Over Exposure
31
Debut
“Kathleen” by JR-stock, ID492504154 licensed from Shutterstock.com.
JANE AND I made the most of a night ‘alone’ in the castle. Meaning, we made love, bathed in her luxurious bath, massaged each other, made love again, and slept cuddled next to each other. In the morning, we made love again before a maid knocked on her door and brought in a tray containing breakfast for two.
“You know, your mother and your staff seem to be awfully accepting of you having a lover stay over for the night,” I said after a sip of coffee and a bite of cinnamon toast. “Is this a common occurrence?”
“No, Nate. It is not a common occurrence. Oh, Audrey and I spend the night together occasionally, but we aren’t lovers unless one of us is particularly horny. I believe that to Mother and the staff, my having a lover here for the weekend is a sign of a healthy recovery from my nine months of mourning for my father. They are all a bit relieved.”
“That’s an interesting take on life. You know, I am sorry about your father. I’ve been pretty worried about my own father lately.”
“Sick?”
“Cancer. The doctors gave him a clean bill of health after his surgery in mid-October, but he’s only just beginning to feel up to doing things. He’s out of work again, which doesn’t help. It’s like they took part of his spirit out when they removed the cancer.”
“Is he old?”
“Not yet sixty.”
“My father was near seventy and it was still much too soon to lose him. It did hit me hard and I didn’t want to see anyone. Then, on top of just coping with the loss, there was the inheritance and negotiating with mother how to manage my estate. Since I was only just twenty-one when Father died, I was given some time to heal and mourn our loss. I’m twenty-two now, and society expects that I will make some announcement of my future intentions by the time I am twenty-three.”
“That sounds like an awful hurry. I’ll barely be out of college at twenty-three,” I said.
“Yes. I could put things off by saying I’m going around the world on a photo safari for two years, or that I’m pursuing an advanced degree, or that I have a particular goal of photographing all the penguins in Antarctica before I marry,” she laughed. “But even though it doesn’t hold the same connotation for most single women our age, the threat of being called a spinster lies very real for nobility. I haven’t taken up knitting.”
“What?”
“Knit and crochet, for there’s no better way, to be thirty and single, but to knit and crochet,” she sang. “Honestly, I’d like to have a husband. And I suppose that within two or three years, we’ll be expected to have at least one child. The prospects don’t horrify me. But the longer I wait to tie one down, the older my potential matches become and the more suspect my character.”
“That’s really terrible!”
“Now, before my character is called into question again, make love to me, Nate. We’ll have guests arriving in a few hours.”
Audrey arrived at the castle just half an hour before Damien and Kathleen did. She had an overnight bag and a dress bag with her clothes for the evening. Damien and Kathleen, of course, arrived with their suitcases. We immediately went to tea, served in the castle dining room by Jane’s staff.
“Kathleen,” Jane asked as we were enjoying the meal, “I wonder if I might borrow Damien for an hour or two before the party.”
Kathleen was thrown for a minute.
“I suppose that would be fine if you’d like to exchange him for Nate,” Kathleen said.
“Oh, I’m sure Nate wants you, but we’ll all be together,” Jane said.
“Uh… Lady Jane, perhaps you might be a little more specific in what your request entails,” Damien said, trying to be as circumspect as possible. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t object to a little tryst with Jane.
“Nate is here as part of his special session to create location-based portraits. I have been functioning as his assistant,” Jane explained. “But I, too, am a portrait photographer. My fingers have been itching to get someone in front of my camera for two weeks. Specifically, Nate and I would like to have a photo session with you and Kathleen. I have no objection to working with women, as I have many times with Audrey, but I’d very much like to make a portrait of you, Damien. And I know that Nate is always happy to have Kathleen in front of his lens. To make this all possible, we also have Audrey here, and she can function as assistant to both Nate and me. She’s worked in that capacity before.”
Kathleen started laughing.
“Forgive me, Lady Jane. I definitely jumped to the wrong conclusion,” Kathleen said.
