This story is for persons of eighteen years or over. All comments, good or bad, are welcome and all will be answered.
Part Three
Alex, Stanford and an under butler were there on the steps of the Hall to meet me when I was driven there by a taxi. It was nice to see the welcome on their faces and I'd only been away for three days. I could also see that Alex would just have loved to kiss me in greeting but took my arm instead and led me up to my room. Only when we were alone inside after the under butler had left my suitcase did he take me into his arms and kiss me.
It seems like a lifetime ago that you left,' he said breathlessly after a rather passionate kiss. It's been so lonely without you here,' he carried on as he began to undo the buttons of my blouse. I didn't stop him and when I was naked, he ran his hands over my breasts and tried to kiss them as he struggled to get his clothes off. We fell on the bed and he was soon between my legs and pushing his big prick up into me. Now this was what I called a good welcome home, being fucked within five minutes of arriving. Boy, did he need the release. His coming really splattered my insides as he strained up against me as he did so. It was too quick for me to have an orgasm but I did on the second coming together.
He was delighted with the news that we were off to Spain again, telling him of meeting with Trevor, leaving out all the sex side of my time in London, and that night I stopped taking the pill.
I made sure that enough money was left with Stanford for the staff's wages and any bills that might come in from our food suppliers. Alex and I then left for sunny Spain and I realised it was almost to the day that we had done this a year ago. I made sure I carried enough money but not to waste it like getting a London taxi take us to Gatwick. That would be rather stupid when you have many small firms doing airport runs much, much cheaper. It was a two and a half hour flight after being at the airport two hours before boarding, what with the checking in and security. A taxi at San Javier airport to La Azohia, arriving at Malcolm's villa just over twelve hours after leaving the Hall.
William would be spoilt rotten by the staff and nanny there so I didn't have any worries on that score.
We were sweating by the time we arrived and instead of making love there and then on that bed where we'd first fucked, it was clothes off and straight into the pool for skinny dipping. It must have looked like two children just being let out of school the way we splashed each other as we played in the pool.
Though it would have been strange for such children to do what we did, what with our kissing, touching, stroking, fondling and then having sex on the steps with our waists still below the water line. That a lovely way of having it. Bum on the non slip tiles and having him lean over me, pushing not only his prick, but half the pools contents up inside me. The water was cool and his cock was hot and I'm sure we boiled that water inside me such was his vigorous thrusts. I had to laugh at an old joke that came into my mind. An old man was just about to have sex with a woman, and after putting on condom onto his erection, he stuffed cotton wool up his nostrils and into his ears. What's that for, the woman asked him. I hate the smell of burning rubber and the screams of a woman he said as he began to fuck her. Boom boom!
We stayed naked the whole time within the perimeter of the villa's grounds, only getting dressed when we went into the small village for food or drinks. Sex was the highest thing on our agenda, Alex fucking me, morning, noon and night, and if capable, sometimes in between. He was as randy as I was.
Second on our list was the sun. Splayed out naked on the sun beds to catch the September rays, which though still strong, was not as hot as July and August. The sea breeze which came up off the water that was about half a kilometre away, was a boon. Though it did give you a false sense of security by you not feeling just how hot that sun really was and so we were like lobsters after just one day of this sunbathing. One side done, time to turn over. I made him wear a condom on the head of his prick for I didn't want that getting red raw and not get my full use out of it.
We went out and celebrated when we'd gone one week past my expected monthly period and I knew that I was once again pregnant with Alex's seed. He was again both delighted and disappointed that though this yet to be born child was his like William was, he could not have it acknowledged as being his. That was the only downside to our relationship but he took it stoically for at least he had me.
We still made pigs of ourselves for even though the task and deed had been done, we still enjoyed the pleasure of each other's body.
I waited until the last week of October before sending the telegram, like last time, to Trevor saying that the impregnation was again successful and I was once again pregnant. We left Spain on the last day of October and returned to a wet and miserable England and it made me want to cry. The main difference between the two countries apart from Spain being cheaper to live, was that Spain had sunshine and brown fields whereas England had green fields but very little sun.
