The Pervert And The Virgin – Part Forty-Three

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I obviously did a good job bathing Tim the previous night because I got to do it again the next morning. The sweet lad even let me take him gently in the shower. There was a lot going on inside Tim so he struggled with his sparring. I kept him at it for twenty minutes because he needed to work on getting his emotions under control. That's why we meditate so much Petersen told Tim. Then Petersen attacked me for twenty-minutes. Leif sparred with me right after. I had to agree being forced to defend myself when tired was good practice. Naturally Petersen wanted to see the diner. I had expected this and warned the others we'd be having breakfast there. We hadn't warned the staff.

This time when I pointed to an open spot on my plate the nun simply used my fork to spread my scrambled eggs over it. Then she kissed me and suggested I mind my manners or she'd take me out back for a spanking. Leif suggested she warn the monks not to make such a suggestion or I'd deliberately misbehave. She let us know the monks were well aware of my tendencies. I learned word of my dalliances at the big conferences got around. Garth told me the word was spread solely to keep the other monks safe of course.

“Why didn't you say anything sooner my Love?” Tim asked when Petersen stormed over to have words with the chefs.

“Because Petersen has the time to fix things and I didn't want to spoil his fun.” I said calmly. “Chat with the others this morning and Petersen this afternoon. He'll be busy training these chefs for a bit. Yes Leif you can tell him I'll pick up the tab. No need for Isaiah to suffer.”

“Isaiah when food is below Petersen’s standards he refuses to have people pay for it.” Leif explained. “I'm certain this is perfectly good and possibly better than what most of the local places serve but it isn't four or five-star quality. The salt is a little light for one thing. He'll want to know why they aren't using fresh herbs. There better be some growing at the chapter houses here or he'll be borrowing a paddle from Rohan. Now let me go tell him Rohan is picking up the tab.”

I motioned our waitress over to let her know what was going on. She immediately went around to let people know their breakfast was free and asked them to please come back tomorrow to try our improved menu. Christopher called a nearby chapter house for some fresh herbs. A startled monk got kissed by Petersen when he delivered them. I explained to Leif the change in plans. He agreed it would be best to chat with Petersen this afternoon because we wouldn't get him out the kitchen for a while.

Ingrid, Daniel and Miriam agreed to meet us at The Queen's Lancer. I had just settled down in a separate booth to read when a storm called Matilda descended on me.

“Good of you to save me the trouble of hunting you down.” Matilda said taking my beer off a startled Betty's tray and heading my way. “Betty assures me she triple checked the figures before she paid us our bonus. How do you expect me to live a righteous lifestyle with all that cash in my bank account? You can tell me when I get done kissing you.”

Matilda sat in my lap for five minutes kissing and thanking me. She didn't move when other staff members came over to kiss my cheek in thanks. Betty refused to rescue me. She let us know Matilda was on a break so there was no need to rush the kisses. Tim took lots of pictures. Finally I was able to regather my composure and return to my reading. I made Bernard promise not to kiss me before I let him set a whiskey down near me. This was a new one left by a sales rep for us to sample. I liked it but admitted I liked almost any Islay Scotch. Bernard liked it as well. His only reservation was the price. Educate the clientele and they won't mind paying a little more I told Bernard and Betty. They agreed to ask the sales rep to host a class on scotch one evening.

“Problem is if we put up a sign saying free whiskey tasting we'll be swamped.” Betty said. “That won't go down well with the regulars.”

“Do it by invitation only.” I suggested. “You know who the regular Scotch drinkers are so start with them. Explain to the sales rep your concerns and keep it to six or eight. Then invite some of the regulars who might be occasional Scotch drinkers at home. Let them know we won't inflate the profit margin but with the base cost being higher it will naturally be more expensive.”

“We could let them decide from three or four different blends which one provides the best taste for the right price.” Bernard said. “They will order it more often if they chose it and won't object to the price.”

“Matilda will be unhappy.” Betty said smiling at me. “This will mean more profit and more cash in her account.”

“Rohan doesn't mind the kisses.” Tim said from his table. “Hush Scoundrel nobody is buying your gruff exterior act. You are one hundred percent softy.”

I was left in relative peace for another couple of hours. Then we had lunch and a game of darts before heading back to the B&B. Petersen scolded me. He couldn't believe I had eaten their three times without complaint. They were using dried herbs he announced several times as if it was a mortal sin. I couldn't tell him I hadn't noticed.

“What are you laughing at Tim?” Petersen said when he paused for breath.

“On the way back Rohan predicted the scolding.” Garth said. “He told us it was a small price to pay to get you to fix things in the kitchen. Since he is the one being scolded I have to agree. You can visit our culinary school only if Rohan goes with you. Petersen you can take out your frustration on Rohan in as many sparring bouts as you need. He's the only one we have who can safely take it.”

“We can go tomorrow.” I agreed. “That way you can get started on making the changes to their training program while we are visiting the new building site and village. Charles got the two of you on the guest list for our luncheon so you will be traveling with us and the culinary school will be safe from future visits for a few days.”

“While the two of you are visiting the culinary school I'll go shopping for something to wear.” Leif said delightedly. “I'll get you something as well Sweetheart. Garth knows the names of the shops Lawrence got Rohan's wardrobe from.”

Petersen fled into the safety of rentals, profit margins and student tuition with Tim. Garth suggested we go shopping this afternoon in case the clothes needed altering. Christopher sent me with them because I needed the fresh air and exercise. We returned with clothing and everything else needed to prepare tea. Tim was grateful Petersen was dealing in percentages so he wasn't reminded of how much he was investing. What really helped was buying the property outright. My fine husband was feeling so much better about things he helped me prepare dinner.

“Honestly I thought there was a game on tonight.” a grinning Caryn protested. “We'll have to come back tomorrow night then. Well if you're sure there's enough we'd be delighted to join you for dinner tonight as well. Sorry Holden you have to wait until tomorrow for his pasties but the chicken and dumplings smells delicious. Tim I'll have Holden spank me for getting my game day wrong when we get home.”

“That sounds fair.” Tim said. “You could use the playroom downstairs if you don't want to wait. True that would delay dinner. Thanks for being so considerate.”

“No trouble at all.” Caryn said sampling my salad dressing. “Lovely salad dressing Rohan. Leif I'd love to see your outfits after dinner.”

We relaxed and played Monopoly after dinner. I enjoyed unwinding with my husband and friends. When the game ended everybody agreed to an early night. Before we went to bed I decided a good hot lad in a good hot shower made for some good hot sex. Tim didn't make a liar out of me.

“Now Rohan.” Petersen said just before lunch as he tucked away the culinary school notes in his briefcase. “You do know where the sparring room is don't you?”

“Light maces and shields are waiting in the northwest corner.” I said with a smile. “Thought you might like something that goes thud.”

“Thank you I most certainly would.” Petersen said slamming the lid of his briefcase closed.

“Very kind of you to call Rohan brave for sparring with Petersen in such a mood.” Tim said. “I hope I am as diplomatic as you one day Garth.”

“My diplomacy reaches new heights when my instinct for self-preservation kicks in.” Garth admitted. “I'd rather not try outrunning Petersen in this mood. Tim you'll find out in a moment.”

Splinters flew from the edge of my shield when I deflected Petersen’s first blow. Drawing his arm backwards Petersen tried to catch the inside of my shield with his mace and leave me vulnerable to a blow with his shield. I dropped my shield below his mace just in time. This would be fun. I smiled at Petersen. He swung again and again and again. I caught the blows on the center of my shield this time. Thrusting forward to meet them I brushed them aside. Every blow I blocked brought me an inch closer to him.

Petersen was becoming more enraged. This anger was more than just his irritation at the poor quality of the culinary school. When he cast aside his shield and took the mace in both hands Leif gasped out loud and muttered “No please don't”. I let Petersen pound on the shield for a while. When it started to crack I knew this had to end soon. Petersen’s downward strikes were not wild enough for me to get under standing upright. When he started his downward swing I dropped my mace, sank to my knees, came up close against him and grabbed his wrist. Pulling him forward I was now right up against his body. A downward jerk on his wrist with an upright thrust of my shield flipped Petersen over me. He landed hard enough to jar the breath from him. Before he could move I had his face pressed against the wood floor.

“No. Oh, Rohan I'm so sorry.” Leif said with tears streaming down his cheek. “Janice passed away three weeks ago.”

“There's no need to apologize.” I said still holding Petersen immobile in a neck lock. “Petersen I'm asking you as friend to go with Garth. You will talk to him and Leslie for as long as it takes. I won't pull rank but if you don't do this for me I'll kick your ass again and again as your friend. Leif will go with you. Now go. Christopher I need another sparring partner.”

“I'll do it.” Christopher said calmly. “Short swords it is. Rohan you are kidding if you think I'd hold back with all that adrenaline flowing through you. How you controlled the throw and shield strike that well is beyond me.”

A quick roll of his shoulders and Christopher went on the attack. There was no holding back from either of us. The sound of our swords striking against each other rang loudly through the sparring room. The noise drew some curious nuns and monks in to the room. Word spread and soon there was a decent-sized crowd watching us hammer at each other.

Christopher drove me back across the room. I slipped to the right just before the wall to escape being pinned. Leaning slightly in with my right shoulder I gradually worked around Christopher's wrist. He realized the danger and spun to face me but now I got to drive him backward. A flurry of double-handed blows brought my charge to a halt as we stood toe-to-toe. Now it was time to unleash short rolling strikes at each other with mere inches between our blades.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a ripple in the crowd but I couldn't make out any of the details. Christopher was in his element now. He loved the close quarters stuff. Twice he tried a shoulder slam. Twice I rolled round with it so we ended up trading places. I could have stepped back to create more space. I chose to enjoy taking him on in his favorite form of sparring. How often do you get to fight a skilled opponent in his preferred sparring method? I knew it had been too long for me. Smiling at each other we fought on.

Then Christopher gave me the opportunity to use one of my dirty tricks. I couldn't resist. This would be my gift for such a wonderful bout. Dropping my wrist I got my hilt under his. A snap of the wrist jerked his sword at an unnatural angle and freed it from his grasp. Normally this would leave me holding my sword while my opponent's sword got tossed aside. Today I chose to toss my sword up in the air after his. Soon I was hugging a startled Christopher while a monk caught our swords.

“Not too shabby.” Tim said slipping an arm through mine and Christopher's arm. “Now come along or we'll be late. That includes you three over there. Sorry guys but these old geezers tend to forget their appointments when they start playing soldiers. Would it be terribly bad form if we didn't put this room back in order?”

“Today it wouldn't.” a nun said. “After watching such a show I'll gladly put things back in place here. You were right in saying not too shabby. Especially for old geezers playing soldier.”

“I'll play daddy and take you over my knee.” I threatened.

“Such is my nightly fantasy.” the nun said unabashed. “Mary have you been sharing our private conversations with this old geezer?”

“No need. Who wouldn't want to spank an ass as cute as yours?” Mary asked. “Even I'd like to take you over my knees.”

“Fine you can play Mommy.” I said. “I'd never make something this special an order but if you want to pretend it is one go ahead.”

“No need for that.” the nun said. “Mary I'll have to spank you afterward for keeping me waiting this long. Better help me get things squared away so I'm not kept waiting any longer.”

Instead of spanking the nun I kissed her quickly as Tim led us from the room. A call to a chapter doctor we knew was all it took for Tim to set up a surprise for us. Three nuns were waiting to greet us. They led us away to separate rooms for couples massages. Garth and Leif hugged Tim when we gathered in the lobby an hour later. Taking out an envelope I knew contained our winnings Tim made a five hundred pound donation to the chapter house. The startled nun kissed him before he could get out of reach.

We ate with little conversation. When we were safely away from the others I'd let Tim know that Janice had been Petersen's role model much like Genta was for me. Once he'd vented his anger on my shield Petersen could finally open up and start grieving. Leslie had stuff to share about me and Genta I thought might help Petersen. I deliberately ordered a bottle of Janice's favorite wine with our lunch. We toasted her and wished her well on her journey.

Tim led Leif, Christopher and Garth off on a separate mission when we left the restaurant. He sent Petersen with me to do the shopping for tonight. Garth was all for some bread-and-butter pudding with lots of vanilla ice-cream for dessert. They would pick up the beers. I refused to lug all the groceries back so we took a taxi. Petersen was helping me prepare the pasties when the others got back. Tim leaped into Petersen's arms and kissed him until he promised to cook dinner with me tonight. Laughing Petersen agreed to stay in the kitchen and keep making pasties. He was pretty certain somebody would let him know when it was safe to come out.

The plot thickened when Caryn rushed in to grab some beers and rushed straight back out. There was no way we could eat while watching the game so I warned them dinner would be served at six. Tim declared the first shenanigans were over. He declared it fitting I was supporting a team call the Red Devils. Tim proudly told us his team was known as Lions.

“Man United are playing Aston Villa.” Garth explained to Caryn. “Another nickname for Villa is Villans.”

“Villans and Devils is perfect for these two.” Leif said. “I can't wait.”

“Be careful what you wish for.” Caryn warned passing us all some beer.

I kissed Tim before kick-off to help him bear the loss. Tim professed to not knowing what I was on about. Lions not bears he reminded me. Listen to the roar of the crowd he advised. I declared serving baked beans at a football stadium was a public health hazard but at least here the roar was coming from a more appropriate end. Casting aspersions just because your team stinks is hardly proper Tim decided.

“Speaking of stinking with shooting like that you won't hit an outhouse door from six inches.” I crowed triumphantly as a shot went way wide.

“My only concern was they would sink to the level of their opponent.” Tim responded. “We're not that low yet because we kept the ball in the stadium.”

“Only because the roof got in the way.” I pointed out.

The first half was really exciting. Caryn told the others you could tell it was a good game because we had each complimented the other team twice. Unheard of Holden agreed. The others had to agree it wasn't often you saw a goal scored where the ball struck the post and crossbar before going in to the net.

“That's because it requires a high level of skill to get it right.” I said triumphantly.

“Players like him put the ill in skill.” Tim said reaching for a beer to ease the pain of falling behind.

Ten minutes later the ref unfairly awarded a deserved free kick to Villa for a hand ball on the edge of the box. Lacking the skill of my striker Villa's striker placed it perfectly in the top corner without it touching the woodwork or being touched by our goalie.

“Listen to the lion's roar of victory.” Tim said jumping up and down in excitement.

“Sounds more like a pussycat with a sore throat.” I said disdainfully. “The emphasis being on pussy because your team's getting screwed in the second half.”

“Considering how lucky you were to score I might believe your geriatrics will get laid tonight.” Tim said before he kissed me. “Don't worry my little devil. I'll make certain you are nice and red before bedtime.”

“There's nothing little about the devil in Rohan. Red or any other color.” Caryn said.

Petersen and Leif served our bread-and-butter pudding pipping hot at halftime. Leif cryptically told me he was glad to repay Tim's kindness. I managed to get my seconds finished before the game resumed.