“Well, I rather teased that,” Jane laughed. “If it weren’t for having such limited time left with Nate, I might even have done more than tease. But for now, I’m only talking photography.” She paused for a moment and screwed up her face a little. “You are aware of Nate’s photography of women and how he works with them, though, yes? My style is not dissimilar when working with a male model. I would like to find… the essence of the man.”
Damien audibly moaned.
It was quickly agreed, and as soon as we’d finished tea, we went to the Solar. We had to stop by our bedrooms to pick up our equipment and then moved on to what was essentially the private sitting room of the castle. It was still pretty ornate, but was furnished comfortably and with mostly modern items. Modern as within the past fifty years or so. There were also some nice works of art and it featured many photos that I recognized as being in Lady Jane’s style, including a few of Audrey.
“I was going to ask you, Nate, if I might have a copy of your portrait of Audrey in the snow to hang here in the solar. I think I should expand beyond my own artwork.”
“Of course you may, Jane. In fact, I’ll give you the extra I printed in Oxford.”
“Thank you, dear heart,” she said, giving me a little kiss in front of our friends. I wondered if she was emphasizing her claim to me for Kathleen and Audrey, or her unavailability to Damien.
We divvied up the room and both began setting up equipment. The room had high arching windows and I thought I’d like to get a shot of Kathleen against the light coming through the window. I set up my fill lights so she wasn’t completely in silhouette. Audrey’s attention was split between me and Jane. I pulled her to me and gave her a sincere kiss.
“Please stay close to Jane so she doesn’t get into an unwanted predicament,” I whispered. “I think you’ve been a wingman before.”
“I know exactly what to do. You’ll be okay?”
“Never better.”
And then, it was all photography. I took a few pictures with the Hasselblad, testing the lighting and getting a lovely closeup of Kathleen’s face against the nearly white-out background of the window. Then I started loosening her clothing as she smiled at me. I saw her glance over to where Jane was working with Damien and then lean in to kiss me.
“I’m naughty enough with him watching in public,” she whispered, “but he’s never actually witnessed you getting me naked. Jane has him positioned so that he’s facing away from us.” She kissed me quickly again and I opened the front of her dress.
I could always depend on Kathleen wearing little or no underwear when I began to undress her. Today was no exception, and I caressed her breasts as I slipped her light blouse off her shoulders.
“Hold it there,” I said when it had dropped to her buttocks. I removed her skirt and panties and caressed her bottom. “You are always so exquisite,” I whispered, reaching around to rub her tummy down to her mound. “Mmm. Shaved smooth, I see.”
“Your Adrienne convinced me that it was an added treat for my boyfriend. And for you, of course,” she giggled.
“I will enjoy exploring it more,” I said. “Now let’s put you right in front of the window by the flowers. Here. Look over at them as you expose yourself to everyone who comes by the castle. They’re all looking at you, wondering if you are the crown princess and who will get to part your womanly folds. They all see your nipples coming to attention.”
She breathed heavily as I moved back to the 4x5 and dropped in the film carrier. I took the picture, flipped the carrier, and moved the camera closer. I checked carefully through the ground glass to be sure I had exactly what I wanted and inserted the film carrier again.
I took other pictures of her, caressing her and dipping my fingers into her snatch between shots. We heard Damien moan from behind us and I stopped her from turning to look at him by catching her lips with my own and working my fingers a little faster. Soon, she’d moaned her own release into my mouth.
“We’re definitely having a rematch in June,” she sighed. I squeezed her breasts once again and began pulling her clothes back together.
I answered the knock at my door.
“You’re needed, Nate,” Audrey said.
“Really?” I said. “What and where?”
“Please don’t be angry about what happened this afternoon.”
“I don’t actually know what happened this afternoon,” I said. “Well, I know some things that happened, but they didn’t involve you or Lady Jane.”
Audrey huffed a little.
“Please bring your suit and shirt with you and come to Jane’s room. We’ll tell you everything.”
The truth was, I was playing a game with them. I wasn’t upset. I’d been diddling Kathleen to an orgasm when we heard Damien’s moan that could only have been his completion. What did I have to be upset about? I was pretty sure neither Audrey or Jane had been fucked. It would simply have been too awkward to get that accomplished. If they’d managed a feat like that, I had to congratulate them. And we were all clear that none of us held a claim on any of the others. If I was a little jealous, it was my problem, not theirs.
