She selected a man from the gathering, one who had not yet been chosen by the other women. He was a small unassuming looking man, which was perhaps why he had not been chosen by the other women. She, who was a tall, fleshy woman, took the man and led him to the altar, which was raised from the hall. She spoke her instruction, which the congregants could not hear, to the man, and he obeyed her without resistance. The two of them began to remove their clothing. Regniold had not expected this turn of events. As the two began to remove their clothes new ideas entered his head and he realised that the rumours the merchants had mentioned might be true. He imagined the man had been here before and knew what to expect, as had the dancers when they had made their selections.
The dancing had made him suspect, but there had seemed to be nothing wrong in a dance. He had imagined that the dance was a way of bringing the group together into the Goddess's trust. But this nakedness was a spectacle which went further and all his suspicions flooded back to him.
The Priestess was dressed only in her purple robe, so as her hands unfastened the belt at her waist and parted her robe Regniold and the congregants were treated almost immediately to the sight of her two ample breasts, the tufts of her pubis, and the fleshy beauty of her body. Regniold was reminded instantly of the pleasures he had enjoyed at times with the prostitutes of the city and with his wife over the years, although the memory of his wife's body being so familiar seemed not so exciting as those which were less familiar. Regniold detected the admiration of the men for this Priestess, a reflection quite definitely of the admiration he also felt.
The small man also disrobed, but he had tunic and leggings to discard, which therefore took longer, until he too was naked, a short but muscular man.
"Now, in the spirit of the Goddess, do as we do," announced the Priestess. "Take your clothes off and begin." She laid the man down on the altar and began to massage his naked body in full view of the congregants. She was so gentle and her shape so womanly that Regniold could not help but become wildly excited by the forbidden scene enacted before his own eyes. He imagined what it must feel like to be the man, to be massaged by such an ample woman. Of course Regniold could not have been prepared for this and would have run away for the shame of it. But the man did not seem to feel any shame, nor did the Priestess.
Swiftly she held the man's penis, and stroking it caused it to rise and thicken, lavishing the love of the Goddess upon it. Very soon the penis was strong enough. She climbed atop him and pushed her body over it. In full view of the congregation she sat upon the man and began to exercise herself upon him.
Regniold felt the flushed heat of desire as he saw that the act was to be for real, and in front of all these people. Then realising the implication of the Priestess's command he began to fear discovery. To his surprise he realised the congregants were beginning to follow the exhortation of the Priestess, to do as she and the naked man did. Perhaps reluctantly at first, but then growing in confidence the congregants disrobed. The couples who had danced together paired off and began to explore each other's bodies, while the musicians and singers began again to sing. He looked on transfixed as an orgy developed before his eyes. Thankfully some of the male observers like himself remained clothed. He stayed back, away from the worshippers, observing. He watched as his wife was taken by the man she had danced with on a leather couch near the front. He pulled out when he could hold back no longer and deposited his seed upon her quivering satisfied flesh.
Another man quickly plunged into her open cavity, clearly excited by the prospect of her. Soon he came juddering inside her, and Regniold found himself wishing he felt able to reclaim his own wife, but he could not. A third man fresh from the loins of another woman joined himself with her almost immediately.
His wife was here but he did not want her to know he was watching her infidelity. He felt threatened because he was not a part of the celebrations, and for the reason of his wife being here he did not wish to be a part of it. If only she had not been here, he, a man of the world, might have gladly taken part in this celebration of life, accepting the adventure of it, as he had sometimes done in his adventures with prostitutes. He deemed this religion of the Goddess to be a fanciful thing, like all religions, and he was not a great believer in philosophies either, although he did have a certain belief in what was commonly called 'morality'.
