Ok, this is my first attempt at writing, so it might be a little on the rough side until I get an idea of where I want my writing to take me. Constructive criticism is welcome, and I am open to any useful suggestions or ideas you might have. Please, no bashers. Hope you like it!
Renee
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Our story begins in the early 1800's England, on the estate of Lord Carrington, Earl of Bendford, just north of London. The Earl's only daughter, Katherine, rose early that morning, dressed in her favorite emerald velvet riding habit, quietly snuck down the back stairs and out a side door. She lifted her face to the brightly shining sunlight, not caring that it might put a few faint freckles across her nose. She tossed her bright auburn curls over one shoulder and headed off for the stables to fetch her mare, Sally. Stepping inside the shadows of the musty building, smelling of horses, straw, dirt and leather, Kate gently eased the door of Sally's stall open, praying the hinges wouldn't squeak as she did so. Her father had been very adamant that she always take a groom with her when she rode in the forest of their estate, but she simply didn't want any company today. It looked to be a very hot day today and she had been looking forward to swimming in the large natural pool just on the other side of her father's estate for a week now. A groom wouldn't let her cross the estate boundary and even if he would, she certainly couldn't strip to her shift with someone watching.
After leading her mare out of the gloom of the stable, Kate managed to saddle her, using the lightest sidesaddle she could find and fastening a bridle on her horse, looked for a mounting block. She settled for a nearby fence, clutching her skirts over one arm as she climbed up and into the sidesaddle. After draping a spare towel she had grabbed from the house on her way out, Kate nudged Sally and whispered, "Go, girl!"
Off they flew, across the back road and over the meadow, entering the wooded part of her father's estate. Her hair flew out behind her as she rode, a bright red flame in the sun. About 20 minutes later, she reached the boundary which was guarded by a low lying stone wall about 2 feet tall. She urged her mare on, leaping easily over the wall to the other side, with the hidden glen just on the other side. The trees grew very densely here, with a rocky outcropping towering to the left. Kate had found a space just big enough to squeeze through, although she had to leave her horse behind, tethered to a tree. Grabbing the towel, she stepped towards the small pool at the base of the outcropping, unbuttoning her habit as she wentโฆ
Just a few miles away, Lord Sinclair Harper, Sin to his friends, was out for his morning ride on his black stallion and was also thinking of taking a dip in the glen's pool. Sin had been away for 8 years, earning his fortune in Jamaica with an export business. His father had demanded that he marry some simpering London chit when he was 21 or be tossed out on his ear. Sin had left his father's house that very night with a few thousand pounds he'd borrowed from close friends, a few changes of clothes, and headed off to South America and the Cayman Islands to make his own way. He had succeeded beyond even his expectations and owned a fleet of ships, one of which he had outfitted for comfort and speed. This same ship, the Marianne (after his mother), brought him home when he received word of his father's unexpected death by heart attack. Apparently he'd been reading his estate manager the riot act when he suddenly clutched his chest and fell to the floor. Sin didn't make it home in time for the funeral and felt a twinge of sorrow for the relationship he'd never had with his father. Today he was going over his father's estate, now his, the new Viscount Arden. The estate seemed to be in fair condition, a few changes needed to be made but nothing that required his immediate attention. He approached the back entrance to the hidden glen, deciding to cool off in the pool he had visited often as a child. Tying his horse to a nearby branch, Sin stripped off his coat, waistcoat and shirt, laying them over his saddle. He left his boots and trousers on, not wanting to walk through the often prickly brush bare-assed.
Kate hesitated on the rocky edge of the pool, feeling a little wicked as she impulsively stripped off her shift and dipped one toe in the cool water. Though it was fairly hot in the sun, the water was still a bit colder than she liked and she decided to ease her way in, a little at a time. First up to her knees, then trailing her fingertips in the water as it lapped gently around her trim thighs, feeling a tingle run down her spine as the water caressed the soft folds between her legs. Once the water reached her waist, Kate took a deep breath and plunged under the surface, only to burst back up with a half scream from the water's chill. "Oh! That's cold!" As she became used to the water's temperature, she dove under the surface, swimming for the far side of the poolโฆ
Sin was halfway through the brush to the hidden glen's clearing when he heard a short scream, then a splash. "What the hellโฆ" He ran the rest of the way to the pool inside the glen, stripping off his boots and trousers as he went, leaving only his drawers on. Seeing a ripple in the water, he assumed someone must have tripped on one of the rocks and fallen in. Not wasting a moment, Sin dove into the water, his hand almost immediately coming in contact with soft flesh that he wrapped a muscular arm around and pulled to the surface. Once his head was out of the water, he noticed he had a hold of a beautiful naked young woman, who also seemed extremely angry at him for pulling her up out of the water. Her firm, round breasts where pressed against his chest, her nipples poking him like little pebbles. She sputtered, through the wet hair hanging in her eyes, "Unhand me, you -- you -- cretin!" while squirming, trying to move her body away from his muscular one. All her wiggling around was causing Sin's body to respond, his cock hardening and nudging her naked belly through his wet drawers. He couldn't help the deep growl that immerged from his throat as he pulled her tight against him, pushing her hair aside he lowered his lips to her lush mouth.