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Eirin

By: meg1



This is my first submission to Literotica. While I wish the story to be consistent throughout, I am less interested in historical accuracy. This will be a multi-chapter story, updates will be based on responses. Please feel free to respond with any constructive criticism you have, I do want to improve.

*****

Phillip stared across the desk at Lord Hawthorn. He was screwed, he knew it. Lord Hawthorn had caught him getting money out of the safe; there was nothing to save him now. Damnit, he wasn't going to go down like this! He had worked for Lord Hawthorn for three years already, following him around and 'Yes m'lord'ing him until he was blue in the face, no way was he going to let this overstuffed windbag of a lord put him down. 

"As justice of the peace, it will be my responsibility to decide your punishment. Having said that do you have anything else you would like to say on your behalf?" Lord Hawthorn snapped Phillip's attention back to the matter at hand. 

Phillip gripped the edges of the hat he held in his hands and twisted them around. He sat forward in his chair and looked at the Lord, "Please, m'lord, I had to have more money! It's my daughter, she's coming out this year, and she says she has to have a wardrobe for it. I have been saving diligently from my wages, but it won't cover all the expenses. How is she supposed to make a good match if I can not provide for her? I don't mind being destitute myself; I have nothing much to live for now that my sweet wife has passed away, but my daughter. You must understand, this is everything to her, I can not condemn her to my fate!" 

At this point Phillip stood up put his hands on the desk, practically leaning across it in his plea to the Lord of the castle. He could feel the lord's resolve slipping, and knew if he could just push the daughter thing he could get out of this without too much inconvenience. Sure he would lose his job, and probably not even get a recommendation, but he'd been there before. He'd been conning lords and ladies for years now and never had any real consequences.

Lord Hawthorn glared at the man now standing across the desk from him. The man was distasteful. He'd never liked him, always scraping and bowing around him. He had always suspected the man of being devious, and looked to him first when money started coming up missing from the house's accounts. It was bad enough to have stolen the money, and more he was sure, but to do it for a mere chit of a girl? For this man to put his entire life on the line for a girl who would use it to tease her way through a season only to score the richest man available? There was no excuse for anyone stealing from him, but to do it for a girl was too much. Women are just whores anyway, whether they sell their bodies for straight up money, or for a wedding license, that's all they are. 

That's it! The girl thinks she can manipulate every man around her to do whatever she wants, just so she can be comfortable? Well, that's easily rectified. Lord Hawthorn gestured for Phillip to resume his seat, and stood up himself. Clasping his hands behind his back, he strolled around the desk and took the seat next to Phillip. "I understand your dilemma Phillip. I understand what it must mean for you. However, I do not understand why you would go to such lengths, and put yourself in so much danger for a single season for your daughter. She is not even guaranteed a match this season; if that is the case what will you do next season?"

Phillip leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. He was feeling very much at ease now, as he felt there was no way that Lord Hawthorn would not let him leave. It's a shame how naïve some people are; they will just believe anything you tell them. If he played his cards right, he could probably get Lord Hawthorn to agree to keep this just between the two of them, maybe he wouldn't have to leave London altogether. After all, his daughter truly did want a London Season. 

"M'lord, that will not be the case, my daughter is exceptionally beautiful. I know she will find a suitable match this season; I just have to give her the opportunity. Even though I may not be the richest man around, and I know that stealing is so wrong, I still felt it unfair to her to let this chance pass her by. She is my only child, and I want to see her well taken care of in case anything should ever happen to me. I would never have been moved to such drastic measures otherwise." 

Phillip placed his hands in his lap and looked down at the floor; he knew he had come to the limit of how thick he could lay it on for Lord Hawthorn. Lord Hawthorn is hardly an idiot, and should the plea be too sugary sweet, he would see through it. His only goal was to be able to get out of this house without a fine or jail sentence. Everything else could be taken care of in time. Anyway, with how stressful this day had been, he really needed a drink. Maybe the widow Thompson would be willing to see him tonight; she was adept at relieving his stress.

Lord Hawthorn was aghast that this man really believed he could con him into letting everything go. He and his spoiled daughter would learn their lessons. Phillip might be a weasel, but he came to work in threadbare clothes, his shoes were completely worn out on the soles, and arrived early to be able to eat breakfast before he started his duties. Without having to provide for a money-sucking girl there was every chance that he could make a fresh start and not be forced to steal from his employers. 

"I understand Phillip, and I do sympathize with you, however, I can not let this behavior go unpunished." At this Phillip sat up straight and started to beg the lord for a reprieve; however Lord Hawthorn held up his hand to ward off any outbursts. "Yes, you stole the money from me, and I have no doubt that this is not the first time, however, I can see that the truth of the matter is, it is your daughter who is behind the actions. Therefore, I will give you a choice. I will make a full accounting of the house's books, and find out exactly how much you stole. You can either spend a day in jail per pound you stole, or you can deliver your daughter here to me to punish as I see fit."

"My Lord! That is too much! How can I do that? If I am in jail, then there will be no one to take care of her, and I can not just bring her here for you to punish." Phillip began thinking quickly to see a way out of this predicament. He knew he shouldn't have come here in the first place. But, there were few lords more wealthy than Lord Hawthorn, and he was sure that in an estate this big house accounts were often off. How was he to know how closely he followed the accounts? Melissa was going to kill him for this. She was dead set on having a season, but if he ended up in jail then there would be no way for her to show her face at a single ball.

Lord Hawthorn shook his head, "My mind is made up, it is quite obvious to me that your daughter is beyond spoiled, and if you will not teach her properly, then I will."

"What will you do to her my lord?" Rather than look concerned, Lord Hawthorn noticed that Phillip looked more speculative.

"That will be my business. For each £100 you stole she will stay here for a month. That is a better deal than you are getting, but let me make it clear; she will be mine to do with as I please. If, at the end of her time here, she has improved to the point of taking responsibilities for her actions, and I feel it is recommended, I will provide for her. I will see her settled in a manner befitting her class." 

Looking at the lord, Phillip knew he had no where else to go. Lord Hawthorn would not change his mind, and no amount of arguing, pleading, or haggling would get him a better offer. This was unacceptable, there had to be a way out of it. He just couldn't think here with the lord glaring at him and setting him on edge. He needed to sit down with a good scotch and think this through. "My lord, this is a huge decision, you understand that I can not make it on the spur of the moment like this. You must give me time to think about it."

"Very well, you may give me your decision tomorrow. Either you will turn yourself in at the jail, or you will deliver your daughter here. Either way, the decision must be made by 9:00 tomorrow morning." Lord Hawthorn could see the scheming in Phillip's eyes. He was looking for a way out of this situation. He might have been too easy on him to begin with. He might not be as innocent as he gave him credit for. Nothing to do about it now, the decision was made, and he would stick by it. "Oh, and Phillip, I would not consider trying to run if I were you. I can find you no matter where you go. I know every boat in the harbor and every carriage that leaves an inn. Should you run, and I find you, you will have the punishment I have meted out for you."

Phillip hung his head. That had been his last hope. But he knew the lord was telling the truth, nothing happened in London or even all of England without his knowledge. Running away would be impossible; he would have to come up with another way out of this situation. "Yes m'lord, you will have my decision by 9:00 a.m. sharp. I promise you." With that Lord Hawthorn dismissed Phillip and he walked dejectedly from the room.

*****

After Phillip left, Lord Hawthorn walked back around to sit at his desk. He knew now, by the look in his eyes that he would not be coming to turn himself in to the jail. Phillip hadn't even pushed him on what he would do to his daughter. Lord Hawthorn wasn't even sure if he would have told Phillip, but he knew that once he was done with her, she would never be anyone's wife. It was about time some of these spoiled girls learned that not everyone or everything is at their beck and call. He didn't have control of the whole of London, but by God he would teach this girl that lesson. 

Thinking about Phillip's daughter and her manipulation of her father just reminded Lord Hawthorn of his own mother. She had died, finally, ten years ago, in the arms of her lover. Her husband at the time had been a man thirty years older than her with nothing more on his mind than making everyone's life around him a living hell. But then, his mother would hardly have known that since she had left the house the day after her marriage. He was her fourth husband, and the richest of them all. She was notorious for marrying very old men who had nothing to offer but money. 

She would marry them and leave her young son in their homes with a governess while she would go off to balls and parties, the opera and theater. Whatever her heart desired she would go and do. One time she was gone for two years straight in Paris while young Christopher was left in her husband's house. He had been beaten daily by the man while he ranted about where his wife was and what she was doing and with whom. She never once sent him a single letter to find out if he was ok, or if he needed anything. He had been eight at the time, and had it not been for the cook, who had a big heart for all things small, and a soft spot for Christopher himself, he might not have survived. 

Christopher Hawthorn shook himself out of his thoughts and started planning what he would do with the girl once she arrived. He already had what he called the "whore's room", a small room in between his room and the room on the other side of the wall. He was not sure what it had been used for originally, possibly a valet, but his own valet had never slept there, and his step-father had often kept girls in there, so that's what he called it. He'd never actually kept a girl in there himself, the one and only time he'd had a mistress he'd kept in his house, she had taken the chambers across the dressing and bathing room from him. What would normally have been his wife's chambers. 

Of course that had been years ago, when he was too young to know better. Now he knew no one would take that room until he did actually get married. What a fool he'd been then, keeping a mistress in his own house. She had believed he would marry her, and the ton could not believe the audacity at him not being more circumspect. Calling in his butler, he asked for the room he would put her in to be prepared. There was of course, very little to prepare, she would not be his guest, she would be his.....property? slave? Hmmm, he'd have to think more on that later.

*****

As Phillip arrived home, he noticed his daughter in the parlor with a man. He stuck his head in to tell her he needed to speak to her before dinner and went upstairs to change his clothes. The one good thing about being caught was that until he found another position, he would no longer have to dress like a vagabond. It was humiliating going out each day in such clothes. However, it did give him a certain amount of leeway when he showed up early to eat breakfast and hear the best gossip as it came in. No one questioned him for small things he let slide because they felt sorry for him. That gave him more opportunities to leave his work, and move around the house in order to plan what he would steal and when. As he was leaving his rooms, his daughter came up the stairs. "You wanted to talk daddy?" 

"We are in trouble; I think we should go to the library to talk." Melissa narrowed her eyes at her father, but didn't say a word as she followed him down the stairs and into the library. Phillip went to the decanter first and poured himself a healthy swallow of scotch, drinking it down in one swallow. 

As he poured himself another Melissa blurted out, "Well? What's wrong now? You didn't get fired again did you? If I had known your plans before you started, I would have stopped you; he would be a much better marriage possibility than just to steal from him. But, seeing the way you go to work every day, there is no way I could convince him that I'm suitable for marriage. The least you can do is hold off getting fired until you get a little more out of the old codger." 

Melissa sat down on the couch and arranged her skirts, she just knew her father would mess up somehow. He always did. She couldn't wait to be out from under him. It was such a pain trying to pretend you're part of the ton when your father is dressed like a vagabond all the time. If he hadn't already been doing that for years before she was born, she would have been able to break him of it, and maybe they could have come up with a different scheme. As it was, no matter how hard she tried to convince him there were better ways to get money he wouldn't listen. He wasn't about to get married; he hadn't even married her mother, as he liked to remind her. So trying to win over a rich widow was out of the question. Oh, he'd have sex with them, he had women drooling over him all the time, but never to be shackled to one. He said he couldn't stand the thought of having to escort them around town schmoozing his was into homes, and listening to them tell him how much he needs them. He was just a con man, plain and simple. 

But not Melissa. She wanted more than that. She wanted a life of luxury and she figured after the life she had lived with her father, she deserved it. After all the times she had bailed him out of trouble, all the times they had had to leave town in the middle of the night, all the times she had had nothing to eat or clothes to wear. No, now it was her time, and she would have a season. She had even conned some old woman into sponsoring her, convincing her she was her great-niece, it was perfect. If he had ruined this for her, he was going to pay. 

Phillip walked over to his daughter and sat down on the chair across from her, he looked weary and beaten. He knew she would be mad at him. Maybe she would have an idea for how to get out of this situation. He just hoped she would realize that they probably wouldn't be able to stay in London, and that she wouldn't be too upset about it. Taking a smaller sip of his drink, he looked down at his lap and mumbled to her, "Lord Hawthorn caught me". 

Melissa stopped fiddling with the skirt of her dress and looked up at him. "Say that again, please? I did not understand you". 

Oh, she understood it alright; he could see it in her face. Sitting up he looked her in the eye and said more loudly, and clearly, "I was getting the rest of the money today, and Lord Hawthorn caught me at the safe." 

Melissa jumped up from the couch and leaned over her father, pointing her finger in his face, "How could you? You bumbling oaf! I told you no more money, you could have easily taken some silver or a trinket or two. We could have pawned them by the weekend. How could you ruin everything? The season starts in a month, there will be no way that this will die down enough for me to make my debut. What in the world were you thinking?" Melissa continued shaking her finger in his face, her own beginning to turn red with the fury running through her. 

Phillip jumped up from his chair and started towards her, "What do'ya mean how could I? I was gettin' the money fer you, wasn't I? Yer the one who wants some big fancy to do, with all yer frilly clothes and such. I don' see you bringin' nothin' in to 'elp with all the money we's spendin'!" The madder he got the more pronounced his accent became until each word was cut off and run into the next and the entire rant came out in a single breath and spit flew from his lips. 

Melissa backed away from her father and held up her hands, "Ok, just hold on, tell me what happened. If you were caught how is it that you are here?" Phillip picked his glass up from the table and went back to the decanter to refill it. When he had returned to his chair he explained all that had happened at the castle, as well as the choice given to him by the lord. 

"Well, that's easy then, I will hate to do it, but we'll have to leave." Melissa said confidently. "However, this time I want to go to France, or Italy. I don't want to be stuck back out in the country again, do we have enough left for a ticket?" 

Phillip was already shaking his head as she finished up. "No, he said that if one of us does not show up tomorrow, then he will track us down, and he can do it. I have no idea where he gets his information, living in the castle out of town, but somehow he does. Nothing happens here that he does not know about, we will never be able to hide from him. We are going to have to think of a way to get out of this." 

"Well, I've gotten you out of jail before; maybe if you take the sentence, I can get you out again?" Melissa knew from the information her father just gave her that would never happen, but she hoped he wouldn't realize that. To be honest, she wouldn't even try this time. The last time she had gotten out of jail, she had been a child, and had needed him, but he was becoming more of a liability than a help recently.

"No, then we would still be in the same situation, with no way to leave the city, and no where to go within it. Maybe if you went, you could convince him to marry you?" Phillip knew from the look on Lord Hawthorn's face as he was sitting there that he would never marry her, but if he gave her hope, she might go willingly and spare him having to force her. 

"Any man that would require you to bring them your daughter for punishment is not going to marry that daughter. If I went to him, that would ruin all chances of me ever being married. Even should he not want to have sex with me, I can not live in a house with a man unchaperoned, so that is out of the question. We will have to come up with another solution. Dinner will be served momentarily, let's think of ideas while we eat and then discuss them afterwards." She started moving towards the door, thinking that if she put him off long enough, then she could just slip away in the night, and her father would be forced to accept the punishment, for she knew she would not.


Eirin Ch. 02



Lord Hawthorn stared down at the girl lying face down on the floor. Where was all the blood coming from? He hadn't done anything to her head, had he? He ordered the still whimpering maid to get Jonathan so he could find out what had happened. He then went to pick her up and set her gently on her bed. The girl cried out at the movement, but otherwise made very little movement. 

Jonathan arrived as he was undressing the girl on her small cot, and he found himself covering her up with her thin sheet. What was he doing? Jonathan has seen everything the girl has, he watched her punishment. Lord Hawthorn shook his head at his own silliness and sent the maid to get hot water and rags, as an afterthought he requested she also fetch the healer from the village. After the maid had left Lord Hawthorn turned to the servant with a deadly look in his eye. "What did you do to her? I ordered you to simply bring her up here."

Jonathan looked fearfully at his employer. Lord Hawthorn was a very fair employer, but he was notorious for his temper, and more than one servant had left with more than their tails tucked between their legs. "No m'lord, I swear, I didn't touch the girl, I left 'er here exactly like you said. She didn't look nothin' like that when I left."

Knowing that Jonathan was not one to lie even when he knew he had been wrong, he believed him. However, that still left the problem of her current condition. "Did you throw her down in here? Or maybe accidentally hit her head on something?" Lord Hawthorn was looking for any reason for why she would be as injured as she was.

"No m'lord, I left 'er at the door, and shut it on my way out and locked it, just like you tol' me," Jonathan was now becoming upset. Lord Hawthorn's eyes were turning even darker.

Lord Hawthorn took an opportunity to look around the room and saw the shelf above where she had fallen. It was too much for him to take in. How could he be so stupid? He knew Jonathan was less than intelligent, and would only have followed his instructions. He had been so upset with the girl, he hadn't even told him to give her lamp for her room. 

If he had been less upset to begin with, he wouldn't have told him to lock her in there, so that she would have been able to open her door and let light in. Though he had never kept anyone in this room, he knew it had no windows and was beyond cramped. He sighed and dismissed his servant, it would do him no good to chastise him, he had followed his instructions to the letter. 

Lord Hawthorn turned back to the girl and finished undressing her. She would have to be cleaned up and would probably require stitches. What a mess. Finally the maid arrived with the water and rags. She informed him that the healer would be on her way, but it would take time as a woman from the village was coming to the end of her labor, and the healer couldn't leave her. Lord Hawthorn figured this was typical of how his day was going. He sent the girl back after thread and a needle. He would just have to stitch her himself. While much of this situation was her fault, it certainly wasn't her fault that Jonathan was slow.

Lord Hawthorn began cleaning the girl up, and was shocked at the amount of blood coming from her nether regions. He couldn't have hurt her that much. She had been dry and tight, but he hadn't felt her maidenhead, indeed, he hadn't expected to, so it didn't make any sense. Finally his cloth came away with no new blood and he turn towards her head. She hadn't even twitched when he was cleaning up her thighs and pussy, but he would have to stitch her head, and that would hurt more. 

Would she wake up? He called once again for Jonathan to hold her down while he stitched her head. He wouldn't know what to give her for the pain anyway. He knew how to do some emergency doctoring from being in battles, but those were soldiers, and more stoic in the face of pain. 

Once Jonathan and the maid had reappeared, he had the bigger man hold down the small girl in front of him. This time he was careful to tell him to hold her gently but firmly. There was no point in causing the girl even more injury. With the first prick of the needle the girl woke up. She immediately began to scream and writhe at the pain. Lord Hawthorn was harsh in his reprimand of her. He grabbed her shoulders and said harshly into her face, "If you want this wound stitched you will not move around, for the more you do, the more it will hurt."

Eirin looked up into dark face of Lord Hawthorn and then rolled her eyes up to once again see the big man holding her down. This man wouldn't even let her heal before he was going to take her again? What kind of hell had she been deposited in? She silently closed her eyes and cried. Lord Hawthorn saw her tears leaking out of her now closed eyes, but she was no longer moving about. He was already insecure about his stitching abilities; he didn't need to fight her to do it. 

He quickly put three stitches in her forehead. Each time he stuck the needle through her skin she winced, but she didn't scream again, and she didn't jerk. He looked at his work, and was less than satisfied, they looked crude and sloppy, but it was the best he could do. 

He asked the maid if they had anything to give her for the pain or infection. The maid hurried off to retrieve a poultice she knew should work. He then sent Jonathan off for some brandy, maybe it would help her sleep. The girl still had not moved, nor had she even opened her eyes. He looked down at her wondering if she had finally fainted, but there were still tears pouring down the sides of her face. He dipped the rag back into the hot water and gently washed her face again and began to speak to her in a more gentle voice. "I am sorry for being harsh with you, but it appears you hit your head on a shelf, and the wound had to be stitched, the healer is with a woman in labor, and could not come, there was nothing else I could do." 

The girl still did not open her eyes, and he wondered what she was thinking. He admired the way she had been able to hold still once she had calmed down, but surely now she should be opening her eyes and a thank you wouldn't be remiss here. It's not like he'd hit her head. He sighed at her, becoming impatient with her continued stillness and silence, "Please open your eyes, I need to know how much pain you are in, or if you hurt anywhere else."

She opened her eyes, but did not respond. He could see the pain in her eyes, there were lines around them from the effort it took her to hold herself still. "I have ordered a poultice for you, and some brandy to help you sleep."

She still did not respond to him, merely turned on her side away from him and curled into a ball. She had no idea what to say to him, she was in more pain than she had ever been in her entire life, and he was the cause of that pain. She heard the two servants reappear and he laid his hand on her shoulder. She jerked, she couldn't help it, if he hit her, or hurt her again, she would go crazy, she was sure of it. There was only so much she could take, and she had reached her limit. Lord Hawthorn felt her flinch, but didn't let go, he gently turned her back onto her back. Her eyes were closed once again. 

"I need to lift you up, so you can drink this. I will try not to hurt you, but I will need your cooperation." She opened her eyes once again, and tried to lift herself into a sitting position. Before she could repress it, a groan escaped from her throat, her head was beginning to throb to the point that felt it would explode; she fell once again back to the bed. She felt him slide his arm under her neck squeezed her eyes tight to prevent another groan from slipping out again. 

"Shh, I know it hurts, but this will help," Lord Hawthorn lifted her upper body barely off the bed and held a cup to her lips. She tried to turn her head away from the burning smell of the liquid, but he followed her movements and held the cup to her lips once again. "I know you don't want to, but you need to drink this, it really will help you feel better." He got her lips to part and poured a miniscule amount of liquid into her mouth. She felt the liquid fall down and burn her throat and started coughing, with the first cough she jerked from the lord's arms and fell back on her side, pulling legs back up to her chest, and trying to hold her head with both of her hands. 

Lord Hawthorn took hold of her upper body once again, and this time turned her into the crook of his arm resting her against his own chest so she would not choke again. He once again held the cup to her lips and slowly tipped the liquid back into her mouth. He was glad to see that this time she was swallowing. She tried to turn her head from him, and he saw her face scrunch up against the taste of the brandy. He chuckled, but forced her to take another swallow, "I know you do not like it, but I swear it will help." Once she had taken the entire drink he laid her back down on her bed and applied the poultice to her head. 

He then dismissed the servants and moved to cover her up. As he was straightening up her top cover, he noticed the bruises now starting to appear on her knees and upper arms. He supposed she had fallen at some time. Whether it had occurred when she had hit her head or before, he wasn't sure, but there was nothing he could do about them now, they would heal. 

He looked at her fully for the first time since her arrival. She looked horrible, blood was matted in her hair from the wound on her forehead and she was covered in bruises. She was so tiny, he guessed her height to be just under five feet. She had finally fallen asleep and her face was no longer pinched tight with pain. He found himself staring down at her thinking that even through the bruises on her knees, thighs, arms and breast, she was beautiful. Her skin was not pure white as he had expected, but had a slight tan to it, as if she spent time out of doors. How odd for a lady expecting to marry a lord. Very few lords would find her less than snow white skin appealing, but he was drawn to it. 

He reached down and gently circled the bite mark he had left around her nipple, and watched as the nipple pulled in on itself and started sticking up. It was a beautiful, dark cherry color, and he found himself wishing he could take it in his mouth and suckle. It was at that moment that Eirin thrashed her head and groaned with pain. Lord Hawthorn quickly withdrew his hand and covered her up, if he looked at her much longer, he would take her again, and she was in no shape for that right now. He stood back up and left her room, leaving the lamp for her should she awake again. 

Lord Hawthorn made his way back down to his study, hoping that work would relieve him of the hardness that had formed in his groin when he was staring down at the tiny young girl in his room.

Eirin was dreaming, she couldn't make sense of it. There was a terrible, dark cloud screaming at her and surrounding her; she was trying to hold on, but couldn't find anything substantial enough to hold onto. She felt herself tripping in the horrible wind, she had to find shelter. 

Looking around she saw only shadows, everything was menacing, she needed to find some place to hide from the cloud, but where. She had never been here before, and didn't know her way around. Suddenly she heard the cloud scream at her again, and began to run, she had to hide, she had to find some place it couldn't find her. The cloud was getting closer, and beginning to take a shape, she chanced a look behind her and saw the cloud reaching out to her with what looked to be an arm. It was catching up with her, she tried to run faster, but her side hurt from the exertion and her legs were turning to jelly. 

It would reach her any minute now, she tried to force another burst of energy through her worn out body, but it was too late, she felt the cloud grab her arm and jerk her back. It was solid, and holding on to her tightly, crushing her ribs, and making her already labored breath even more strained, she screamed and felt herself being lifted away from the ground. 

Eirin awoke in the arms of the lord of the castle, he had his arms clamped around chest, pinning her own arms to her sides. He was also stepping quickly trying to avoid her flailing feet, and she could hear screams in the room. She looked around trying to find out where they were coming from, when she realized she was the one screaming. The events of the day came back to her in a rush, meeting this lord, him taking her, the pain in her head……The pain, it was excruciating, she tried to reach up to take hold of her head, but her arms wouldn't move far enough, she was trapped. 

She willed herself to be still, the last time she had fought him he had taken her, oh lord, please let her not have kicked him while she was still dreaming, if he took her again, she wouldn't be able to stand it. She felt him move backwards, and as he set her on her feet again she started to fall limply to the ground. He caught her under her legs and around her back, lifting her easily into his arms. She looked up at him as he turned towards the bed, but his expression was one more of concern rather than annoyance. 

She tried to think of what was happening; did he come to take her again? Had she fought him in her sleep? He laid her down, and the cool sheets upon the cot reminded her that she was not wearing any clothes, she looked down at herself, but quickly looked back up when she saw the bruise on her breast, she did not want to see the damage or be reminded of what had occurred here today.

Lord Hawthorn saw Eirin look away from herself as he pulled the sheet up to cover her. He had also seen the revulsion and pain in her eyes. He had come in when he heard thrashing in the room when he had come up for bed. By the time he had arrived she was already crawling on the floor towards the writing table. He had had to grab her quickly before she once again hit her head this time on the leg of the table. He'd felt her tense as he'd grabbed her around her ribs, and she had begun flailing her legs. One thing was for sure, this girl was a fighter, no matter how small she was. He was trying to both avoid her feet as she kicked, and get her back to her bed, if she continued to thrash around like this she would start bleeding again. 

As he felt her relax, he tried to set her back on her feet, but she immediately started falling towards the floor. He swooped down and picked her up to keep her from hurting herself further by falling to the floor. He saw the trepidation in her eyes as he laid her back onto her bed once again. He took a quick inventory before he pulled the sheet up over her. She was not ready for a more thorough check of her condition. She was still breathing heavily and her knuckles had turned white where she has holding the sheet up to her chin. 

Lord Hawthorn waited patiently for her to ask a question, but she just looked at him. Her eyes were such a light brown they were almost yellow. He expected to see fear there, but instead all he saw was resignation. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she then reopened them and he saw her mentally take control of herself has she removed the sheet from the top of her body and spread her legs. She turned her face from him, and he saw her clench her teeth and ball her hands into fists at her side. He was taken aback. Did she expect him to take her again? He was no monster; he would not have taken her in the first place if she had not been so stubborn and fought him. 

He looked down and sighed as he saw she had started bleeding again from between her legs. If she kept fighting, she would find herself even more injured than she already was. He was beginning to think she was a danger to herself. No wonder her father had not been able to control her.

Eirin heard him sigh and braced herself for the pain she knew was coming. She hoped that if she didn't fight him this time, he wouldn't hurt her. She wasn't prepared for the cold brush of a cloth she felt on her most private parts. She held her eyes even more tightly closed and tensed her thighs for the assault to come.

Lord Hawthorn was annoyed now. He had done nothing to her but save her from her own delusions, and she was acting as if he had hit her. He threw the cloth back into the cold water, pulled the sheet back over her now goose-pimpled body and told her to look at him.

Eirin turned her head towards the lord and opened her eyes. He was angry; she could see it in the dark storm clouds of his eyes. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve his anger this time. She couldn't seem to please him, when she fought him, he took her, when she submitted, he was harsh with her. How would she ever learn to survive here? 

The lord closed his own eyes and she saw him take a deep breath in order to steady himself, he then reached around and took the chair from the writing table, and set it next to her bed. He sat down wearily and ran a hand through his black hair. When he looked at her again, he was no longer scowling and his eyes were more of a light grey color; she felt herself relax just a bit. 

"I am not going to take you again, Eirin. You are injured from our previous experience together. The healer stopped by earlier and said that you would take at least a week to heal. Until that time, you may not lie with anyone. When I arrived in my room tonight, you were on the floor crawling towards the desk, I had to stop you before you hit your head again, I am sorry if I hurt you." He waited for her to reply but she didn't, just stared at him with her light brown eyes as if she didn't understand him. 

"Are you in pain again? The healer left a tea to give you when you woke up to ease your muscles." He saw her thinking to herself and she nodded her head. At least it was a response. He reached behind him for the potion the healer had left and poured her a small cupful. He started to reach for her to help her sit up, but she scrambled away from him, and sat up herself, propping herself in the corner where her bed was tucked. Lord Hawthorn repressed a sigh and held the cup out to her. 

She took the cup in one hand and continued to hold the sheet up to her chin with the other. She drank slowly, with small sips, wrinkling her nose at the smell. "Do you need food? I have some cold meat and cheese if you would like." She handed him back the cup and shook her head. She curled against the wall on her side again and pulled her knees back up to her chest, she was hurting deep inside, and it was competing with the pain in her head. She wished he would leave her so she could cry without him witnessing it. She kept staring at him, but her vision was growing fuzzy, and she felt herself slipping into darkness.