I collected my clothes and Audrey helped carry my dress shoes and my tie. Then she surprised me and went to a closet door I hadn’t had time to try. When she opened it, we walked directly into Jane’s sitting room. My assumption was that over the past three hundred or so years, visits from one room to the other had not been that unusual. What surprised me even more was finding Jane, naked and spread-eagle on the bed with her hands and feet tied to the bedposts.
“Now this is kinky,” I said. “Jane, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but the brat beside you has decided I need to be punished for unladylike behavior this afternoon.”
“Oh, my. Well, I won’t take her word for it.” I turned and in that length of time, Audrey had stripped off her robe and was also delightfully naked. “I want to hear from your own mouth how you were unladylike so I know exactly how you should be punished.”
“I teased Damien all through our photo session until he was near to bursting with the need to come. You know, he is not as well-hung as you are, but fully erect he would be adequate.”
“I didn’t need to know that,” I said. “So, are you to be punished for teasing him?”
“No. Audrey believes I should be punished for not finishing him.”
“I distinctly heard…”
“And for giving her a little shove toward him so that she fell face first on his dick and swallowed it as he released his load,” Jane finished.
“Hmm. Well, I’m not sure it is you that should be punished as much as Audrey should be rewarded. Come here, little minx,” I commanded.
Audrey presented herself before me. I kissed her soundly.
“You’d kiss me even though you know another man came in my mouth?” she asked in amazement.
“At the very least, that’s been an hour and a half ago and you have had plenty of time to get rid of any remains. I’m wagering as well that you have brushed your teeth thoroughly since then, or else Damien’s come is minty flavored.”
“Yes, I brushed my teeth. I’m still surprised you’d kiss me after.”
“That is not all I intend to do,” I said.
I pushed Audrey back against the bed and laid her back with her head resting on Jane’s mons. Then I pushed Audrey’s legs apart and went to work on her with my tongue until she was writhing on top of Jane. I pulled back before she could come.
“Do you like this reward, Audrey?”
“Oh, God yes! Please don’t stop!”
“But it is Jane who made you eligible to receive this. Don’t you think she deserves a reward as well?”
“But…”
“Roll over and put your face to work as I finish you.”
“Yes, but…” I pulled her over and raised her on her knees with her face in Jane’s pussy. As soon as I heard her begin lapping, I went back to work on Audrey’s clit with my tongue, reaming her pussy with two fingers as I pressed against her asshole with my thumb.
I felt her contract and heard her moan her orgasm into Jane’s pussy and immediately got a condom on and pushed into her from behind as she continued to eat our hostess. Jane looked to be in the throes of ecstasy as well and as soon as I was sure she’d come, I pushed Audrey up so she was face to face with Jane and switched my cock from her pussy to Jane’s. I pounded into Jane as I continued to finger and thumb Audrey and the two girls moaned and kissed.
That feeling of completion with my belly tight against Audrey’s butt and my cock buried in Jane was so powerful it nearly knocked me out. I collapsed on top of the two of them and only Audrey twisting dislodged me and made it possible for Jane to breathe.
“My God! You… You ate me! To a fantastic orgasm! Audrey!”
“I’m so sorry, Jane. He made me do it.”
“Well, don’t worry, I rewarded him for that by having him come in my gine. You were wearing a condom weren’t you, Nate?”
“Of course, dear. You know I’ll take care of you.” I set about releasing her from her bonds which proved to be something she could have done herself by just letting go of the ropes.
“You know I love you as my best friend, Audrey.”
“Yes, Jane. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be, honey. You can’t imagine how many times I’ve imagined you doing just that. And I can’t wait to pay you back for it.”
“Really, Jane? You aren’t upset?”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Uh… Wait a minute,” I said. “Are you saying you’ve never eaten each other?”
The girls held each other and turned to look at me.
“Never,” Jane sighed. “It’s not something good girls do. We’ve stretched the rules by using our fingers on each other, but we never crossed that line.”
