Page 2 of Falling for a Footman

“Thank you, Charlotte, but I can take it from here,” their mother admonished with a smile. Charlotte returned it, although she was not entirely certain whether she had been reprimanded.

“What were you asking, Lucy?” their mother queried.

Lucy looked blank for a moment, as if her mind had already moved on to another matter. Then her face cleared, and she exclaimed:

“The male appendage. What is it called? Or do people simply refer to it as the appendage?”

Their mother’s mouth twisted, her eyes running back and forth over the tray with tea and biscuits on the table that they had not touched yet. She had a determined look in her light blue eyes when she looked up.

“We will call it the appendage for this conversation,” she insisted.

“But Edmund told me...” Lucy began and then seemed to catch herself and bit her lower lip almost as if that would keep the words in.

Their mother’s face changed instantly; her brows drew in a bit, and she leaned forward in her chair, only slightly, her perfect posture was still in place, but she became just a tad intimidating.

“What did Edmund tell you?” she asked in a neutral voice.

Edmund Winterbottom was Lucy’s best friend since childhood. When they had been children, their friendship had been perfectly acceptable, but now that they were both nearing fifteen, it had become more of a predicament for their parents since Lucy was not inclined to change her ways around Edmund.

“Well,” Lucy began and if the topic was not so embarrassing, Charlotte would almost enjoy watching Lucy squirm in her seat. “He said that it’s called... a cock,” she barely whispered the word, “But that can’t be right, because a cock is something else entirely?” This was added in her normal voice, the eagerness returning with each word that she uttered.

Charlotte was not exactly certain what changed on her mother’s face, but it greatly resembled the way rain clouds could gather within minutes on an otherwise clear day.

“You will not utter that word, unless you are referring to a bird. I will have to have a serious conversation with Lady Winterbottom the next time we see each other.” She paused for a moment to look ominously at Lucy who had the good grace to look intimidated. “For this conversation we will refer to it as the appendage.”

Lucy nodded, and neither Lucy nor Charlotte spoke. Their mother sighed, the rain clouds on her face clearing a bit, and then went on.

“While in bed the man will thrust his appendage into the woman. This eventually..."

Their mother’s voice trailed off. “Eventually,” she had said, indicating that the human mating process took a while. And “thrust”. Although the male animal did thrust their appendage into the female it seemed much more invasive for Charlotte to think of a grown man doing this to her. Especially since her body seemed to know exactly where he would enter her, and that treacherous part clenched at the thought. She was appalled by her own reaction and hoped that she was not blushing.

“This is essentially how children are made,” their mother remarked with the clear tone of someone who had finished a speech.

Charlotte could not believe that they were already at the end of the conversation but was thoroughly pleased. Except this of course only meant that there was more question. For one:

"Does..." Charlotte cleared her throat and looked down her hands, bemused that she had even spoken out loud and that both her mother and Lucy were now looking at her. "Doesn't it hurt?" she had to know.

"Oh, no. No, no, no," her mother hurriedly assured her and rushed to the front of her seat holding out her hands in a waving movement as if she could erase the whole idea of pain this way. "Or it can hurt a bit the first time but it’s not worth mentioning. No, it doesn't hurt. At least not if you make sure to choose the right man."

This almost made Lucy shoot from the back of the chair to the front.

"And how will we know whether we have found the right man?" she asked. The eager gleam was back in her eyes.

"Well," their mother drew out the word and looked at her hands smoothing her pale green dress over her knees. "It's as if two bodies know whether they will be a good match and you will feel an instant attraction to the other person."

Charlotte’s mind raced over all the young men that she had encountered. She had found some of them handsome and some of them entertaining. Some of them she had thought she could be friends with, if they had not been of different gender and the rules about how to conduct in each other’s company had not been so strict. But she could not recognize attraction among any of the sensations she had had towards young men. Or any men for that matter.

"How will we feel it?" Lucy asked breathlessly.

"It's like there is something pulling you towards the other person. Like... Like magnetism.” Their mother beamed at having come up with this explanation. “You will want to be with this person in every way."

Their governess had showed them how magnets could attract each other and push each other away. It seemed comforting to Charlotte that this would happen when she found the right man. That they would instantly know and then she would not have to do any work. In fact, it made the whole prospect of her first season seem a lot less intimidating.

"And this is how you feel about Papa?" Lucy asked.

"Well, yes, fortunately. As you know our marriage was to a large extent arranged by our fathers," her mother's voice had been a bit timid, but now held more strength as she continued: "Which is why we wish for the two of you to marry out of love. Within reason we won't interfere with your choice of a husband. This is also a great responsibility however." She looked from Lucy to Charlotte. Both of them nodded solemnly.

"And I cannot stress enough that what I've told you is something that is only ever to take place between a husband and wife. You need to be very careful with your reputation. Even a kiss can lead to a ruined reputation."

She looked at them in turn again and they both nodded solemnly again. This was not new information: Charlotte was quite certain that she had been told this the first time when she was twelve.

"Not that I mistrust the two of you. I know that we have raised you to behave well," her mother declared in a softer voice.

Charlotte nodded. She certainly had no intentions of kissing anyone inappropriate. As soon as she found the one that she fitted with, he would know as well. He would propose, and they could start their life together with reading books, going for walks, and raising their children in a cozy countryside estate.