Chapter 24

The next morning after wonderfully relaxed lovemaking, Marion and Don decided to take a walk. Duchess had been sleeping in their room but had been so quiet they had completely forgotten she was there. Stopping by Doug and Karla’s room, they picked up Duke and the four set out toward the moor.

As they left the main door, they heard the sound of horses whinnying. The Duke looked at Marion and said, “Darling, I knew there was something I forgot to tell you. I actually have a horse or two in the stables. Want to see them?” Then he grinned and added, “There are a couple of horses there that got too old to pull a plow ... or something.”

Knowing she was being teased, Marion kissed him quickly and followed him around to the stables behind the castle. As they came closer to the stable with the wind at their back, the horses smelled the tigers and began to scream in fear. Although the Duke was puzzled, Marion knew exactly what the problem was and told Duke and Duchess to move so their scent was no longer being carried downwind to the stables.

Entering, Marion looked at the stalls and gasped. “Good grief, what beautiful horses!” she exclaimed. Then she punched Don on the arm and said, “Superannuated plow horses, I think you said? Hah! These horses are gorgeous.” There were ten horses, all trained as hunters, and none was over seven years old. To Don’s surprise, even though the horses were still frightened from the scent of the big cats, when Marion walked down the line of stalls, the horses stretched their necks to nuzzle her.

Don just stood at the door and watched in amazement. Seeing the reception she was receiving from the horses, he filled a bag with apples from a basket by the door and brought it to her. She grinned at him, winked, and proceeded to feed an apple to each of the horses. What an incredible girl! he thought. While she was going down the line of stalls, one horse, a tall, beautifully conformed black stallion, kept following her with his eyes. When she had given a treat to all of the horses, she returned to the black and asked Don the horse’s name.

At that point the trainer and the head groom came into the barn from the tack room. Both were surprised to see the Duke in the barn; he hadn’t been in it in over fifteen years.

Seeing the two men, Marion extended her hand and said, “Hi! I’m Marion Walker, the duke’s new mistress. I’ll be around the castle for a while, anyway.”

The two men initially were dumbfounded; the head groom recovered first. A small man — who looked like the former jockey he was — was in his late fifties with graying hair and piercing gray eyes. He almost gasped in amazement when he realized that the Duke seemed to have lost more than 40 years of age. Then looking again at Marion he decided that she must have been largely responsible for the incredible change. Not only did the Duke look much younger, but he appeared to be far happier than he had ever seen him. Moreover, the ineffable air of sadness that always surrounded him was gone, too.

Never had he seen his grace look so happy and contented. Marion was wearing only a tight pair of Levi’s and a sweatshirt with the U.S. Military Academy letters on it, along with a pair of moccasins.

Extending his hand he said, “Welcome to Prendwick Castle, Your Grace!” he said with real enthusiasm.

Then a note of warning appeared in his eyes and he continued, “But please be careful of Satan over there.” Looking at the horse who had been unable to take his eyes off Marion he said, “I’m afraid we may have to destroy him. He is utterly incorrigible! There’s not a soul around who can ride him for even one minute. I admit he’s a beautiful animal — that’s why he’s still around — but he’s a real terror.”

Marion greeted both men, and the Duke could see they were utterly captivated by both her beauty and her charm. Then Marion asked the groom, “Why did you call me ‘Your Grace’? I’m only the Duke’s mistress which is just a small step up from a whore.”

The groom took both of her hands in his gnarled ones, looked into her eyes and just shook his head. “I don’t know how His Grace ever got so lucky,” he said. “‘Whore’? You? Hah! I just look into your eyes and see incredible beauty and grace radiating out. And never have I seen a woman both so beautiful and so happy.”

“Thank you, John Fox,” she said softly. “You’re completely wrong about me, but thank you anyway.” Then with a very warm smile she said, “I heard what you said about Satan. And I’m sure you’re right, but I’m equally sure I can ride him. Would you mind?”

Then with a grin she added, “You see, I also have a secret weapon. Were you disturbed by the horses whinnying in fear a few minutes ago?”

The two horsemen looked at one another and Fox admitted they had been.

