A Lady's Dilemma Ch 01, a short story by angie65. Date added: 2011-05-24. Times viewed: 8930.
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- Intro: What should she do?
A Lady’s dilemma
Chapter One
(What should she do?)
*Author’s note: sorry I just couldn’t resist writing this little story and I do hope that you enjoy it in the spirit it is given. *
Lady Sarah Bennet swept down the darkened corridor, holding her guttering candle out in front of her.
Her rose coloured gown made a soft swishing noise as the hem brushed along the stone floor of her father’s castle.
‘She would not marry HIM!’ She thought furiously to herself. ‘No matter what her father or HE thought she would not comply!’
Her green eyes glittered with contempt for these domineering men, and her pretty little nose wrinkled with disgust.
She was a stunning young woman, with her beautiful eyes and her golden red hair, her flawless complexion and her full feminine figure. At just over five feet in height, she was everything men would desire in a woman, and more than one fool had thought that little and dainty meant weak.
She drew back her shoulders proudly, at the ripe old age of twenty five; Lady Sarah had kept her virtue, not because men didn’t desire her… Not because of respect for her position in life… or status… or even fear of retribution by her father.
No lady Sarah had had to defend her honour on more than one occasion from an overbearing man suffering with a burning insatiable lust for her.
She gave a little snort of disgust as she thought of some of those fools of men who had thought he could have his way with her, and of course this brought her racing back to her present dilemma.
Lord Astall the father of her dearest friend Celia….
Lady Sarah had been invited to pay a visit with her old friend lady Celia, who had been convalescing in Switzerland after a very nasty illness.
She was now back at home, in the Dorset countryside, but had been advised to spend most of her time in her bed, with just an hour a day sitting up in a chair; and with a gradual increase in time as the physician counselled.
“I am so bored my dearest friend.” Celia had written. “I have been ill and after the death of my darling mother, I am very sorry for myself and I know that only you can break me of this fatigue, and melancholy.”
After a quick discussion with her parents, and gaining their approval she had written a very short reply to say she was already packing in readiness, and would be by her friend’s bedside by the end of the week.
Sure enough a week later Lady Sarah stepped from her father’s carriage looking dazzling in her pale blue satin gown, as the sun shone down over her.
Celia’s widowed father had stopped in the doorway as he beheld the sight of this angel.
“My dear Lady how kind of you to visit with us!” he exclaimed as he greeted her.
His brown eyes travelled down over her pretty figure in the most inappropriate manner, and Lady Sarah had felt a moment of offence, - until she had remembered his recent loss, and her pity had come pouring out.
“Lord Astall! Please let me tell you how very sorry I was to hear of yours and Celia’s recent bereavement.” She had told him in her quiet earnest way. “And if there is anything I can do to help then don’t hesitate to ask!”
A distraction in the doorway had diverted Sarah’s attention and so she had missed that sneaky look which had crept over Lord Astall’s face.
“You are so kind my Lady Sarah, but please do come inside; Celia has been waiting impatiently for you since the early hours.”
He took her hand in his much larger one, and Sarah was shocked to feel the strength that he still possessed.
She gave him a quick glance through her lashes.
Lord Astall was still a youngish man, in his mid to late forties she thought. He was a little on the short side, but with massive shoulders that just shouted out; here is a man of strength and vigour.
His dark hair was streaked with greasy grey but it was still thick on his head if a trifle too long – in her opinion.
She supposed that he was good looking, despite his large bulbous nose, and his slightly beady looking brown eyes.
They walked together through the massive double doors, into the large echoy hallway of this country house; and Sarah came to a halt to look around her with interest.
“This is a very grand house isn’t it my lord?” she stated with some surprise.
Lord Astall gave a little smug laugh. “I suppose it is my dear young lady, but it has been in the family for generations and so we all think of it as… Home.” He declared a little pompously.
Lady Sarah thought with fondness of the large drafty castle which SHE thought of as home, and hid a little smile. This house could have been swallowed up three times over by her childhood home.
A little maid servant came scurrying through as they stood there, and Lord Astall spoke almost with an air of relief.
“Ah here is Mary come to show you to your room.” He looked down on her with a smile, and once again his gaze drifted over her curves in a most inappropriate way.
Lady Sarah smiled kindly at the young girl with the timid brown eyes, and the girl looked back at her with surprise.
“This way please, Miss.” Mary mumbled as she began to climb the stairs.
The stairway swept up and then evened off on a small square landing, to break into two forks, one continuing up to the left and the other to the right.
As Mary continued to climbed up the left fork, Lady Sarah paused long enough on that little landing to turn around and look back down in the hall way.
Lord Astall was still standing there, staring up at her almost with a look of hunger on his blunt features.
As she hastily turned away Sarah felt the heat flood her cheeks, in a blush which surprised her very much indeed, she had not blushed like that since she had been a very young girl.
