"So, my illustrious cousin the duke, and his whore, finally got their just rewards, is it?" he sneered. Tess lowered her gaze and began whimpering.

"Silence!" Lord Easterly slammed his fist down on the desk, his outburst and action effectively rendering Tess mute. Satisfied, he leaned back in his chair, stroking his dark blonde beard. "Now I am to be burdened with their two sniveling brats. Wasn’t it enough that I was denied title and holdings?" he asked the room at large, sweeping his hand through the air. "Through no fault of my own I was born to the wrong father--a son with all the brains and balls--bested by an older, not so generously endowed, second cousin simply by the luck of the draw." The viscount’s eyes narrowed. "And now I am informed that my beloved cousin found a way to make his eldest daughter the beneficiary of his estates and fortune instead of me!" He stood abruptly, red-faced. His breathing came in hard, heavy pants.

Thea wondered if it was possible for a man of five and thirty to expire from a heart ailment, for if so, her cousin--and that was stretching the address--looked a prime candidate at the moment.

Disdain for her estranged family member quickly turned to sorrow when she relived, for the umpteenth time, the harrowing moment a month earlier when she’d heard of her dear parents’ accident. Highwaymen had waylaid the duke and duchess’s coach. Things had turned ugly when her father had tried to protect her mother from rape. They had both been shot down like animals, their valuables stolen.

Now, she and her only sister stood in Lord Easterly’s library, a man her father had despised, a man Thea had met only one other time in her seventeen years, at a holiday ball when she was but a child. She and Tess were at his mercy. He was their only living relative.

"Ah . . . so what am I to do with you, heh?" He had recovered his composure somewhat, stood and walked around his desk to stand directly in front of them. Thea saw him tip his head slightly in the direction of the door. The ogre of a footman who had led them unceremoniously into Lord Easterly’s presence left and closed the door behind him. Thea distinctly heard the key turn in the lock. Tess tightened her grip on Thea’s arm.

"Lord Easterly," Thea began, "if you would only accept Lord Bascombe’s offer of marriage for my sister, I would gladly accompany her to her new home and you would be free of us both." Thea waited, hoping the man across the room was annoyed enough by their presence to make this a simple affair. Young Lord Bascombe had asked her father for Tess’s hand six months ago, and the couple were given his blessing if they promised to wait until Tess’s eighteenth birthday. No one had ever considered tragedy would strike two years before the marriage contract between the families could be signed.

Thea had had several offers for her hand, but her father had allowed her to hold out for a love match. She had never been lucky enough to find one.

Rueben Granville stared hard at her. Then he laughed--a cold, harsh sound. Thea realized he would have been quite handsome if his eyes or countenance contained any measure of good humor--which they did not.

"If I am certain of one thing, my dear Thea," he said, moving closer until she could feel his breath on her face, "is that neither of you little bitches will be allowed anything that might give you happiness."

Despite fear of their cousin, Tess began crying again in earnest. Thea shook her, hoping to rouse strength in her sister, but to no avail.

Lord Easterly shifted his attention to Tess. He lifted her chin with his finger and stared down into her pretty, tear-dampened eyes. "Now, now, little Tess, you mustn’t be so dreary." Slowly, with cold deliberation, he lowered his hand and stroked the rise of Tess’s breasts above the lace edging on her bodice with his fingers.

Tess shrieked and tried to pull back, but he grabbed her by the hair with one hand, and pushed Thea roughly aside with the other. "You listen to me, you whore’s daughter," he raged, "you won’t make one sound or one move unless I command it!"

Incensed, Thea tried to pull him off her sister, but he was strong and sent her sprawling to the floor.

While he held Tess by the hair, he eyed Thea with a greater degree of wicked intent. "So, you are the one who will fight me?" he asked. "I like a good tussle beneath the sheets, but I’m fairly certain you wouldn’t be able to keep up," he said with mock humor.

Thea wasn’t certain exactly what he implied, but she knew enough to realize her cousin derived pleasure from hurting others weaker than himself. "Do what you wish with me, but leave my sister in peace," she commanded with far more authority than she felt. Thea was afraid Tess was on the verge of hysterics and she wanted to protect her desperately. Tess was all she had left in the world.

