Under The Moon And Stars

Chapter 2

Evie barely slept that night. Between the announcement of her wedding and walking in on whatever it was Lucy and Charles were doing, her mind refused to shut down. She had finally managed to doze off sometime well after midnight. But even then, her dreams plagued her. In them she was lying on the kitchen bench just as Lucy had while an unknown man did to her what Charles had done to Lucy. Evie couldn't see his face as he was between her legs and Evie was looking at the ceiling, but she could feel him. She could feel the wetness of his mouth as he kissed and licked her where she had never been touched before. She could hear his moans, and she began to moan herself. She was throbbing, needing something that he could give her, but she didn't know what it was. If he just kept going though, she'd figure it out. Along with his moans she could hear the slurping of his tongue, the sounds of his gulps. He was relentless with her, and she was so close to understanding. Evie grabbed his head to steady him. Just a little more...

Evie awoke covered in sweat and her private area throbbed so much it was almost painful. Evie had no idea why or how to make it go away so she just stayed in bed, forcing herself to think of anything else. Eventually her body calmed down and her breathing became even. But Evie knew she couldn't let this go. It would drive her crazy. She was on pins and needles waiting for Lucy to arrive. She came every morning to help Evie dress and braid her hair before breakfast. When she finally heard Lucy's soft footsteps coming down the hall Evie jumped up and opened the door just as Lucy was about to knock. She grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her quickly into the room.

"What on earth is going on with you this morning Miss Evie," Lucy asked as she was dragged through the door. Evie stared at her oddly, suddenly at a loss for words. Lucy looked and noticed the bed covers were in complete disarray. She studied Evie for a moment noticing that her hair was far more tangled than usual and she had dark circles under her eyes. She could tell the young woman hadn't slept well. Lucy sighed and said, "I heard the news of your upcoming wedding. I'm sure that information has made it difficult to sleep."

"Oh Lucy," Evie replied, "you are right of course, but it is so much more than that." She pulled Lucy farther into her room and began to whisper. "I couldn't sleep last night after finding out that my engagement is becoming official and I will be leaving home to get married. I went to the kitchen hoping to get a snack and I saw you." Evie paused and Lucy's cheeks immediately turned a bright red. "I saw you and Charles together, but I don't understand what I saw. Lucy, what were you two doing together last night? Please, you must tell me. I've never seen or heard of anything like that before."

Lucy started to walk away. "I'm sorry Miss Evie. That was something you never should have witnessed. But to talk to you about it would be highly improper. I'm going to send up another maid. I'm suddenly not feeling well."

Evie grabbed her hand again, "Please Lucy? Please? It looked as though it was something both of you enjoyed. I've never seen anyone look the way you two did last night as you did things to each other. I want to know what you did and why?"

Lucy hesitated before replying. She shouldn't be having this conversation, it was improper. But if Evie went to her mother and told her what she saw, Lucy would be let go for sure. Evie obviously had no idea what she had seen and had questions. If Lucy didn't answer them then it stood to reason the next person she would ask would be her mother and that would be it for her employment. She sighed. As awkward and uncomfortable as this was, she would have to explain it to Evie and beg her not to say anything about what she saw to anyone else.

She turned to face the young woman. "Miss Evie, has your mother spoken to you about what will be expected of you when you marry? About how a woman comes to carry a child?" Evie's eyes went wide and she merely shook her head. "Alright, let's sit down. This might take a bit. But Miss Evie, I must beg you for something. I will tell you everything you want to know and answer any questions that I am able. But please promise me that this conversation will stay strictly between the two of us. If your parents find out that I am sharing this information with you I will be let go, you can be certain of that."

Evie readily agreed and promised Lucy that she wouldn't say a word. She then sat on her bed and Lucy pulled the chair away from the vanity to sit facing her. Lucy then explained to Evie about the difference in male vs. female anatomy. What a man and woman do together to create a baby. What it means for a woman to 'lose her virginity' and then, even more awkwardly, what she and Charles had been doing together the night before. She also confirmed that the experience did feel good, that it was in fact one of the greatest pleasures in the world. Evie's eyes were as wide as saucers the whole time.

When Lucy finished speaking Evie stared in disbelief, her mind trying to process all this new information. She had questions of course, mainly about why Lucy had done what she had. "Because I enjoy it, Miss Evie. You will understand when you are married and you are with your husband. But my husband left me. No divorce so I can't remarry. If I get pregnant the child will be illegitimate and everyone will know. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the feeling of being touched by a man. What Charles and I do with one another gives us both the pleasure of the experience without the risk of pregnancy."

Evie looked intrigued. "So, I could do that with a man and remain a virgin?" Lucy was horrified when she realized what she had just divulged. She quickly tried to correct herself. "Miss Evie, you must do no such thing! Although you would still technically be a virgin it wouldn't be right. A woman is supposed to only do those acts with her husband. No one else."

"But you did it with Charles and you are not married." Evie was surprised to see tears suddenly appear in Lucy's eyes.

"Yes, you are right. But my husband abandoned me, Miss Evie. He didn't die or divorce me. He just left me alone and in doing so took away my chance to remarry. I am lonely, Miss Evie, and I can't do a thing to change that. Charles knows this and we have an understanding. It helps to fill a void in my life. But you have no such void Miss Evie. You will be married in a few short months, and you will be able to share all I have just explained to you and more. You will have an entire life with a husband. That is something I will never have. Please don't do anything to ruin that for yourself. Virgin or not, if your fiancé discovers you have done those acts with someone else, he will most likely call off the engagement. Your reputation will be in tatters, and another offer of marriage will be unlikely. The scandal would follow you for the rest of your life."

