Chapter 7

(2013)

"Interesting," said Annie as she snuggled into me, sharing warmth in the bed.

"Well, at least we know where the family fortune comes from, as well as Dad's house by the lake, which will be sold off to pay the damned inheritance taxes we've been landed with," I chuckled.

"Yes, great-granddad Alan seems to have been one hell of an entrepreneur," she replied.

"I did drive past the old Manor on the way here, the commemorative plaque still names Georgette," I said.

"Good," said Annie, one of her hands gently caressing my chest.

"There's still quite a bit more of the goings on at the Manor in the next few chapters too," I said slipping an arm over her shoulders.

"I gather that Pamela is coming into Alan's orbit?" giggled Annie.

"Yes, but there are others too and Grandma Jenny and Dad have yet to come to centre stage; plus Abi's flowering into sexuality isn't over yet," I replied flicking one of Annie's bra straps off her shoulder.

"It reads like a porn script at times. But to an extent we know, or knew, these people, yet we didn't have a clue as to what was really going on," Annie mused, her hand dipping to trace a finger around the top of my briefs.

"It was all over by the time we were old enough to notice. Alan and Tom had both died by the time I was ten, though we do have a lot of Tom's pictures. I do suspect now that Dad and Grandma Jenny still had a little something going on and possibly with Aunt Abi too, come to think of it. But as she went to Australia with her husband, James, in the 70's, who's to know." I said.

"Yes, I love that picture of Jenny," Annie replied before leaning over to kiss me.

"Me too, and I have the feeling she'd be a bit amused if she could see where we are now," I replied after our lips parted.

"Mmmmm, I think so too," sighed Annie as we moved to kiss each other again.

Our kisses became more and more passionate and our hands roamed softly over our bodies as we caressed each other in our new-found passion. Slipping my hands to her back I unclasped Annie's bra and allowed it to fall away from her body. Two beautiful and still firm breasts met my gaze, the pale pink areolae surrounding two stiffened nubs rising to our mutual passion.

"Oh Ben," she sighed as my lips closed around her nipple. "If only we'd known."

"We know now, my love," I replied, between moving from one nipple to the other as Annie's hand slipped into my briefs.

"That we do, but before we go any further, can we read the next chapter, we have all night Ben and there's something I need to tell you too ... just not now," Annie said seriously.

"Patience is a virtue," I replied feeling slightly disappointed.

"It is and you will have me, Ben. I promise," Annie sighed and reached down to slip her panties off.

"You're worth the wait, sis. I'm just a bit impatient as I've wanted this for weeks," I replied as I slipped my own briefs off and felt Annie's small hand reach around my cock to squeeze it gently.

"I've wanted you for weeks too, Ben, but felt a victim of my own fears as to what might happen if we did, or got caught..." she said.

"Best if you come to mine, if this is to be a regular thing, Annie," I replied.

"Perhaps. We'll discuss it later after the next chapter," she replied kissing me again and allowing her full soft breasts to press against me nearly making me forget my promise to wait awhile.

We kissed for a while, hands wandering but safe in the knowledge that there was no hurry and we had all the time in the world to complete our journey to become lovers as well as brother and sister. I did discover that Annie shaved her pussy and that she was very wet indeed, though I also sensed that there was something else she was holding back, so didn't push things.

"We'd better read that chapter before we start something we can't stop," gasped Annie eventually.

"Yes," I replied, my own breath heavy as I fought back another wave of desire to simply hold my beautiful sister down and mount her.

(1954)

Dinner was the usual quiet affair with a lot of good food, but little in the way of conversation. Tom was looking very pale after what amounted to a coughing fit earlier and Jenny was being very solicitous of him. Afterwards though we retired to the library and the day's events were gone over again along with conversations about the news and local events. I did take the children through to the lounge where they could watch the television, though I couldn't as yet fathom their infatuation with it.

