Chapter 3

Venerable Hall

Elizabeth returned home to find a single of letter for her attention. It was from Edward. It said he was staying at their place in London to be near his doctor's office. He thought he had picked up the flu or some other lung ailment. Apparently, the doctor wasn't particularly concerned, but he needed the bed rest.

Three days later, Edward returned from London but still looked weak and ill to her. She sent him to bed again and this time called for the local practitioner. Maybe he could make a lucky guess. Edward was improving but the progress was slow.

Three days later, Oliver handed her a letter addressed to William from Mathew. She opened it wondering how her visit would be mentioned, if at all.

Dear Father:

Adam and I survived another round of tests apparently designed to keep us always prepared by continuous study. Elizabeth visited for a couple of days a fortnight ago and it seems to have done a lot of good for Adam. She bought him a much needed desk and chair which does help.

Elizabeth mentioned an interest in your two most recent research reports. I hope you don't mind if I mentioned them. The subject came up in conversation.

... in regards to the smell problem you mentioned. I think I ran into something like that about three weeks after we arrived at Boorum. I smelled something or someone in the cafeteria. At the time I felt compelled to find the source. That part I remember clearly. But the smell, if that's what it was, faded. I don't have any idea what I would have done had I found out who it was...

Oh, yes you do, Mathew, Elizabeth thought. You're fudging the truth. You know now that there would have been a ravished girl laying somewhere on the campus. Elizabeth giggled, thinking that whether that girl was smiling or not could have been any one's guess, but she certainly would have felt well-used.

Elizabeth scanned the rest and found nothing to her interest. Opening other people's mail, she found, could be very entertaining.

Two days later, the butler handed her two lengthy research reports, saying only, 'the groom', and another letter. She didn't recognize the sender. It was only 'L'.

My Love,

The constable friend of mine, the same one who is hopelessly in love with me, has found you again. I won't intrude on your life but I thought you might like to see a picture of me and my son. My husband is very proud of him. He is three now.

It will never be again as it was.

Love Always, L

Your son, my ass, Elizabeth thought. This has to be one of the young girls he ravished in his office. I thought he only sucked. She looked at a picture of a beautiful girl who couldn't be twenty, standing and holding the hand of a handsome little boy.

Elizabeth kept walking around the library reading the reports for the second time. The first one had covered in detail what each farm crop required in the various nutrients to grow well. Then it had discussed common english soil and the amounts of the various nutrients generally found there. Last, Mr. Willets showed the various depletion rates and what nutrients were re-supplied to the soil when it was plowed back under after the crop was harvested. He also called explicitly for soil sampling to determine the condition of the fields.

The paper was so well thought out and written that the conclusions were obvious. Crop rotation and occasionally re-seeding with a scrap crop to make up for specific depletions. An alternate, if it could be afforded was certain types of commercial fertilizers. Why didn't their overseer know all of this? Or, at least suspect that it was happening. The crop yields on their land had been going down for years.

The second report covered something he called contour plowing to stop the loss of both nutrients and top-soil to field run off. The other subject in the same paper was watching the grain markets for indications of the most profitable crop to grow and then the art of hedging to lock in the price of the harvest. Again it was explained so that even she could understand its significance.

Elizabeth was so stunned by what she had read that she stayed up all night thinking about it. In the morning she spoke to her husband about the reports and what she proposed doing. He reluctantly concurred that something drastic needed to be done.

Venerable Stables

Elizabeth returned the reports to Mr. Willets.

"I want to thank you for the use of these reports. I found them very interesting."

"Thank you, Mrs. Venerable."

"Since we are now going into the non-growing season, how long do you think it would take to setup a system like you've advocated here on our acreage?"

"It's just a matter taking soil samples first and then making a plan for the total land. With some left fallow, of course."

"How much should a person who could setup such a plan be paid?"

"I would say a fair percentage of the increase in yield over the life of the plan. Anything else would be reducing the value of years of work, wouldn't you think?"

Elizabeth looked musingly at the paddock. "2%?"

William, contemplating his thumb, said, "15% for a five-year plan."

"Well, we certainly went to hard negotiations quickly."

"Ma'am, we're talking about a percentage of increased profits, not taking 15% of your land in payment. If there is no increase, 15% of nothing is nothing."

"10% is the best I can do and you'll be able to keep your job here at the stable, just in case the plan doesn't work."

"Done. I'll start tomorrow."

"Thank you, William. Now that we'll be working closely on implementing the plan, you may as well call me Elizabeth."

Elizabeth recalled, as she was walking away, that William had shifted up-wind of her when she had first gone into the stable. She shivered and smiled. Maybe he had saved her life by keeping her from getting licked to death.

Boorum Academy

I was having my own problems at school. The last class of the day was finished and I was eating the cheap dinner when the scent wafted across me. Again, I felt compelled to trace it down. I wandered around the outside of the eating hall until I picked it up again. It led me out the side door. I walked quickly behind a string of students exiting the dining hall, passing them. Then losing the smell I was forced to slow down knowing I had over-run whoever it was. There it was again and my worse fears were being realized. The only girl left in front was a dumpy with two arm loads of books. I veered left and then right and lost the odor either way. She must have been the one I smelled weeks before.

My mouth was filling with saliva as my focus sharpened and narrowed down to the target. Maybe I still had enough presence of mind to try and seduce her, quickly.

I stayed out of her wake and breathed deeply trying to flush the odor from my lungs. I said, "Hi, my name is Matt."

She turned around but then continued walking, now

backwards. "Yeah, and you're the third lurid

proposition I've gotten this afternoon."

Maybe it would have been a cute face if she wasn't 30 pounds over-weight. I could see the bulges in her dress where the rolls of fat were. She only came up to my chin at best.

