My cunny was particularly sore, and my bottom hurt from the impact of his hand, so I was more quiet and watchful.
The news was the new preacher in town, a brother from the nearby St. Mary’s Abbey and the forecast for a long, cold winter.
“Grayspires will be ready for the winter this year,” Gideon said with satisfaction. “She will be warm to her bones.”
He always talked about the house as if she was a living, breathing woman, and I reflected irritably that he’d shown more concern for Grayspires than he ever had formebeing warm.
Ihadn’t had a fire lit in my room yet. Surely Ada hadn’t forgotten. . .
I felt like I would burst with curiosity.
Who had that woman been?
Why had she come to visit at night?
How could I find out the answers to all my questions?
“Oh, Deliverance,” Ada said. “Gideon told me that you’ve been subject to some nervous complaints recently.”
I jumped as if I'd been struck, and dropped my eyes in confusion to the tea cooling in my cup.
“No–no,” I said. “I don’t think I have.”
"He said you saw a woman here late at night," Ada went on after a moment. "Perhaps you were overtired. There was no woman.”
“But there was!” I cried. “I sawyouopen the door.”
She opened her eyes a bit, but reached over to pat my hand encouragingly. “It must have been a bad dream. Such things can often happen if you have a nervous constitution."
I said nothing.Idid not have a nervous constitution.Sheobviously believed what her brother told her.
Was there any way ithadall been a dream? But I could almost feel the prickling on my skin as my husband descended the stairs within inches of me.
And the feeling of his hand on my ass wasveryreal.
They continued to talk of household matters, but I was still silent.
After breakfast, Gideon left for his workshop and Ada disappeared upstairs.
Meanwhile, I was faced with the prospect of another cold and dreary day. Although it was drippy and gray outside, I decided to go on a walk about the grounds for lack of anything else to do.
I had expected to be themistressof Grayspires, a respected and important member of the household.
But all I was used for was my cunny.
The grounds were not particularly well-maintained, the flower gardens overrun and wild, with many uneven sections of earth and low, pitted rocks. But it would take a lot of gardeners to maintain a place like Grayspires. I wondered about the history of this place.
It felt like it had been here for centuries, the stone worn thin by the wildness of the moor.
As I pulled my wrap tighter against the wind, I passed by the stables. There was a rough, brutish looking fellow in front of them, engaged in latching the gate closed, but I noticed several fine new horses in there that I had not seen before.
"Oh, are these just bought?" I asked. “Beautiful creatures!”
Although I was a little afraid of the size of these animals, I loved to ride my own little pony back at home. Perhaps my husband and I had something in common after all.
The rough-looking man only grunted and gave me a dour look.
"That's the master's business, innit? None of your concern."
