I take a lease on "Moorstones" and become the target of matrons seeking husbands for their brood
I had hardly taken my boots off after arriving at “Moorstones” than the first busybody arrived to discover my business.
I supposed they had the patience to allow me to ride down the drive way, hand my horse to the ostler and go inside to meet the household staff, but before I could ascertain whether my luggage had been delivered or even take a cup of tea my neighbors had deployed their spies.
From the Hunstanton - Smythes came a dinner invitation, from Lord Middlemarch an invitation to use his estate for shooting pheasant, with which he was over run, apparently, and that was just the beginning.
Damn them, they sought one thing, a husband for one of their brood of girls. At something over thirty with no wife, and an apparent fortune I was an easy target, not at the pinnacle of eligibility where one found the Prince of Wales, or even a Baron, though more eligible than an impoverished or foreign Baron, but a fairly safe peg on which to hang a daughter’s future happiness.
The thing was my last venture had been highly successful but at the same time a close run thing, I had overstretched myself, had not spread the liability and had reaped the full profits yet for fully twenty four hours we had been blown around the Atlantic Ocean knowing not where we were and not knowing whether we should live or die. My nerve was gone. I would invest in property and live more quietly.
It was lonely. My first night in Moorstones was a trial. My bed did not rock like a hammock, there was no sea breeze, no crack of the sails, just Owls hooting and lesser beasts snorting and if I slept a minute it was a one solitary one.
Next morning I decided to check the extent of and the boundary of the Moorstones estate, I went on foot and seeing the Middlemarch residence in the distance atop it’s lone hillock.
I decided to pay a visit but the distance was more than I thought, and I was not at my best when I arrived.
My arrrial unannounced and unexpected caused consternation, normally all the eligable daughters would be scented and preened to perfection but today they were in ordinary.
The mother had made an effort but the two elder daughters were rumpled and disheveled, they wore simple smocks but even these shapeless garments their bellies bloated without support from tight corsets and faces devoid of rouge or whitening.
They knew not whether to run and get dressed or to brazen it out in the hope of attracting my attentions. There were younger sillier personages, but completely oblivious to my appearance seemingly was one more rather studious girl sitting quietly reading by the fireside in the sitting room, which was where I was sent.
“John,” I explained, "I have taken Moorstones for a season and thougth I would pay my respects to the neighbors.” I ventured.
“Angelica," she advised without ever lifting her gaze from the book. “I am the studious one, I shall leave it to my sisters to seduce you.”
“Well I seem to have caught them with their hair down,” I laughed.
Still staring at her book she continued “They are desperate to find husbands, and they are getting ready to pounce on you," she teased “But seriously the situation they find themselves in is that as Papa passed away with no male heir the estate passes to Uncle George or Cousin Martin when Grand Papa dies and we sir shall be cast into the Poor House, hence Mama’s has urged us to marry as quickly as possible and in any case before his demise.”
“Not an unusual situation,” I agreed as I stood near her warming myself.
I detected no hint of French perfume or violets, just the sweet healthy scent of woman mingled with wood smoke from the fire.
“And you, what shall you do?” I asked.
“Governess,” she suggested, “I am nineteen soon and hope to secure a position with a well connected family in Brighton.”
“Nineteen, gosh, I can barely remember nineteen.” I ventured and pulled up a chair beside her.
I went to sea very young.”
“Oh spare me the tales of derring do,” she insisted.
“It was cold and wet,” I said, “And that was in summer, winter was pure pain and penury from beginning to end of every voyage.”
“At least you went from somewhere to somewhere else,” she insisted, “I go from my room to this chair to the garden and back to my room every day.”
“Sounds like heaven to a mariner facing a gale,” I ventured.
At this point two freshly perfumed older daughters joined us and I regaled them with tales of derring do all gleaned from fiction. They lapped it up like kittens round a milk dish. Then the mother joined us. Or was it a mother? Step mother more likely, too young by far to be mother to an eighteen year old, at least West of Arabia she was.
An hour and two cups of tea and a crumpet later and it was time to depart, “I bid you good afternoon Miss Middlemarch,” I said to Angelica.
“You sir did nnot go to sea as a child, you studied at Cambridge until the age of twenty,” she whispered as we parted.
“Oh dear you have uncovered my secret,” I suggested.
My walk home was filled with memories of the elder Misses Middenmarch’s cleavage and general silliness compared to Angelica reading quietly and the mother’s obvious desire to have me take one of them off her hands.
I wondered about the mother, either she was remarkably well preserved for her age or was nothing but a step - mother.