Lord Hawthorn watched as she lost consciousness. The healer had said it would help her sleep so she could heal. She had left enough for the week, because she was leaving to visit another village in the morning. Once Eirin had fallen fully asleep he reached over to reposition her on the bed so she was lying down. She turned towards him has he moved her, and laid her hand upon his arm. He felt her fingers upon his arm and realized she was freezing. Why wouldn't she be? This room had no fireplace and she only had a sheet covering her. 

She snuggled closer to him, and he could feel her warm breath along the hairs of his arm. He tried to pull free, but she held on tighter, and seemed to be trying to get her entire body onto just his arm. He knew he should leave her and get a blanket to keep her warm, but she looked so enticing with her head pillowed upon his forearm. He shifted her just bit towards the wall, and slipped under the thin sheet with her. Her skin was so smooth as he ran his other hand up and down her back. She kept nuzzling her face into his arm, and snuggling closer to his body until she was tucked up against his chest with her legs in between his. 




Eirin Ch. 02



He couldn't decide if this was torture or heaven. On the one hand, he knew she wouldn't be doing this if she was awake, and he didn't relish the thought of her continual shrinking from him, but, he also knew she could not take him into her body right now, and he was fully clothed as it was. He was harder than he had ever known himself to be, and would give a lot for relief. He tried to reach down and readjust himself, but she was pressed too closely to his body for him to reach in between them. Instead he reached behind her once again and pressed her pussy up against his thigh where she was straddling his legs. 

Without intending to, he started humping against her thigh. He stroked his hand down her back and cupped her buttocks pulling her in tight, until he was sure he could feel her moisture through his own pants. He continued to rub against her, breathing in her scent and dipping his head into her neck. He could feel himself getting close to release, and ran his hand down the cheek of her ass and into her nether regions. She was in fact very wet. He wanted her to enjoy this, even if she never knew it. He circled her lower lips, and let his finger brush against her clit. He was having trouble get as much access as he wanted, so he reached up and pulled her thigh higher on his hips, which just brought her harder against his thigh. He heard her moan in and sleep, and pulled back to see her face. She was flushed, and her breathing was quickened, but her eyes were closed and he was sure she was still asleep. 

He cupped her ass again, and pressed a finger to her tight pucker. He could feel her clenching her tight rosebud as he twirled his middle finger against it. He continued to rub his thigh against her slick center, just as he rubbed his own crotch against her thigh. He suddenly heard her inhale sharply and her eyes fluttered. She relaxed against him, and he could feel her essence on the fabric of his pants. He let go his orgasm, and felt himself spurt behind his ties. He humped against her three or four more times before he fell against her and buried his head once again in her hair. 

After coming back to himself, he disentangled his legs from hers, and got up. He rinsed the cloth in the bowl out once more, and held it in his hands for a moment to warm before cleaning her thighs, thatch and stomach of their combined fluids. He could see the goose-bumps beginning to form on her, and got a blanket from his own bed to cover her with. She sighed and snuggled down under the blanket, leaving just the top of her head visible for anyone to see. Turning, he left the room before he was tempted to do anything more, and went to change out of his soaked pants.

Eirin woke again as the maid came clanging into the room. She groaned as the bumps and bruises of the night before made themselves known to her once again. When she could finally get her eyes to focus, she looked at the maid making all the noise and saw she had brought what looked like a small pot with her. The maid turned and cheekily smiled at her, "Sorry luv, know I'm loud, can't seem to help meself. 'is lordship ordered I bring this up to you. It holds banked coals, supposed to be good for small rooms with no air moving through." 

Eirin just stared at the girl, she was the roundest, brightest girl she had ever seen. She was probably five foot four, with huge breasts and very wide hips. Her hair was red, her freckles were red, and her mouth was red. It was too much for Eirin to take after just having woken up. The girl stared at her for a minute, and then went back to what she was saying, "My name's Lori, and I'm to take care of you until you get better. 'Is lordship said you almost hurt yerself last night, and 'e don't have time to babysit!" 

With that the girl turned back to her pot and lifted it up onto some sort of stand. She then went out into the main room, and came back carrying a bucket, which she poured into the pot. Immediately, Eirin felt the heat of the coals reach her. It was wonderful, she snuggled down under the covers more, holding her hands tight against her chest, and let the heat warm the air around her. The girl turned back towards her and clucked her tongue. "D'you know you look 'orrible?" 

Eirin felt her face go red at the insult, and for the first time since yesterday morning, spoke to this crass girl. "I am aware of how I look, thank you. It was your own boss who did this to me, so I would appreciate it if you would not speak of it. You can also tell him, that I am not in need of babysitting, and can take care of myself perfectly well, thank you. Now if you would please go, I would like to rest some more." 

Actually, what she really needed was to use the chamber pot, but it was down at the foot of her bed, and she didn't want this girl to witness the rest of her humiliation by seeing the bruises not apparent from the head up. She was already embarrassed about the situation she was in; she did not need someone to rub her face in it. 

At that moment she heard booted feet outside the door, and Lord Hawthorn himself stepped into the room. Eirin immediately paled and shrank down under the covers. "What is going on in here, why do I hear raised voices? Aren't you supposed to be resting? Why are you just standing there? I told you to bring up some porridge so Eirin could eat." Lord Hawthorn's gaze swept between the two girls, one trying to make herself as invisible as possible, the other standing with her hand on her hip and chest pushed out as far as it would go. 

"It's her yer lordship, she says she don't want no babysitter, an' she told me to tell you that, and yer the one who make her look ugly, so not to point it out to 'er." Lori glared over at Eirin before turning her face back to Lord Hawthorn and giving him her widest smile, showing the missing tooth on the right side. "I was tryin' to be nice, jist like you tol' me, I even set up the warming pot, and she lit right into me." Lori turned again to Eirin and she could see the sneer, but most of her attention was focused on Lord Hawthorn, his look was more confused, rather than annoyed.

"You can go now Lori, I will finish up in here, please send Maria up to me when you see her." With that Lori was dismissed, and he started over to Eirin on the bed, Lori stared slack-jawed after Lord Hawthorn. She was livid, he didn't even look at her chest, he dismissed her, for this girl, who was covered in bruises and was too snobbish for her own good? She would take care of that, this girl would learn that Lori, not her would be the next servant in his lordship's bed.

Lord Hawthorn didn't even turn to see if the servant had left, but made his way over to the bed. He took the chair that was still setting beside the bed from last night, and sat down in it, looking the girl over to see if she was any worse for the wear. He could see no evidence of any further injury from last night's activities, but she was so buried under covers, she could be bleeding to death, and he wouldn't know. 

He turned around to shut the door, so he could inspect her, and saw Lori still standing where he had left her, "Didn't I tell you to go? Send Maria up, if you can't get along with this chit of a girl, I'm sure she can; now be on your way, quickly." He shut the door after she left and turned back to Eirin. 

He was upset to see her pull herself even farther under the covers, after what had happened last night. He knew she didn't remember it, but just looking at her brought it all back until he could feel himself hardening where he stood, without ever touching her, or himself. He shook himself back to the present and approached her, seeing her flinch; he stopped with his hands at his side. 

"I have to look at you, I need to know how your injuries are healing. The room has warmed up nicely, would you mind if I removed your cover?" She only looked at him with eyes that were now more green than gold, and filled with fear. Then, still without saying a word, she drew the covers off of herself, and spread her legs, just as she had done last night. He sighed at seeing the look in her eyes as she moved. She had indeed learned her lesson, he hadn't even given an order, and she still obeyed him. 

For some reason, that did not make him as happy as he had thought it would. He was disappointed knowing that she acted out of fear. He moved slowly, pulling the covers the rest of the way off of her. Eirin closed her eyes and turned her face towards the wall, though this time she did not ball her hands into a fist. 

Lord Hawthorn started at her head, and gently touched the area surrounding her stitches. She sucked in a breath at his first touch, but other than that made no movement or sound. When he was convinced there was no infection in the cut he moved on to her arms. He gently picked up her left arm and turned it to see the bruises, they were still more black than yellow, but they also would heal. 

Just as he was trying to turn her back onto her back, Maria slammed the door back against the wall as she bustled into the room. "So sorry, m'lord, my hands are full, and I lost control of the door. Didn't mean to disturb you, but I thought you would need more hot water, surely the poor little dear would like her hair washed, and another poultice for her head, and some cream for, well, you know what for." 

Maria was like a dervish, swishing through the room; setting things down and around. While Maria was talking, and the lord was still holding Eirin's arm, Eirin herself was trying to hastily draw the bedcovers back up around her so no one else would witness what was done to her. 

Maria stepped up to the bed and looked down upon Eirin, "Now don't you worry dear. You probably don't remember, but I was here last night, I'm the one who found you, and I sure am sorry about all the screaming, but you gave me a fright you did. In any case, I've got three daughters myself, and you haven't got anything I haven't seen before. Lord Hawthorn needs to look at your injuries, the sooner you stop resisting, the sooner it's over and done with." 

Eirin looked up at the woman, who was as overwhelming as an avalanche. It sounded like she had just spoken an entire speech in one breath, but when her mind reached 'resisting' she immediately tensed up and let her hands fall from the covers. She had resisted Lord Hawthorn. She darted a look up into his face fearful of the anger she would see there.

Lord Hawthorn glanced down at Eirin after Maria's introduction and saw her staring at him with eyes as wide as saucers. "Lord what's happened now, did something hurt you? Quick, m'lord, pull down the covers, maybe she has a burr in the sheets with her," Maria started tugging on the covers and they came down with no resistance this time.

Lord Hawthorn knew what had put that look on Eirin's face; it was the only thing that had put it on her face since she had arrived. She was afraid of him, he knew it was because Maria had mentioned that she was resisting him, but he didn't know what to do about it. He really did want her to do what he told her to, but he didn't want her to constantly look at him like he was poised to hit her. 

Maria was busy muttering to herself as turned Eirin this way and that, trying to find whatever had caused her pain. Eirin was clenching her teeth as well as her fists now trying not to cry out as the pain Maria was causing her from her rough treatment. Lord Hawthorn made a grab for Maria and pulled her from the bed. 

"That is enough Maria, I am sure she is alright, but we don't need to be tossing her around like a toy. Now, would you please tell Jonathan to make sure he has a ready supply of coals to bring in and replace, he can use one of the fireplaces in a spare room to burn them down until they are ready to be brought in. I don't want them too hot, because they will stink, as well as being too much for this small room. Make sure he understands, he likes you and you can explain things so he understands." Maria curtsied quickly and practically skipped from the room. 

She loved her lord, and knew that whatever trouble was between him and the girl they would work it out. The lord was the fairest employer she had ever had, and she blessed each day she had landed upon his step.

Lord Hawthorn turned back to see that Eirin had not moved from her former position. Her hands were still clenched at her sides, and her eyes were narrowed in pain. When he looked into her face he could see that pain and fear were warring with each other as to which was the strongest emotion within her at the moment. He decided that in time she would learn her place, and not every action she made would bring her fear. He would just have to hope that if he continued to be fair with her, she would learn to trust him, and know her place in his house. He picked up the bowl of steaming hot water, and brought it closer to her. 

Setting the bowl on the chair, he dipped the rag in it and leaned over her. Her eyes followed his movement and stared up at him, "I am going to clean your stitches and blood from your hair. This may hurt some, but I will try to be gentle, I can not wash your hair until your forehead heals some, so this is the best I can do." 

Gently he cleaned the wound on her head, and the hair around it. Never once did she make a sound or movement. Trying to ease her, Lord Hawthorn kept up a banter in soothing tones, "So, what was it about Lori that you didn't like? I know she's difficult, but she's not all bad. You will like Maria, though. She's as sweet as they come. I would have sent her to you first, but her youngest daughter has a cough, and she's been staying with her most mornings. Ah, there, all done. I hope I got it all out; you'll need to pull your hair back until it dries. Do you mind if I look at your arms, to see how the bruises are healing? I'm not sure where all of these bruises came from, but you have a fair amount. Don't worry they will heal in time and you will never see them again. Oh, yes, they are looking better already. Healing nicely, do they ache at all?" 

Lord Hawthorn gently pried her fingers apart as he was looking at her arms, trying to get her to relax some. Eirin nodded her head yes at his question, but still did not speak a word. Lord Hawthorn pulled the jar of cream Maria had brought to him, and opened it, immediately the smell of mint filled the air. 

"Ah, this smells much better than the tea you are to drink, I am going to rub some of this onto your arms for you, it will make the ache go away." Lord Hawthorn dipped his fingers into the cream and rubbed his hands together to warm it. He then proceeded to massage her arms from her fingertips to her shoulder. He could feel her muscles relaxing as he went, and was pleased that she was becoming used to his touch. After he finished, he knew there was nothing for it, he had to check both her breast, and her nether region. 

She still had not covered up, and he had acted like it was nothing for her to lie there uncovered. However, he knew that at first touch, she would once again tense up and become stiff. He wondered if he should give her the tea again; after all, he'd done a lot more than just look at her last night, and she'd never woken up. He quickly dismissed the idea. He expected to spend a lot more time with her, preferably in his own bed, and she would eventually have to learn to not only deal with, but delight in his touch.

"Ok, Eirin, I know you don't want me to, but I have to check the rest of you. I promise I will be gentle. It will be easier if you do not tense up." He moved first to her breast where he had bitten her. He sat on the bed, but he was on her left side, and he had bitten her right nipple, so he had to lean all the way over her in order to get a good look. He rested on his left hand, and with his right, he gently ran the damp cloth over her nipple. Immediately it drew in upon itself and became hard. He heard Eirin gulp, and she turned her head. He turned her head back towards him, and looked into her eyes. 

"There is nothing wrong with your reaction. It is perfectly normal, and makes me very pleased. Eirin felt her face turn red as he moved his hand back to her nipple and gently pinched it. Eirin then gasped as he moved his head down and with just the tip of his tongue barely licked the other nipple. She had never felt anything like this before; there were butterflies in her stomach and she felt the need to clench her legs tightly to stop the build up of feelings between them. When he bit lightly on her nipple she drew her knees up to his back and clenched her hands under her chin to stop herself from reaching out to him.

Lord Hawthorn sat up; this is not what he had come in here for. If he went much further, he would take her again, and the healer was quite explicit that she could not have any physical relations until the end of the week. He was also quite bemused about her reactions to him. He knew she was not a virgin, but she was acting as if she had never felt anything like it before. She must not be used to men who are willing to give pleasure as well as accept it. That must be it he decided.

Eirin was breathing hard and looked at him as if she couldn't figure out what he was. He took her hands, and once again relaxed them at her sides; he then stood up and straightened out her legs upon the bed. He looked at the bruises on her knees. Glancing up into her face he asked her if she knew how she had gotten them. She merely shook her head at him and he reapplied the cream to her bruises. 

"Now, I will need to check between your legs to see how you are healing there, and the healer said I could also apply this cream there. Will you let me check between your legs, or do I need to call in someone to help me?" Eirin immediately spread her legs for him, the last thing she wanted was that big man to come in again and hold her down. Lord Hawthorn drew his eyebrows together at her, but otherwise made no remark. 

He picked up her left leg, and placed it in his lap, he then moved her other leg until it was against the wall. Eirin was staring at him with wide eyes, trying to control her breathing. She had never felt so many feelings all at the same time. First he scared her, then he relaxed her, then he excited her, and now he scared her again. What was he going to do between her legs? 

Lord Hawthorn bent down and rested on his elbow; using his thumbs he pried apart her outer lips. She was not dry, but she was far from being wet enough to allow him to check her on the inside. "Do you hurt here?" he asked her. She nodded her head yes, and he frowned at her again. He dipped a finger into the jar again, and slid it into her hole. He could feel her bearing down on him and squeezing his finger. Looking up at her he told her it would be easier on her if she would relax, but he could feel that wasn't going to happen. 

He rearranged himself so he was lying on his stomach in between her legs, with one hand opening her up, he gently tweaked her clit with the other. Eirin drew in her breath and tried to scoot up the bed. He merely followed her, stretching himself out. Using his index finger, he continued to circle her clit, then ran it up and down her inner lips. He could smell her now, she was delicious, her scent even overpowering the mint in the cream. He lubricated his middle finger in her own juices and once again slipped inside her. 

Looking up he could see her stomach muscles working and her hands clasping and unclasping. He slid in farther and felt less resistance until he reached where her maidenhead would have been. It felt jagged and raw. He jerked his hand back and jumped up to his knees. Looking at her half-closed eyes and her breasts jerking with every breath he was taken away. She still had not realized he was no longer between her legs, her eyes were closed and her head was tilted back. 




Eirin Ch. 02



"You were a virgin?" was all he asked. His voice brought her back to Earth and she stared at him. All she could do was nod her head yes. Lord Hawthorn was speechless. How had he missed it? Surely he should have felt it? Oh, what a position he had put himself in. On the one hand, he had had her first. On the other, it had been terrible for her. She was gorgeous and he wanted to take her right here and right now, but she was afraid of him. 

He knew he would never get enough of her, but she would be happy if she never had him again. He had to find a way to make her want him. Now was as good a time as any.

Lord Hawthorn reached his hand back down to circle her hole again. She was drier, already; he had scared her again. He dipped his fingers into the jar of cream and ran them back up and down her inner lips. 

He was glad he stayed sitting up for this, because he wanted to watch her face for her first conscious orgasm. Eirin unconsciously opened her legs even wider as he slipped his middle finger into her. He hooked his finger up and rubbed against the top wall of her vagina. With his thumb he began to circle her clit, but never actually touched it. Eirin pushed down on his finger, knowing his thumb was in the wrong place, but not knowing exactly where it should go. 

Lord Hawthorn withdrew his finger and reinserted both his first and middle fingers, she was so tight, he had to squeeze them together to get them to go in. By now Eirin had started panting and her legs were scissoring up and down on the bed. She reached down to grab his wrist, but stopped herself at the last moment. Lord Hawthorn stared transfixed upon her face. 

He had expected her to turn her head or close her eyes, but she was staring right at him. Her pupils were dilated and she was breathing through her mouth. She was flushed from below her ribcage to her face, and she was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. He felt her try to push down on him again which brought his attention back to her pleasure. He started wiggling his fingers inside of her; with his thumb he started massaging her clit, pulling the hood over it and exposing it in turn. 

Eirin was now lifting herself off the bed to get closer to him, and he knew she would not last much longer. Keeping his two fingers inside her, he reached for her with his other hand and pinched the base of her clit. Immediately she arched her back off the bed and closed her thighs around his hands. Lord Hawthorn waited for her to come back down.

Eirin was shocked, he was between her legs! Then he leaned down and was staring at her in her most private parts. Eirin felt him put his finger into her, it hurt and she felt herself tense up around him. She heard him tell her that it would hurt less if she relaxed, but try as she might she couldn't. Then if that wasn't bad enough, he lay down in between her legs. How close was he going to get her? Didn't he know it wasn't seemly for someone to look at her that closely? 

She felt him part her down there and tried to scoot away, but he just followed her. There was no where to go, and he had already threatened to get that big man in here. Then she felt the most amazing thing, he pinched her, but not in a way that hurt. Then she felt his finger go into her again. Surprisingly it did not hurt; she could feel her muscles jumping at his intrusion and relished the feeling. She closed her eyes and just let herself feel the wonderful fullness his finger inspired within her. 

His voice broke her out of her revelry, and she looked up to see him towering above her. He asked if she was a virgin? Well, of course she was a virgin, she's only 18, and not married, how could she not be a virgin? All she could do was nod at him, his face had once again taken on a frown, and she was scared again. Was that bad? What was he going to do to her? She couldn't help it if she was a virgin, well, she wasn't one anymore; surely that counts for something. 

Then he put his hand back on her lower lips and started to circle the place that made her feel so good. The feeling was incredible, but she knew it could be better. She tried to arrange herself so that his finger touched the spot she was looking for, but she couldn't quite hit on it. Then he stuck his finger in her again, only this time he wiggled it around. It was amazing, this had to be the most amazing sensation she had ever felt. Then she felt him withdraw, and she felt empty, but before she knew it, he had reentered her again. This time however it was thicker, and even more wonderful than the last time. 

She stared down at the top of his head. He was concentrating so hard on what he was doing. She could see a flush running up her body, and she couldn't get her breath. He looked up and their eyes met and his fingers went still within her. She wanted to feel that pressure again and found herself trying seat herself more fully on his fingers. He must have felt it, for he looked down again, except this time with both fingers in her he was rubbing her on the inside. 

She felt lightning shoot through her body. She couldn't hold still, there was something that was supposed to happen, but it was just out of reach, if only she knew what she could do to relieve the pressure, then she knew she would feel better. Suddenly she felt him hit that spot and she was whirling through both space and time. Her entire body was a swirl of colors, and she hoped it would never end. It ended all too soon, and she was slammed back into herself when she heard a sound at the door. 

There was the maid, smirking at her. Oh my god, this is the whore's room, and I am the whore. Not only did I let this man, who abused me do those things to my body, but he allowed someone else to watch. She closed her eyes once again, and cried at her own humiliation. She was so ashamed of herself.

"Excuse me, Lord Hawthorn and Lady Eirin, but I came to see if you needed anything to eat." Maria looked delighted about what she had walked in on, but Eirin did not share her sentiments. Tears rolled from her eyes as she fought to not cover herself back up again. 

Lord Hawthorn stood up and left the room without a word. Why shouldn't he? He had gotten what he came for, she had given herself up to him easily. Eirin looked up at the maid and asked her to leave to she could relieve herself. When the maid returned Eirin was already back in bed, with the covers drawn up to her head, rolled on her side facing the wall.

"Well, dearie, what do you want to eat? When the cook heard of your injuries, she thought you might like a nice broth. Shall I get some for you? Eirin only shook her head and burrowed even further down on the bed. 

"Come now, you have nothing to be ashamed of, it is I who should be apologizing for interrupting; I just walk around with my head in the clouds. I really should pay more attention." Eirin tried to tune her out, but she just walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, "You will never get better if you do not eat something. I know it seems bad now, but it really isn't all that. You will see that things will work out for the best, in time."

Eirin rolled to her back and stared, slack-jawed at the woman. Get better? How? Things will never be better again. 

"Oh good, you decided to eat afterall, well, sit up dearie, you can't eat lying all the way on your back." With that Maria reached around and pulled Eirin up, fluffing and stuffing pillows behind her to support her. "See, now I just knew you would be hungry, the tray is on the table, let me get it, and I'll bring it to you. Then I was thinking that a real bath would be in order for today. I know Lord Hawthorn doesn't think you should, but he doesn't know women all that well, and I do. You will feel just right as rain after you've had a good bath. Don't worry, we won't get your stitches wet, I'll be real careful when I wash your hair. Oh, and you'll need some clothes, you can't go around naked all day, no matter what Lord Hawthorn wants." 

Maria walked out of the room, still muttering to herself. Eirin had never known anyone who could talk so much, or so fast. She stared after her for a while, then felt her stomach rumble at the delicious smell coming from her bowl. Not only was there broth, but bread, and fruit too. She realized that she hadn't eaten in well over a day, and she was famished. By the time Maria came back her tray was empty. 

"I knew you would like that, the cook was so proud of herself. I'll be sure to tell her how wonderful you thought it was. Come along, I have the bath warming in front of the fire in Lord Hawthorn's room, so we better get a move on. I want you to be able to let your hair dry before you go to sleep again, no sense in your catching a chill as well." 

Eirin pulled the blanket around herself and dragged her legs over the side of the bed. She had had no idea she would be this sore. She tried to stand, but when she did, she fell backwards onto the bed again. Maria rushed to her to keep her from falling anymore. "Oh, you poor dear, let me help you, that's it nice and slow. Just lean on me, and we'll get you into the bath. You will be amazed at how much it helps all your aches. And I put some peppermint oil in the water; that will help as well." Eirin leaned heavily on Maria as she stepped in the tub. She laid back and tried to let the water soak her sore muscles. She found herself drifting off as Maria washed her hair. The soothing scent of peppermint as well as the hypnotic feel of Maria running her hands through her hair soon had her asleep in the tub.

Maria was humming to herself as she changed the sheets on Eirin's bed. She was such a dear girl, it was too bad she had to be inducted into womanhood the way she was. Shame on Lord Hawthorn! If she didn't adore him as much as she did, she would be very angry with him. He better make it up to her. As she came into the main room, holding the bundle of sheets her in hand, she stopped short. There was Lord Hawthorn himself, he was standing still in the middle of the room; staring down at the girl with a completely dazed look on his face.



Eirin Ch. 03



Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments. I hope you like this installment as well. For those asking, I have four installments already written and I am submitting them on the day the previous one came out. That makes 5-7 days for each posting. 

I hope you enjoy.

meg

Lord Hawthorn stared down at the sleeping beauty in the bath before him. Her long dark hair was spread across a towel behind her on the floor, and her skin was a rosy hue from the heat of both the bath water as well as the fire that had been built up in the room. Apparently Maria was afraid of her catching a chill because the room was exceptionally warm. He heard a sound off to the side, and saw Maria standing there, a set of bedding in her hand. "How long has she been asleep in there?" he asked her. 

"Oh, my lord, I am so sorry, I did not expect you back so soon. Just let me drop these linens in the hallway and I'll rouse her to go back to bed. She just looked so peaceful there, and I made sure the room was plenty warm for her," as usual Maria was talking non-stop as she moved around the room. Lord Hawthorn had come to think that was one of the things he liked most about her. 

She had come to the castle as barely more than a child, just eighteen years old, and pregnant. She hadn't said a single word the entire first year she had lived there, Lord Hawthorn fully believed that she was now making up for lost time from when she wouldn't speak. 

It had been the cook who had taken her in, and given her tasks to keep her busy and away from the rest of the castle staff. That was how Lord Hawthorn had come to know her so well. He would spend time with her when he was hiding from his step-father in the kitchen. Once her daughter was born, she realized that she wanted more for her life. She was determined to be better than what she arrived at the castle as. She worked hard on her speech and dress, forcing Lord Hawthorn to spend hours talking to her so she could mimic his speech, and even making him find appropriate styles of dress and mannerisms for her station. 

As time had gone on, Cook had given Maria more and more responsibility and forced her to interact with the castle staff more and more so that she was more comfortable and confident in herself. After Lord Hawthorn's step-father had died, he had arranged a marriage for Maria, and she and her husband had moved out to the village. Maria had continued working in the castle even after she had moved out of it; she swore she would never leave it, claiming that nothing would run right if she wasn't there to see to it. Lord Hawthorn loved her dearly for her devotion and let her take over the hiring and training of all the maid staff in the castle.

Maria reentered the room after dropping off the linens and went to wake Eirin. That brought Lord Hawthorn out of his musings and he quickly intercepted her. "I'll carry her, there is no sense waking her if she's already asleep. She doesn't like the potion the healer left to help her sleep, and I think the more she can sleep without it the better anyway". 

Lord Hawthorn stooped and lifted Eirin out of the tub while Maria came to wrap a cloth around her to dry her off and keep the chill from her body. He carried her to her room, and laid her gently on her bed. Both he and Maria rubbed her down to make sure she was dry and Maria produced a nightgown for her to wear to bed. While Lord Hawthorn held her, Maria slipped it over her head, and smoothed it down her body. 

Maria looked up at Lord Hawthorn and asked if he would like her to stay with the girl and watch her through the night. Lord Hawthorn beckoned her out of the room; closing the door softly behind him. "Thank you, Maria, for offering, but that will not be necessary, I will be able to hear her if there are any problems. It's late, get Michael to hitch up a cart and take you home; your daughter will need you more tonight than Eirin will."

Maria turned back to the room as if thinking about what she should do, then finally shook her head and turned to leave. At the last minute she turned back to the lord, "Did you inflict all her injuries, my lord?" She looked embarrassed to be asking it, but also determined to know his part in her current state. 

Lord Hawthorn turned his face from her, trying to come to terms with the part he had played in her discomfort and fear. Finally, sighing, he turned back to the maid. "I did not cause all of the injuries she has, but I caused the majority of them. I was unaware that she was a virgin when she arrived. After listening to her father, I assumed she was a loose girl. Then she kicked me, and I lost control of my temper. I did not hit her on the head, but I might as well be responsible for that, I was not specific enough in my instructions to Jonathan, and he left her locked in her room with no light. She hit her head on the shelf."

"What of the bruises on her breast, arms and legs?" Maria questioned him. She knew she was making him uncomfortable, but she felt she had to know. She had never told him the circumstances surrounding her appearance at the castle, nor of her condition when she had arrived. But, the fact was, she had been raped by her previous employer, and when he found out she was with child, he had beat her severely for not preventing it from happening. He had then turned her out, and threatened her life if she ever told a soul what had happened. 

The lord was dead now, and probably no one would care, but she still kept her silence, even from her own husband and daughter. As far as she was concerned he had done her a favor. Coming to Castle Wells had been the best things she had ever done. She was so grateful when Lord Hawthorn had decided to stay on here after his step-father had died, and left him as the heir, rather than returning to one of his other castles. She would have followed him, but she felt most comfortable here.

Lord Hawthorn looked even more ashamed as he admitted to the bite mark and bruise on her breast, but denied having caused injuries to her arms or legs. He did admit that they had not been there before she arrived, so they had to have happened in the castle, but as of yet, he didn't know how they had occurred.

