the Leathermines

Back to Chapter 32

 

Days had gone by.  Laun now knew the way to the main kitchen without escort.  She also could get to the Library and the front receiving entrance without too many lost turns.  She was trying to build on that, opening doors that would open, looking through windows to know what it was positioned by in the estate.

Laun had switched to wearing mainly just her halter and a loose tunic as she wandered the manor.  She didn’t even bother with slippers, though that could have been dreadful when she came across a broken window in one of the outside enclosed walkways.  It went on her list of things that needed to be fixed, later.

She had started to do just stretches in the dusty courtyard in the mornings.  She did not feel like her body would stand up to full forms and be able to continue to reorganize and clean the manor.  The dust was thick, except for in the area right outside her door.  Laun used the area only for her morning exercise.  She needed green and growing and living things around her.

Laun was outside, looking at the distressing condition of the stables when she heard a group approaching.  She stepped outside the stable into it’s paddock and saw a fairly large group coming up the main road to the manor.  Until she saw the blue and grey, she had looked around for something that could be used as a weapon.  After she saw the blue and grey, she kept an eye on where she had found the weapon.

“Hoy!  Take our horses!  Can you send-Oh, Lady!”

Laun came out of the shadow of the stable and the officer in the lead recognized her.  He was one of the ones that she had so easily seduced in the green chamber.  “Lieutenant, it is good to see you.  I would stable your mounts, but there is fuck-all for feed and I don’t think they have been cleaned in a year.”

He looked taken aback at her language but dismounted and saluted her before taking her hand to kiss it.  “I’ll have my men do it.”  He looked down at her belly.  “I heard about the crackpot Bregnan.  Are you and he well?”

Laun had a sideways smile and said, “I and they are well.”

The look on his face was of surprise.  He almost reached to touch but stopped himself.  “They?”

Laun rubbed her belly and said, “I’m big enough, I would believe it.  But enough of that back breaking misery...  What brings you here?”

He turned and signaled dismount and the men behind him started to deal with the horses and carts they had with them.

“Lady, we were told to come here on hard march.  King Falmir said you were in need of us.”

Laun smiled and nodded.  “In more ways than one.  But...?”

He blushed slightly and said, “We are the Fourth logistics and supply company.  We normally get sent to behind lines to keep soldiers fed and such.”

She put her hand on his arm.  “I am going to put you to work.  The estate was left to go to ruin after the festival last year.  Hmmm...”

“Lady?”

“Lieutenant Senri, there is a squad at one of the guest houses that Sergeant Gres is leading.  There is not enough room there for all of your men.”

“We brought tents.  We are used to this.”

“Unlike Captain Leon.  I swear...  He did not know what he was doing.”

Senri moved closer to Laun and lowered his voice.  “He has only had his commission for a few months.  I think his mother bought it for him so that he would find an eligible wife.”

She nodded.  “I thought it was something like that.”  Laun stretched her back out slightly with her hands as close to the middle of her back as she could reach.  “Well, I think I have been given a warning.  May I have an escort back to the Manor?”

The officer bowed and took her hand.  He said a few quick things to the men around him and they started to work.  Laun felt much better knowing that people who knew what they were doing were at the estate.

Laun pointed out a few things as they went towards the manor.  It was not too far, but it was enough time that his face was looking sour as they were at the receiving hall.

“Twenty.  And nothing for the grounds.  I’m surprised that bandits or reb... pardon me, Lady.  Loyalists didn’t take it over.”

“If I had known, I would have.”  Laun smiled.  “Actually, I think I have.”

“Yes, Lady.”  He walked with her, holding her hand in support, not just for polite protocol.

“I can get us to the kitchens, the library and the room I am staying in.  Other than that, Lieutenant, I am bolloxed as to where anything is in this place.”

She saw a slight flush over his face before he said, “Perhaps the kitchen so I can see the damage you are taking about.”

“They have done a reasonable job of cleaning it while I have been here, but there are still...  Problems.”

Through corridors, up stairs, around corners and they were at the central kitchen.  Most of the servants were there, still cleaning the grime out from the corners and walls.  They stopped when they saw Laun being escorted in.  Laun went to the bench and sat, happy to be off her feet.

The officer looked around.  He kept his hands behind his back as he looked at the hearths and ovens.  He craned his neck to be able to look up at some of the racks along the wall.  He shook his head at some of the broken things and the half-cleaned windows.

“I can see the work that has been put in, Lady.  I also see more that has to be done.”  He turned to her and said, “The laundry?”