Still, it was nice to get back home to the Hall and be waited on hand and foot and I even got big smiles and hugs from William on my return. He liked the presents that I'd brought him and I gave the nanny a small Spanish shawl which delighted her and Stanford liked the Toledo steel sword for hanging in his room. The bloody trouble I had getting that on the plane and back to England. I think it was only because I was the Countess of Lark that I got away with bringing it into the country, after paying duty on it, even though Spain was also part of the E.U. It was the only way I could get it in without it being confiscated. It was the name of course for if I'd been Mrs Joe Bloggs, they would have taken it.
But back to the hum-drum running of the estate, hearing from Arthur how everything was going on outside and from Stanford in regard to the inside. The estate was still in the black due to the foresight of the late Earl by avoiding the recessional periods and keeping up with the latest technology in farming trends and machinery. It was this credo that I was following and made sure that Arthur was aware of the ever changing trends and not to live in the past.
So I worked in the study and Alex in the library during the mornings and we would go out riding in the late afternoons. He finished the cataloguing of all the tomes just before Christmas and his New Year plan was to get them in their right order before tackling the many manuscripts that filled all the lower cupboards.
Lark Hall was full at Christmas. Mum and George, Trevor and Rollo stayed over and helped in the traditional staff Christmas lunch in the great hall, us serving all the staff, them getting a small gift as well as the paper hats and crackers and drinks to wash down all the wonderful food. This was on Christmas Eve and at our dinner the next day, we had all the most notable people of the village there, even the two senior officers from the airfield that the government had taken over part of the estate during the war and never returned.
The New Year came and after it, mum and George as well as Trevor and Rollo, returned to London leaving me alone again with Alex. It was what I wanted and was quite happy to wave them all off.
After being examined a couple of times by our doctor, the expected date for my next child was put at around the same time of William's birthday, which later proved correct, but only just.
Winter had gone spring had arrived and it was now too much effort for me to ride out with Alex, so he would go off on his own while I took it easy.
It was mid-May when I had my light lunch with Alex, after which, we went up to our rooms where I went and laid down and he changed into his riding jodhpurs and gave me a kiss and went off for his afternoon ride. I was reading some book and had dozed off only to be woken by a different knocking of my bedroom door from that of my maid.
`Come in,' I called out, sitting up, making sure that my tit hadn't slipped out of the gown I was wearing, for it did tend to have this habit. The door opened and it was Stanford who came into the room, Elsie just behind him.
`Sorry to disturb you madam, but I thought it important. The mare that Mr Alex was out riding has returned to the stable. On its own.' He had a look of anguish on his face and I could now understand why. I felt the blood drain from my face and suddenly felt very light headed and clutched the bed sheet in my hand. My heart was hammering away inside my chest and I felt like panic.
`Send as many of the staff out to look for him,' I gasped.
`That I've already done madam. Mr Brown has taken your mare and others are out on foot and in the Land Rover,' he said.
Thank you Stanford,' I managed to get out. I'll get dressed and come downstairs. Elsie! Come help me.' I threw the covers back and Stanford hastily withdrew from the room, closing the door as Elsie hurried over to help me out of bed. With me being only about five weeks off giving birth, I was a bit on the clumsy and lumbering side. She helped me out and got me some clothes while I washed my face and let her get my gown off and dressed properly.
I went downstairs and began to pace the great hall and even used the outside portico to look for signs of anybody coming. Stanford fetched me a brandy which didn't do much for me as I waited for news.
`The Land Rover's coming,' Elsie called out, running into the hall, and I went out and saw that there were four of the staff inside. The all tumbled out and disappeared as the driver came up the steps as Stanford came up close to me. It came to me later that he'd done so just in case it was really bad news and that I should collapse and so be ready to catch me if I did fall.
We found him ma-am,' the driver panted. Down by the river. He's in a bad way and the boys are getting a tractor and trailer out. We need some blankets and a mattress. The ground's quite rough.'
Stanford was already giving orders for what was required before I could say anything and I was already praying that he was still alive. I thanked the driver and watched as the tractor with a trailer attached, came round to the front of the steps. A mattress came past me and two others with blankets and pillows which were thrown onto the trailer and all those that had come in the Land Rover, now climbed onto the trailer as it was driven off back across the lawns. The huge wheels churning up the grass and the irreverent thought crossed my mind that this action wouldn't please our grounds man who looked after them so tenderly.