“That’s my secret weapon. Outside we have two Royal Bengal tigers sitting patiently waiting for us. I read somewhere that, while a tiger isn’t as fast as a cheetah, it can hit 50 mph, and can accelerate quicker than a quarter horse — and they’re far more agile, too.” With that she went into the tack room, picked up a saddle and bridle and returned to Satan.

“But, sir!” Fox protested. “Can’t you do something to stop her? She’ll be killed!”

“I don’t think so, John, but thank you for your concern. But have you ever met a man who could talk a woman out of anything? And Her Grace is far more stubborn than most.”

With that he just watched as she appeared to be whispering to the great horse. As she did, his ears were pricked and it was obvious he was listening to her. Gently she slipped the bridle over his muzzle. Without any prompting from her he even opened his mouth to accept the bit. Still talking to him quietly, she led him from his stall and out of the barn. Holding the bridle firmly, she called Duke over.

Although the horse’s eyes visibly widened in fear, he remained still beside her after just the smallest toss of his head. When the big cat sat down before him, she released the bridle and just held on to the end of the reins. To the utter amazement of the men, the horse bent his head down and Duke licked his neck. After nuzzling the tiger, Satan looked back at Marion as if to ask, “What’s next?”

Marion patted his neck, then put a foot in the stirrup and stepped smoothly up into the saddle. With Duke and Duchess trotting beside, the horse walked to the exercise ring. Once inside, Marion walked him around the ring and then took him up to a canter. After she felt he was sufficiently warmed up, she rode him out to the jumping area and proceeded to take him over a series of jumps at an ever-greater rate of speed. The horse, to the surprise of no one, took the most difficult jumps with incredible ease and grace. After walking him out for a bit, she took him back to the track and called over the two tigers.

With a shout of “Go!” she dug her moccasined heels into Satan’s flanks and he was off like a shot. But so were the tigers. Donald just shook his head in astonishment as the horse, flanked by the two tigers, raced around the track. As a testament to their incredible speed, with Satan going as fast as he could with Marion low over his neck and talking to him, the tigers were just loping along. It was apparent they could have left him in an instant had they wanted to.

After two laps around the track, Marion slowed the great horse to a canter and then a walk, while she patted his neck. Leaving the exercise area, she walked him back toward the stable where the men were waiting.

“What did you do to him?” John Fox asked incredulously. “What he just did is far better than we ever hoped for. And with Satan, we hoped for a lot. But what did you do?” he repeated.

“Oh, nothing,” Marion replied blithely. “I told him if he was a very good boy, I would give him another apple. I guess he likes apples,” she said with a shrug and the cutest grin Don had ever seen.

While she started to feed Satan an apple, Don asked, “When did you ever learn how to ride like that, darling? You were utterly magnificent!”

With her eyes wide she replied, “But darling, any prostitute who hopes to make it with a peer of the realm knows she must be able to ride.” Then she grinned and added, “I guess I had lessons when I was a little girl. But it’s been so long! I don’t think I’ve been on a horse in twenty years. And even then, the horses I rode were closer to plow horses than anything else. Satan is an utter dream!”

Then she said, “Darling, I know we were going to take a walk this morning, but the kids really need some exercise. And I think they move faster in their sleep than they can walking with us!” At that comment the two tigers who were sitting side by side in their house cat poses, both giggled.

Fox brought out a big black gelding for Don. After looking it over he said, “John, are you sure this animal was retired after he could no longer pull a plow? That’s the only kind of horse I can ride, and you know it.” Fox just grinned and gave the Duke a leg up.

Sitting in the saddle he said, “Darling, I think it’s been more than twenty years for me, and I couldn’t possibly keep up with you on my very best day.” To Fox he asked, “John, you’ve seen a lot of riders in your time. What do you think of my lady? Still afraid you’ll have to pick up the pieces?”

“No, Your Grace, I’m certainly not. This woman really knows horses! And as for her riding, I’m sure we have riders on our national equestrian team who aren’t nearly as good. In fact, I can name several off the top of my head.”

