Chapter 21

What happened next must have seemed like a dream to Marie. First, Sally went to the door and left through it ... stark naked. Then, a few minutes later, she returned, followed by Nigel, Jack and Hugh. I was unaware of it, but Stephan was currently unavailable for this task, by virtue of the fact that he was with Suzette, in her room. Her broken limb was still healing, and he spent as many hours with her as possible, even doing some of her work. Likewise, Charley was currently secreted in Jane's room. Her infatuation with Nigel had faded after the latest picnic, and now she craved the weight of Charley's body on top of her as she "practiced" for marriage.

Of course Marie was horrified, initially, and shrank in on herself as she saw the men. Jack and Nigel were figures of authority, in her mind, having a more elevated status. Hugh she simply knew as "the new man" who somehow shaped iron into such beautiful configurations.

Penny must have figured that her shyness would pass somehow, because she ignored Marie and addressed the men, standing in her tub like it was a poor version of Cleopatra's barge, with the water on the inside instead of the outside.

"Gentlemen," she addressed them, and I smiled. They did not deserve that title, and all except Marie knew it. How they must have loved playing these games that elevated them much beyond their proper status. "Marie has suggested that no man could find her attractive. I do not agree with her on this issue, however when I ask your opinion as men, I demand that you give my own no particular weight. I do not expect you to agree with me simply because I am your mistress. Is that understood?"

There was a general murmur of agreement from the direction of the men, who somehow made it look as if what was going on was completely innocent and normal, as if they were called upon to make such judgments on a routine basis.

"That said," Penny went on, "I urge you to be gentle with her. All women fear they are unattractive, at times, and it would be cruel to simply say that."

Jack stepped forward. Within seconds after he began speaking, I was quite sure it was a rehearsed speech.

"My Lady," he said, rending a tiny, stiff bow to the naked woman in the bathtub. "I am trained to judge horse flesh, rather than woman flesh, but I have instincts that may aid me in complying with your instructions." He walked to within a few feet of the cluster of naked women around the tub. Marie almost crouched, trying to hide herself.

"Give me your hand, please," he said to the frightened girl, extending his own.

She did so, tentatively. I'm sure it was completely out of training to do what one was told to do.

"Stand," he ordered. "I won't be cruel to you."

Little by little, her body straightened. One hand stayed where it protected those bulging, flowering labia, but eventually she stood tall. Again, I was convinced he had been instructed to say only nice things, no matter what he saw, but I could see in his widened eyes that he was as surprised - and elated - at her form, as I had been. He was actually struck dumb for a few seconds. What he said next wasn't rehearsed. I could tell that too.

"I am astonished," he said. "I had no idea." He turned his face to Penelope. "All this has been hidden from us."

"I do need to do something about the uniforms," said the mistress, as if it were all her fault that Jack had arrived at his first conclusion. "I just haven't had time, yet," she went on, quite pragmatically. I almost laughed, her standing there stark naked, among six servants. "She says she'll never have a husband. Do you agree?"

Jack actually laughed out loud. I think it startled everyone in the room.

"That's the most preposterous thing I ever heard," he said. He actually lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, as if she were a noblewoman. "You're beautiful," he said, simply. Even I could tell he meant it. He turned to Nigel, as if the two of them had this kind of discussion routinely. "What do you think, Nigel? Am I wrong?"

"Nay," said Nigel, softly, as he stepped forward. His eyes darted to Jenny and I saw the hussy wink at him! "I am smitten with Jenny," he said, "but with all due respect to her, it is good she stole my heart before I saw Marie like this."

"What about you, Hugh?" asked Sally boldly. "You are betrothed to me. Surely you think she is a homely wench."

Hugh came forward to kiss his betrothed soundly on the lips.

"I will always love you," he said. "But I cannot lie and hurt poor Marie's feelings. I confess my member stiffens in my trousers at her loveliness. Do you hate me?" His question came out in an unmanly whine.

"No," she sighed. "I find her gorgeous in the extreme. I am jealous of her."

Marie's eyes bulged. I wondered that she did not faint dead away.

"That is settled, then," said Penelope, firmly. "All that remains is that we find her a suitable mate."

Just like that, Penelope assumed the role of matchmaker. No one questioned either her wisdom or right to do so.

"Any man would be happy to entertain the thought," said Jack, "could he but see her like this. I must say, though, that she has a frail look to her. I fear I would crush her if I lay with her."

"Likewise," said Nigel.

"I would never think of lying with her," said Hugh, his voice full of innocence.

"Liar," said Sally. "You admitted your pathetic little cock stiffened when you saw her."

"But I would never try to use it with her. You are my only love," he complained.

Penny, finally stepped out of the tub. Jack reached for a towel and dried her, as if it were completely normal for a groom to dry a noble lady. His motions made me think of currying a horse. As he used the towel between her legs, he leaned to kiss her neck where it joined her shoulder. She shuddered, and pushed him away, but not angrily.