After Maria left, Lord Hawthorn got ready for bed, but he did not go to sleep. He was awake much of the night listening for sounds from Eirin's room; lest she have trouble, and he sleep through it. While he was listening, he was also thinking. He was confused about his feelings towards Eirin. Towards dawn, he reached the decision that he had to continue to think of her as merely a servant. He had brought her here as punishment for her own actions. He was wrong to have taken her virginity in such a manner, but not wrong to have taken it, period. It was his to take, just as everything of hers was his. In the future he would be much gentler with her, but not allow himself to become too attached to her. After having made that decision he fell into a sleep that while it wasn't exactly deep it was restful.

Eirin woke up back in her bed, feeling much better than she had the day before. She was even able to get up and use the chamber pot by herself. Before Maria arrived, she tried to take a visual inventory of herself. She gently felt the stitches in her forehead; they were beginning to itch, and she wished she could see what they looked like, but she didn't have a looking glass in her room. Looking down at her breast she could see that the bite mark was completely scabbed over, and all the redness had gone. The bruises on her arms and knees were more yellow than blue now, and weren't at all tender to the touch. 

All in all, she was quite satisfied with her recovery, and promised herself that in the future she would avoid angering those who would injure her. That included the big man as well as Lord Hawthorn himself. He seemed to only be interested in one thing anyway, so as long as she didn't fight him, he shouldn't have cause to hurt her. What use would it be to fight him? She no longer had her innocence to protect; it would seem pointless to act the maiden now. 

After Eirin had put her nightgown back on, saying a silent thank you to whomever had provided it, she lay back on the bed and took inventory of her room.

The next morning while Lord Hawthorn was getting dressed, he could hear Maria's cheerful chatter coming from Eirin's room. Then he stopped in his preparations for the day when he heard Maria ask Eirin about the bruises on her arms and legs. He heard Eirin say that they were from 'the big man' pulling her from the room, and that she had tripped on the stairs and been dragged up a few before she had regained her balance. 

Lord Hawthorn sat heavily in his chair. She would never adapt to life here. She had been abused since the moment she had walked in the door. He couldn't figure out why it was so important to him that she accept her life here, but it was. He was then hit with another revelation. She had not spoken a single word to him since she was in his study on the day she arrived. How was that? She had spoken to Lori her second day here, and then to Maria both times she went in to see to her, but she had never spoken to him. He decided he would pay more attention and see if it was only him she was not speaking too. It upset him more than he liked that she wouldn't speak to him, but he wasn't sure how to get her to talk without ordering her to. Somehow he thought it would feel empty if she only talked to him because he made her. 

This young girl was an enigma. She was obviously strong and brave; she had lain there and let him stitch her head. She was sensual and sexy as hell, watching her come had been the most erotic sight of his life. She was stubborn, and apparently smart; she had yet to speak to him in two days but she also hadn't snubbed him in a way that made him angry. He found himself wanting to know more about her. Also, the more he found out about her, the more she didn't match with the story Phillip had told him. 

What was most pressing was the fact that the just sound of her voice made him hard. He could not be in the same room with her without bringing one or both of them to completion. He could not be around her and still keep his hands off her. For both of their well beings he needed to find a way to occupy himself until she was well enough for him to sate his own lust on; once that was done, he would slake hers.

Eirin stepped out of the hot bath. She had never known what a luxury a bath could be until she had come here. Even with her horrible guardian and his equally horrid daughter, she'd still had baths every day. They might not have been as long or as relaxing as she would have liked but she had enjoyed them just the same. Here, she could only bathe when Lord Hawthorn was gone. 

Maria usually set up the bath after he had left his room in the morning to go to his study, but she was so worried about him coming back that she rushed through it, with little or no enjoyment. The difference today was that Lord Hawthorn had left for London a couple of days ago, and her stitches had come out yesterday. Now she was free to wash her hair and body thoroughly. 

She had been glad that Maria had left her alone to bathe today. She couldn't help but be curious about the feelings Lord Hawthorn had provoked in her when they were in her bed. She had been embarrassed before, but her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her. While she had been in the tub, she had explored the places Lord Hawthorn had touched. 

She had begun as he had, at her breasts. She started by just rubbing her fingers over them. They did pucker up, but she didn't feel the same jolt as she had when he had touched her. Then she remembered that he had done more than just brush his fingers against them. He had licked one of her nipples. Well, that was out of the question, there was no way she was going to put her tongue there.

But, he had also pinched it! She gave it a try. There was that jolt. She felt it all the way through her, not just on her breasts, but down through her stomach straight to her center. She decided to try what else would work. She twisted her nipple and pulled on it, and felt her chest constrict with the emotions running through her. She really liked how it felt to play with her nipples, but that is not where the best feelings had come from when Lord Hawthorn had been in her bed.

Eirin slowly stroked her fingers down her stomach. It tickled, but it was more than that, it made her body tingle in a way she wasn't used to. She was embarrassed to let her fingers go any farther south, but playing with her nipples had made her loins tighten and she really wanted to relieve the pressure that was building up. She finally couldn't stand the suspense anymore and started stroking her fingers lower. 

First she tangled her fingers in her own hair. It was courser than the hair on her head and it felt good to rub her fingers through it. Then, she slid her fingers through her slit. She moved her fingers around, just trying to familiarize herself with what was down there. Her lips were surprisingly puffy, she hadn't expected that. Also, it was slippery, like it was wet in more ways than just the water from the bath. 

She felt the button at the top of her slit and jumped in the water. That was it! That was the spot Lord Hawthorn had touched her with his thumb. Amazing. It didn't feel quite as good as when Lord Hawthorn touched her there, but it still felt good. She continued on with her explorations and found her hole. Tentatively she stuck her middle finger into her hole. It was nothing like she thought it would be. She could feel herself squeezing her little finger. How had he put his whole …."thing" in her? No wonder it had hurt. But his finger hadn't hurt at all. 

She scooted farther down into the water to stretch out more and see what else was down there. She felt the piece of skin between her bottom and hole. Oh, wow, when she pushed on that she felt it in both her bottom and her center. She would have to explore that further. She was scared now, but in for an inch in for a mile. She let her middle finger wander down to her pucker. It was crinkly and tight. She tried to see what would happen if she pushed on it. It didn't feel bad, but she was scared to push too hard on it. What if she hurt herself?

By now her core was begging for more attention, so she decided to finish exploring that today, and figure out the rest tomorrow. She moved her other hand down to her center, and with the fingers of her left hand she circled her hole. She used the index finger of her right hand to massage her button. She felt a jolt every time her finger brushed over it. It still wasn't like how she felt when Lord Hawthorn had been doing it, and she was beginning to feel frustrated. Then just as she was about to give up, she pulled up on her button instead of across the side. Oh, she thought, this is what he did to me! She pulled up again and felt the same sense of electricity shoot through her. She kept pulling back on it, until it started to be more painful, almost like it was too much. 

She decided to try different things than what he did to see what she felt for each one. She push down on her button, and felt her hips jerk. When she pushed and pulled both, one after another, her hips moving forward in the tub to meet her fingers. She started moving her other fingers in and out of her hole. She was in her own mind, no longer in Lord Hawthorn's chambers, or a tub; her entire being was centered on her fingers and the feelings she was experiencing. Her entire body was moving, sloshing water over the edge of the tub. 

She knew she was about to experience the same thing she did in her bed, just a little bit farther. She pinched the base of her clit and felt herself spiral out of control. Her moans echoed through the room. She threw her head back against the edge of the tub and felt herself sinking within the water. It was too much, she couldn't take these feelings. Lights were flashing before he eyes, and she squeezed her thighs around her hands as she came back to herself. 

She sat in the tub like that for some time before the cooling temperature of the water started to sink into her mind. She sat up suddenly and looked around. There was water all over the floor. Looking down at herself, she could see that she was flushed; her nipples still hard and her breathing ragged. She lay back in the tub until she could collect herself. She would clean up in a minute.

It was late. Lord Hawthorn had just arrived back at the castle. He should have waited until tomorrow, he knew that. But, he couldn't. Her week was up; had been up yesterday. He had given her another day just to make sure she was ok. Lord Hawthorn was exhausted; he hadn't slept in days. At first he worked in and around the castle from sunup until long after sun down. When that didn't work, he decided to visit a friend in London. He had spent the last three days staying up all night, drinking and playing poker. He would drag himself to his friend's house in the wee hours of the morning, drop into bed and fall asleep without even taking off his clothes. 

He would wake up within a couple of hours hard and aching, his dreams filled of Eirin and her wonderful copper body. Her golden eyes swam through his dreams, making him moan in his sleep. He needed relief. He wanted to go straight into her room and take her again now, but he knew she was asleep and didn't wish to wake her. He needed to plan his seduction so she would be receptive to him. He wouldn't be able to stop himself if she pulled away from him.

He decided he couldn't wait for her; he quickly shed his clothes and laid down on his bed on top of the covers. He could hear her turning over in her bed, and it made his stomach tighten at how much he wanted her. He reached down and took his cock in his hand. It was so hard it was pulsing. He ran his fingers over the spongy head. He used his thumb to spread drops of pre-cum. He ran his hand down the length of his cock, feeling the ridges, and took hold of the base. Then squeezing his hand even tighter pulled his hand back up from the base to the head. Once again he massaged the soft head. 

His mind started wandering, and he imagined her lips circling the head of his cock. He reached down to cup his balls, rolling them between his fingers. His hand was moving faster now, imagining her tongue moving up and down. He could feel himself preparing for release, and his hand lost all sense of rhythm. His strokes were centered on the head and the sensitive underside of his cock as he arched his back and finally felt his seed spurt from him. He continued to squeeze and rub his cock, though more slowly now until he felt it start to soften. He reached over and grabbed a rag from the table beside his bed and cleaned his seed from his stomach. Throwing it on the floor he rolled over and fell asleep without even bothering to cover himself up.

His last thoughts before sleep were not of Eirin, though, they were of Phillip and some of the things he had learned while in London. He tried to remind himself to ask Eirin some questions about Phillip but was asleep before he could form a coherent thought.

Eirin woke up excited for another day when she felt great and didn't have to worry about Lord Hawthorn being around. It had turned out that she liked living here much better than living in her own home with her guardian and his daughter. Not everyone was nice to her, and the maid, Lori, had been down right mean, but as long as she avoided the people who thought of her as nothing more than a whore, she was happy. She had spent some time walking around the grounds yesterday, and it was beautiful. There was a lake to the back that had ducks and she had met some children there yesterday who had been adorable. She had even found the library, which was wonderful, and borrowed a book to take to the garden with her. She had fallen asleep there with the sun shining down on her, and had peaceful dreams for the first time in years.




Eirin Ch. 03



Eirin quickly got dressed so she could start her day but she drew up short once she exited her room. There was Lord Hawthorn stretched out on his stomach, asleep on the bed. He wasn't even covered up, and she could see his back, buttocks and legs. She stood for a moment just staring at him. He really was beautiful, she knew you were supposed to call a man handsome, but his body was beautiful. She could see the line across the bottom of his back where he apparently went without a shirt. His legs had dark hair covering them, and his feet were long and slender. His back narrowed to meet his hips and even in rest she could see the muscles delineated throughout.

She shook herself, ashamed of watching the man who had so far caused her injury and embarrassment. She wished she could quiet the turmoil she felt. She hated him for what he had done to her. She was ashamed and embarrassed about her situation. On the other hand, he had caused feelings within her she never knew she could feel. On top of that, he had helped take care of her when she was not well. 

Quietly she snuck out of the room, maybe if she hurried, she could be out by the lake when he appeared and she wouldn't have to deal with him until later tonight. She didn't even want to contemplate what would happen then. She knew she would have to do whatever he wanted, and she hoped she was strong enough to see herself through it. 

Lord Hawthorn woke up knowing he had overslept. The sun was no longer shining through the window, which meant it had to be after ten o'clock in the morning, but he had not slept in so long, that he was not bothered by his lie-in. He rose and stretched relishing the feeling of being fully rested. His morning hard-on reminded him that he would no longer have to take care of his own needs. He could now call on Eirin for that, and the thought only made him harder. It was still too early; he wanted her to be willing when she came to his bed, not just intimidated. Walking over to splash water over his face and upper body, he left his hard-on, wanting it as a reminder of the things to come. 

After he had dressed, he peeked in her room to see if she was still there. He had given no instructions that she was allowed to leave, so he was excited that he might begin to seduce her. He frowned upon seeing her absence. Maybe she went to eat; he would go and see if the cook had saved him anything to for a late breakfast, then search her out.

Maria was in the dining room as he appeared, and promptly brought him over some tea and pastries. "Where is Eirin? She wasn't in her room this morning."

"Oh, she's around, she's taken to exploring the grounds since you left, and spends much of her day around the lake or in the garden." Maria grinned at the lord for his eagerness in finding the young girl.

"Exploring the grounds? Good lord woman, what if she tried to run away? Do you know how much I paid for her?" Lord Hawthorn's voice was rising, and he set his tea down with such a force, much of it sloshed over the side of the cup.

"Now, she's not going to do anything of the sort, you settle yourself down right now. She can not be locked in that dingy room twenty-four hours a day, I took it upon myself to show her around and give her leave of her room. In addition to that, I will thank you not to ever mention cost to me again. For me to tell you how ashamed I am of you for your actions would be impossible, and I refuse to be reminded of it. If you were smart, you wouldn't bring it up with the girl either. She is not property, she is a sweet, innocent girl, and what you are doing is despicable!" With that Maria huffed from the room and let the door slam behind her.

Lord Hawthorn stared after her bemused. This was none of her business. If she were any other maid in the house, he would take her to task for speaking to him like that, in addition he would probably fire her. But, it was impossible, he loved her dearly, and she was the only person left in the house from his childhood. He could never turn her out. He finished his breakfast while revamping his plans. He would seek her out on the grounds, that was more neutral ground anyway, and he would be able to have a conversation with her without her being afraid of him.

Lord Hawthorn went to the stables and had a horse readied for him, as he was waiting, he asked the stable boy where Eirin usually went in her wanderings, and he told him to try the lake towards the back of the property. That would be perfect, they could take a walk, and he would be able to get her to open up. As he reached the lake, he could see her, except she wasn't alone. There were children around her, they all seemed to be enjoying a game of some sort; Lord Hawthorn felt his heart lift when he saw that Eirin was laughing at something one of the children had said. She was getting used to being at home here. That was a good start. He could hear her giving directions and even thought he heard a laugh, though he couldn't be sure. He rode up behind her, being careful to ride at a slow pace. Suddenly one of the children saw him, and they all started running towards him. He was notorious for keeping candies and sweets in his saddlebags for when he ran into any of them, and they all wanted a piece. 

The children were clambering around him, all talking at the same time, some introducing him to the new woman who had come to make up games for them, and tell them stories. Some wanted to show him important things like the rock they found in the garden, or the new tooth they had lost. One little girl got knocked over while trying to show him her new dress and started crying when she got a mudstain on it. He reached down and picked the girl up, setting her on the saddle in front of him. He quickly took out his handkerchief and started wiping at the stain, only seeming to spread it even more. He finally gave up and just told the girl what a pretty picture she made; in addition to promising he would see that the stain got removed properly.

Lord Hawthorn finally lifted his head to look at Eirin. Her face looked crestfallen, and her shoulders were slumped. It hurt him to see the disappointment in her eyes and he wished he had a way of making her smile. One of the boys started pulling on his leg, and trying to get him to turn his horse towards Eirin, "Look m'lord, we have a new friend, her name is Eirin, isn't she beautiful?" Eirin turned her head away from the group and blushed.

"Yes, Jason, she is the prettiest thing I've seen today, with the exception of little Lisa in her new dress of course," Lord Hawthorn amended looking down at the beaming girl. "Now children, it is nearing lunch time, and you all have lessons this afternoon. Go get washed up, so your mamas aren't worried about you", with that he set Lisa back on the ground and the children dashed off towards the castle.

Eirin looked up at Lord Hawthorn. On the one hand she was shocked at the children's reaction to him. She had never expected that. On the other hand, there could only be one possible reason for him to be here. She couldn't describe how let down she was. She had so hoped to have her day free to become acclimated to his return. However, the children found her immediately when she had come out here, and she hadn't the heart to turn them away.

Lord Hawthorn looked down at Eirin; he could read her thoughts through her eyes. She was disappointed. She didn't want to see him or more closely, she wanted him to go away. He wasn't going to do that, though. He was the one in charge, and she would have to learn to follow him.

He reached down to Eirin, "Give me your hand and you can sit in front of me." Eirin started forward and reached her hand up for him to lift her. She was amazed at how effortlessly he was able to bring her up onto the horse. He set her sideways on the horse and started out around the lake. They wandered around the lake at a walk while he pointed out interesting sights to her.

Eirin let his words wash over her while she willed herself not to cry. She was trying to figure out his angle; surely there was a reason for this detour. As far as she knew she was only here for one thing, and he'd already done that to her, so there shouldn't be any question about that. Anyway, there was no way she would ever deny him again, of that she was certain. 

Eirin was broken out of her thoughts by the brush of Lord Hawthorn's arm on her breast. Immediately she felt her nipple harden, and her stomach tighten. She looked down to see if he had done it on purpose, but he was only fiddling with the reins and seemed unaware of his actions. She felt an odd moisture beginning in her pantalets and squirmed on the horse to relieve the pressure she could feel. Suddenly, Lord Hawthorn's arms tightened around her and she tensed.

"Relax, if you keep squirming around, you'll fall off the horse", Lord Hawthorn was pleased to see her reaction to him. He could tell that she was still far from comfortable with her feelings, but she was warming up to him. He loved the way her nipples poked through the thin fabric of the maid's uniform she wore, and felt it was more than reward enough for the punishment he suffered by arousing her without letting her know. In addition, the sweet torture he went through when she wiggled on his lap was exquisite. However, he knew that if she kept it up, he would spend here, and that would defeat all his hard work.

Deciding it would be better to put a little distance between them, he slipped off the horse behind her, thinking now was as good a time as any eat the lunch he'd had prepared before he left the castle. As he reached up to lift her off the horse, he saw her eyes were filled with tears and her lips were pressed closely together. He closed his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face. Sighing he reached back up and lifted her to the ground, then stepped back from her. 

"I wish you would speak to me, but I'm not going to force you; besides that I can read every thought as it flits through your head. It's right there in your eyes. Let me begin by telling you that I have no intention of taking you here by the lake. When I'm ready to lie with you, I will tell you, I won't just spring it on you. But, more importantly, for the first time that we lie together properly, we will be in my bed, where I can do the job thoroughly. I only thought to stop and eat lunch". 

Eirin at least had the grace to look embarrassed. Lord Hawthorn handed her the blanket and she spread it out while he retrieved the rest of the supplies from his saddle bags. They ate in silence then Lord Hawthorn lay back on the blanket and Eirin leaned against a tree, both enjoying the breeze. Finally, it was late and they gathered all their supplies. 

While Eirin didn't say anything during the afternoon, she also didn't flinch when Lord Hawthorn took her by the waist and lifted her back onto the horse. While they were going back to the castle, she even leaned against him and closed her eyes to rest, listening to his breathing and heartbeat. At the front gate of the castle, Lord Hawthorn slowed his horse, and spoke.

"Eirin, I promised you that I would tell you when I wanted to have sex with you again, so that you could be prepared," at this he felt her stiffen up once again. Holding onto his patience, he continued, "I will expect to have sex with you tonight. When we get into the castle, I will order cold meats and cheeses sent to the room. I would like us to have a bath as well."

"I know you are not looking forward to it, but you really will enjoy it more if you were able to relax." With that, Lord Hawthorn quickly led the horse to the stable and dismounted. He called for water to be sent to his room and requested food be brought up as well. 

Eirin knew she had to be bright red. Everyone would know what they were doing, he was practically announcing it. Relax? Let's see him withstand that kind of pain and relax. He wouldn't be bloody likely to. Look now, I'm even thinking like a whore. I've never cursed in my life, look what he's turning me into. Lord Hawthorn watched the emotions play across her face, but gave up trying to convince her. It would do no good, he would just have to show her when the time came.

Once they were in Lord Hawthorn's chambers and the water and food had been brought in, he started undressing. Eirin just stood their quietly, trying to look at him and failing. Once again she couldn't help but think how beautiful he was. His shoulders were so wide she doubted she would be able to reach around him. But not his hips, oh no, those she could reach around. His stomach was rippled, and she could see all of the muscles. His calves had a liberal dusting of hair, but his thighs were just lightly dusted. She couldn't help but see his manhood in its nest of curls. Even just hanging limply it looked imposing. 

Eirin was completely lost. On the one hand, he was gorgeous, and he'd been so nice all day. He'd never been inappropriate with her, even in a look. On the other hand, he'd hurt her. How could he enter her body again without hurting her? Was it even possible? As Lord Hawthorn settled into the tub, she brought over a rag and the soap. She dipped the soap into the water, and started lathering it up.

"What are you doing? I don't need a wash maid. What I want is company. Would you please undress and join me?"

Eirin blanched, but dropped the soap and stood up. She undressed as quickly as she could, and splashed water over the side of the tub in her haste to be covered. She sat facing away from him, but he pulled her back, so she was resting against his chest. "Ah, Eirin, my little innocent. You have no idea that your fumbling and covering makes you twice as alluring as if you were to parade around in front of me naked, do you?" Eirin shook her head.

He gently turned her until she was facing him. "We have some major obstacles to overcome, you and I. I've decided that the first obstacle to overcome should be your fear. I know you fear me, and that saddens me. But, you fear what you do not know, and in time you will come to know me, and hopefully, find that your fears are for naught." 

"You fear my body, because it is bigger and stronger than yours. So, I have a proposal to make. I will set my hands here, on the edge of the tub, and you can explore me at your leisure. You will see that while we have different parts, you and I, we aren't actually all that different. I will tell you that I am highly aroused, but I will do my best to keep myself under control. I will ask you to stop if I feel my control slipping. Ok?"

Eirin nodded her head, and watched him put his hands on the side of the tub. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to just look at him? Does a lady looking at a man make him so aroused he loses control? What would he think if she looked at him from the other side of the tub? Then she would have a chance to escape, in case he didn't warn her.

Lord Hawthorn chuckled at her, but his eyes were anything but happy. They were dark again, but she had a feeling it wasn't from anger. "Go ahead, I won't bite. This time. You can touch me, no place you touch me will be wrong, Eirin. I meant what I said; I want you to be able to be as familiar with me as I will to be with you".

Eirin was surprised he wanted her to touch him. She reached out tentatively and ran her thumb across his eyebrows and down the side of his cheek. He turned his head and placed a kiss in her palm, which made her suck in her breath. She then reached out with her other hand as well, and used both to knead his shoulders. They were so firm. She took his left arm in both of hers and ran her fingers down it, marveling in how slender his hands were. She even lifted his arm to see the hair under it. Hair she had been taught to remove when she was younger. 

After she finished with his arms, she moved on to his chest. His hair was springy, and course, like the hair she had 'down there'. But it was also soft and she found she enjoyed running her hands over it. Her fingers found his nipples, and she ran her nails over them. They sprang to attention, just like hers did. She had the sudden, irrepressible urge to lick one of them, and started to lean forward before she caught herself and jolted back. 

"It's alright, Eirin, I told you that no place you touched me could be wrong. Well, no way you touch me can be wrong either. Have a taste, see what they are like"

Leaning forward in between his drawn up knees, she reached out with the tip of her tongue, and gave him the smallest of licks. He was salty, and spicy. She liked it. She moved her fingers down to his stomach, tracing the ridges, and watching it jump with the movement of her fingers. When she got to his belly-button, she saw that he was an outy, and smiled, while pushing on it.

Lord Hawthorn smiled as well, happy to see that she was comfortable and letting her guard down. 

Directly below his belly-button she saw the curls begin at the top of his manhood and melt into the water below. She looked up questioningly into his eyes. "Go ahead, it's alright". She reached out, and ran her fingers through the hair, brushing against his pulsating hard-on. She felt the tip of it at the back of her hand and drew back, but didn't look up again at Lord Hawthorn.

He waited, holding his breath to see what she would do next. If she refused him, he would rape her again, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back, he just knew it. He was praying she would continue.

The tip had been so soft, almost like a cotton ball. It certainly hadn't felt soft inside of her, that much she knew for sure. She reached out with just a finger, and placed it on the head of his cock. It was spongy. When she wrapped the rest of her hand around him, Lord Hawthorn jerked, uncontrollably, and she recoiled as if a snake had bit her. She looked up with fear in her eyes, assuming she had hurt him, and not wanting to be punished.

Lord Hawthorn was at the end of his endurance, seeing her tiny hand wrap around him was too much for him, he tried to control the jerk, but his muscles acted involuntarily. "It's ok, Eirin, I swear. I am sorry for jerking; I'm just very sensitive there. But you did not hurt me, at all. You can continue, if you would like".

She watched him for a moment, trying to figure out if he was serious or not. When he reclined against the edge of the tub again, and rested his hands on the side, she decided that she would continue. She really was very curious about him, and she might never have this chance again. Who knew how he would take her in the future, and she sure wouldn't ever have a husband, so she might as well take advantage of the opportunity as it's presented.

She once again reached out and wrapped her fingers around him. While the tip was spongy, the rest certainly was not. It was hard and slightly ridged. She could see the veins sticking out of it down his length, and ran her fingertips over it. Once she had reached the base, she felt his sac. Curious, she reached down into the water, and cupped it. Feeling the spheres move around within her hands. She saw a drop of something leak out of the tip of his penis, and looked up at him enquiringly.

"That is called pre-cum, it makes me slick so I can enter you more easily." She cocked her head at him, looking down at the penis in her hand, and up to his face. Lord Hawthorn laughed, but it was a harsh, ragged sound. "Go ahead, you can taste it. Everyone woman is different. Some women love it, some hate it. You'll never know which woman you are until you try it."

She bent over touched her tongue to the very tip of his penis, trying to get a taste. Watching Eirin had become too much for him, and Lord Hawthorn sat up and pulled his knees up to his chest. At that Eirin curled at the other end of the tub. Lord Hawthorn was bent over his knees breathing harshly, and she could swear, cursing. Finally, he looked back up at her, and smiled at her wryly, "Ok, that was the end of my control" he chuckled at her. "I'm sorry, I should have had you stop sooner, but you were giving me such pleasure, I didn't want you to stop".




Eirin Ch. 03



Eirin furrowed her brows at him, trying to understand what he was talking about. He slid forward, and took her hand. He gently placed it back on his penis, and started thrusting down with it. She looked down at their hands, his large and dark, hers small and copper, wrapped around him. His head kept peeking out, and she could see even more fluid leaking from it. She was curious, and wanted to do it by herself, so she shook off his hand, and continued on her own. She could feel it throbbing against her hand, almost like it had a life of its own.

She reached down and very gently tickled his sac, swirling her fingers around his balls. Lord Hawthorn once again put his hand over hers to cease her pumping, and she looked at him again. "I am going to climax, do you know what that means?" She shook her head 'no' at him, and waited for him to explain. "Do you remember when we were you in your bed, while I was checking your injuries?" She nodded her head. "Do you remember what I did to you, and how it made you feel?" She blushed, but nodded again. "I am going to feel that, but when I do, it's more noticeable. I don't want you to be scared, but my seed will fly through the air. Will you be able to handle that without being frightened?" 

Her hand started pumping again under his and she looked from his face back to his penis without answering. He helped her with the rhythm by speeding up her thrusts, and squeezing harder. His hips started lifting to meet her hands, and his own hand floated away while his head fell to edge of the tub. In just moments, his hips were going crazy while white, pearlescent fluid started shooting through the air. The first stream landed on her own chest, while the second fell to his stomach. The third fell on her hand, and after that it just seemed to seep out of him in tiny spurts. She continued pumping until he took her hand away, telling her that he was too sensitive for her to continue.

He looked at her, covered in his come, eyes as big as saucers and laughed. She blushed and tried to shrink away from him, but he pulled her to him and tucked her head under his chin. "Thank you, you made me feel wonderful. I'm very proud of you. Now, let's get you cleaned up, before this water gives you a cold", and with that, he set about scrubbing all evidence of his spending from her body.

When he had washed both of them clean, he had her get out of the tub and dried her off. Swishing the towel around his own body, he quickly joined her on the bed. She lay with her hands clasped over her stomach, like she didn't know what to do with them. He brushed her hair back from her face, looking over every inch of it. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, moving around to her ear. He swirled his tongue around the shell of her ear, feeling her tremble, then took the lobe in his mouth and gently sucked. She inhaled sharply. He continued down the side of her neck, feeling goose-bumps rise up all over her body. He licked and gently bit at the edge of her collarbone. Finally, he lifted up on his knees and looked down at her. 

Her eyes were wide and scared but her breathing was shallow, and she was watching every move he made. "I love to look at your body, you are exquisite," he reached down, and gently cupped her breast. She unconsciously arched her back to fit more firmly in his hand. He leaned down, and laid his head on her stomach, so he was looking toward her face. He then blew on her nipple until it pebbled up. 

Eirin lifted her hand but then lay it back on the bed beside her, not knowing what she was supposed to do. He rubbed the side of his head against her stomach, so that his hair tickled her and felt her stomach jump underneath him. Lord Hawthorn reached up and rubbed the tip of his fingers over her nipple, feeling how hard it was. He scooted his head farther over on her stomach and repeated the process on her other nipple. When both nipples were hard as they could be, he lifted up his head and enveloped one within his mouth. He suckled hard from her nipple and pulled back, seeing how red it had become from the extra blood centered in it. He gave her other nipple the same treatment, then took them both in his hands and twisted them, while pinching gently.

