We woke early, Barclay had not yet brought my shaving water, so we talked more about their time at the Dorrington's, while we waited.
The next day of their stay, Helena told me, she went for a second drive around the town, this time with Arabella. Once more she used it as an opportunity for the two of them to become more familiar. Their route about Henley crossed the bridge over the Thames and then came back into the town, where Arabella paused their journey to greet a friend of hers, before they returned to the Dorrington's house.
"And what did you discuss while you made your way about?" I asked, though I half expected Helena to close down, as she had on the day of Arabella's birthday.
Instead, she turned to me and embraced me tightly.
"Arabella told me," She explained, "what she had seen on a day out to view you soldiers fighting. Did people actually do that?"
"Oh yes," I laughed, "Just like a day at the races. They ride out in carriages, with picnics, no less, and sit at the edge of the battlefield and watch the carnage unfold for their entertainment."
"And you did not mind?" She asked, amazed at such behaviour.
"My mind was elsewhere, my love." I told her gently, "There were always other things to keep you occupied on days like that in Portugal. The French, for example, they tended to be very annoyed if they thought you were ignoring them."
Helena poked at me for taking it lightly, but really what else could I have done, I explained? My duty was to the King to do as we were ordered and my men to see that they did the same and that we all came through it as best we could. The French and the Allied troops tended to ignore the onlookers, keeping the focus of their attention on killing each other and not the viewing public.
"She said that you were all so brave to do what you did, and that she was glad that of all the people she had known in Portugal, you had come through it safely."
"I will be truthful with you, my dearest love, so was I." I said as I leaned over to kiss her. "So was I."
My kiss led to other things and soon Helena and I were in the midst of a leisurely fuck, where she rode me again, her coral-coloured nipples jiggling as she thrust up and down, when we heard the knock-knock, pause, knock-knock, that heralded Barclay's arrival.
We went out that afternoon for a drive around Hyde Park in the landau, it was a pleasant afternoon, and we had the hood down, so that we could see and be seen. Charlotte rode with us, Caroline and the twins were chaperoning Hermione in the brougham with James. The afternoon became quite warm and the sun shone brightly, so that all of the women opened their parasols to avoid being burned by the sun which would spoil their fashionably pale complexions.
For myself, I had to endure Charlotte pointing out various young ladies, emphasising their qualities as if I would be interested in them as potential matches. When they were aware of our scrutiny, the young ladies in question would primp themselves and pout, showing themselves off as if they were items in a shop, to be bought or sold. The only difference here, was that the merchandise was actively trying to sell itself.
We stopped by the Serpentine and dismounted to promenade for a while, and quite soon after that, the Dorrington's appeared in their landau, which stopped close to us. The greetings between the vehicles were enthusiastically warm, and embraces were exchanged as they also dismounted and we walked about the park, talking with each other.
My mother and Elizabeth's greetings were particularly noticeable, when she first greeted Helena - "Your Grace", Elizabeth's curtsey was quite spectacular, low and with a markedly bowed head. If a curtsey could be considered in any way sensual, this was an excellent example, and to be truthful such a thing could only have been done by a Dorrington. Helena - "My dear Lady Elizabeth" - also inclined her head in greeting, probably more than the difference in rank between the two of them demanded. However, then both women embraced warmly, and bussed each other on the cheeks.
There was no doubt that the relationship between the two women had reached a new level, which was impressive, given that they had only become acquainted for the first time at the Winter Ball before Christmas.
"Has your mother talked about her visit last week yet?" Elizabeth asked me as we walked along the edge of the lake.
"In some detail," I laughed. "She appears to have enjoyed it greatly."
"I believe we all did," Elizabeth told me. "Lady Helena is a remarkable woman, she is brave and daring and quite, quite beautiful."
"You understand now that my feelings for her are not coincidental?" I asked, she nodded.
"Yes," She agreed. "You make the perfect couple."
I was tempted to see if I could pry some more information about what occurred the previous week from Elizabeth but out of nowhere there was a sudden, and quite intense rainstorm and we were forced to repair back to our carriages and from there we returned to Rogeringham House.
I was in my study reading a letter from Henry, when Charlotte came to see me.
We had had no real opportunity to talk while we were out - aside from her teasing me - but now it seemed that she wanted to chat, so I offered her a glass of the madeira and we sat together and talked about the events at Henley. I asked about playing the piano in the nude for a group of dancing nymphs.
At least Charlotte had the decency to look embarrassed.
"We had all had far too much to drink that night." She admitted sheepishly, "The game_"
"Questions and Commands?"
"Quite so," she said, "It got completely out of hand. Once mama and Lady Elizabeth had retired to bed, we started doing silly things_"
"What sort of things?"
"Childish dares, most of which involved one of us kissing or touching another. And as the game progressed, they became more intimate - at one point I ended up frigging Arabella's cunny, and another time she frigged Hermione while they kissed for two minutes. Anyway, one thing led to another and we all ended up undressed, and someone called for music, so I played and they danced like crazed bacchantes." And like that, she dismissed their debauchery as mere girlish hi-jinks.
Charlotte caught the look on my face and laughed. "Oh William! Really, it was just high spirits! Young women - and only young women, having the sort of adventures that you had as a young man. And that was probably the worst of it," she declared. "The rest of the week we were quite demure and behaved more in line with our social positions, we talked a lot and sang together and played parlour games. And learned much more about each other.
"Did you know that Arabella shaves herself like that black girl you told me about in Jamaica? The one with the dil doule? Of course, you didn't know, how could you? She only began doing so recently, I am thinking of doing it myself, it looks like it would be most refreshing during the heat of summer."
I nodded; it would indeed be more comfortable when the weather was warm. "But you should not describe yourselves as Bacchantes." I told her, drawing a curious look. "Maenads would be a more fitting name," I suggested.
"Were they not the same?" she asked.
"The Bacchantes were Bacchus's followers, and they did do the sort of thing you described, but they were mere mortals. The Maenads on the other hand, were all divine_"
Charlotte squealed with laughter. "And, of course, we are all divine. Thank you, William!" Charlotte hugged me closely. "You are the very best brother."
We talked for the rest of the afternoon, Charlotte told me about the library at the Dorrington's house, which contained a wide selection of erotic literature from ancient writers - similar to Catullus, to more recent authors such as Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, who is also known by the pen name of the Marquis de Sade. Charlotte described spending some time perusing de Sade's Justine, and his 100 days of Sodom, but then admitted that it seemed a little extreme for her tastes. She had enjoyed what we had played at but thought that what de Sade described would not be so enjoyable.
She went on to describe other, more sociable activities, such as riding in the carriages to beauty spots around Henley, along the river and about the town. Arabella invited some of her friends to picnic, and they all shared a pleasant afternoon on the river bank. Elizabeth even arranged for them all to be taken on a river cruise in rowing boats, crewed by her footmen. All in all, she said, it had been a very pleasant interval, away from the intense scrutiny of The Season, even if it had been a little lewd at times.
The most important part, Charlotte said, had been to become better acquainted with Arabella. She really liked her, I nodded, no, my sister said, she really, really liked her. But, she laughed, she promised that she was not going to steal my bride from me.
"As lovely as Arabella is," my sister added, with a gentle pat of her hand on my prick, "I like the feeling of one of these in me much better."
I asked her how Helena had enjoyed herself.
Charlotte told me that she thought her mama had enjoyed it greatly, certainly the carriage rides and the picnics, but then told me that Helena and Elizabeth had often left the young ladies to their own devices and retired early. I noted this and said nothing.