“I think it is me who owes you an apology then,” I said. “I’m so used to my girlfriends enjoying each other that I assumed you two were doing the same since you talked about helping each other when you were horny.”
“Your girlfriends do it to each other?”
“Absolutely. We wouldn’t last as a family if we weren’t all in love with each other,” I said.
“You see, Audrey? All I need to do is get a husband who will love us both. Or at least one who will tolerate the two of us. You need to do the same.”
“Oh, Jane, where are we going to find a man or men like that?” Audrey sighed. “I did like it, though. You taste sweet.”
“You know I’ve tasted you off my fingers. I’m looking forward to tasting you directly.” We lay there and all three kissed. “It’s nearly eight o’clock. We really need to dress and freshen our makeup. Perhaps we should sponge off the hot spots so we don’t smell like sex when we enter the party.”
I was assured that my gray suit would be completely appropriate for the party and, in fact, the majority of the male guests were dressed in suits or even sport coats and ties. I recognized what I thought were a couple of blazers with school ties in the mix and wondered at what age men in the UK stopped wearing a uniform to school.
Some of the older men were dressed more formally. Most of the girls wore short party dresses. Again, the older the woman, the longer the dress. Waiters in castle livery carried trays of champagne glasses. I was informed that they also had eau pétillante and decided to pass on the alcohol since I had an official job as Jane’s escort this evening. I didn’t want to get too tipsy and become a disgrace for letting something happen to Jane. As I looked around the party, it seemed there were an abundance of men with fewer women.
Well, I suppose young men didn’t bring a female date with them if they expected to flirt with and propose marriage to the hostess.
Jane was announced when she entered and there was applause all around. I was announced as her escort from Columbia College Chicago. Audrey was also announced as Jane’s attendant. We began the ritual of circulating around the party. I caught the significance of carrying a drink in one hand as Jane’s other hand was locked on my arm. She could not offer her hand to anyone and her guests made various bow-like gestures to her.
There was music playing and some of the older folks stepped onto the dance floor to waltz.
“Please squeeze my arm at any time you would like to dance,” I said. “You do dance, don’t you?”
“Yes. I prefer swing music. Audrey, would you go request ‘In the Mood’ to the band?”
“Of course, Miss.” Audrey was gone and still a few steps away from us when we heard the first strains of the old Glenn Miller song. Jane squeezed my arm tightly and I escorted her onto the dance floor in the great hall.
Jane was almost as good a dancer as Ronda. Having gotten the message, the band continued with more music in that vein and before long I was tapped on the shoulder and another young man stepped up to take Jane for a spin after her nod to me. Audrey was immediately in my arms so I could continue to dance near Jane. The guy was nowhere near as good a dancer as Jane and after one dance, she thanked him and pushed away. I was right next to her to pick up the beat of the music.
That was the pattern we followed through the evening. Kathleen and Damien joined our trio and we were soon shifting between Damien and me dancing with Jane between suitors. After about an hour, Jane caught my eye and turned to be escorted off the dance floor by a young man. Audrey quickly gave me a shove in their direction and I left the dance floor right behind them.
The guy was one in a school blazer. He was a couple of inches shorter than Jane, but I credited that to her heels. That would have brought them even, but a good six or seven inches shorter than me.
Jane led the young man to the cabinet room and opened the door. I don’t think he noticed I’d stepped in behind them until I’d closed the door. Then he looked at me, rather startled.
“Lord Peter Winkle, you remember my escort Nate Hart. Nate, this is Lord Peter Winkle, who intrigued me enough that I would like to hear his proposal.”
“Delighted, Lord Winkle,” I said.
“Oh, no. Lord Peter. Lord Winkle is my elder brother. Lady Jane, you would like to have Mr. Hart with us as a chaperone? I wholly approve.”
“Thank you, Peter. Now tell me, how old are you?”
“Eighteen, ma’am. I know that puts me at the very young end of the spectrum of suitors you have attracted. I only ask that you hear me out,” he said.
“Of course. That’s why I invited you into my private cabinet.”
“May I present a letter of introduction?”
