A Summer in Olympia

There was enough visibility to get to the barn without carrying a lantern. The moon was approaching first quarter, and its light guided me down the path without a stumble. I'd been to the barn a few times when I needed a ride into town for writing supplies, and the lads, Gus and Max, were kind and helpful. The animals were quiet in the darkness, not stirring at my approach.

I saw a gleam from inside the barn, and from a distance I heard a woman's voice muttering: "My sins, my sins, oh my many sins." Then I heard the slap of leather and a cry; my first impulse was to take a couple of rapid steps forward as someone was clearly in danger, but on reflection I thought it better to approach unseen. I made certain my steps were unheard, and arrived to the scene.

Lady Alice stood between two great wooden pillars to the barn, her hands tied to them at full extension. She was completely naked: her hair was undone, and her body was slightly chubby, typical of a women in her late 40s. On the low wall of a stall nearby her tea-dress hung neatly, with her underthings next it. Her shoes sat on the floor with her stockings carefully rolled up in them. Her skin had several red stripes on it, ranging up and down her torso, and two whips landed on her bare back right after I got there. "My sins, my sins, please God forgive me my great sinfulness," she wailed. Her abusers were not well illuminated, but I could tell they were Gus and Max from their size and outlines. A lash came around to caress the underside of her breasts, and another landed on her backside. She was bathed in sweat, but her face was not completely lost in pain: there was an eagerness to receive more punishment there I found disconcerting. She danced a little in place, recovering from the last two strokes, and the young men waited until she nodded in agreement before they struck again.

I noticed she did not cry at the top of her voice: her volume was only enough to be heard in the barn. Sweat glistened from her body, plastering some of her hair to her forehead and matting the dark patch between her legs. Several lashes struck in succession, making her breasts wobble and her legs dance, her mouth moving in silent screams. A nod and the lads put down their whips.

"All right, my boys," she said in a strangely calm voice, "time to reward your efforts. Use me as you did before." The larger one came forward and stood before her, undoing his trousers and after a few strokes of his hand, inserted his prick. The other one produced his member and stroked it to readiness, licking his lips as he watched the scene. She moaned in a wild lust I could not have imagined her capable of producing, bucking against his body as he used her. Soon, he withdrew and went around behind her, parting her buttocks. She gasped and groaned as he invaded her backside, which was the signal for the other lad to come around and take his place before her, penetrating her vagina with a quick thrust.

Her head lolled against her forward partner's shoulder, her eyes closed and mouth open, sweat streaming down her face. The young men grunted in their exertions, and laughed as she wailed in delight at their attentions. She had one huge orgasm after another before they spent their energies within her. Supporting her limp body, they untied her and lowered her into the hay covering the floor as she recovered from her ordeal. At that time, I decided to retreat.

On my way back, I noticed the lights on in Sir Charles' study. Since I'd seen him on the verge of violation the night before, I guessed that he would be seeking the rear entrance of his butler that evening, unless he planned something with Penny the next day.

Time flowed quickly the next two days. I sequestered myself in the study as I copied the new string quartet and produced a set of parts, escaping the penance of tea with the Broughams. Maurice checked on me periodically, calm and formal as ever, seeing that I was fed and supplied with pots of coffee. On the second night, a Thursday, Mrs. Edwards visited me before I finished my evening's labors. "Mr. MacLeod, I need you to know something," she began.

"Yes," I said, worried at what it might be.

"I know you've been keeping company with Opal and Pearl while I was gone. I don't blame you: I never asked for a commitment from you or a vow of fidelity. I also know you haven't taken the most precious prize a young woman has from them either, of which I am grateful. Also I know you've treated the younger ones with charity and respect as their musical tutor. You are a better man that most I've known in my life."

"Thank you, Mrs. Edwards." I was worried about where she was going.

"My Colorado sojourn has left me more tired than usual, so I will not be able to attend to some of your needs as I have before. I don't know what your plans are after you leave Olympia, but you're a promising young man in your mid 20's, and I imagine they don't include hiring a housekeeper away from your current employer. So I ask that you continue your respect of this household's occupants as before, and thank you for your kindness."