Lucy hoped that she had scared Evie out of doing anything foolish. But the girl looked troubled. "But Lucy, after last night...after what I saw...I feel different and I don't know what to do about it."

Lucy was confused. "Different how, Miss Evie," she asked. Evie took a breath before replying. "My body...it throbs. I feel tingly and tight down below. I want something but I don't know what."

Lucy laughed. "Oh Miss Evie, what you are feeling is desire and it is completely normal. In fact, it is good that you feel this way as it will make your wedding night even more wonderful. Your body is telling you that you are ready to be married, and fortunately you won't have to wait long. Only a few short months, and your husband will be thrilled to see how eager you are for him on your wedding night. Now, do you have any other questions for me?"

Evie shook her head and Lucy said, "Good, let's get you ready for breakfast. I'm sure your parents are wondering what is taking you so long this morning." And with that the morning proceeded how it always did. Evie got dressed and her hair styled. She joined her parents who were almost finished with their breakfast by the time she arrived. When asked about why she was so late Evie explained that due to wedding excitement she'd had a difficult time falling asleep. When she finally did, she was so exhausted that she'd slept in. Her explanation made sense to her parents, and everyone went about their day.

Since Natti was busy Evie decided to join her mother for tea in the garden that afternoon. She sat down at the table and waited. Her mother was running late having gotten tied up discussing some household issues with the head housekeeper, Mrs. Spencer. So, Evie was alone in the garden with her thoughts. She was a nervous wreck about getting married. Even more so now that she knew what she would be doing with Alexander on their wedding night. She was both excited and terrified at the thought of doing that with a man she didn't know. Truthfully, Evie felt that if she could experience some of it with a man of her own choosing before she met Alexander, she would feel more confident.

She knew what Lucy had said was true. She wasn't supposed to do any of those things until she was married and then only with her husband. Maybe if she knew and been courted by her fiancé, she would be happy to wait for him. But he was faceless, voiceless being to her. A stranger. She had already been worried that they would prove to be ill suited for each other. What if they clashed both in personality and in bed? When asked, Lucy had admitted that if a man didn't care about a woman's pleasure, she was unlikely to receive it. Evie desperately wanted to feel the overwhelming bliss that Lucy had described to her during their talk. But if she waited until her wedding night and her husband couldn't give it to her, she would be stuck for the rest of her life.

Evie had always been impulsive and impatient. She went after what she wanted, and she would do so again now. She would try and find a man to bring her pleasure the way Charles had for Lucy. That way she would still be a virgin on her wedding night. She knew it was a risk but that could be reduced by asking the right man. Her first and most obvious choice was to ask Natti. But after thinking about it a bit, she dismissed the idea. Natti was her best friend and although she knew she would be comfortable with him and certain he would never tell a soul, she instinctively knew that it would forever alter their friendship. It might bring them closer or it could have the opposite effect and create distance, especially if the encounter didn't go as she hoped.

The thought of losing Natti was more than she could bear so Evie dismissed him as a possibility. Not to mention, Evie was fairly certain Natti was still a virgin like her, meaning he probably knew as much about this stuff as she did. Evie figured her best bet was to find someone who most likely had some experience with intimacy but not married. For half a second she thought of asking Charles, but she would never do that to Lucy. Who could she ask? When she got back to her room, she would make a list of every man she knew and hoped that in doing so she could find someone suitable. Those were the thoughts running through her mind when her mother joined her and tea was finally served.

Evie saw a shadow approaching and turned to look over her shoulder. Their groundskeeper, Eric Taylor, approached the table and asked her mother if he could have a quick moment to discuss some things. The grounds and gardens of the estate were her mother's pride and joy. Since Mr. Taylor had come to work for them several years ago it had become even more beautiful. Evie truly studied Eric for the first time while he stood there discussing summer flowers with her mother. He was tall and broad shouldered due to years of heavy lifting and planting. His hair was the same honey blonde as hers, but where her eyes were a sky blue his were forest green. He wasn't the most handsome man she had ever seen but he was masculine to be certain.

Evie began to stir uncomfortably, a slight throbbing beginning between her legs again. She wracked her brain trying to recall all she knew about him. She knew he was a widower. He'd married young and sadly his wife and only child had died in childbirth. That was about six years ago. He'd been alone ever since spending his days working and toiling the earth. If memory served correctly Eric was about 27 years old. He lived in a small cottage on the grounds built specifically for the estate groundskeeper. Evie could most certainly consider him as a possibility. He was alone but experienced. Older, but not old. He lived on the property but in his own home so they'd have privacy. And he was handsome in a rugged way.

One detail that could be either good or bad was that she didn't know him well. Her mother oversaw the grounds so there was little reason for conversation between him and Evie. This meant that they had no relationship to risk ruining like she had with Natti. It would strictly serve to bring them pleasure and that was it. However, it also meant that Evie wasn't certain she could trust him. He always seemed like a kind man and Evie had vague memories of seeing him with his wife when she was alive. He'd been loving and caring towards her. Could Evie risk it? She'd have to think about it a bit more.

Just then Eric turned and glanced at her before turning back to her mother. "Well, that's all I needed to know for now. You two enjoy your tea." Then he tipped his hat before nodding to them both. "Good day Mrs. Campbell; Miss Evie." He turned and walked away, Evie staring after him. She couldn't help but notice how nice he looked as he walked, his broad shoulders held high and narrow hips swaying with each step.