The Villans became the villains of the peace ten minutes into the second-half. One of the midfielders played a great through ball to a striker who did well to stay onside. He took the ball around my goalkeeper and tapped it calmly into the net. Lions became the caterwauling cats. Somehow Tim ended up in my arms covering my face in kisses. I focused on a third helping of pudding while Tim was putting it to me. He ignored my threats to turn him into a bed-and-batter pudding. Caryn didn't help by saying my threats were as empty as the opponent's goal. Tim kissed her soundly the moment he finished laughing.

Villa's second goal energized my team. They had two shots bounce back off the goalpost within five minutes. Tim decided I might have been right in saying hitting the woodwork required skill. Obviously hitting all the space between the woodwork was way too easy for my guys. I told him it was obvious I was going too easy on him. The karmic scales balanced themselves five minutes from the end of the game. The same skillful striker scored his second goal. Instead of the woodwork he bounced the ball off a defender and past the goalkeeper. Leif agreed with Tim the goalkeeper really should have known my guys never get the ball to go where they're aiming.

“On the bright side if Rohan is anything like that striker your ball games later will be loads of fun.” Garth said. “He's liable to bounce them off your knee and chin if you're not careful. Tying him to the bed will qualify as safe sex tonight.”

“Thank the gods we're going for a long drive early tomorrow.” I said fervently.

The others finally got their mirth under control. Holden was wiping tears from his eyes. He was really going to miss game nights here. Caryn decided they needed to head home so he could get his game on. More fresh air Christopher decided so we escorted Caryn and Holden to the Underground. Scotch on the way back was good medicine he kindly agreed. Thomas made Tim's week by asking if we'd ever seen two luckier goals in one season never mind one game. Skillful players create their own luck I tried to explain but without success. Obviously they'd had too much beer to drink during the game or they'd know this was true.

“What's up Petersen?” I asked surprised by a knock on the door right after we'd stepped into our room. “I don't mind if you give Tim a thank you spanking but it's his ass so you might want to ask him.”

“You don't have to.” Tim said holding Petersen's hands. “That's what friends do for each other. No thanks necessary but if you want to I'll gladly accept a thank you spanking. Leif doesn't mind does he?”

“No he doesn't.” Leif said entering the room. “I thought you might ask that question so I decided to come up and answer it. Besides when he gets done with you he'll be nicely warmed up for me.”

When the first thing Petersen did was trap Tim's legs beneath his right leg we knew he meant business. A naked Tim held tightly against a clothed Petersen was a lovely sight. My husband did me proud. Sure he shed some tears but he didn't cry out or beg for Petersen to stop. He took it with nothing more than a few whimpers.

“You're a red devil now.” Petersen said standing Tim on his feet. “How naughty you get before you go to sleep is entirely up to you. Thank you Tim. The picture will travel with us everywhere. Now I'll leave you alone before Rohan finishes taking off his shirt and starts on his pants.”

When I insisted on seeing his red cheeks while we fucked Tim impaled himself with his back to me. Leaning slightly forward he thrust those to red cheeks down and back towards me. My compliments about how proud I was of him earned my cock a squeeze. Tim wasn't in any hurry. He rode me at a slow steady pace. The thoughtful fucker even leaned back when his orgasm struck so his cum would land on his torso. Watching him cum from behind proved more than a match for my restraint. My cum exploded from my cock. The red devil wouldn't get off my cock until I promised him a wake-up blowjob. Once I had licked him clean I carried him to the shower slung over my shoulder. A small measure of revenge but better than none.

Petersen made us breakfast sandwiches while I sparred with Tim. When the car rental place opened at eight we were waiting to collect our SUV. The same model Audi I had purchased in Poland. The navigation system predicted our arrival at around one but I wanted to stop in Newcastle for lunch first. Ingrid had given me the combination to the lock on the gates. Tim would be the owner when he stepped on the land.

Petersen let me know about his surprise from last night. Tim had bought chocolates, a bottle of Janice's favorite wine and set up an altar. On the altar was her favorite flowers next to a picture of her with her favorite sayings printed on it. There was a small framed print he could take with him when he traveled next to the larger picture. Leif added Tim had also thrown in a new oak paddle with round holes in it. I agreed it was a very sweet gesture. Especially coupled with the massages he'd arranged for us. Before I agreed to let Petersen buy dinner tonight I warned him Charles, Griogair and Nancy would be with us. He didn't mind at all.

Although eager to get to the property Tim agreed we were more likely to find a good place to eat in Newcastle. We arrived in Newcastle at twelve-thirty. The drive had been wonderful. Apart from admiring the countryside and country lanes it had been a time of sharing. I'd joined Leif and Petersen in sharing my fond memories of Janice. She'd brought me and the other homeless folks food and toiletries. There were coats when it rained and extra cardboard to sleep on. She'd never once asked me to leave the streets. When I showed up on her door she had simply told me to shower while she made lunch. A special soul and truly a female equal to Genta.

Naturally we had to enjoy some Newcastle Brown Ale in Newcastle. I preferred other beers but it was part of the experience and we kept our opinions to ourselves until we had left Newcastle. We were spending the night in Sunderland and could drink some of our preferred brews later. I stopped the car while the property was still out of sight so we could approach on foot. Before we started walking I had Tim do some grounding to start getting a feel of the land around us. This also settled his emotions. When he stood on his toes to kiss me gently I knew he was ready.

Standing at the open gate I had the others place their hands over their ears. Then I let my bell mantra precede us over the property. Several minutes later I pulled Tim's hands from his ears. Tim managed to walk around for ten minutes before his emotions became too much. I held him close while he cried. Then we explored a little more. Thanks to Ingrid's work with the architects we could imagine how it would look. Tim still took lots of pictures as it was now.

“Do you mind if we join you?” a voice said from behind us.

“Charles!” Tim shouted happily and almost knocked Charles over when he rushed to hug him. “Griogair! Nancy! Lance! We weren't expecting you until later.”

“You didn't think we'd miss the first blessing of your land did you?” Charles asked. “Tim I'll bet you a kiss Rohan and his Lady are itching to unleash a song or six.”

“We brought copies of the sketches with us.” Nancy said opening a binder. “Rohan if you want to wait to do the blessing later then let's continue exploring. This will be wonderful when it's complete Tim. You are so brave taking it on. Rohan has lots more experience dealing with these sums of money. He's also learned how to delegate and let go of things. I'm sure you'll be good at it by the time you complete this project.”

The four lots were substantial. I wondered just how small this college would be but kept my thoughts to myself. I liked the idea of a catamaran. Perhaps I'd buy us one. A small house for when we visited might be nice. This would give Ingrid and Caryn a place to stay when they visited. Tim saw me smile and immediately asked me what I found amusing. When I explained he thought it was a great idea. Another surprise for the gang.

“Oh woe is me!” Tim exclaimed when I let him know this might mean staying another few days in Sunderland. “Nancy he wants me to relax and unwind another three days in a four star hotel in Sunderland. Good idea Nancy. Well Scoundrel if I am to linger I will expect you to treat me to tea twice and day and several spa treatments. Then you have a deal.”

I led them to the edge of the property by the bay. That way I would have both the land and the water next to me. When I'd spent several minutes grounding myself my Lady surprised me by suggesting I first lay out a grid of chi across the land. A grid just like the one at the Glen. Mentally I made a note of the weak spots to chat to Lao about. Then she started by singing a song of healing for the land. The more traditional songs of blessing and thanks followed. My Lady introduced me to some of the very old songs our Order used to sing when the Druidic influence was still strong. All of this took just under two hours.

Although Tim worried I was overtaxing myself I insisted on speaking with Lao now while we were on the land. Lao listened closely. He asked me how the weak spots felt and if I got a sense of any color from them. Tim called Ingrid and asked her to send all the project information to Lao. She promised to call Lao in an hour to answer his questions. When I'd completed my sketch of the grid Tim took a picture and emailed it to Lao. I assured Lao it would be no trouble to sing the song of healing for the land one more time. Lao took five minutes to get settled on his side. He listened closely to the song and asked me to sing it again. I felt better after singing it so I didn't mind.

Petersen drove us to our hotel in Sunderland. The first question Tim had for the front desk staff was if room service could serve us a decent tea or should we go to a tea house. Then he asked about a good place to get a facial and a massage. Once he'd taken care of the important stuff he allowed us to check in. I reminded him we had the products from the spa shop when he mourned not having time for a facial before the luncheon. That lifted his spirits.

Ingrid called as we walked to our restaurant. Lao was not happy with the college site. Tim admitted to having similar thoughts. He'd thought it was too close to the water. I suggested we give Lao some more time to look at the maps Ingrid had sent him and check in after dinner. Naturally this topic dominated the conversation. Tim was of the opinion the best site for the college was further east on some sloping land. This would put a few hundred yards of land between it and the water. We tried a variety of the Maxim Brewery beers. Tim decided this would not be a bad place to linger after his fourth beer.

We all returned to my room to chat with Ingrid. Tim hooked up my laptop to the TV and called up the plans on his computer. He showed us where he thought the college ought to go. Charles asked us to come up with some ideas about what to put in its place if we did move it. The best we could come up with was a conference center. A place to have workshops or functions. Nancy suggested increasing the size of the gym by moving it here and creating a healing center in its place.

“Sorry I couldn't call sooner but Lao was asking me for a lot of details.” Ingrid said. “I'll start with the good news. There is a good place to build the college. One that is perfect physically and energetically. Lao even gave me the size of the college. He thanks you for the sizable donation to his church because he is redesigning the place. Christopher and Garth are chatting to him so I can chat to you.”

“That's the exact spot Tim chose.” Nancy said excitedly when Ingrid told us where we were building the college. “Well done Tim.”

“Nancy that spot felt so perfect I literally saw it.” Tim said. “I wouldn't be surprised if I could draw a sketch to match Lao's new college. Let me guess the bad news. We don't own that piece of land yet.”

“That is the bad news.” Ingrid said. “I checked with the realtor who says it is for sale. You will be meeting her tomorrow morning when you visit the village and can speak to her about it.”

“That and the other property Rohan wants to buy.” Tim said. “What did Lao suggest we build in place of the college? A hospital. That would go well with the college.”

“I'll have more details when Lao finishes talking with Christopher and Garth.” Ingrid said. “They were so excited I thought I might find myself in the middle of an orgy.”

“Tim it is a good idea considering the national health policy in England.” Petersen said. “I cannot say how profitable it will be until I've heard more. Lao is a businessman so I am certain it will prove a good investment. He won't let you down.”

“Hospitals are expensive though.” Tim said. “My Love I hate spending all this money of yours.”

“Perhaps you'll feel better about it if I told you Rohan took my original estimate and provided double the amount for the project.” Ingrid said. “Do you really want to know the figure Tim?”

“Yes. I need to get used to dealing with these large sums of money.” Tim said. “This is not a cheap project or something small like buying a corner shop. How much did my scoundrel put up for me?”

“The initial amount was fifty million.” Ingrid said. “He pledged another twenty-five million be held in reserve.”

“Holy crap Scoundrel!” Tim exclaimed. “How did you manage to make so much money?”

“Shares in a village that needed equipment for extracting oil and another village that needed help to mine for precious stones provided the seventy million.” I said. “One was in the middle east and the other was in Africa. I wanted the children doing the mining safe and protected. Tim if I'd tried to stop them from having the children do the mining I'd have interfered with their traditional way of life. Dabulamanzi helped me come up with this compromise. We teach the kids how to do it and have adults using the heavier drills. The Order provides security for both villages. This is good training for our guys.”

“Really good training.” Charles added. “Christopher sends his special squads out there. That sort of money pretty much guarantees somebody is always willing to try a hostile takeover. Tim you can take out one gang but some warlord or chief will think he's smarter and better equipped than the guy who died going up against the Order. This is where most of the modern weapon training takes place. I'm told the camels don't enjoy having coconuts dropped on them. The modern weapons take out the modern forms of transport.”

“I guess there wouldn't be a lot of cover in the dessert.” Nancy said with a smile. “The poor animals.”

“This is still a lot of money.” Tim said.

“These villages have adopted some modern conveniences but are wise enough to keep to their traditional lifestyle as much as possible.” I explained. “They invested their money with the help from the Order. I let them use my share of the money for their initial investments as well. Collectively we make a lot more. I've taken out some of it over the last ten years. This is almost all that money. Frederick will know how much is left. The principal is still intact so you're not really spending any of my money.”

“Yes I am.” Tim said. “I'm okay with it now. Thank you for telling me Ingrid. Now I am more determined to make this work. Petersen is there some software for me to use to keep track of things? Let's chat about it on Friday. We'll have to share it with Edgar and his team. I want to know what's going on with this money at any time. Right now all that beer Rohan poured down my throat is making it a little challenging for me to focus.”

“We bought these four warehouses from a bank.” Ingrid said. “I'm certain the bank will be happy to sell you the fifth. They repossessed these warehouses and were grateful to find a buyer. Do you mind opening an account with them? I know you have a bank in London but it would be nice to help a local bank.”

“They can have my business from the village.” I said immediately. “That nod from Tim looks like a yes but it could be the beer.”

“Both.” Tim admitted. “I think it best I call it a night. You guys can keep chatting and fill me in over breakfast. Good night guys. Thank you.”

The rest of us called it a night as well. I did some chi healing on Tim with him held snugly in my arms. In return the lovely lad let me fuck him while he slept. The city was no place for sword training so we did a workout instead. After a quick breakfast we headed off to Blyth in the Audi.

“Hello this is Rohan's phone.” Tim said taking a call for me while I was driving. “I haven't had time to teach him how to use the Bluetooth yet. Yes it has been a good morning. We're about half an hour from you Constance. We'd be delighted to join you in a cup of tea. First right as we enter town. Second on the left. See you soon. Quick Scoundrel tea and buttered scones await. Mush!”

The kind owner of the teahouse was happy to make a couple of dozen fresh hot scones for us. She blushed when I let her know it was her scones that convinced me I was doing the right thing investing in the village. Constance had spoken to Ingrid about buying the other warehouse. She knew we didn't have much time so she had arranged for the bank manager to meet us here. I upped our order by another half-dozen scones.

Ryan was a fit man in his mid-fifties who appreciated us taking these properties off their books. He admitted to being relieved we were buying them outright. We laughed at his shocked expression when he learned Tim was in charge. Tim laughed with us which made Ryan feel better. When he learned we were willing to open accounts with his bank and would recommend his bank to others he insisted on paying for our tea and all the scones. I pointed out we could only recommend the college staff and store owners choose his bank. They obviously had to decide for themselves. I also let him know this recommendation would only last as long as we were happy with the service his bank provided. Petersen offered to explain how best to deal with me. The others laughed when Tim asked if he could listen in to this conversation.

“Scoundrel you can't kiss a married lady even if you are willing to kiss her husband as well.” Tim said when the scones arrived at our table. “These are delicious scones. We might have to break that rule. Good decision to buy a home here. Oh sorry Constance. We haven't gotten around to telling you Rohan wants to buy a home. Something away from the other properties would be nice. He usually travels with a few others and we need more rooms than most.”

