Our story opens at Belvedere Manor, an estate near the village of Liss in Hampshire in the year of our Lord, 1730 with King George the Second on the throne.
The estate didn't come into being until 1662, two years after Charles the Second was placed on the throne. That was because the Belvedere family had fought for the royal cause in the Civil War and this future king had been given refuge for nearly three weeks on his flight to France. He had not forgotten the loyalty shown and through the efforts of Edmund Belvedere during that bloody war of unrest, his son, Albion, was created an Earl and so the Manor had been constructed and the estate established.
Earl Albion died whilst this was being done and so his son Richmond became the second Earl Belvedere. He sired two sons and a daughter, born respectively, 1708, 1710 and 1716. They being Chester, Carlyle and Caroline, the use of the first letter of their names being in deference to the late King Charles.
But it's upon Lady Caroline that our story depends, being, for want of a better name, the heroine, the answer to that depends on your point of view as it unfolds.
You will have noted that she was a late child considering that her brothers were born only two years apart and her, six years after the second one. That was because her mother had been told not to have any more children, but she did, and suffered by doing so, for she died giving birth to Caroline.
She grew up to be a tomboy, not having a woman's hand to guide her. She constantly strived to join in her brothers games and emulate them in all they did. On their part, they tried to keep her at arms length, failing in most cases until the other personage in our story appeared on the scene.
Enter Lady Barbara Crompton. She was the daughter of an impoverished family, ruined during the Civil War, most of the family being wiped out. Barbara's mother once being a dalliance of Richmond before both their marriages was the reason for the two families to know one another. With the death of her parents, Richmond got to hear of this calamity and thought that if he brought this young orphaned girl to Belvedere, she might, as well as being a companion, bring Caroline back onto a steady track.
The tutor that lived at the Manor, well he was the third that had tried to give Caroline an education, was almost at his wits end and he, most of all, hoped that another young girl of the same age might calm down the wilful behaviour of our Caroline.
She had just turned fourteen and found that Barbara had been born two days after her, which gave her the ascendancy in age, but more than that, Caroline was more of a dominatrix because of trying to compete with her brothers on their terms.
Barbara fitted in nicely for she followed Caroline in every-thing she did, much to the dismay of the tutor. This fact was never transmitted to Caroline's father, Richmond.
Though the Manor had more than enough bedrooms, Caroline insisted that another bed be installed in her suite for Barbara, this was before she'd even arrived. Without a woman to run the household, Caroline generally got what she wanted and woe betide those that didn't obey her command.
Young Lady Barbara duly arrived, and Caroline instantly took her into her heart. She looked so lost and fragile, timid and frightened like a young doe, that she melted Caroline's heart who immediately took her under her wing. She was impressed and overawed at the size of the Manor and shrank back at the way Caroline was so imperious in her orders about taking Barbara's things up to her suite of chambers and to the seeing that the coachmen were suitable fed before their return journey.
'Come Barbara, we will greet properly inside,' and with a swirl of petticoat, led the way through the great hall and up a grand staircase and along a wide corridor until she stopped at a door that a servant, who had followed behind, rushed forward and opened for them. She swept in and Barbara, timidly followed.
Caroline turned when she'd reached the very centre of the chamber and waited till Barbara's things had been brought in and the last servant left, closing the door behind them.
'Did you see their faces?' Caroline exclaimed as her own face opened up into a wide smile as she went forward with open arms to take Barbara into an embrace. 'Now welcome to Belvedere Manor and I hope that I can make your stay here a happy if not exciting one,' she said as she kissed her on the cheek.
'Thank you,' Lady Barbara stammered, still somewhat stiff in the embrace she was in. 'I...I hope to be.'
'Come on Barbara, loosen up. You feel as tight as a duck's arse. I didn't frighten you with that show out there, did I?' Barbara didn't reply. 'Oh come on, for God's sake! If I didn't act like the woman of the Manor, they'd walk all over me. I keep them on their toes and therefore I get what I want, instantly. Now stop being the shrinking violet and come and sit down and tell me about yourself.' This last was spoken in an entirely different manner and Barbara found herself responding, and took the proffered hand and went and sat on one of the window seats that looked out over the well tended grounds.
Barbara spoke of her sheltered life as an only child, her inept tutor and lack of funds for a decent one. The death of her parents and the bewilderment ever since and it wasn't until she had finished speaking that she realised that Caroline hadn't interrupted her once, but let her talk and reveal her own nature.
'Barbara,' and she was saying this softly. 'I'm glad you've come here. I am sorely in need of a friend and companion of my own age. Please say you will be my friend?'
'I...I will Lady Caroline,' Barbara stammered.