He looked up at her face, she was still looking at him, except now her eyes were slitted and her pupils looked as if they were not focusing. She was breathing through her mouth now, and every now and then, the let out a small whimper. He licked the skin in between her breasts, feeling her ribs beneath. Then, kissing his way down to her stomach, he fit his tongue into her navel, and swirled it around. Eirin's hands were clenching and unclenching on the bed, and moving up as if to take his head. Continuing to kiss his way down her stomach, he reached the thatch of hair above her slit. 

He blew gently on her hair, watching it wave back and forth. Finally, he rearranged himself so that he lay between her spread legs. Looking up at her, he asked her, "Do you want to watch?" She gave a sort of moan and looked down at him. He sat up again and lifted her until she was reclining against the headboard with pillows behind her head, so she could see what he did. He went back to his original position, and just looked at her. 

She was beautiful…her lips were shiny with her dew, and already slightly parted. He could see just the tip of her clit peeking out from her slit. Finally, using only his tongue, he slid into her center and licked her from bottom to top. She squeezed his shoulders with her thighs, and he waited a second for her to relax. He then took one of her lips in his mouth, and sucked on it, flicking the edge back and forth with his tongue. She tasted exactly how he thought she would taste, tangy, with just the slightest hint of salt. 

He used his thumbs to part her lips more and positioned his mouth over her hole, avoiding stimulating her clit. He brushed his tongue in and out of her hole. Lapping the walls of her tunnel and drinking up all the juice she had to give. With a final lap, he moved up to her clit. It was engorged, and sticking completely up by now. She had given up trying to keep her hands off of him, or else had stopped realizing it, and was running her nails through his hair. 

He started off by alternating flicking just the tip of his tongue over her clit and blowing on it. Then he took lazy strokes over her button with the flat of his tongue, pushing it around as he went. Finally, when he could tell that she wouldn't be able to hold out any longer he took the entire bud in his mouth and gave a hard suck. She pushed herself down on his mouth, and squeezed his shoulders again with her thighs. She was humping his mouth, and he was trying to keep up with the flow of liquid that was pouring from her. Finally, he gave her some soothing strokes, to help her calm down, and she fell back to the bed breathing hard.

He leaned back on his knees and looked up at her, waiting for her to regain her breath and look at him. She was still whimpering a bit, and trying to rub her thighs together, but eventually, she opened her eyes and looked at him. "Are you ready now?"

Eirin looked up at Lord Hawthorn. He had just given her the greatest pleasure she had ever known in her life. Her heart was still racing, and she could feel sweat drying on her skin. She nodded at him. If he would give her this pleasure each time he gave her pain, she would take the trade off without being too stubborn. She held still as Lord Hawthorn repositioned her on the bed. He drew her further down it, until she was lying flat then stuffed a pillow under her bottom. He was hard, like he'd been in the tub, and once again she came to the realization that he would never fit. She was not looking forward to the pain, but she did her best to keep her face from showing her fear.

Lord Hawthorn came over her and rested on his elbows above her. She could feel his manhood bouncing lightly on her stomach. He told her to lift her legs around his waist and reached between them to guide himself into her. He entered her slowly, and Eirin could feel the stretching. He stopped about halfway in to let her adjust to his size. Eirin could feel him in her but she knew he wasn't all the way in because she couldn't feel his stomach on hers. The sensations were overwhelming, she did not feel the burning pain of last time, but on the other hand he was going more slowly. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, so she lay quietly while Lord Hawthorn was poised above her.

Lord Hawthorn could see that she was not entirely relaxed and he could feel her pulsing around him. It was taking every inch of his control to not slam into her. However, she was still very small and even though he would not have to contend with her virginity again, should he be too forceful he might tear her once more. 

He reached his head forward and took a nipple in his mouth letting his tongue play with the little pebble. He then allowed his lips to wander up her chest to her throat, where he kissed and nipped at the hollow spot in the center. He finally felt Eirin start to squirm under him so he pulled back to look into her face. Her eyes were closed, but she had reached up to hold onto his forearms

Feeling as if she were ready, Lord Hawthorn let himself sink the rest of the way into her. He could feel her squeezing his shaft, almost caressing it. He merely rocked within her, feeling her smooth body the length of his own. 

She had her hands wrapped around his fore arms, and couldn't help squeezing him, knowing she must be leaving marks. Finally, she felt him bottom out in her, and she let out a sigh. She was squirming under him, feeling the friction on both her nipples and clit. He pulled all the way back out, and she could feel him leave an empty place inside of her. When he suddenly thrust himself back in, she wrapped her legs all the way around him and held on tight. She could see his face, his eyes focused on her own face, dark with concentration, and beads of sweat starting to form on his brow. The next time he pulled out, she looked down, and could see where they were attached, it made her even wetter to see him inside of her, and she pulled him down again. Lord Hawthorn started thrusting into her faster, using shorter strokes. She could feel her body once again reaching for that euphoria she had felt before, but it was out of reach, and she didn't know how to grasp it like this. 

Suddenly, Lord Hawthorn pulled back from her. He sat back on his knees, pulling her ankles closer around his hips. One hand was on her waist, helping her keep the rhythm, and the other snaked to between their bodies. He started pinching her clit, and each time he did, she could feel herself tightening inside, until she burst like a balloon. She was lifting up to meet his every thrust, and moaning out loud. She felt Lord Hawthorn take her hips in both hands, and felt him smash into her; the next thing she felt was him stretching her even more than before. He thrust three or four more times until he fell to the side of her, both hands still on her hips, but his now soft penis slipping from her. She could feel his seed slipping from her, and it cooled on her skin in his absence. 

After resting to catch his breath for a few minutes, Lord Hawthorn lifted himself back up, and kissed her forehead. "Did that cause you any pain?" She looked up at him dreamily, and shook her head, not yet trusting her voice. He drew her in and gave her a half-hug while he draped his body over hers. After a few minutes he sat up, and started arranging the covers. "You had better get back to your bed, it's late, and you know how Maria is in the mornings."

Eirin only looked at him for a moment. She was shocked. After what they had just experienced together? After the tenderness and patience he had just shown her? He sent her back to her own room? The whore's room? She was such a fool, such a trusting, naive, ignorant fool. She got up quickly, and retrieved her dress from the floor. She donned it without checking to make sure it was on correctly, keeping her back to him so he would not see the tears that were now pouring from her eyes. She turned for her own room but at her door, she turned and looked at him once more, he was staring at her confused.

"It would have been better if you had raped me again."



Eirin Ch. 04



Eirin was still awake. She had been awake all night. She was consumed with her conflicting emotions. She was angry at his treatment of her, confused by her own response to him, and guilty because she had given in so easily. She knew what he wanted, she was nothing to him; he was only nice to her to keep her from fighting him again. Lord knows he didn't want to wait another week to have her again. There was no reason she should have participated as much as she did, she should have just let him have his way with her, but she couldn't prevent her body's reaction.

He had a power over her, she had to stop that. She had seen other women who were friendly with the men in the castle, she would find one who she thought would be nice to her, and not put her down. Maybe they would explain some of her feelings and help her figure out how to become more comfortable with her position. But, first, she had to find Maria. There was no way she was going to stay in this castle day in and day out just waiting for when Lord Hawthorn was ready for her to come to his bed again. She would go crazy; surely there was something she could do, preferably outside. With that she snuck out of her room before the lord of the castle could wake up.

Several hours later, Eirin was on her knees in the garden, helping old Joe pull up weeds. He had been happy to take her on and let her help. She reveled in the feel of the sun on her back, and had her sleeves rolled up above her elbows. Melissa had always criticized her for letting her skin become golden, but she didn't care, she couldn't stand to be covered up and out of the sight of the sun. An even better benefit to helping out Joe was the fact that they were tucked into a far corner of the garden where they were less likely to be disturbed. She was still shy around the other members of the castle, and was sure everyone was thinking of her as a whore. She had decided during the night that she would hold her head up high for all to see, but she was finding it easier said than done.

At noon Eirin rolled her sleeves down and checked to make sure that her dress was neat again. This morning when she had met with Maria she had asked for a more concealing dress. Maria had been against it, but finally had given her a larger dress that came up to under her chin. It fell all the way to her feet, and even in the heat she wore heavy woolen stockings under her skirts. It was time for her to go in and find the maid she had decided to speak to about Lord Hawthorn. 

Later that afternoon Eirin left the servants' quarters blushing up to her hair. Jane, the servant she had chosen to speak to, had been so kind, and hadn't forced Eirin to be specific in her questions. That hadn't stopped her from being specific with her answers, though. Some of the things she said men would expect of her were just short of horrifying. The things they would expect her to do with her mouth, and even her bottom. Men wouldn't really expect those sorts of things would they? Silly, Jane was very forthright; you should feel blessed that you were able to get the information you wanted without having to go to lots of people. No sense anyone else knowing what an ignorant ninny you are. Jane was very compassionate, just accept what is expected of you.

In the evening Eirin once again ate in the kitchen. It was becoming difficult, Lori was mean to her, she would make snide remarks, and try to trip her as she walked past. This evening had been even worse, because Lori had dumped salt in her food, and it was inedible. Last week she had bumped her while she was walking to the table, forcing Eirin to drop her food. Of course, last night she hadn't had any dinner at all. Mostly, she had been living on fruit filched from the kitchen when the cook wasn't looking. So far the cook had always been nice to her, but she knew how possessive cooks could be about the food and supplies they were in charge of.

After dinner, Eirin steeled herself to go back up to Lord Hawthorn's room, wondering if she would be able to actually go through with the things Jane had told her would be expected of her. She was intercepted, however, by Lord Hawthorn himself as he was leaving the dining room.

"Ah, Eirin, I was hoping I would see you again, I was wondering if you would care to join me in the library?" Eirin couldn't imagine why he thought he wouldn't see her again; she was, afterall, his. But she followed him to the library. She wasn't sure what he could want in the library, but was grateful for the chance to postpone another evening in his bed. 

As they entered the library, Lord Hawthorn went to the decanter and poured himself a glass of brandy. He offered her some, but she declined politely. "I was wondering if you played chess? I don't have anyone to play with, and have missed playing for a while."

Eirin looked at him like he was crazy, but quickly composed her face, and assured him she knew how to play and would be delighted to engage him a game. Lord Hawthorn led her over to the table, and they each took a side, setting their own pieces back to their correct positions. 

There was little conversation as they each concentrated on their game. Lord Hawthorn was surprised at her skill. He knew few women who could play, and even fewer who played well. He was beginning to think that she would beat him, and somehow, instead of making him mad, it made him even more drawn to her. She was a mystery, and he was determined to figure her out.

"You play well, Eirin. You've got me on the run here. Do you play chess often?" He figured he'd get more information from her if he was a bit more circumspect about it. He had been fighting his feelings all day. To begin with, he'd been unusually disappointed that she had already left her room by the time he'd awoken. On the other hand, he never let his libido rule him, and knew he had to get a grip on himself. He'd reasserted his oath to keep thinking of her as just a servant, someone for him to use while he wanted her.

He was trying to think of how to bring up her final comment last night. It had kept him up much of the night, trying to understand why she would prefer to be abused than to be given pleasure. He knew she had enjoyed herself in his bed, but she had looked completely let down when she went to her room and he could swear he saw tears in her eyes as she had turned from him.

"I used to play often with my father, but I haven't played for quite some time now. I've always enjoyed playing chess and get caught up in the strategy of the game. My father was a good player, and I worked hard to beat him." Thinking of her father made Eirin sad, but she kept her face composed not wishing him to see the hurt and loneliness her father's passing still caused her.

"I'm surprised you stopped playing with him, there is every chance that had the two of you continued playing, maybe you could have remained closer, and you wouldn't be in this situation now. I've always wondered what comes over girls when they become young ladies that they have nothing more in their head than finding the richest bachelor they can land."

Eirin looked shocked and hurt as she started to sputter, "My father…"

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up; I didn't mean to upset you. I am trying to find a way that the two of us can get along without you shying away from me every time I'm in the same room with you, or running from me when you know I'm coming. I would prefer if you enjoyed lying with me, and even looked forward to it."

Eirin took a swallow, and held her tongue. She remembered now, that when her guardian had dropped her off, he had called her his daughter. It finally dawned on her what had dropped her here with this lord. She shook her head and let it go. She wouldn't share the truth of her situation with this lord. She was already here, and her life was already ruined. She had already accepted her position, she had another six years to go, and then she would have her inheritance and could disappear. She would make it, if she kept repeating that to herself, maybe she could make it so.

She looked back up to Lord Hawthorn to see him staring at her expectantly, and remembered his final phrase. "Lord Hawthorn, you have nothing to worry about. I have accepted my position and role here; you need not feel like you have to put me at ease. I promise you I will never challenge you again. I doubt I will ever seek you out, but I will always come willingly when you ask for me."

Eirin started to stand, but Lord Hawthorn motioned for her to keep her seat. He nodded his head and told her he understood how she felt, and that was all he would ask of her for the time being. He continued, "I did not mean for us to leave now, I am enjoying the game, and would like to finish. What other activities do you enjoy?"

Eirin was to the point that she wished they had skipped the game. She was frustrated that he saw her as a money hungry whore who couldn't even get along with her father, yet he tried to make conversation with her, like he cared what she did or thought. She didn't care to get to know him anymore than she already did. Furthermore, she couldn't see where her interests were any business of his; she wouldn't be sharing them with him. She would do no more than what he specifically asked of her. 

Eirin sighed and fought to keep her hands from clenching her lap, "I am good with a stitch, I enjoy gardening, and riding. I can't play any musical instruments or draw, but I enjoy reading quite often." Eirin wrinkled her nose when she mentioned playing musical instruments and drawing, but otherwise her face was blank. Lord Hawthorn chuckled and assured her that he wouldn't require her to play anything for him. Eirin's lips thinned and she turned back to the game, considering her move.

Lord Hawthorn saw the look and couldn't figure out what had happened to upset her this time. He dismissed it and let silence fall once again as he turned back to the game to watch the move she made. Most girls he knew who were preparing for their seasons were trained in the art of conversation, but she almost seemed more comfortable letting the quiet reign, and he wished she was more of a chatterbox.

Eirin worked to keep her face from showing her anger at him. If each time he engaged her in conversation he reminded her that she was his property, she saw no reason to talk with him. She had learned the art of conversation when her father started letting her attend his dinner parties, so she could have kept talking with him, however she decided that to do so would make him think she wanted to speak with him. She did not like him and saw no reason to pretend she did. 

This was not her father's dinner party; she was practically a prisoner here. She worked during the day because to do otherwise would drive her crazy. She had come in here because he ordered her to. She would do her duties, but she would never allow him to gain her trust in any way.

The game went on and in the end with just a few pieces left on the board for either of them, Eirin admitted defeat. They sat in silence as Lord Hawthorn observed Eirin. She finally stood up, and asked him if he was ready to retire to his room. He looked at her surprised about her offer.

"I told you my lord, I have accepted my position here, and will no longer try to avoid you. I am not looking forward to it, but I will never shirk my duty again. I see no reason to put off the inevitable."

Lord Hawthorn motioned for her to sit down again and leaned back in his chair, "Eirin, why did you tell me last night that it would have been better if I had raped you?"

He had expected Eirin to look down, embarrassed or shy, or something, but she looked him in the eye, "Given my position in your household, I would prefer not to become emotionally involved with you. I've never been anyone's property, and I'm not sure what my behavior is supposed to be yet, but I would be more comfortable if we just had sex, without trying to make it into a connection between us. I have no need to be pleasured while you satisfy yourself on my body." 

She had no intention of letting him know how humiliated she had been when he had kicked her out of his bed. She intended to protect her own feelings as much as possible for the duration of her stay here, and decided she wasn't sorry for letting him know. He might as well know where she stood from the beginning.

Lord Hawthorn had no idea what to say. Of all the reasons she could have mentioned that was not what he expected. He had never heard any woman, including a mistress say that she only wanted a quick fuck and good-bye, but that was basically what this girl had just said. He couldn't let it be like that, he wasn't sure why he felt so adamant about it, but there was no way he was going to just use this girl without letting her find her own pleasure. Yes, he wanted boundaries, and he was glad she could see the need for that, but he was never one to let a lady leave him unsatisfied.

"Thank you for being honest with me. I'm not going to pretend I agree with everything you said, but I respect you for telling me. Now, I agree to setting limits between us, however, it will be I who sets those limits. I was unaware of your virginity when I took you the first time, and I understand that I hurt you. However, it does not have to be that way between a man and a woman. In time you will learn to see that." Lord Hawthorn stopped speaking. He couldn't help how much he wanted her to enjoy being with him. He found himself wishing he could wipe the blank look off her face. He would even take anger if it meant she felt anything. 

He just simply didn't know what to say, though. His feelings for her were so confused and she was making it very difficult for him with her silence and empty stares.

As Lord Hawthorn stopped speaking, he looked at Eirin as if expecting a reply; she however, just continued staring at him. I will feel nothing for you. You have already taken my body and my freedom; however my will and my emotions are mine alone. What joy will you bring me? Physical pleasure followed by heartbreak is not joy. Every time you speak you remind me again that I am your property to do with as you please. I may not be able to control my body's physical response to you, but I will try. I will make it, I will make it, I will make it….She kept repeating the words to hoping she would start believing them.

Eirin was also tired of hearing about how he didn't know she was a virgin, like that made it ok to treat her how he had. He had controlled her through pain and threats. She wished she knew what it was he wanted from her, but she just couldn't fathom it. If she knew, she would give it to him in an instant so that he would leave her alone. 

 

Eirin allowed none of her thoughts or feelings to show on her face. After the lord had told her he could read her thoughts in her eyes, she had taken great pains to hide her emotions from him. She knew didn't have it down completely yet, but she would keep working on it. She didn't wish for him or anyone else to be able to read her thoughts.

After waiting for Eirin to respond, and seeing that she wasn't going to, Lord Hawthorn sighed and stood up, indicating that he was ready to retire for the night. Eirin stood up, and followed him to his room. Eirin disappeared into her own room, and returned momentarily carrying her nightgown. Lord Hawthorn looked at her naked body and could feel his loins tighten. She was gorgeous, and he couldn't seem to stop himself from moving forward. 

He moved in to kiss her, but she turned her head at the last moment, forcing him to kiss her in front of her ear. She then lowered her head and started unbuttoning his shirt. He raised his hands and massaged her back; he could feel her hands shaking as they moved down his front. When she reached his waist, she pulled the shirt out of his pants and pushed it off his shoulders. As she dropped to her knees to undo his pants, her stomach jumped into her throat. She was trying so hard to be business like about this. All the advice Jane had given her was running through her mind but she was terribly nervous. To make matters worse her body was remembering how he had made her feel the night before even though her brain kept telling her to forget it.

Eirin fumbled with the laces on his pants, finally getting them undone enough to lower them to his knees. She felt Lord Hawthorn's hand on her shoulder as he steadied himself to step out of the legs. Once she had him completely undressed she just stared at the floor. Everything she had learned that afternoon had fled from her mind and she hadn't a clue as to what she was supposed to do next.

Lord Hawthorn reached down and lifted Eirin's face to meet his gaze. He could see the fear, confusion, nervousness and apprehension all over her face. At that moment he felt such compassion for her. She was new to the ways of men and women, but she was still trying to please him.

Before Lord Hawthorn could read anymore on her face she jerked her head from his grasp and clumsily reached up to take his rod in her hand. She knew she was showing too much in her eyes, she could read his for her in his eyes; she knew she had to learn to control her emotions better. She tried to pleasure him with her hand, but he sucked in a breath and jerked back from her.

Looking up at him with a frightened look, Eirin saw him take himself in his own hand. Her eyes started to tear up at the thought that she had once again hurt him. Lord Hawthorn came and knelt before her so they were at eye level. "Eirin, you need not be nervous, I have told you before that I will not hurt you again. I want us to enjoy each other. I will teach you how to pleasure me while at the same time bringing pleasure to you."

Eirin tried to shake her head but he was already standing up and pulling her to her feet at the same time. He led her to the bed and tried to lay her upon it, but instead she pushed upon his chest to get him to sit. She knelt in between his knees and looked up at him. "You will have to tell me what you want, I don't know exactly how to do this."

Lord Hawthorn reached down caressing her cheek. "Just do what comes naturally, as you did yesterday. I do not think you are capable of disappointing me."

Eirin looked back down again, refusing to meet his eyes. His mention of last night only reinforced her own resolve to not allow herself to be physically pleasured by him. Taking a deep breath and trying to remember all that Jane had taught her that afternoon, Eirin reached to take him into her hand. 

She gently massaged him as he had taught her the night before. As she let her hands roam over him she felt him lay his own hands on her head and heard him ask her to put her mouth on him. Jane had been very specific in her instructions of how to pleasure a man with her mouth.

Eirin leaned in and enveloped the head of his penis with her mouth, trying to keep her teeth from his skin as she had been taught. She slid down his length, but came up sputtering she felt him at the back of her throat. Lord Hawthorn reached down to lift her face again, but she refused to look at him this time and brushed his hands away.

Lord Hawthorn once again to get her to lift her face but again she refused and he finally gave up. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry he had asked and she need'nt try again, however, she had already taken just the tip of him into her mouth again. She didn't try to take him in very far this time, and he could still feel her teeth every now and then, but she was not hurting him and he was so pleased with her efforts that he did not try to correct her. In time he would teach her to take more of him, for now he was satisfied. 

Once Lord Hawthorn felt himself close to climaxing, he reached down to take Eirin into his arms. Once again she tried to pull from him, but this time he wouldn't let her. Pulling her off her knees, he made her lay on the bed on her back. He started running his hands down her body, but looked up surprised when he felt Eirin brush them aside.




Eirin Ch. 04



"I want to pleasure you."

"You are pleasuring me, by allowing me to pleasure you."

Eirin couldn't stand it. She could not keep her objectivity to him when he made her feel like this. She sat up and scooted away from him while pulling her knees up to her chest. "I told you this evening that I do not want to be pleasured. That is not why you bought me and it is not necessary. Please do not, I do want to like you but you make me confused when you make me feel like that."

Lord Hawthorn just stared at her. She had tears in her eyes and she was still pulling her knees in closer as if she could make herself disappear. "And I told you that I would help you learn the ways of joy between a man and a woman."

"I don't want to have joy; I want to remain separate from you."

Lord Hawthorn reclined against the headboard of the bed. He was shocked at her behavior. He wanted her more than he could describe but it would be empty to him if he could bring her to pleasure. He remembered how she looked as she came and wanted to see that look on her face again. He wanted to feel her contract around him and arch her body towards his.

Lord Hawthorn looked at the stubborn expression on Eirin's face and knew he would not win this argument with words. Instead he motioned for her to come to him. Eirin slowly unfolded herself and crawled across the bed to his side. She knelt there with her hands at her side, unsure of how to continue.

He reached out to hold her around the waist and felt her tense up. "Eirin, there are things you do not understand. I will not lie to you. I want you to enjoy our coupling. As a matter of fact, I intend to see that you do." At this point Eirin started to shake her head again, her eyes had gone wide and she was trying to lean back from him, but he kept holding onto her.

"I am not finished. Calm down. Yes, I will see to it that you reach your climax tonight; however, it is more than that. If you are not prepared to couple with me, then you run the risk of being injured as you were the day in my office. Give me your hand." Lord Hawthorn's eyes were dark and she couldn't tell if he was angry or not. Regardless, she had given her word that she would never disobey him, and therefore lifted her hand to his without complaint.

Lord Hawthorn ordered her to spread her knees and led her hand to her most private parts. Using his first finger on her own middle finger, he guided her to run her fingers over her slit. "Tell me what you feel?"

"I don't understand the question."

"Do you feel any moisture?" Lord Hawthorn was trying to contain his temper, but she had already disappointed him repeatedly tonight with her words, and he was not famous for his gentle temper to begin with.

Eirin merely shook her head. Lord Hawthorn worked hard to keep his voice steady and reasonable. "With stimulation, your body will release moisture to help you take me inside of you. Please do not tense up."

Lord Hawthorn abandoned her hand and used his own fingers to stimulate her. Before long he could feel her holding her body stiffly in order to not squirm against him, and her juices started flowing freely from her body.

Lord Hawthorn once again took her finger in his hand and ran it through he slit. "Do you feel it now?" Eirin only nodded as Lord Hawthorn raised her finger to his mouth and sucked on it.

Lord Hawthorn removed his arm from around Eirin's waist and she made to lay on her back again. He stopped her and had her lay on her stomach, placing two pillows under her hips. He knew that Eirin did not yet have control over her body's reactions, and he intended to show her that he did. 

He regretted that he would not be able to watch her come tonight, but he hoped it would only be a one time lesson and that in the future she would be more willing to receive pleasure from him. He had never been a selfish lover; as a matter of fact he had little respect for men who were. Just because their situation was not a normal one did not mean that he would change his ways for her. His satisfaction was always greater when he brought a woman to climax with him.

Lord Hawthorn ran his hands down Eirin's back. She was tense again, and he didn't blame her. She did not know what was going to happen. He didn't want her scared, so he attempted to put her fears to rest. 

"Eirin, there are many different positions in which men and women can make love. I intend to teach them all to you. Just because a position is knew, or you are unfamiliar with what we are doing is no reason for you to become frightened. I have told you numerous times that I will not hurt you again. However, you can bring pain yourself if you refuse to relax. Eirin's stiff limbs and body still did not relax and Lord Hawthorn felt himself becoming irritated with her. 

I have done nothing but try to help her learn the ways between a man and a woman. Yes, I hurt her, yes, I am sorry. I have told her that over and over. I never apologize to people, but this girl, whose father stole from me, has forced me to apologize repeatedly.

I have been gentle and caring. I have been encouraging and patient. I have asked her to do nothing else but trust me at night in this bed. 

Even with his harsh thoughts Lord Hawthorn's hands were gentle upon her body. He kissed his way down her back, running his hands along her side. As he reached her bottom, he kneeled behind her, spreading her thighs with his knees. He ran his hands across her buttocks and down her thighs, bringing them back up her inner thighs and running his thumbs up her slit. 

He felt Eirin jerk and he leaned down to place a kiss on her right cheek. He wished he could make love to her with his mouth, but he knew that tonight was not the night for that. Someday, he would have Eirin begging for his mouth on her. But she was not ready yet.

He reached his hand back down and slid his fingers through her slit. He slid his thumb into her hole while his middle two fingers brushed her button. She was very wet now, and her breathing had become ragged.

Eirin lay across the pillows. Jane had told her about this, but she had had no idea he would expect it of her so soon. She had her head buried in her arms on the bed, trying to relax. If he had hurt her the first time, there was no telling what would happen when he went into her teeny tiny bottom. She was trying to breathe through her nose so she didn't accidentally scream when he entered her. She did not want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had hurt her.

Eirin jerked when he kissed her bottom. With each motion of his fingers upon her, her stomach would lift and then drop. She was trying to keep up with her own emotions and expectations as well as the feelings he was inspiring within her.

Finally she felt him slide smoothly into her. Her relief almost made her cry. She had been so afraid he would try to take her bottom and she knew he would never have fit there. Just as she began to relax knowing that he would not try to enter her bottom, she was slammed with the reality of how wonderful he felt within her.

She was trying to control her feelings, but he felt perfect. She felt herself stretching around his girth and wishing he would begin to thrust. Her mind was quickly becoming fuzzy and all she wanted now was to feel the same sensation she had previously with him. Her need was overpowering and she knew he could bring her relief. 

Suddenly she knew he was the only one who could bring her the relief she needed, deep within her she knew that no other man would ever fill her this way, or feel this perfect.

"Can you feel me inside you Eirin?"

"Yes," Eirin's voice was muffled from her arms.

"Tell me how it feels," Lord Hawthorn's voice had taken on an almost strangled quality, and he fought to hold himself within her, just rocking.

"It feels…"

"Tell me!"

"It feels like you are a part of me. I can feel you in every fiber of my being. My skin is on fire and you are filling me completely. More than I ever knew a person could be filled." 

Lord Hawthorn withdrew from Eirin, and slowly slid himself back in. He did this several times, feeling Eirin's frustrations grow as he went. "What is wrong Eirin? Does it not still feel good?"

Eirin groaned, and tried to slam back on him, but he kept hold of her hips, and controlled his thrusts. "Just tell me what you want and I'll do it for you."

Eirin kept her head muffled in her arms, "Please!" she begged. 

"Do you want to come, Eirin?" Lord Hawthorn sped up his thrusts, but now they were shallow, so Eirin still could not find the relief she needed. "All you have to do is tell me, and I'll give you what you want, do you want to come?"

Eirin started crying, she was so frustrated, she did want to come. She needed to come, but he wouldn't give it to her unless she begged for it. He was a monster, she should have realized that long ago. Finally, she could not stand it anymore, "Please, let me come, please, please."

Eirin continued her chanting of 'please', until Lord Hawthorn finally reached around and started stimulating her clit.

"Eirin, earlier tonight you told me that you did not want to come when we were together. You said you did not want a personal connection to me. What you do not understand is that what we are doing is personal and we will always have a connection. In this position I have all the control, and should you wish it, I can withhold your pleasure. But that is not what you want, is it? You do not want to be simply the body I find my release on." 

By now Lord Hawthorns voice had become rough and almost hoarse from the exertion of holding back his own climax, but he continued speaking. "Eirin, I do not want you to fight me anymore. The next time I bring you to completion, I want to be able to see your face. I want to watch as your eyes go glassy and your mouth opens in a silent scream of ecstasy."

While he had been speaking, Lord Hawthorn had sped up his thrusts until his hips would be heard smacking against Eirin's ass. He pinched her clit, and felt her entire body tense up as her back arched and her own hips tried to slam back to meet his thrusts. Her bucking forced her knees out from under her, and she fell to the bed on her stomach. Lord Hawthorn followed her, still buried within her, feeling his own release sweep over him hard enough to leave him light-headed.