“There is the triplex in the northeast for sale.” Ryan suggested. “Yes Constance the one with the black slate roof. A solid building but the interior will need a lot of updating.”

“Ryan is this another repossession you are trying to get off your books?” Nancy asked with a smile. “Rohan will take it is if it is. Can it be converted into a single home?”

The property was left open so we all headed over to view it. Emily complained good-naturedly that maybe forty homes would be enough to dump on their plate. She would need the architects to work with her on the structural changes needed. Tomek was having a lesson with Albin so she would tell him later he had a home to work on. Emily loved the idea of being the consultant and Tomek being in charge. Apart from the playroom Tim pointed out quickly. Leif let Constance know this was an adult playroom. I wanted Dariusz to take the lead with the garden with Sanne as his consultant.

Tim worked with Emily to take all the video footage needed for her 3-D model. Constance congratulated Ryan on getting another property off their books. Ryan congratulated her on another easy sale. My Lady suggested I hold off on the blessings. Charles told me the gang was going to fly in the next weekend for the housewarming. I let them know I was staying in Sunderland until next weekend. The gang could collect us on the drive to Scotland I decided. I promised to fill them in on the drive back.

Albin had given Tomek a fifteen minute break and he called to thank me for letting him decorate my home. Emily knew I wanted it habitable for Ingrid and Caryn as quickly as possible. Ryan told her there were three electrical guys and two plumbers in town. Three general contractors as well. Emily promised to hire them all for me. Constance was happy to let them get started right away clearing things out and planning their strategy. Petersen swatted my ass when I pouted because the plans and building permits would not be approved until Monday.

“We are a small village and really appreciate all the business you will bring us.” Ryan said when he finished chuckling. “Get those plans to me as soon as you can. I will speak to guy in charge of approving the plans and permits. I'm certain they will be ready first thing Monday morning. Rohan I can't imagine there will be anything wrong with the plans so it won't take more than ten minutes. He'll be done before we finish our drink. No you can't pay for these drinks.”

“Thirty of the forty properties you are buying will be from Ryan's bank.” Constance explained. “The founder of the bank tried very hard to keep people in the village. Many families have lived here for several generations. He loaned money knowing full well he could go under. I never heard him complain once. He always told me he had to try.”

“Thanks to Ingrid we will come out ahead but it will cost you Rohan.” Ryan said. “She's insisting on independent appraisals so you will pay the current market price. Something about students at some colleges calculating it by comparing them to national averages since this region is in such a slump. I gave her a list of what we would be happy to accept for each property if you want to chat with her about it.”

“I'll chat to her about it all right.” I promised. “Right after I send her some flowers, chocolates and book her a massage. I forgot to warn her not to settle for your lowest price but pay a fair price for each property. Tim we must let Edgar know I might need an extra million for the properties. He can arrange it with Frederick. This day just keeps getting better and better. I think I'll have another scone or three to celebrate.”

“No you won't.” Leif said. “You ate them all. Constance you might never get used to it. I haven't. Rohan gets excited about paying more. He even argued for a higher rate of interest on home loans in Poland. The man haggles upwards. One day I will let him loose in an Arabian market just to see the confusion he causes.”

“Right then we're done.” Tim announced. “Ingrid, Daniel and Miriam will chat with Emily and Tomek this afternoon. Ryan can you give Ingrid the floor plans and map of the property? Thank you. The architects will have the plans emailed to Ryan and Emily tomorrow. Emily can share them with the contractors, plumbers and electricians. They can get in here to start preparing things. Who's making the payments?”

“Ingrid told me Edgar is handling all the financial aspects of this venture.” Constance said. “I'll fax him the paperwork this afternoon and he'll get it back to us tomorrow. You'll own this property by lunchtime tomorrow. Congratulations Rohan. I'll have keys made for all the guys working on the project.”

“Tomek this is not to impact your studies with Albin.” I said. “You will take care of that work first. Emily will show you how to break it in smaller pieces. The guys will need time to get it ready for decorating. Emily where will we get all the furniture? There isn't a store here that sells the stuff.”

“We'll order it from the store in London where you have the lifetime discount.” Emily said. “Is there a local moving company?”

“No but we do have a man with a large truck.” Constance said. “I'll ask him if he'd like some work. We'll get it here Rohan.”

“Glad that's all taken care of.” Charles said. “Rohan we have an hour before our return. Do you want to see the houses or the marina?”

“The marina.” I said. “Constance I'll most likely be back tomorrow to look at the properties if you don't mind. Tim's project is getting a catamaran for a ferry so I need one as well. Can't have my husband outdoing me. He does too much of it already. Thank you for your help and selling us all these lovely homes Ryan.”

Ryan headed off to the bank. Constance joined us on our trip to the marina. The locals appreciated it if you had a local to introduce you. Since we would have to build a jetty big enough for all the staff the two boats could dock together. I promised to call with the size of my catamaran and confirm it would be okay. I was pretty certain it wouldn't be bigger than Tim's so nobody saw any problem docking them together.

On the drive back I spoke of my Lady's plan for me to learn what sort of diet I needed to do more energy work. She was also going to teach me how to combine what I learned from Lao with the power of the spoken word to rebuild the energy in the village. Leif and Petersen would stay to watch for a few days and to give Petersen the time he needed to work on the culinary school program. They would return Thursday to London so Petersen had Friday to get the culinary school in shape. Then they would travel north with the gang. I wanted them to rent cars instead of a bus so they could do different things during the day. They could cover more territory and share what they discovered with the others. There wasn't much point is us driving down just to drive back the next day.

The others were as shocked as Tim to learn I'd made no protest at Griogair's choice of my clothing. They knew how much I hated dressing up and Griogair had dressed me up. This is for Charles and Samuel I simply told them before heading out the room. They followed like a troop of grinning monkeys. I led them to the bar for a round of drinks while we waited for our taxi. Charles told me this was a thank you for the work his foundation had done to help caregivers in Sunderland. Since I was part of the inspiration I got invited.

“The mayor will most likely ask you to say a few words.” Charles warned me. “I can do it if you prefer.”

“This is one time I hope he does ask me.” I said. “There's the taxi. Finish up your drinks.”

Before we sat down for lunch we mingled with some of the other guests. Charles introduced us to the leading business members of Sunderland. The football club president was one of the guests. He told us it was a home game this weekend. I promised we'd be there to cheer his good-for-nothing eleven on. You can't call them good-for-nothing he insisted with a smile. They made him money and saved him from having to do any real work for a living. I conceded the point and promised to cheer them on harder for him.

The good day continued when I found myself seated with Tim on my left and the football club president on my right. Leonard was an entertaining guy who like me joked we'd only got our jobs because nobody else wanted them and we weren't fit for regular work. He'd worked his way up through the organization and knew a lot of the players I'd watched. Tim tugged on my hand to let me know it was my turn to give a speech.

“Let me begin by complimenting the chefs for a wonderful lunch.” I said buying myself some time to have an inner dialogue with my Lady. “My thanks to the Lord Mayor for thinking me worthy of being at such an event never mind sitting at the table of honor. He's obviously too young to have lived through my well and misspent youth in the bars of Sunderland. There are two other people responsible for me being here. Sir Charles in person and his son Samuel who is with us in spirit.”

My Lady suggested instead of channeling I let the voice of my heart speak for me. The voice that she used when she sang for me. I learned we all have a soul note and the perfect voice within to express it. Surely what can express a note can express a song she pointed out. Taking a deep breath I let all the emotions that arose when I thought of Samuel flow freely. Even though most of this energy remained inside of me a lot of it still flowed from me.

I spoke of how Samuel had charged me to help people grow and to aid them how ever I could to find more joy in life. How he wanted people to feel empowered. Samuel was the inspiration behind a multimillion dollar global enterprise focused on helping people, villages and small towns reconnect with what is important to them. The miracle of it all is he did it without the physical form and using me as his somewhat less-than-divine instrument. Even when he was with me in the physical form he laid the foundation for his business by showing me that love can have a tangible impact on the physical world. When my grief drove me to the streets his love brought me back.

Then I spoke of how he had empowered Charles and me to realize how important it was to take time to rest and reconnect with the people around us. Charles helped caregivers. I made certain my employees earned enough to live on working fewer hours. The investments I made on behalf of Samuel were to ease the workload of people around the world. By bringing comfort, ease and security in all its forms to people they could relax more. Even though he had left this world Samuel continued his work of helping others.

My time in the bars of Sunderland might not have been proper conversation for this luncheon but it was where the foundation was laid. I got the guests to laugh when I shared how Samuel would take most of our winnings and help people on the way home with a meal or a night in a motel. How it got harder to earn money from my drinking as my reputation grew and made it even more challenging for me to feed us. When I said I was drinking like a fish to buy food and pay rent Samuel suggested I drink like a shark. When I told him I was drinking like a shark he suggested I drink like a whale. When I drank like a whale he suggested giant squid. I never got to find out what he would have suggested after the giant squid. My best guess had always been leviathan. Apart from a well-educated palette I learned where Genta held unshakable faith in humanity to evolve and follow the most exalted spiritual paths Samuel refused to believe you could care too much for somebody and everybody is a somebody.

“Charles is here with me because Samuel cannot be here in person .” I said nearing the end of my speech. “Neither of us can tell you the number of lives Samuel's brief life has affected and will continue to impact through generations. Everybody is somebody. A somebody called Samuel was one person just like each of us is one person. Whenever you're tempted to diminish what you are able to do think of Samuel. When you hear somebody speak disparagingly of themselves share what you know of Samuel's life. Don't let the dust of this physical world blind you to the power unleashed by one man to flow through it all. Please raise your glass in a toast to Samuel and Sunderland. Always remembered. Always loved.”

“To Samuel and Sunderland.” the others said as they raised their glass.

“Wonderful speech Rohan.” Leonard said when I sat down. “The rest of your group seemed surprised for some reason. Did you keep what you were going to say from them?”

“I didn't know what I was going to say or even what I just said.” I confessed. “Public speaking is something I avoid even more than sex with a lady.”

“That's the longest speech Rohan has ever given.” Tim said. “Magnificent! Fine I'll wait until later to let you know how magnificent.”

There was some more socializing to do. The mayor was very interested in Tim's project in Blyth. He asked Tim to give him a tour around the property one day. Tim promised he'd be invited to attend the opening of the pub. Leonard agreed with the mayor it was very fitting the first structure built would be a pub. Tim was able to do a lot of networking. He even left with an offer from a brewmaster at Maxim brewery to have their beer brewed in our brewery. The brewmaster wanted to use it as a training facility. I almost kissed the man for bringing good beer to the project. The four pillars of their brands would be brewed in our brewery. These were Maximus, Maxim, Ward's Best Bitter and Samson. Adrian, the brewmaster, smiled when Tim told him he could design his ideal brewery with no expense spared as long as he kept in mind how much of their beer I liked to drink. Alas Tim was quite certain I couldn't kiss Adrian. I self-medicated by getting a pint of Maxim.

The inevitable young hooligans accosted me. They were kind enough to say they had really enjoyed my speech and were going to bake some cookies for Charles to share with the caregivers. I promised to have Tim text their mom the recipe for Griogair's favorite cookies. They agreed to bake an extra dozen for Griogair. I told them I really had been homeless but now I had lots of homes around the world. There were also people in my life for me to care for so I wouldn't be going homeless again. For some reason this made them happy.

Adrian came over and asked if his two sons were bothering me. I told him they were behaving impeccably. He smiled when he learned about the cookie project. I motioned Petersen over to help when Adrian confessed they didn't have much in the way of baking equipment at home. Adrian's wife Bernadette was happy for us to stop at their home briefly in the morning to see the kitchen. That would allow Petersen to set them up properly.

A few minutes later Charles came over to let us know it was time to leave. He let the little boys know we were staying in Sunderland until Sunday morning. I gave them the name of our hotel so they could deliver the cookies to us. Right as we were about to part company Adrian leaned in and kissed my cheek. His sons laughed when I stuck my tongue out at Tim. I had to confess I planned on giving Adrian a very special kiss in return for setting up our brewery. Despite her curiosity Bernadette agreed to wait until they delivered the cookies to find out more about the special kisses.

Charles embarrassed me on the drive to our hotel with his compliments and thanks for my speech. Griogair weighed in as well saying he knew how much I disliked public speaking and there was no doubting the sincerity behind my words. Nancy told me it was one of the most moving speeches she'd ever heard.

“There's no end to the surprises with you is there?” Nancy asked.

“In this instance I surprised myself.” I admitted. “Honestly I have no idea what I said. I was focusing on letting the words flow from my heart. A new trick from my Lady. Something to share with Clifton and Alida.”

The others agreed to have room service for dinner and would meet us in my room in two hours. Tim was going to show me how magnificent he thought my speech was. Griogair suggested he set a timer so we would have time to shower. He told Nancy it was a lot of magnificence to account for in two hours. Tim set the timer on his phone to leave us with thirty minutes for a shower.

“Scoundrel you are at my mercy for the next hour or so.” Tim said when we were alone. “That means I get to kiss you like this and like this. I also get to undress you so stand still. Would you believe I am not in the least bit sorry that kissing your cock through your boxers makes it hard to stand still? Good. Somebody recently treated me to this experience. I enjoyed it. Let me know if it's good for you.”

Watching him engulf my cock slowly and ever so gently was really good. The wet warmth of his mouth made my cock twitch and jump. I let myself relax. Breathing deeply three times I consciously surrendered to him. This wasn't easy. I longed to grab his head and fuck his face. Instead I grabbed a pinch of my boxers in each hand. The only movement I allowed myself was small thrusts of my hips. Several minutes of delicious torment later I warned Tim he'd soon be swallowing my load. The boy not only ignored my warning he swatted my clothed balls several times. I yelped in surprise as he drove me up on my toes. This physical rising brought on a rising of cum. A load that spurted up against the roof of his mouth before sliding down his throat.

“Hmm, I'm afraid I'll have to spank you for distracting me from my task.” Tim said smiling up at me. “I was doing fine undressing you until you placed your lovely cock right next to my mouth. Very naughty of you. Why don't you stretch out on the couch. Ass up Scoundrel. I've always been curious about using a blindfold in our play. Time to satisfy my curiosity among other things.”

A silk scarf made a lovely blindfold. My ass got raised with the help of a cushion placed beneath my hips. I smiled when asked if I could keep my hands next to my head through the spanking. Tim warned me he'd been getting some tips from Juliet so this would be a pretty decent thrashing. Nothing epic but he intended to go further than he'd ever gone before. What I didn't know was Tim had arranged for Juliet to watch and give him some pointers. A Bluetooth headset would allow her to chat to him without me hearing.

Despite his assurances the warm up started with a force that reminded me of the epic spanking I'd received. Four solid smacks got me fully erect. I stretched out beneath the blows and purred with pleasure. Tim warned it would go harder on me if I made him laugh. Yes it was a promise. I was relishing the burn. Much like the sparring with Christopher it had been too long since my last hard thrashing. My sweet mate was doing a very nice job of rectifying this lapse.