'Oh cut the crap Barbara, my name is Caroline. We're equals so let us be friends. I for sure need one here. I've two elder brothers who think I'm a dog's turd. One's a cretin and the other's a queer.'
'What's a queer?'
'I'll show you some time. Now let's get you sorted out,' she said getting up and pulling her into the huge bed chamber where the second bed had been installed. 'That's my bed,' pointing to the one furthest from the window, 'and that's yours. I thought it would be better if we shared this big room instead of you being alone in another one like this. Over there are my wardrobes and if you want to wear anything that's in there, feel free to wear it. Through that door is the night soil cabinet and jugs and basins with water for washing. This hanging rope is to call for a maid,' she said as she gave it a tug.
'If they take more than three minutes to answer it, give them a bollocking.' She stood there and it looked as if she was counting and appeared satisfied when the knock came at the door. 'Come in,' she shouted. 'You have to raise your voice for the doors are so thick you'd believe they came from a farmhands head,' she said to Barbara as the maid entered and curtsied. 'Hot water for two baths at the same time Maud.'
'Yes M'lady,' Maud said, curtsying again before leaving the room.
'That'll take at least an hour, so come, let me show you over the Manor, well the inside for now.'
So Barbara was given the sixpenny tour through many corridors, the door to each room being identified. The great hall, library, dining room, drawing room, withdrawing room and many other rooms, including the kitchens and indicated where the servants quarters were.
'I'll never get to know where everything is,' Barbara said when they returned to what was now their bedroom, 'it's so big.'
'You'll soon get to know all there is, believe me. Ah, the hot water is arriving,' Caroline said as they heard noises in the room where what we know as the toilet was installed. Though toilet to them was a bucket inside a small cupboard that had a wooden cover with a hole in the middle of it. This bucket was emptied twice a day and scrubbed clean before being put back.
'Come, we can still talk while we have our bath and then we'll get dressed for dinner.' She took Barbara's hand and led her into the bathroom. Two wooden tubs stood in the middle of the floor in the process of having huge buckets of water being poured into them. One of the maids constantly checking the temperature to make sure that it wasn't scalding.
Caroline stopped by one and waited and a maid came forward and began undressing her. Barbara moved back slightly when another maid came close to her and this was seen by Caroline.
'Don't be shy Barbara. Why else do we employ so many people. They dress and undress you and bathe you and all the rest of it, so don't be a prude.' By the time she had finished speaking, Caroline was completely naked and it was the first time that Barbara had ever seen another person, male or female completely without a scrap of cloth about their body.
She blushed and averted her eyes and this made Caroline laugh as she stepped into her tub. Barbara had seen that she was very slim in the waist and her eyes had been drawn to the small triangle of hair between her thighs, knowing that hers were a bit on the sparse side, though her breasts were about the same size and still, to her belief, growing. You cannot say that Caroline's body was muscular as in a man, but she was strong in her arms and had fairly sturdy thighs, not thin but then not too thick like a man's. It was the calves that showed she was a horsewoman by being very pronounced from having to grip the sides of a horse, scorning a side saddle, riding astride like a man.
Overall, it was a fine figure of a girl very close to womanhood and Barbara had appreciated the short glimpse of the beauty as it disappeared below the water. All that was left to see was the fine slender neck which her auburn hair just touched, framing her slightly oval face. She wasn't an outstanding beauty, but she had the eyes that caught and mesmerised people like a cobra before a rabbit. They could convey amusement, pleasure, displeasure and even hatred if ever needed. They would flash fire if she was angry and yet, could convey warmth and sympathy if required.
The chin looked normal until she became firm and it would then jut out slightly and look as it was hewn from granite and yet when she smiled, a small dimple would appear at the sides. Her lips were not thin or over thick but were one of her more attractive attributes, kissable is a term that springs to mind. The mouth not too wide and when she laughed, she would show the perfect, well almost perfect white teeth. It was one to the left that was very slightly askew and though not really noticeable, it made you look twice at her and still not see what it was that had caught your eye.
Now the tongue, well. It could lash like a whip, pierce like a rapier, strike like an asp and cut like a sword. It could also croon a lullaby, stroke one like velvet and simply ooze honey when it fitted her purpose.
There are too many words to show how many persona she could be when the occasion arose, from saint to harlot and all in between.
She relaxed in her tub with an amused smile on her face as she watched the futile gestures Barbara was making as she was being undressed, not quite knowing what to cover what was being uncovered, first one breast then another and not having a third hand to cover her pubic region when that was revealed and she couldn't get into the tub quick enough, her face crimson at this, to her, public disrobing.
'My, you are a shy one,' Caroline said as her outstretched arm was being washed. 'You were brought up on a farming estate weren't you?'