He reached in his jacket and withdrew an envelope. When Jane saw it, she visibly gasped. She went behind the desk and sat in the massive desk chair, opening a drawer, and pulling out a letter knife. She slit the envelope and pulled out the single sheet. She read it and then gestured for both of us to have a seat opposite of her. I declined the chair and stood just behind the desk to her left. I thought that was a better position as her escort than seated. She smiled at me and nodded.
“Her Majesty gives you a high recommendation and asks that I hear you out,” Jane said. “I can scarcely disobey her. Tell me, what has drawn you to Her Majesty’s attention that she would recommend that you marry me?”
Her Majesty? As in the Queen of England had written a letter of introduction for this young suitor? Wow!
“I have the good fortune to be in the Queen’s confidence. A couple of years ago, she and her entourage happened upon me being bullied—beaten, actually—by a couple of toughs near the men’s room at Wimbledon. She sent an aide to my rescue and summoned me to her presence. She made a big show of asking me to join her in her box so that others of that ilk would know I was under her protection.”
“You have need of her protection still?”
“As you can see, I am of slight stature and the Queen keeps amazingly good track of her nobles. She even disciplined her younger son for taunting me.”
“And now she believes you would be a good match for me. Are you liberal in your life views?” Jane asked.
“Probably more so than anyone else at your presentation this evening,” he chuckled. “I believe that a young woman such as yourself would be—shall we say—freed by an alliance with me, rather than constrained. And Her Majesty believes you are strong enough and independent enough to provide what I need.”
“I see. Do you see that photograph?” Jane asked, coming around the desk and taking Peter’s arm. She pointed at the portrait I did in Australia. She pointed over to the desk and shifted her most recent portrait among the ravens. I’d given it to her, but she hadn’t yet gotten it sent out for framing. “In case you are in doubt, those are photographs of me.”
I couldn’t figure out what her game was. It seemed odd to me that she would point a potential suitor to nude photos of herself.
“You are very lovely, my lady.”
“Thank you. You see, Nate is not only my escort tonight, but is also my photographer and my occasional lover. Tonight, for example, I expect he will be very busy in my bed. How does that sit with you, Lord Peter?”
Peter detached himself from Jane’s side and stepped over to face me. I sincerely hoped he wasn’t going to pick a fight with me, which is what Jane seemed to pushing toward.
“You aren’t bi, are you?” he asked. I shook my head. “I thought not. I suppose that’s for the better. We should have our own lovers and not be competing for the same one.” He turned back to Jane. “I think you are very lucky.”
“What do you mean about competing for the same lover?” Jane demanded.
“My lady, I am as light on my toes as you are on the dance floor. My father is getting tired of having Twinkly Winkley hanging around. He’s afraid I will disgrace the family name.”
“Ah, the light! You are homosexual?”
“As Oscar Wilde.”
“And having a wife would take some of the focus off your, shall we say, femininity?”
“And leave you your independence to bed whom you will.”
“You know, don’t you, that one responsibility of the Lord of Plympford is to provide an heir on his wife?”
“We could try to make it happen. Perhaps it would be just as easy for Nate to be our surrogate sperm donor.”
“What an intriguing idea. You see, Nate? You might yet sire the future Earl of Plympford.”
“Speaking of which,” Peter continued, “Her Majesty has whispered that she would be predisposed to confer the title once our marriage proved… fruitful. You would, in fact, become the Countess of Plympford.”
“And you would be the Earl. Hmm. Peter, your proposal is so intriguing I would like to consider it. Have you rooms for the night?”
“I have a… um… friend who has let a room in Stockford.”
“Is he at the party?”
“He is with the servants and attendants and chauffeurs.”
“Please get the message to him that you are both invited to lodge here tonight. I will see to it that you have adjoining rooms where you will not be disturbed and we’ll have breakfast together in the morning. Ah… Late morning. It’s not yet midnight, and already I want to leave the party and start my own. I’m afraid spending any longer here, however, would start more rumors than either of us could stand yet. Let us return to the party, have another dance, and then drift apart as we talk with others.”
“My lady, the honor is truly mine,” he said, taking her hand and placing a kiss on her fingertips. They walked out with her on his arm, and I followed discreetly behind. Audrey was only a few steps away and took my arm immediately.