“I'll have to find a way to thank you properly.” I said as the paddle ground my hips into the cushion. “Thank you Beloved. Hmm oh gods that feels good. Yes it hurts like the blazes. So sore. So fucking hot. We might need to delay dinner.”

“Scoundrel my arm will give out before an hour.” Tim protested. “I see your point so we'll move on from the warm up. Damned if I know how you can lie there purring under blows that hard. Your ass is already cherry red.”

“Let's go for dark cherry red.” I said smiling and writhing in delight. “Nice. So fucking nice. Fucking hell that's nice. You're doing a fine job. I'm so lucky to have married you. Aah that's perfect.”

Tim sucked in his breath a few times but the brave lad didn't falter. I could tell from the heat my ass was a sight. My heart swelled with pride at his courage. My cock swelled as the heat and lust spread through my groin. Breathing down in to my groin I fought the urge to climax. Squeezing my pelvic muscles I clamped down on my physical desire to explode. This orgasm would be saved for when Tim fucked me. Dear gods he had better fuck me.

“Sorry Scoundrel but I've reached my limit.” Tim apologized.

“Tim you were superb.” I said with feeling. “You've given me so much more than I imagined you were ready to give. I'm so fucking proud of you. Now how about some fucking?”

“Well I'm not certain if I ought to pound your ass any more.” Tim said. “Maybe a good face fucking is in order.”

“Fuck no you impudent imp.” I declared hotly. “Get your sweet cock in my ass and pound it like it owes you money.”

“Well it will cost you five kisses.” Tim said kneeling on the couch behind me. “Do we have a deal?”

“Fifty-five kisses if you're fucking me within five seconds.” I promised. “Yes! Oh sweet gods yes. Fuck I'm falling in love with you all over again and again and again.”

“Oh Scoundrel I love you so.” Tim said driving his cock steadily in and out of my ass. “Gods your ass is so hot. Literally. Fucking it is so hot. No wonder you like beating us. Another minute Scoundrel. No more. Too much pleasure. What a fucking rush.”

Casting the cushion aside Tim let me roll over and remove the blindfold. I pulled him down to kiss him hungrily. Locked in a passionate kiss I relaxed into my orgasm. My entire body shook as cum shot out of me. There were a few moments when I blacked out as my body relieved itself of all this excess emotion. Lost in his own orgasm Tim never noticed. When our balls sputtered one last time he collapsed on me. Heedless of the mess he lay there wrung out on so many levels.

“Was I really that magnificent at the luncheon?” I asked a long while later. “Gods is that your timer already? We're screwed.”

“And isn't it a magnificent feeling?” Tim asked. “Much like lying here listening to your heart beat and feeling your hand on my ass. Scoundrel if you keep squeezing we'll soon end up even more screwed.”

I didn't stop squeezing as I carried him to the shower. Tim proved his prediction correct. We smiled at each other when we heard the others enter our suite.

“Griogair be a dear and bring us each a set of clothes.” I said poking my head out the bathroom door.

Nancy laughed delightedly. Charles grinned at me. Leif handed me two beers before I ducked my head back in the bathroom. The applause when we entered the suite was uncalled for I thought but Tim enjoyed it. Petersen had ordered us roast chicken with the trimmings. When I let him know Tim had taken it to new levels he called to increase our order. Tim let Petersen chat with Juliet when he asked how far he'd taken it. While they chatted he let me know about the video call and headset.

“Doesn't it hurt to sit down?” Nancy asked me. “From what I've heard it was a memorable spanking.”

“Yes it hurts and it my ass is still stinging.” I said calmly. “I'll let it flow through my entire body so it gets diffused. Hopefully not too diffused because I need to thank Tim later for being so brave. Thanks for ordering extra Petersen.”

There was also extra beer with the extra food. I thanked them all for staying here with us a few extra days. Charles really wanted to see the properties I had bought. He was glad I was helping to revive a small country village. These little villages were something he was very fond of and wanted to see thrive. I promised to speak to Christopher about making this a priority for the Order colleges. Strengthening these small markets would strengthen the national economy. I was happy to let them start with Blyth.

“Rohan if you had just played a recording of your speech I wouldn't have believed it was you.” Garth said when he called us after dinner. “The video evidence proves it was you but I still find it difficult to believe. You need to reward yourself.”

“Tim rewarded him very nicely.” Nancy said. “I think there's still smoke coming off the paddle.”

“Good.” Christopher said. “Do you need a recipe for a salve? I'll text it to Tim. Ingrid says she is certain some of the other properties will be habitable if they need a place to stay. No need to rush your triplex project.”

“Christopher I'm just impatient when it comes to buildings.” I confessed. “Until they are finished in less than a day I will want it rushed. Charles has a proposal for the students at your colleges.”

Garth filled us in on the hospital. The hospital would specialize in caring for people who needed long-term treatments. People who were learning to use artificial limbs or were on a course of treatment that would take weeks. They were enjoying working with Lao. Their conversations had been very spirited at times Caryn shared. Lao was teaching her how to include feng shui in her decorating. She was learning this with Tracy. I laughed when she let us know Tracy was still protesting she wasn't ready for it. Caryn was thankful she didn't have to learn to work with ley lines and the energy of the land like Tracy. Somehow Tracy was still doing well in her regular studies.

“Tracy says she's the only housekeeper in the world who has to hire a cleaning service to get the dusting done.” Caryn said. “She's also worried about what you're up to without your housekeepers to watch over you. Is there anything I shouldn't tell her during my interrogation tomorrow?”

“You can share whatever you want with them.” I said. “When they join us next weekend I will be under house arrest for a good while. This isn’t too bad when the jailers are as loving and pretty as my two housekeepers. I can't wait until my housekeeper finds her special guy.”

“He'd better be more than special to stay around after you chat with him.” Tim declared. “My Love you will read him the riot act and have him watching several first blood sparring bouts. Between the heavy mace and broadsword I think he'll get the picture. Caryn if you think of his housekeeper as his daughter you will get some idea of how much he loves her. The bond goes at least that deep.”

The conversation turned back to the luncheon. Caryn was glad to hear about Adrian's offer to help with the brewery. She promised to go out and get a six-pack of the four brews. I praised her dedication to supporting Tim's project. Christopher let Charles know the government inquiry had finished its investigation into the orphanage. The report would be typed up next week. We were all very happy to hear about the glowing recommendation and support for the way it was functioning now. Charles' willingness to keep the building looking as it had back when they first built it was greatly appreciated. His insistence on using green products and conducting regular tests to create a healthy living space for the children had clinched the deal. Garth told us the housewarming would be a double celebration.

“No it won't.” Charles said firmly. “This is Nancy's special moment. The kids deserve their own special moment. Do you think the culinary chefs will be able to make something half-decent for us to eat in three weeks Petersen?”

“They better or I'll have them all sparring with Rohan for a week.” Petersen said.

“They will be fine Charles.” Leif said. “The chefs are better than most. My sweetheart insists every chef be good enough to cook for royalty. I'll speak to Lance and find out what the kids would enjoy. Hot chocolate will be the first item on the menu Nancy.”

Caryn couldn't resist ending the conversation by saying for an old geezer I had a very cute butt. Especially cute with a few heart-shaped tattoos she added. No she wouldn't show Holden the entire video of my thrashing. Caryn couldn't believe Tim had been able to spank me so thoroughly. She didn't want to scare Holden so she'd be editing the video and showing him snippets. I told her I was happy to help him with his education. One hour after we ended our conversation I was educating Tim in how stimulating I found a proper spanking. Tim promised to vote for me as teacher of the year.

Sunrise meditations were good for getting an early start to the entire day. We arrived at Adrian's house at nine-thirty. I was pretty certain none of the homes I was buying would have cookware up to my standards so I suggested Bernadette join us on a shopping trip. She thanked us for our help as we loaded her purchases in the car. Petersen had added some attachments for the blender weren't strictly for baking but would allow the boys to expand their cooking repertoire soon.

“I'll order the scones now.” Constance said when Tim called to let her know our ETA. “Three dozen it shall be.”

Ingrid had asked for two houses roughly in the middle of the forty homes. One would be the command center for the contractors to work from and the other a place for her and Caryn to stay when they visited. Tim was quite happy to send Caryn video footage so she could decorate their living quarters. Ryan called while Tim was busy to say he had all the paperwork and the triplex was mine. Constance took me shopping while Tim was busy so I could make us lunch. I wanted to see what was available locally.

The lack of a co-op made me sad. Constance raised my spirits by saying this was purely a market thing. There weren't enough customers in the village. All around the village were organic farms and people raising free-range meat. They simply sold most of their stuff in Newcastle. I asked her to see if any of the locals would like to start an organic grocery store in Blyth. I warned her it might be a year or two before the staff flooded in. The staff could stay rent free in the meantime when we got homes renovated I offered. Constance added they could get work on the farms in exchange for a share of the harvest. I offered to give them an advance on their salary for other incidentals if it would help keep the locals here.

“What have you done now my Love?” Tim asked when I stepped through the door. “Constance that's his I've-spent-more-money smile.”

Petersen was fully behind me and the others quickly told me it was a very good decision. I'd let Christopher know about the grocery store so he could pass it one to the students. They'd come up with a working model and it might spark some ideas for related businesses. This is what Samuel wanted me to do so I didn't mind investing more money I explained to Charles. Yes it will come from the Samuel division of my company I said as I parried Petersen's spatula thrust. Omelets with sautéed vegetables was our lunch menu. Bread, olives and cheese supplemented it. Now that we ha an idea of how much space we had in the house we could bring more provisions with us tomorrow. I also needed to start eating my special diet in preparation for the blessings next week.

“Invite the locals to come in and take whatever furniture and other stuff they want before you get the thrift stores from Newcastle to collect the furniture.” I said to Constance. “The contractors will be busy for a bit on my triplex so you will have time. I think it will be good to empty these homes.”

“I'll do that on Monday.” Constance said. “Caryn is coming up this weekend to see if there is anything she can use. Rohan you are spending more than enough. None of the locals will feel good unless they give Caryn first pick.”

The houses were solid if small by American standards. Tim reminded me I was renting most of them to Brits so it would be fine. I wouldn't know the exact figures for a few days but it looked as if I'd be paying an average of sixty-thousand per home. I called Terrence to ask when he would be free to come repair the roads here. He could get away for a few days to teach some of the locals in four weeks. Constance would chat to the city council about it for us. Terrence promised to share pictures of the roads they'd made in Poland. I had seen a third of the homes and decided to call it a day. We had groceries to buy. Christopher had texted to say Caryn would bring up some salve tomorrow.

I bought some more scones for the drive back to Sunderland. Leif and Petersen took the car to go do the grocery shopping while we found a restaurant for dinner. Charles spoke to Adrian about beer for the housewarming and the celebration at the orphanage while I got some restaurant recommendations from the hotel staff. Tonight I wanted bangers and mash. Tim was giving me a lesson in poker when Petersen and Leif returned to rescue me. I didn't even give them time to sit down before I was out the door.

“Rohan took a breath between his second and third plates so he's good for one more.” Griogair said to our startled waitress.

“Something with pipping hot custard.” I decided when asked about dessert. “You can order it now. I'm almost done.”

“We know.” Charles assured me. “One plate of food won't last long around you.”

Joseph and Clarence delivered cookies to us. They had been so excited to try the new baking equipment they couldn't wait until tomorrow. I ordered some hot chocolate for all of us while Griogair thanked the boys for baking his favorite cookies. He kissed me for sharing the recipe. That reminded Bernadette about the special kiss. Adrian didn't mind being kissed in front of everybody. Leif remarked he might mind when or if I finished with him but I'd already locked lips with Adrian. His sons even forgot about the cookies they had in their hands as the kiss went on and on and on. Bernadette simply thanked me for teaching her husband a new kiss and she'd let me know her thoughts once he'd taught it to her.

We got her vote of approval text before I turned out the lights. My diet was going to contain a lot of beef and lamb. This was not hard to do in England where they were fond of beef sausages. Petersen had bought me beef bacon. This was something new for most of the group. We all agreed it wouldn't replace regular bacon but it made a nice change. Eggs and vegetable sides rounded off the meal. Constance joined us at the house and led us over to the other properties.

Caryn joined us at twelve-thirty. She told me it wouldn't take her long to decide what pieces of furniture she wanted to keep. Caryn only took those pieces that caught her eye immediately. We helped by carrying the furniture to some of the homes with garages. Petersen cooked us a stir-fry for lunch. Constance had brought us some cakes for afternoon tea so we got right back to work. Caryn got through half the houses in the afternoon. She thanked us for including beers from Maxim brewery in her provisions before sending us on our way. Roast lamb for dinner I decided when asked what my diet entailed.

The next day was a whirlwind of activity with Caryn until lunch. She joined us for roast beef sandwiches and sweet potatoes fries. Then she left with a sandwich in hand. Nancy let us know this was pretty much how Caryn worked. Warp speed was as slow as it got while she was working. Some of the furniture she'd chosen went to my triplex but we'd need a truck to move it across town. I felt a lot better about Caryn's warp speed when Ingrid let me know she got regular check-ups by the Hospitallers. Garth had made it a non-negotiable part of her working for us if she kept it at that speed.

Nancy had insisted on leaving Monday morning so she could hear the start of the blessings. I found a piece of land above the village where we wouldn't be disturbed. My Lady assured me it wouldn't take much more effort to bless the entire village. Petersen had made a list of my meals. He was even preparing the food I'd eat after they left. Tim would warm it up for me in the oven or a skillet. He had even agreed to take some lessons from Petersen so he would warm the food properly.

Healing songs were the first songs I sang right after doing energy healing on myself. Healing songs for the land expanded into healing songs for all life in the village and surrounding land. Then it was healing songs for the buildings. The cycle ended with one more set of energy healing for me. Nancy gave me a long hug and a simple goodbye kiss before climbing in to the car. Griogair and Charles hugged and kissed me as well. I promised we'd be up next Sunday. Tim promised we'd be there for dinner and hot chocolate. I snacked on a beef sausage in a bun. Then we headed in to the village.

Over the weekend we had placed small yellow stickers on the mailboxes to my properties. I wandered through the homes and the village singing softly for a couple of hours until Petersen texted me to return for lunch. Tim had walked with me. He told Leif he was certain spending a week walking around the village with me would be as amazing as the treehouse visit.

All four us headed over to the triplex because today was the first day of real construction work. I wanted to thank everybody and give them my number. Tim suggested if I was doing so much singing it would be best if they called him. Everybody stopped to thank us for giving them work. A brief but sincere thank you before they returned quickly to work. One of the contractors explained it was pretty easy to break down stuff. The initial progress would slow when they finished the demolition. He assured me getting eco-friendly products from Newcastle was no trouble.

Leif and Petersen joined us on my singing walk when we left the builders. They teased me I'd get a reputation for being crazy by the end of the week. A good kind of crazy they agreed. I returned to my hilltop to seal the work I'd done. We'd mapped out restaurants for dinner ahead of time and headed straight to one. Then it was back to our hotel and rest. The energy work left me feeling very relaxed. I apologized to Tim because I wouldn't be very vigorous in bed. He let me know he was quite happy to help himself to me. I found the experience pretty darn good. A little fucking ended by feeding me his load. I laughed when he told me I'd have to walk to the shower because he couldn't carry me.