Once Eirin had regained her breath, she twisted under Lord Hawthorn. He lifted himself to lie next to her with one hand thrown over her waist. Eirin got shakily back to her knees, and made her way to the edge of the bed. She reached down and retrieved her nightgown, donning it quickly.

She got up and without looking back at Lord Hawthorn, headed towards her own room. "Where are you going?"

"It's late, and you know how Maria is in the morning."

She didn't wait for him to dismiss her or tell her to come back, instead she ran to her room. She was so glad she had remembered to bring up a fresh pitcher of water before dinner. It would be cool now, but she would be able to clean herself with it. And she would also need to remove the sponge that Jane had given her and shown her how to use; she had slipped it in when she went to take off her dress. She was glad Lord Hawthorn had not noticed, he had told Phillip that he would not acknowledge any child she had, so she wasn't sure he cared, but none-the-less, she would prefer he not find out.

Eirin fell onto her bed crying. He was a monster; he enjoyed her humiliation and pain. She wasn't sure she was strong enough to make it here. Finally, she fell into an exhausted sleep, tear marks still on her cheeks.

Lord Hawthorn listened to Eirin crying in her room. He no longer knew what to do. He had tried to explain to her that without her own completion his was meaningless. He had wanted her to see that he could bring her great joy, but instead she was acting like he had raped her again. He had wanted her to stay with him a little longer, was unprepared for her to run from him again. 

He felt his chest tighten as he remembered how she shook as she had put her nightgown on and run from his room. He sighed listening to her cry through the walls and decided that she had won. He would not force anything more from her. He knew he could not let her stop coming to his bed, but he would no longer try to make her see things his way. He couldn't take the heart-wrenching sobs. Lord Hawthorn got up, put on his robe and made his way down to his study, so he could drink until he no longer heard Eirin crying. 

It was the dream again, she was being chased by a shadow. It had long arms, and it was going to reach her any second now. This time she was in the corridor and she could see doors lining either side, but they were all closed and she was afraid of losing time by trying to open them. She kept running, hoping to find a way out. At the end of the hallway was a staircase. She tried to fight for an extra burst of energy from her tired body, but her lungs felt like they were going to explode, and she was having trouble keeping her balance. She felt herself fall down the stairs, and tried not to scream out, so the shadow behind her wouldn't hear that she had fallen.

Eirin woke up twisted in her sheets on the floor next to her cot. She looked around, feeling her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her arms. She was both trying to calm down, and listening for any sounds from Lord Hawthorn's room. All she heard was silence, and finally she felt herself calm. She couldn't stay here in the dark. 

Eirin quietly got up and dressed, then made her way down the stairs and to the library. It had been two months since the episode where she had told him she did not want a personal connection with him, and he had made her beg for release. 

Each night Lord Hawthorn took her to the edge, he no longer made her beg for her release, but she did it anyway. She found the greatest pleasure of her life in his arms, and the worst guilt of her life in her own bed afterward.

She had almost stopped eating after having breakfast one day and spending the entire day completely sick. She was sure Lori had put something in her food, but was unable to prove it. She couldn't even find the strength to accuse her. 

Eirin knew she looked bad, but she avoided all mirrors and hadn't seen her reflection in almost two months. She didn't think it mattered anyway, she had hated what she had seen the last time she had looked in a mirror. She had an ugly scar across her forehead and her eyes had been haunted. She felt better not knowing what she looked like. She had never been vain but since coming here she had begun to wish she were ugly, or even better, invisible.

She sat huddled in a chair, too tired to make a fire, and grateful that it was getting later in the spring so that the nights weren't as cold as they had been. She had a book open in her lap but she wasn't able to concentrate on it. Her nightmares had gotten progressively worse; more than once she had woken Lord Hawthorn with her crying until she had learned to sleep lightly. Tonight was the first night she had gotten caught up in one in over a month. 

Eirin heard a noise outside the door, and looked up. Lord Hawthorn stood in the doorway holding up a candelabra, "What are you doing up at this hour, Eirin?"

Eirin sighed quietly, stood up and curtsied. "Lord Hawthorn, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, I am used to getting up early, if you would like to sit in here, I would be happy to go to one of the parlors until the house wakes, and I attend to my duties."

"No, that's not what I meant, I just thought it was odd for you to be sitting here in the in the middle of the night. Is something wrong?" Lord Hawthorn moved farther into the room and pulled her to sit back on the couch next to him. He set the candelabra on the table and turned towards her.

Eirin shook her head no and made to get up again. "I thought you told me you wouldn't run from me anymore?" Eirin pulled her eyebrows together as if she wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"When we played chess you told me you had accepted your position here, and would no longer run from me, or avoid me." Lord Hawthorn reached out to take her hand. He had noticed her thinning frame and the circles below her eyes. 

She never denied him, and was very enthusiastic in bed with him. On the other hand, they hadn't played chess or even spent an evening together since that night, and should he think of her during the day, she was no where to be found. Each evening she was waiting in his room when he arrived there, and missing the rest of the time. As soon as he indicated he'd had enough sex, she immediately got out of bed and headed back to her own room, with hardly a good-night.

His feelings for her had grown progressively deeper as time had gone on. Maria kept him up to date on her activities during the day, but spoke little of her attitude. He had watched her with the other people around the household. He saw that she was fairly removed from most of the people, but was always polite and accommodating. It was a completely different attitude with the children. She practically glowed when around them. 

If only he could break through this barrier she had put around herself. She seemed to have it with everyone in the castle except for Maria and the children. He wanted more than anything to know more about her but everytime he tried to approach her about anything other than retiring to their room she was evasive and closed. His concern for her well-being had been growing for the past month and he was feeling increasingly frustrated over his inability to connect with her.

He had heard her in her room this morning. He heard a thump, and was about to get up when he heard her get up and dress. Then she had snuck out of her room. He'd continued lying in bed for a while, but when she never came back, he had decided to go look for her and see what it was she was doing in the mornings when she left so early.

When at first he hadn't found her, he had thought she had gone to meet someone else. He had been livid, thinking that the reason she was so removed from him was because she had found another lover, until he'd seen the light from the library. When he'd come in, it had been to find her in here, by herself, staring into space, looking……sad. 

He hadn't had a proper conversation with her since the night they had played chess, and while he didn't want to run her off, he also didn't want her to avoid his questions. He decided that the only way to get any answers from her was to just ask the questions. He had been sticking to his earlier promise of no longer forcing anything from her that she did not want to give freely. However, watching her sit in here staring off into space, he decided he could not longer remain silent.

"Eirin, are you sick?"

Eirin tried to pull her hand from his, but he refused to let go. She gave up and just looked at him, "No, my lord, I am perfectly healthy, thank you for inquiring".

"Something is wrong, either you are sick, or you are intentionally hurting yourself. I intend to find out which; avoiding my questions or being uncooperative will not help you. I do not intend to let you out of this room without some answers."

"My lord, I assure you, I am not avoiding your questions, nor am I being uncooperative. I promise you I am not sick, furthermore, I promise you I am not intentionally hurting myself." Eirin was beginning to become angry; as long as she was able to service him, she could not see that her health was any of his business. 

"Eirin, I can see that you have lost at least five kilograms. You can hide your condition from the rest of the household, but not from me. Therefore, you are either sick, causing you to lose the weight, or you are just simply not eating. I want to know which one it is. You do not sleep, and when you do you have nightmares, you have circles under your eyes, your hair lank, even after you bathe, and it's falling out, I can see it in my bed after you leave. You are not pregnant, for you have already had your courses this month, so that is not the reason for your condition. What is?"




Eirin Ch. 04



"My lord, I hardly see that my health is a concern of yours, and I would appreciate you not bringing up my courses. I have not asked for a healer, and do not skip out on my duties. Do you have cause for complaint concerning my performance in your bed?"

Lord Hawthorn contained his sigh. When she had first arrived he would have been able to read what was going on in her head, but he had been in the dark for too long. He no more knew what she was thinking or feeling than he knew what the cat in the barn was thinking or feeling. He could feel his patience stretching thin. Before he could form a reply to her, Eirin had stood up and started for the door. "Where are you going?"

"My lord, I apologize if my physical appearance is not to your liking anymore. I will do my best to rectify the situation for you. It is now time to begin breakfast, and I have agreed to help in the kitchen. Have a pleasant day; I will see you this evening." With that, Eirin was out the door, leaving Lord Hawthorn staring after her. She just told me off. Me? If she would not give him the information, he would get it from somewhere else.

As Maria was serving his breakfast, he asked her to sit with him for a moment, and dismissed the remaining servants. "Maria, I am worried about Eirin, she has become too thin, and she looks sick."

"Yes, my lord, I know."

"That's all? Why is she so thin? Why are there circles under her eyes? What does she do all day that keeps her from the castle?" Lord Hawthorn was losing his patience with how vague the answers were. He almost expected it of Eirin, but Maria's loyalty had always been to him above all others.

"My lord, can you not see what you are doing to that poor girl?"

"Me? What in the world are you talking about? I see her for barely two hours a night!"

"Not you personally, the situation you've put her in. Many of the servants do not like her, they are mean to her, steal her food, trip her in public, hide items that belong to her. Do you know I think someone put something into her food to make her sick? I've offered to intervene for her, she is such a dear, after all, but she has refused. I think it's her pride, that she can't stand having to ask for help. You've put her in an untenable situation, and I've waited long enough to speak my mind. You have treated her beyond contempt; I am not surprised she is suffering for it. I never thought I would be ashamed of you, but I find I am, and I hate feeling this way!" Having worked herself into a tizzy, and ashamed of letting her mouth run away from her, she stood up abruptly and made her way to the door. 

When Maria reached the door, Lord Hawthorn called her attention back to him, "Please tell Eirin that dinner is at six o'clock this evening, and I will expect her to join me." Maria nodded her head, looking slightly more pleased and left the dining room.

At dinner that evening, Eirin arrived at exactly six o'clock, her hair once again put up in a severe bun, as it had been since she started working within the castle, and she was wearing another high necked, long sleeved dress.

"Good evening Eirin, I am so happy you could join me. Please have a seat, the first course should arrive any moment now." Lord Hawthorn was trying to be light with Eirin, he was unhappy with how their conversation had gone this morning, shocked at the animosity she seemed to feel for him. His conversation with Maria had been even more disconcerting, he'd had no idea that Eirin was having such a difficult time fitting in here. He knew she worked with old Joe in the garden, and he'd heard more than one stable hand mention how she was the one to send shirts to when they were torn. He had just assumed that everyone had accepted her.

"Thank you Lord Hawthorn, for inviting me to dine with you, though, I can not imagine why you would have." Eirin was still being stiff, but he hoped to break down the walls she had erected around herself.

"I enjoy your company, and wished to have more of it. This seemed an ideal time to be able to sit and chat. After dinner, I was hoping you would join me for another game of chess, I so enjoyed it." Lord Hawthorn gave Eirin a wide innocent smile, and she narrowed her eyes at him, obviously wondering what he was up to.

When the soup arrived, Lori set the first bowl in front of Lord Hawthorn, then went to put the other bowl in front of Eirin. Eirin eyed her soup, but didn't pick up her spoon. "Oh, Lori, I believe I will take the bowl of soup that you put in front of Eirin, if you don't mind, and she can have mine."

Lori stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. Finally, she gave a small curtsy and switched the bowls, but her hands now had a slight tremble to them. Lori hastily retreated from the room, while Lord Hawthorn lifted a spoonful of the soup to his lips. He blew gently on the soup before tipping the contents of the spoon into his mouth. He started swallowing, but choked on it and started coughing. His face turned red, and he was hitting his chest. 

Eirin ran to him, and started beating on his back. He tried to ward off her hand with one of his hands while reaching out for his glass with the other. He took a drink of wine then took a tentative breath, testing his ability to take in air. After clearing his throat several times, he said he would need to speak to the cook about her liberal use of pepper. His voice was rough from coughing, and his eyes were watering.

Eirin couldn't help herself, she knew she shouldn't, but she started laughing. She threw back her head and laughed from her belly. It felt so good, she couldn't remember the last time she had really laughed; definitely not since she had arrived in this house and probably not since long before that. Finally she looked up and saw the lord staring at her. She sobered quickly, embarrassed of having forgotten herself. She went to sit back down and picked up her spoon automatically. She finished the rest of the meal in silence without looking again at Lord Hawthorn. He had had the most peculiar expression on his face when she was laughing, and she couldn't seem to get it out of her mind.

They were playing chess, but Lord Hawthorn's mind was not on the game. He had been so shocked to hear her laugh at dinner; he realized she had not laughed in the entire time she had been in his house. She had a beautiful laugh. It was deeper than he expected, and very full. He hated the high trilly laughs that the current debutants were trying to imitate. They seemed to grate on his nerves.

He looked up when he noticed that Eirin had not only moved, but had check-mated him. He stood up and reached for her. He wished that they had talked more during the dinner and game afterward, but his mind had been elsewhere. He decided that they would spend each evening together.

As they reached Lord Hawthorn's room, Eirin started towards her own to undress and prepare for her night with Lord Hawthorn. However, she was stopped when he took hold of her arm and turned her back towards himself. He reached out and pulled her in for a hug. She was confused at his actions; he always allowed her to prepare in her own room and meet him in his bed.

She started undressing him, beginning at his shirt, but was stopped by his hands over hers. "I am in no hurry Eirin." With that Lord Hawthorn led her to a chair by the fire, and sat down on it, pulling her sideways onto his lap. He took the pins from her hair, letting it fall free around her shoulders. Her hair was beautiful, even with how much she was losing, it was thick. He ran his fingers through her hair, starting at her scalp, and going all the way to the ends, brushing his fingers over her breasts as he went. 

When Lord Hawthorn was satisfied that her hair was tangle free, and flowing over the both of them, he turned towards her dress. Once again, she was wearing a high-necked dress, the buttons done all the way up. Her sleeves were pulled down, covering her to her wrists, and he knew that under the skirts she was wearing ankle-high boots with heavy woolen stockings. He couldn't figure out how she could be so covered up when the afternoons were so warm. Most of the servants dressed lighter as the months got warmer, but Eirin seemed to find more clothing to put on each day.

Lord Hawthorn slowly unbuttoned the neck of the dress; he was looking in her eyes as he went, and could see them start to glaze over with lust. He loved that look, and knew he would never get tired of it. She once again reached for him, but he put her arms back at her side and told her to leave them there. He continued unbuttoning her dress, but now his eyes followed his progress. He pulled the sides of her dress back from her chest seeing the nicely rounded mounds of her breasts through the thin cloth of her chemise. 

Shortly after she started having sex with him, he had ordered her to stop wearing a corset. He didn't like to think of her binding all her luscious curves under hard bone. She didn't need it anyway, even with the loss of mass in her breasts from weight loss, she was still a good handful, and they sat high on her chest, invitingly. Her hips barely flared out from her waist and tapered to her legs that while they were short, were a perfect compliment for the rest of her. Lord Hawthorn leaned forward and took her nipple in his mouth, feeling it pebble up beneath her chemise. She reached up and held his head to her, but didn't try to rush him again.

He stayed at her chest, worshipping her breasts with his tongue and teeth for a long time. He wished he could stay like this forever, lost in her scent and feel, but he was hard and aching, and she was twisting on his lap, torturing his already suffering cock. He stood her up and finished undressing her, kissing and licking various parts that he uncovered. He roamed his hands over her smooth flesh, feeling goose-bumps rise as his fingers passed. He then stood up himself to undress, but was stopped by Eirin's small hands on his fingers.

Eirin gently moved his hands down to his sides and started undressing him herself. Not as she had before, with quick, hurried movements, but as if she was unwrapping a present she had been waiting for for a long time, and she wanted to draw out the moment. As she unbuttoned his shirt she leaned in to him, he expected to feel her tongue or teeth on his skin, but then realized she was just smelling him. He brought his hand up and caressed the back of her head.

"I love the smell of you. You smell spicy and masculine." Her words were barely a whisper and Lord Hawthorn was momentarily surprised to hear her speak before he realized that she normally only spoke when he made her. At those times she spoke loud and her voice was almost guttural, like she was trying to hold her words in. Now her voice was lyrical and mesmerizing.

She continued to take his shirt off, and walked around him, letting her hands wander across his back, making him shiver at the contact. Once she reached his front, she merely put her arms around him and leaned her head against his lower chest. He could feel her breath on his chest, and was overcome with emotions as he wrapped his own arms around her and held her against him. 

The stood that way for several more minutes until Eirin pulled back to undo his pants, she looked down as she worked, and Lord Hawthorn could see her fingers trembling as they tried to release him.

Lord Hawthorn used a finger to raise her chin so he could meet her eyes. He was shocked by what he saw there. Her eyes held such emotion, there was lust there to be sure, but he thought he also detected fear, and something he couldn't figure out. He pulled her to him again and lifted her into his arms to carry her over to the bed. Once he had laid her down, he slipped his pants off and slid in next to her.

Instead of immediately coming over her, as Eirin expected, he lay next to her and ran his hands over her skin. She felt this was different somehow, more like he was calming her, instead of trying to enflame her. She turned toward him, and lifted her hands to his chest, feeling his muscles bunch as his arms moved. She kissed his chest and tried to move lower, but he held her were she was, and continued caressing her skin, running his hands down her back and across her buttocks. 

Finally, he lifted one of her legs over his hip, and smoothed his hand over her thigh dipping his fingers in between her legs to feel the wetness that was gathering. He slipped his fingers through her folds, but again Eirin felt it was a calming motion, rather than one intended to drive her crazy with passion. She could feel herself slipping away, everything was new. She was so used to how forceful he was, bringing her to the brink of release and then pulling her back until she was sobbing and begging for him to let her come.

Eirin started moving her hips, feeling his fingers slide into her from behind and his cock rub against her clit in front. Feeling her movements, Lord Hawthorn gently slipped himself into her, keeping them on their sides facing each other, with her leg over his hip. He didn't have as much control in this position but their movements were softer, less hurried and more intimate. He also felt closer to her, feeling her breath fan against his neck as he supported her body with both of his arms. 

He heard Eirin's gasps and felt her shiver as she had a small orgasm. She sunk deeper into his arms, completely relying on him to hold their position. Lord Hawthorn had never felt the trust from another person that he felt from Eirin at that moment. He wrapped his arms around her buttocks, and turned onto his back, holding himself within her. Eirin remained lying across his body, and he pulled her knees up to almost his chest, raising his own knees for support. 

Holding onto Eirin he gently rocked her body on top of his own. He didn't actually pull out or push in, just rocked them, feeling her entire body brush against his chest and stomach. Before long, Eirin raised herself up on her arms and looked down at him. He smiled at the confusion in her eyes, and rested his hands on her hips. He helped her raise and lower herself until she got the hang of it then moved his hands up to cover her breasts.

"You have all the control here, it is you who will decide the speed and depth at which I will enter you." Lord Hawthorn's voice was barely a whisper as he spoke. He watched as Eirin's eyes widened with knowledge that he was telling the truth. He could feel her testing how much control she had. She shifted forward and back, and even in tiny circles. She then lifted herself off of him shimmied back down on him. He moved his hands back to her hips to steady her, but did not put any pressure on her. He didn't want her to feel like he was trying to take control. The next time Eirin lifted off him, he helped her come back down with more control. 

Eirin's rhythm was quickly fading, and he could see that she was about to come again. He pulled her upper body down to him so he could take her nipple into his mouth, while still helping her control her thrusts. As he helped Eirin rock on him, he felt her tense up and she gyrated upon his crotch. "That's it sweetness, come for me. You are beautiful when you come." Lord Hawthorn spoke tenderly to her as she started to slump over him, he then took hold of her hips once more, and with a single thrust started emptying himself into her depths.

Once he had finished, he held her over him, and ran his hands down the length of her back. He could hear Eirin's breathing starting to return to normal, and she tried to break out of his hold. As Eirin lifted herself off of him, Lord Hawthorn pulled her back down so they were once again lying on their sides facing each other. The candle had gone out so he couldn't see her face, but he could still hear her breathing, and he felt her tense up. 

"I want you to stay with me tonight. I would like to hold you and feel you close to me, please?" As he was speaking, Lord Hawthorn drew her head against his shoulder, then her leg over his waist. Her skin was so soft he felt he could slide his fingers over it forever, and never tire of feeling it.

"All right, I'll stay, if that is what you wish," Eirin's voice was soft, almost tentative. She rested against him, feeling his hands smooth over her, while she let her arm drape across his chest to rest her hand over his heart. Tonight was different. She felt as though he had given of himself, instead of taken from her. In the past, even when he forced pleasure on her, it was like he was taking the pleasure from her. However, tonight, he'd given up control and in doing so, had seemed to give more of himself.

Eirin fell asleep feeling his heartbeat against her hand and hearing his breathing through his chest. She awoke in the night lying across him again, and feeling his hands as they massaged the cheeks of her buttocks. She could feel his erection already deep within her. He squeezed her cheeks and thrust gently within her causing her to inhale sharply at the sensations.

Lord Hawthorn could tell that Eirin he finally woken up. He had woken up himself quite a while ago to find her draped across his body, hugging him with both her arms and legs. He couldn't stop his erection once it had begun, and though he didn't want to wake her, he couldn't help himself from exploring her in her sleep. 

He had run his hands across her back, and down her ass. He loved her ass, and knew he wanted to take her there someday. He'd never taken a woman in the ass, but he was fascinated with hers, and the thought of sinking his length into her made him almost come without any stimulation at all. Instead he let himself sink into her while she slept, trying not to startle her too much.

Once she was awake, he held onto her while flipping them over so that he was on top. Her body was loose, as if she wasn't fully awake yet, but she was still squeezing his cock with her inner muscles making him moan out loud. Lord Hawthorn used long slow strokes, trying to keep Eirin in her half-awake, half-asleep state. He raised her legs over the crook of his arm, and lowered his head to lap at her nipple. 

Eirin was whimpering and he lifted his head and gave her a kiss on the mouth. He kissed her slowly and thoroughly, running his tongue along the seam of her lips until she opened them. He then let his tongue slide along her teeth until it reached her own. He drew her tongue into his own mouth, and caressed it, sucking and licking. Eirin was holding him tightly now around the neck, and he knew they were both close. He put his head into the hollow of her neck, trying to hold on until she came, when she suddenly bit his shoulder. The pressure of her inside walls massaging his cock, and her teeth in his shoulder sent him over the edge, and he continued thrusting into her until he had emptied himself. 

Lord Hawthorn fell to his side next to Eirin and turned her so that she was on her side facing him. He tucked her head under his chin, and wrapped his arms around her to hold her close, feeling her entwining her legs with his. He fell asleep listening to Eirin's breathing.

Across town Melissa was in her lover's townhouse throwing everything she could get her hands on. She was furious. She had told him tonight that she was pregnant and they would have to get married. That was when he had told her that he knew she was sleeping with several bachelors and there was no way he would marry her. He didn't know if the baby was his, and there was no way he would marry a woman who imagined she could cuckhold him. He had left her there and told her not to steal anything on her way out.

Melissa was beyond enraged. She had picked this man on purpose; she knew the child was not his, she was too far along for it to be his. However, the man whose child she was carrying was married, so she knew he would not help her. She had believed that Lord Bantam would be easy to manipulate into marriage. He wasn't the richest lord in London, nor was he the best looking. However, he was plenty rich and had always had an easy going manner. 




Eirin Ch. 05



Eirin snuggled down closer into the warmth. She couldn't remember the last time she had woken up this warm. Was it late? Had Maria come in and left more coals to heat her room? She chanced to open her eyes and saw Lord Hawthorn on his side, his head propped up on his hand. He was staring down at her with a wide grin on his face. 

Eirin furrowed her brows trying to figure out why she was in this bed. She never slept here; she always went back to her own bed. The events of the night came rushing back to her, and she felt herself blush. They had made love last night. Not just before they went to sleep, but he even woke her up in the night. I was so different than any other time they had ever lain together.

Lord Hawthorn leaned down and kissed Eirin on the lips, she was so cute when she first woke up. He realized he'd never seen her wake up before. Before she got herself under control he watched as everything rolled across her face. He saw the confusion about where she was and then the memories of last night. 

Eirin's lips were soft and warm. He couldn't help himself but to take the kiss deeper. He rolled until he was lying over her, cupping her face in his hand and running his tongue across her teeth. He felt Eirin's tiny hands snake up around his neck and curved his arms under her shoulders to bring her closer.

Lord Hawthorn finally pulled away and looked down at her, her eyes were a bright golden, almost yellow color and her cheeks were flushed. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "Good morning. If I had known what I was missing these last couple of months, I would have asked you to stay a long time ago." 

Lord Hawthorn chuckled as he watched her blush. Dropping a kiss on her nose he rolled away from her and got out of bed. "Up. We are going out today." He headed towards the wardrobe to begin dressing.

Eirin sat up and pulled the sheet closer to herself. Looking at him, confused, she asked, "Where are we going?" She began to look around and saw her dress across the room, on the floor. She stopped wondering how to get to it without walking naked across the room when she heard him speak again.

"We are going for a ride." Eirin couldn't believe her ears; she loved to ride, but hadn't had the courage yet to ask him for the use of a horse. 

Lord Hawthorn turned in time to see Eirin's face light up with her smile and he realized what he had been missing all these months she had been here and he had held himself back from her. He was such a fool. She was the most wonderful thing to ever come into his life. He was so happy they would be able to share this time together; they needed to learn each other on a personal level. They had skipped getting to know each other, but he planned to rectify that immediately.

Eirin and Lord Hawthorn spent a wonderful day riding all over the estate and even ventured into the woods. They had a picnic by the lake again and this time they spent the entire time talking. Lord Hawthorn told Eirin of his various land holdings throughout England and explained why he preferred to stay away from London. In turn he asked Eirin countless questions about herself. She told him the types of books she liked to read and other activities she liked to do. The only sour spot in the entire day was when Lord Hawthorn had mentioned Phillip.

Lord Hawthorn had explained that while he was in London during her recovery, he had made some enquiries into who Phillip was and what he had done. He had learned that Phillip's daughter was indeed a very vain girl and that Phillip himself was no better than a gutter snipe. He tried to ask Eirin how she had managed to hold herself with such decorum and subtly find out what her childhood had been like. Unfortunately Eirin had immediately become closed mouthed and refused to speak on the topic. He tried to match the girl he had learned about with the girl who sat in front of him but he found it impossible. 

Lord Hawthorn had wished to try to question her further. He had learned so much more from London since then, such as the fact that it was widely rumored that Phillip had killed his partner and that the partner had had a daughter. Lord Hawthorn wished to find the daughter and help her. His heart had gone out to her when he found out what had happened. However, try as he might, he could not find a trace of her. As it turned out Lord Hamilton had lost his wife when his daughter had been very young and since then had sheltered her from all of London, practically becoming a hermit himself.

For Eirin the afternoon had been magical. She didn't mind talking about herself, for she had learned to live within the moment. She knew that events could turn without any notice and to plan too far ahead or to look back only caused pain. For her, her life now was as Lord Hawthorn's whore, or whatever he wished to call her, and the future would take care of itself when it came. She much preferred not to think of her father or the home she had known, it only hurt.

As they arrived back at the castle Lord Hawthorn directed her to return to her room to change and meet him in the library for drinks before dinner. As Eirin entered the library Lord Hawthorn could not suppress his moment of disappointment. Eirin had indeed gone up to wash and change, however she was still dressed in the same type of drab outfit she had worn since her arrival. He wished for once he could see her in some fine clothes with jewels at her neck and ears. He wished for just a moment that she could be his lady.

Suddenly, Lord Hawthorn had a revelation. She could be anything he wanted her to be. There was no reason she could not dress in the finest clothes in all of England. He decided then to send for a seamstress to come to the castle and outfit Eirin. He even had a few requests of the seamstress himself. There were several outfits he knew would look wonderful on her small frame, he was suddenly in an even better mood than he had been and approached Eirin with a glass of sherry and a smile.

Eirin was more subdued at dinner than she had been during the day. Lord Hawthorn had originally thought it was because she was worried about being served by the maid, Lori, again, however that could not be the case. As another maid entered to serve their first course Eirin raised her eyebrows but did not make a comment.

Once the maid had taken leave of them Lord Hawthorn informed Eirin that he had arranged a marriage for Lori with the town farrier. A man, he assured her, who would be able to keep Lori under control and out of trouble. She had already been sent home to her parents to prepare for her upcoming nuptials. Eirin smirked but otherwise made no remark.

Lord Hawthorn was curious as to this turn of her mood. He tried to enquire if something was wrong, or bothering her, however she merely said that the day had been exciting and she had become tired. He offered to skip tonight's game of chess at the end of dinner, but she declined, saying that if she never played him she would never beat him. That caused Lord Hawthorn to laugh out loud. He laughed so hard that he was forced to take a drink of wine to regain his breath. He thought he loved her wit the most.

Eirin was having a hard time remaining upbeat with Lord Hawthorn. He had been wonderful to her all day; it was not his fault his staff gossiped about her. As she had been returning to the library she had heard two maids in one of the chambers talking about the whore that had caused Lori to get fired. They had continued by questioning how a whore felt it her right to be a snob to the entire castle. 

As much as the words shocked her, what was more surprising was how much they had not hurt her feelings. She realized that she had finally, truly accepted her position here. She thought that maybe she should be upset by that, but somehow, she wasn't. What it did accomplish, though, was to remind her that she had not inserted her sponge the night before. She had vowed to not allow him to sidetrack her to the point of forgetting again. As much as she had accepted her position here, she knew she was not ready to bring a bastard into it with her.

