlfriend, taking care of me as if with kid gloves, making no overt advances. I was able to relax with him: it was wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I slept well, except for getting up to pee. Does he usually watch you when you are on the toilet?

“Yep. That is one of his many perversions. BUT, but that is one of the things that make me feel more than ever that we are together for life, if you know what I mean. The fact that we can share everything, including peeing, gives a great feeling inside of me. Do you feel the same, Reg?”

“Actually I do, though I would have difficulty putting it into words. We are just together, with a familiarity that says it all.”

“Well, get out of that bed, Reg, and get a shower. You have to prettify yourself for taking your loving wives to church today.”

Reminded of that appointment, Reg dragged himself out of bed, and observed his morning woody. Frances told Jessica, “This exhibition is a normal human male, needing to pee, as if you didn’t already know, Jessica.”

“I do understand that, Frances, but Reg is better to look at than ... him.” Frances noted that Jessica could not find it in herself to use her husband’s first name. That had been the case right from the start when she was rescued.

Reg asked her, “Jessica, are you going to be okay while we are off at church today? We will only be away for a couple of hours or so. You will have Sidra with you, and we have asked Carol and Holly to look after you, answer the phone, and such things.”

She nodded, hesitantly. “Sidra will be good company.”

Reg excused himself to go get dressed for church.

Frances checked with Fiona on which church they should attend, and was told, St. Bartholomew’s. “It is only a couple of miles from here, but is far enough away that the rest of the congregation will be strangers to us. Safer that way, I believe.”

Frances agreed. “Good thinking, Fiona. Do the others know?”

“Yes, They approved my choice, just like you; so now it is definite.”

“And Reg? Did he approve?”

“Sorry. Never thought to ask him. I assumed that if all the girls were okay with it...”

Frances admitted, “You are probably correct. It is best, though, to at least ask his opinion, Fiona, so that he feels included in the decision.”

“You are right again. Your choice as Chief Wife was justified.”

Reg appeared a few minutes later, and asked, “Where are we off to then, ladies?”

Fiona told him, “I suggested St. Bartholomew’s, and the girls seem to be happy with that, provided you are, of course.”

“Sounds fine. Do we know who the pastor is?”

“I rang the church office and was told that they had a visiting priest as their own is on sick leave.

I forgot to ask his name.”

The two cars took the family to St. Bart’s, and they trooped into the church. They were welcomed by a lady in a wheelchair, who told them to sit anywhere. The chose a vacant pew, and fully occupied it. By the time the service was timed to start, they still made up about a third of the congregation. When the visiting priest walked out from the vestry, they found that ‘he’ was a woman priest.