One of the houses had an open plan living and dining room. This gave us the space we needed for our sparring. I reassured Tim I'd be fine sparring and doing the other energy work. Thanks to my extended energy work I was feeling stronger and more alert. So began what would be some of the best days of my life. Leif and Petersen left us Wednesday afternoon but promised to call Tim often to check on me. On Thursday when we returned to the hotel we discovered a message from the Blyth marina owner waiting for us. He'd misplaced Tim's number but remembered our hotel. There was a catamaran for sale in Newcastle.

“A pity Bram isn't here.” I said as we made our way to our room. “Tim sailing the boat is one thing knowing what to look for when buying it is something entirely different.”

“Ingrid is buying one for my project so she must have somebody in mind to help her.” Tim reasoned. “I'll call her quickly.”

He followed that call with a call to a chapter house in Newcastle. Brother Albert was Ingrid's boating contact. I guess it makes sense if you are near the coast you'd have an interest in boats. Tim gave him the details of where to find the catamaran and led me out to dinner. We were walking back when Brother Albert called Tim.

“Thank you Brother Albert for going so soon.” Tim said. “Rohan's only question is if it is sound enough for ocean travel. We have to get it to Blyth. I know nothing about sailing so if you'd like to help us with the trip we'd be very grateful. I'm certain Rohan will buy it. We'll talk soon.”

Tim called to thank the Blyth marina owner. He confirmed there was a place to anchor it until its permanent home got built. When Tim thanked him for telling us about it he thanked us for the commission he'd get for finding the buyer. Early morning and late afternoon were important times for me to do my energy work from the hilltop. This meant a trip from Blyth to Newcastle after our morning tea. The marina owner told us Brother Albert had insisted he lift the boat out the water so he could inspect it properly. I learned I could sail around the world in it if I wanted. There was seating for thirty people in total but if we were doing a long trip it would be best to keep it to half that number so we had space to sleep. The boat had an autopilot system for when we were resting. Thanks to GPS it was pretty easy to stay on course.

“Rohan you are certainly keeping me busy.” Edgar said. “I understand you couldn't let Tim have a boat without one of your own. Obviously his couldn't be bigger than yours.”

“I'm only buying one this big so Tim can borrow it if his needs repairs.” I protested. “Why is it so hard for people to believe a man of the church? Edgar I have no idea how much this lovely little thing costs. That's your department. I'm calling from the office phone at the marina. Here you can chat to the guy in charge. There's a pretty young lady here who I'm sure will get all the proper paperwork to you. I want to sail it Blyth on Saturday. Would you like chocolates or flowers? A kiss or two from my sons? Not the pretty lady here because she's wearing a wedding ring. Fine I'll arrange some scotch for you.”

Brother Albert promised to arrange a driver for us on Saturday. He was so happy to sail in the catamaran I asked the manager of the marina to let me know if a nice smaller boat went up for sale. He immediately pointed to a nice looking sailboat. Tim smiled and called Brother Albert over to join us.

“I thought you wanted one for a large group.” Brother Albert said as we stood on the other sailboat. “This looks seaworthy. We'll have to lift her up but she seems sound. You could get about six people on board. No doubt she's a beauty but way too small for your group.”

“That's true which is why I am not buying it for me.” I said. “Glad we told Edgar to hold off on making that payment Tim. I suppose I'll have to send him two bottles of scotch. You better hoist this beauty out the water so Brother Albert can rest easy that his boat is sound.”

“My boat?” Brother Albert asked. “You're joking? You're not. No you don't have to pay mooring fees. Our chapter house is right on the river. We can moor her there. Hoist her up while I kiss this sweet man. Don't rush the hoisting.”

They took their time lifting the boat out the water. Brother Albert took his time with each kiss. I told Tim he was worst than the paparazzi with his camera. Tim just smiled and took another picture. I got kissed again before Brother Albert sailed off in his boat. The pretty young lady in the office took prints of three of the pictures Tim had taken of me being kissed.

“We had better call the chapter house to warn them they might not see Brother Albert for a while.” I said with a sigh. “That was smart of you Abbot. Thank you I feel better now. They gave him the afternoon off Tim. Well we better get back to our work.”

Brother Albert waved from out on the river. I swear they could see his smile in London. From the little I knew about boats his looked like it was moving pretty quickly. Tim heated up my lunch while I arranged two bottles of scotch for Edgar through Christopher.

“Scoundrel it's amazing how we end up at the teahouse every afternoon no matter which direction we start out in.” Tim said smiling up at me. “Are you certain all these scones are on your diet? I might want your lady to design a diet for me one day soon.”

“Scones are like kisses. You can never have too many.” I said kissing him. “Now let's get inside before they close.”

“Scoundrel you've given them more business in a week than they've had all year.” Tim said. “They won't close with you out here. I suppose it would be rude to keep them waiting.”

I didn't have to wait long for my hot scones, clotted cream and jam. Tim did keep me to just six of them. The other six were for us to snack on when he finished our work he told me. Our hostess laughed when he told me to behave or he wouldn't allow anybody to spank me for a week. She laughed harder when I told her I believed he was serious. When she asked about the walking and singing I told her it was my way of blessing the land and doing healing work for the entire village. Walking the blessing she called it with a sage nod. Her grandmother had practiced the old ways she told us so she knew about it and was glad to meet somebody who still practiced it.

“That will take care of the crazy talk.” Tim predicted as we resumed our walk. “There might be something to it because I have never felt better. Any chance of a love song?”

No sooner asked for than given. When I had finished all my healing and sealing work on the hilltop my Lady had me linger for one more song. A love song for Tim. We ate our scones on the hilltop. There was a case of Maxim waiting for us from Brother Albert. Tim called and thanked him. He put Brother Albert on speakerphone so I could share in his excitement. The boat did move swiftly. Brother Albert planned on entering some races with it soon. The abbot had enjoyed his ride in it. A perfect afternoon on the water Brother Albert ended. I thanked him for the beer. He agreed to join us for breakfast Saturday with our driver.

When we headed to our hilltop to bring the five days of blessings to an end Tim brought a warmed meal for us. I started singing the usual close of day songs earlier today. My Lady led me through some very archaic songs and chants. I thanked her for ending with songs from the Order even if they were so old we'd forgotten them. This time I couldn't hide my lightheaded feeling or the trembling. This eased once I'd eaten. I let Tim drive us to the restaurant though.

“Rohan this is Sister Emelia.” Brother Albert said the next morning. “She's my life partner and means more to me than anything including the lovely boat you bought me.”

“He must love you a bunch.” Tim said allowing Sister Emelia to hug and kiss him. “He appears quite fond of that boat.”

“I found Albert just sitting admiring it from the shore this morning.” Sister Emelia said. “Thank you Rohan for such a wonderful gift. Albert has long wished for a boat of his own. Staying this close to the marina has been a mixed blessing. Now he will also get to sail your large boat. We both have today off so you can take your time with breakfast.”

There was no rush to reach Blyth today so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. I was feeling very good with life when we stepped on to my boat. Tim pointed out there was a small rubber boat with a single engine tied to the back of the catamaran. Brother Albert let us both know the docks in Blyth would be too small for the catamaran so we would need to drop anchor off-shore and take the smaller boat in. Tim thought it cool we could play at being a commando team hitting the shore. Provided we don't hit it too hard he added wisely. I let Brother Albert guide the catamaran out of the marina.

When we were well clear of any other boats or structures Brother Albert gave us both a lesson in sailing. I enjoyed the refresher course. Like Tim the auto-pilot demonstration captivated me. Sitting back while the boat sailed along was very strange and took some getting used to. The waves grew larger once we turned northwards along the coast. Brother Albert had us take over from the auto-pilot. Tim scurried around from side-to-side without any concern. Our boat rode the waves easily without giving us any reason to worry. Her solidity proved challenging in that a person could feel too secure.

The three of us were grateful for the rest from the larger waves sailing into Blyth provided. There was a nice strip of land to shelter us. Our smiles let the two people waiting for us know how much fun we'd had. Brother Albert let Tim drive the rubber boat to the jetty. He brought us ashore with the gentlest bump. There was no getting him to stop once he started describing how much fun he'd had sailing here. I managed by taking him in my arms and kissing him. Then I fed him scones and tea. Constance found us enjoying tea and asked to see our boat. I thought Tim would leave his half a cup of tea unfinished in his eagerness to drive the rubber boat again. He caught himself just in time.

All five of us rode out to the catamaran. I find adjusting to the extra luxury in the hulls easier than adjusting to spartan conditions I told them candidly. The waves will give me all the discomfort I need. Sheepishly I confessed to having no idea how much the boat cost me. Whatever it had cost was worth seeing the smiles on Tim and Brother Albert. The trip up the coast had been lots of fun. I might start taking the boat more often instead of driving I warned them. Tim loved the idea. Constance wished me luck getting him off the boat. I took everybody back to our home for some tea. Then we strolled over to the triplex to see how things were going. The place had been swept clean and tidied which was all I needed to know. There was no litter at all.

Sister Amelia and Brother Albert agreed to join us for dinner. They told me there was no need to apologize for wanting to make it an early night. I explained the gang would be joining us tomorrow so this was my last night alone with Tim for a while. Tim grinned when I pulled up in front of the pub where we had dined when visiting Sunderland with Charles and the boys. Sunderland had lost an away game today one-nil which explained the celebrations. I loved how happy the fans were despite the loss.

“Okay you louts listen up.” I shouted. “I don't have much time so get over here if you want a drink. You have my attention for thirty-minutes before I turn my attention to dinner. What I want to know is why there's no singing after such a splendid result?”

“Dry mouths.” somebody shouted out. “Aye a pint of Maximum will fix us right up. Thanks Guv.”

Two rounds later the singing picked up. Sister Amelia and Brother Albert joined in the bouncing even though they didn't know the words. They soon learned them and joined in the singing. The chant finished just before my fish and chips reached the table. I bought everybody another round and taxi rides home for those who'd had too much to drink.

“You're not staggering home or driving or taking the bus if you've had too much to drink.” I said firmly and loudly. “The bartenders and waitresses will decide if you need a ride. Arguing with them will get my foot up your ass before you get in the taxi. There's another round for those who are able to handle it while you wait for the taxis. A gay schoolkid could drink this sorry lot under the table Tim.”

There was something fitting about fish and chips after a day sailing. I was enjoying some bread-and-butter pudding when Tim placed his cellphone on the table. He propped it up against the malt vinegar bottle so we could see the gang.

They had to hear about the boat ride. Tim and Brother Albert took care of describing it in great detail. There wouldn't be time tomorrow to ferry them to the boat so I suggested we visit it and the houses on the way back. Tim promised to take some pictures for them. Dylan recognized the pictures on the wall behind us. Morgan couldn't think of a better place for a last meal or a first meal in Sunderland. Sister Amelia backed me up when I told my housekeeper I had an early evening planned. Tracy complimented me on my choice of beer for the brewery. I loved the fact we were drinking the same beer. Tracy was certain they could switch to Ward's Bitter and join us for our last round. Caryn was being very diligent in her research and kept a good supply of all four brands close at hand. Caryn admitted I'd paid for her diligence. I told her I was always happy to buy a lady a drink.

“This round is on us.” the pub manager said. “We appreciate you buying beer and taxi rides home for the others. Very good of you, Rohan.”

“Seems only fair if I get them over the limit to get them safely home.” I said. “Thank you for the beer though.”

After we'd said our goodbyes and settled our tab I drove us back to the hotel. Sister Amelia and Brother Albert thanked us for everything. Brother Albert told us to call on him if we ever want sailing lessons or help with buying another boat. Tim mentioned we would need a second catamaran about the same size as mine and asked him to let us know if he heard of one for sale. I was so very glad to settle down with a nightcap in our suite.

“We've got the time.” I said to Tim as I started kissing him. “Care to make out with a geriatric?”

“They say it is good to do something nice for your elders.” Tim said kissing me. “You certainly qualify as an elder.”

“Right now that's a good thing.” I said happily. “We'll get around to the special kiss soon enough.”

Much later Tim let me know he really liked the special kiss. He practiced it while I groped his ass. I loved squeezing his cheeks. Hell I loved squeezing any cute young lad's cheeks. Feeling the flesh moving between my fingers as I kneaded it was amazing. I liked being married to this kissing imp. Wrapping my legs around his I held him tight against me. We could feel each other's arousal. Smiling at me between kisses Tim ground his boner against mine.

“Would my favorite elder like to do me a kindness?” Tim asked.

“A kindness of what kind?” I asked in return. “I kind of like what I've got going on now.”

“A similar kind of kindness.” Tim promised. “A little naughtier perhaps. Hmm I thought you would like that. We're kind of overdressed though.”

“You shouldn't get naked in the presence of a pervert.” I warned. “You're way too cut not to inspire some illicit thoughts.”

“I like where your perverted thoughts are leading us.” Tim said.

“The things with illicit thoughts is the quickly lead to illicit actions.” I continued while continuing to knead his ass.

“Kindly think a bunch of those kind of thoughts Scoundrel.” Tim suggested. “A lad like me needs proof of where they lead.”

“The proof of the pudding is in the eating the wise folk say.” I reminded him. “You know a man is thinking illicit thoughts when he starts undressing you. Yes just like I am doing now. Undressing him in return only encourages him to get even naughtier.”

“Now you tell me.” Tim said pulling my pants down. “One day soon you'll have to show me what happens if a reckless youth starts undressing a pervert first. We seem to have run out of clothing to remove. Now what?”

What was him sitting on my face so I could lick his balls from behind. Then I focused on eating his behind. A lovely meal I took my time eating. Tim knelt with his legs on either side of me. He grasped the back of the couch for support while I feasted. I swatted his hand when he reached down to stroke his cock. He let me know I was a cruel pervert indeed and need it appeared. Ignoring his prattle I munched on his ass. When it was dripping with my saliva I turned my attention to taking care of my other need.

Startling Tim I rose up suddenly. Swinging my feet to the ground and lifting myself off the couch I wrapped my arms around his thighs and let his body drop down against me. Tim let me know it wasn't often he got poked in his solar plexus with a cock or got to kiss bony knees. Kissing the inside of bony knees wasn't as novel an experience for him I learned on the way to the bed. Tim found himself swung up and over to land in the middle of the bed. More making out followed while we waited for his head to stop spinning.

“Very kind of you Scoundrel.” Tim said. “Any chance of a fucking soon?”

“No.” I said simply. “Tonight we make love. Slowly. Gently. For five minutes longer than we both can handle.”

“Oh fuck it's puddle-licious night.” Tim said. “Feel free to change your mind. Neither me nor my behind will mind.”

“Too kind.” I said sliding in to his ass.