As they played chess Eirin made a concerted effort to bring herself out of her quiet. She had noticed his strained efforts to help her be lively and fun again. She knew that was also part of her job, so she once again kept up a lively banter with him, avoiding all topics she felt would be too serious or show too much insight into her life. 

Once back in their room, with Eirin finally winning the game after brining him to tears with her witticisms, Eirin made her way to her own room to prepare for the night. Lord Hawthorn tried to repeat the previous night's performance and keep her from going; however, tonight she had her wits about her and insisted on preparing in her room and returning to him.

By the time Eirin returned to the room, Lord Hawthorn was already in the bed so Eirin made her way over and climbed onto the foot of it. She started at his feet, kissing her way across each of his toes and brushing her lips over the top of his feet to his ankles. When she reached his legs, she began massaging his calves while leaving scattered kisses all across the tops of his legs. 

As Eirin made her way up his legs, she could feel him becoming more tense due to the effort it took to hold himself still. Finally, she reached his groin and looking up into his eyes reached up to take him fully in her hand. Lord Hawthorn thrust into her hand before gaining control of himself. Eirin looked back down to see pre-come seeping from the tip and leaned forward to lick across the tip. She continued licking as she made her way down the underneath side of his manroot. As she reached the base, she placed kisses around his entire sac, every now and then letting her tongue reach out to lick him.

Coming back up to the head she then placed her entire mouth over him, slowly taking him into her mouth. She still could not get very much of him into her mouth before gagging, but using her hands as well as her mouth she proceeded to pleasure his entire cock. Three months ago, she never would have been able to envision herself even seeing a man naked. Now, she found herself enjoying bringing this man pleasure with her mouth and hands. His cock was slick with her saliva and she could taste the beginnings of his climax. 

Before she had a chance to bring him to the culmination of his pleasure he reached down and grabbing her under the arms pulled her over his body before rolling them both over and taking her lips with his own. Eirin tried to reach between them to take him into her hand again, however he stopped her by pulling her hands above her head. Eirin parted her thighs and wrapped them around his waist, trying to bring him even closer to her. 

Lord Hawthorn lowered his head to the space between her breasts. He could feel her ribs, still, and licked along each one as he made his way over to her right breast with his mouth. He licked the sensitive underside, feeling her push her chest higher to him. He loved the taste of her skin, the slightly salty mix from where she only rinsed down after their day in the sun.

He tried to slip farther down her body, but her legs were like a vice around his waist, begging him silently to stay where he was. He could feel her pressing herself more tightly to his stomach. Feel her moisture as she tried to rub against him without releasing her legs. He raised his eyes to her face and saw her eyes were closed, her lips shiny from being licked and bitten. 

He couldn't stop himself; he leaned forward and took her bottom lip between his teeth, sucking and licking it as he went. He wanted to slow down, wanted this to last forever, however his own body told him that he would not last much longer. 

He reached around and pried her legs from around his waist. He planted her feet, knees bent near her own buttocks and reached for her hand. He led her hand down to his now begging member and helped her lead him to where they both wanted him to be.

Eirin felt him take her hand and draw it down her own stomach towards his pulsing cock. Once she had her hand on him, she could not help but give it a little squeeze as she placed him at her own entrance. She felt him push forward slowly and raised her own hips to meet him her stomach muscles tightening with both the exertion as well as the feeling of him filling her. 

Eirin reached down along his back to make him move faster but he took her hands and placed them above her head. "If you will not keep them there then I will hold them. We are not in a hurry and I want to savor you. I want to always remember ever detail of this night, your smell, your taste, your feel and how you look as I enter you bit by bit."

Eirin only stared into his eyes. She was caught up in a storm of feelings and emotions. His eyes were the darkest she had ever seen them; his face was a contorted mix of control and lust. She allowed her pelvis to fall back to the bed in order to give him control of their love making. No. Not love making. This was sex. She had been caught up in the emotions of the night last night, but the fact of the matter was, she had never and would never make love to a man.

Lord Hawthorn felt the change in Eirin and stopped. He pulled out and reached down to cup her face in his hands, "What is wrong? Have I hurt you?"

Eirin held her eyes closed, knowing she would be unable to hide her thoughts from him and unwilling to explain them to him. "No, please don't stop, please."

"Open your eyes Eirin; I want to see you as I fill you as much as you fill me."

Instead Eirin reached up and drew his face down for a kiss. A kiss like she had never initiated before. She felt him hold himself apart from her before he relented and kissed her back. She held his head as she moved her lips to his ear and in a whisper begged him to continue. She felt him shiver as her words washed over him.

Finally, Lord Hawthorn entered her once again. She felt him pull his upper body away from her to rest his weight upon his elbows. As she felt herself regain control of her emotions, she opened her eyes to him to see him staring at her with such concentration and emotion it made her catch her breath.

She tried to close her eyes or turn away but she was unable. She was caught within his gaze as she felt him fill her. His movements were still slow and controlled but steady now. She felt his pelvis press against her spot and a tingle shot through her causing her to gasp.

Lord Hawthorn paused in his thrusting, wanting to be even closer to her and finally withdrew completely. Hearing Eirin whimper he whispered comforting words as he moved from her and sat with his back against the headboard of the bed. He directed Eirin to straddle his lap and lowered her gently back upon his rod. 

This way, he had more control than if he was lying flat, but she still got deeper than he could manage with him on top. He held her down by her hips as he leaned forward to take her nipple into his mouth. He could feel her squirming on his lap and finally let up on her hips to allow her room to maneuver. She held onto his shoulders and she levered herself up and fell back up on him.

Lord Hawthorn reached his hands around to her backside, gripping her buttocks and kneading them as he pulled her hips forward for a better angle. Eirin felt the shockwave of the motion throughout her body and could not prevent herself from crying out. She felt herself tightening around him and reached for the pinnacle she knew she would reach at any moment. 

Her thrusts became faster and she felt Lord Hawthorn take control of the movements as she spiraled out of control. She grasped him around his neck and pressed her entire body against his chest, feeling the friction of his hair against her nipples and stomach. Eirin felt herself tense up as her back bowed and his grip upon her backside became almost painful.

Finally, she slumped down and rested her head against her shoulders, her entire body shaking with aftershocks and her lungs begging for more air. Lord Hawthorn's hands were now soothing along her back relaxing her muscles as she lost her light-headedness and felt him still strong and hard within her.

She leaned back from him and looked into his face searching his eyes. "You never come with me, I don't understand?"

"I will. But feeling you come around me is so exquisite that once can not be enough. I want you to come again. If I could hold out all night and only feel you come around me until you were practically passed out with your body no more than reacting, I would. I have never felt anything as perfect as you coming around me. I have never seen anything as beautiful as your face when it lights up with your completion. I have never tasted anything as sweet as your skin as you are reaching your peak. I have never heard anything as erotic as when you are begging me for more."

Eirin's eyebrows furrowed as she listened to him. She knew she wasn't ready to hear this. His words made her uncomfortable and she didn't want to lose sight of her purpose, which was to get through each day and night without losing her heart. To remember that she had been naïve once before and didn't want to be that way again. Eirin knew that the shame she had felt the first night they were together after her recovery was something she never wanted to feel again. 

Eirin leaned in closer and kissed him, knowing that anything else would lead to more questions. She squeezed herself around him and felt him jerk. She quickly raised and lowered herself on him, squeezing and massaging him as she went. Before long she felt him grab her hips and take control of her thrusting. He pulled her forcefully down upon himself and she felt him raise his own hips as he met her, pulling her so close she felt like he was going to bruise her. 

Eirin held Lord Hawthorn's head to her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his hair waiting for him to calm down. She could feel his seed slipping from her and his member shrinking within her. Waiting for him to come back to himself, Eirin gently started disentangling herself from him. She stopped, though when she felt his arms tighten around her.

"Please don't go. I want you to sleep with me, everynight I want you to stay with me. I want to hold you while we sleep and wake up to you in the morning."

"I'm not sure that is a good idea. I have a room, I have a place here." Eirin's voice was barely more than a whisper.

Lord Hawthorn moved Eirin back with his hands upon her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Please don't make me beg. I will if I need to, but please don't make me." The look in his eyes nearly undid Eirin.

"You don't have to beg. I will do whatever you ask of me."

"Are you staying only because I ask it of you?" His eyes were hurt and his fingers tightened before dropping from her shoulders. He moved to lift her off his lap, but at the last minute could not finish. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I hurt you. I'm so sorry I raped you. I'm so sorry." Lord Hawthorn just kept whispering the words over and over against Eirin's neck.

Finally, Eirin pulled his head back and told him she would stay; that she wanted to spend the night with him. As Lord Hawthorn began to speak again she leaned in and kissed him wrapping her arms around his ribs and pulling him close. She laid her head on his shoulder and just snuggled into him.

Lord Hawthorn held Eirin close, feeling her breath against his neck and her heartbeat against his chest. He stayed like that until he knew she had gone to sleep then scooted them both down until she was lying over him on the bed. He gently shifted Eirin until she was lying beside him curled up towards him. Then, pulling the covers over them he laid his hand over her heart and fell asleep to the even, delicate rhythm of it.




Eirin Ch. 05



When Lord Hawthorn awoke in the morning he was disappointed to discover that Eirin was already out of bed and gone. He had never awoken in the night so had no idea when she had left, however a feel of her pillow told him it was cold and had been abandoned some time ago. His heart felt heavy. She did not want to be with him. Last night she had once again tried to leave the bed after they had made love. He had felt like the night before last and yesterday everything had changed. She had been open about herself when talking to him and giving when they were making love.

Lord Hawthorn decided that he was overestimating the importance of her leaving the bed already. He knew she was an early riser. She probably hadn't wanted to disturb him. He was also excited because he had sent a messenger into town yesterday to make an appointment for a seamstress to come to the castle to start a wardrobe for Eirin. Never having been responsible for a woman's wardrobe before, he was surprised at how much he anticipated being involved. It reminded him of the times he had helped Maria when she had decided to better herself and insisted he help her. Just thinking of it made him smile again. He had sent the messenger with very specific instructions as to what kinds and colors of fabrics to bring as well as the frills that went along with them. 

The messenger had returned to say that the seamstress would be out by ten o'clock with a variety of patterns and fabrics to choose from. This made Lord Hawthorn jump up from bed in order to be ready by the time she arrived. He wanted to have Eirin in the house and ready for her without having to ruin the surprise by telling her why she was to stay close to the castle. 

Later that afternoon Eirin stood patiently while the dressmaker and her assistants measured and pinned her, Lord Hawthorn was too busy being excited to notice how quiet she was. He loved the fabrics and laces they had brought and was busy going through them, along with the drawings, picking out what would match best. He never even noticed that Eirin hadn't once looked at a single drawing or given a single suggestion.

For herself, Eirin wished more than anything that she could just leave. She didn't want fine clothes; she didn't want hats or coin purses. It was ridiculous to spend this money on her. She hadn't even liked getting new clothes when her father was alive and insisting on it. It was boring standing still while they measure and pinned, hmm'd and muttered, picked and discarded. She wanted to tell Lord Hawthorn to send them away, but he was like a child with a puppy, and she hadn't the heart.

Eirin sat down in the study with a sigh of relief. She had been standing for what felt like days and Lord Hawthorn was still arguing with the woman about wanting a different lace for one of the dresses. He had ordered well over a dozen and even had them make one to leave today with an order that the remaining dresses be delivered the next week. Eirin had been shocked at the amount of money he was spending and felt that was just additional money she would have to pay him back for. Her one saving grace, in her mind at least, was that by the time she worked off the initial amount, she would have the rest of her inheritance and could pay him back without any problem.

Eirin looked up as Lord Hawthorn entered. She was so tired and worn out, and he looked so proud and pleased with himself. She was stuck, she would love to tell him off for ordering the dresses, but she couldn't bring herself to dampen his spirits; on the other hand, she couldn't join him in his glee either. She compromised by settling an interested expression on her face while waiting for him to direct the conversation.

The last thing she had expected was for him to tell her that he was going away the next day and wouldn't be back for several days. She found herself holding her breath, hoping he would invite her to go with him. However, she then berated herself for it, reminding herself that she was not interested in where he was going, she did not want to go with him, and she welcomed the break it would give her. She was glad he was so preoccupied with his plans because she was sure it had taken her a moment to gain control of her expression.

Lord Hawthorn awoke early the next morning. He watched Eirin sleeping beside him for a while wishing he didn't have to leave her. However, he had made up his mind in the middle of all the dress ordering. He loved Eirin and he wanted to marry her. He wanted to buy her dresses all the time. He wanted to go riding with her and eat dinner with her, he wanted to take her to London and show her his other estates. Never before had he given a damn about anything he owned. However, now he saw it all with new eyes. Eyes that told him he had a future worth working for.

He had spent so much of his life hating everyone, women especially, that he had missed out on so much. Here was this wisp of a girl who had grown up with a horrible father, been sold, raped and kept. Yet she still found joy in beating him at chess. She didn't even hide it. Each time she beat him she did a little dance in her chair, he wanted to watch her do a little dance in her chair for the rest of his life.

He was on his way to London to pick out a ring and buy her a pre-wedding gift. He prayed she would accept him. He felt confident she would, afterall, what else was there for her? She would never be able to marry anyone else with a title. Even more important, she would never find anyone that loved her as much as he did. He didn't want to wake her, so he slipped quietly out of bed and got dressed. Kissing her on the side of her head he stole from the room and left the house.

As Lord Hawthorn left the room, Eirin opened her eyes. He had awoken her when he'd shifted away from her. She waited several minutes before getting out of bed, hoping he would be well on his way by the time she made it downstairs.

As Eirin entered the kitchen Maria looked at her surprised. "What are you doing in here? I was going to serve you in the dining room, and what in the world are you wearing? Lord Hawthorn didn't spend all that money buying you new dresses for you to go around in those rags. Go upstairs and change your clothes, then go to the dining room like a proper lady."

Eirin waited a few seconds after Maria stopped talking before responding. She sometimes wondered how Maria didn't faint in the middle of her speeches; for as far as Eirin could see, she didn't take a breath during them. "I will not change, I did not ask for the clothes, and I see no reason to wear them when Lord Hawthorn is not here. I have no one to impress here. He bought them so he could look at me and be impressed with what he accomplished, not because I wanted them. Furthermore, I will not eat in the dining room. I eat in there when Lord Hawthorn is here because he wishes it of me. As far as I'm concerned, I should eat here in the kitchen every day."

Maria clucked her tongue and muttered under her breath, but she went and got a plate for Eirin anyway, refusing to let her serve herself even if she did insist on eating in the kitchen. As they ate they made plans for their day. Maria wanted Eirin to stop by the school house Lord Hawthorn set up on the property to discuss some lessons with the school master. Then she said it was time for the staff to have new uniforms and she wanted Eirin to look at the styles and fabrics before she placed the order.

Eirin immediately agreed without even realizing what she was doing. Maria nodded her head as if confirming something, but then continued on as if nothing out of place had happened. After eating Eirin set about the chores Maria had laid out for her, thankful to be kept busy in Lord Hawthorn's absence.

Several days later, Eirin and Maria were sitting in the parlor drinking tea and discussing the events in the castle. Without any preamble Maria asked Eirin when she was going to tell Lord Hawthorn the truth. Eirin just looked at her, unable to fathom what she was talking about.

"I know you are not Phillip's daughter. There is no way. Phillip is a low class con man; his daughter is a scheming harridan. The day Lord Hawthorn left you took the running of this castle. Not a small undertaking. You've been trained in the art of running a castle. You've been through fittings with the best seamstresses in the country. You speak several languages, I hear you mutter and talk to yourself in them as you are working. You read philosophy, science, literature and theology. You are a Lady; there is no other way about it. When are you going to tell Lord Hawthorn?"

Eirin's face paled and she almost dropped her cup as she set it back down on the trolley. "I do not know what you are talking about. I enjoy reading, I always have. I can't help it if I like a variety of subjects. The only words I know in other languages are bad words. I was too intimidated the day of the fittings to do anything other than stand there; I have no idea how I'm supposed to behave with a seamstress. I am no Lady. You remember that. I'm nothing." Eirin was looking around wildly as if she could find some way to escape this interrogation.

Maria poured Eirin more tea and insisted she drink some, hoping to calm her down. "I will not say anything. If I was going to, I would have a long time ago. However, I still think you should. Sweetie, what is it? Are you running from someone? Did Phillip threaten you, or someone you know? You can trust me. Please tell me what is wrong?"

Eirin took a deep breath and shook her head. "No, Maria. I do not wish to speak of it. This is my life and I can not change it. Please do not push me; please let us continue how we were. If you want, I'll go back to the garden and helping Old Joe again. I swear, I would prefer that. I never meant to do any of your jobs; it wasn't fair to you. I just wasn't paying any attention. But, I realize it now, and I will go back to doing what I was before."

"You will do no such thing. You haven't taken anything away from me. I don't want to hear any of that nonsense from you again. I won't ask you again about where you came from or why you are lying to Lord Hawthorn. I promise I won't mention any of this to Lord Hawthorn, but I want you to know that I do know you are lying. I don't know why, but you are. Now calm down. I've given my word. Finish your tea and we'll go into town ourselves to pick up the rest of your wardrobe this afternoon. The fresh air will do us both some good."

That night, as Eirin lay in her bed, she couldn't stop herself from reliving her conversation with Maria over and over. There was no way Maria knew the truth. She had become so caught up in feeling useful again that she hadn't even paid attention to the fact that she was giving herself away. She was thankful Lord Hawthorn had not been here, though she doubted he would have noticed even if he had. She hoped Maria kept her word. She could never shame her father's name by letting it be known she had allowed herself to be made into a whore.

Eirin cried that night. Cried for the first time in two months. She cried all night long before she got up shortly before dawn and went out to the gardens to watch the sun come up. She missed her father and the life she had known with him. She had spent so much time ignoring her own situation and pushing the memory of her father to the back of her mind, she didn't even realize she was doing it anymore. She'd never been allowed to mourn him. Immediately after he had died Phillip and Melissa had moved into her house and fired her servants. She had spent the rest of the time keeping up with all the chores they gave her and hoping the police would find the person who had killed him.

Eirin spent the next several days avoiding Maria. She even found herself wishing Lord Hawthorn would return, because then she would have a reason to be busy. She had finally come in to finish some sewing for one of the servants who kept losing the buttons on his shirts. She had just settled herself in the front parlor when the butler arrived informing her that she had a visitor. 

Eirin was confused, she knew no one, and no one who she might have known would know she was here. She had just begun to stand up when Melissa walked into the parlor and dismissed the butler. Eirin was speechless. She sat back down hard, gripping the fabric in her hands. 

"Well? Don't you have a greeting for me?" Melissa sat herself on the loveseat facing Eirin and helped herself to a piece of cake from the tray on the table. Eirin continued to sit there without speaking, just watching her lick the icing from the cake off her fingers.

"You always were slow. Aren't you even going to ask me why I'm here? You might as well call the butler back in as well. I've been traveling for several days and I'm parched. I would like wine, though, not tea."

Since Eirin just continued to sit there, Melissa took it upon herself to pull the cord calling for the butler. Once he had taken her order and left, Eirin finally pulled herself together and sitting up straight, asked Melissa what she wanted.

Melissa waited until the butler had left before she started speaking. "It's your solicitor. The old fool refuses to give us anymore money until he can see you. It's quite annoying if you want to know the truth. But, we do need the allowance, so I need you to go into London and see him so we can continue to get an allowance."

Eirin was once again struck speechless. The audacity of this girl was beyond words. Finally, she started go become angry. This girl, whose father had sold her, who had stolen her house, and her allowance, wanted more from her? "No."

Now it was Melissa's turn to be surprised. Eirin had never denied them anything. "What do you mean, 'no'? My father deserves that money for being your guardian. That was the agreement. We take care of you, and in return we get your pittance of an allowance."

Eirin raised her eyebrow before narrowing her eyes and replying in an acerbic tone, "You are taking care of me? Your father sold me. He can not possibly be my guardian anymore, seeing as how I live here now. I do not wish to see my solicitor; I don't want anyone else to know of my situation here. You will have to make due with the amount you get for the house allowance. What happened to all the money Phillip stole in the first place?"

"It's gone, as well as the house allowance. Your solicitor will give us nothing. Not until he sees you. The old biddy doesn't trust us, and even told us so. If you won't go London, then you'll have to give me something else. You are wearing fine clothes; you can't be doing too poorly for yourself. Does he give you baubles as well? I can take some of those; they will be easy to sell. You might as well give me a few outfits as well, I have been traveling for almost a week and all my clothes are becoming worn out."

Eirin stood up, prepared to finish this visit. "I am sorry you have traveled so far for nothing, however, I have nothing to give you. You have taken from me everything you will. I have no baubles, no clothes, no jewelry, silver, nothing. You will get nothing else from me. You have wasted all your money, my money and whatever you've stolen. You should have thought about this before." 

Eirin turned toward the door to show Melissa out when she saw Lord Hawthorn standing there with a surprised look upon his face. She turned back to Melissa quickly trying to figure out how to get her out of there without letting Lord Hawthorn know anything else of her situation. She kept looking back and forth between the two when Melissa's voice brought Eirin's attention back to her.

"You are a worthless, thankless slut. Look at you. You stand there in the finery another man gave you because of your skills in his bed, and you are too good to give us any of it. I knew you would be trouble. I told Phillip he should have killed you as well. But, no, he said that that would cause too much suspicion. Your father could be mugged and no one would question, but how could both of you die? Then he waited and waited. I kept telling him that if he would just get rid of you, then we could have all the money. I should have killed you myself!"

Eirin could feel herself spinning. The room was a swirl of color around her and she couldn't tell if she was seeing the ceiling or the floor. She tried to keep herself from falling, but it was no use, she knew she was fainting and she could stop it. The last thing she heard before she knew only blackness was Lord Hawthorn calling her name.

Lord Hawthorn ran to Eirin barely seeing the girl standing next to her. He had been so excited to come back home. To see Eirin and feel her arms around him again. He had run into the house only to be told that Eirin had a visitor in the front parlor. He was surprised, because she had never mentioned telling anyone where she was, but was in too much of a hurry to think about it. He had arrived at the door just as Eirin had been refusing to give this strange girl any money. He had been about to interrupt and introduce himself when the other girl had started yelling at Eirin. 

Lord Hawthorn had listened to the girl admit that Phillip had killed Eirin's father. He was trying to take it all in, but he was having trouble assimilating all the information. Eirin's father was alive. He was a no good con man, but he was alive. Before he could think any further on the subject, he saw Eirin falling and ran to her. So consumed was he with Eirin he didn't even notice the girl as she screamed and ran from the room.



Eirin Ch. 06



 This is the final installment of Eirin. I would like to thank everyone for all the wonderful feedback I have received as well as your patience. I know it has taken a long time but I think you will find it worth the wait.

Again, thank you and enjoy.

meg

Lord Hawthorn watched Eirin as she tossed and turned in her bed. She had been having bad dreams all night. The healer had given Eirin something to help her sleep shortly after she had come out of her faint, but it hadn't helped with the nightmares. After going over the conversation he had heard in the library and having a long talk with Maria, he had put together most of the events. Now the only question that needed answering was 'Who was she?' She wasn't Phillip's daughter of that he was certain. Even before he had forced Maria to tell him of her suspicions he had come to that conclusion.

His heart clenched as he listened to Eirin once again call out for her father. She had been alternately crying out for him and weeping all night. He crawled into bed with her, fully clothed, and held her, soothing his hands up and down her hair and back. She finally wept before falling into a deeper sleep, whimpering occasionally. He held her all night, unable to fall asleep and wishing he could do more to help her.

****

Melissa rushed into the house intent on finding her father. He was in the study, already deep, in his cups. "Lissy, me darlin', I do believe we are going to have to move on. Damn shame it is, sure is a damn shame." He finished by emptying his drink in a single swallow and stumbling over to the bar for a refill, still mumbling about how much he had enjoyed this house and was going to miss the allowance.

Melissa looked at him, cursing him silently for being drunk when she needed him. She had stolen a horse from Lord Hawthorn and stopped only long enough to steal another on her ride back from his estate. She had made it in a little more than a day and a half, riding straight through; she was dirty and tired and out of patience. Somehow she still needed to warn him of her slip with Eirin and he needed to be lucid when she did. 

Melissa grabbed the glass from his hand, sloshing liquor all over her clothes and the floor. "Phillip, we are in trouble, we need to leave, now!"

"Oh, we have time; he's probably only just arriving there now. If we leave today, we should be far enough away by the time they get back." Phillip stumbled back over to the bar to get another drink. If he had to leave this lush life behind then he wanted to do it in style. Who knew when he would live like this again? Ah, well, that's life. He had spent time in the gutter and he had spent time in a mansion.

Melissa was beyond the capacity to reason or argue with her father. She stomped over to the bar and with one swipe of her arm; she brushed the entire contents onto the floor, causing Phillip to start yelling and slurring curses at her. "What do you mean 'he's arriving their now'? Who is arriving where? What are you talking about old man?"

"It's that uppity solicitor. He was here a few of days ago, insisting on seeing Eirin. I had to tell him that she was with that Lord. Didn't tell him the whole story, but he'll learn it when he gets there for sure. He said he was going to fetch her back." Phillip looked longingly down at the shattered glass and spilled liquor scattered across the floor.

Melissa slowly walked back to the sofa and slumped down on it. "Phillip, we don't have a day. We don't have any time at all. This is much worse than I imagined. We've made a mess of it. We need to leave now, I just left Lord Hawthorn's castle, and I'm sure they have already started following me. If we do not leave now, we will both be jailed and maybe hanged." 

Melissa began to shake at the thought that she might have to go to jail. She wouldn't mind Phillip going to jail; he was cut out for it. She on the other hand was not. While she may not have been a well-bred young lady, she was none the less a good girl, and she knew she wouldn't make it in jail. She wished she could just leave without Phillip, but she really needed him.

Two months ago, she might have been able to make it on her own; now she had a child in her and before long it would start to show. No one would take on a mistress carrying someone else's bastard in their belly. Foolish her, she thought. She should have insisted he accept her as his mistress. He just felt so good; she had never had the will to deny him. If he had been her protector instead of just her bedtime partner, she wouldn't be in this situation. It was his fault. If he had been a true gentleman he would have offered her his protection from the beginning.

Melissa looked up as Phillip loomed over her. His face was red and his eyes were cloudy, but his mouth was pulled tight and his hands were fisted. He was drunk and now he was angry, never a good combination. "What do you mean you just came back from Lord Hawthorn's castle? What would you have to do there? How can you be caught there?" Spittle flew from his lips as he tried to get the words out.

Melissa cowered back on the sofa, realizing that she had no escape from him. "I had to go, I have to have money. I can't stay here, I'm in trouble. You wouldn't get any money; the solicitor wouldn't give us any. What was I supposed to do? All you do is drink and play with women, I needed help! We wouldn't be in this situation if you had killed her like I told you to. This is all your fault!"

Melissa was still cowering on the sofa, but slowly she had begun yelling at Phillip as she remembered that it was his fault they didn't have any money.

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them the truth, you killed her father, and she's an ungrateful bitch who couldn't look to anyone but herself. If you had thought more you would have married her. Then we could have had all the money, but no, you couldn't do that. 'I don't do virgins Lissy, they ain't no fun. Why would I marry her when I get her money for free?' That's what you said. Look at us now; we have no money and no way to escape. Kill her, marry her, anything, but no, you are a worthless failure, I don't know why I have stayed with you!"

Melissa began pushing at Phillip to move him back so she could get up. She was furious with him and his ineptitude, and she wasn't going to stay here and let him drag her down again. She shouldn't have come back here at all. She was smarter than him, and she would make it on her own. That was the last thought she had before the left side of her face exploded in a flash of light and pain and her head snapped back to bounce off the back of the sofa.

Phillip did not wait for Melissa to recover as he pulled his left fist back and hit the right side of her head, directly on her ear. He continued hitting her as blood welled out of her right ear and from her split lip. He felt her lose a couple of teeth with one of his hits and split the skin above her left eye with another. Finally, Phillip stopped and looked down at his daughter. She had lost consciousness and was slumped on the sofa. Her hands were bloodied as well so that he assumed she had tried to protect herself, though he couldn't remember her doing so. 

He looked around, realizing what he had done and started to panic. She had told them he had killed Lord Somers. He couldn't stay here. He rushed from the house, not even stopping to grab anything to sell for money.

****

Eirin awoke the next morning to raised voices outside the door. She heard two male voices arguing with each other. She got up and without bothering to change into a fresh dress went out to see what was going on. Lord Hawthorn was standing outside in the hallway arguing with Mr. Prewitt, Eirin's solicitor. 

Mr. Prewitt saw Eirin first and hurried to speak in his rather rushed and breathy voice. "Oh, Eirin, thank God you are alright. What are you doing here? I have been looking for you for months. Go and pack now. You can not possibly stay here. What will people think if it is found out that you have been staying with a man, unchaperoned?" With that Mr. Prewitt grasped Eirin's arm and began to move her towards the stairwell.

Lord Hawthorn was furious; he quickly reached out and shoved Mr. Prewitt away from Eirin, causing her to gasp. "Do not put your hands on my fiancé, sir."