I turned round looking for Stanford but he wasn't there and so I went into the hall.
`Where's Stanford?' I asked one of the maids.
`In your study ma-am,' she replied and I waddled off towards said study. But he was way ahead of me for he was already on the phone. He looked up as I entered the room.
I've already told the doctor and he's on his way. I'm now calling for an ambulance. Hello?' he said into the phone, turning away from me. He got through and told them why we needed this ambulance. At least thirty minutes madam,' he said, a sad look on his face. `Maybe the doctor can do something for him before it arrives.'
We went back into the great hall and out onto the portico steps and waited, me fretting and tearing a handkerchief to pieces in this waiting, my heart still going hell for leather inside my chest as I prayed. The tractor could be heard before it was seen, coming round the corner of the Hall and towards us. I could see six men on the trailer, three on either side and as it got closer, that they were trying to keep Alex steady on the bouncing mattress. He was curled up in a foetal position and he had his hands crossed over on his stomach.
The trailer was halted at the bottom of the steps and the six men jumped off and lifted the mattress and Alex off with one big heave and carried both up the steps. I looked down at the tortured features of Alex as they passed me. His face was all white and screwed up and I heard him give out a groan and quickly followed behind them.
Onto the table,' Stanford said as Elsie cried out. The doctor's here.'
The men put the mattress on the top of the table as the doctor came hurriedly into the hall. He quickly moved over to the table to see to Alex.
`Hold his arms,' he said to the men standing by and this they did as the doctor pulled open Alex's shirt from his trousers and undid the belt of his trousers and pulled the front open. His hands began lightly moving over the bare stomach, feeling and pressing, Alex giving out loud groans now at each touch.
`Can anyone tell me what happened?' the doctor asked.
We didn't see it,' one man said, but he was lying next to a tree stump, holding his stomach like you saw. I reckon he was throwed and landed on that there stump.' The doctor nodded as he poked and prodded what looked like a very bruised and swollen stomach. Alex groaned again and opened his eyes and saw Stanford standing there.
It wasn't the horse's fault,' he gasped. It was a vixen and her cubs. She jumped up to protect them and startled the horse. She reared up and I fell off,' and he gasped again and screwed up his eyes with the pain. `I...I landed on a bloody tree stump, right...oh God, it hurts!'
`You've phoned for an ambulance I take it?' the doctor asked of Stanford.
`Yes sir. It should be along any time now,' Stanford replied.
Good,' and he turned to me. I can't help him. The hospital's the only option for I'm afraid he's ruptured inside and I think, haemorrhaging. I'm very sorry Countess.'
I felt faint and swayed and nearly fell but for Stanford, who caught me and helped me to a chair. With my head swimming I heard the doctor speak in a low voice to Stanford.
`I'm worried about the Countess too. She's quite close to her time. She'd better go in the ambulance as well. We can't afford her to begin giving birth now. The shock may bring it on and so the hospital is the best place for her too.' I didn't see, but he must have fumbled in his bag for a minute later, I felt the prick of a needle being put into my arm.
`A mild sedative Countess,' he said to me and I could then hear the siren of the ambulance coming up the drive.
I was in all of a daze as I saw people moving about and two para medics came in with a stretcher and bags and quickly put a mask over Alex's face as one listened to the doctor before helping his fellow worker give Alex a shot in the arm before lifting him off onto the stretcher and carry him outside. I was helped up from my chair and I was assisted out and down the steps and up into the back of the ambulance.
I was laid out on the opposite side to Alex and I heard the door shut as the engine was started and it moved off. The doctor was holding my hand as the other medic fussed over Alex though I couldn't see in that confined space what he was doing.
I learned later, what with me drifting in and out of consciousness, that it took the ambulance just twenty minutes to get us to the hospital in Cambridge. Here I was separated from Alex. He was taken out first and rushed off to emergency and I was taken into a side ward to be checked over and to see if I was liable to go into childbirth or not. The doctor stayed with me for two hours before he was called out of the room.
When he returned, he was with another doctor who was wearing scrubs and his face mask was hanging round his neck.
