Chapter 8: Three at Carlton Manor

All thoughts I’d had of returning home were wiped from my mind, knowing Ralph needed our support at the Manor while his mother was recovering from a brain haemorrhage!

Without Iris, it became clear, that as guest we would take our lead from Ralph; and although he was not yet seventeen Ralph responded surprisingly well in the absence of his dominant mother; making adult decisions.

I saw the last remnants of Ralph’s boyhood fall away, revealing a young man determined to impress himself on the situation at hand. My son Guy had always looked up to Ralph, and I too was seeing him in that light.

The sexual shenanigans we had been indulging in were put aside as the three of us formed a new working relationship in holding Carlton Manor together in the absence of Iris.

Ralph said it would be a good if I was able to exercise Pablo with his daily hack round the lanes. He said I’d find his mother’s jodhpurs, boots and jacket a good fit.

I was apprehensive, as my only riding experience was of going through the pony-girl stage; a fad usually ending with getting your first boyfriend; as it did for me. But Ralph sweet-talked me into doing it.

The following morning, he helped me tack-up. Then legging me up onto Pablo, he led me around the yard; enough to raise my confidence. Then with wave from both Ralph and Guy, I rode out of the yard on Pablo, and on through the lane without mishap. I was thrilled with myself. It was a beautiful day and being in the saddle I could see clear over the hedgerows to the Downs; smoky blue against the fluffy white clouds that stroked them as they passed through. Occasionally an oncoming car, upon seeing a rider, slowed down to a give wave; and one even called out, “Lovely Morning Iris!”

After the ride, I remembered to rub down Pablo’s coat with a brush. I also washed round his hind quarters with a soapy sponge, and although it caused the same erection I had seen before with Iris, Pablo had to forgo any treat for the time being.

Both Ralph and Guy could handle a tractor, and between them they transported some of the pigs to the slaughter depot a few miles away.

Later there was a barn’s drainage gully needing clearing and several other tasks to be seen to. We were all keeping ourselves busy, rather than thinking about what the future might be.

I spent the afternoon putting together the evening meal and eventually produced a roast-lamb dinner complete with fresh mint sauce and baked-apple tart from the allotment. It was very well appreciated by the two hungry lads, and I felt a satisfaction I’d almost forgotten about.

That evening, when bedtime came, Ralph suggested it was really boring to be all sleeping separately! He asked if there was any reason for us not to share Iris’s big bed?

And no one could think of one.

So that night I slept sandwiched between two delectably naked young males; although there was a considerable amount of sex conducted before I slept! My last thought before losing consciousness was how long could I hope for, before Iris returned?

Nearly ten days of domestic bliss had passed before the dreaded news came.

Iris had not survived the brain surgery, that had taken place to save her life.

Like a heavy black cloud, the realisation of her death descended upon the three of us at Carlton Manor.

Ahead of us lay her funeral; in the full glare of the tight-knit rural community who had known Iris from birth; knew about the illicit origins of Ralph; and were rather curious of the part Margot Chiverton and her son would play in the future of Carlton Manor?

The funeral was given a space in the Rural Gazette but the details were scant:

The turnout for the funeral of Iris Carlton-Hawes was substantial. It included not only those who had shared in her colourful and often dubious life and people she had dealt with on a business level, but also some of those she had made enemies of over the years.

Iris Carlton-Hawes had been an integral part of the district in her life of thirty-six years. But left behind her was her only son Ralph who was sole heir to the Carlton estate. He was accompanied at the funeral by his best friend Guy Chiverton and his mother Margot Chiverton; both whom now reside at the Manor as employees.

As time passed by, Margot riding Pablo around the lanes became a familiar sight and people found her to be a pleasant and sociable woman.

Then a new event for the county was launched by Carlton Manor that caught the imagination of local people; an annual summer Gymkhana to be held in the Manor grounds during the month of August! This caused much excitement and activity.

A little over two years after the death of his mother, Ralph Carlton-Hawes, aged nineteen, had his imminent marriage to Margot Chiverton announced in the Rural Gazette. It was the talk of the county.