An Unacceptable Arrangement (7 page)

Liesl had already emptied Cassandra’s trunk
and asked if she’d like to bathe before napping. Cassandra didn’t
want to be any trouble. She had already bathed that morning and
another bath seemed like too much of a luxury, but she was tempted
when Liesl showed her the adjoining bathroom with the hot and cold
running water! Cassandra could not believe her eyes and instantly
forgot her homesickness. Such a marvelous invention! All she had to
do was turn a tap and the bath filled with water. She declined,
though, saying she’d take one before dinner; at that moment all she
wanted was to rest.

Liesl helped her out of her gown and
petticoats, corset, chemise and drawers. She was very motherly with
her mistress, clucking and shaking her head over the state of
Cassandra’s bottom. She put her mistress to bed and Cassandra
almost instantly fell asleep. When she awoke, she took a most
wonderful bath and as she soaked in the tub she reviewed what she
knew about the man she now shared her life with.

He didn’t seem to stand on formality. She had
noticed that even the servants called him Sir Frederic rather than
address him by his title. He was handsome and solicitous and
attractive. He did business with her father and knew her mother but
did not seem to know her brother. He was not a snob; he’d seemed
most content with their little wedding and had mingled easily with
their guests, so he was sociable. Her father said he was a Baron
with a large estate – was his house in Germany large or did that
refer to his lands? Father had also said he was a good man, which
was high praise from her father who tended towards cynicism. His
home – at least this one – was adequate and the servants
skilled.

He’d told her himself he was a good lover in
a manner that suggested confidence in his abilities. Of course he
would be a gentleman of experience at his age, which she judged to
be in his early thirties. He was forward thinking, given the modern
conveniences of his house. All of these were good qualities.

Just as Cassandra became fully relaxed and
her eyes began to close they flew open again. She suddenly recalled
what it was that had made her uneasy after her tour of the house.
It was her new husband’s study. There had been a collection
displayed on the wall.
Oh, a walking cane collection
, she
had thought at the time. Now she wasn’t so sure. It was indeed a
collection of walking sticks but in retrospect some of them were
much too thin for the purpose. Also there had been other disturbing
items in the room. A slender, well-oiled strap had hung by the side
of the desk. And the spittoon by the door had held a collection of
switches. Had she imagined the hint of brine she’d smelled as she
passed? Cassandra shuddered, imagining how easily those switches
could be bound together with just a bit of ribbon.

Her father kept his punishment implements in
a locked cabinet in his study but – if these things in the study
were for the same purpose - Frederic kept them proudly displayed.
That could not be a good sign.

Liesl saw her mistress shiver and
misinterpreted it as a signal that she was getting chilled. She
helped her out of the bath and wrapped her in a lush towel, then
chose a dress for her to wear to dinner. All she had was debutante
gowns and they were most improper for a young married lady - too
much décolletage for one thing, but Cassandra was certain her new
husband would not mind if she wore them just for him. Liesl had
chosen the blue dress but her husband had already seen her in that
at the ball. She directed Liesl to the green one instead.

She had Liesl pull her laces extra tight to
emphasize her small waist and accentuate her bosom. Liesl put her
hair up most skillfully. Cassandra pinched her cheeks and bit her
lips for color and then Liesl showed her down to the dining room.
Her groom was standing beside the dining table, the chandelier
ablaze. It was glorious! Frederic was actually one of the most
handsome men she’d ever seen. Perhaps his looks were growing on her
but the more she saw of him, the more pleasing his countenance
became. There was something about his commanding presence that was
most thrilling, but also a bit intimidating.

He bowed before her and kissed her hand and
then led her to her seat. The table was long but her husband seated
her right next to him. Cassandra was pleased; they’d be able to
chat privately. Luckily the dining room chairs were padded; after
that bumpy carriage ride home her embattled bottom felt especially
tender. It was just a day ago that she’d received the birching of
her life.