I'm very sorry Countess,' he said, tears in his eyes, but we lost him. We kept giving him pints of blood but the internal damage was too great, we couldn't save him. I'm so very, very sorry.' His face blurred as the tears from my own eyes flowed down my face and I fell back on the pillow.
My love, my life, my lover was gone! How I cried. Not just for myself but for him. Knowing that I was shortly to give him another child that he would now never see. A nurse washed my face as another small sedative was given me which calmed me down and a little while later I asked if I could see him once more before I went home.
I was advised not to but insisted, so I was helped up from the bed and escorted to the room where they'd laid him out. A sheet covered his body and all that was visible was his face. The one I loved and had kissed so many times. Gone was the pain, his face smooth and calm looking, eyes closed as though he was asleep. They didn't stop me from moving close and holding back my tears, leaned down and kissed those lips for the last time and turning away, nearly stumbled and was helped from the room.
Stanford, bless him, had had the foresight to send the car along after the ambulance knowing that the doctor at least, had to return to the village and that I might also not be detained. As was the case, and I was helped down the hospital steps and into the car. I was coherent enough to thank the doctor and said that he didn't need to come right up to the Hall and that we could drop him off at his house in the village. This we did though he said that he would still come and see me the following day.
It wasn't until we got to the Hall that we found that he should have stayed with us for his car was still there. Stanford said that he would deal with that and saw that Elsie got me to my room where I was put to bed. I don't know how long I cried before falling asleep from sheer exhaustion.
Nearly all of the inside staff had been waiting in the great hall for me, having been pre-warned from the hospital that I was on my way. All the female staff in tears because Alex had been liked by them all as being a nice courteous young man and were also crying for me but not knowing how much I had lost.
The doctor visited me the next day, his car having been delivered by Arthur who returned with him. He checked me over and told me to get as much rest as I could and to stay in bed. Between him and Stanford, Alex's body was to be brought back for burial in the village cemetery. Against the doctor's orders, I left my bed for this. Dressed in black I attended the service in the church, sitting in the front pew, insisting that Stanford sat next to me having Trevor on the other.
Mother, George, and Rollo sat in the pew behind and was grateful that they had all showed up for the funeral. I was surprised and much taken to see that Sir Malcolm had also turned up and was in the church. If I'd known he was coming, he should have been in the pew behind me and not somewhere near the back.
With the service over, the coffin was carried out and we followed, which was when I saw Malcolm and mouthed my thanks though I don't know if he saw for I had a veil on my hat. Words were said over the graveside and Alex left the surface to be placed below it and I threw in the first handful of dirt before being helped away to the car to take me back to the Hall. It was in the Great Hall that the funeral feast was being held and I went round and thanked all that had turned out to say their last farewell.
`I'm glad you could make it Malcolm,' I said when I could finally corner him on his own.
Well I had known him longer than you, though,' he said with a sad smile, not so intimately. When's the baby due?'
A few weeks now,' a tear coming to my eye, and he's not going to see it.'
`But at least something of him that you'll always have. To tell him, or her, what a fine man the father was. If you feel that you would like to get away anytime, for a break, sunshine or whatever, the villa will always be there for you.'
Thank you Malcolm. If I do use it, maybe you could find some time for a short break yourself,' I said, taking his hand. I must go and speak to the others, so thank you again.'
`Please don't forget too, that I'm still in London,' he said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
`That I'll never forget,' I smiled as I squeezed his hand back and moved off to speak to some other mourners.
These latter started to move off, shaking my hand and many of the women giving me a curtsey as they did so, leaving just the staff, mother and George, Trevor and Rollo. It was a sombre dinner we had that night and I was glad to have the excuse to go to bed early.
Breakfast wasn't any better and mum cried when she said her goodbye along with George and Trevor gave me a kiss and patted my stomach saying that he would return when it was time. He was all smiles which I wasn't, for he still had his lover. Rollo had driven Trevor up to the Hall and now he took mum and George back with them to London and I was left all on my own with only William and the baby kicking me from the inside, to remind me of my lost love Alex.
How much I missed him in my bed. To feel his body up against mine, to feel his hard erection poking me awake and welcoming that throbbing organ into my body. I cried buckets over the next few weeks alone in my bed.
