Chapter 7

It was in the eighth year of her marriage, two years after her youngest daughter, Rachel, had been born that Duke Gabriell passed away. There was a grand state funeral, and all of Gabe’s relatives and his noblemen attended. The entire family mourned his passing. Celia in particular was hard hit. Patrick assumed that it was because Celia had been so close to Gabriell. He had saved her life, and adopted her as his daughter after all. Patrick never realized that Celia was grieving for her lost Master, and the fact that she feared she would never see him again, even in another life.

Young Robert was the spitting image of his grandfather, Gabriell. Everyone in the family said so. The three girls were near identical images of their mother. Cecilia trained her children very well.

Patrick was content to allow Celia to raise the children as she saw fit, although he did take a hand with Robert. Celia had a free hand with the girls. She had them work in many different areas when they were not in school: the kitchen for cooking, the garden and fields in spring and fall. There was also the laundry, sewing and mending, house cleaning and decorating year round. Her reasoning for this being that the girls needed to be able to run a large house when they married. What she never told anyone was that she wanted them to experience life as a slave girl. One other thing that she drummed into her girls was obedience to, and love for Robert, especially to submit to him as a Master.

Robert was, without a doubt, her favorite. Celia taught him everything she knew about women. When he was fifteen, Celia took him to her bed and taught him about sex with a woman. Patrick was away at the time on a month long trip. Celia had stopped taking the black bean four weeks before. Soon after Patrick left, Celia took Robert to bed in her room. She had him fuck her daily until Patrick returned. She was reasonably sure that she was pregnant. She hadn’t felt well for three days in a row.

The night Patrick returned, Celia was in his bed and had him fuck her silly for the next four days. Since Patrick hadn’t had sex in a month while away, he didn’t mind at all. Celia had her fourth daughter, Ronda, nine months later. She also looked like her mother. Celia hoped desperately that she was Robert’s child, but could never be sure.

After having her fourth daughter, Ronda, Celia started her girls seeing Robert. Regina was first when she turned fifteen years old. She had a boy, Richard, just before she turned sixteen. Her father was incensed. Rebeca and Rachel both followed when they turned fifteen. They each had a girl by their brother by the time they were sixteen. Patrick was going crazy. Celia quieted him each time, and helped the girls with their babies.

Robert married a very nice girl from a nearby Barony, when he was nineteen. Celia found each of the three older girls a husband when they turned eighteen. Their babies were around two years old then.

Robert’s wife died six years after their marriage. It was a sudden illness and she was gone. They had one child, a daughter.

Regina’s husband died two years later. They had had no children. She still had her son, Richard, by Robert. Her father in law blamed Regina for his son’s death, and threw her out. He had not wanted to admit that his son was not the sterling individual he thought him to be. Patrick and Robert were all for shooting the man, but Celia calmed them down.

Celia suggested that Regina move back to the manor, and stay with Robert to raise his daughter and her son. They were both still young, and needed the help, Celia claimed. Celia made Regina stay on the black bean for a while fearing what Patrick would say if she got pregnant, again. Regina was as devoted to Robert, as her true Master, as Celia had been to Gabe. She desperately wanted another baby by him.

It was three years later, when he was fifty-four, that Patrick had an accident while riding. The horse, one of his favorites, spooked at something, they were never able to determine the cause, reared up, and then fell over crushing one of Patrick’s legs. He never recovered fully. His right leg healed but was never right again. He was unable to ride for more than a mile or so with the leg, and had a very bad limp. The leg was always stiff and bothered him a lot when the weather changed. Patrick turned the title, and running of his county over to Robert, who had been assuming more responsibilities for it every year. Patrick and Celia moved to a nice one story house behind the manor so he could more easily get around with his bad leg.

At the time he assumed the title, Robert was thirty years old. He moved into the Master Suite when his father and mother vacated it. Regina moved in with him. There would be no more pretending. She had loved Robert since she was a small girl. She had gladly borne him a son before she was sixteen. Now was her chance to do just that again.

Robert and Regina lost no time in having two daughters, and finally three years later a second son. Their first daughter was borne within a year of his becoming Count. The second daughter two years later, and finally a second son three years after that.

At the same time that Regina was pregnant, Celia brought Ronda to Robert to have him impregnate their daughter. She had turned fifteen. Ronda bore him another son, ten months later. Again both boys looked like their father and grandfather. Both girls also looked like their mother and grandmother.

Patrick was furious. He knew that neither Regina, nor Ronda had been far from the manor, and he was sure Robert was the father of the two children his daughters had born. He called Robert in for an explanation of his behavior. Robert made no secret of it at all.

“Father, I love all of my sisters very much. I have given each of them at least one child to seal that love. There was no coercion. The girls all love me, also. Regina loves me more than the others. When her husband died, she was thankful to move back here to be with me. I was all that she ever wanted. We’re very happy together. Mother has always sensed this, and allowed us to have our own way. We didn’t tell you exactly because we knew that this was the way you would react.

“Do not be angry, Father. The children have made us closer, and more in love than ever. No one else need ever know. I have adopted Regina’s son, Richard, and he’ll be the next Count. He’s the oldest of my children,” Robert told his father. He failed to mention that Ronda was his daughter through his mother, and that she was also his sister. Three years later Celia arranged for Richard and Ronda to be married. They had been having sex since before Ronda delivered Robert’s son, Paul. Celia had kept Ronda on the black bean for those three years. Richard and Ronda truly loved each other, and had several children. Ronda’s son, Paul, would inherit the title after Richard.

Eight years later, when Celia was fifty-eight, Patrick died. He had been in poor health ever since the accident. Celia had cared for him up through the last day. She moved back into the manor house after his passing, but to a bedroom in the back where she wouldn’t disturb any of the young people. She had an occasional male visitor, especially Robert who still loved his mother deeply.

Buckland County prospered greatly. Not so much from farming which was still good, but from its deer herds. They were the largest and best managed in the kingdom. After the wild dogs had been eliminated, they had repopulated rapidly. First Patrick, then Robert, and finally Richard had constructed hunting lodges for guests to stay in. There were professional guides, and trackers, on hand. Also there were butchers, tanners, and taxidermist to take care of the animals after they were brought in. There were also, now, the King’s foresters to assure that things were done legally.

The nobility from several surrounding kingdoms could be found there every year for the hunt. Few left disappointed. Many returned year after year, and brought their friends and relatives. It was not the sport of poor men though, and those who came could definitely afford it. Many never took the meat with them, just the head, horns, and hide. The people of Buckland enjoyed venison every year, prepared in its various ways.

A frail, seventy-five year old Cecilia lay on her bed in the Mistress Suite of Buckland Manor. She knew that her time was short. She had already lived longer than the majority of people on Brighid. She had requested as many of her descendants as possible to come for a final visit. There were many now: children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even great great grandchildren. She loved to see the little ones.

They had come, some from great distances. The hunting lodges were full, as was the inn in the town of South Buckland. This was the town that had grown up not far from the estate. Its residents were either her descendants, or those who worked at the hunting lodges, or tended the crops near the estate.

On this particular day, her descendants had all come to visit her in her rooms. The boys all resembled her Master, Gabriell. The girls all bore a close resemblance to her at her various stages in life. Of course there were differences, some were taller or shorter; heavier or thinner; with different eye colors, or shades of hair. Their amazement at their resemblance was something to see, especially among those from the more distant locations.