I took a deep breath and let it out. "Thank you, Mrs. Edwards. I'm sure we'll see a great deal of each other before my work here is finished."

"You know I can't deny you anything you want, even if it's. . ." She slipped out of the door, and I felt a strange emptiness inside me.

Maurice appeared with a small drink on a tray thirty minutes later. "It is nine thirty, and you have a long day in the city tomorrow. I suggest you drink this and retire for the evening."

I stood up, rubbed my eyes and took the drink. "Thank you, Maurice, thank you. I appreciate your kindness in every way."

Her eyebrow rose and a slight smile graced her lips. "Indeed sir, you are most welcome."

"I saw something last night that amazed me, and wondered about its significance."

"Yes? Tell me."

"I went to the barn last night, and. . ."

"Ah, yes, say no more, please. How do I begin this? Let me say that as a young woman in her teens, Lady Alice was sent to a boarding school in France, a place run by very strict nuns; it was there she developed most of her attitudes toward the French, obviously. She found out about the mortification of the flesh there, and has practiced it at times when she felt guilty about something."

"I've never heard of this before. It's that a Catholic thing?"

"Not exclusively, although I knew of it in my homeland, even outside the monasteries. And of course, Lady Alice could never become Catholic and be accepted in society. Over the years, she has felt responsible for Sir Charles' failings, including what she perceives is his excessive sinful urges for perverted sex."

"But surely those drives are his responsibility alone?"

"Indeed sir, but not in her mind. She cannot bring herself to do more for him that a proper Victorian wife would do, but she blames herself for not satisfying his desires enough to keep him exclusively hers."

That explains her patronage of the Edwards clan, and why she felt she needed to bring them to America. "So how does that explain last night?"

"Her own desires are not normal, either. Over the years, I fulfilled her desire for punishment she desired."

"You whipped her?"

"Yes. As the boys came of age, Lady Alice worried about how their manhood might be corrupted by low born women, since they are somewhat like their father, and felt compelled to offer herself to them to keep them from social diseases and entrapment by young women of loose morals."

"Wow! That is an attitude I cannot comprehend or fathom. And their mother knows?"

"Yes. Bella has ways of finding things out, much to my chagrin. She will also not stop Sir Charles or Lady Alice from doing anything they wish, even if it horrifies her. The possibility of the lads seeking out random girls for sexual gratification worries her as well, and Lady Alice seems a safe alternative. For the time being."

I knocked back my drink and went to the window to get some fresh air. Maurice stayed in place, waiting patiently, an eyebrow raised in possible invitation. "Stunned, just stunned. Thank you, Maurice, I don't believe I shall need anything else at the moment. My head needs to stop spinning and I have a long day tomorrow."

To say I had a long day the next day was an understatement. We left Olympia at an obscenely early hour, before the sun peeked over the Eastern horizon, with only a tiny nibble to last us through the morning. The first rehearsal _Andromeda Chained_ was barely contained chaos, the mismatched cast struggling with their roles and Alfred almost tearing his carefully sculpted hair out by the roots in frustration. Sir Charles added to the chaos, shouting instructions over the rail at frequent intervals, and Penny's expression of unqualified adoration faded into unlimited confusion as the day wore on, she struggled to record his exhortations. During the last hour of the morning, I went down to the pit to give Alfred my moral support and get away from the composer. For the afternoon session, I sat on stage and served as prompter, due to my intimate knowledge of the score I'd copied, and tried to help contain the maelstrom.

At last it was over, and all went home in library silence. Alfred snuck out without speaking to Sir Charles, which I explained was due to a wedding of another Society donor he had to attend. We stopped for a meal at an impressive restaurant that utter failed to live up to its reputation, and the ride back to Olympia was uncharacteristic silence. When we returned, Sir Charles took me by the arm to his study.

"Mr. MacLeod, I have no patience for what happened today. This is more than I can handle, this kind of stress and excitement led to my abandoning any active role in the theater back in England years ago. You shall be my representative for this production from now on; I shall stay away from there until the premiere and occupy myself with other activities. My God, if I were there for every rehearsal I am not sure the finest doctor in America could treat the hypertension I would suffer. No, no, you have the gift and you shall see this through; I give you full authority over the production as my delegate. If we need to renegotiate your salary, so be it. I shall engage rooms at a fine hotel nearby you can use as your base, and you will return here for the weekends to report."