The two left the paddock area and rode out on the moor. For the horses it was an incredible treat. Although they were hunters, they were almost never taken beyond the small area bounded by the stable, the paddock, and the training ring. For Don, it was exhilarating to be riding beside Marion who was obviously having a wonderful time on Satan. After waiting for Don to warm up his mount, the two trotted together over the fields with the tigers loping along beside. Although Don’s horse was initially frightened of the tigers, he followed Satan’s lead. Since Satan was calm, so was Don’s mount, Blackie.

It came as absolutely no surprise to Donald to find Marion seeking out stone walls to jump. The two horses performed flawlessly. It seemed that they, too, were enjoying their unaccustomed freedom. They had been loping along a shallow valley when they heard the unmistakable sound of a shot fired from off to their right. Instantly, the two tigers bounded off in that direction while spreading apart to cover the greatest amount of ground. Guiding their horses up the rise, they eased them back as they approached the crest so they could see what they were getting into.

Looking over the crest they saw a stake truck backed up in the field with its loading ramp down. A sheepdog was rounding up a small flock of sheep and herding them toward it. But they could also see the shepherd, Jock MacGregor, sprawled on the ground. Nearby was his dog, Shep, lying as if dead. There were three men by the truck watching, one of whom had a gun in his hand.

Remembering the day in Central Park, Duke and Duchess worked as a team. Duchess moved to the left, away from the waiting men, while Duke moved around to the right. While still about 150 meters away from the men, Duchess stood on her hind legs and roared while clawing the air. The scream of the enraged Bengal tigress took the men by surprise. Startled, they watched as she bounded in their direction, changing direction with each bound. Meanwhile, Duke continued moving to his right and then attacked the men from the rear, concentrating on the man holding the pistol.

From the top of the ridge, Marion watched in amazement as the tiger sped toward the men. “My God!” she whispered. “Just look at him go! He must be hitting 50 miles an hour!”

When he was about fifteen feet from the man, Duke gathered himself and launched his 300 pounds of fury. With his paws extended but with his claws in, the great tiger hit the man like a truck, using his forelegs to cushion the impact. While it cushioned the landing for Duke, the man was driven face down into the ground as if he had been struck by a pile driver. For her part, Duchess stopped zigzagging and bounded straight for the remaining men.

Meanwhile, Marion had dug her heels into Satan, and the great horse galloped down the slope. As the men were about to flee, Marion called out, “I really wouldn’t move, if I were you. Not unless you’re very fast. The tiger that half-buried your friend was doing about fifty when he hit him. But if you don’t move, they’re not likely to hurt you.”

She paused for a moment for dramatic effect and then added, “Hell, they haven’t killed anyone in over six months. Have you, Duchess?”

The tigress had been pacing back and forth in front of the two men. Hearing her name, she stopped, opened her eyes wide and slowly shook her head back and forth. “Did you see that, guys? Now why don’t you do something smart for a change? Lie down flat on the ground, face down, with your arms and legs out straight.” Then to Duke she said, “And why don’t you gather the sheep into a nice tight bunch, young man?”

Duke advanced on the sheep and just moved in a slow circle around them. Sensing danger, the sheep huddled together for protection. Meanwhile, the sheep dog, who had started to protect the flock, recognized instinctively that Duke was not a danger, so he just lay down and watched. “That’s a good dog, honey,” Marion commented to Don. “He was going to take on Duke, regardless of his size, until he realized Duke wasn’t going after the sheep.” Don agreed.

Moving closer to Duchess, Marion communicated very softly that they were going to have some fun. With her face impassive, Duchess agreed with alacrity. Then aloud she said, “Now, Duchess, I want you to watch these men carefully. Make sure they don’t get away. But if they move, eat ‘em!”

With her eyes wide the tigress quickly shook her head and made a retching face. The two men on the ground were watching the animal in utter amazement. “I don’t care if they don’t taste good!” Marion exclaimed. “Eat them, anyway!”

Duchess just shook her head, with determination this time.

“Oh, all right!” Marion said in disgust. “You don’t have to eat them. And you’re right. I’m sure they’re not nearly as tasty as one of Barb’s pizzas.