Sometimes the missionary position is very pleasurable. I've always enjoyed fucking a young teenager in this position. There are several other positions that have never failed me either but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Tim sighed so loudly as he settled in for a long bout of love-making I couldn't help laughing. He smiled and pulled my head down to kiss me.

“I'll let you in on a secret my Love if you promise not to tell my Scoundrel.” Tim said. “We wouldn't want him to know I find these nights of endless pleasuring very enjoyable. The sweet torment as I'm brought ever so close to my orgasm only to have him withdraw and change positions is fucking amazing. Pun intended.”

Smiling I kissed him. While we kissed I ground my hips in a circular motion. Feeling my balls drag across the bottom of his cheeks was wonderful. Switching from long to short strokes randomly along with the angle of my thrusts kept us both making startled gasps of pleasure. Soon I was fucking him as we lay on our side. I had rolled us over so we were still facing each other. A little twist in the tail er tale that caught him by surprise.

“You're in fine form tonight Scoundrel.” Tim said softly.

“Fine ass to.” I said.

“You might even have me believing you're in love with me when we if we get done.” Tim said. “Now why don't you get to work on escaping that fine ass you're in?”

There are times when you want to consciously set the pace. There are times when forcing the pace is great. Tonight was a time for letting the body and the setting dictate the pace. No shame in resting. Touching, kissing and simply letting your lover feel your presence inside them have their place. I let Tim experience them all. Several minutes passed before I returned to fucking him. I started in the same position. Kept on long enough for him to relax. Then changed position again.

Face down ass up let me sink nice and deep inside his bowels. Plunging down quickly and withdrawing slowly I sheathed myself inside him over and over. Tim knew better than to try talking me into rushing. He surrendered to the knowledge it would be a while. Once he relaxed the pleasure flared up inside him with greater intensity. Surprised gasps of pleasure grew louder. The muscles of his back visibly relaxed. They began to ripple beneath the force of my thrusts. I'd been waiting for this moment. Still I quenched the urge to set the pace. My body would not be denied its pleasure. I trusted it to get there even though a part of me was creaming “Hurry! For gods sake hurry!”.

Now Tim lay beneath me with his legs pulled up against his chin. This is where he would stay until I filled him. I was still fucking him when his body claimed its pleasure. So deeply entrenched in the rhythm of our fuck I rode out his orgasm without any trouble. Sweet Lord he looked so cute splattered in cum. Some of it had landed on his neck. I dipped a finger into puddles of cum to feast while I rode him. Make out takeout I whispered to him. Tim giggled. This got me laughing. Amidst all this laughter my body claimed its pleasure. My upper body was shaking with mirth while my hips shook in pleasure.

“Shower time!” I announced joyfully the second after my cum stopped flowing.

I licked Tim clean while the water warmed up. He thanked me for letting the shower warm up. I let him bathe me. Tim returned the favor.

“Scoundrel I owe you a spanking.” Tim said lying on top of me beneath the covers. “That was five minutes and three seconds past the point where I couldn't stand it. You obviously need more practice. Don't worry I'll enlist the help of the fucketeers to see you get it.”

“Very kind of you.” I said. “Good night Beloved. Rest well.”

A well-rested Tim had no trouble waking for sunrise meditations. He let me know over breakfast he was looking forward to the gang's arrival. All I wanted from Blyth was my afternoon tea and scones. One last walk around the village would be nice. Even though we were checking out the hotel allowed us to leave the car in their parking. Tim had booked us in for a massage, facial and pedicure at a nearby spa. We also ended up spending some time in the steam room.

After lunch Tim took me to a kitchen supply store. We bought some ceramic storage containers with rubber seals and metal clips. He didn't offer any explanation and I didn't ask. The cashier agreed with him that I was a very good sport when it came to other people spending my money. Right before she charged me he remembered we needed spoons and small knives. Rather than keep the couple behind me waiting I had the cashier ring up their purchases with mine so they could get on with their day.

“Are you certain? This blender is expensive.” a young lady said.

“Yes I'm certain.” I said. “I would suggest upgrading the blender to one of those VitaMix blenders on display there. You're wearing a sweatshirt from a local college and look young enough for a student so go ahead. Students need good nutrition.”

“I leave my husband alone for three minutes and he's getting kissed by pretty ladies.” Tim said when he returned. “Neither of us mind. Go ahead and give him a second kiss if you want.”

She did want. Tim paid without any comment. I grinned when the student kissed him outside the store. The sweet young lady was telling her two friends about her good fortune as we walked away. Her friends ran us down and kissed us. I wondered if we'd make it to the car before they got the rest of their sorority to chase us down. We did make it safely to the car. I took a circuitous route through Sunderland before pointing us north.

We decided to wait in the tea shop for the gang. I set about eating our scones before the others arrived. Tim just smiled and handed over our storage jars to the shop owner. He had just finished giving the gang directions when the lady returned to our table. Then she set down several cake boxes on a nearby table.

“I didn't realize I was that good in bed last night.” I said kissing Tim's cheek.

He blushed. The owner of the teahouse laughed so hard she had to support herself on a table. Tracy chose to enter the teahouse at that moment. She laughed when the lady repeated my comment. Hands off my treat I warned. Tracy ignored me and peeked inside. There were several dozen scones. Our little storage containers were full of clotted cream and jam. Leslie promised she'd kiss Tim when she'd eaten her scones. Ivan predicted he was safe until Scotland because it would take two hours to eat all of them. Tim told the lady the tip was for working so hard today and every day we visited. He also let her know how much enjoyment we'd gotten from the scones and tea. Leslie tasted a scone and decided no matter how much Tim had tipped it wasn't too much.

The three scurvy knaves sat on my lap. Nobody listened to my protests the scones were my treat. I'd worked hard for them. Dylan told me getting hard around Tim wasn't work. I had to undress him I tried. The other gang members simply let us continue our bantering while they kissed my cheek. Eddie said it was just like being back in the apartment. The scones were just as good as my cooking he added. A few of the scones survived as snacks for the drive. My housekeeper suggested we walk to the marina and take a look at the catamaran. Abby asked Caryn to show us where they stayed when visiting. I agreed that we could do it in an hour. The others wanted to stretch their legs.

“Which one of the hulls has the playroom Pater dear?” Adam asked. “They both look big enough for you to swing a bullwhip in.”

“No playroom at all?” Morgan asked. “A good thing Juliet is with us. She'll fix your little tub right up for you Rohan. No need to worry.”

“Little tub.” I said reaching for him. “I'll give you a little drubbing.”

A quick dusting of the seat of his pants was all time and circumstance would allow. Then it was up the hill to the home. The triplex was on the way back to the cars so we stopped in for a look at it. Leslie was very excited to learn the hospital and college would include psychology. Christopher had approached her to help with the syllabus at the college and integration of it with the treatments in the hospital. I let her know she was welcome to stay in my home when she visited. Ivan told us he had never seen her happier.

I settled on the back seat with the scurvy knaves while Tracy drove us to Charles' manor. Tim called to let Charles know we'd arrive around six-thirty. He would plan dinner for seven. Smiling at the boys I asked Tracy how her studies with Lao were progressing. Tracy took forty-five minutes to let me know how they were progressing. Workouts, weapons training, healing, chi and feng shui filled up a lot of her week. She told us there wouldn't be much for Brother Michael to teach her. Outside of bed at least Morgan declared. He admitted he wouldn't have said that if Tracy wasn't driving. Yes she was having fun in and out of bed but what about her housekeeping duties. I was still overpaying her and getting less from her. I told her we were getting much more from her than mere housekeeping stuff. We all agreed we missed her love and her presence when we were away on trips. I let her know I planned on taking her for some long walks. Tim promised her some walks as well.

“Where's Lance?” Morgan asked Charles after they had hugged and kissed.

“Overseeing his lasagnas.” Nancy said hugging Morgan. “Yes Tracy with hot chocolate in hand. No four tins of hot chocolate is plenty for him each month.”

Nancy had asked Caryn to keep the house closed and the curtains drawn. Fionola and Columba had helped Caryn get in the cottage garden Sanne had designed. Sanne and Bram were going to have a look at it in the morning. Sanne was eager to see Fionola's garden as well. Mary was letting Columba know he'd have to sneak off with me later to empty a bottle of Scotch. I smiled as I listened to the scolding. I rescued Columba by sneaking up behind her and lifting her off the ground into a hug. Then I tossed her into Columba's arms.

“Kissing her is a good way to stop the scolding.” I said to Columba.

“You've never used that trick with me.” my housekeeper said.

“I enjoy your scoldings too much to want to cut them short.” I said calmly. “Dylan I was hoping that was worth a scolding. After the thrashing Tim gave me I don't need to worry about a riding crop anytime soon. He was magnificent.”

“A great teaching video.” Juliet added. “Your fellow fucketeers are very proud of you Tim. I think you pushed Morgan right to the edge of his limits. Rohan we will talk later. The staff have lined up for you to sing and greet them.”

“They should have Sunday off.” I said surprised.

“That's what I told them but they insisted on being here to meet you folks.” Charles said. “The best I could do was get them to join us for dinner.”

Griogair went off to fetch the kitchen staff and Lance. I suggested the other staff join us on the lawn. My housekeeper threatened to spank Charles if he apologized one more time because some of the gang would have to make do with sleeper couches. Tracy added we should apologize to him for descending on him in such numbers. I agreed it was very good of him to put up with all of us. The kitchen staff and Lance simply joined in the ranks of the other staff. Lance had wisely switched from a regular mug to a travel mug so his drink wouldn't get cold. He was very happy to see everybody again. Sanne told him Elaine and Alida were bringing Marikie, Clifton and Hans over when their school closed for a break next week. They had made arrangements for them to start their next semester on the road and rejoin their class later.

My Lady showed me how to blend a non-traditional approach with the Christian tradition of the staff. The same sky lies above all paths. I agreed this path had led to a good group of people who were sincere, honest and caring which is all you really needed from any religion. So we sang songs of praise for all of creation, the Creator and for the qualities they all imbued.

“No wonder the queen enjoyed her lasagna.” Tracy said raising a glass towards Lance. “You must promise me you'll teach Rohan your recipe.”

“Rohan taught it to me.” Lance said giggling.

“Then you must teach him how to make it properly.” Tracy declared. “Caryn these pitchers of beer taste familiar. Does your diligence extend all the way to Scotland?”

“I confess to being a workaholic.” Caryn said. “Holden is working on driving those demons out of me with his paddle. I fear it might take a while. They're firmly entrenched.”

Juliet had a plan to help Holden. She wouldn't share it with us just yet. Nancy confessed she felt like a kid on Christmas eve. She didn't know how she was going to get any sleep. Lance bravely endured our traditional thank you kisses. The manor staff joined in. Fionola sat an entire bowl of trifle in front of me. She knew me well enough to set it down and run for her seat. I promised I'd get even soon enough.

When we were approaching the games area I asked Griogair if this was where the casks were. He nodded so I told the others to stay back while Tracy and Charles entered the space.

“You are not an earl.” Tracy said interrupting the sounds of kissing. “You are an angel like Rohan. They can wait until I have thanked you properly.”

“Help!” Charles shouted but nobody moved.

“It's safe to come in.” Tracy called out at last.

“I wouldn't bet on it.” Charles said. “Glad you found it entertaining. Of course I need another pint Caryn. Who wouldn't after such a thank you? The strongest.”

The evening was a lot of fun. The gang enjoyed dancing and the staff seldom got to dance with guests. Iona was looking a little uncomfortable so I went over to see what my housekeeper was up to. She was speaking earnestly to Iona.

“I agree it isn't proper Iona.” I said when I learned my housekeeper was insisting on us helping the staff clean up behind ourselves. “We are not a proper bunch and it might come as a surprise but a lot of us enjoy doing housework. We also enjoy the feeling of satisfaction that comes from seeing a room gleam. There will be less disruption if you share your schedule with us. You know Charles won't dock your pay because you are all finishing early for a week. The boys could do with practicing their dancing and social skills. That will keep your staff and us busy longer. Griogair will help with these classes. I'd consider it an honor to scrub floors alongside you but I warn you I'll steal a kiss or two.”

“Rohan you're a clergyman.” Iona said shocked.

“Well there are no altar boys for me to bugger.” I said. “Unless you plan on having some shipped in I'll have to steal a kiss from you.”

“Yes we find him incorrigible as well.” my housekeeper said. “Let's go grab a refill before Tracy empties the casks on her own and you can tell me about your system. We'll keep this as a surprise for Charles. Thank you for your help Rohan. Now go discretely fondle your sons. They have missed you.”

“There will be nothing discrete about their plans for later.” I predicted. “I'll go get my hands on them once I've got a refill.”

“This holiday is off to a great start Boss.” Tracy said. “Cheers! Great brewery. I'm glad Adrian enjoys kisses.”

The boys were having a great time. Adam let me know they hadn't forgotten their plans for me. I gave his ass a quick squeeze. Morgan insisted on a squeeze. Then Dylan and Tim had to have one. A few games of darts with Mary and Columba rounded off the evening. The staff showed everybody to their rooms. My housekeeper had helped them put together the sleeping arrangements before we arrived. Tracy called her a spoilsport for not letting her sleep next to the casks. Her grumbling stopped when she saw her room. Charles hid behind Griogair but Tracy was so enraptured by the furniture and ornaments we left without her knowing.

“I'll get you in the morning Charles.” Tracy shouted down the passageway a while later. “You can see for miles. How beautiful. I need a...Oh thank you Caryn. Yes it is medicinal. That angel of an earl did this deliberately to make me cry. I'll have to spar with him before we leave. Tearing myself away will be hard.”

Griogair pointed out if they were sparring Tracy wouldn't be kissing him. Charles asked him to arrange lots of sparring matches. I wanted to arrange a few other sparring sessions this week for the boys. Petersen and Christopher were happy to help me with my plan. Catherine was here so we could get in some workouts as well. I told Tim I had a feeling it would be good for him and Tracy in particular to work hard on their sparring and fitness. Most of the sessions will take place in the afternoon I added. Charles kindly agreed to wait until tomorrow to find out why.

I deliberately let Columba know I would be meditating in Fionola's garden in an hour with Mary standing right there. She smiled when I suggested he tuck her in tightly and wait until she was asleep before joining me in my meditations. Dylan protested an hour might be too little time for what they had in mind. Mary agreed with me the four fucketeers would have my carcass nicely picked over in thirty-minutes or less. Tim told us he was looking forward to getting his revenge from last night. The scurvy knaves shuddered when he told them it had lasted for hours. Mary laughed when they called me cruel, inhuman, despicable and insatiable among other things. The scurvy knaves kissed Griogair for putting them in my room. I promised him a sparring session for throwing me in with the four fucketeers.

There was no denying the boys had planned this out so I let them have at me. Clothing got tossed aside in a flurry. I got pushed backwards on to the day bed so the boys could reach me. Morgan told Tim to slide under me. They wanted my ass at the bottom of the bed. Adam lubricated my ass, Tim's cock and his own cock. Once he had guided Tim inside me he began to force his cock into me.

“Phase one is a success.” Adam said with a grin. “Implement phase two. We kept it simple Pater dear. Phase one is fucking. Phase two is sucking.”

