From an idea by Mary
*
Margaret was the happy wife of Francis Galway. She remembered fondly the day of her wedding with their many guests and the marvellous gifts from all over the country. Francis had always been the rather pampered son of a wealthy baronet and had always had the best of all things without having to actually work for them. They had met and Francis had acted just as if her agreement was granted. She had felt proud by being proposed by someone from the gentry and she had agreed despite the advice of her best friends. Everything had worked fine in their planned marriage!
Margaret mainly remembered her embarrassment when she was called for the garter sale. They had French cousins and it was a tradition there. Margaret didn't want to participate to such pervert games but Francis booed and led her to the auction place against her will. The weak Francis desperately tried to show off and finally led her to the auction table against her will like a sacrifice lamb. The bride obediently climbed on top of a High stool and the action begun : each time a banknote was added, Margaret had to lift her wedding dress a bit higher. If the gift was sizable, her dress went just higher faster. The dress had been grazing the floor but the bidding was intense. Soon Margaret had to show her ankles then her knees to the leering crowd.
Francis had also the deplorable habit of drinking too much to make up for his weak personality and his lack of self-control. He quickly became inebriated. There had been a moment of respite for her as the amateurs had no small banknotes left but that was the moment uncle Charles who had always been a leering bastard made a major addition ; one hundred pounds straight out of his pocket! There were wild applauses and Margaret clapped her hands in unison but she knew there was a price to be paid for it and she would have to cover the expenses!
The sum added was rather high and Mark who acted as the auctioneer lifted the hem of Margaret's dress to her mid thighs! The bidding became soon restricted to a competition between Uncle Charles and cousin Andrew. Both of them were pretty rich. They owned several rented houses and had comfortable savings. Charles was a bachelor but Andrew had married Sara, Margaret closest friend Charles was known to live a sybaritic life, receiving some very beautiful girls alone in their houses. The general opinion was that these girls were probably tarts and nobody visited Charles when these creatures were around.... Cousin Andrew was quite similar to him with the difference that he was now married to a very hot girl : any man would have given an arm to put his hand under her knickers!
Cousin Andrew added fifty pounds to the pot and uncle Charles followed immediately. The auctioneer thought it had been enough fun and proposed Charles and Andrew to peel the garter from Margaret's thigh. It had all gone much further than Francis had intended it but he didn't want to back out in front of all his family so he applauded the idea. The poor bride was aghast at having her thigh touched by anyone but Francis! Charles had a last request to present : he offered to give one hundred pounds more if Francis allowed him to take the garter off with only his teeth. Margaret protested and said it was out of question but Francis applauded the idea. He had drunk already a bottle of sherry for which he had a special attraction and he had started the second bottle to boost his courage. He presently wanted to show he wore the pants in his couple.
The fact that Margaret was appalled at these actions was ignored and she felt helpless as her new husband actually ignored her as her Uncle fumbled under her wedding dress to find her garter. Margaret suspected that all the fumbling was just a ruse so that the old man could rub his nose into her panty crotch. The way everyone was cheering as she was being sniffed in front of everyone just confirmed her worst fears. Francis seemed to find the situation extremely funny. Finally Charles became more successful and emerged triumphantly with her garter between his teeth. Margaret noted he had placed his nose just where she had had her crotch but she assumed it had been a pure accident.
Francis had always been an attractive man and with all his money he had swept Margaret away during their courtship. Now here she was on her wedding day being mauled by his Uncle in front of all the cheering family. Margaret had started to detest her husband already.
To Margaret, this only showed up her husband's hypocrisy even more and he lost a good part of his remaining prestige that day.
Francis was profoundly ashamed of his behaviour on their wedding night and tried to apologise over and over. She never forgave him in her heart although she had during the next years a quiet and cosy life of a married wife with no children.
Francis made passable love to her on Mondays and Fridays always in the absolute dark. Margaret dutifully complied. She was his wife after all, but it was just out of duty. On Wednesdays they usually went to a grill and on Sundays they went to the mass in the local church. Margaret had gone to the church for Easter and Xmas only but Francis wanted to go there every Sunday. He was not very religious but the pub served nice ale and he needed to taste it twice whenever he entered there!
Life could have continued in the same way for them but Francis always wanted to offer his wife a better living and he seemed to have a flair for unsound investments. He invested ten thousand pounds in a Maddoff venture and the money completely disappeared. He then bought junk bonds from a Greek company that went bankrupt and his company laid him off. When he had trouble making ends meet, Margaret phoned her cousins to see if they had a job for her husband... it was Charles who made the most interesting proposal : he had a dozen rented houses in Bath but they were not occupied during winter. Some squatters had broken in during the last season and Charles thought it would be better if there were some presence there in winter. He had been looked for someone he could trust and who could do the necessary menial work. Francis would be perfect for the job.
Margaret was less interested : the town was deserted and windy at this time of the year, there were few open shops in this season and the winter gales kept chasing leaves against the doors and windows. She also feared to stay alone for months in her home far from the city centre. Uncle Charles waved away her fears.
- You could move in the cottage formerly used by my chauffeur and his little family. There was room enough for his son and his daughter. He repainted it completely before he left two years ago. It's still in pristine state. You could also prepare my food ; I wouldn't charge you anything for the rent and the food!
Margaret was tempted but hesitated :
- Would it be proper : a man and a woman alone in a secluded country mansion?
- Don't be stupid, Margaret! I am your uncle and nobody would find it weird if an aging uncle would put up his niece when her husband is away. You could really be of great help to me during the year and the cottage is big enough for you to accommodate occasionally your husband!