Frederic had asked Liesl to take notice of
the state of madam’s bottom and while Cassandra had slept, the maid
reported that she’d seen a great deal of welting and blisters and
was certain that her new mistress had very recently been birched.
With a twinkle in his eye, Frederic watched his bewitching new wife
gingerly take her seat.

As they were served, Cassandra nervously
began to chat, filling in the quiet. She shared with Frederic how
she had noticed him at the ball.

“Indeed,” he replied. “There were many
gentlemen there; you had several interested dance partners. Why did
you notice me?”

“Well... those startling blue eyes of yours,
for one thing. And you were staring.”

He began to apologize if he had made her
uncomfortable.

“No, not at all,” she replied. “Nobody seemed
to know who you were. We... my friends and I... we called you The
Mystery Man.”

He liked that. “And what other gentlemen
stood out to you at the ball?”

Cassandra grew quiet. “No one in particular.
I knew most of the men there.” She shrugged. Her new husband was
actually the only man who’d made an impression on her, other than
the Prince of Wales, but she wasn’t going to admit that to him.

Frederic was most pleased. Their new marriage
was off to a very good start. Just as he was the only man who had
stood out to his new wife, she was the only woman he’d taken note
of. And it wasn’t just because of her delicate beauty, also because
of her manner, her spirit and comportment.

She had put her hair up this night but
several curls had escaped and were hanging down. He fought the
impulse to lean over and nuzzle that delicate, long white neck.
Instead he brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them one by
one, as the servants removed their soup dishes and brought out the
next course. He reluctantly let go of her hand so she could
eat.

Frederic was doing his best to create a sense
of intimacy during dinner. He wished the seduction to begin now so
that by the time his bride was brought to his bedroom, making love
to her would not be so awkward.

Cassandra stopped eating, looked up at her
husband and confessed, “I don’t even know what to call you, my
Lord. He leaned towards his new wife and was pleased when she held
her position and did not retreat at his closeness.

“I like it ever so much when you call me ‘my
Lord’ and you may also call me ‘Sir’. However when we are alone
together in the privacy of our rooms...” she visibly flinched at
the reference to their private quarters, “you may call me whatever
term of endearment you wish.”

“I think I should like to call you darling,”
she replied, looking up at him with her soft, doe-like eyes.

“Yes my dear, that would please me very
much.” Frederic smiled at his wife. She was delicate of frame but
there was a lushness to her. She possessed a sweet curvaceous
figure that stirred his blood. The word that came to mind was
“ripe”. She was ripe for the plucking. The top of her bosoms
spilled out over the low cut neckline of her dress. He wanted to
bury his face in them and rub his cheek against their softness but
he controlled himself, savoring the wait. He would be at them soon
enough.

He gave a silent curse when the butler
entered the room. The intimate exchange had been so sweet, and he
hadn’t wanted it interrupted. He was carrying dessert though and
Cassandra gasped, it was the top layer of their wedding cake!

“But how...?” she asked. The butler explained
that her mother had sent it over. It was delicious, like the rest
of the brunch had been. Cassandra was surprised as the discomfort
she felt at the thought of her mother being able to have something
run over to the house just like that. Their trip to her husband’s
homeland could not come quickly enough.

Frederic suggested that they retire to the
parlor to listen to music. Cassandra was confused, how would they
hear music? Was he going to play an instrument? Instead she was
surprised to see a contraption in the room that her husband called
a graphaphone. Frederic had her sit on the loveseat and explained
how the marvelous contraption worked. Cassandra watched with
fascination as he lowered an arm containing a sharp needle onto a
rotating disc. Music magically entered the room, to her complete
amazement and joy. First the running water and now this? She could
not help but be impressed.

Frederic seated himself on the loveseat and
put his arm around his wife as the strains of opera filled the
room. Cassandra again became self-conscious and looked down at her
hands. He scooted over nearer to her, almost touching and Cassandra
allowed herself to relax and lean into her husband. When the music
stopped he told her who had sung the song and what the words
meant.