"What a capital idea," he sneered and let go of Tess’s hair only to let her drop down on all fours to the floor. Thea crawled to her side and the sisters waited for their fate to be decided. "I have a mistress, and an accomplished above-stairs maid," he grinned lustfully, "not to mention my agreeable little wife who came to the marriage bed more experienced than her papa would have had me believe. But no matter. Her generous dowry, plump white arse, and cock-sucking skills far outweigh the downside of seeing her crooked-toothed smile across the breakfast table every morning."

Lord Easterly sat down on a tufted ottoman and clapped his hands together. "Therefore, I really have no use for either of you virginal chits." Tess jerked uncontrollably and hid her face in the folds of Thea’s skirts.

"Please, Cousin," Thea tried again, hoping to find in the man some kernel of decency. "If we trouble you so, let us depart for Lord Bascombe’s at once."

He watched Tess whimper and cling to Thea, and his smile broadened, but did not reach his eyes. "Seeing this display of sisterly devotion has swayed me to be lenient. Under no circumstances will the fop, Bascombe, ever be allowed to sample the fruits of the lovely Tess. But I will see her off to a convent where she can live comfortably until you, dear Thea, either manage to find the means to collect her after your maturity, or she rots." His voice remained silky and calm, belying his brutal meaning. They might have been discussing the weather.

"As for you, my brave maiden," he continued, allowing his gaze to roam over Thea until she shifted uncomfortably on the floor, "you will provide the means to repay a debt. It has been my unfortunate habit to gamble away most of my wife’s fortune, you see. I currently owe more to the marquis of Ashton than I have funds to repay. I daresay he will receive you as fair recompense if he is half the randy bull rumor would have it. You can be his doxy until you come into your money, and good riddance."

Thea stared at him in disbelief. She knew her funds were being held in trust by her father’s lawyers until she turned twenty-one, and that they believed her only living relative, Lord Easterly, an appropriate guardian until such time.

Her untutored mind whirled with the implications of her cousin’s words. She and her sister had lived sheltered lives on their parents’ country estate for most of their years, and none of the events preceding this day had prepared Thea for Rueben Granville’s vulgar innuendoes.

But she was old enough to have experienced certain longings and sensations in her body when her father’s young groom, Gerrick, had been about, currying the horses with broad, purposeful strokes. She had watched him in secret, mesmerized by the play of his muscles as he worked. Then, at night, she’d toss and turn, unable to stop her mind’s unbidden fantasies of tumbling naked through the hay with Gerrick.

Thea knew her feelings were natural, if not moral, but her instincts had always pushed her in directions that weren’t particularly proper for a young lady of her station. She had tried to be like sweet, shy Tess, but had failed. These wayward notions pulsated under the surface of her conscious thoughts now as she endeavored to absorb the true meaning behind the lord’s words.

"Pussy got your tongue?" Lord Easterly prompted and laughed again.

"I--I don’t understand why you hate us so," Thea said slowly.

"Hate? Why, Thea, I don’t hate either of you. You and your sister aren’t worth the effort of such a strong emotion. But after being in your presence, I find my first pang of displeasure at the sight of you has turned into a curious appetite. I will appease my hunger and make use of two lovely sisters for a night before I relinquish your custody to the convent and Lord Ashton. Mavis!" he called sharply, and soon a woman in service appeared. "Show these ladies to separate rooms and make sure they have dinner, wine, and hot baths."

Thea hated leaving her sister’s side, but Mavis was not one to shirk her duty. She was led away from Tess’s door with a promise on her lips, "I will fix everything, Tess. Please don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you."

Tess had tried to smile, but her fresh tears and resigned expression did not bode well for her younger sister’s stamina during this confinement. Thea prayed Lord Easterly would tire of his game soon enough and set them free.

Mavis showed her into her room and Thea cast her gaze around reluctantly. Lord Easterly lived well, not to the standards by which she was accustomed as a duke’s daughter, but well enough indeed. Lud! How he used his poor wife. After today’s display, she knew full well why her father had always despised his younger cousin. Thea shuddered.

Mavis was an attractive, younger woman--about her own age--and as Thea watched her move about the room making preparations for food and bath, she wondered how the girl could stand being in her cousin’s service. She asked the question before she could think better of it. "Do you abide Lord Easterly well?"