“I think I can get you there, too.”  Laun took in a deep breath and stood from the bench.  The Lieutenant’s hand was offered and they went back out into the corridor.  Laun did remember how to get to the laundry and they came in as Gem was helping to sort out some of the stored linens.

Gem blushed slightly and nodded to the officer, he also nodded and had a slightly wicked smile on his lips.  His eyes scanned around and he blinked as he saw washing kettles on their sides, a broken window on one wall and a doorway that had a wooden plank propped up to fill the hole.

“Much more work needs to be done in here.  Are there more broken windows?”

Laun nodded.  “Plain and fancy glass.  The West side of the manor is worst off.  I think one of the thunderstorms this spring.”

“Well, I think I understand why you called for help, Lady.  I will get my men and see how things can be deployed inside and out.”  He bowed over her hand, turned to go and stopped.

Laun laughed.  “Gem, would you escort our Lieutenant to the outside?  And no wrong turns.  He needs to get to work.”

Gem was fully red above her black tunic as she motioned for the man to follow her out.  Laun giggled at the looks they both gave her as they left.

“Lady?”

She turned to the one laundress in the room and tilted her head.  Laun read a nervousness in the woman and said, “Yes?  You can ask anything.”

The servant’s hands gripped the sheet she had been inspecting.  “Lady...  Do you...  I don’t believe what has been said.  You don’t beat your servant, do you?”

Laun nodded.  “Occasionally.  But she isn’t good at Sticks.”

The servant wasn’t sure how to respond.  She wanted to smile.  “So you...”

Laun became serious and said, “I have raised my hand to her several times.  It was appropriate at the time.  I would rather not beat someone just because I am displeased.  It seems to me that people do not learn if there is only punishment.  I hope that answered your question.”

There was a pause and then the servant nodded.  “Thank you, Lady.”  She went back to inspecting the linens and putting contrasting colored thread on places that needed repair.

Laun left and made her way to the room.  She was tired and needed to pee.  She still only knew of the one privy and she did not want to go into one of the other courtyards she had found to relieve herself.  Something about not being able to see through the windows made her very nervous.

She made it to the privy, cleaned some of the day’s dirt off of her and lay down on the bed.  It took a few rearrangements of the pillows, but she was finally comfortable and let herself drift into a calm sleep.  She had been going constantly for several days and this was the first time she had allowed her body to have the rest it was screaming for.  There was so much that needed to be done, she had let herself sleep at night and some sitting on benches or in chairs for a few minutes.  She felt decadent in taking a nap, but with about 100 men who knew what they were doing, she felt she did not have to be in control any more.

There was a scratch at the door and Laun was fully awake.  She was on her side, a pillow between her legs and several under her head.  “Come in!”

The Lieutenant’s head came around the door and looked in.  “Lady, I am sorry.  I didn’t know you were resting.”  He started to back out.

“Don’t go.  If it was important enough to find me, tell me.”

He came in and moved a chair to by her bedside.  He was being a gentleman and not looking at the skin exposed by the tunic riding up.  “Lady Laun, I have deployed a squad for the kitchen, a squad for the laundry and a squad just to find and catalog all of the broken windows.  Our tents have been set up behind the stables.  The steward said that most of the food has been purchased from outlying farms.  We brought some livestock and I’ll find good places for them, but the poultry hut is in shambles.  We are going to have to rebuild it.”

Laun hadn’t really moved on the bed as he had spoken.  She went up on one elbow and sighed.  “I am sorry to make work for you.”

He smiled and shook his head.  “It is my duty Lady.  And my pleasure.”  He reached for her and took her other hand.  He kissed it and looked up hopefully at her.

“And what, Lieutenant Senri, are you waiting for?”

“I don’t have more time than for a push and sigh, but I was wondering...?”

Laun frowned slightly.  “I would like that, if you don’t mind this cow of a body-”

He kissed her hand again.  “You are a woman.  You have a fertile body and that is quite attractive.  You know my...shortcomings.  You are the only Lady I know who has accepted me, even with that.”

Laun smiled and grasped his hand.  “With your technique I hadn’t noticed anything lacking.  How would you like me?”

He stood and unbuckled his swordbelt.  “Just like that, Lady, If you don’t mind.”

Laun watched him as he undid his riding leathers, they dropped to the floor caught by his boots.  She smiled as she saw how ready he was.  He pulled the pillow from between her knees and ran his fingers along her slit.  She was not as wet as he would have liked.  He spat in his hand and worked his fingers in and out of her.