“The young man is telling his beloved that he
would climb the highest mountain and travel to the ends of the
earth just for the pleasure of her smile.” At this Cassandra turned
and smiled into his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her on the
cheek.

“We will go to the opera often when we are in
Bavaria, my love.” He described a typical opera evening to her –
the splendor of the Opera Hall with everyone in formal attire. They
would, he said, have a private box seat and would invite their
friends to join them. Frederic assured her she would love the sets,
the costumes and the dramatic stories set to music.

She started to ask him about his homeland.
“Sometimes you are referred to as being from Bavaria but father
said you were from Germany. Which is it?” she asked.

“My people consider themselves Bavarian first
and German second,” he replied but then he stopped her, putting his
fingers to her lips. Then he began to trace the outline of her lips
with his fingers. Her lips were full and soft. She was bubbling
with questions but this was not the night for conversation, this
was the night to begin their intimate life as man and wife.
Frederic had something other than conversing on his mind. He leaned
forward and ever so gently kissed his new bride.

It was not like the kiss at the altar, that
one had been demanding and forceful; this kiss was ever so delicate
she hardly felt him at first. Then his lips connected firmly with
hers and she felt a thrill course through her. Kissing was
surprisingly nice and she wondered why she’d waited so long to do
it. She would have shared this observation with her husband but his
lips were wandering now. He began to kiss her cheeks and then his
lips traveled down to her earlobe, which he first flicked with his
tongue and then began to suck.

She was finding it increasingly hard to hold
still; her husband was igniting all sorts of feelings within her.
Before she could catch her breath, he was at her neck; she could
feel his warm breath as he nuzzled her there. She smiled - it felt
nice - and almost giggled but then felt his fingertips. They were
touching the point of her left breast. She gasped and pulled away,
covering her chest, shocked at his audacity.

“Cassandra,” Frederic stopped and took a deep
breath. “I am your husband now, you know.”

Cassandra buried her face into her hands and
shook her head from side to side. He took her hands in his and
lowered them to her lap. With one finger he lifted her chin until
she looked into his eyes.

“What are you afraid of, my dear?”

“I’m so sorry, my husband. I know I’m a
married woman now but it’s all so sudden. I barely know you. I’m
sure that if we’d courted and gotten to know one another - had
stolen kisses and shared intimacies - I’d be better prepared for
this. Perhaps...” She looked up at him hopefully. “Perhaps if we
went slowly... in time...” Before she could go further, Frederic
stopped her.

“Cassandra, I too would love nothing more
than to ease into this intimacy but it is of the utmost importance
that our marriage be consummated this very night.”

Cassandra gasped and looked around,
scandalized that he was discussing this subject outside of their
private suites where any servant wandering by could hear. He was
staring at her intently and she knew he expected a response.

“Yes, Sir... yes... I know that... um... why
is it important?”

“Because we are not legally wed until the
marriage is consummated. You must give your virginity to me this
very night.”

Cassandra’s face flushed so red that it felt
painful. This was the first time she realized how very different
her husband was from British men. No gentleman of her acquaintance
would ever have said something like that aloud. Before she could
respond however, Frederic kissed her again.

She relaxed this time, determined to focus on
the sensations her new husband was igniting in her rather than the
strangeness of it all. Those fingers, they were once again at her
breast, touching her ever so delicately but then they began to rub
against the point until she began to feel a clenching down between
her legs. Soon his wandering fingertips were rubbing both of her
nipples. She moaned out loud as she felt her breasts swell. This
was feeling very, very nice. Her husband knelt on the floor before
her and took her breasts in his hand, pressing kisses against the
exposed swell of her bosom and rubbing his thumbs over the fabric
covering her nipples. The sensation was exquisite. She needed...
she yearned... she knew not what for.