Chapter 9: More Guests

The next day was Tuesday, and as the morning dawned, I was a veritable bundle of nerves, as Mrs. Pembleton was to arrive by mid-morning. I knew I was being incredibly silly, for I had nothing whatsoever to prove. I had done well, was in love and to be married to a wonderful man and had found a place in the world which suited me quite marvelously. Yet, regardless of these circumstances, I felt as if I was about to be graded by a schoolteacher!

As was my normal routine, I woke slightly before James and became very aroused by his naked body lying beside me in our bed, so after licking his cock to stiffness, I disdained my normal suckling and straddled his waist, throwing aside our covers and mounting him for an early morning canter. James provided a most wonderful ride, alternating a slow and steady pace with a rather brisk trot. I was so pleased with this romp, that afterwards, I stayed in the saddle until James’ stallion was fit for a second excursion, one that was both longer and more lively, and left us both heaving with exertion.

It was afterwards, as we left our bed to dress and break our fasts, that I remembered that my former headmistress would be arriving shortly, and I suddenly lost any semblance of calm I might have possessed. Summoning Jenny and Bessie, I scampered to my apartments, to bathe and dress, much to James’ vast amusement. This seemed, and still seems, most unfair. Gentlemen need only dress in a clean and decent suit of the appropriate color to be ready for any contingency. A woman, on the other hand, faces an infinitely more complex set of choices! Regardless, I tried on several different outfits, not wishing to appear too young, nor too old, neither overdressed nor too casual, attempting to show breeding and taste. When I finally did come downstairs, I was far too nervous to eat, and I remember asking James why we could not go to the train station to retrieve Mrs. Pembleton ourselves.

“Caroline,”, he answered with a loving exasperation, “Why in the world do you think we have hired practically every coachman between Albany and Montreal? If we were to go to the train station to greet every guest coming, we would be living there, and they would be enjoying our wedding without us! Now, will you sit down? You are wearing a hole in the carpet, and I have completely run out of money and cannot buy another rug!”

James was quite useless, so I rushed upstairs and changed my dress again, then came downstairs. I was in the process of asking his opinion when he stood and pointed me towards the door. “I hear a carriage. Go see who it is.” I scampered outside, and my fiancée ambled slowly behind me.

It was indeed Mrs. Pembleton, and by the time I reached the driveway, she was slowly alighting from the coach while staring in amazement at the estate. As soon as I saw her, I knew my worries were, in fact, terribly groundless, since she was the same loving and warm person who had taught me so much for so many years, being practically a second mother during my most formative time. “Good heavens!” she exclaimed, seeing me approach. “You’ve done well for yourself, child!”

I burst into laughter at this, and she gathered me into her arms for a fierce embrace and a kiss to my cheeks. I admit to tears at this reunion, but was somewhat surprised to see, when I drew back, tears in her eyes as well. She cupped my face in a hand, and said, “Saints preserve me, but you had me so worried when you went away! You were so young, and to be traveling so far, with no idea what you would find when you got here. I was so scared for you! I wanted so much to have you stay on longer!”

“Then you would have been but wasting your time, Madame, attempting to gild a lily. By my lights, you have produced the most perfect of all women, and could have done no better,” announced James as he approached with a smile on his noble countenance and a hand extended in friendship. “Welcome to our home.”

“Mrs. Pembleton, let me introduce you to James MacAllister, the man I intend to marry. James, this is Mrs. Pembleton, my headmistress at school.”

“Really? I thought you were simply in the habit of hugging and kissing total strangers,” he joked. He turned to Mrs. Pembleton and said, “Seriously, Caroline has told me so much about you and your wonderful school that I knew we had to have you come. If your other students become but half of what Caroline is, then England is a most blessed place indeed.”

“Silver tongued devil, isn’t he?” she remarked to me, then Mrs. Pembleton gave James a brief hug and a kiss, then turned back to me for another, as well. Then she pulled away and set me back at arm’s length, saying, “Now, let me get a good look at you! It has been almost a year since you came to live among the barbarian hordes, and I want to see how you are holding up.”

I laughed at this and took the opportunity to see how she was aging as well. I was not very sure of her age, simply aware from various conversations of what she had seen over the years, that she was somewhere between fifty and sixty years of age, putting her on a par with Mister Singh. She was of medium height, plump though not fat, buxom and pleasantly padded but with a waist that might have been corseted but was slender, nonetheless. She wore her gray hair in a bun at the back of her head, but it neither looked grayer nor thinner, and the twinkle in her blue gray eyes was still as pronounced as it ever had been. She still looked the picture of a woman with a zest for life and a joy for living, and again I thanked my parents for choosing her school for my education.

“My lord but look at you now. You’ve gone and grown up on me. You were such a babe when you went off, and here you are getting married!” James led us inside, detailing a pair of young workmen to bring in the luggage and trunks, and Mrs. Pembleton gaped curiously as we entered the parlor. Leaning towards me, she whispered into my ear, “Well, I can tell you have obtained the income. Now, which of these brawny, young lads takes care of the vigor?”

I gasped at this, in delight, laughing at James’ mystification. It had been one of the oldest of jokes at school that when we married, we should be allowed two husbands, the first, an older gentleman with an income, the second, a younger man to provide us with ‘vigor.’ Mrs. Pembleton chuckled and grinned at me, and I whispered back, “James is extremely vigorous. Extremely!”

She eyed him curiously, and said, “Hmmm! Really?” this was loud enough for James to hear, though he did not understand, which only made our laughter at his expense even more delicious.

I led her into the parlor, saying, “Really. Now, how was your trip?”

“Excellent. There was this wonderful young Italian steward. Quite vigorous! Speaking of which, where is that delightful Mister Singh of yours? Did he make it back from Arabia?”

We shrieked in laughter at this scandalous allusion, and I took my headmistress into my charge, escorting her to her room and helping her settle in. We spent several hours becoming reacquainted, and gossiping, passing on news of students past and present, and delighting in relating the marital status and prospects of all the recent graduates. I had left school earlier than most, but it was Mrs. Pembleton’s opinion that I had (or was about to, I should specify) married quite well, perhaps the best prospect in recent years.

Siobhan and I took the opportunity after lunch to introduce Mrs. Pembleton to a few of the ‘brawny, young lads’ around the house, so that she could get some more ‘vigor.’ It was, in point of fact, Siobhan’s idea to introduce Mrs. Pembleton to ‘Little David’, one of the most vigorous of the stable workers. This is really a misnomer. Little David is rather short, but unclothed could actually be called Goliath, for he has the most enormous cock I have ever seen! Though I had never partaken, as I had never been touched by a man other than my beloved, I had witnessed him taking one of the girls once, and it truly classed as the Eighth Wonder of the World! When together, Excalibur and the other studs became quite jealous. Siobhan, like most of the girls, had essayed the attempt once, and she commented that while she was glad she had done it once, she was also glad not to do it twice. This proved somewhat troublesome to the young man, who was really quite pleasant, since relatively few of the ladies of the household were able to accommodate him. He could prove the perfect quenching for my former headmistress’ fire!