As they came to the top of the stairs, Sarah reached out a hand.
“Wait please Mary.” She called out softly, and as the young maid came to a halt and turned to look back in question Sarah smiled again.
“My room can wait a little while longer I think; please will you take me to Lady Celia’s room?”
Mary looked very surprised. “But wouldn’t you like to freshen up a little bit first my lady? You have after all had a very long journey, and it’s very dusty on those roads.”
Sarah’s smile widened into a full on grin of pure mischief. “Do I look so terrible then?” she asked a little mockingly.
The maid flushed uncomfortably. “Oh I didn’t mean that miss, I didn’t mean to cause offense!”
Sarah laughed lightly and patted the girl’s hand consolingly. “No offense was taken Mary; I was only teasing.”
“Yes miss.” Mary murmured in some confusion.
Sarah gave a little sigh; this house felt very right and proper... very stuffy.
“I would still like to see my friend first though.” She insisted quietly.
“Yes miss.” This time Mary gave a little bob of a curtsy as she said it and Lady Sarah gave another little sigh.
As they walked down the dim corridor, Mary hesitated outside one of the doors.
“This will be your room miss, if you just wish to take a quick look?” she asked a trifle uncertainly.
Lady Sarah realised that the maid was not going to be happy until she had fulfilled her instructions, and it did make sense that since they were passing anyway...
She nodded her head. “Very well.”
Mary heaved a little sigh of relief and allowed the door to swing open, so that Lady Sarah could step inside.
The room was long and a little narrow, with a four-poster bed situated at the far end, with thick curtains hanging down just waiting to be drawn around it.
There were two tall and narrow windows, one on each side of the bed, and the same thick curtains hung from them as well, shutting out almost all the natural light, so that the room felt a little dark and musty.
“This will suit me perfectly Mary.” Lady Sarah said lightly, as she turned her back on the gloomy room. After all she only planned to sleep in here so it was adequate enough for that. She only hoped the bed wasn’t as uncomfortable as it looked.
Mary smiled her relief and seeing Lady Sarah obviously waiting to leave the room, she stepped back into the hallway. “Lady Celia is just down at the end of this hallway.” She said over her shoulder as she walked along with Sarah hot on her heels.
The door was the very last one they came to and as Mary knocked and opened it, Lady Sarah caught the slightly rancid odour of someone who’d been ill and poorly washed for a while.
This was the only warning she received as she stepped into the room and saw her friend for the first time in three years.
Celia was propped up against a dozen pillows and cushions, and her dark greasy looking hair hung down around her shoulders looking unclean and uncombed and uncared for. Her pale face had always been on the longish side but now it was positively gaunt, and her soft brown eyes were sunk deep into her shadowed sockets.
Her skin was blotchy and sallow and she looked a picture of misery.
“My dearest friend!” Lady Sarah exclaimed as she rushed over to the sick bed and taking her friend into her arms, in a hug of affection and distress. “How very ill you look.”
Celia’s shadowed eyes lit up with pleasure, affection and hope, only to dim again almost immediately.
“I fear that I may be dying.” She whimpered a little dramatically Sarah thought to herself.
“Oh how very uncharitable of you Celia… to die on me after I’ve come all this way to visit you!”
Mary gasped in horror at this tactless comment, but Celia after a little startled glance gave a giggle.
“Oh my dearest friend! How happy I am that you have come.” She exclaimed with a little twinkle in here tired brown eyes.
Sarah sat down on the edge of her bed and smiled at her friend gently. “By the time I leave here, you will be dancing the night away AGAIN.” She vowed softly, so that only her friend could hear.
The guilty colour flooded Celia’s cheeks, and for a moment she almost looked well.
“Can I get anything for you miss?” Mary asked a little nervously from the doorway where she hovered.
Lady Sarah glanced over her shoulder. “Is there somewhere that I might wash?” she asked lightly. “The roads were terribly dusty and I feel such a fright.”
The maid nodded. “I’ll go and prepare a bath for you miss.” And she left the room without any further comment or instructions.
Sarah turned back to her friend. “And when was the last time that you took a bath my dear?” she asked Celia casually.
Celia pulled a little face, looking for the moment like a sulky little child.
“I’ve been so ill, that walking to our bathrooms and bathing, only to have to walk back again, just seems like too much of an effort.”
Sarah looked at her in surprise. “Surely a bath could be brought here and filled in your room, so that you don’t have to walk?”
Celia sighed. “Father was so proud when he installed the baths rooms on each floor, that he threw out all the portable tubs, saying we would never have a need for them.”
Sarah bit back a little growl of impatience. All over the country, houses were being ‘done up’, ‘added to’ and... ‘modernised’ was the newest term. But people could sometimes be terribly short sighted.
“Well my dearest.” Sarah said softly as she stood up. “I’m going to go and freshen up, and when I’m done, we’ll see what we can do for you.”