He worried that he too, as a participant in this gathering, would be expected also to take off his clothes, even as the others did, and he feared greatly that if he did his wife would recognise him. For some, perhaps illogical, reason that was the greatest worry that affronted him. Although he fully intended to reveal to his wife his knowledge of her infidelity, and his great displeasure, he was not quite sure to what extent he would punish her for it. At any rate she must not see him here. He was controlled by the need to be a man who would not stoop to the practices of strange cults or lewd behaviour. He was a significant merchant of the city, and it would not be good for a quite unjustified knowledge of his attendance at such an event to be spread abroad. While he was a citizen of significant importance he was not one who would generally be recognised except by those who worked for him or with him, or his 'colleagues and friends', the other merchants of the city. Therefore if he had come here alone, and not following his wife, he would not have known anyone here. Even if other men of his class, even certain trusted employees, had been here too, they would merely have shared a manly secret, and there was normally honour between men unless a grudge lies between them. In the instance of discovery by such 'friends' he would probably not have worried too much, for he had few disagreements with the men of the city.
So we might wonder why discovery by his wife would appear to be such a horror to him. As she was here as a willing participant, she would surely not have minded if he were here too. However she might disapprove of his presence and fear her own discovery. But the rational thought is not always easy for the human mind, which is so often caught up in emotions of guilt and fear. Perhaps it is easiest to say that he wished to maintain the reputation of pure living in the eyes of his wife, to be her moral superior so that he could inflict whatever punishment he might see fit on her. Perhaps also he feared to confront her at this moment of her crimes. The uncertainty of her reaction and of how he should react, and the awkwardness which any meeting with his wife would create persuaded him to melt into the back of the Temple and retain his disguise. None of the other observers remained behind. One by one each and every one of them had gone forward, disrobing at some point in time and joining the melee of the worshippers' orgy.
He felt desire towards the other women who participated in the orgiastic rite. Towards his wife he felt lust and anger in equal measure. Towards the men who took her he felt jealousy. They were imposters, but he wanted to do as they did. It was time he disappeared from the Temple. To be there and not to participate might invite questions, which he would not wish to answer, or an embarrassing attempt to force his participation. All attention was at the middle of the Temple. Thankfully no one spared a glance in his direction as he opened the wooden door and slunk out into the darkness of the warm Anachronarian night.
The lights were out and the servants back in their quarters, probably gone to their beds. Kathryn, the wife of Regniold, crept quietly up the stairs. Normally her husband was still in his study at this time, but tonight it was empty and he was gone to bed early, she assumed. She wished he had made sure the servants kept the candles lit for her. Apart from the lighting she was happy enough that the household had gone to their beds. She had little desire to speak to her husband at this hour. They did not spend much time together these days and she was happy with that arrangement. After the evening she had had she was tired, ready for nothing more than sleep.
She lit a candle, by striking a match, in the adjoining room to where she shared a large bed with her husband. She slipped out of her dress to reveal the body she had shared with so many men this evening, and thought pleasantly of the opportunities the Goddess was giving her these days to feel full of life and to be wanted and valued. In the past she had often felt unsatiated in sexual pleasure. She had known many women who had lived the lives of prisoners to their husbands, and lived lives of boredom and dissatisfaction. She was glad she was no longer one of them.
She slipped on her nightdress, snuffed out the candle and retired into the bedroom. Regniold must be asleep because he spoke no word of welcome. No snoring could be heard, but she assumed he was asleep. Opening the sheets she sat on the edge of the bed and swiftly got in, sensing the warmth of the man on the other side. Swiftly she went to sleep, contented.
The man next to her however was not asleep, although he pretended to. He had come to bed early, not wishing to confront his wife, and unable to quell the raging turmoil in his head. He could not decide whether to speak to his wife of what he had seen, what speech he should make. He felt compelled to punish her in some physical way, or perhaps to enter her like a bull and have his way with her, to exorcise the temptations and visions which invaded his mind, fresh from the evening's observations. At the same time he was weary, exceedingly so, and he wanted nothing more than to rest his mind and drown in the peace that came with sleep. In a short time he heard the heavy breathing of sleep from his wife. That calmed him and he was able finally to drift into sleep's peace.
