Chapter 8

Rory

When the others came down stairs everyone, and especially my mother, was impressed by my Highland regalia. My mother had tears in her eyes when she saw me and she said that I looked so like my father when I was dressed like that. Then she smiled a watery sort of smile and told me that she thought my great grandmother would have been thrilled to see me wearing the Macgregor tartan, Rebecca's Dad laughed when he saw how his daughter had dressed for the part of a highland lass and told her she was being her usual dramatic self.

I pointed out that she suited the role and looked extremely beautiful in it and that earned me a kiss in front of everybody. As she kissed me I realised that she had never done this before and felt that she was perhaps making the same kind of statement to them as she had made to me at five o clock in the morning. If so then our relationship had indeed taken a big step forward.

Christmas dinner was a very happy affair and afterwards everybody gathered round the television to listen to the Queen's Christmas Message. She reminded us all that while we were enjoying our Christmas dinner our troops serving in Afghanistan were putting their lives in danger in the service of the country. She said that she knew that many people had reservations about our being there. She told us this was not confined to the civilian population. She had no doubt that some of our soldiers might well wonder at times why they were there also. Nevertheless they did their duty and put their lives on the line in the service of their country and risked not only pain to themselves but also for their families if they were wounded or killed.

As a grandmother of two serving soldiers, one of whom had been in Afghanistan for a short period of time and may well be going back there in the near future, she herself knew firsthand what the families were going through while their sons and daughters were on active service. She hoped that it would be the prayer of all of us that what they were doing would bring peace and a new prosperity to that troubled land.

Then she went on to say that in times of economic crisis many of her subjects were experiencing difficulty and even hardship. She went on to make the plea that we would all seek to support one another and be on the lookout for ways in which we could offer a helping hand to those most in need. She reminded us that Jesus had said that if we reached out to help those of our fellow citizen who most needed it, then as much as we did it to one of the least of our brothers and sisters, so we did it to him.

There was much discussion on what she had said afterwards. Mr McFarlane's brother had put forward the thought that she might be skating on political thin ice and be seen to be backing Mr Cameron's Big Idea that we should all be getting involved in the service of our community. I put in my tuppence worth and said that she was only advocating the concerns which the Macfarlane family sought to express in their community by accepting responsibility for the well being of their community by doing all they could to make sure the business prospered, not merely for their own livelihood and well being but for the well being of the whole community.

I think this Impressed Mr. McFarlane for he gave me an approving look and backed me up by reminding everyone of what he had said to me at my earliest meeting with him. He was not in business merely to make money but to provide jobs and security for the people of his community.

Once the discussion of the Queen's speech had petered out there was an exchange of presents and Rebecca displayed the locket that I had given her and relayed the story about it, including the fact that my great great grandmother had the gift of second sight. The McFarlane family was really impressed with this gift and had made the same observations that we were letting a very precious family heirloom pass into another family's hands. My lady butted in at this point and said this was not necessarily so, because if her scheming father's wicked plans for her came to fruition, she would end up marrying me and become a Macgregor who had been charged with carrying on the family tradition of passing it on.

Everyone laughed at this but I saw Mr. McFarlane had a very pleased expression on his face and I felt that he had read into my lady's statements what I felt and hoped was more and more likely to become a reality. If she meant what she said this morning then one day I would indeed wed her. I think this was reinforced for him by the fact that she took my hand in hers while she made the statement. Just to reinforce things further, I leaned over and kissed her as she had kissed me earlier and I think this made it clear to everyone that I would be very pleased if that indeed was the outcome. By the looks on the faces of my mother and Rebecca's mother, it was obviously their hope as well.

Rebecca

Today was interesting. The family thought Rory looked well in his highland outfit. They were also impressed with his gift to me and the story behind it. When my dad pointed out that this was a precious heirloom they were passing outside the family. I think he was shocked and pleasantly surprised when I told him that this was not necessarily the case, for if his scheming worked and Rory and I married as he hoped, then I would become a Macgregor and as custodian of the locket would be responsible for keeping it or passing it on. When I said this Rory leaned over and kissed me and all the members of our family seemed really pleased by this turn of events.

I was impressed by Rory too. After the queen's speech where she called for everyone to show concern for their neighbour; in the discussion which followed he pointed out that this is precisely what McFarlane Enterprises sought to do. They were not in business just to make money but also to try and ensure that the people of this community had jobs and to maintain the prosperity of the area so that the community could be looked after. This brought home to me in a new way how much responsibility would eventually be placed on our shoulders if we did become a husband and wife team charged with maintaining this philosophy.

I know we are young and things can change and I know I have said this before, but the more Rory comes out of his shell and the more he reveals his talents, his concerns, and his compassion for others, the more I am impressed with his maturity. I think it is rubbing off on me as I more readily accept the role my father is asking me to adopt and the responsibilities that come with it. He makes me feel more equipped for the task that will be gradually laid on my shoulders especially when I know that he has pledged to be with me and share in the carrying of these burdens. The more he reveals of himself, the more I come to love him and the more I want to be with him.

We have been together for over two months now and have spent so much time together in that period that we have really got to know one another. The good thing about this is that we have come to accept one another for the people we are. This means the love we feel for one another is a love that accepts us with our faults and failings and not just for those good qualities we have. I would never have thought like this or been able analyse our relationship like this before being forced by my brother's death to respond to the challenges dad has placed before me.

A big part of the change within me has been brought about through my relationship with Rory and the influence this has had on my thinking. As I reflected on this I began to giggle and said to myself, listen to you philosophising about your life and relationships my girl. But you should confess there is much more to it at the emotional level. He turns you on in a big way sexually and when he gave you that precious locket and told you the story behind it you were ready to jump his bones. You even promised that you would do it soon. I laughed to myself, for just thinking about it, was making me wet and I decided that I was not going to delay any longer, but was going to take his virginity and give him mine. I grinned and thought I will have fun with him and do it my way.

The next day my parents were going to visit my mum's parents and take them their presents. Once they had left I phoned Rory and asked him if he could come round and spend the day with me. I dressed carefully in a short skirt and cotton jumper, leaving of my bra and my panties. He would not be aware of this at first because the skirt was long enough to hide the fact that there was nothing beneath it and the Jumper though cotton hid the fact that I was not wearing a bra. If I did not move around to energetically and have my breasts jiggling about he would be none the wiser.

When he arrived, we sat in the kitchen and I poured us coffees and we talked about the events of the day before. When we had finished I put the dishes in the dishwasher as our house staff were still on holiday, and I took his hand and led him upstairs to my bedroom. When I had shut the door behind us I handed him two empty cellophane strips which had obviously housed pills but were now empty.

"This is the second part of your Christmas present," I told him.

He looked at me puzzled obviously wondering what the significance was of two used strips for pills was.

"These two strips," I told him, "Contained two months supply of birth control pills and I finished taking them the week before Christmas and this means it is now safe for me to have sex."

I could see that the significance of the strips now dawned on him and he looked at me with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. I could understand this, because both of us were virgins and I was feeling much the same. However I was determined not to show it.

"Rory Macgregor," I said, "I want you to take off all your clothes and I want you to do it now so that I can watch you."