At six thirty Pamela was ushered into the library by Mrs Ellis to be greeted by Jenny with a hug and the two ladies retired to Jenny's room asking for some tea from Mrs Ellis and informing both Tom and I that they'd be down later after they'd had a good chat.

Both Tom and I read for a while with the radio quietly broadcasting in the background, both of us simply enjoying each other's company as I made sure as per Jenny's instructions that he wasn't left alone for the nonce.

At this point a flustered Mrs Ellis came into the room...

"I'm afraid I've had to allow Rosemary to leave to attend her sister, sir. The poor woman collapsed in the street and we've had a message brought up from the local constabulary," she tentatively said.

"Oh my goodness," I replied. "You made the right decision of course, Mrs Ellis. But do we have anyone willing to cover the night duties?"

"I'm afraid not, sir, so tonight I will remain. I've sent word to my husband," she replied, apparently relieved that I did not object or overrule her decision about Rosemary.

"Very well, Janet," I replied giving her the complement of using her Christian name.

<Ben's note: This is one of the oddities of the English class system, lower staff were always called by their forenames and senior staff by their given surname, with the ladies having the appendage Mrs attached (married or not). Yet to use the forename to a senior member of staff in such circumstances meant they were both trusted and firmly approved of by the Master or Mistress of the house.>

Mrs Ellis blushed slightly at my use of her name before leaving to prepare the light supper I'd ordered for Pamela's arrival.

"You know the bloody socialists out there would go into hyperboles of rhetoric about the abuse of the poor downtrodden masses after your display there, Dad," chuckled Tom.

"I didn't make the system, I only work with it," I chuckled. "I'm as much a slave to it as they are and their expectations of the Lord of the Manor. As it is, Rosemary's a lovely woman and hard worker who helped me out by moving into the quarters here to free up her cottage for the family of a farm worker. I owe her as much perhaps as she owes me."

"Obligation and duty," chuckled Tom. "How ... feudal."

"If it isn't broke..." I trailed off.

"Oh, I agree, Dad. I wasn't getting at you. I just thought it was a nice gesture, some employers would have refused," said Tom.

"It gets worse, I'll even pay her whilst she's away," I replied.

"Not exactly the image of the scrooge-like plutocrat the press made you out to be," said Tom.

"Pah! They still refer to me occasionally, as a war profiteer simply because I refused to run my businesses into the ground to support the war effort. In the end I still put in more than many of my competitors and had to fight off an attempt to nationalise them by that bloody Clement Attlee's Labour Party," I replied.

"Oh yes, I read some of the more feral commentary on you in the papers," said Tom.

"Good news never sells and my workers were amongst the best paid in their industries, certainly better than my competition. It explained why my productivity was always higher, but no one wanted to know that, just news about the company making another million here and there and demanding I give it away to those who hadn't earned it," I chuckled.

Tom chuckled too, he knew my views on politics and my distaste for those who wanted to get their hands on my money to give to their pet causes and whilst I wouldn't say he heartily agreed with me, he didn't totally disagree either.

In Jenny's room Pamela sat with her tea and relaxed. The room was beautifully decorated in pastel colours, a large bed along with two comfortable armchairs and a small walnut table between them. There was a small sink in an alcove next to the large window which gave a spectacular view of the grounds, though not the lake which was hidden by trees and small old woodland.

"A truly lovely room, Jenny," she said.

"It was to have been Alan and Georgette's and Georgette decorated it to her tastes, but Alan didn't have the heart to move into it after her death," Jenny replied.

"He seems ... a lot more ... alive, in a manner of speaking," Pamela said.

"It's the children mostly. I think he's been terribly lonely since Georgette's death," Jenny mused.

"And I suspect having a lovely woman around helped too," chuckled Pamela making Jenny blush.

"Yes ... well..." Jenny began, and then laughed outright. "You were right, I admit it."

"Is he ... uh," began Pamela and then clearly floundered in the question.

"Very, very good," Jenny finished for her.

