A tiny little room, early morning...
The sun was only beginning to dawn, and the vast majority of the people in the manor were still asleep. Maybe Theresa and Angie were down in the industrial kitchen, and maybe Andrea was down in the depths wrestling with her beloved furnaces, but almost nobody else would be. Not even Trilby or Miss Prospero.
So now was the perfect time to take care of something very important and personal to them both. Set into the wall of the Bishop Hooper Library was a subtle door. Past this door was a small room, and this morning was the very first time it was being used. Michael and Alex had prepared it, with help from Andrea and Dave, and it meant everything to Karen to be here now.
The room was only dimly lit, with just enough space for two small wooden pews on either side of the door. The pews were decidedly elderly, having been salvaged from old churches in the Blackwell family's hereditary lands in Berkshire. Karen thought they might be three or four hundred years old. The cushions did little to ease the discomfort, but that was hardly the point. Each pew seated maybe two people, made as they were for Blackwell ancestors from the 17
th
century, decidedly smaller in frame.
The floor was carefully covered with encaustic tiles, most of which were from the late medieval period in England, once again salvaged from churches on Blackwell lands. They were delicate, certainly, but the room would be used very rarely, so they would last some time if they were kept properly. They were a mixture of religious motifs from all over England.
The walls were covered in tapestries, most of a faith nature, but also some that told tales of the Blackwell family through the ages. Well-preserved, the earliest one on display was from the 18
th
century. One hung on the back of the door as well.
At the back of the room, a small and simple altar from an earlier time, with a rugged wooden cross standing in the middle on an antique linen runner. It was the altar that Mike and Karen were now kneeling in front of quietly while the bishop looked down at them, holding his bible.
"Of course, in earlier times, men in my position were often blessing the leaders of noble families as they went to war, or well dealing with intrigues of the court, and so on," Fred said with a smile. "And while that aspect may seem anachronistic, I've met my share of Blackwells over the years, my dear, and I know what you're in for."
Karen looked up at him and nodded.
"Bless you, of course. Bless your husband for being your rock and unwavering support, always," he continued. "Here in this, the aptly-named Bishop Odo Chapel, we begin the day that will see you become mistress of one of the oldest families in the world, Karen. Steering it through these turbulent times will be one of your greatest challenges."
He smiled again. "But if
anyone
is equipped and blessed by the Almighty to do it, my dear, rest assured, it is you."
He put his hands on their heads, and they held one another's hand while he began his prayer.
Today began a new adventure.
Mike & Karen
Disclaimer:
All characters are 18 years of age or older while actively engaging in sexual activity. This story is a prequel/sequel (sprequel?) to my other work, Alex & Alexa. As always, many thanks and gratuitous panty shots from Freja and Jeanie to my long-suffering editor and beta-reader for their assistance in polishing up and improving this work. Reviews are welcome; flames will be snickered at and deleted with extreme prejudice. Enjoy!
Please Note:
There are incest themes with a secondary couple in this story. Just a forewarning.
Chapter XXXVI- At The Lady's Pleasure
The west master suite...
"Well, don't you look radiant," Alex quipped as he walked into his bedroom, wearing a plush robe. "And how is the world's loveliest blonde bombshell wife?"
"Grumbly, but I'll be fine after some socially acceptable chemical stimulants are injected into me," Alexa sighed as she got dressed. It was too early to get gussied up for the day's festivities, so she was just wearing capris and putting on a light cashmere sweater, a combination that would do absolutely nothing to hide her incredible figure. "How 'bout you? Where'd you end up? With Val again?"
He shook his head. "Nope."
Alexa raised her eyebrow. "Well if you were getting laid, who else is there? Fre and Jeanie went back downtown, and I know you haven't sexed up Andrea just yet."
Her eyes widened as the answer occurred to her. "You slept with Aunt Ash?!"
Alex grinned. "Well, you were sleeping with Trinian, so turnabout is fair play, right?"
"The difference is that I'm
not
boffing Trinian," Alexa insisted, looking indignant. "I can't believe you fucked your aunt!"