Dylan provided me with a cock to suck. I provided Morgan with a cock to suck. He was becoming a really good cock-sucker. Adam was a lucky guy. My son wasn't content being a passive recipient. Dylan leaned forward over me and began fucking my face. I loved his assertiveness. Leaning forward also gave me easier access to his puckered hole. Nothing less than free fingers would do tonight. This was one of those encounters where we would all be forcing the pace. Once I found his sweet spot I kept my fingers working it over. My sucking was hard from start to finish. Dylan's compliments were a sure sign he didn't mind cumming quickly.

The double-fuck was helping me cum almost as quickly as Dylan. When the devil sucking me started spanking my balls it was all over in seconds. Pressing down hard inside Dylan I got him to climax seconds ahead of me. Although unprepared for me to cum so quickly Morgan reacted in time to gulp down every drop of my load. The two boys pounding my ass couldn't ride out the internal contractions. I couldn't blame them for not trying too hard. The sensations of two cocks pumping cum inside me while my orgasm was subsiding was perfect. I kissed Dylan while they finished.

The kissing continued as Morgan climbed off the bed and penetrated my messy hole. He'd worked up a nice pace when Dylan kindly rolled aside so Adam could kiss me. Tim decided to teach Morgan the special kiss he'd learned last night. The four of us were kissing when Morgan climaxed inside me. Morgan calmly shoved a butt plug up my ass to keep their seed inside me. Then they pulled me up and led me to the shower. I agreed with them it felt very good being back here.

I tucked the four of them in the day bed. The watched me get dressed. I kissed their cute faces. Let them know they were the most precious part of my journey. Got them to promised to misbehave a little while I was gone. Then slipped out to my meditation. I had about ten minutes before Columba joined me so I sang a few songs softly. Columba sat on the bench next to me and poured us some Scotch.

“To Mary.” I said raising my glass. “May her outer beauty last as long as your inner handsomeness.”

I place a finger over my lips when Columba started to say something. While we finished the first drink I worked on laying out a grid of chi in the garden. Starting at our feet I let it spread out. All of his time spent working with the land meant Columba was very sensitive to the change I made. He gasped in surprise but otherwise remained quiet as I did my energy work.

“Things are still going well between you and Mary?” I asked pouring us the second round.

“Aye she's been such a blessing.” Columba said. “I really want to thank those boys of yours for interfering. What would you suggest for a gift?”

“They could all do with some protective arm bracers.” I suggested. “They're used to Tracy measuring them so get her to do it. She can say she needs to keep their measurements current. Growth spurts and such. I'll tell her what measurement you need. Charles will know who can make them.”

“Thank you for the energy work you do for the land.” Columba said refilling our glasses. “I dinnae ken how it works but I can feel the difference. Lance has been such a blessing to this house. I cannae wait to see his face when they get to see their home tomorrow. The rascal deserves it.”

“Much like you and Mary deserve each other.” I said. “This is such a lovely piece of Scotland. I wish I'd been brought here under different circumstances.”

“Aye but at least ye made it.” Columba said. “I cannae believe how much fun it was to have the queen visit. Your monks stomped on the special ops guys. Felt sorry for them when they unloaded those coconuts. Has there ever been a time when your Order took anything seriously?”

“Only by accident.” I said with a smile. “How else would I get to play the head guy? I think the special ops guys will be taking coconuts seriously.”

We finished the other two-thirds of the bottle in companionable silence. Columba wished me a good night and headed back to his cabin. When I finished doing chi healing on myself I called Lao to see about doing some on Columba from a distance. Lao explained that energy follows where the mind leads. There is no illusion of distance to stop energy from reaching another. The energy would flow from me to Columba if my mind stayed focused on him.

I texted Lao a picture of Columba twenty-minutes later. Lao had me call up an image of Columba just like I did for the land. I noticed some red spots in his left shoulder and knee. Keeping this image in mind I gently thought of chi flowing up from the earth to my heart center and from my heart center to Columba's heart center. Then I affirmed it was a gift for him to use as he wished.

“Do not be dismayed.” Lao said when I told him the red spots were smaller but still there. “These are old hurts and the healing takes time. You have sent enough chi to him. Do a sealing mantra on yourself and let Columba do the rest at his own pace. You must wake early for meditation and sparring. Go rest now.”

I lifted Tim out the day bed and set him down in our bed. Then I slipped in behind him and promptly fell asleep. I got woken by Dylan's gentle fucking of my ass. He leaned forward to kiss me good morning on my shoulder. I smiled. Tim stirred so I kissed him good morning.

“I'm pinned to the bed by my incestuous son.” I said. “You'll have to bring your cock to my mouth.”

Seconds later the cock in question was sliding in and out of my mouth. Dylan was working his way to his second orgasm inside me when I finished blowing Tim and started a double-team of Adam and Morgan. Three loads down the throat and two up the ass first thing in the morning had me believing I would have a good day.

“This is yer doing Rohan.” Columba bellowed as he approached us for morning meditation. “My shoulder and knee haven't felt this good since I was a bairn. Tracy when ye take the lads measurements be certain to take his. Rohan will let ye know soon. Sun is rising Rohan don't just stand there. Sing man. Do you think we all got up this early for the fresh air?”

“You just want to get out in the cold so you have an excuse for taking a shot of Scotch.” Mary teased. “One in the morning will not harm ye. One shot not one bottle. I think Rohan is to blame for your lack of a hangover as well.”

On the way back inside I explained to Tracy about the measurements. The gang was too big to fit in the sparring room so I sparred with Charles outside. I wasn't quite ready to let go completely so Charles marked me. This time it took him longer. He admitted he'd got me just before the end of our bout. My housekeeper watched closely as Griogair sewed me up. She told me to speak to Lao later and practice more with the others. You have until tomorrow to get this sorted out and your head right she told me. Tim suggested I chat with Vernon. I kissed him for being so smart. Yes if Vernon helps I'll help you get from smart to smarting I promised.

“Breakfast is over Rohan.” my housekeeper announced. “Finish it on the way. We have work to do. You shouldn't have dawdled. Nancy and Lance need to see their new home so we have to finish our chores before the other guests arrive.”

“Chores?” Charles asked.

“I tried to stop them but they insisted.” Iona said. “Rohan threatened to steal a kiss from me.”

“That wasn't a threat it was a promise.” Dylan said. “We all plan to steal kisses from you Iona. Now where's my cleaning rag?”

“Charles we're helping clean up behind ourselves.” Adam said brightly. “No trouble at all. I'll feel better about my stay if you let me clean. Will five kisses be enough for you to agree? They won't let you clean. Besides you're our host.”

Iona divided us up into small groups with a maid who would show us what needed doing. What usually took six hours for them we finished in two. Iona got kissed several times. The maids weren't left out. Iona insisted the regular staff return after tea to give the place another dusting. They smiled and stole some kisses before going to help Fionola get tea ready. They still had a good six hours free.

“Rohan I'm glad you're happy to see me but it isn't wise to kiss a married lady this way.” Adriana said. “No you can't kiss Bernadette like this. Leave that to Morgan.”

“Fine and it's okay for me to shower you with kisses.” I insisted holding both ladies in my arms. “Adriana if your husband objects to me kissing you this much I promise to kiss him.”

“She's all yours Rohan.” Bill said. “I'll join Charles for some tea.”

“Bill how dare you.” Adriana said.

“Adriana dear he might have a coconut hidden somewhere on him.” Bill said. “You know I'm allergic to them.”

“Speaking of Morgan and kisses.” I said setting Adriana down but carrying Bernadette inside. “Morgan we need your help. Adriana ordered you to shower Bernadette with lots of kisses. I'm not allowed to do it.”

“That's what Mama said just minutes ago.” Bernadette said patting the couch next to her. “Being a good girl was never this much fun.”

The showering of kisses got interrupted so Nancy and Lance could see their home. While we were cleaning the manor earlier Sanne, Bram and Columba had given the garden and plants a last inspection. Everything was as ready as it could be.

“Charles, Rohan and Caryn you will be standing right on the doorstep so I can thank you the moment I've seen the home.” Nancy said. “I'll get around to you others once I've taken care of these three rascals.”

My housekeeper promised all three of us would be right here. Tracy threatened to keep Charles on the doorstep by kissing him until Nancy finished viewing her new home. Charles wisely decided to take his chances with Nancy. I called Tracy over and whispered some instructions in her ear. She smiled, kissed my cheek and headed off to chat with Bill and Adriana. A few minutes later she was chatting to some of the maids. From behind Bernadette's back she gave me a thumbs-up sign.

Nancy had gotten her emotions under control but Lance was still struggling. My housekeeper took him in her arms and headed off for a walk. Fionola handed her Lance's travel mug before she stepped off the deck and pointed out a path through some trees. That's all I saw before Nancy gave me a very long kiss. Adriana decided I had let her off lightly. Bernadette asked Morgan if he was paying attention. Mary let the others know she was.

Charles kissed Caryn soundly the moment we stepped inside. She'd kept her color palette a secret from him for a very good reason. The colors she used were the Middleton tartan colors of red, brown and green. They weren't the only colors but they predominated. Lance's comforter cover was sewn with the tartan of the Middleton clan. Griogair suggested Charles take Lance on a shopping trip for a kilt. We learned from Fionola if Charles bought Lance a kilt or two in the Middleton tartan he was effectively agreeing to make him a member of the clan. A feast and some games went along with that Bill added. He would extend their stay for a few days. Petersen convinced Fionola to let him, me and Leif help her with the cooking. I agreed because I knew Charles loathed haggis.

Tavish had set up some barbecues on the lawn. Fionola had prepared salads earlier. Nancy and Petersen helped me prepare some soda breads in her kitchen. I told Petersen about the books we'd purchased for the boys at the cabin, love nest and farm in Poland. There were copies of them here. Leif flipped through them and told Petersen they were good. Petersen still wanted the boys to have some cooking lessons with him this week. Lance was definitely included. Because Charles was taking him shopping tomorrow their first lesson would be breakfast.

“What's up boss?” Tracy said handing me a beer. “You look worried for some reason.”

“Charles and Griogair are over in the corner conspiring.” I said. “I know they are smiling. That's what worries me. Trust me Tracy I can feel the conspiracy in the air.”

“Yes Tracy we are conspiring.” Griogair calmly admitted when she dragged me over and asked them outright. “Yes it does involve Rohan. I'd suggest speaking to Lao today and giving Charles a list of herbs to collect tomorrow. Rohan will experience something very similar to what Lance experienced today only more intense. I'll be glad to give you more details if needed when you call Lao this afternoon.”

Columba came over and asked Tracy to please give Charles the measurements of the boys so he could pick up their gifts tomorrow. Tracy herded the boys off right away to get measured. I took the opportunity to speak to Bernadette about a phone call I wanted her to make in a couple of hours. Her maturity impressed me. She thanked me with a kiss on the cheek for helping her with a matter she'd been thinking about for a while.

My housekeeper returned with Lance. He was back to his usual self. Charles asked if he'd like to become a member of the Middleton clan. A clan was like a family only bigger and made of several families he explained to Lance. Charles told him Nancy was willing to join the clan if he wanted to join it. He took his time telling Lance they would still be friends and he would still have a home here if he said no. Lance thought about it for a couple of minutes. Then he hugged a kneeling Charles. We applauded. Griogair went off to prepare a round of Scotch for us to toast Lance's decision. Mary beamed with pride when Columba switched back to beer after the toast.

While the meat was cooking I called Vernon. He laughed when I told him my housekeeper had decided Charles only got to mark me one more time. We spoke of humility in leadership. Vernon was willing to teach me the second level of the code of honor he'd shared with me many years ago. Thanks to modern technology we could do this over a distance. I let him know I was planning on chatting with Lao later. Vernon allowed me to give Lao his contact details. He said he had today and tomorrow off so Lao could call him anytime. He was going fishing this afternoon but would be home around the time I planned on calling Lao. I was happy to hear his new car was serving him very well.

I enjoyed chatting with Bram and J as they manned the grills. When Bram remarked how much he missed his fire pit Tavish asked if you had to bury the coals in the ground or if a brick structure to house the coals would work. He was a blacksmith so making a drop-in metal insert wouldn't be a problem. Adam would love to help I added. Sanne wanted to buy a few things for Fionola's garden. She suggested they make a trip to town tomorrow. Charles was happy to pick up some cast iron Dutch ovens while he was in Edinburgh. Tavish called the store so they would be waiting for Charles to pick up. He also got the shop assistant to measure them.

Petersen, Leif and Garth took the scurvy knaves to one side for their sparring. Catherine observed their fitness levels and asked questions about which muscles got fatigued quickest. Charles took Tim and Tracy aside. He was willing to take my sense of urgency seriously. I sparred with Christopher a good distance from the others so we didn't distract them. Along with our short swords we took daggers and chains. We returned bruised and dripping blood. My housekeeper scolded us both while Griogair stitched the dagger wounds. She almost followed Dylan's suggestion to make us stand in the corner.

“Where do the two of you think you are going?” I asked grabbing Bernadette and Morgan by the collar when we retired for the night. “You did make that call earlier didn't you Bernadette? Good. Tracy do you have that picnic basket ready? Then we're all set. Kiss Fionola thanks for preparing the picnic stuff. Tracy will get her kiss when you see what she did. Come along gang. The fresh air is good for you.”

“How are frozen lungs good for me my Love?” Tim asked grabbing his heavy coat. “Lawrence while you are here we must chat about a sensible winter wardrobe. I'm thinking something like a Russian one ought to do.”

Charles was as intrigued as the others as Tracy led us down a little used dirt trail. He confessed he'd forgotten all about this little cottage. There were some areas that needed work but it had running water, electricity and enough comfortable living space for a small group.

“Now you can have all the alone time you need.” I said. “Tracy prepared it for you with the help of the maids.”

They thanked Tracy with a hug and kiss. I got thanked even though I hadn't done anything except come up with the idea. When we were about to leave Bernadette grabbed Adam's arm.

“Earlier I spoke to a wise lady called Elaine.” Bernadette said. “Rohan does a good job of meddling. He's very perceptive so I don't mind. Once again he was spot on. You will be staying with us tonight. When you have heard what I have to say you can choose where to spend tomorrow night. Will you at least give me one night?”

“Gladly.” Adam said hugging her. “Provided Morgan doesn't mind.”

“For that comment I think you will sleep between us.” Morgan said taking Adam's hand. “Rohan this time I think we will let Charles get even with you on our behalf. He has something truly spectacular planned for you. I'll let you off this time with a simple kiss.”

On the walk back Dylan let me know Charles had told the group of his conspiracy. He'd been concerned about my reaction and wanted to get Leslie's thoughts in particular on the matter. Griogair had spoken to Lao about it when arranging my herbs with Tracy. Everybody agreed it was something I had to experience.

“Okay.” I said calmly. “When does this take place?”

“Thursday.” Charles said. “There are some things I need to have made ready and it will take a couple of days. Bram and Tavish want to try out their fire pit as well. They'll have to work quick to get it done in time.”