An invitation to the Hunstanton - Smythes provided an answer, Lady Middlemarch was the second wife, the first having sadly departed this world, and indeed had been the children’s governess before the lord bedded her, the excitement thereof having been more than his heart could stand.
The Hunstanton - Smythes daughters were not unattractive but almost completely devoid of intellectual ability. Pleasant enough but not for more than the briefest of dalliances.
I went to see to my businesses in Manchester and then went once more to visit the Middlemarch residence.
Once again I caught them unawares, Angelica once again was the one who was best prepared. I spoke with her and mentioned her mother.
“Oh, Mama dies having a baby, it was a boy, father was heartbroken,” she said.
“I am so sorry,” I explained.
“He was heartbroken about the boy, girls are a drain on the estate, boys are it’s future.” she explained, “Now she want’s us married off out of the way so she can re marry.”
“For your own good surely?” I queried.
“Mother was barely cold before she was in father’s bed,” Angelica insisted.
“She was your governess I understand?” I queried.
“Yes, she wheedled her way in,” Angelica asserted.
“You don’t like her?” I asked.
“No,” she insisted showing a surprising amount of anger.
The mother chose that moment to appear, “Are you talking about me by any chance?” she enquired.
“Captain Hunstanton is very interested in you Mama,” she replied.
“Curious,” I admitted. I looked at her, she was clearly nothing like old enough to be the girl’s mother, though she was dressed rather older than her years I decided.
“I thought you were getting along splendidly with Angelica,” she suggested.
“Indeed,” I agreed, “Might I have a word about that in private do you think?”
“You can say what you wish but not in private, I have no secrets from Angelica,” she insisted.
“Very well," I agreed, “Angelica is a lovely girl, and will make a wonderful wife for some lucky man, but sheis but nineteen and I am thirty eight, twice her age.”
“My Henry was over thirty years older,” Lady Middlemarch observed, “It was of no consequence.”
“But your rampant desires being a normal healty young woman killed him,” I explained, “I woud not wish such a fate on sweet Angelica.”
“So you have no interest in my daughters as marriage partners,” she asked.
“Sadly none,” I admitted.
“So shall I wish you good day and end this pointless charade?” she asked.
“Well, I must admit those buxom perfumed lovelies and sweet Angelica have roused my sap madam.” I admitted.
“Sap, what do you mean sap?” she asked.
“My sap,” I reiterated, “And I wondered Lady Middlemarch, what would it take for you to disrobe and lay for me so I can sate my urges.”
“Sate your urges sir,” she gasped.
“Oh lord Mama I do believe he is smitten with you,” Angelica laughed, “Demand an offer of marriage and a thousand guineas.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lady M replied, but her bosom was heaving and I believe her teats were roused and moistness began to ooze warmly between her thighs.
“Is it?” I asked, “Why, what awaits you when the old man departs, your title is just a courtesy you have no fortune, be my whore and live life.”
“I shall not be your whore,” she insisted.
I grasped the front of her dress and pulled until her breasts spilled out and her teats were roused as expected. “Your body has betrayed you,” I observed, “I want to mount you, to marry you, and yes why not, I shall gift you a thousand pounds if you will just let me sate my needs with you.”
“Mama you will never get a better offer,” Angelica cried.
“No I shall not,” Lady M insisted.
“Then sate yourself in me,” Angelica suggested.
“No, Lady M countered, “Very well, mount me if you please but it will be with reluctance and loveless do you concur?”
“Completely, so disrobe,” I asked, but we did not, I dropped my breeches and she lay down and raised her skirts and my weeks of longing and her years of need were sated before the crackling fire.
“Grand Papa sisters, come see Mama is fornicating like a whore!” Angelica wailed in surprise as Lady M and I conjoined.
“Oh dear god what have we done,” she asked as I plowed her on the carpet.
“Something really lovely,” I replied.
Soon we had an audience. I shot my load in extreme pleasure.
The old man shuffled in as we completed, ”That’s what did for my son, she is insatiable that one,” he insisted, “And now you can get out and never darken my door again!”
“Shall we finish our liaison in your room?” I suggested.
“Yes, the floor is rather hard,” she agreed.
We made ourselves decent and she led the way to her bedroom, this time we undressed completely and dived beneath the bed covers.
She kissed me. “What is that for?” I asked.
“My heart skipped a beat the first time I saw you,” she admitted, “Every night I dream of you as I pleasure myself with my fingers and now my dream has come true!”
“I wish I had know that before I offered a thousand pounds,” I sighed.
“What about marriage?” she asked.
“Sooner the better, don’t want you at the alter fat with child do we?”