Mavis stopped laying out linen and silver and looked at her. "Yes, and you’ll do well to abide him too, m’lady," she said. Then her eyes--eyes that looked far older than her years--softened, and she approached Thea with a glass of deep red wine. "Just do as he asks and don’t thwart him. His Lordship is a right lusty man, but ain’t one to tarry, especially if you don’t put up a fight," she whispered. "Now drink this, it will make you feel better."

Thea took a long swallow of the rich liquid, and began to relax somewhat when Mavis unbuttoned the row of pearls down the front of her gown. The wine warmed her throat and filled her empty stomach with a pleasant tingle. Slowly, the fabric of her bodice fell aside and Mavis pushed the dress from Thea’s shoulders and turned her around. When her corset was finally undone, Thea sighed with relief and allowed Mavis’s soft hands to minister to her stricken heart.

The young maid seemed an authority on Lord Easterly’s whims, so she would take the girl at her word and do her best to remain passive to her cousin’s attentions. They were blood relations, albeit distant, but blood after all.

He was a strong, robust male, used to getting his way with women, but how much could he make her submit to without breaking the laws of the land? She wasn’t certain, but this new thought relaxed Thea even more. Surely, even Lord Easterly wouldn’t be demented enough to commit such a sin against God.

"Let me help you bathe, m’lady," Mavis said, coaxing her out of her dress and corset completely, and tugging Thea’s chemise over her head. "What a lovely complexion you have. So smooth and creamy," the maid added, running a small, gentle hand over Thea’s naked shoulder, giving her an admiring once-over that lingered on her full, bare breasts.

Thea flushed at the compliment but enjoyed the praise just the same. She had always been admired for her figure and fair skin.

"The water is ready." Mavis indicated the steaming copper tub on the floor near a crackling fire. Suddenly Thea was eager to envelop herself in the fragrant, lavender-scented water. The evenings grew cold, even after a sun-heated, summer’s day, and a fire and hot bath were always welcome at night.

Never one for modesty, Thea let her drawers slip to the floor and stepped out of them. She took another long swallow of wine and walked naked to the tub, allowing Mavis to take her hand and help her into the sumptuous bath.

"Let me do that for you, m’lady," Mavis instructed when Thea picked up the bar of soap.

Thea had been bathing herself since she had come of age, so the young woman’s hands on her body brought about foreign, heightened sensations. Sensations that quickened in her lower belly and made her heart race. Thea felt a twinge of embarrassment, and fought the urge to cover herself with her hands.

"Lie back and relax," the maid said soothingly from behind her. "Let Mavis help you forget about His Lordship for a little while."

Thea did as she was told, allowing her head to fall back and her eyes to close. The heady smell of lavender, mingling with the mint of Mavis’s breath, floated in the air around Thea as the maid worked to cleanse her body.

Letting pure sensation take over, Thea sighed in pleasure when Mavis massaged her shoulders with soapy hands. Rising steam dampened her face and hair, and Thea inhaled a deep, satisfying breath.

Then Mavis rubbed her slick hands up under Thea’s arms and around to her exposed breasts. Thea gasped at the intimate contact and looked down. Beaded moisture glistened on her skin. Mavis lightly soaped and washed her nipples.

The maid’s gentle caresses took Thea by surprise. No one had ever touched her so. Part of her wanted to jerk away from the those intrusive hands, but another part of her was curious enough to remain still. When Mavis lingered over Thea’s nipples, they peaked hard and a spike of pleasure streaked down Thea’s belly, settling between her legs.

Totally unsettled by her body’s response, Thea gasped, "Stop! Please." She sat forward so quickly that bathwater sloshed over the edge of the tub.

Mavis calmly shifted her position to the foot of the tub and began washing Thea’s feet. The maid did not seem in the least perturbed. "You are a beauty, I’ll say. Have you ever known the pleasure ways of men and women?" Mavis asked gently.

"N-no," Thea managed to whisper. The maid’s capable hands worked wonders on her feet and calves. Thea settled back in the bath again, her fears abated for the moment. She was distinctly aware that the wine had fuzzied her head upon an empty stomach.

"Then I’m sorry for tonight," Mavis said, visibly troubled now. "Being raised a genteel lady, you should be spared the knowledge of the goings-on in this house."

Thea stared at the young woman. Mavis’s concern for her welfare seemed genuine. The maid had her own certain beauty, in an unconventional way. She had pretty brown eyes and olive skin. Chestnut tendrils peaked out from behind her cap, so dark compared to her own light coloring.