I sat and thought for a moment, then agreed with alacrity. Alfred would appreciate it, I knew for certain. "Yes, sir. This is a more than my original agreement, and I expect to be paid according for my time."

"Fine, I will double your salary. Someone will stop in during the week to check on your progress and make sure you are in good health and spirits. They begin again Tuesday, correct? I shall have Maurice attend to the details. As for now, I must retire, for my overwrought nerves cannot handle any other activity today."

The weekend was quiet, and after another pious Sunday's worship and fellowship, I prepared a few things for my relocation closer to civilization. Monday saw the completion of the work on his String Quartet, and curious of how the Broughams were faring, I went to spy on them through the secret passageways. Sir Charles was in his study, smoking and drinking with Maurice in high spirits; Lady Alice wasn't in her chambers as expected. A look out the window showed three figures in the garden; I doused my lights and got my binoculars to see who it was. The two young men were entertaining themselves with Lady Alice: her dress was laid neatly on the ground beside her underdress, and her breasts were exposed above her corset; one lad was behind her mauling her tits savagely while the other stood before her as she sucked and licked at his crotch. His frame quivered and quaked until he at last withdrew, and the two lads traded places, moving slightly so I could see Lady Alice eagerly taking a young prick between her lips. It struck me odd that she would grant them favors she explicitly denied her husband.

My own passions were kindled by this scene, and my naked nocturnal nymphs appeared to console me before my departure. After our frolics, they cried that they would miss me and would make the weekends special upon my return.

My appearance without the rest of the Olympia party was greeted with shouts of joy at the rehearsal theater, and the enterprise swiftly brought me back to the halcyon day of Leipzig. My first move as Sir Charles' delegate was to dismiss the original cast he'd chosen and replace them with singers Alfred and I readily agreed upon. The stage director was introduced, and we moved quickly spend the 5 weeks' rehearsal effectively. My rooms at the residential hotel nearby were generous and comfortable, and Alfred and Minnie looked after my care and feeding.

Three productive weeks flew by, interrupted by odd weekends of sacred and secular entertainment at Olympia, and one mid-afternoon before a complete run through, a tall woman in a blue evening gown with a matching cap entered the balcony. She was wearing long white gloves, dangling earrings that sparkled, elegant shoes, and her purse matched her dress perfectly. Approaching me gracefully, I noticed something familiar to her gait. She sat next to me, and I turned to look at her face and hair: it was Maurice. "What are you doing here?" I murmured in her ear.

"I'm seeing to your progress on Sir Charles' behalf. It was thought my usual garb might excite Herr Ernst's attentions, so I chose this disguise."

"It should be adequate to the task," I said. She was wearing a delicate fragrance made from lavender, and her makeup was artfully done: not too much and not too little. "You're in luck; we're about to do a full run through with blocking in about five minutes."

"Excellent." With that, the overture began, and for the next two and a half hours we listened to Sir Charles musical drama of ancient Greece. During the first act, I felt a touch on my thigh and looked down to see an elegant, red lacquered finger wandering near my manhood. A glance downward revealed that her neckline was low enough that from the side most of her white, freckled breasts were in view, with a ring of brown pressed up to the fabric. She gave me a quick sidelong glance with an upturned eyebrow before devoting her attention to the stage. I had a difficult time, since my trousers were struggling to contain me by the third act.

It became more difficult when the rehearsal ended and Alfred came up to the balcony. He started speaking before he got to the top of the stairs "How was it, Frankie? Things to your satisfaction?" Seeming I had company, he switched into English and adopted a very different attitude: "Hello, my dear lady, I do not believe I have had the pleasure." He came to a formal bow and reached to kiss her hand.

"Alfred, let me present Miss Shannon Fitzmaurice, and old friend of mine from home. She happened to hear I was in town today, and came to visit me. Shannon, this is Herr Alfred Ernst, the conductor of the St. Louis Choral-Symphony Society and musical director of this opera."