This caused Eirin to turn and look at Lord Hawthorn as if he had lost his mind. "Do not lie to this man! If you were ashamed of what you were doing, then you shouldn't have been doing it. You bought me. You used me as your whore. Tell him the truth!" Turning towards Mr. Prewitt, she continued, "I am so sorry, Mr. Prewitt, for all your trouble and worry. However, I see no purpose in going with you. To be honest, I see no purpose in a guardianship at all, there is nothing left to guard."

Eirin had an idea and quickly became excited, "Mr. Prewitt? Can I have any of my inheritance early? This man has paid for some things for me, dresses and such, and I need to pay him back before I can leave."

Before the solicitor could respond, Lord Hawthorn broke in, "You have no inheritance Eirin; your guardian signed over complete ownership of you and all your property to me. You are also not leaving. I now have guardianship of you for the next seven years. You may go now, Mr. Prewitt. Thank you for your attention and I will be in touch."

Eirin struggled against Lord Hawthorn's grasp, but it was no use as he held her firmly while assuring Mr. Prewitt he would have his own solicitor send over the papers showing the transfer of guardianship and property over to him. He quickly called his butler and had Mr. Prewitt shown out of the castle.

Eirin was fuming, "Let go of me you brute! What do you mean you have guardianship of me? And what is this about taking control of my properties? You can't do that!"

Lord Hawthorn managed to get Eirin back into their bedroom before he let her go. "What is your name?"

Eirin just looked at him, her breast heaving with both anger and exertion from trying to free herself from his grasp. Finally, when he just continued to look at her she crossed her arms and glared at him, "Eirin".

Lord Hawthorn kept waiting for her to tell him the rest of her name, but she just stood and glared at him. He sighed, "Your entire name Eirin, what is your last name?"

"Somers, are you going to let me go now?" Eirin spit out at him.

"You are Lord Somers daughter, the Duke of Somers' daughter. Do you know I've been looking for you? Why would I let you go?" Lord Hawthorn managed to suppress his sigh and led Eirin over to the window seat, sitting with her.

"First and foremost. You are the Duke of Somers' daughter, are you not?" Eirin merely nodded her head. "Why did you not tell me this three months ago when you arrived? You knew I thought you were Phillip's daughter."

"No, I didn't. Not until after. . .not until it was too late. By then I didn't think it mattered. Anyway, every time I tried to speak to you, you told me not to lie, so I just gave up. I told you I had accepted my position here, I do not lie. Why did you lie to Mr. Prewitt? We are not engaged and you can not possibly have all my holdings. Those are mine; Mr. Prewitt wouldn't even release them all to Phillip and Melissa."

"We will be married. I will apply for a special license at once and we will be married before the week is over." Lord Hawthorn was caught up in a storm of guilt and elation. He felt guilt from to the way he had treated her when she had been blameless in anything and actually had been a victim the entire time; he felt elation over the fact that she was a true Lady. That was perfect. He had already decided he loved her and wanted to marry her; things were even better now that he had found out that he would be marrying a Lady. 

He had never believed he would find a Lady that he would be able to love. He had hated Ladies his entire life, always believing them to be shallow and fickle. Here was the love of his life, and his heart was soaring with the thought that she would be his forever. Lord Hawthorn continued mumbling about his plans and got up to start pacing the room. He wanted to marry her immediately. He wanted her to know how much he loved her and show her his life.

Eirin slowly stood up from the window seat. Nothing had changed. He now knew she was not the conniving woman he had always believed her to be, yet nothing had changed. She still belonged to him. He still held all her properties and was still ordering her around. Well, she wouldn't do it. He could not force her to marry him. She had been weak her entire life. She had allowed Phillip and Melissa to turn her into a slave and then sell her so that Lord Hawthorn could turn her into a whore. 

She would now take back her life. She would be no man's pet, to take around London and be shown off. If he was in fact her guardian until her twenty-fifth birthday, that was fine, she would serve her time, but she would no longer lie with him, and she would never marry him. She reached this conclusion dispassionately and calmly. 

"No." Eirin spoke the word calmly but loudly so that Lord Hawthorn turned to stare at her.

"It generally takes three weeks for the banns to be read. Do you really want to wait three weeks? I would love to have a huge wedding, but I figured we could have a party afterwards to announce ourselves. My God, Eirin, you could be pregnant!" Lord Hawthorn's face lit up at the thought of Eirin carrying his child. Would it be a boy? A girl? Would the child have her lovely golden eyes?

"I will not marry you, Lord Hawthorn." Eirin's face was expressionless and her tone flat. Her composure held by a mere thread. She could indeed be pregnant, but she hoped to God that she wasn't. The fact that he was worried about sullying her reputation now, when it had in fact been him who would have put her in that position only hardened her heart more.

Lord Hawthorn looked closely at Eirin, narrowing his eyes at her expression. She was staring at him like he was mud on the hem of her dress. How could she not want to marry him? "Eirin, don't you want to marry me?"

"No, Lord Hawthorn, I have no wish to marry you."

"Are you in love with someone else? Were you being courted before you came here?"

"No, I never participated in the season. I am in love with no one, and I have no intention of marrying you or anyone else."

Lord Hawthorn's expression was visibly relieved at hearing the news she was not in love with anyone else. Eirin, however, was no longer looking at him to notice. She had turned and started for the door, intent on returning to her room. Eirin had decided that she wanted to return to London so she could find Phillip and Melissa. She intended to take her house back and see that they paid for their actions. She tried not to remember the fact that Phillip had killed her father, knowing that if she did, she would collapse and not want to get back up. 

Lord Hawthorn was still digesting her response when Eirin returned with her bag. "I am leaving, Lord Hawthorn."

Looking at her more closely, he could see how on edge she really was. Her eyes were bright and her knuckles white on the handles of her bag. He realized how much of a shock she had received within the last twenty-four hours, and he was just adding to it. Of course she didn't want to marry him. She couldn't even think straight much less make a decision such as to marry him.

He nodded at Eirin before asking her when she was leaving. When she announced it would be immediately, he thought quickly of how to make her wait just a bit. "What about breakfast?"

"I am not hungry. If you would lend me a horse, I will make sure it is returned to you." Her voice was still emotionless, but he could see the strain around her eyes as she held herself stiffly.

"If you would please eat something before you leave, I will have the cook prepare a basket for you to take with you and have the horse brought around and waiting. You won't be able to go very far if you are weak because you didn't eat." He held himself still, willing her to agree. 

Finally, Eirin nodded and headed to the dining room to eat. Lord Hawthorn followed her out of the door and down the hallway. He allowed her to set her bag by the door and head into the room without him. Once she had left, he picked up her bag and after going through it quickly, called a maid to come and take it back up to their room.

Before entering the dining room, Lord Hawthorn called a servant to give directions to the stable and kitchen. As he entered, he saw Eirin shoveling food into her mouth. She barely looked up as he entered, just continued to eat as if she hadn't seen him. 

"Eirin, if you keep eating like that, you will be sick before you leave my property. I have already called for your horse to be brought around and Cook is preparing a midday meal so you do not have to stop."

Eirin paused in her eating and just stared at him. Finally, she set down her fork and took a drink of tea. She was suspicious of his attitude. He hadn't tried to stop her or talk her out of it. Nor had he reminded her that she had no property to return to in London. He was up to something and she wanted to be out of the house before she figured out what it was or he changed his mind.

Lord Hawthorn didn't speak as he sat at his place to eat his meal. He merely motioned for a servant to bring Eirin more tea and ate his meal in silence. He knew Eirin thought she was escaping him but he had no intention of letting her go. How could he win her heart if she were three days journey from him?

As the servant brought in the basket of food for Eirin to take on her trip, she jumped up so quickly she bumped the table. She hurriedly pushed in her chair and grabbed up the basket, almost running for the door on her way out. Pausing at the door to look back, she saw Lord Hawthorn still sitting at his place drinking his tea.

Lord Hawthorn caught up to Eirin as she was standing on the front steps glaring out at the carriage. She turned and stormed to him. "What is that? I asked you for a horse, a carriage will take forever to arrive in London! I want to get there as quickly as possible."

He merely looked at her and took the basket from her hands. Placing his hand on her elbow, he led her to the carriage. "It is not appropriate for a young lady to ride across the countryside on her own, nor would it be appropriate for you to arrive in London dirty and dusty from riding a horse the entire way."

Eirin stomped her way into the carriage and slamming down onto the seat she crossed her arms under her breasts and glared at him. "What do you care? As long as I arrive back here ready to spread my legs? What makes you so sure that sending a carriage back with me will ensure my return?"

Lord Hawthorn climbed up into the carriage as her eyes widened in shock. "I am not sending you in a carriage; we are going to London together. I will help you look for Phillip and his daughter, speak with your solicitor about your holdings and arrange for them to be released to you."

Eirin's eyes narrowed as she watched him take the seat across from her. He was up to something but she couldn't figure out what it was. She wanted to argue with him further but first she needed to figure out the angle he was playing. She just continued to glare at him as the carriage started off down the road. 

Lord Hawthorn and Eirin had very little conversation on their trip. They stopped at midday for a meal, eating under a tree by the side of the road quickly, before continuing on their journey. Eirin spent the majority of her time staring out the window, imagining all the things she would say to Phillip and Melissa once she found them. Lord Hawthorn spent his time watching Eirin and wondering how he was going to convince her that he loved her and wanted to marry her.

They had one argument the first night when Lord Hawthorn insisted on stopping at an inn to sleep. Eirin wanted to continue straight through, but Lord Hawthorn insisted the horses wouldn't make it. She gave up the argument in favor of ignoring him. He was confusing her too much to argue anyway, acting as if he cared whether or not the people that killed her father came to justice. He had mentioned getting her properties back to her. It had to be a trick, but what trick? She couldn't figure it out. It wasn't still his talk of marriage, as he'd never mentioned it again. Why would he, she wondered; he had gotten everything he wanted from her without it, her land, her money, and her. 




Eirin Ch. 06



Eirin was even more shocked when she and Lord Hawthorn were led to separate rooms. She looked at him curiously but all he did was bow to her and wish her a good night. Eirin entered her room in a daze, not understanding what was going on. She pulled up short when she saw that Maria was already in the room with a bath and her clothes. Not the clothes she had packed that morning, but the clothes Lord Hawthorn had given her.

"What in the world are you doing here? And why are those clothes here? I packed clothes to bring. Maria, what is going on here?" 

Eirin could feel herself falling apart. The events and confusion of the past couple of days had been pushed back but now they were forcing themselves forward so that she could not ignore them with planning and anger. Her life was out of her control. She had managed to deal with her arrival at Lord Hawthorn's castle with the thought that at least she was out of her house and not longer had to be a slave to Phillip and Melissa. She had at been treated kindly by most people and ignored by Lord Hawthorn until he wanted her. She had been allowed to keep busy with work and to explore the grounds.

Now she had been sitting in a carriage all day long with nothing but her own thoughts and Lord Hawthorn watching her closely. He had been kind and considerate, stopping the carriage every few hours to allow her to walk around and relieve herself. He had told her they would be married! That and the discovery of her father's murderer kept running through her mind over and over. She tried again to push them out but her thoughts refused to cooperate and continued to rush forward and be heard.

Maria watched Eirin as the anguish washed over her. She had seen her that morning in her anger and knew it wouldn't last. Eirin had been using her anger as a crutch to refuse to deal with the events of the night before and that morning, but Maria had known she couldn't continue like that. When Lord Hawthorn had ordered proper attire be packed for himself and Eirin and the carriage brought around, she had insisted on coming. Lord Hawthorn had tried to dissuade her, claiming her family would need her, but she wasn't to be budged. Someone needed to be there for Eirin when the events caught up to her.

Maria rushed to Eirin and took her in her arms, leading her towards the bed to sit down. She rocked Eirin and listened to her babble about everything that had happened over the last three months.

"I just want to go home Maria. I want to be in my home. It's been so hard; Lori was so mean to me. I felt so uncomfortable with Lord Hawthorn and I'm not that kind of girl, I swear. I had never even been kissed. I want my daddy. Oh, Maria, I want my daddy. They killed him Maria. Why did they kill him?"

Maria continued to rock Eirin as her body lost its rigidity and became lax in her arms. Once Eirin had stopped crying, she began to undress her and get her into her bath.

Lord Hawthorn listened to the events in the next room through the wall. He wondered for the hundredth time that day if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should have forced her to stay home? But she never would have agreed with that. She would have just run away after he left. He had to go to London himself; he couldn't allow Phillip and his daughter to get away with their actions. 

Every time he remembered Eirin crying in her sleep his heart contracted and his throat closed up. He had to see them be punished; he had to do whatever he could in order to bring some consolation to Eirin. Why wouldn't she allow him to console her? She was angry with him all day, barely speaking to him except for their fight when he insisted on stopping for the night. 

Lord Hawthorn spent the night sitting in a chair by the wall that divided him from Eirin. When she woke up screaming in the night, it was all he could do to stop himself from running into the hallway and breaking down her door. He sat, feeling impotent, as Maria whispered words of comfort to Eirin.

The next day went much the same, except that Lord Hawthorn gave in and allowed them to continue on into the night. They arrived at Eirin's townhouse at close to midnight. Eirin began to stomp her way into the house, but was instead ordered by Lord Hawthorn to remain in the carriage. 

Eirin watched impatiently out the window, cursing Lord Hawthorn in her mind for his arrogant and overbearing attitude. It was her house. She had just decided to defy his orders when he called out to the driver to unhitch a horse and run for a doctor. Rushing into the house, Eirin found Melissa on the sofa in the study, her face swollen and discolored. She had dried blood on her face, clothes and hands and was mumbling incoherently. 

Eirin looked at Melissa dispassionately. Though two days ago she had been ready to kill her, she knew she could not let her die. It just simply was not in her nature to allow another being to suffer. Eventually she would look back upon this instance and marvel at her lack of compassion for Melissa, but at that moment she was too busy ordering the rest of the servants to bring her supplies.

By the time the doctor arrived Melissa had been moved to a servant's room and changed into a nightgown. As Eirin cleaned her, she noticed that Melissa was missing several of her teeth and in all likelihood had three broken fingers. She had cried the entire time and babbled off names that Eirin did not recognize.

The doctor had informed them that it was too late to stitch her up as she had already begun to heal and it would be impossible to prevent any scarring at that point. Eirin secretly thought that Melissa deserved to be scarred; she had used her beauty to manipulate people her whole life, now she was going to find out what it was like to truly work for a living. 

Eirin stretched her back as she stood to pace the room. She knew she should leave a servant in there to watch Melissa, as she owed her nothing more. However, she couldn't just leave Melissa in the hands of someone who might not know what to do if she became even sicker. Thus Eirin found herself watching over Melissa trying not to let her own problems invade her thoughts.

She was just making her third circle of the room when she was startled by Lord Hawthorn standing in the doorway, holding a cup of tea and looking at her expectantly. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you; what did you say?"

"I asked if you would like a cup of tea? Or, if you would prefer I can take over for you and sit in here for a while. That way you can take a bath and get some rest. You haven't even changed out of your traveling clothes; surely you would prefer to freshen up?"

Eirin turned back towards the bed before looking at Lord Hawthorn again and shaking her head, "Thank you for the offer, Lord Hawthorn, but I really am fine here. The doctor didn't know how long she had been in this house alone after being beaten; she could still take a turn for the worse." Her voice was friendly enough but he could not help but notice that she didn't really look at him, just in his direction.

Lord Hawthorn continued standing in the doorway just looking at her, until finally, he said in a low voice, "Christopher."

Eirin turned towards him, her brows furrowed in confusion, "I'm sorry?"

"Christopher, it is my name." 

"Oh, yes, well thank you, but I really am fine. I will stay with her through the night and see you tomorrow."

Lord Hawthorn closed his eyes before stepping into the room and setting the cup on a table by the door. He then turned and left without another word.

Eirin watched Lord Hawthorn leave, wondering at his motivation for visiting her in here as well as bringing her a cup of tea. He had been uncommonly patient during their entire trip and it made her uncomfortable wondering when he would make whatever demand he was working up to.

The next morning Eirin did not show up at breakfast. When she was missing at the midday meal as well, Lord Hawthorn went in search of her. He found her sitting in a chair in a corner of the room Melissa was recovering in. She had her feet curled up under her and head was resting on her hands against the back of the chair. 

He watched her for a while, listening to her soft breathing, before he went over and lifted her up. She didn't move at all as he carried her up the stairs and stripped off the dress she had worn the previous day in the carriage, telling him just how tired she was. He could see the dark circles under her eyes and couldn't figure out what compelled her to stay with Melissa, a woman she proclaimed to hate, even after she was dropping with fatigue.

****

A full week had passed since Eirin and Lord Hawthorn had arrived at her house to find Melissa unconscious in the study. Melissa was still ensconced in the servant's room where she had been deposited, but she was no longer crying and mumbling incoherently. 

Instead she was screaming at the top of her lungs. 

Eirin had been forced to have someone tie her wrists to the bed and Melissa was obviously unhappy with this new turn of events. There was nothing for it, though. Each time someone tried to look at her wounds she would reach out and scratch them. She was also hitting herself and Eirin feared she would cause herself further injury.

Eirin stood beside the bed but in reality she wasn't listening to Melissa. If anyone had seen her, they would have noticed that her eyes were unfocused and staring off into space. In fact, Eirin wasn't even aware of where she was. She was thinking about the last week in the townhouse. 

Each night, after he thought she had fallen asleep, Lord Hawthorn slipped into bed with her and each morning, before she should have awoken, he left. He held her tightly during the night, sometimes running his hands up and down her arms; however, he had never even tried to kiss her. Sometimes she could hear him whispering, as if speaking to her, but his words were to low for her to hear. 

She had tried to avoid him when they first arrived by staying with Melissa during all her waking hours, refusing even to take meals. Everyone looked at her oddly, wondering why she would be so concerned about a person that hated and yelled at her. She didn't care about Melissa. She just wanted a room to go to, where she could think without having people crowd around her and look at her with a combination of curiosity and compassion. She just ignored Melissa's screaming and stayed within her own head. She had her own problems to think about, like why Lord Hawthorn was still there and what he wanted.

Eirin was still deep in thought when she realized that the room had grown quiet. She looked around and gasped when she saw the man of her considerations. He was standing over Melissa's bed with his hands on his hips while she stared up at him but he was looking at Eirin. Somehow he had managed to enter the room and walk by her without her even noticing. Now he was gazing at her, his look a combination of lust and tenderness. He began to reach out to Eirin but she jumped back, broken from her reverie. "I should check on..." her voice faded off as she hurried from the room.

Lord Hawthorn watched as Eirin ran from the room. Ran from him. His heart constricted at the thought that she was afraid of him. His sole solace each day was being able to go to her at night after she went to sleep. Knowing he could hold her without her flinching and speak tenderly to her without her turning away. 

He had already set the balls in motion. There was no going back now. He would leave the decision up to Eirin and he prayed that she would choose him. 

****

Eirin was in the library when Maria came to get her. She turned with a smile, expecting to be able to sit with her friend and have pleasant conversation. However, the look on Maria's face was anything but pleasant. "Maria, good lord, what is wrong? Has something happened? Did they find Phillip? Did Melissa get free?"

"I'm ashamed of you!"

Eirin stepped back, her eyes widening in hurt and confusion. She felt her mind race to figure out what she could have possibly done to upset Maria, but as far as she knew she hadn't done anything. Since she had arrived in London, she hadn't even been out of the house, sticking to Melissa's room or her own most of the time.

"Don't look so shocked at me, young lady. You know what I'm talking about. Look at yourself; look at what you are wearing. Lord Hawthorn bought you wardrobes full of beautiful new clothes. Each night he waits and waits at that dinner table alone, hoping you will show up. Most nights he leaves without even eating. You spend more time with a woman who curses at you than you do with the man who loves you."

Eirin's back went up at Maria's tirade as she tried to hide the hurt it had caused her. She had thought that of everyone, Maria would understand her feelings. Afterall, it was Maria who had taken care of her during her stay at Lord Hawthorn's estate. In addition, of everyone, Maria knew the most about their situation.

Eirin's voice was flat as she answered Maria. She knew now where her loyalties lay. Of course, she had worked for Lord Hawthorn for years, why would she believe that Maria would be on her side? "Maria, I am sorry that I have disappointed you. Perhaps you would prefer to eat with your Lord yourself? I have made arrangements for Melissa to be moved to Belle View so no doubt you will be able to return home soon. I want to thank you in advance for your help during my stay with your employer."

Maria watched as a wall fell over Eirin's eyes and her heart broke at the dead tone in her voice. She had never meant to come in here and yell at her, but Lord Hawthorn was more miserable than she had ever seen him. Even when his mother was rejecting him and his step-father was abusing him, he still had a spark of fire in his eye. Something to show that he was a fighter, something to show that in spite of them, he would win. 

Now that spark was gone. Lord Hawthorn was a ghost in this house. He spent every waking hour either trying to find Phillip or worrying about Eirin. He had hired servants and saw to it that Eirin's every need was fulfilled without her ever even realizing it. He was constantly sneaking down to Melissa's room to check on Eirin or calling servants to find out where she was. Maria just wanted to see him smile again. She knew Eirin and Lord Hawthorn were meant for each other and she had a suspicion that Lord Hawthorn had finally realized it too. Now how to get Eirin to realize her love for Lord Hawthorn?

Maria wanted to go to Eirin, take her in her arms and hold her. Maria wanted to rock her like the child she appeared and tell her that everything would be alright. But, Eirin wasn't a child; she was a strong-willed young woman who had survived more than her fair share of hardships in her life.

Maria knew that someday she would be able to comfort her, but not now, not today. Today, Eirin was caught in her own storm of emotions. Today Eirin needed a release. So, instead of holding her, like the mother in her wanted to do, Maria offered to take her shopping.

Eirin blinked. Just a minute ago Maria was yelling at her for being so inconsiderate. What had just happened? "Maria? Why would I want to go shopping?"

"Eirin, honey, new servants have been hired and I'm not really needed here. Melissa's yelling and screeching is just about to drive me insane. I don't know my way around London, so I was wondering if you would accompany me on some errands." 

Eirin narrowed her eyes at Maria once more but merely nodded her head. Something was happening, but so far she couldn't figure out what it was. Maria suggested Eirin run up to her room and freshen up before they left.

After Eirin left Maria sat in the parlor wondering what her next step would be. Eirin had too much on her thin shoulders and Maria desperately wanted to help her with her load. The question was how would she get Eirin to open up? How could she make Eirin see that Lord Hawthorn would be good for her? She sighed as she started leaving the room, worried that she wouldn't think of any answers before it was too late.

Maria shrieked as she bumped into Lord Hawthorn in the doorway. Lord Hawthorn put his finger to his lips and motioned for her to be quiet as he led her back into the room and shut the door. "I was listening from the hallway, Maria. I want to thank you for taking Eirin out today. I was beginning to worry that she would make herself sick with the way she's been going."

"Oh, Lord Hawthorn, I don't know what I'm doing! I yelled at her and I didn't mean to. I'm so frustrated watching the two of you be so miserable. Now Eirin says that she's arranged for Melissa to be moved to Belle View, so we are going to be leaving. Are we leaving? Will you just leave that poor girl here all alone?" cried Maria.

Lord Hawthorn broke into her ramble, "Maria, calm down. We aren't going anywhere. I want you to do me a favor, please. No, hold on, don't interrupt me," Lord Hawthorn held up his hand to keep her from interjecting since he knew that once she started talking she wouldn't stop again. "I want you to get her to order herself some more dresses. She won't wear the ones I ordered for her, try to keep her out as long as you can today. I have a plan, but I need her to out of the house, can you do that?"

"Lord Hawthorn, you know I would do anything for you, but she doesn't trust you. She doesn't trust me either. I saw the look in her eyes as I asked her to run errands with me; I know she thinks I'm up to something. I swear my only thought was that I wanted her out of this house where she is so tense sometimes I'm afraid she'll break."

Lord Hawthorn reached out and hugged Maria. It was the first time he had ever shown her affection in such a way, but he couldn't help himself. She was the absolute dearest woman he had ever known and if it weren't for her, he would never have been able to trust Eirin. It was Maria who had opened his eyes to how innocent Eirin really was and how horrible he had been. He owed Maria so much, and if his plan worked and he was able to win Eirin's heart for keeps he would owe her even more.

Maria squeaked. "My Lord! Are you alright?"

"Maria, I've never told you this, but I really do love you. You are a wonderful woman; I know that if you take Eirin out today and show her the sunshine and talk to her just like you do, you can convince her to do anything."

Maria's eyes started tearing up as she pulled back to look at the employer she was so devoted to. She had watched him grow from a quiet, withdrawn child into a driven man. She had always been so proud of him, but at the same time she had worried that he would eventually change to a bitter old man.

Just a short while ago she had been worried about him because he looked so depressed and flat. However, now his eyes were shining and his face was glowing. She knew the look on his face because she had seen it on the face of her own husband every day since they had met; the husband Lord Hawthorn himself had arranged for her. Lord Hawthorn had finally reached his decision; he loved Eirin and would fight to have her. Maria felt her entire body lighten with the joy she felt. She had never thought this day would arrive.

Maria nodded her head as she reached up and took his face in her hands. Maria spoke in barely a whisper and for the first time in as long as Lord Hawthorn could remember; she didn't rush her words or ramble on. "You love her and I know she loves you too. She is a special girl and she's good for you."

"I know, but I'm good for her too. She doesn't realize it yet, but she will. Now go, Eirin will be down any second now. Remember, keep her out until this evening." With that Lord Hawthorn gently pushed her towards the door and watched her walk out. 

Eirin and Maria spent the day running around London. Maria's fears turned out to be for naught. Eirin was caught up in the scenery and bustle of London, giddy as a school girl in her excitement. Maria made Eirin tell her about everything they passed. 




Eirin Ch. 06



Eirin laughed as she explained about the season and all the people around them. Maria's enthusiasm was contagious and she found herself relaxing for the first time since they had arrived in London. Eirin had never really driven around or explored London very much. She and her father had spent most of their time at their country estate and had only arrived in London a couple of years ago. He had moved them there so that he could conduct some business then he had met Phillip and before they were able to move away again, he had died. 

Phillip and Melissa had not had any interest in leaving. She had certainly left the house more often after they had moved in; however she had been so busy running errands that she had never bothered to look around. Looking at London through Maria's eyes made her realize how beautiful it was. She had never appreciated the gardens and parks she had seen in the past.

Their mood sobered quickly as they entered the novelties shop where Maria wanted to buy some lace to take home with her. The shopkeeper, a portly woman with a pinched face and severe bun, waddled up to them and started to usher them out the front door, "Servants in the back. Tell the girl back there who you are picking up for and she'll retrieve your order."

Eirin set her feet and looked at the woman with the haughtiest expression she had ever given another person. "I beg your pardon madam. I am Eirin Somers, daughter of the Duke of Somers. You, madam, do not know what you are talking about." Her voice was clipped and her tone was harsh as she spoke. She turned on her heel and headed for the door.

The shopkeeper's voice stopped her, but she didn't turn around as she listened to the woman speak, "My Lady, I am so sorry. Of course, I should have known, won't you come in? Can I show you some special lace that has just arrived?" The woman was practically pleading by this time.

Eirin turned then, her expression just as closed and unforgiving, "No, you have lost my business today and probably for anytime in the near future. I would think of this the next time you make a snap decision about someone who enters your establishment." 

Eirin held her back straight as she left the shop but her face was a bright red and her steps quickened as they reached the street. Eirin all but ran to the carriage with Maria stumbling to keep up with her. Eirin yelled to the driver to take her home and slammed the door after them after they climbed in. She was shaking but her back was straight and her chin was up. 

Maria looked at Eirin with a combination of compassion and censure. She was pale and her hair was dull. She was wearing the dress she had left the estate in. She had worn the same dress every day for a week, refusing to wear the clothes Lord Hawthorn had bought her, insisting that they were not hers, and therefore, she did not want to chance ruining them. Eirin's hands, twisting in her lap, were rough from the hot water she had used to wash Melissa's bandages.

Maria snapped up from her seat and yelled through the window for their driver to stop. She then jumped out of the carriage and went and held a low, rushed conversation with him. Eirin looked at her as she reentered the carriage, too tired now to even question Maria about the conversation with the driver. She rested her head on the back of the seat and closed her eyes, sorry that she had ever come out today. She had forgotten herself. She was no Lady. She had no right to tour around London like a school girl, giggling and gossiping. 

As the carriage pulled to a stop, Eirin used all of her remaining strength to open her eyes and pull herself away from the seat. Halfway out the door, she pulled up short; they were not back at her townhouse. They were still in the shopping district in front of one of the premiere modistes. Eirin backed herself up into the carriage again, pulling the door closed as she went. "Please, Maria, if you want to go shopping, let me off at home. The driver will be able to take you wherever you want to go, you don't need me."

Maria could hear the quiver in Eirin's voice and almost changed her mind; however she remembered Lord Hawthorn's instructions and steeled her resolve. In her mind, Eirin needed this anyway. She would never want to become a wife until she once again felt like a woman. Eirin needed to realize that though her circumstances had changed, she herself had not. 

"This is not for me, dearie. You need some new clothes; no young Lady should be out in those clothes. I'm ashamed of myself for not thinking of it before."

"No! Maria, I have no money for clothes, I'm saving my allowance to pay back Lord Hawthorn. This is fine, I swear, I just want to go home." Eirin's voice started breaking at the end, but Maria was already shaking her head.

"Pah, you do not need to pay him back all that money. It was his own fault. He knew money was missing from the house accounts, as well as silver from the rooms. I had told him months before. He is the one who was so caught up in his own affairs he didn't pay any attention to me. Furthermore, he is the one who abused you, if anything he should pay you!"