"Oh my, I do wish I'd gotten there first," chuckled Pamela. "It's been a while since I really enjoyed intimacy with anyone."

"Anyone?" Jenny asked with an upraised eyebrow.

"Well, a girl has needs and Henry, lovely man that he is, simply has lost interest ... mostly due to his weight I believe," said Pamela sadly.

"Oh I'm so sorry, Pamela," said Jenny reaching across to squeeze Pamela's arm.

"It's why I wondered..." Pamela began.

"Yes," said Jenny knowingly.

"Are you sure?" Pamela replied.

"I don't own him and he truly is a lovely man as well as a wonderful lover. I just wish we hadn't gotten off on the wrong foot. Then again this may not have come about if we hadn't, assuming he will of course," Jenny said.

"Just need to figure out how," giggled Pamela. "I'm already a source of gossip for most of the neighbourhood, despite being a good girl."

"Could you stay the night perhaps?" asked Jenny.

"Perhaps, yes, I'd need to use the house phone to call Henry though," Pamela replied. "I doubt he'll mind, it will enable him to get out his philately collection and spread it all over the floor."

"Then I know a way for you to see and perhaps persuade Alan without coming into contact with anyone else in the household," said Jenny mischievously.

"Oh my," giggled Pamela.

The two ladies chatted on about a plethora of subjects over the next hour before deciding to return to the library and join Tom and Alan.

I stood to greet the ladies as they returned to the library whilst Tom apologised for not being able to.

"I was wondering if it would be possible for Pamela to stay for the night?" Jenny asked me, after assuring her husband that getting up for guests in his current condition was ridiculous.

"Of course," I replied. "I'll have Mrs Ellis make up a room for her immediately."

"Perhaps the room next to mine and the bathroom," Jenny suggested with a sly smile.

"A good choice," I replied after a pause during which I looked at Pamela who smiled at me. I summoned Mrs Ellis via the bell pull.

We were then joined by the children and I left to make sure the television was switched off properly, although by now I trusted them to do it, just habit I expect.

"I'm hoping that you'll be as nice to Pamela as you are to me," came a quiet voice from behind me.

"I don't know," I replied equally as quietly. "Henry is a very good friend of mine and it strikes me as being rather dishonourable, and, yes, I realise how hypocritical that sounds."

"It's like Tom, he can't or won't perform and Pamela is like me, desires a man's touch, preferably one she knows and trusts," Jenny replied.

"I'll go to her and we'll see, that's as much as I can promise, my dear one," I said.

"Thank you, Alan, my love," she finished before leading the way back to the library.

Once we had returned I requested that Mrs Ellis set up the room next to the bathroom for an overnight stay by Pamela, whom I also gave permission to use the house phone situated in the hall.

I also requested that Mrs Ellis bring through the supper treats I'd asked for earlier when the room was prepared.

Jenny then insisted that Tony and Abi go and sort out their baths and get into their nightwear as the adults sat down and chatted away, simply enjoying life and each other's company.

"I'll forewarn you now, Alan," said Pamela. "There are a couple of new arrivals on the way in the tied cottages and I'm afraid that they'll be rather crowded for the families."

"Hmmm, seems like I really need to build some new housing, possibly on the other side of the lane, as moving Rosemary in here was only supposed to be a stopgap. Goodness knows how they managed in the past with such large families," I replied.

"You probably need a word with the district council, Dad," said Tom. "They have been getting support for social housing and will have the contacts with builders and the like, plus there will no doubt be planning permissions needed too."

"You're probably right, Tom. But I'm damned if I'll allow those nosey busybodies an influence in anything I do on my land," I replied.

They all had a chuckle at my reservations in dealing with elected officials and their henchmen. My reputation for trying to get things done simply whilst avoiding official interference was well known and much commented on in the press. Yet I knew the world was turning and that sooner or later the local council would demand their way or no way, I mentally sighed.

Mrs Ellis then turned up with the refreshments, including milk for the children.