**
Lady Sarah was pleased to find her bags already waiting for her in her room, and she felt sure that Mary would be along to unpack them as soon as she was finished with serving the ladies.
She gave a little smile as she knelt down in front of her chest and flipped open the lid.
She was just digging through the soft fabrics when Mary came scurrying in to announce that her bath was ready.
“Oh please miss! I’ll do that for you miss!” she exclaimed clearly distressed at not being able to do her job.
“Yes I’m sure that you will Mary.” Sarah smiled over her shoulder. “I just wanted some things for my bath.”
She wrapped some items in a length of soft fabric and stood up again, taking her bundle with her.
“Now where can I get my bath Mary?” she asked lightly.
Mary turned and silently left the room, and Sarah followed her.
They walked about half way down the hallway before coming to a door which stood half open.
As Sarah stepped into the room she looked around her with approval.
The room held four large sized bath tubs, each with a pipe hanging high over it.
One of the tubs was half filled with water and the pipe was still dripping a little.
Sarah walked across and dipped her hand into the water.
“Perfect!” she sighed happily.
She placed her little bundle on a nearby stool, and pulled out a small glass bottle.
She pulled the stopper from the bottle and allowed a very tiny amount to fall into her bath.
Immediately the steam held a fragrant aroma of flowers in the summer time, and even Mary took an appreciative little sniff.
“Help me to undress will you please Mary.” Lady Sarah asked as she turned away and began to take down her hair.
Mary walked up behind her and began to unfasten the tiny hooks at the back of the dress...
The steam rose high and for a moment the eyes peering through the hole in the wall could not see his prize... for a moment, then the mist cleared and Lord Astall watched in wonder as the beautiful you woman undressed for him.
He felt the bulge in his trousers, felt it swelling as Mary unfastened the last of those hooks, and pulled the dress from Sarah’s shoulders.
Sarah had taken down her hair and it hung its glorious golden curls around her beautiful face.
Mary had hung the dress up on a hook on the wall, and now she went to work on Lady Sarah’s corset.
The strings were tightly tied at the back and as it one was pulled free; Lady Sarah gave a little grunt of relief.
As the last tie was unfastened the corset came free and would have fallen had Lady Sarah not put her hands up to her breast to hold it in place for a moment longer.
Mary’s little hands came forward to take the weight of the corset and Lady Sarah relinquished gratefully.
Lord Astall found himself rubbing at his swollen groin as he looked at the beautiful young woman dressed only in a thin slip now. White and thin on the shoulder straps and coming down only to her knees.
He gave a soft little grunt as Mary began to slip this last garment from the lady, and she stood before him naked, and perfect.
Her pale breasts were firm and round and her nipples were hard in the chill of the baths room, and a dark pink in colour.
Her waist dipped in to nothing and then flared out over her hips, and her legs were long and slender.
He looked with longing at the shadowy triangle of hair, just as she turned away to climb into the warm water.
Lord Astall watched through his tiny spy hole as Lady Sarah relaxed back into the water for a moment, and then took the soapy sponge which Mary offered to her.
She allowed it to run gently over her shoulders, and down her arms.
She squeezed it firmly and then rubbed it across her breasts.
The sponge disappeared under the water then as Lady Sarah cleaned her most private of parts.
One she was happy that she was clean she signalled to Mary to pour a jug of warm water over her, allowing her head to take the bulk of the water so that her hair hung wet around her shoulders.
“Pass me that little bottle on the stool please Mary.” He dimly heard Lady Sarah’s quiet instructions and grunted impatiently as Mary block his view for long moments.
When she suddenly moved away again, it was to show Lady Sarah with her golden hair looking white and frothy and plastered to her scalp as she massaged it with her hands.
“The water please Mary.” He heard her say.
Mary lifted the jug high over Lady Sarah’s head and slowly allowed the water to run down as Lady Sarah continued to massage and then comb through her hair with her fingers.
By the time the jug was empty, Lady Sarah’s hair was hanging wet and long down her back and free from the soap.
Without prompting Mary handed her a small towel and Lady Sarah wrapped it around her hair in the most extraordinary manner.
So with the towel covering her wet hair, Lady Sarah slowly and careful climbed from the bath tub.
She stood wet and naked with her arms held out as Mary slowly began to rub a towel over her.
Lord Astall took out his swollen member and began to rub it hard, imagining that it was Lady Sarah who was touching him.
He was excited beyond belief by this young beauty, and before Sarah was even half dry, Lord Astall groaned out his release as he came all over his hand.
He gave a shaky little sigh as Mary draped a light gown across Lady Sarah’s shoulders; and seconds later, the two of them left the cold baths room.
As Lord Astall slipped from his hiding place he made a silent pledge that come what may Lady Sarah would be his.
He would have the fair lady and after enjoying her charms he would force her to marry him or else she would face shame and disgrace.
“Yes the lady would be his!”
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