He might have thought he was small, but length was not everything.  He was large around and knew what he could do with what he had.  Laun felt his fingers rubbing along the ridge inside her and the lack of interest she had to begin with became closed eyes and moans.  She could smell his sweat and the road on him and the smell of his horse still on his leathers.  She liked all of the smells.  He straddled her leg, holding her top leg up and worked his way into her.

His riding pants held her leg down as he started to thrust into her.  He held her other leg up against his chest and pushed with his whole body.  Laun felt things stretch in her hips that she hadn’t been able to for a while.  It was not exactly painful, but she was glad she was laying down.  She let herself voice the pleasure he was trying to give her and saw that it was helping to increase the pleasure he was giving himself.

He did the double thrust and she knew he was already on the edge.  She had not moved much, letting him do the work, but she moved her hips and his face changed to look like he was in great agony.  He jerkily thrusted into her and she felt his growl through her leg on his chest as well as hearing it.  He tensed all of his body and she felt him pulse inside her.

The wet feeling was there even before he pulled out.  It had only been a week, but she had missed that.

Lieutenant Senri pulled himself together, a slight wobble to him as the swordbelt went on last.  “Lady, I hope that you and I will have time to do that properly while I am here.”

Laun smiled and rubbed her legs together slightly.  “Oh, but in my condition, it is considered quite improper.  But don’t let that stop you from trying.”  Her hand was kissed and he bowed to her before he left.

It felt like the world had changed in her favor again.  She had people around her who were competent.  She had just been fucked and even though she did not peak with him, she felt energized.  It helped to focus her mind and she had the damned lists flowing through her mind again.

Laun sat up and pulled the tunic off.  She laid back down and used it as a towel to clean herself.  There was far more down there than she remembered ever receiving from him before.  Laun had heard the phrase ‘saving it up’ before and now believed it.

The soiled tunic went on the floor and Laun went to the privy.  She relieved herself and cleaned herself.  Her hips were a little sore, but felt more limber than they had since she had been at the manor.

She tried to find something else to cover herself with and could only find the hair things from Ithian and an extra set of sheets for the bed.  She had worn everything else and soiled everything else in leading the cleaning.  Laun really didn’t have much compunction about wandering the halls just with her halter as her only garment, but she looked down and did have a small wave of revulsion go through her as she looked at her big belly.

There were new stretch marks that she could see.  That meant that there were ones that she could not.  The movement inside drew her eye to a line of darker hair now growing up her belly that had not been there the last time she had looked.  Her legs were larger around and had an odd bumpy texture to them.  Her ankles were threatening to bloat again and her feet also looked swollen.  She could see fine blue lines just under her skin and her skin felt too tight.

Laun began to cry.  She had no idea how to stop it.  She felt ugly and worthless.  It wasn’t the usual darkness that was telling her this.  Laun felt a wave of helplessness go through her and she sat on the edge of the bed.

She held her belly and had hate go through her.  Hate of the babies.  Hate of being taken from her home.  Hate of her body.  Hate of the men she did not have with her.

Laun knew it was being irrational.  But she felt the emotion so hotly, so completely, she had a thought that perhaps Falmir was right to change things up in the kingdom.

That cooled her down a bit.  No, Falmir was not right.  He had pushed and had been manipulated and had created a coup to take control of the Midlands from Dreng.  She knew Dreng.  She knew Falmir.  They were so strong in personality that she understood why Falmir would want to try it.  But it was not right.  Just like her body.

Laun laid back on the bed and continued to cry.  She had been given worth, made a Lady with a household to lead.  She had been loved and cherished.  Right then, she felt like...  Flora from the whorehouse.  Yes, Laun thought to herself.  She was a red scarf, and she wasn’t even charging.

The position was not good for Laun’s back, and she tried to get up.  Her body was not cooperating and she had to push hard with arms and legs to turn to her side.  Her legs were off the side of the bed and she started to slide slightly off, but the position was not enough to let her legs reach the floor comfortably.

Laun let her body take her to the floor.  She grabbed the bedding and used that to slow her decent, but she landed not too gracefully on the wooden floor.  It was cold on her naked butt.  Laun knew it was going to be difficult to get back up.  Right then, she had another wave of sadness and she could not stop the sobbing and crying.

Steward Del scratched on the door.  He knew Laun was in there as he had escorted the Lieutenant there not too long ago, but she was not answering.  He heard something and decided to just open the door.  He opened it slightly and then heard the crying for what it was.

“Lady?  Are you well?”  He called into the room before he had the door fully open.  He looked around and did not immediately see her.  Then he saw her on the floor, leaning against the bedstead, her knees up and her hands over her face.  She only had a thing over her breasts and he could see her belly and ass.