"The point is," she said, also acting like his attentions were quite normal, "that it is unknown whether her admittedly lithe body can take the attentions of a man." She looked at Marie. "Have you ever lain with a man in sexual congress?"

Marie again looked horrified. I think it was quite easy for her to assume that visage.

"Of course not, My Lady!" she gasped, weakly.

"Well, that is fine, in terms of marketing you to a potential mate as being a virgin," she said, reasonably, "but has it occurred to you that, if you have trouble submitting to your husband's rights, it could be an awful start to your marriage?"

"My marriage?" Marie had a hard enough time visualizing herself married, much less submitting to her husband.

"We have established that you are a good candidate for marriage. Don't you want to have a husband?"

Marie blinked. "I just never thought..."

"Well, all that has changed. Now you must begin thinking like a woman, planning for your future. And one of the things you want to plan for is having a marriage bed you enjoy going to, rather than the opposite."

Marie simply blinked, looking helpless.

"Don't be frightened," said Penny, suddenly solicitous. She put her arm around Marie's shoulders, pressing her generous, no doubt hot breast, against the girl's shoulder. It was a sign of the girl's complete inability to cope with the situation that she didn't even seem to notice that naked flesh against her own. "We'll help you be prepared for that day, whenever it comes."

"You will?" There was sudden hope in Marie's voice.

"Have you ever seen the act of sexual congress?" asked Penny.

"No," whispered the girl.

"Then perhaps that should be the first thing that is resolved." The Mistress looked at Sally. "Could you be persuaded to join with your intended, as an example of what may be expected in a marriage bed?"

It was as outrageous a request as ever I had heard. It should have put Marie in a dither. It should have put them all in a dither. But all Sally did was tilt her head, and put one finger on her jaw, obviously reflecting on the request, and then say, "If it would be to her benefit, I would happily do so. I remember how frightened I was by the contemplation of my first act of sexual joining."

See how the vile woman taught her underlings to create a sense of normalcy in their degradations?!

Nobody asked Hugh what he thought about it. In fact, when all three men were instructed to disrobe, so that Marie could receive an education in the differences in male members, nobody blinked an eye at that either. Soon the room was filled with seven naked bodies. Three of them, the males, were obviously prepared to engage in ... sexual congress.

Marie was taken along the line of men as if they were horses on display, and being judged. Features other than the genitals were discussed. They started with Hugh, who somehow knew to be at the front of the line. He was compared with Nigel, whose cudgel was twice as thick, and twice as long as Hugh's. Hugh was circumcised, while Nigel was not, and that difference was both pointed out and displayed, in terms of manipulating the skin on the tip of Nigel's prod. The men stood, docile, hands on hips, staring straight ahead, as if this sort of thing happened daily. But that seemed to put Marie at ease, somehow, as if they were merely inanimate dolls, who could take no notice of her.

Muscles were compared, and the anticipated weight of the bodies upon the supine form of a woman was discussed. Also discussed were ways the woman could inform the man he was too heavy, and to resolve that problem. Then they got to Jack's curved saber, which had to be compared to the other two. The similarities of the tip with Hugh's were obvious, but the differences were obvious too.

"They are brothers," said Penny, "but you wouldn't know it by looking at their manhood. The delightful thing about all men is that each is unique, when it comes to his marital tool. Whoever you wed will have his own attributes, and one of the joys of marriage is exploring them, and determining the strengths and weaknesses of his sexual abilities."

"Strengths and weaknesses?" asked Marie timidly.

"For example," said Penny, grasping Jack's penis as if it were simply some ware on display in the market, and she was trying to sell it. "This curve, and the lack of skin at the end, when inserted into a woman, causes the tip to drag along the top of the vagina. It is a most delightful feeling, that neither of the other two could accomplish. That is an advantage."

She moved to Nigel, and handled his tool with familiarity.

"Nigel, on the other hand, has one that is thick and long, and will plumb the depths of a woman in places that Jack's could never reach. That is his advantage."

"You mean it actually fits inside a woman?" Marie was clearly skeptical.

"A woman is capable of accepting any size and shape of prod," said Penny, sounding wise. "Our advantage is that since we can stretch to deliver a baby, we can also stretch to accept the thing that makes one in us."

She went on to Hugh, whose poor penis looked pathetic, compared to the other two on display.

"Now with Hugh, who is more modest in his equipment, his advantage is that he will fit within a woman easily, and is not so long that any part of him will remain outside her. That causes his pretty brown curls," (she pulled gently at his pubic hair at that point, ) "to press against the woman right ... there." She casually reached to press her finger directly at the top of Marie's bulging vulva. Her skill at touching exactly the right point on a strange woman's body, was impressive. Marie jumped as the bump she no doubt had there, was disturbed. "That can make a woman feel delights that the other two may not be able to gift her with," said Penny, rubbing her finger gently from side to side, just long enough to stimulate the poor girl, but then removing her finger.

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Penelope, Mistress of the Manor

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