“What happened?” she hissed.
“Not mine to discuss,” I said.
“God! You’re honorable!” She huffed a little, but we began dancing and the orchestra finished a rather good rendition of Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Down on the Corner.” They had added a female vocalist while we were gone and the next set of music was clearly targeted for the younger set who were at the party. I noticed older people preparing to leave and at the end of the piece, Lady Jane took my arm again and we went to thank the elders for coming. They all congratulated us on our excellent dancing and wished Jane good luck in her search.
The countess also caught up with us after the last of the older generation had departed and said she was going back to the manor house and that we should relax and have fun, but try to end the party by two. She suggested that stopping serving alcohol by twelve-thirty was almost certain to empty the house by two.
As a matter of fact, we were kept busy for another half hour bidding goodnight to some of the younger men who had realized their dreams were not to be fulfilled tonight. Those who were left were happy to be there, whether they were in contention for the lady’s hand or not. The departure of so many young men had left a better ratio of women to men and the party definitely picked up a more romantic vibe.
Jane spoke to Audrey who nodded and left for the kitchens. She returned with a nod to Jane and about half an hour later, I saw Lord Peter disappear out the back. There was a young married couple who had also been invited to stay the night, but Jane was bidding everyone else goodnight by the time the orchestra quit playing at one.
Kathleen and Damien, bless them, stuck with us right to the closing bell. Jane circulated once among those still chatting in the hall to wish them goodnight and tell them the servants would show them out. Then we all went to our rooms, properly saying goodnight in the hall.
I’d scarcely gotten my shoes and jacket off when Audrey rushed into my room from Jane’s sitting room. She was already in a filmy peignoir and I wondered what condition her party dress was in. It must have been scattered to the winds. She quickly got me undressed and saw to it that I was ready for bed, wearing a nice fluffy bathrobe I’d found on my bed, before leading me back through to Jane’s bedroom.
Jane and Audrey were determined to get as much sex as they could after the party. The reality was it amounted to one and done for each of us. The party had taken a lot out of all of us. We danced most of the night and still had to be on best behavior, as everyone there wanted something from Jane. It looked like she might have found what she wanted, as well.
Frankly, I didn’t understand why her title meant so much to her. Without it, she still had the estate, her wealth, and her freedom. And if she went through with the scheme to marry Lord Peter, she would give up her maiden name and the estate would ultimately be given to the heirs of Lady Jane Winkley, Countess of Plympford. Well, at least that was something I didn’t need to worry about in America. I’d never be anything more than Nate Hart, photographer.
When I woke up in the morning, it was to the sensation of Audrey sucking on my cock. She soon had it sheathed and Jane threw a leg over me and settled onto it.
“When was the last time you had morning sex, Audrey?” Jane asked. “I believe the only times I’ve woken up next to a man in my bed in the past three years have been with Nate.”
“Well, if you count twice in Oxford this week, I have to say the same. I don’t invite men to spend the night. It’s rather pleasant, isn’t it?”
“You could marry Nate and live here with Peter and me,” Jane gasped as I pinched a nipple in protest.
“What would we do with all his other girls?” Audrey asked.
“How ironic that it would appear Plympford made a full cycle from having started as a monastery and ended as a nunnery,” Jane giggled. I thrust up into her hard and she squeaked her pleasure.
“Nate and the other girls have an opinion about that,” I said.
“Don’t worry,” Jane said. “They are only dreams. Did you read Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”
“No,” I said. “Should I?”
“Oh, I just wonder if the book could be titled something like Do English Nobles Dream of American Freedom? I’ve been raised to believe in my station from the time I was born. But what good is it, really? We don’t run the country. Even my father had a job. He sat on the boards of half a dozen companies and ran a bank. He was happy with my choice to become a photographer. Said it was a good honest job and to pay my taxes to the Queen. Are we any different than anyone else?”
“You live in a castle and have the money to pay for all the staff and a lavish party.”
“Yes, but even Peter will know that allying himself to this house is not a ticket to a life of ease and debauchery. I would try to see that he had a share of debauchery, but I think he is the kind to settle down and not want even as many partners as I might want. Enough of all this serious talk. I have a hard cock in my fanny and I want to come!”
