Page 9 of Papa's Rules
Cammie obediently sat upon the sofa, crossed her ankles and folded her hands in her lap. After the incidents of the day before, particularly the time she spent in the nurse’s office, Cammie had been subdued and obedient, but also eager to explore more about the mysteries of the marriage bed. Her interlude on the exam table in Nurse Lister’s office had been both humiliating and enlightening. She squeezed her thighs together, forcing pressure on the nubbin which the nurse had taunted with insistence until Cammie had exploded.
Forcing her thoughts away from such lascivious and unladylike musings, she took in her surroundings. Her new home.
My, but the drawing room of Ashton Manor was large. The entire estate made her head spin. When they rode up the bustling street she had practically crawled over Miss Wickersham’s lap in order to get a better look out the windows which were on the older woman’s side of the carriage. Now Cammie was inside and could scarce believe this was to be her home...forever. Not only would it be her home, but she would be the lady of the house. Lady Cavendish.
Just saying the name, even if only in her mind, made her tummy flip flop. Lord Cavendish was even more handsome than she had dreamed about. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes, but he was not frightening at all. Cammie had been concerned that she might be frightened being with a man all by herself since such things had never been permitted at Talcott House, but now that she had met Lord Cavendish, her papa, and he had smiled and winked at her, all she could think about was crawling up into his lap and snuggling close.
Oh dear. That funny tingly feeling she had in her lady bits the day before...during the humiliating examination at Nurse Lister’s office...returned.
Last night, her final one at Talcott House, she had broken a rule and touched herself. Beneath the covers she had replicated Nurse Lister’s fingers as they moved in and out of her cunny. The release which enveloped her had not been as strong as the one she’d experienced in the nurse’s office, but it was satisfying nonetheless.
Her fingers itched to touch herself again, but such a thing would be scandalous. She ought to do something about it, but she did not know what. Maybe walking. She had been sitting for a very long time, an especially long time for a little girl. There had been the ride in the carriage to Ashton Manor and now she was being ever so patient and waiting for Miss Wickersham and Lord Cavendish to conclude their business.
And then Miss Wickersham would leave and she would be all alone with Lord Cavendish. Oh no. The tingling got stronger, making a heated pulse between her thighs. Maybe if she reached up her dress and underneath her chemise, a few little strokes to her cunny would quell her sudden urges. She bit her bottom lip, considering such impulsive naughtiness, but soon dashed such thoughts away. What if Lord Cavendish and Miss Wickersham returned while she was touching herself? The very idea of anyone, particularly her soon-to-be husband, catching her in the act of pleasuring herself made her go hot with shame.
Cammie jumped up from the sofa and began to circle the room, careful not to touch any of the beautiful objects that filled the space. The last thing she needed at this critical point in her life was to do something to cause Miss Wickersham to call her naughty and take her back with her. If she disappointed Miss Wickersham and had to go back to Talcott House, Cammie knew it would be a long, long, very long time before she got another papa. Maybe not ever. She might end up having to become a caretaker like Garland, mean and cranky and doing errands for Miss Wickersham and the nurse.
A shiver ran up her spine. Cammie would hate being an errand girl.
But, she did miss Hyacinth. The two friends had tried to keep their spirits up when Cammie had said good-bye that morning, but when Cammie saw Hyacinth’s lip start to quiver, she could not hold back and soon the two girls were hugging and crying. It was only the promise of a lifetime of love with her new papa that had caused Cammie to let go and say her good-byes. Maybe someday Hyacinth would get a papa and the two girls could spend time together.
Cammie hugged herself around the middle. If only Cynny could meet Lord Cavendish. Cammie could scarce believe that such a handsome man wanted to be her papa and the idea of showing him off to all of her friends at Miss Wickersham’s filled her with delicious anticipation, though no other girl had ever brought a papa back to the house. In fact, in all the years she had been there, Cammie could not think of anyone who left and then returned for a visit.
Perhaps it was because they were too busy with their papas.
Gazing through the window, Cammie saw a small garden just outside. There was a terrace with potted plants and right in the very middle was a beautiful hyacinth plant, the exact same shade of blue as her friend’s eyes. Though she was ever so excited to arrive at her new home and meet her papa, nervousness made Cammie wish for something familiar, and she was sure the pot of flowers was a sign meant to comfort her. Besides, she could use a distraction to keep her from reaching up her skirts and seeking out her secret nubbin. Breaking that rule would be worse than disobeying Miss Wickersham’s edict that she stay put, she reasoned.
