A bright, sunny morning with hardly a cloud in the sky; the girls had risen from their beds and had showered and dressed by 9.30. They took their breakfast of coffee and buttered toast on the terrace, sitting opposite each other with the low onyx-topped table between them.
Jane was helping herself to more coffee. She was wearing a blue silk blouse. The blouse was semi-transparent, the white lace on the top of her camisole was showing through it.
Looking over at her friend as she nibbled at a slice of toast, Susan could see she was not wearing a bra, she could clearly discern the outline of Jane's small, pert breasts beneath the two thin layers of clothing.
'It's going to be very hot this afternoon,' Jane said, placing her feet on the edge of the table.
'Yes, it's quite warm already,' Susan replied, as she unfastened the single button on her linen jacket and leaned back on her chair, causing her breasts to thrust out against her white chiffon blouse.
'I hope you are not going to our picnic dressed like that,' Jane said, observing that Susan wasn't wearing anything underneath her blouse; the coral pink aureoles and perky tips of her firm, rounded breasts were clearly visible beneath the sheer, lustrous chiffon.
'Dressed like what?' Susan asked.
'Wearing a see-through blouse with nothing beneath.'
'Well, you yourself said it was going to be hot this afternoon.'
'That's hardly the point,' Jane said, lifting her feet onto the tabler and drawing back her royal blue skirt until it rested across her slender thighs.
Emulating her friend, Susan placed her feet at the edge of the table and hitched up her black cotton skirt until the hem lay across her hips, exposing her long, suntanned legs and her white silk French knickers.
'I'm really looking forward to today's picnic,' she said. 'David is quite a dish, isn't he?'
Jane nodded in agreement.
'How old do you think he is?' Susan asked.
'Early 20s. 25 at the most, I'd guess.'
'He's got a terrific bod, from what I could see of it. Very muscular.'
'I wonder if he has a big willie?' Jane ventured.
Susan felt a tingling thrill racing through her body, her imagination sparked by her friend's words.
'Yes, I should imagine it's very long and thick.'
'Oh, Susan!' Jane laughed, noticing that Susan's nipples had stiffened and were now jutting out against her blouse. 'Look at your boobs!'
Susan was well aware of her state of arousal. She raised her hands to her breasts and gently cupped them, her thumbs stroking the silky fabricof her blouse against her nipples. '
'It's your fault for bringing up the subject of David's willie,' she said, pouting her full lips at Jane.
'Calm down, for goodness sake,' Jane playfully admonished her, a teasing smile spreading across her elfin-like face. 'If you're not careful you'll be creaming those gorgeous knickers.'
'Do you like them?' Susan asked, as she moved her hands down to finger the scallops of lace that decorated the hemsof the loose legs of her knickers.
'They're absolutely divine. I'm sure they're heavenly to wear.'
'I bought them at La Perla when I drove into town yesterday, while you were out riding. They were rather expensive.'
'Oh, don't tell me how much they were,' Jane said, feigning a sulk. 'You'll have me turning green with envy.'
'They cost over £100.' Susan laughed as she trailed her fingertips across her abdomen.
'Gosh!' Jane exclaimed. 'I could never afford to spend that much on underwear.'
'Not that I paid for them – I used one of Mother's credit cards.'
'Whilst I'm at uni I have to make do with the £50 a month clothing allowance my father sends me.'
'£50 a month! How do you get by on that?'
'Exactly,' Jane said, running her hand through her short-cropped black hair, 'you should try telling him that. But I have to admit that if I see something that really takes my fancy, like the new camisole and panties set I'm wearing today, I can usually cajole Daddy into paying for it – but if I were to ask him for £100 for a pair of knickers he'd probably have a seizure.'
'Umm, new undies. Show, Jane, do!'
Complying with Susan's request, Jane parted her legs to reveal a pair of ice-blue, bikini-style panties. The upper section of the panties were transparent; an inch or so of Jane's pubic hair was showing above the shiny gusset, which had an opaque double layer of fabric. As she opened her legs wider, the gusset stretched taut between them, clinging to the contours of her labia like a second skin.
'Lovely,' Susan declared. 'I'm sure David will fully appreciate such a delightful sight.'
