“Come, Freda,” she said, “it is near lunchtime. Uncle instructed us to return in time for lunch and we had better hasten back to the house. Later on, when we have more time, we will look around the estate more. Let us return now.”
The girls trudged back to the mansion, Freda on her entrance retiring to her room to refresh herself, and Caroline, according to her uncle's instructions, repairing to the library. She found him seated there, evidently awaiting her arrival. Upon her entrance he rose and closed the door behind her.
“I see that you are prompt, at least, Caroline,” he said, reseating himself and gazing at the fair girl. “Your walk about the grounds has brought roses into your cheeks-you look charming!”
“Nice of you to say so, uncle,” she replied, walking over to him and seating herself on his lap. She threw her arms around his neck, kissing him full on the lips. “Thank you so much for the pretty things you allowed me to buy,” she said.
“Tut, tut, my child. You are a beautiful woman and you will require beautiful clothes; it gives your uncle pleasure to be able to provide you with the things that will enhance your beauty. By the way, where are the precious things?” he inquired.
“Oh, I put them away carefully in my room. Do you want to see them?”
“Not now; we must go to lunch, but immediately after lunch we will inspect your purchases and I will see whether I approve your taste in selection, although I am quite sure I shall.”
Pulling her head down', his lips found hers; his hands were busied about her person, one of them finding its way under her dress, up inside the white lingerie until it reached the mossy dell, which he fingered gently, while at the same time her hand had sought his member. Slipping the buttons open on the front of his trousers, she guided her witching fingers into the opening, grasped his now virile tool and massaged it gently until it seemed ready to burst. A few moments of this dalliance, however, and her uncle pushed her from him. “I declare,” he said, “you would have me going off in just another minute, you bad girl. We had better go down to luncheon, or I fear I shall have to take you to bed again to relieve myself.” So, laughing, they descended the stairs to the dining room, where a delightful luncheon had been spread, and where they found the little girl, whose childish appetite made her impatient for luncheon to be served.
Luncheon over, Lord Roxboro gave orders that the carriage be called for and sent Freda for a drive about the countryside, accompanied by Marie.
He then repaired with Caroline to her boudoir for an inspection of her purchases of the morning.
Caroline brought out the articles for her uncle's inspection. He carefully examined them and congratulated her upon her good taste in the selection of her dresses. Paying little attention to the outer garments beyond a very casual inspection, he centered his attention upon the lingerie. Holding a pair of the thin drawers up to the light so that he could admire their thinness, he lustfully fingered the texture and admired the color of the garments. Caroline herself thought that she had shown good taste in the selection of the pair that her sensual uncle now examined with such delicate care.
Made of peachblow silk, the material was as thin as a breath of vapor, almost transparent, and garnished about the bottoms with little pink silk rosebuds, the lower part being tight to clasp closely to the figure. The upper portion, that surrounding the waist, instead of fastening with common buttons, as the cambric ones did, was laced up the sides with two broad silken ribbons of delicate pink hue that threaded through the material of the garment and tied in bows at the sides.
The center of this delicate garment, all the way up, both front and rear, was slit generously open, and Caroline imagined that once the garment was donned, the soft silken ribbons drawn tight and tied, this sheer fabric would embrace her thighs and posterior like a glove, outlining the contour of her lower form as though she were encased in skin tights.
This sheer pair, the drawers of drawers, as Caroline mentally classified them, seemed to be the particular favorite of her uncle and he handled them lovingly, a sensual look glazing his eyes as he fingered them. They did not, however, detract his attention from the other garments, and he slowly examined all of them, softly caressing the thin, sheer, silken chemises, cut extremely low in the bust, and the soft flowing hosiery; finally, with a repleted sigh, he laid to one side the peachblow panties, a chemise to match, and a pair of elegant openwork stockings.
“These, Caroline,” he said, indicating the shimmering pile of intimate garments, “you'll oblige me by donning immediately after you have bathed. I will retire now to my own room. Immediately you have prepared yourself, knock on the door to the library, where I will be awaiting your signal.”
Caroline immediately proceeded to carry out her uncle's instructions. Removing her clothing, she went to the bath, turned on the tap, and prepared to bathe. The soak in the tepid water was refreshing to her, and upon drying herself thoroughly, she dusted her pink nakedness with a faintly perfumed powder.
Lifting a leg to the edge of the bath, she stood before the tall pier glass and carefully inspected that portion of her person which had been the subject of her uncle's sensual assaults. It was still slightly sensitive to the touch, as the irritation and soreness had not fully departed.
Carefully donning the sheer, transparent chemise selected by her uncle, she drew on the silken stockings and struggled into the peachblow drawers. True to her mental prophecy, they fitted skintight, and as she drew tight the dainty ribbons that closed the gaping sides, she feared to bend or twist lest she split the delicate garment.
The gaping rent that uncovered her most secret charms, both front and rear, bothered the modest girl quite a deal, and she endeavored to draw it close in order to cover as much of those parts as possible, but nearly cried in vexation as her efforts only seemed to cause the gap to open even more widely. To be thus uncovered, even in the privacy other own boudoir, impelled in the fair girl a strong sense of shame, and the tightness of the silken garments that clung so tightly to her pulsing flesh seemed worse than no clothing at all.
Suppose Carl, the stableboy, the handsome youth of her afternoon's adventure, should see her ascend the hayloft ladder attired as she was now? She closed her eyes and gave a sensual little quivering shiver at the thought of the handsome boy's actions as he gazed beneath her unfurled dresses. Never would that happen, of course! At any future visits to the precincts of the vibrant-voiced youth, she determined to have those secret parts encased in the strongest of fabric.
These thoughts of the handsome stableboy, although he had conducted himself as a thorough gentleman, caused a tumult in the beautiful girl's mind, and she could not understand them. Although he had not touched her, she sensed a danger in the contact with this virile lad and experienced vague uneasiness at the thought of him. Probably by now he had dismissed her from his thoughts, together with her sister.
Caroline inspected her store of new dresses and was at a loss to decide which one to wear. Why did not her uncle, displaying such care and interest in the selection of her more intimate garments, at the same time select a dress for her? This would have at least made her task easier. But stop! A thought came to the modest girl which nearly rendered her breathless. Had the lord, in his instructions, mentioned a dress at all? Probably the omission of mention of the outer covering was intentional! It may be that her sensual guardian wished her to appear before him clad simply as she was! Oh no! Surely he would not ask her to do that!