We picked up the pace and eventually, I rolled over on top of her and pounded into her until we’d both reached completion. I noted we finished with Audrey’s head between us as she sucked on Jane’s nipples.
We had Sunday Brunch with the six overnight guests and the countess at about eleven. In the light of day, Peter and his friend Derek were truly delightful and not as formal as the party the night before had shown. Damien and Kathleen were relaxed and enjoyed the company of the countess. The other couple had been married at the castle and were school friends of Jane and Audrey. Or, I guess Tessa went to the same school—which was all girls. Norm had grown up nearby, though, and went to a boys’ school just a stone’s throw from the girls. He had taken a lease on a farm on the estate and was raising sheep.
Jane and I got the two of them to one of the castle towers and took photos of them together. Neither of us encouraged them to lose their clothes.
Dana, the chauffeur, took Kathleen and Damien to the train station in Coventry. After a very pleasant talk with Peter and Derek, they left to return to his school with the promise that Jane would seriously consider his proposal. She promised she would see him in London when she was finished with this assignment to keep track of me.
Then Jane and I spent the afternoon in her darkroom, with Audrey for entertainment, while we processed our film from the weekend and printed nice portraits of Kathleen, Damien, Norm and Tessa, the countess, and Audrey. Jane wanted me to take one more series of her on the castle battlements. I remembered Damien’s vision of Lady Macbeth and got Jane into a gauzy gown that all but disappeared in the daylight and showed an incredible view of Jane.
Dana drove us all the way to Oxford Monday morning. Audrey caught a train from there to Cambridge where she would resume her studies after her week of being a model and lover. The hotel had a larger room prepared for Lady Jane and me. It seemed she was throwing caution to the wind regarding what others thought, but I discovered that the three other male/female partnerships had also moved to double rooms instead of singles.
I don’t think that was supposed to be part of the program.
Much the way we had begun our time together, after a Monday debriefing on how our weekend went and showing our results, we were sent out again on Tuesday, this time to do a pastoral portrait. The assistants had the information on where to take us and Jane and I caught a cab out into the country a bit, where a farmer was prepared for some pictures of him working on his farm. It was an interesting challenge and I was nearly run over by a flock of sheep before his dog got them turned away from me.
The capstone, however, came from Jane’s negotiation with the farmer and his wife. We set the camera very carefully so that I could take a picture of the house from just over the farmer’s shoulder. Then, in the window, his wife appeared. It would have been a sweet scene if that were all, but she’d removed her clothes and waved at the farmer from the window, urging him to hurry home.
They weren’t particularly young. But they were a nice looking couple and inside the house, I got a photo of the two of them sitting in his chair by the fireplace. She was naked and in his lap as they kissed. It might have been one of the sweetest photos I’d ever taken.
On Thursday evening, we were all taken back to the pub where our adventure had begun.
“Now, to cap things off, I would like all the photographers to turn to your assistants and take their pictures,” Sir Andrew said.
Six cameras came to bear on the assistants at the table and I took one more photo of Jane.
“I consider it a success that you all learned something during our time together,” Sir Andrew said. “I certainly learned a great deal myself and I thank each of you for your creativity and your contributions this week. I encourage you to be sure to have all the contact information for each other and to use it frequently. We are not simply portrait photographers, we are a community. You will travel in your career, and now you have contacts in different parts of the world whom you can call upon for assistance, advice, and friendship. Here’s to successful careers for each of you.”
He raised his glass of beer and we all joined in with the toast of our countries.
This time, the dinner did not end early as the first one had. We weren’t jetlagged any longer and all wanted to spend a little extra time with our new friends. Eventually, though, it was time to go.
Friday, most of the photographers, without their assistants, lugged their equipment to the train station and eventually to Heathrow Airport where we took off to places around the world.
The flight to New York was uneventful. The noon meal was delicious, but traveling west, it was still time for lunch when I reached JFK. I called the girls after I’d cleared Customs. Anna was home waiting for my call and promised to meet me at my gate when I got to Chicago. I took off from JFK at five and it was only six when I got to Chicago. Not only was Anna at the gate, but so were Ronda, Patricia, and Toni. I felt like a hero returning home and just wanted to hold my lovers and my daughter for the rest of my life.