'And what makes you think David is going to see my panties?' Jane asked as she closed her legs.
'Oh, I know you well enough darling. I'm sure you will contrive a way of offering him a look up your skirt at some point during our picnic.'
Both girls broke into a fit of laughter, which only stopped when the maid appeared on the terrace. They removed their feet from the table as she approached them.
'Have you finished your breakfasts, Miss Susan, Miss Jane?'
'Yes Jenny, you can clear the table now.' Susan answered.
The maid placed the crockery and the coffee pot on the silver tray.
'If I may be permitted to say Miss Susan, I think you would be wise to cover yourself up. Your mother is on her way down, and you know Her Ladyship's views on personal modesty.'
'Yes, you're right, Jenny.' Susan said, rising to her feet. She buttoned her jacket, and ran her hands through her shoulder-length blonde hair. 'We don't want to start the day on the wrong foot.'
****
Lady Dovescote was already sitting in the armchair by the French windows, reading the morning paper, when the girls entered the lounge.
'Who is this young man you have invited to your picnic this afternoon Susan?' Her mother asked, putting down her newspaper.
'Oh Mother, I've already told you twice.' Susan replied. 'His name is David Carswell, and he is staying at Whitestone Manor as a guest of Sir Richard.'
'That's all well and good,' her mother said. 'But what exactly does he do?'
'David works in the city Mother, he's some kind of accountant. He does a lot of work for Sir Richard. He's only staying over until tomorrow, that's why we invited him to our picnic today.'
'I do wish you would let Jenny chaperone you. She has very little to do today, I'm sure I won't miss her. You know I do not considered it appropriate for two 19 year-old girls to go picnicking in the wood with a young man of whom they appear to know very little. I don't want to be worrying about the pair of you all afternoon.'
'We're going in the mini moke, there will be no room for Jenny. If you are so worried about our safety, why don't you phone Sir Richard and ask his opinion of David?' Susan said, knowing that her mother would do no such thing.
'Very well then,' Lady Dovescote relented. 'I'll tell Cook to pack a hamper for you. She can prepare salad sandwiches, and there is a veal and ham pie in the larder that you can take.'
Lady Dovescote was about to resume reading her morning paper when she looked up at Susan again, as though she had just remembered something.
'By the way, I don't suppose either of you have seen my Barclaycard. I'm almost certain I left it on the table in the hallway, next to the telephone, yesterday morning.'
'Oh Mother, your memory is getting worse than ever,' Susan declared.
'I'm only 49 years of age dear. Senile dementia can hardly be setting in just yet.' Lady Dovescote chided her daughter.
'Jane and I will keep an eye out for your credit card. I'm sure it will eventually turn up somewhere,' Susan said, gratefully drawing a line under the subject.
****
The girls had arranged to meet David Carswell at Crofter's Wood, which marked the boundary between Lady Dovescote and Sir Richard's properties at the southernmost point of the Dovescote estate. Susan's family had used the grassy dell in the wood as a picnic site for as far back as she could remember. Her father had set up a sturdy wooden table there, with bench-type seats attached to it.
David was already waiting for the them when the girls arrived in the moke. He was wearing a white, short- sleeved shirt, fawn-coloured trousers and a pair of white tennis shoes. Unlike when they had stopped to chat with him whilst out riding the previous Sunday, he wasn't wearing a hat; a shock of blond hair now hung down across his forehead.
In her eagerness to greet David, Jane quickly climbed out of the moke, leaving Susan to carry the hamper and woollen travelling rug.
'Hello Jane.' David smiled at her as she approached him. 'How nice to see you again. I must say you are looking rather stunning today.'
'Thank you,' she replied.
'Hi Susan,' David greeted Susan as she joined them.
'Hello David. I hope we've not kept you waiting too long.'
'No, not at all - and besides if you had it would have been well worth the wait. 'I was just complimenting Jane on her appearance, and I must say you too look absolutely ravishing.'
Susan led the way down the woodland path to the dell. Jane and David followed, her arm linked through his.
When they reached the dell Susan placed the hamper and the rug on the end of the picnic table; David sat down at the end of the table where she had begun unpacking the hamper and Jane sat down next to him.