"Spared? What do you mean?" Thea asked in alarm, fighting to regain a clear head.

Mavis took a deep breath, then shook her head as if resigning herself. "You let me take care of things, my lady. I can handle Lord Easterly. I’ll not let him ruin another young girl when it’s within my powers to stop him."

"What will you do?" Thea asked, shifting in the tub to submerge her chilled upper body in the warm water.

Mavis sat back on her heels and dried her hands on her skirts. Then, to Thea’s amazement, she began unbuttoning the front of her plain, gray frock until her small, firm breasts were exposed. Her nipples were the color of cinnamon, and the surrounding disks larger than Thea’s own rosy areolae. Thea took in a measured breath and felt her body become weightless and tingly in the warm water.

"Don’t worry, my lady. I’ll see that no harm comes to you. Just follow my lead. Now, lift your leg out of the tub, there’s a good girl."

Thea had no choice but to trust the woman. It was either that, or try to handle Rueben Granville on her own, which Thea instinctively knew she was not prepared to do.

Mavis took Thea’s bare foot, drawing it to her, and positioned it in the valley between her exposed breasts. Then she lathered Thea’s trembling leg with soap.

"What--?"

"Trust me, my lady," Mavis whispered urgently.

Suddenly the door to the room burst open. "So, I see you’ve started without me," Lord Easterly said from the doorway. His following laugh was as lewd as the most vulgar words could have been.

Shocked back to reality by her cousin’s mocking voice, Thea jerked away from Mavis and covered her body as best she could with both hands. The bathwater now felt as cold as the pit in her stomach.

"Don’t let me stop you," he murmured.

"Cousin?" Thea had no idea what to say or how to react. Her head was spinning. She had never been in any situation like this in her life. Her naiveté rendered her helpless. She shivered.

"On second thought, that will be all, Mavis," he said, rubbing his hand down the front of his trousers with obvious disregard for decency. "I find the chit turns me hard at a mere glance."

Mavis, apparently used to her master’s shocking ways, did not waver in the least. She gave Thea a look of encouragement, then stood and faced the viscount. "This girl won’t satisfy, my lord. She’s been as jumpy as a scared mouse."

Thea waited, breathless, to see how this farce would pan out.

"A tad skittish, is she? It’s your job to see that she’s softened to your touch before I take my pleasure, Mavis. I’m disappointed in you tonight. Lady Easterly will be none to pleased, I needn’t add."

Lady Easterly? What had his wife to do with any of this? Thoroughly confused, Thea’s alarm mounted by the second.

"I assure you, m’lord, that she’s not worth your time." Mavis walked toward her master, and without any hesitation at all, carefully removed all her clothing. "I will satisfy you."

Thea stared in shock. The young maid’s slender, firm body shone like burnished copper in the firelight. Her pert breasts jutted proudly and a heavy thatch of dark hair crowned her shapely thighs. This was not the first time Mavis stood naked before the viscount, of this Thea was certain.

Lord Easterly was not immune to his favorite maid’s charms. "Bitch in heat," he hissed. "I won’t have you upsetting my plans." But the excitement in his eyes belied his harsh tone, and he pulled Mavis forcefully to him and pressed his mouth to hers for a kiss.

Thea watched the lord’s tongue plunder Mavis’s mouth, darting in and out. It was all too much. "Please . . . I--" she was at a loss.

Easterly pulled back for a breath. "I have a gift for you, Thea," he said hoarsely, pushing Mavis aside. He sat on the edge of a large four-posted bed and began kneading the bulge straining against the fabric of his trousers. "If the sight of your naked, virgin body can keep my cock up, I will be satisfied with the lovely Mavis, and leave you and your blubbering sister alone."

Thea’s heart lurched and she knew in that instant if there was any chance at all Tess could be spared this humiliation she would save her from it. "Yes, my lord," she said meekly, remembering Mavis’s advice to be docile.

Her cousin raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What? No argument, no barbed words to set me off?" He stood and unbuttoned the front of his trousers and his rigid cock sprang forth from a mass of light brown, curly hair. "You disappoint me, girl. I had hoped to find you primed, claws at the ready."

He laughed and dropped his trousers to the floor, his bold gaze issuing a challenge. Thea stared, wide-eyed and tongue-tied at the sight before her. Never in her life had she seen a man’s lower body before. Lord Easterly’s shaft quivered and danced before her. His sac hung below, covered with the same curly hair and darker skin. Thea could not tear her eyes away.