Of course, that wasn’t to be. We had to get my things from luggage claim, load my trolley and cart everything across hell’s half-acre to find where Anna had parked the bus. Toni was complaining by then and didn’t want to sit in her car seat for the ride home. Only my sitting next to her and telling her stories while my three girlfriends occupied the front seat calmed her down.
And I was completely shot. We got home about seven-thirty, but that was already one-thirty in the morning according to my internal clock. The trip had been about twenty hours, but the clock said fourteen.
Saturday, my little girl was bouncing on the bed at seven, wanting her daddy to get up for breakfast. I dragged myself out of bed after ten hours of sleep and Patricia shoved a cup of coffee into my hands. Ronda and Anna followed me out of the bedroom and were similarly rewarded. All through the pancakes and eggs Patricia served us, Toni kept up a running commentary on everything she had done in the past three weeks, which after an hour or so, I realized only actually covered the past day or two. Things that happened three weeks ago were already gone from the little girl’s head.
I was thankful that we had the weekend for the family to adjust to being together again. Of course, my girlfriends wanted details that were not appropriate to give while the little girl with big ears was around. I managed to snatch little naps with each of the girls on Saturday, most of which were spent kissing and talking.
Saturday night, we were all in bed together and I got into some of the details of what happened with Jane and Audrey and having met Damien and Kathleen in Stratford-upon-Avon. They liked the pictures I’d brought home and were excited to see our friends when we returned to Ontario this summer.
Then I told them about the strange potential alliance between Jane and Peter and their joke that I might be called upon to father the next heir.
“Not until we have ours,” Patricia said firmly. “We all talked while you were gone and are agreed.”
“We want a new baby in the household,” Anna said. “If you think you’re ready, we think you and Patricia should start making a baby by May.”
I looked at Ronda and she smiled.
“I’m going to want one, too. Eventually. Not for a few years, though. We have the Civil Service Exam coming up on March 13 and I’m still excited about both of us traveling for the State Department to do your training thing. I’ve already talked to Secretary Martin about the need to have an assistant travel with you to coordinate schedules and make sure you are where you are supposed to be. He agreed.”
“Wait! Have we already been offered jobs at the State Department? What about Stratford?”
“We don’t actually have the jobs yet. Stratford is definitely something we want to do before we start working full time,” Ronda said. “But it’s such a great opportunity, Nate. I think you’ll be able to get some great Attic Allure shots in other countries, like you have in Australia and England. Please say you’ll consider it.”
“I will consider it. And as long as it doesn’t prevent us from spending this summer at our home in Stratford, I think I’m all for it.”
“Does that mean you’re all for having a baby, too?” Patricia asked.
“I’m going to want pictures of every step of the way with you,” I said. “I’ll want to hold you in my arms at night and feel our baby growing. I want to see the expressions on my parents’ faces when we tell them we’re going to have a baby.”
“Oh, that will be precious. It will be good for your father, too,” Patricia said.
“Um… Not to bring up an unpleasant subject in the midst of our celebration, but we agreed we need to tell you something tonight,” Anna said.
“What is it, honey?” I asked. “You sound so ominous.”
“It’s not particularly ominous, just unpleasant,” Ronda said. Patricia just buried her face against my chest and gripped me tightly.
“Okay. Maybe you’d better just tell me.”
“Our former constable and your nemesis on the draft board until he was fired from both, Clyde Warren has announced that he is running for Hunter County Sheriff,” Anna said. “His platform is to root out and prosecute the moral degradation of our county as shown in the protests against the war and flagrant lawsuits of special interest groups.”
“That utter asshole,” I breathed. “He can’t possibly hope to win, can he?”
“People are already talking about how someone has the guts to stand up and say what they’ve been thinking and how they need a strong leader to correct the path of corruption in the county,” Ronda said. “Never underestimate the power of the stupid.”
“Well, fuck.”
Please feel free to send comments to the author at devon@devonlayne.com.
