The Vicar's girl

restoring port or whiskey. Scarce had he begun to imbibe, however, and while reflecting on the perfect delights of Mabel's parted legs and snowy-mounded tits than Margaret made her entrance.

It had been for her, perhaps, an even more perfect day than for Eric. Her bottom tingled agreeably still from the dual assaults it had received in a quiet pasture from both the boys who-somewhat shamefaced at the thought of encountering their father-had taken to the rear of the house.

Unlike most adults, Margaret thought, boys in their youth did not allow their minds to linger upon acts of voluptuousness in which so far they showed much desiring effort but little finesse. It would be pleasant, for instance, to have her thighs licked, her bottom tickled by a teasing tongue, her nipples drawn upon more sensuously. With George and Freddy she was ever too hasty in the act, permitting their immediate, frolicsome pumpings of her bottom and her cunny. Even now their thoughts appeared to have moved elsewhere, for she could already hear the clickings of mallet and ball as they commenced a game of croquet on the lawn.

So, too, did Alice who, having returned, came tripping down, asking whether she might play in the garden, too- though therewith giving her parent an exceedingly searching and much-flushed glance which Eric immediately misunderstood, of course, for he feared that she might know of that which it were better for her not to know.

Receiving therefore his immediate and somewhat confused assent, Alice ran out, leaving Margaret to confront her brother-in-law who was in the act of handing her a glass of the selfsame comforter that he was imbibing.

'Your, er…', Margaret began with wondering amusement.

'My what?' echoed Eric.

Swallowing a little at her own temerity, but emboldened by the events of the day, Margaret approached him more closely and after some evident hesitation on her part whispered, 'The front of your trousers, Eric. They are open. I fear that Alice saw your-er…'

'My what?' jerked a confused Eric and then, glancing down, saw that the faintly- coated knob of his pego was indeed poking impudently out, for in his haste he had quite forgotten to button himself there.

'Your thing', giggled Margaret who had not intended to giggle at all.

'Margaret! Really!'

Turning his back on her, Eric fumbled with his buttons, first issuing one into the wrong hole so that a blush of guilty embarrassment flooded his face.

'My dear, I could not help but say it. How else was I to tell you?' Margaret enquired, holding the rim of her glass to her lips as though to prevent the exit of yet another giggle.-'Young girls are very impressionable, you know, Eric. Such things…'

'My dear, you have no need to emphasise the matter', Eric uttered stiffly while in that moment his eyes wandered to the lithe figure of his younger daughter whom he could see through the window. The sunlight shone through her dress.

'Forgive me!'

Offering a sudden change of mood, which was more contrived than impulsive, Margaret turned her back on him and bowed her head, adding in a low and seemingly quavering tone, 'One becomes lonely sometimes, Eric. Words come to one's lips-thoughts enter one's head. I have never spoken thus before, but when Alice saw it… It was clear to see, you know. Like a bird peeping from a nest. Oh, but I should not have said that either, should I? I will be in disgrace with you forever'.

As it appeared to Eric then, a sob-or what passed for one-came from his sister-in-law whose sumptuous bottom he had in full view.

'That which you had to say, you had to say. If Alice perceived my…'

'Your member?' asked Margaret softly, bowing her head while, with a sense of excited warmth, she felt his arm encircle her waist. One warm and bulbing halfmoon pressed back against his thigh. A quicker breathing sounded from both.-'What thoughts may be in her head now? Oh, Eric dear, how lewd you must think me for saying such, but yours is the first…'

'That Alice has seen?'

The words had escaped Eric's lips before he had thought to speak them.

'Indeed, yes-but the first I have seen for so long. Can you ever forgive me for saying such? My boldness frightens me indeed, and yet…'

'It arises from loneliness-loneliness, Margaret. What is to forgive, my dear? Do not distress yourself. Be comforted', uttered Eric in his newfound wisdom and therewith passing a comforting (if not also exploratory) hand around the protruding nether cheek whose companion moved a little to the pressure of his thigh.-'Perhaps, Margaret, we might retire upstairs and speak of it', he murmured, daring to feel right under her firm derriere at precisely the moment that Vanessa-who had overheard more of the conversation than either would have wished- strode into the room.

'It is I who will arrange such tete-a-tetes. Is it not?' she asked so meaningfully that both flushed and stared at her, while Eric hastily stepped back.

'We were discussing…', he began with wan hope of finding a suitable conclusion to his sentence.

'Arrangements for the night? I have already made such. Are we not civilised? Do we not bring sensitivity to such? I shall spend a while with Margaret first, if I might stay'.

'Oh yes, oh yes, an hour with me-of course!' interjected Margaret who otherwise feared that Vanessa's tongue might run too loose, as indeed did Eric.

'May we drink to that? Shall we drink to that? It is not what people say, but what they do that matters-is it not?'

'My dear Miss Markham, permit me to pour you some wine', stammered Eric.

'I would prefer a sweet liqueur at the moment-just at the moment', Vanessa said and settled herself in a grey armchair with much regal swishing of her skirts.

Just like a queen, thought Margaret with awe, and wondered what the night would really bring.

Chapter Twenty-Three

'I had to come, ma'am. Tried to control them, I did, but there's been ructions. Wants to go back to their cottage, they do, and I has a job to control them and…'

'Calm yourself, Mary. You did right to come', Vanessa said and gave the girl a benign smile as they stood together in the hall.

'Interrupted your dinner, has I? I'm sorry, but I didn't know what to do'.

'We are at coffee. You have interrupted nothing but my train of thought, and that for the best. Let them go, Mary. Indeed, you may oust them out. Tell them that I wish it, but that I may soon enough call upon their services again'.

'Yes, ma'am, yes I will gladly. A bit of peace I'll have then, but I thought you was going to have more larks with them, that was what I thought'.

'Larks there will be a-plenty, Mary. As Papa used to say to me each morning, life has just begun. Are you thirsty? Shall I have something brought for you? I fear though here that it will have to be in the servants' quarters. When I return we shall be much more homely again, shall we not?'

'Are you coming back tomorrow, ma'am-are you?' Mary asked a little anxiously.

'Of course, and I shall wish to find you warm in bed', Vanessa teased, though she held much fond tenderness for the girl.-'See to Reggie, won't you? I do not want him breaking out of a sudden all over the village. Have him bring his prettiest pupil to the house tomorrow, and then we shall have much fun, I am sure of that'.

'Oooh yes, I'd love to do that. I'll tell him, shall I, tell him as you ordered it and that he must?'

'Of course you shall-of course you must. Now be off, Mary, for I must not keep my hosts waiting. They are a very proper family, you know'.

'Yes, I'm sure they are', Mary responded unthinkingly and then was gone again into the night, as Vanessa wished her to, for she had a few things to do yet.

Returning to the dining room where all were seated still at table, she heard Alice asking, 'May I have a