"Never fear, my girl. I am well aware of the laws of nature, and jaded though I am, I wouldn’t dream of fucking my own flesh and blood--no matter how thin the ties that bind." He sat back down on the bed, his stiff member never faltering from its vertical pose. "I had other plans for you tonight, but my little maid has convinced me otherwise. You can thank her later," he said, reaching to pull Mavis back to his side.

Thea shivered in the tub. Every nerve ending in her body thrummed under her skin. The sight of Lord Easterly laving Mavis’s dark nipples with his greedy tongue, and fingering the downy curls between her legs, left Thea breathless and stunned.

"It is very simple, Thea," he continued, still nipping and licking Mavis like a greedy boy. "I will come in Mavis’s talented mouth, then I will spank her delectable bottom for failing to swallow me whole--as she surely will." He pinched and pulled Mavis’s nipples and the young woman moaned in response.

Thea could not believe what was happening. Come in her mouth? Swallow him whole? Even without a full explanation, she knew what he meant, why he stroked his massive cock with his hand even now.

Thea wanted to flee, to escape the tawdry milieu before her. But a tiny part of her--the part that quivered at the sight of Mavis’s wanton response to her master’s touch--wanted to witness firsthand the ways of men and women.

Lord Easterly’s legs were well muscled and Thea sensed that his manhood was massive even without benefit of experience. She swallowed and wondered how Mavis would ever take him in.

Thea didn’t have to wait long to find out.

"Stand up, Thea. I want to bask in the glow of your nakedness."

Slowly, she stood, dripping in the tub. He let her dry herself with a towel, quickening the pace of his self-pleasuring when she blotted the moisture from her own thatch of honey-colored curls. Thea was shocked by the slick wetness that dripped from her swollen private place.

"Sit on that stool," he directed, pointing to a seat by the fire.

Thea forced herself to move, forced herself to do as she was told.

"Now spread your legs and lean back so I can fully drink in the sight of your luscious breasts."

"No!" she cried, shrinking back in a huddle on the stool.

"You either do as your told, or I’ll have your sister in here quicker than you can clamp those virgin legs shut!"

Lord Easterly’s icy gaze was so threatening, Thea wanted to cry herself. But she had to think of Tess. Her sister would not be put through this. She looked to Mavis and the young woman nodded slightly. Thea sucked in a shaking breath and forced her shoulders back and braced her hands behind her.

"Go on, now. That’s it," he urged.

A tear slipped down Thea’s cheek, but her outrage at the scandalous position her cousin put her in this day burned in her gut. She closed her eyes, murmured a silent prayer for mercy, and spread her legs.

"Ahh, that’s it. Lovely. Do you know the names for the part of your body that can drive a man insane with desire?" Easterly asked, flush-faced and panting now.

Thea bit back a retort and only shook her head. She didn’t want to risk his wrath.

"That slick, hot hole of yours goes by many names," he said, blatantly staring at her. "Cunny, pussy, cunt, twat, just to name a few." Moisture beaded his upper lip, and his hand jerked up and down his engorged member fiercely.

Try as she might, Thea couldn’t keep her eyes off the growing monster before her. She tried to absorb this news about her woman’s body. Cunny, pussy, cunt. She knew the words were lewd, but they were titillating just the same. To her utter dismay, creamy droplets ran down her inner-thighs, and her cunny, as he called it, throbbed with a mounting ache that made her shift on her seat.

"Jesus! Just the sight of that dripping virginal pussy is enough to send me over the edge," Easterly bit out. "On your knees, Mavis--Now!"

Mavis did as she was told and lowered herself until her face was a breath away from his engorged penis. Thea didn’t move, didn’t breathe. She was mesmerized by the scene playing out before her.

It was ironic that she’d learned the words for the male member from housemaid’s gossip while growing up, but had never heard the words for her own body. This new awareness of how a female might elicit animal heat from the opposite sex stunned her.

Mavis licked her lips, preparing herself.

"That’s my Mavis. Make ready to suck my cock. I can’t hold out much longer."

Then Lord Easterly shoved his rigid prick past the maid’s lips and thrust it down her throat before Thea could steel herself against the moment. He held the back of Mavis’s head and bucked rhythmically into her mouth. Mavis kept her balance by holding his rocking hips. Her breasts swayed in time to her master’s forceful pumping. Her firm, rounded bottom tightened as she took in all of his rigid length.