Maurice permitted Alfred to kiss her hand and cooed: "Enchanted to meet you, Herr Ernst. Frank is effusive in your praise."

"You are most kind, Fraulein Fitzmaurice. I would be honored if you would join Herr MacLeod, my wife and I for dinner this evening."

"Of course," she murmured.

"May I say what a beautiful speaking voice you have, there are so few elegant contraltos. Have you ever sung professionally?"

"No, I think not. I'm honored you would think my singing voice would be to your liking."

After giving the cast their notes from the rehearsal, Alfred led us to his office where his wife Minnie met us. The ladies hit it off at once, and we spent a very pleasant evening with them. Maurice paid close attention to our comments about the production. We did not indulge very heavily that evening, since Alfred had to prepare for a concert the next day and I had to finish some paperwork for the production before returning to Olympia for the weekend. Our frivolity was such we stopped a passing photographer to take a series of pictures to preserve the evening, which Maurice assented to with great deal of humor.

I took care to enter my hotel through a side entrance so my companion would not be noticed, and she avoided surveillance easily, getting to my rooms without being observed. "That was different," I said lightly, falling into a chair, laughing.

"I had to sneak around a lot of places in the army, so I've had a lot of practice," Maurice said, laughing, as she removed her hat and gloves. "This was nothing: I slipped into a maharajah's harem in India and gathered information about a rebel movement without being spotted. And that was without wearing women's clothes."

I looked at her: she was stunning. "Well, I must say you are a vision in women's clothing. . ."

"What!?!"

"A vision of loveliness, for sure. My goodness, you almost seduced Alfred away from his wife just by the cut of your gown and your demeanor alone. And you certainly didn't make it easy for me to pay attention to the rehearsal this afternoon."

She gave me an aggressive wink, and bounced up to pour us some brandy. "I could see you looking down my dress."

"You leaned forward to make it easy."

Another wink as she handed me my glass. "Would you care for a cigar?"

"Would I?"

"I brought some Havanas with me, figuring your supply was low."

"Non existent, actually. While I've been here I've been living like a monk."

"Yes, that's what I hear as well. We must liberate you from your cell for a while at least." Producing a pair of fine cigars, she cut them and gave me one to enjoy. We coaxed them to life and she sat down again, blowing a great cloud of smoke into the air. "My God, even in a light dress this heat is beastly. Please undo your collar and take off your coat while I make myself more comfortable."

With that, she put her cigar down, bounced up again, and pulled her dress off over her head. Underneath she wore only a simple pair of panties. When she sat down again, she sat on a small couch and patted the seat next on her right. I moved there quickly after removing my coat, tie, collar and shirt.

We sat looking at each other as we smoked and drank, not wanting to break our gaze. The red lacquered finger explored my thigh again, and after it produced a reaction, undid the buttons of my trousers. I reached out to caress her breast, and she knelt before me. Taking a drag on her cigar, she blew a smoke ring around my freshly exposed prick, and another before giving it an electric lick. The cigar caused an exciting sensation in her mouth that she shared with me readily, and before long she was blowing great clouds of smoke on my crotch before taking my manhood into her mouth.

My erection arose quickly, and I sought to raise her in order to lower her on my pole, but she shook her head: "We've been lucky so far, Frank, and I don't want to take any more risks. The only sure way to prevent babies is not to plant the seed. Let me take care of your lust and if you are so disposed you may reciprocate afterward."

Her eyes was locked on mine was she resumed her task between my legs. The effect of the tobacco on her cunning tongue was amazing, and very soon my flood rose up, leaking out the sides of her mouth and dripping down on her chest and mammaries. When I was flaccid again, she raised up, cigar in her mouth, with a look of pride worthy of an athletic hero or concert artist.

My debt to her was repaid when I could stand again. I sat her on the couch, her legs spread far apart, and I sucked on my Havana before engaging her sex with my oral stimulations, making her sigh with delight. My hands played up and down her torso, assisting my mouth's quest for her Eldorado moment, and soon she was writhing and thrashing in ecstasy. "My God, you're better at this than Monty," she whispered, and I felt redeemed.