Eirin's face paled at that. For him to pay her for what he did to her made her really and truly a whore. Then she remembered the look he had given her that morning and she could feel herself flush. Each night, when he held her while he thought she slept, it filled her entire belly with butterflies, and the tickle of his whispers through her hair and the dance of his fingers on her arm made her tingle. 

Maria realized what she had said and quickly reached out to take Eirin's hand in her own. "Oh, honey, not like that. I swear, I just meant that he has a lot of making up to you to do. He was such a brute and he should have realized it long before. Oh, no, please, don't look like that, I swear, I didn't mean to say it like that..."

Eirin cut her off, almost laughing at Maria's babbling, even in her own confusion and depression. "I knew what you were saying, I really did Maria. It's just how it sounded." Eirin sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Please? I really would like to go home."

"Honey, you need this. You need to remember what it is to be a Lady. You feel as if you can't be that anymore. But a Lady is who you are, no one can take that away from you, you can't even take it away from yourself. It's not about what you've done or what's been done to you. You were born and raised a Lady; you just need a reminder of it. Come in here with me, please?"

"I can't, I'm so ashamed of myself; of what I've become."

"What you've become is a strong woman who has found her voice. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Sweetie, it's not like anyone even knows what has happened; all the shame you feel is in your own head. Lord Hawthorn will marry you and you will see yourself as everyone else does."

At that Eirin pulled her hands away from Maria as her face closed again. "I am not marrying Lord Hawthorn." Maria had never heard that tone of voice from Eirin before.

"Well, why not? Didn't he offer? I know he wants to." Maria reached out to once again take Eirin's hands but Eirin pulled away from her before they could touch again, ignoring the hurt look in Maria's eyes.

"He did not offer, he ordered. I am no one's responsibility, Maria. I don't need Lord Hawthorn to take care of me for my reputation. I will never marry someone just because he feels it his duty, or because he feels guilty."

"He doesn't want to marry you because he feels guilty or because it's his duty, he loves you Eirin; can't you see that?"

"What I see is that he used me for months and he had no problem with it until he found out who I was. What I see is that he is still running my life and I don't want him to, I want him to leave me alone. Let me try to pick up the pieces that are left and leave. I can't stay here with him; I can't see him every day, see the heat in his eyes or feel the tenderness in his hands." Eirin was sobbing and Maria hurried to take her in her arms.

"Eirin, honey, you can't run from your own heart. What you are feeling is love. I know it hurts but you can't make the hurt go way just because he leaves. Listen to what your heart tells you."

"It doesn't make any difference if I love him; I know he only wants to marry me because it's his duty."

"Do me this favor; just give him a chance. Stop assuming you know how he feels or what he thinks." Eirin finally nodded at Maria, though she wasn't sure she would be able to follow through with her promise. "Ok, now, I'm going into this shop and I'm going to get a beautiful new dress to surprise my husband with when I get home. I would really like it if you would come in with me; you would make me even happier if you would buy some dresses for yourself."

Eirin finally gave in and agreed, so they went into the store. Maria talked Eirin into getting several outfits that they picked out together and they each got an outfit to wear home. Maria was delighted that Eirin seemed to loosen up so much and was secretly pleased at how well she had succeeded that day. 

She had not only managed to keep Eirin out of the house for the entire day but she would be bringing her back in a dress that would really impress Lord Hawthorn. She held a secret smile with her the entire way home, filled with new confidence that Eirin would let Lord Hawthorn into her heart. 

****

Lord Hawthorn spent the day frantically trying to prepare everything for when Eirin arrived home. He started by calling Mr. Prewitt to the house and preparing documents to return all of Eirin's property back to her. They had one argument because Mr. Prewitt said he couldn't return the entailed property back to her; first of all, she was a woman, and the property was entailed to the male heir, second the property was tied up in her father's will and he made arrangement for her to receive it at the age of twenty-five. They compromised by returning it to Mr. Prewitt's control with the agreement that Lord Hawthorn himself would silently oversee them.

Mr. Prewitt had also given him the information he had been waiting for about Phillip. In some ways he was relieved, but on the other hand, he wished he could have gotten to him first. He had wanted to punish Phillip himself. He consoled himself with the thought that at least Phillip would never be able to hurt Eirin again.

After the solicitor left, Lord Hawthorn arranged to have Melissa removed from the house immediately, accompanying her to the hospital where it appeared she would be spending the rest of her life. 

Once he had the house back to how he wanted it, he started preparations for Eirin's return. He had planned a special dinner for her and arranged for the servants to be out for the night. He couldn't put off all he wanted to discuss with Eirin any longer; he just hoped she would be willing to speak to him.

****

As they pulled up to the townhouse, Eirin was feeling more like her old self. She still didn't like fittings or shopping, but she realized that she really did enjoy dressing properly. Eirin also felt stronger, and she knew she would be able to at least give Lord Hawthorn a chance. She had spent so much time avoiding him she hadn't even realized how much he had done for her. Now, looking back, she could see it. He had been extremely considerate of her since they had arrived in London, and even before if she were going to be honest with herself.

They entered the door to see that most of the lights were out and no one was around. Eirin was worried and her brows were furrowed in confusion as she looked towards Maria for an answer. Maria just shrugged and shut the door behind her before she led Eirin the rest of the way into the house.

Eirin jumped at the sound of footsteps on the stairs; she turned to see Lord Hawthorn coming down, holding a candelabra. He was dressed formally in a black suit with an intricately tied cravat at his neck. He also wore a huge smile, but as he came closer she could see that his eyes were guarded. 

"More beautiful women I don't think I've ever seen." He approached them and bowed formally, taking first Maria's hand and then Eirin's to proffer a kiss. Eirin could see that Maria was blushing and couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Looking back towards Lord Hawthorn, she saw him hold out his arm towards her. She was surprised when he took her hand to slip it through his arm and invited her to dine with him. Her surprise was doubled when, instead of going into the dining room, he led her back up the stairs.

The arrived in the Lord's solar and Eirin's eyes widened at what she saw. The room was lit by hundreds of candles on every surface. There was a small fire in the fireplace and set in front of it was a low table filled with food of every kind. Set around the table were at least a dozen cushions. She turned back towards Lord Hawthorn and saw the uncertainty in his eyes.

Lord Hawthorn watched Eirin's expression as she entered the room. He so hoped that she would be pleased and didn't realize he was holding his breath until after he saw her smile and felt all the air leave his lungs. He tried to make himself relax, knowing he wouldn't be able to do anything tonight if he didn't.

Pulling himself together, he led her to the table and helped her arrange herself on some of the cushions before the table. Heading back to the other side of the table, he couldn't stop himself from commenting, "You really do look beautiful. I've always thought you were lovely but somehow, today, you seem even more beautiful. Did you and Maria have a nice day?"

Eirin held out her glass for Lord Hawthorn to fill as she answered, "Yes, thank you. It was a very nice day. Maria mentioned something about bringing her husband back next year to attend the opera." She giggled as she thought of it. She went on to explain all they had seen and Maria's reaction to everything.

Before long, they were well into their meal and talking as if they had never had been at odds. Lord Hawthorn could feel himself slowly relaxing as their conversation continued. He was so relieved that the evening was going well; he had been afraid she would refuse to dine with him or that if she did, she would be sullen and harsh. 

He watched her eyes light up as she described some of the sites they had seen and he felt his stomach clench at how radiant she was. He once again mentally kicked himself for ever believing she could have been anything than what she was, a wonderful, beautiful young Lady. He had let his own jaded childhood color his views on everything. If he had been less jaded in the first place, he never would have believed Phillip and he would spend the rest of his life sorry for what he had put her through. He just hoped that she would give him the chance to make it up to her, forever if necessary.

As Eirin sat back, indicating she was full, Lord Hawthorn leaned forward and laid his hands on the table. Now was the time he had been most nervous about. He knew he had to tell her. Some of what he was going to tell her would please them both but the rest of the information would be very distressing; the last thing he wanted to do was distress her anymore.

Before he could start, Eirin addressed him, "Lord Hawthorn. . ."

Lord Hawthorn interrupted her, "Please, my name is Christopher. I know you do not want to be too familiar with me but please, if you do nothing else, use my Christian name?" 

Eirin nodded, "Christopher, yes, I am sorry. What I wanted to say was that I was sorry for the way I have treated you this past week. I know you have tried to help me this week you didn't deserve my behavior."

"No, Eirin, you have nothing to apologize for. You have never done anything wrong; it is I who should be apologizing. None of this would have ever happened if it weren't for me." Lord Hawthorn balled his hands on the table to prevent himself from reaching out to her. He wanted nothing more than to hold her but even if she would let him, it wasn't time yet.

"Don't take responsibility for that which was not your fault. Phillip and Melissa put me in the positions I have found myself in and I let them. I was devastated by my father's death; I couldn't find the will to fight them and it was easier to just do what they said and bury my own grief." Eirin looked down at her lap as she thought back upon the last year and all that she had allowed to happen.

Lord Hawthorn quickly scooted around the table and lifted her chin with his finger. "Eirin, why would you blame yourself?"

"I don't blame myself, not really. But, I do accept responsibility for not standing up to the two of them. I knew something was not right when they moved in so quickly, but I didn't care. All I cared about was the fact that my father was gone. Mr. Prewitt tried to help get me out of the house, but I just spurned him."

Cradling her head against his shoulder, Lord Hawthorn leaned close to Eirin and whispered against her hair. "Eirin, the fact of the matter is, we can live our lives looking behind us and thinking 'what if' but that doesn't accomplish anything. There is not a single person who blames you for anything that's happened. You couldn't stop your father's death or Phillip's and Melissa's actions. Please don't punish yourself for other's actions against you." 

Eirin nodded her head against his shoulder and he felt her entire body shudder with a sigh. Holding her tighter, he almost couldn't go through with his plan for the night but he knew that he couldn't do that to her. He respected her too much to hold anything back from her.

Taking her shoulders in his hands he moved her back until he could see her eyes. "Eirin, I must speak to you. I heard from Mr. Prewitt today," he interrupted himself at the look in her eyes, "no hold on, I'm going to tell you everything."

They rearranged themselves on the cushions so that they were facing each other, sitting cross-legged within touching distance. Lord Hawthorn could see the tension in Eirin's face and knew that she was afraid of what she was about to find out, but she was strong and he knew that she still wanted the information.

"First of all, I've had Melissa moved to Belle View today. They will keep her until she is well enough to be released. However, I have to tell you, after she arrived there she passed a mirror and saw her face. She had a sort of breakdown, somewhat worse than she had been. I doubt she'll ever be able to leave. The hospital also says that she is pregnant. They had to tie her back down to her bed again because she tried to hurt the babe.

The hospital asked me if I was responsible for Melissa and if I would therefore be responsible for the child. I told them that I would discuss it with you. Everyone would understand if you wanted the child sent to an orphanage, the child isn't your responsibility."

"Oh no, it's not the child's fault that she was her mother. The poor child, just think what could happen if no one wanted it! All children deserve love. No, no, no, I will take the child; will they let me have her?"

Lord Hawthorn felt his breath let go as he realized he was waiting for her answer. He once again remembered his own mother's actions and knew in that instance that he would have to take his words of advice he had given Eirin. He had to let go of the past and move on.

"Yes, Eirin, Mr. Prewitt can arrange for you to keep the child." He watched as Eirin's eyes brightened at the thought of having a child and though he hadn't thought he could be anymore in love with her, he discovered he had been wrong. Eirin was more than any man could ever hope for.

"Mr. Prewitt also brought news of Phillip." He hated watching her face pale at the words but she needed to know. "The investigators do not know what happened, but they found him naked in an alley behind a pub. He had been beaten and violated."




Eirin



As they sat down to eat, Eirin brought in their soup. She was looking down, refusing to meet their eyes as she set it before them. Her demeanor was not always thus. When they had arrived in her home, shortly after her father's death, she had been abhorred of their behavior, and rebelled against them. Within time, though, they had broken her until she now rarely spoke against them, if she spoke at all. 

Phillip had been Eirin's father's business partner, and had convinced him to give him guardianship of Eirin should be die. Very shortly after the papers had been signed, he killed Eirin's father, and he still felt it was his biggest and best con to date, not only did he get to live in this gorgeous house, but on top of that, he took Eirin's allowance of £1,200 a year. 

After setting down the bowls of soup Eirin quietly left the dining room to prepare the next course. When they had arrived they had fired most all the staff, which left the majority of the work for Eirin. In the beginning she had been upset at the changes that had taken place, but as time went on, she barely even thought of it anymore. As she prepared the main course for Phillip's and Melissa's dinner, she let her mind wander away from the house and her life. She knew she was just dreaming, she knew this was her life now, it did her no good to think about what could have been, but it helped her get through her day to dream her way through her chores.

As Eirin set down the meat course and once again left the dining room, Melissa's face lightened up with a new idea. "Father, I have just had a fabulous idea. Hurry up and finish your meal, we need to go back to your study and discuss this. It is not something to be discussed in public." Phillip and Melissa finished their meal quickly and headed back to his office. Once there, Melissa closed the door and turned to her father. "I have solved our problem. Neither one of us will have to serve out the punishment, nor will we have to leave London. It's perfect!" 

"Then tell me, don't leave me standing here worrying, how do you know it will work? I can not imagine a scenario where we don't have to serve our punishment or leave." Phillip frowned at his daughter.

Melissa, looking very self-satisfied, turned to her father and said, "Melissa is going to serve the month per £100". 

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about!" Phillip sputtered at his daughter. "You just now said that neither one of us would serve our sentences, but now you tell me that you are going to serve your sentence."

"No, I did not. I said that Melissa would serve the sentence, I did not say I would." 

"You are making even less sense than you were. Either tell me what you are talking about and quit talking in riddles, or go away so I can think a way out of this for us."

Melissa rolled her eyes at her father, and began to speak to him slowly as if with a child. "Lord Hawthorn has never seen me, correct?" Phillip nodded his head. "Then he would have no idea if it was not actually me who came to serve out the sentence he has imposed?" Phillip then shook his head. "Well, all we have to do is send someone else in my place, he never comes into London, very few people go out to his estate, no one will ever know the difference. It is a perfect solution."

Phillip eyed his daughter speculatively, "I think it could work, but I'm not sure how we could get someone to go in your place. I assured him you were a beautiful young girl, so we can't use a prostitute, we couldn't find one pretty enough on such short notice. I can not imagine someone volunteering for the position. Who did you have in mind to take your spot?"

Melissa was practically exploding with excitement by this time. "That's the best part of all, we don't have to recruit or pay anyone, we'll just tell her to go, and she will. We will send Eirin in my stead. She won't argue with us, honestly, we don't even tell her what we are doing before she gets there. By now she is so intimidated that she will not even question what we are doing. I am amazed at how brilliant I am. This is the perfect solution for everyone."

Phillip was not so sure, "What if she gives us away? She will know immediately when she gets there and he calls her Melissa what is happening."

Melissa thought for a minute about that one, "Have you ever told him my name?"

"Of course not, the great Lord Hawthorn does not deign to speak to the hired help; until today I can not imagine that he even knew my name." Phillip shook his head at her.

"I can not see the problem, first of all, let her go there with her own name, she is not that bright and would probably forget any name we gave her anyway, second of all, go in calling her bluff and telling him what a liar she is; make him think she is trying to con her way out of staying. Honestly, it only has to work for a while. I do want to finish out the season and if you were to leave too early, it would look suspicious. By June we will be long gone from here and no one will be able to find us." Melissa finished proudly. 

Phillip jumped up and hugged his daughter, "That will work, you are right. This is wonderful, I have been so worried." Melissa patted her father on the back, and steered him towards the door, "Do not worry about it, I will take care of everything, you go on up and go to bed, and I will see you in the morning."

*****

The next morning, Melissa surprised Eirin by giving her one of her own dresses to wear. Then Phillip informed Eirin that they had an errand that needed running. Eirin and Phillip arrived at Lord Hawthorn's castle promptly at 9:00 am. Lord Hawthorn was surprised to see Phillip there; he figured he would have sent the girl on her own. He watched as they exited the carriage and walked up the steps. Once inside they were directed to the study to meet with Lord Hawthorn. "I am surprised to see you here Phillip, I expected you would have just dropped her off and left."

Phillip grinned nervously at the Lord and bowed, "No, m'lord, I have thought about what you said yesterday, she is a spoiled brat, and a liar; I could not have trusted her to come as far as the door from the carriage on her own. I came to deliver her to you, according to our agreement. 

Lord Hawthorn walked to Eirin and took her arm. Eirin reacted by jerking her arm away and backing towards the door, "What do you mean? What is going on here?" 

Lord Hawthorn raised his eyebrows and glanced at Phillip, "I assumed you meant you had told her what she was doing here, and why?"

"My lord, I assure you I have explained the circumstances of her being here, she is playing dumb with you. She has had me up all night with her crying and screaming. I have reached my wits end with her, and can now see that everything you said was true. That is the reason I have decided to bring her instead of turning my own self in." Phillip began bowing to Lord Hawthorn again.

Lord Hawthorn seriously doubted that, and was sure he brought her here because there was no way he was going to agree to spend even a night in jail. This worked just as well, however, and decided to let the point go. He once again went to grab Eirin's arm and this time refused to let go when she tried to pull away again. He turned towards Phillip and said, "I have made a full review of the house accounts, and from my calculations you have stolen £7,500 from me. Therefore, she will stay here, as my property for the next six years and 3 months. 

At that time she will be given a choice as to what she wants to do. I doubt anyone would be willing to marry her at that age; in any case, she probably will not be marriage material by that time, however, I will set her up as an employee of mine if she wishes. I make no promises on how I will conduct her punishment until that time. What I will tell you is that whatever I do will be my decision, and you will have no course of action against me for whatever I do to the girl until such time. Should she get with child, I will not claim the child, and it will simply be a bastard. I will not cause permanent damage to her, neither will I do anything to cause death. Other than that, I have full rights to her and everything about her. Do you understand these conditions?"

Phillip blanched, but did not back down, he gave an extra low bow to the lord and told him that yes, he understood all the conditions as they had been laid out for him.

"Good, then I will need you to sign this document, it states everything I have said to you, and prevents legal action at a future time. Lord Hawthorn dragged the girl over to the desk and picked up a stack of papers to hand to Phillip for his signature.

After Phillip had signed the papers, he turned and left the office with no more than a cursory glance at Eirin, not even wishing her a good-bye.

By this time, Eirin had stopped trying to wiggle out of Lord Hawthorn's grasp, and was standing beside him just staring out the door that her guardian had just exited. She was sure that she must have misunderstood what had just happened. It sounded like she had just been sold to this lord. That was impossible, wasn't it? There is no slavery in England? Especially not of young ladies. Furthermore, she was the daughter of a Duke, there is just simply no way that she understood the proceedings that have just occurred. At this point she looked to Lord Hawthorn, hoping for some sign that she was wrong. He turned towards her and grabbing both her arms, turned her fully towards him.

"Please do not play dumb with me. Your father has said in front of you that you know exactly what is going on, I do not have time for games. You will soon find out that you can have a pleasant experience here, or you can have an experience that goes beyond anything you could have ever imagined towards being unpleasant. Tell me your name." Lord Hawthorn released her arms and sat again in his chair, looking up at her face.

Eirin just stood there. She had no idea what she was supposed to do now, he had not told her that everything was a joke. He had not told her that in actuality he was here to save her from her horrible guardian and his equally horrible daughter. She was not sure of everything he was talking about, but she had a suspicion that it would not be good for her.

Lord Hawthorn watched her mull over her situation with growing impatience. When she had walked in, she had looked so beautiful that he began to think this might not be so bad after all, but if she continued to be difficult, he was not going to be pleased. After watching her pull on a lank of hair for a few minutes he sighed and stood up. She quickly backed away from him but ran into the edge of the desk before getting anywhere. He reached out to grab her one more time, and said in a voice that showed just how far his patience had run out, "I will not repeat every question and directive for you. You will learn to obey orders and answer my questions. You will find that I am a man of limited patience, and I will not stretch them for you. Now tell me your name."

Eirin looked up startled, and blurted out her name. Her quick mind was already filing through her options, and she had decided that if she cooperated, maybe she could make something of this. She already knew what her guardian and his daughter were like; maybe it would be better here. So far, it didn't seem like it could, but when they had moved into her house, she hadn't thought she could live through that either. But she had, and if she used her brain maybe she could make it here. How long had he said she had to stay? Eirin was brought back to the present when Lord Hawthorn yelled out into the hallway for someone else to come into the room.

"I'm sorry m'lord, what did you say?' She looked embarrassed at having missed what was going on. 

He turned back towards her and repeated, "I said, I would like to have a look at my property. Please undress."

Eirin couldn't imagine such a thing. Here? In a study? With a man? No man had ever seen her undressed, ever, in her whole life. She started shaking her head and backing away even further, placing her hands behind her on the desk, wondering if she could get over it and out the door before he caught her. At that moment a man came in the room. 

"Ah, Jonathan, would you please hold Eirin's hands at her back? She appears to not want to cooperate with me, and I find I am not in the mood to play at the moment." Lord Hawthorn seemed not to mind at all that another man was in the room, or that he was being inconvenienced by her refusal. As a matter of fact, he appeared to be pleased that she was refusing. The man on the other side of the desk grabbed her arms at the elbow and jerked her around on the desk so she was facing Lord Hawthorn straight on.

Lord Hawthorn stood up and took her face in his hands. His hands were surprisingly gentle as he turned her face to look at him. "Now, let me tell you, I had had no more intention than to just view you for right now. However, I can not let disobedience go, and now you must suffer through having another observer present. You will find in time that the only way to survive here is by doing what you are told, and doing it quickly. Do you understand me?"

Eirin was looking up into the greyest eyes she had ever seen, mixed with silver and white, with a touch of dark grey towards the center. She wished she could see through them, to understand something of what this man was thinking. However, all she saw was his determination. She began to shake as his hands left her face and traveled down to her dress. She started squirming on the desk, feeling very uncomfortable with where his hands appeared to be headed.

"Hold her arms tight, Jonathan. I wish to get this over with and return to my work." At that Lord Hawthorn took hold of the neckline of her dress and in one motion ripped the dress down to her waist. Eirin screamed and started kicking out at Lord Hawthorn. He was still trying to get the dress to rip down the length of the skirt, and was not fast enough to miss a particularly lucky kick to his groin. He bent double, turning red in the face. 

Jonathan, from where he was still holding Eirin from the other side of the desk peered over at the lord who had fallen back into his chair and was gasping for breath. "Want I should 'it 'er fer you m'lord?" 

Lord Hawthorn stood back up and grabbed a handful of Eirin's hair. "No, Jonathan, that will not be necessary". He glared back down at Eirin, and there was no more silver left in his eyes, they had become dark storm clouds and his raven black brows were pulled into a v-shape over those eyes. 

Eirin was no longer fighting to get free, she wasn't moving at all. She was more scared now than she had ever been in her entire life. She had never in her life caused injury to another person, and if she could think of any person she could have caused harm to, she was pretty sure she had chosen the wrong person. She had no idea what he would do to her now, and if ever before she needed to think fast, now was the time. Lord Hawthorn glanced at the man behind her and told him to be sure to hold her tight, and not let go. He then turned his menacing countenance upon her as she shrinked back from him, tugging even more on the hair he still held in his hand. 

"I-I I'm truly s-sorry, really, I a-am, I j-j-just didn't want you to un-undress me. It is n-not seemly for m-man to see me without my c-clothes." Eirin was stammering now, and had a terrible feeling of foreboding, which was only being encouraged by dark look that lingered in his eyes.

Lord Hawthorn stood looking down at Eirin while holding her in place by her hair. This girl was going to learn her place. He would not spend the next six years fighting with her. She had already cost him £7,500. By this time, Lord Hawthorn could think of nothing else except to punish this girl and make her pay for the trouble and grief she had caused him. 

"You just don't know when to quit do you? First you refuse to follow directions; that got you a second observer in here, now you have physically accosted me. I was going to just look at you, then let you go to your room to clean up and acclimate yourself to your situation. You have forfeited that right." Lord Hawthorn could no longer think of anything other than the fact that she had kicked him and hurt him, at this moment all he wanted was to hurt her back. With that he released her hair and in one tug tore her dress the rest of the way down. 

Pulling a sharp letter opener from his desk he cut through her corset and pantalets. As she was bared before him he reached down to release his own hard cock from his pants. He doubted that she was a virgin, but he knew he was big, and in the current situation, she was probably dry as well. She would learn to obey him and cooperate no matter what he had to do. However, he had promised not to cause her serious injury. He knew he had to prepare her before she would be ready for him. He reached down stuck his finger in her dry hole. She winced at the pain it caused. Bringing his finger back to his mouth, he sucked on it to make it wet. Once again he inserted his finger into her; this time he used his thumb to stimulate her clit at the same time. He could feel her becoming wetter. He reached down and withdrew his now rock hard cock from his pants. 

He did not want her too stimulated, so he withdrew his finger before she began to show signs of enjoyment and in one thrust was seated deep within her. He felt her tense at the sudden intrusion, but did not pause before he withdrew and pounded back into her again. She was so tight, he had never before felt someone who squeezed so perfectly. He looked at her face, and saw that she was panting. In addition, her legs were squeezing him tightly around the hips. He was absolutely not going have her reach her completion during her punishment, so he leaned forward and took her nipple in his mouth. He could feel her tense around him as he bit down until he drew blood, and knew he wouldn't last much longer. 

She was exquisite; he had never been in anyone that felt as perfect to him as she did at that moment. It was with this thought that he felt his balls pull up close to his body and he began to spurt deep within her depths. He thrust within her faster and faster, feeling his pelvic bone hit hers with each thrust, and he felt light headed with his release and fell upon her breast.

Eirin was still reeling from the fact that she had kicked him. What would he do to her now? He was pulling her head around by her hair, and she was trying not to fight him, lest she upset him even more. Suddenly he released her hair and she was starting to roll her neck to relieve the tension from the odd angle he had been holding it at when she saw from the corner of her eye as he picked up a letter opener. It took all the control she had to not shrink from him again. 

She found herself praying to god that he would not hurt her. She knew she would behave, if he wouldn't kill her. Before she had a chance to react he had slit her corset and pantalets and she found herself completely naked in front of this man that she had first set eyes on this morning. The next thing she knew he was sticking his finger inside her. It burned, like the time she had fallen down the tree, except this time the pain was on the inside. She watched transfixed as he slid his finger, the one that had just been inside of her, into his mouth and swished it around. She had never even thought of such a thing. 

She was so overwhelmed with her feelings of unreality that she was not even aware that he had pulled his cock from his pants. She felt him pull her legs farther up his hips and once again she felt a burning fire tear through her. She had no idea what was happening. She was breathing so fast, and each breath was a misery for her. She was ripping on the inside, she just knew it. It felt like there was a metal vice inside her body and it was pinching her insides. Eirin wanted to cry out, but she couldn't catch her breath. She could not imagine a worse pain, then she felt what she thought must be the letter opener surrounding her nipple. She opened her eyes and saw that he was biting her nipple. She could see blood welling up from around his teeth. Her entire body hurt. She was running out of breath and in a few moments she would faint. 




Eirin



At that moment he slumped over her falling on her already sore nipple. She felt one last slice through her center as he finally withdrew from her. As soon as he pulled away from her she pulled her knees up to her chest and fell to her side on the desk. 

Lord Hawthorn pulled from Eirin and stood back from her watching her lay sideways on the desk. He quickly looked away from her and told Jonathan to lock her in the 'whore's room' next to his. Jonathan pulled her over the desk and onto the floor. Without giving her a chance to get her balance he jerked her from the room by her elbow. After she was gone he pulled his pants up without bothering to look at his now limp dick. He was beginning to rethink what he had done. 

He had let his emotions rule him, and he never did that. No, he would now get back to work, as he had originally planned. She got nothing less than what she deserved. She was probably a slut anyway. If he had gone any slower, or been any nicer she would have enjoyed it, and that would have defeated the purpose. She would never refuse or disobey him again, of that she was sure.

Eirin felt herself being dragged along, but she couldn't seem to get her mind to connect with her feet. As hard as she tried to keep up she kept tripping over herself. On the stairs she tripped on her now useless dress and banged her knee, but the big man did not release her, merely bumped her up three more stairs before she was able to get her other hand down to steady herself again. 

She then found herself following him down a dark hallway and into huge room. Before she could even begin to look around she was shoved into a dark room and the door was shut behind her and the lock was clicked. She had been abused, and shut into a dark room; she wasn't sure how much more she could take. She put her hand out in front of herself and tried to find out how big the room was. She knew that she would faint before long, but with any luck she would manage to find a safe place to lie down before that happened. She was inching her way along the wall when her head hit something hard and she knew no more.

*****

Christopher Hawthorn sat at his desk staring blindly out the window. Look what she made me do! What a spoiled girl she was. Well, she would learn quickly enough that he wasn't a man to be trifled with. He was someone who would teach her that he was the one in charge, and she would either follow suit, or fall behind. Well, he couldn't leave her up there, he would have to send someone up to check on her and make sure she was alright. 

He called for Maria and sent her up to the room to check on her condition and make sure she didn't need anything. He would decide later how he would deal further with her. The one thing he could not understand was how he felt while he was inside of her. He couldn't come up with a good way to describe it, except it felt right. Just as he came to this conclusion he heard a scream from the second floor. He was on his feet and running up the stairs in seconds. The scream was coming from his own chambers; he ran through them and drew to a halt at the doorway to Eirin's room. She was lying face down on the floor with blood pooling underneath her from both her pussy and her head.