"Two of my girls are preparing the room for Mrs Davis, it will be available within the next half hour. I've also arranged for towels and a bathrobe to be left on the hangars," she said.

"Thank you, Mrs Ellis. You are a gem," I replied.

"Thank you for your confidence, sir," she replied with a rare smile before ghosting out of the room.

I opened a bottle of wine for the adults as we waited for Tony and Abi to reappear, listening mostly to Pamela's accounts of what was going on on the estate from the local gossips and grapevine. Nothing scandalous, but a mine of information as to what the locals thought about some of the changes I'd wrought.

"Generally the locals think you are a wonderful man, Alan. If a soft touch when it comes to dealing with any problems they have," said Pamela.

"I presume this is over the repairs I made to their housing and fencing," I chuckled.

"Yes, apparently the last Lord of the Manor insisted upkeep of the properties was the job of the occupiers as they didn't pay rent as such but the cottages were tied to the land," she replied.

"As far as I can tell, from the few documents I have, they ran his farms and paid a peppercorn rent, mostly from the sale of produce or by working in the Manor itself. Took me a couple of years to sort things out as the places were an absolute shambles and I also wanted to get them up to decent standards with water and plumbing too. I even managed to persuade the local power and other utility companies to run their mains to the cottages. Though only a couple of the occupiers have taken the plunge to attach themselves to the supplies," I said.

"That would be the Harris' and the Ellis' families?" Pamela asked.

"Yes. Both Alf and Edith are employed by me and Janet's man, Philip, works in the pasteurisation plant," I replied.

"Still, you'd think the others would take the plunge," mused Pamela.

"They're quite happy with oil lamps and coal burning ranges, although they do use the water supply," I said.

"Good enough for their parents, good enough for them, I suppose," said Pamela.

"Oh, they'll get around to it one day," I chuckled.

At this point Tony and Abi reappeared, helping themselves to their milk and biscuits.

"What time is your appointment tomorrow, Jenny?" I asked.

"Eleven, I think. Dora should be fine with you now, Tom," she replied to all.

"I can pop in during or after my rounds and check," said Pamela.

"If it's no trouble," said Jenny.

"No trouble at all. I often cycle past here during my rounds," she replied with a smile.

"We can set off at ten, then," I said.

"Can we come too?" asked Abi.

"I don't see why not," I replied.

"I was hoping to try my hand at fishing down at the lake," said Tony.

"Do you have a rod and line?" I asked.

"Mr Harris ... Alf said I could borrow his," said Tony.

"Well. I have no problem with that," I said glancing at Jenny.

"Very well," she said. "You can come with us, Abi, whilst Tony goes fishing. Try not to fall in and do put the ones you catch back, please, Tony. Could I prevail upon you to look after Abi for me whilst I get my hair done, Alan?"

"Of course," I smiled, with Tony's muted 'yes!' in the background and a quiet smile from Abi.

The children then went off to their beds whilst Jenny and Pamela wheeled a clearly exhausted Tom back to his. Pamela returning after a few minutes to sit next to me.

"Jenny says you might be..." she faltered.

"Pamela, you're a very lovely, desirable Lady," I replied. "I feel a bit guilty over Henry, but if you want me to call, I will and you can send me on my way no hard feelings if it becomes something you don't want."

"Oh, I want you, Alan," she sighed. "Have done for nearly a year now, despite the goody-two-shoes image I project."

"Well, when you retire, you can expect me to call," I chuckled.

"I look forward to your attentions," she giggled in return.

Jenny then returned and although both ladies knew what was happening, the matter was not discussed openly, discretion being something of a watchword amongst us these days.

Tony settled down to wait for the household to quieten down before he could slip down to Rosemary's room. He hoped it wouldn't be too long, although it hadn't really been long since he'd seen her that morning. Thinking of what they'd gotten up to the previous evening soon had him as hard as a board and he had just reached down with his hand when his bedroom door opened and Abi slipped in, making him start violently.