Thea was frozen on the spot. Easterly stared at her cunt and tightened his hold on Mavis. Then he grinned and tossed his head back, his breath coming in short gasps. Thea could see the corded muscles in his neck strain, and his grunting and groaning intensified, echoing around the room.

Mavis breathed heavily through her nose, and her skilled lips stretched and pursed with every thrust of the lord’s blood-engorged flesh. Thea couldn’t move--couldn’t stop the seeping wetness between her legs. Easterly’s tightening sac grazed Mavis’s chin as he rocked back and forth, and she could see the crush of his crisp pubic hair against the maid’s face. The scent of his straining body--pure male essence--filled the room.

"Christ!" he ground out.

Lord Easterly was pumping at a mad pace now. Mavis’s entire body shook under her master’s forceful onslaught. He lowered his head and groaned as if in mortal agony. "Open wide, my sweet, while I come in your hot mouth."

He arched his body, every muscle taut. Thea knew it was happening. Mavis worked her throat, swallowing the surge of liquid spurting from his cock. She swallowed and swallowed while he held her head in a firm grip. Then a rush of air escaped his lips and he pulled out quickly. It was over.

Mavis sagged to the floor and Lord Easterly fell back on the bed. Slowly, the maid sat up and wiped perspiration and his cum from her upper lip with the back of her hand. She looked at Thea and smiled. The young woman was none the worse for wear. Actually, she looked quite pleased.

Thea couldn’t quite summon the courage to face her own reaction: that it hadn’t been that horrible to watch. On the contrary, it had been quite provocative once she’d gotten past her shock.

Lord Easterly finally sat up and gave Thea the first genuine smile she’d had seen from him. "Jesu! If I didn’t owe Ashton five thousand, I’d keep you for myself. That sweet little cunny of yours . . ." He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. "But no, I must pay for my weaknesses and forfeit the prize. Ashton had better appreciate the prize and know how to handle it, damn him!"

He patted the bed next to him and Mavis moved to sit by his side. Easterly still fought to control his breathing, and his skin glistened from his exertions. Thea drew her legs together and wrapped her arms around her chest.

"I am ready for my punishment, Lord Easterly?" Mavis said coyly. Thea marveled at the maid’s composure. In fact, she looked as if she was enjoying her part in all this.

"Yes, you little minx. I suppose you want your itch scratched now?" His taunting grin gave Thea shivers.

"No, sir, just beg your mercy, if you please."

"Roll over," he said wickedly and pushed Mavis back on the bed. "I am a selfish bastard and will satisfy my own urges tonight. You will have to tend yourself later, sweet Mavis. Or, maybe my wife will take pity on you," he said and laughed lustily.

"And you," he continued, staring back at Thea so intently that she felt like a trapped animal. "I’ll leave your pleasure to Lord Ashton."

Heat flooded Thea’s face and breasts. Her lower body was still throbbing and she had no idea how to make it stop. Good Lord, would she have to perform this deviant act for Lord Ashton?

Her cousin laughed at her. "Quick to learn and quick to come, I’ll wager. Poor pussy will have to wait," he teased. "Now lift your arse in the air, Mavis, and I’ll show our little virgin how I achieve another erection for my dearest wife.

"No doubt it will shock you to learn, Thea, that Lady Easterly has been watching us this entire time. She will be waiting for me, heavy in her own juices by now," he said, snickering.

"Your wife?" Thea said in disbelief.

"Pity you won’t be here long enough to participate in more of our little games. But you’ve done your job well, little pussy," he said, leering at her. "My wife will be well pleased."

Thea was startled by the revelation that the viscountess had been watching from some unknown locale. Could a woman derive some sort of pleasure from watching her husband experience carnal pleasure with other women? The idea was confusing to say the least. He would be going to his wife after this, and the thought of them together, doing all sorts of things Thea could only imagine, caused her heartbeat to accelerate and her swollen cleft to throb.

Thea watched Mavis kneel on all fours in the middle of the big bed. The rounded curves of her shapely buttocks framed the black muff fringing her glistening, dark red pussy. The maid was as wet as creamy as she was. Thea swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry.