“But you listen to me, young lady: If you don’t watch them carefully, there will be no pizza for you at all for a full week. Okay?”

Duchess dropped her head on her forelegs and looked like she was going to cry. In fact, two huge tears started to roll slowly down her furry cheeks. “Oh, all right!” Marion exclaimed. “But watch them. And you won’t dull your claws, either.”

Duchess looked at her forlornly and Marion added, “I know they stink, darling. At least one of them has already fouled his pants, and none of them were too clean to start with. But watch them!”

Marion and Don went to the cab of the truck. She found a cellular phone, checked to see that it was active, asked Don for the phone number of the police, dialed it, and passed it to him. When he looked at her with a question in his eyes, she just lifted her nose and said, “The last time you placed a call, the operator said, ‘Number, please?’!”

Don howled with laughter, then kissed her on the nose. When the phone was answered, he identified himself to the officer, told him of the attempted rustling of sheep and the injury to the shepherd and his dog. The officer said police, an ambulance, and a vet would all be on their way.

Returning to the men who were still face down — the one Duke had attacked was still unconscious — they found Duchess licking her fur.

“Would you stop that!” Marion exclaimed. “You’re watching prisoners, not primping for some ball. Besides, there’s not another Bengal tiger within hundreds of miles except for Duke, and he’s your brother, for Heaven’s sake!”

Duke, about twenty yards away with the sheep, growled at her. Duchess then stuck her tongue out at Duke, and then repeated it with Marion. “Now you stop that, this instant!” Marion exclaimed. “The idea! Sticking your tongue out at your mistress.”

Turning to the Duke she said, “Don, do something! Make her stop primping and tend to business.”

Don just shook his head sorrowfully and said, “Are you kidding? Me get a female to do anything? Hah! It’s a wonder I’m still awake. Lady, you kept me awake most of the night, trying to drain me dry. You’d think you’ve never been fucked before, for Heaven’s sake.”

Marion stuck her nose in the air and said, “That reminds me! You lied to me. You said you were drained dry, but then I was able to get you to cum three more times. And, Air Vice Marshal Sir Donald Duncan Whitfield, VC, DFC, KCB, Duke of Northumbria, I was a virgin! In fact, I think I’ll cut that bloody patch from the sheet and frame it!” With that she stuck out her tongue at him.

One of the men on the ground gasped. “My God!” he exclaimed. “You’re the Duke himself? But you can’t be!”

“Why can’t I be?” Donald asked, interested in the comment.

“Because he’s over eighty years old, and an invalid. He hasn’t been out of that castle in years!”

“That’s true ... at least partially,” Don agreed. “I am over eighty, and I haven’t been out of the castle in years, but I am not an invalid. As my mistress just testified.” Then he thought for a moment and added, “Of course, she’s trying her best to make me one again.”

Turning to Marion he asked, “Darling, I’m not an invalid, am I?”

Appearing to think she responded, “I’m really not sure, Don. Now let me think ... You took my virginity, then you came in my mouth, took me in the ass ... Then there were three or four more lengthy fucks...”

Trying her best to maintain a straight face she said, “Darling, I’m afraid you must be ... an invalid, that is. You didn’t cum even a dozen times last night.” After kissing him warmly — the men could see the electricity in their kiss — she said, “It’s either old age, or your invalid condition.” Then she rubbed her groin and said, “But darling, it was utterly exquisite!”

Then pretending to glare at him she added, “But what are you complaining about? I’m the one who almost fell on her face when I got out of bed this morning. My cunt hurt so much I couldn’t even touch it. But, of course, that was after our good-morning fuck. That was utterly delicious. I guess your passion was a bit drained by then, of course. When you entered me, it hurt terribly. But now I warm up pretty fast, so after your first couple of strokes, I was in heaven again.”

At this point the sound of police screamers could be heard. Looking up they saw a collection of flashing lights as a caravan of police cars and ambulances pulled up at the field. A constable jumped out of the lead car and came rushing over to them. Marion could see his eyes widen in fear as he caught sight of the two tigers.