"Really?" I said.

"Very funny, butt hole, look at me."

I could almost taste her I was so close. I was no longer completely rational. "Look. If you don't let me lick between your legs, I'll have to drag you into the bushes and do it anyway."

She looked hard at the handsome boy, not believing what she was hearing. She looked around for the rest of the guys who had put him up to this. Just because she didn't see them didn't mean they weren't there. What the hell, she could go along with a good joke. Maybe they would be the ones embarrassed for a change.

"Sure, I do this stuff all the time. Are these bushes all right?"

She walked between the bushes to the wall of the building and leaned against it. She didn't even bother setting her books down. Anytime now the others would arrive, force her to her knees and make her suck them all off. It had happened more than once where she used to live. Besides, she kind of liked sucking cock. At least she would feel wanted, for something.

A few minutes later her books were all over the place and she was staring at the top of his head in amazement. This guy was serious. He was sucking her and he obviously liked it. She was panting and felt her knees going soft and weak. But the guy followed her down. God, she loved this boy. She shuddered and her hands on his head were the only way she kept upright.

God, she tasted good. I couldn't get enough of her. I was damn near laying on the ground for better access when she fell on top of me and just quivered. I had lost track of time. I needed to study tonight and it was already dark. The girl rolled off of me still panting. This had been foolhardy. I could be in jail right about now. I had no idea why she hadn't started screaming. This is the second time that I've gotten a reprieve. I got up quickly and retrieved my few papers and walked out to the path to my bungalow. I felt a hand tugging my shirt.

"Look, I live in bungalow 9; at the end. Jesus, you're welcome anytime, I live alone. Where do you live? Damn you, don't desert me now, or I'll scream, so help me."

"Don't yell. Bungalow 6. I have a room-mate." I started to move off quickly toward my bungalow.

"Hey, Matt? I can do other stuff, honest."

Venerable Hall

Oliver handed Elizabeth the letter without batting an eye. But she knew he would keep quiet. It was a letter to Mathew. Again she opened it and skimmed through it looking for things of interest.

Dear Matt:

I have an additional assignment here for Mrs. Venerable. She has asked me to develop a five-year plan for raising the crop yields on her family's lands. Maybe my research will be proved out after all, and by me...

... must give you a direct warning since you have encountered someone with the pheromones I talked about. My father's quip about running applies here. Otherwise you could end up in jail. The chances you had of meeting one on campus was statistically small but as you found out, it happens. Just recognize her and then stay up-wind. Always be on guard.

On the same subject, it is what happened to me at Minhurst school for ladies. I had known there was always a danger being in a classroom with twenty pubescent girls. I tried to minimize it by leaving the side windows and the hall door open to create a breeze way. But since I had never really encountered one before, I was basically just going through the motions relying on my father's word. I would on occasion think he was trying to keep me away from all women until I got married.

But then I was married for ten years with you as a wonderful result. Your mother died. Then two years later my trouble started. I want to say that the girl involved was not the trouble. I loved her then and I love her now. She was and is too young for me. I loved every minute I was with her and I'm sure she felt the same about me. I noticed her in one of my classes the previous year. She was beautiful, vivacious, and a good student. Very mature for her age, which would embarrass me to mention.

The next year she took another class from me even though it wasn't required for her concentration. One day she came to my office after class. She just walked in, closed the door and told me she loved me. Then the smell overcame me. I had already been very attracted to her. But the smell can be so overwhelming and completely arbitrary. Believe me it wouldn't have mattered if she had been as ugly as a post.

I'll leave out the sordid details and just say that I loved her as often as I could get her alone with me. We both wanted it. However, one of the office administration women became suspicious after seeing her in my office too often. As I hope you never come to realize, the smell makes you lose most of your control. And, I might add, most of your common sense.

The woman confronted me and hinted that she would keep it to herself if I did the same things with her. She was pleasant looking, but I wasn't really attracted to her. I should have lied and bluffed but I couldn't. I felt

guilty, Son, so I did the same things to her. It wasn't the same for me but she was ecstatic. Her demands, over a period of time, escalated to the point where I had to tell her I wouldn't see her any more.

She told the dean what I had been doing, adding that she had also been accosted. I was fortunate not to be jailed. My young friend adamantly denied it to protect me. I was guilty, Son, so I took the offered way out and resigned. The Constables still show up wherever I am to try to get me fired.

When you're back here for the Christmas holidays, we can discuss it more, but only if you want. Always be on your guard. The compulsive behavior caused by pheromones is real, but I believe it can be modified and, perhaps, completely conquered by will-power.

If what I've said up to now hasn't got you worried, I have another more immediate concern for you. I am quite sure that Mrs. Venerable and her daughter have the 'smell'. Be careful, stay upwind, and remember that our livelihood depends on them not being offended by our behavior.

I'm looking forward to your return for the holidays. William

P.S. The back of the barn needs to be

whitewashed, too.

Elizabeth re-sealed the letter. It's too late, William, she mused.

Boorum Academy

Adam was looking forward to the holidays for several reasons. The first was that studying was still a grind. And, he needed a break and wanted to see his family again. He especially wanted to see if Jennifer was being finished by that school she was attending. He doubted it.

Adam knew that Matt was seeing the little dumper in B9. He had never mentioned it directly. Twice though he had heard him getting up late at night and leaving. He had even watched him enter the girl's place. At least Matt was getting some. Adam expected to get a little when he got home for the holidays too.

His special wasn't a little girl though. It had been blind luck that he had observed Emily giving Jennifer one of her frequent baths. The woman was too thorough and enjoyed it too much. Jennifer had just stood there, completely oblivious. The three not so little kisses at the end of her bath had produced in him a very stiff reminder that he was uninitiated in sex.