I'd just finished my lonely dinner when my waters broke. I knew I had the time to get back upstairs to change, leaving one of the maids to clean up the dining room. My bag was already packed and Elsie carried it downstairs to the waiting car that Stanford had got ready for me and I was taken off to hospital. The labour pains had started, but the time between them was long enough for the journey and I was soon there in the hospital being prepared by the nurses.
It was well into the early hours of the morning after four exhausting hours that I finally was able to expel my daughter and cried that Alex wasn't there to hold my hand and see his new child. She looked beautiful when she was all cleaned up and put into my arms and I named her there and then.
`Welcome to this cold cruel world Alexandra,' and cried again.
I was better in the morning for my visitors. Mum and George had been collected by Rollo and they came along with Trevor too, Stanford having phoned them during the night to say that I'd been taken to the hospital.
Trevor was the first one in to see me and his new daughter, or so he believed and he liked the name Alexandra and thought that I named it because of the loss of Alex, which was partly true. For I still believed he didn't really know that he wasn't the baby's father. He was happy as a lark which we always said, coming from where I lived. He called mum in next to see her granddaughter which, after kissing me, cooed over the cot.
George and Rollo were allowed in next to see the baby and give me their congratulations. None of them stayed long and I was soon left on my own again though I now did have some lovely flowers in the room. Which were replaced every day with fresh ones that Trevor managed to think of, having ordered them from the florist's that was down near the reception. The biggest display coming from Malcolm with a lovely card, of which I got quite a few.
Like William, Alexandra always seemed in need of the breast and so I spent most of my waking hours having her sucking on one tit or the other. It was only when she was taken away from me that night did I remember what day it was. It was William's birthday and I had forgotten and here I now had his sister who had been born on the very same day, two years later. This made me cry again.
Five days later I was discharged from the hospital and after thanking the doctors and nurses, was ferried back to Lark Hall.
Doris, the nanny was delighted that she now had another baby to look after and so I had lots of free time except for the feeding of the newcomer. William was now onto solids and didn't seem to take any interest in his sister, only in the tearing up of the paper that covered his belated birthday presents.
I shocked the Hall when I shot the horse a few days later. It was a sudden fit of madness. I had been moping about not really knowing what I wanted to do and I was out by the stables and had this fit, that's all I can say in my defence. It hadn't been my intention but I saw the mare that Alex had ridden that day and I just turned round and went into the tack room and ferreted around till I found the humane killer. A large weapon that fired a bolt out of the muzzle at some speed. I'd handled it sometime before and knew how to load it and calmly walked into the box where the mare was and just put the barrel to the forehead and pulled the trigger.
There was a loud bang and the horse dropped like a ton of bricks. The groom came rushing in and cried out in dismay at what I had done and took the gun from my hand. Others had come running too and a hand took hold of my arm and led me outside. There was a lot of whispering and the groom tried to keep them out so that he could shut the stable door after the horse had been bolted. Sorry, I couldn't resist that pun and it's really quite tasteless under the circumstances.
I was calmly led away from the stables and passed onto Stanford who took me to my downstairs sitting room and sat me down and poured me out a large brandy.
`Why madam?' he asked as he passed me the glass.
`Why what?' I replied.
`Why did you shoot the horse?'
Did I?' I asked and took a sip of the brandy and as it went down my throat, I began to shake and had to use two hands to hold the glass. Oh my God, I did, didn't I,' and tears began to roll down my face as the truth hit me and saw in my mind's eye exactly what I had done. Stanford must of pressed the bell that I used to summon someone and came and put his hand gently on my shoulder and held it there until a maid came in summons to the bell.
Fetch Elsie,' he told her and stayed by my side as I sobbed until Elsie came in. Take madam upstairs and see that she gets some rest,' he said and helped me up from the chair. I leaned on Elsie as we went up to my bedroom where she got me onto the bed and then fetched a wet cloth and some water and a towel and washed my face and dried it.
She drew the curtains and let me sleep. I couldn't eat any dinner that night.
Next day, I went out to the stables and apologised to the groom for what I had done saying that it was in a moment of sheer madness, and I was glad to see the stable door was open and that the horse had been taken away though this was something that I didn't say to him. I think they all understood the why and the wherefore of my action and nothing was ever said about this incident.