There were tears and snot on her face as she looked up at the servant.  Her face was puffy from crying and her breathing was ragged.  She sobbed as she looked at Del, but did not try to cover herself or move.

Del went to his knees and put a hand on her shoulder.  His eyes were on her face and they never looked down.  “Lady, is there anything I can do for you?”

She shook her head.  More tears came out and she closed her eyes.  Lady Laun’s head went back against the bed and a series of strong gaspy sobs came out as more tears flowed out of her closed eyes to help soak the halter further.

The steward started to look around and could not find a cloth to offer her, other than the discarded tunic he found on the floor.  It was dirty and smelled of...  Sex.

“Lady, did the Lieutenant take advantage of you?”

There was an odd flash of a smile.  She shook her head.  The tears stopped flowing for a moment and her sobs calmed.  Del then saw a flash of pain and Laun’s hand went to her belly and she started crying again.

“Are you having problems with your baby?”  He could not stop himself as he put a hand on her stomach.  She moved her hand to top his and held him there.  An undulation under her skin caught him and he looked at his hand.

Her voice was rough and quiet as she said, “They are fine, I’m not.  It is nothing you can really help with, but thank you for your concern.”  Her eyes opened and she saw that he was looking at the belly under their hands.  “They are fine.”

He grimaced.  “My sister had twins.  She didn’t survive the delivery.”  His eyes went to Laun’s.  “I am sure you will.”

“That is several months away.”  She smiled slightly.  “Thank you.”

“Lady?”

“For not trying to save me.”  She went to wipe her face and found it was slimy, not just wet.  “Aaya.  I am more of a sight than before.  And that’s what set me off.”  Her eyes closed and more tears started to flow.

Del took his tabard off and started to wipe Laun’s face.  She opened her eyes and took the cloth from him.  She cleaned off most of the wet and slime from her face and neck.  She looked at the sodden tabard of dark blue and grey and looked at the servant.

“I know it will clean, but you shouldn’t soil your livery like that.”

“Lady, you were in need.  And, as you say, it will clean.”  He took the tabard and tossed it to the soiled tunic on the floor.  “Do you need help getting up?”

She nodded but then looked down.  “I am such a cow.”

He offered his hand and she took it.  There was some maneuvering to get her feet under her, but she was up and sitting on the bed with his help.

“Thank you, Del.”  Laun smiled slightly at him and he bowed slightly.

“Shall I find you something...”  He moved to the drawers but saw her face change.

“There are sheets for the bed.  That is it.  No one would want to see this hideous body of mine so I am just going to stay in here until the laundry comes back with something that fits for me.”

“Yes, Lady.  Shall I find you some tea or something?”

Laun sighed.  “Yes.  I don’t think I had anything since early this morning.  I think that is a reason I fell apart.”  She shook her head.  “I don’t pay attention to my body and I keep forgetting it is not just mine.”

Del watched as the Lady put her arms around her belly and more tears started to come out.  He looked at the lines and scars over her surprising belly.  It wasn’t that he had forgotten that she was pregnant.  The Lady didn’t act pregnant.  She just pushed through and had been cleaning and directing things and it was her voice that usually caught him.  She very rarely raised her voice, even when she seemed to be furious.  She sat when she needed to rest, she ate when things were put in front of her.  He had not seen her sad or introspective as she seemed to be at that moment.

She was not what he had assumed she was when she had first arrived.  Yes, she was a bitch, but she had need to push and have that attitude.  He had only actually seen gentleness and...compassion from her towards all of the servants, even Gem, who seemed to hide something every time he saw her.  The Lady made him jump and work as he should have been since the Hawkwells had left after the coup.  He had resented it, but he could see now where he had slipped, had let things go too far into chaos.

She looked up at him and there were fresh tears, but her face was much more relaxed than it had been.  “Del, have you been able to talk with the Lieutenant?”

He nodded.  “He has placed men in many places that we need help inside and has taken the reins for the outside as well.  I had escorted him here before going back to the kitchens to oversee.  I hope...”  He flushed.

She smiled.  “One thing you should know about me is that I...have appetites.  They are lessening now that I am bigger, but they are still there.”  She tilted her head slightly and said, “And...  Unless you want your watchers to see more than they bargained for, stop posting them.  We need to get this household up and running and cannot waste the time and energy.”

Del clenched his teeth.  His eye flicked to the papers that were tacked up on the wall, one covering one of the listening holes.  He had stopped having someone there after that night, but the screams from Gem were still loud from the top post.