"You're my aunt and I'm brainstem-deep in you all the time," Alex laughed. "For the record, though, nothin' happened. She just slept against me."
"Honestly, I wouldn't've blinked or cared if you
had
done her, Alexa said with a shrug. "As long as you don't knock her up. Nobody gets babies outta you before I do, mister."
"So where's your bedmate and newly betrothed?" Alex asked as he watched her finish wrestling her sweater down over her chest. "Trin is normally lurking nearby."
"Ugh, like I care," Alexa groused. "Maybe Nanu got her claws in the kid. She travels constantly in her sleep and snores like a buzzsaw. Fortunately, I look better tired and sleep-deprived than just about anyone else does fully awake and put together."
"It's your modesty at work," Alex chuckled as he turned around and made for the door. "I'll see you downstairs for breakfast."
"Yeah, yeah," Alexa grumbled while she finished up. Seconds later, Trinian came back into the room and walked up to her.
"Hello, Alexandra," she said with a certain seriousness to her voice that contradicted her age and size. "It is time for us to go down to breakfast. We should go together."
"Okay," Alexa sighed resignedly, taking Trinian's proffered hand. "Let's go, squirt..."
She really hoped Ashley took over looking after the kid so she could get on with her day.
She'd
sleep with Ashley next time and her stupid husband could get stuck with Trinian for the night.
And while I'm dreaming, I'd really like a pony...
she wished silently as they walked down the hall.
***
Down the hallway...
"Gawd, woman, are you
sure
you wanna show up at the festivities looking like that?" Mona asked as she rinsed her body down, her glorious afro protected by a cap. "Your face is eighty percent eyebag."
"I'll be fine after a cold shower, slut," Janet grumbled as she also cleansed herself with her hair in a bun, standing next to her so-called 'friend' who was making fun of her. "I told you, a client called me after we'd all gone to bed, and she needed help. Her ex broke into her place and needed to be dealt with."
"Ooh, dealt with," the black girl breathed, smiling evilly. "I know what that means... Janet the illegal beagle was at work."
"I may have bent the law to the point of snapping its more delicate bones," the brunette said with a shrug. "Point is, I'll break the law as much as necessary to protect women from shitball men. Sometimes you need to move beyond the law to do the right thing."
"Y'sound like Mongo, talking about one of those dopey D&D 'alignment' thingies," Mona giggled. It was true, Mike had explained what 'alignment' each of them was according to his game mechanics. Not surprisingly, Janet the lawyer was actually 'Lawful Good', no matter how irreverent she could seem. Karen was Lawful Good as well. Lisa and Mona were both along the lines of 'Chaotic Good', breaking the rules and overturning the status quo to get the right thing done. It was rather obvious and essential to Lisa as an activist, and Mona as a minority woman.
Mike and Alex were 'Neutral Good'. To the best of Mona's extremely limited knowledge, what that meant was that by means of the law or working outside it, good was the only thing that mattered.
So the fact that Janet had technically worked outside the law was indicative of how serious she was about protecting this client. Janet had done some crazy things and jumped through some insane hoops over the decades for her clients, not the least of which was almost getting herself killed.
"What did you say her name was?" Mona asked, moving in and slithering her nipples against Janet's to be a tease.
"Julie," Janet answered, shaking her head. She didn't stop Mona, but she went to the trouble of shaking her head. "Julie Zane, that was her married name, she never changed it. Her maiden name is Llewellyn. She's got a son roughly Alex's age, his name is Aaron."
Mona pondered. "Have we met her?"
"No," Janet said, shaking her head again. "I like to keep work and pleasure separate, y'know that. But apparently she knows Becky and Nanu, since she's a teacher."
"Small world, for sure," Mona said agreeably. They washed one another's backs and butts, taking more time than was necessary on the latter. But what the hey, they weren't on a tight schedule.
"Think we should've woke Red?" Mona wondered while she massaged shower gel into Janet's butt cheeks.
"Honestly, she seems to enjoy sleeping in recently," the brunette said. "I dunno about you, but I think she's not sleepin' all that well back in Idaho."
Mona understood what her friend meant. "Do we talk to her about it?"