"You must be punished, you naughty girl," Easterly said, rubbing his hands together before leaning his face close to the maid’s vulnerable backside. "Your readiness for me makes me rigid enough, Mavis, but I can’t resist one or two good smacks."

Then his hand came down on Mavis’s bare tender flesh and he spanked her bottom with a sound slap. His open palm left a red blush on her soft cheek, but obviously not enough to hurt. Mavis arched her back and dropped her head, then reached back and found the swollen nub Thea could see peeking out between her slick folds. The maid began rubbing herself in earnest.

"Clit," Lord Easterly informed Thea, "is that little bud of pleasure Mavis is frigging so nicely. So nicely, in fact, that I’m about to come all over the sheets."

Smack, his hand came down again, and this time Mavis moaned in pleasure. Thea clenched her legs and squirmed, shamefully aroused by the sight of the other woman’s high state of arousal. Then Mavis rolled over, thrashing wantonly on the bed while her fingers worked her slick, swollen slit.

Lord Easterly, agitated and panting, clenched his cock with his fist and strode from the room without a backward glance.

Mavis cried out in climax, drawing Thea’s attention back to the bed. The maid’s body was stiff with tension and her fingers worked frantically on her clit while she panted and moaned in utter abandon. Then Mavis collapsed, limp and exhausted on the bed. A telltale cry of Lady Easterly’s passion echoed down the hall through the open door.

It was all unbelievable! Thea regained her senses and quickly found her robe. She put it on, drawing the ties snugly around her body. Thank God Tess has been spared all this! She dropped into a chair by the glowing fire, stifled now by its heat, but too chilled in spirit to move away from the soothing warmth.

Thea could not reconcile the vision of pleasant-faced Mavis, who was now dressing efficiently by the water basin, with the wanton woman sucking on Lord Easterly’s thrusting penis. The wild abandon that had possessed Mavis, had just as easily slipped away. The young woman finished arranging a side table for supper as calmly as she had an hour ago.

"Don’t--you mind?" Thea asked hesitantly.

Mavis smiled kindly. "I’m sorry you had to witness that, m’lady. A virgin deserves a proper gentleman with a gentle touch in the ways of love. But life don’t always go the way of dreams."

"I’m sorry." Thea had no idea how to behave toward Mavis now.

"Don’t be sorry for me, m’lady. I’ve a good life, a warm bed, and a handsome fella of my own. These little dalliances with the Lord and Lady is but a pleasurable way of sidestepping the drudgery of a life in service."

"So you--you like to do these things?" Thea wanted desperately to understand, to justify the reasons for her own body’s shameful responses to the evening’s activities.

"My lady, you mustn’t be ashamed of your natural passions. You’ve a spirited nature, I could tell it right off. His Lordship doesn’t hurt me. I like what we do, and I’m proud to admit it. The advances of a lusty male should awaken your desires. Be glad of it."

Thea had to ask the other question that burned on the tip of her tongue. "What of Lady Easterly?" she whispered.

Mavis chuckled at this, and moved toward the door. "I take a liking to beauty, be it male or female. Most folks find just one or the other pleases them. I’ll wager God don’t judge us too harshly as long as we show some respect for each other."

"But Lord Easterly humiliated you!" Thea cried.

Mavis just shook her head, her eyes glinting with humor. "You will learn, if you’re lucky, that games of the flesh can only heighten your passion as long as you’re a willin’ party."

Games? Had it all been a game to them? Had Lord Easterly’s show of force and Mavis’s submission and punishment all been a bizarre excursion into the realm of fantasy?

"You rest now, my lady. It’s all over. I’ll bring supper up straight away." Mavis left the room and quietly closed the door.

Thea’s warring thoughts spun in her head. The wayward part of her--the part that had defied her mother and spent the previous summer swimming naked in the pond within earshot of her father’s stable hand--was bursting with questions. Thea’s natural curiosity about age-old secrets between lovers had been piqued.

Thank God Lord Easterly had shown some degree of restraint and kept his hands off of her. But what would the hands of a sought-after lover feel like caressing her body? Would she be able to take a man’s penis into her mouth if she was attracted to him?

Thea flushed and loosened her robe. What on earth was she going to do? What sort of man was Lord Ashton to value the pleasures of the flesh over the value of five thousand in gold coin?

Thea tried to take comfort in Mavis’s carefree outlook. She vowed, then and there, that she too could do whatever was necessary to save her sister and herself.