“Yes.  That one.  And the one in the ceiling.  This is not my first visit to this damned place.”  Laun turned slightly to face him more.  “You were doing what you were told.  You are doing your duty.  But now, you need to focus on different things.”

“Yes, Lady.”  There was a hint of coldness in his voice.  He looked at her with his mask set with a bland, unemotional face.

She nodded.  “You will also find, if I have certain visitors, that I will be using talents you probably have not been told of.”  She smiled and he tried not to react.

“Lady, anything else?”

“Yes.”  She stood with effort and put a hand on Del’s arm.  “You have been kind to Gem and myself.  Thank you.”  She saw a slight crack in his mask, but it held beyond that.

He was slightly confused.  But he bowed and left, making his way to the kitchens.    He found Gem and told her that Laun was in the room and would like something to eat, and some clothes.

Gem smiled and thanked him before winding her way through the men who were stripped down to their breeches for cleaning to one corporal who was starting on making some food for the larger household.

“My Lady would like something to eat.  Did you happen to bring milk cows?”

He looked at her and scowled.  “I haven’t even been able to find the cold cellar and you are asking for food for a noble?  Damnit, girl, she will have to wait like the rest of us.”

Gem put on a stern face and said in a low tone, “Sir, I have been asked to bring food to my Lady.  That is what I am going to do.”

“Girl, there is nothing to feed her.  I cannot give you something I do not have.”

Gem narrowed her eyes.  “Sir.  Please.  May I have some tea for my Lady.”

He crossed his arms on his chest and tried to intimidate her into silence.  “No.”

Gem nodded to him and started to find things in the kitchen to make tea, as well as finding the stash of small breads and some preserves.  It did not take her long to do for herself what she had asked from the corporal.  Before she left she went to him and placed the tray before him.

“Thank you.”

He turned from the pot he was vaguely looking at.  “For what?”

She smiled slightly and raised her voice.  “For your kindness.  I will tell my Lady how you helped, and I am sure that she will mention it.  To her Father.”  Gem took the platter and turned away before he could say anything.

Gem had a pounding heart as she reached the corridor.  She tried to not dwell on what she had said to the soldier.  She thought she had seen smirks on some of the other men...

Her heart had not just been racing because of what she had said.  Several of the soldiers were quite handsome and she could feel herself react to their presence.  She tried to push that thought out of her mind as she went to the laundry to try to find something for her mistress to wear.  Gem knew that Laun was almost out of the tunics that fit, but had been distracted by other things.

Gem found one of the tunics that they had brought on the drying line and grabbed it as well as one of the men’s tunics that had been uncovered from another opened room.  It looked like it should be big enough to go around Laun without dragging on the floor.

Gem made it to the room with her various items, the tea perhaps a little over steeped in the pot.  She scratched on the door and did not wait for a call to come in.  Her mistress was in bed, a sheet drawn over her as she lay on her side.

“I was told you needed things, Mistress.”  Gem put the tunics over the end of the bed and brought the tray for Laun to see.

That was when she saw the despair and tears on her mistress’ face.  Gem almost dropped the platter as she hurriedly put it on the floor next to a discarded tunic and a servant’s tabard.

“Mistress?  Are you well?”  Her hand went to Laun’s cheek, wiping away some of the wetness.

“I am ugly.”

Gem leaned in and kissed Laun.  “No.  You are beautiful.  You are lovely and smart and sexy e indiretta...”  Gem scrunched her eyebrows up and said, “I can’t think of more words, but you are more than that.  You have taught me to see beneath the masks everyone has and I am not sure I have found anyone better than you.”

Laun looked into Gem’s eyes and seriously said, “You have to say that.  You are my apprentice and I give you screaming orgasms.”  She smiled but had a small quiver in her chin.  Gem smiled, giggled slightly and pulled away.

Gem reached down and picked up the tray again.  “I brought some food.  It was a bit of a hassle because the corporal who was being the cook refused to give me anything.  So I made up the tray myself.”

Laun frowned slightly.  “That does not bode well.  Maybe I need to go and talk to the soldiers...”  She pushed herself up and the sheet fell back.  Laun looked down and stopped talking.  The tears were back and Laun fell into the bedding.

The tray went back on the floor again.  Gem went to the other side of the bed and crawled in behind Laun.  Her arm went around her mistress’ waist to rest her hand on the growing belly.  Her legs spooned in behind Laun’s and Gem’s face went into the mass of hair on the pillow.

They lay like that for quite a while.  Laun was quietly crying.  Gem just held her.

 

A midnight wander through the estate leads to finding companionship in Chapter 34