Finding the door to the terrace, she opened it quietly, and made sure not to let it close behind her lest it lock. Just one minute to go and touch the flower and smell its sweet perfume was all she needed and then she would be back inside sitting on the sofa just the way she had been when Miss Wickersham and Lord Cavendish had left her. And, hopefully, the fresh air would help her settle enough to resist the temptation of touching her cunny once she came back inside.
She made her way quickly to the collection of flowers and gently touched the edges of the hyacinth. Just thinking about her friend and her home back at Talcott House calmed her nerves. Relieved and feeling better, Cammie turned and hurried toward the door. She was only two steps away when a large cat walked alongside the house, and in its determination to inspect Cammie, it strode past the door and pushed it closed. Cammie gasped and lunged for the door, but she tripped over the cat, fell and tore her dress.
A moan of horror escaped her lips when she looked down and saw the gash in her skirt. Looking closely, she saw not only a tear in her dress, but her stocking as well. Well, her skin was scraped and raw looking, but at least she wasn’t bleeding. That brought her a little comfort.
Gathering herself up as best she could, she made her way to the door only to find, as she had feared, that it was locked. She rattled the knob, but no luck.
Oh, she was in trouble for sure. Not only had she disobeyed instructions to stay put, but she had torn her dress and stocking.
Maybe if she could just get back inside she could cover up the damage to her dress and Miss Wickersham and Lord Cavendish would never know the difference. Her primary goal was to get Miss Wickersham off the premises and back with the vicar to perform the marriage as soon as possible before Miss Wickersham had a chance to change her mind and force Cammie to leave with her rather than allowing her to marry Lord Cavendish.
Because force is what she would have to use. Cammie had already decided life at Ashton Manor with Lord Cavendish as her papa was better than anything she ever dreamed of and Miss Wickersham would have to pry her fingers from the door frame before Cammie would leave the premises.
Moving carefully so as not to make any noise or draw attention to herself, Cammie made her way around the large manor house intending to find the front door and let herself back in, then she could return to the drawing room, sit down and wait for Miss Wickersham and Lord Cavendish. She made good progress around the house but stopped abruptly when she glanced in one window and saw Miss Wickersham and Lord Cavendish seated across from each other at a desk. Miss Wickersham’s back was to the window and Lord Cavendish was busy looking at papers on his desk. Maybe luck would be with her. She carefully squeezed between the shrubs and the house, praying she did no further damage to her clothing. Only a few more steps before she would be past the windows.
She carefully let out the breath she had been holding and stole one last glance into the room occupied by Miss Wickersham and Lord Cavendish. Miss Wickersham continued to face away from Cammie, but at the very moment she glanced at Lord Cavendish, he looked up from the papers on the desk and their eyes met.
A shiver of heat ran through Cammie and she could feel her pulse hammering at the base of her throat. She froze in place, hoping that if she did not move, he might not really notice her.
Lord Cavendish quickly returned his attention to Miss Wickersham and Cammie continued her quest for the front door.
Perhaps she had imagined the eye contact between herself and Lord Cavendish. It had lasted only a moment.
On shaky legs she made her way back inside and closed the door quietly behind her with a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the drawing room was just steps away, and she entered and resumed her seat, a calm countenance upon her face, with seconds to spare before Miss Wickersham and Lord Cavendish returned. Acting as though nothing was amiss, she greeted them both with a cheerful smile, while holding her breath, waiting to see if Lord Cavendish had indeed seen her outside the window.
She studied the faces of Miss Wickersham and Lord Cavendish for signs that Lord Cavendish…her papa...had noticed her outside the window and further, any indication Miss Wickersham was unhappy or that Cammie’s plans to stay at Ashton Manor forever might be thwarted in any way. Miss Wickersham seemed almost girlish in her demeanor toward Lord Cavendish. Cammie had never seen her teacher so animated before, and if she was not mistaken, there might have been a slight flush to Miss Wickersham’s cheeks, as though she found Lord Cavendish rather appealing herself.
However, much to Cammie’s relief and delight, Lord Cavendish seemed only to have eyes for her. His dark gaze never left her face, except only for the briefest of moments in response to whatever Miss Wickersham had to say. Cammie was flattered by his attention and also pleased to see that he was a gentleman and treated Miss Wickersham properly as well.
He truly was perfect.