“We'll all pitch in.” my housekeeper said. “Everything will be ready.”

That settled any doubts or arguments. Bill and Adriana let me know they didn't mind me arranging for their daughter to spend the night with two handsome lads in a cottage without a chaperone. Adriana was pretty certain if Bernadette had sex it would be because she initiated it. Despite our openness about our play together Bill knew Morgan was very respectful of Bernadette. Tracy said their relationship was just like the one Mary and Columba shared. Progressive in the sense of sleeping in the same bed. Old-fashioned in the sense of not sharing their bodies. She frankly admitted she couldn't handle that much romance so she'd just jumped Brother Michael's bones the first chance she got. Leslie laughed and hugged her.

Dylan thanked me for getting rid of the other two so he had the entire day bed to himself. Tossing him up on our bed for ravishing was not part of enjoying the bed on his own he declared. Tim promised we would kick him out our bed the moment we finished with him. Sucked, fucked and ejected was our plan. A very nice plan and well executed Dylan complimented us when we tucked him in after our shower.

Early the next morning I slipped out the room. Petersen found me baking Chelsea buns in the kitchen just after five a.m. He fetched us some beer before helping me with my baking. Thanks to his help we were able to make enough for the staff as well. I left him to keep an eye on the buns while I delivered a basket to the cottage. The three of them were sleeping close together which made me smile. I set the basket on the kitchen table and with one last glance at them through the open door I slipped away.

Fionola was enjoying a Chelsea bun and tea when I returned. Petersen was discussing what she had planned for breakfast. The boys would have their first lesson today I realized. Some of the maids slipped in to grab a cup of tea before sunrise meditations. They kindly helped us deliver Chelsea buns to the others. Dylan and Tim decided one good treat deserves another. I liked the taste of their treats just as much as mine. Lance was still eating his Chelsea bun when he joined us. They had both enjoyed their first night in the new home. This was the first home of their own they had ever had. Wiping away some tears Nancy told us it truly made her feel like they were a family.

Petersen decided with the four boys cooking there was time for them to watch me spar with Charles. This time it really was an honest draw. I nicked Charles a split second after he got me. Tracy surprised us by taking some thread from Griogair and calmly stitched my cut together. This was one of the first things Lao had taught her in her first aid studies. He knew with all the bladed weapons we used cuts would be the most common injury. Dr. Deidre insisted on taking a picture so Lao would know she hadn't embarrassed him. Sanne loved how weird a group we were. The scurvy knaves led Lance by the hand to the kitchen. He was so proud they had included him. Dylan let him know they wouldn't have done it without him.

The shoppers left right after breakfast. There were a lot of stolen kisses during our cleaning. Anybody who got close enough to another person got kissed. The maids made the most of their opportunity to kiss Griogair. Now we knew the routine it went even quicker. When we finished with tea I sent Tim to our room to get Vernon on the line while Tracy took some measurements of me. Lawrence double-checked them at her insistence. This was too important to get wrong Tracy insisted. Tim kissed me as he left our room.

I learned I was in trouble with Ingrid for making her run up to Blyth to work on the triplex conversion and then travel all the way down to Winchester. Vernon assured me she was having the time of her life. Phyllis had offered to keep an eye on one the projects but Ingrid still insisted on showing up to check-in personally. Vernon let me know he had hoped he'd get the chance to continue my education and giving up a little time on his day off was a small price to pay for this opportunity.

He was glad to hear I'd marked Charles. We talked about how it had happened. Then I shared how I had felt just before and right after it happened. Working with this information Vernon expanded on the principles he'd taught me many years ago. He shared some of his conversation with Lao to expand on a point here and there. I was so engrossed in our conversation I hardly noticed Tim sneaking up behind me. He hugged me from behind and kissed me. People were gathering for lunch he told us. Tim got a kick knowing we had been so caught up in our conversation we hadn't noticed how much time had passed. Vernon was working tomorrow afternoon and evening so I would have to call him in the morning. Tim was certain my housekeeper would agree they could clean without me. I protested the loss of kisses. He promised to make it up to me with some help from Dylan.

Sanne, Bram and Tavish returned shortly after lunch. They'd eaten some pies on the drive so we got started with our bricklaying. There wasn't time for a concrete slab to dry so our brickwork would be built on two sheets of heavy metal. We did pour the slabs so we could set the mobile fire pits on them after the feast. Some short wooden posts with canvas stretched over protected our slabs while they dried. Tavish let Adam learn about bricklaying with us. He was confident they could get the metal inserts knocked out tomorrow morning.

I asked Christopher to take Tim and Tracy aside for some sparring before dinner. Tim entered our room leaning on Morgan and Adam. Catherine had wanted to see how long the two of them could spar before they collapsed. He let me know he felt very proud to have lasted as long as Tracy. They had ended up leaning on each other for support. Dylan showed me a picture Lawrence had taken of the two of them leaning in against each other with their swords resting on the ground.

My housekeeper bought the Dutch ovens out our holiday fund. They were our thank you gift for our stay. Lance's outfit was under wraps. I was glad they had made it back in time for dinner. Charles loved the picture of Tim and Tracy. Lawrence promised him a print. Adam returned to the cottage with Bernadette and Morgan. We all walked them to their cottage. I took Tracy for a walk before returning to the manor. Tracy was smart and insightful. You could learn a lot from her if you didn't get distracted by the superficial chatter. Some of the decisions she'd made with Sister Celeste were very good ones.

Belinda had even sought her advice about the conference center. There hadn't been anywhere suitable for us to stay on Belinda's favorite mountain top. Tracy had called the mayor of the town at the bottom of the mountain. He had spoken to the village elders in the area. Once the shamans had given it some thought and agreed to work with the local chapter house they had started building us a conference center on the mountain top. Tracy had bought a transport helicopter for the Order so building materials and people could get up and down. I agreed there were all sorts of opportunities to put the helicopter to good use after our conference. Stephen thought she was spending way too much time with me because she had bought a military helicopter big enough to carry armored vehicles. Tracy had decided on the larger helicopter because fewer trips saved money and time in medical emergencies.

“You have done brilliantly.” I said. “Allow me to buy you a beer before we turn in.”

“Thank you boss.” Tracy said. “What's the quickest route from here to the kegs?”

Only by dropping into a backward roll at the last second did I avoid being marked the next morning. My housekeeper reminded me she hadn't said anything about not marking Charles. Adam and Morgan headed off to the forge right after breakfast. My housekeeper agreed it was more important for me to chat with Vernon than steal kisses from Iona. I sipped on my latest Lao blend of tea. Vernon suggested I drink lots of it. Tim had shared the surprise waiting for me with Vernon. No he wouldn't share it with me. He would share what his teacher had taught him. So I settled in and concentrated on what he had to say.

The metal inserts had lips that fitted over the top of our brick walls. The metal lids fitted over these. Charles had picked up some fire blankets in Edinburgh to put on top of them. Bram was happy with the look but decided the true test was getting coals inside them. J was glad to help him take care of this while the rest of us practiced our sparring. Over dinner they told us the fire pits were working great. The vegetables and bread for the feast would get cooked in them.

“I know I had this planned for tomorrow morning but I can't wait any longer.” Charles said when we entered the games area. “Fucketeers form up! Tracy top off Rohan's tea. Take a long swig Rohan. Thanks Tracy. Rohan you'll understand why you need it soon enough. I have discussed this with Griogair, Tavish, Iona, Columba and Fionola here at the manor. This afternoon I went for a walk with Bill, Adriana and Bernadette to get their thoughts. Shortly before dinner I spoke with the queen. I spoke to her as a friend and as the ruling monarch. She called in her head of protocol to confirm the legalities. Thanks the gods I got it right.

Dylan and Tim keep a tight grasp of his hands. Adam and Morgan keep him from getting out this room. Rohan I'm not going to explain the obvious just to hear myself speak. I also trust you to understand this is too important to me to make this purely a political decision. The sooner I ask the sooner I get my answer. Rohan it would make me happy beyond imagining if you would agree to let me adopt you.”

This was a conspiracy that shook me to the core. While my head reeled and the room faded within me my Lady broke into a song of incredible joy. There was no doubting what she thought I should do. Swallowing hard I glanced down at the two fucketeers keeping a tight grip on me. Tim offered me my mug of tea. I noticed they had refilled it. When I drained it Tracy simply replaced the mug with a flask. Blinking against the tears I tried desperately to ground myself. I silently ran through the mantras within me. The room and the people seemed very far away.

“Yes.” I heard somebody saying in the distance. “Yes.”

There was loud applause. Charles caught me before I could fall. He held me tight while people hugged us both. I knew exactly how Lance had felt. How Dylan and Adam had felt. I hoped Charles was feeling as good as I felt when they said yes to me.

“We'll join you in a toast when we return.” Charles said leading me from the room.

“Lance has some special hot chocolate for you to take on your walk.” my housekeeper said when we got to the door. “Congratulations you two.”

Charles shared how he couldn't think of a better man to have as his son. He also didn't believe he would find a better person to care for the manor, the staff and the grounds than me. Griogair had told Charles he didn't want to inherit the place if it could be avoided. I had my sons to inherit after me. Leaving this to me as an inheritance wouldn't have filled the post of earl. This title could only be filled if I agreed to the adoption. The queen had told Charles as a friend she would have chosen me on my calzone making abilities. In her official capacity she felt anybody who could run several global enterprises could cope with the duties involved with being an earl. She hoped I'd also take over Charles' work for the environment. We'll have to spend an afternoon with her soon Charles told me.

Although the hot chocolate with brandy helped me pull myself together I needed another drink. Taking Charles' hands in mine I looked him in the eyes and told him how incredibly honored I was that he would adopt me. There on the open countryside with the mist all around us I called him dad for the first time and it felt so right I couldn't deny I had made the right decision. I experienced this same wave of pleasure when he called me son. This would be the only time I would hear my Lady say I told you so. Charles chuckled when I shared it.

While we were away Tim had been busy. He'd hooked up a laptop to the TV and got a conference call going. Lao and Vernon offered their congratulations. Vernon told me I'd resumed my lessons just in time. The Middleton clan was an old and honorable clan. Adam thought it wonderful I had the old perfected so only half the work remained. I promised him a very young spanking soon. Adam wasn't concerned because if I was feeling half the emotions they had felt I wouldn't be able to swat a fly for the next week. Correctly guessing what Tim was thinking Vernon suggested he wait until after he'd seen me spar with my dad. You are not a fly Vernon told Tim.

This time Charles did not protest when Tracy hugged and kissed us after handing us each a beer. The others let us finish it and our conversation with Lao and Vernon who were on a short break from work. They told Charles there was no need to apologize for bringing the announcement forward. They were glad we would have the extra time to adjust before tomorrow. Lao thanked me for not embarrassing him or Tracy by saying no. While the others congratulated us Tim place a Skype call to Daizan and Mu.

“Daizan. Mu. This man has done me the greatest honor imaginable.” I said certain my smile was giving me away. “A few minutes ago he asked if I would allow him to adopt me.”

“Congratulations.” Mu said immediately. “Rohan your smiles tell us you agreed. We will join you in a toast. Somebody keeps sending us Polish mineral water with the olives and cheese. I wonder who she is.”

“Somebody very kind, smart and caring.” Daizan said with a smile. “Congratulations Rohan. Charles. Thank you for calling before tea time. Our second afternoon meditation will be chanting to bless your adoption.”

Tracy found a couple of bottles of vodka and with Abby's help got everybody a shot. I overheard Tracy telling Bernadette that Morgan would explain later why we had to do this toast with vodka. When we had toasted with the vodka I went in search of some more of my tea. This overwhelming feeling kept coming up. Fionola caught me in the kitchen sipping on my tea. She sat down and took hold of my hand.

“Than you Rohan. From the bottom of my heart thank you.” Fionola said. “You've made Charles very, very happy and taken a lot of worry off him. I know you will make a great earl and your sons after you. I'm sorry. I can't control my emotions for some reason.”

“I think somebody was sloppy with their dusting earlier because I've had the same problem.” I said holding her close. “Thank you for your faith in me and the boys. Be certain to let the staff know none of you will want for anything. We'll see you are all well taken care of. Now let's go back before they start gossiping about us being gone so long.”

“They wouldn't.” Fionola protested.

They in the form of the fucketeers did tease me. Fionola blushed when they complimented me on my choice of partner. Morgan promised to steal a few kisses from her once Bernadette left. None of us thought to point out Bernadette was standing right behind him when he said this. A quick thinking Morgan let Bernadette know he was hoping to learn a new kiss to surprise her with then they met at the treehouses. Bernadette told him it was a good try then asked me if I had a paddle to lend her. Dylan promised to slip one or two in the picnic basket before we walked them to their cottage. We left Morgan alone with Bernadette who was explaining how they would learn new kisses together.

A slightly tipsy Lance came over to tell us he was happy we would all be part of the same clan with Charles and Griogair. Nancy had allowed Tracy to put a small splash of brandy in his hot chocolate. He'd been very excited when I said yes to having a dad. Lance had a mom and I had a dad. He was very happy with life. Soon the brandy started to kick in and his yawns were the signal for us to walk them and Bernadette to their homes. Dylan scurried away to grab a couple of paddles while I gathered the others for the walk.

Dylan and Tim made love to me. They fed me their sweet loads. Swallowed a couple of mine. The other details were lost in the emotional fog swirling within me. I rose early the next morning not to bake treats but to meditate. I took a walk far from the manor so I could safely use the mantras. This inner fog had to clear or I'd get marked. I couldn't let my housekeeper down. The sea of chi my Lady advised. Go for dip but stay under as long as you can she suggested. Following her advice I called Lao. He listened to what I planned. Good thing you called he told me. Knowing is like doing he said when I asked why calling him was a good thing. Between doing too much and knowing too much no time for experiencing he told me. Now dive he ordered.

I dropped for a long time after I'd penetrated the ocean of chi. Some time later Tracy was lightly slapping my face and urging me to drink.

“Sunrise meditations start shortly.” Tracy said. “Sorry I didn't have time to brew tea. Ward's Bitters was closest to the mugs. Lao called and described the scenery behind you. Glad you were on a Skype video call. We walked this way the other night. I remembered the fallen log you are leaning against. You better be able to walk or we'll both be facing the riding crop.”

“A little unsteady but I'll be okay.” I said with a smile. “Text Tim and ask him to please bring us each a pint of Maximus. Thank you.”

Tracy called so she could tell him where to find us. We waited just past Nancy's cottage. Nancy and Lance bumped into Tim on the way to the manor and came with him. I told Nancy I was still having trouble adjusting to the good news. She suggested I take a seat on her deck and finish my beer before we walked the rest of the way. Lance sat on my lap and told me he wasn't wearing his special clothes until I wore mine. I told him I'd get changed into mine right after our meditation so we'd better bring his with us to the manor. Tracy carried them.

The four beer mugs did not escape the notice of my housekeeper. Tracy had a quick whispered conversation that bought us some time. The songs of healing and thanksgiving had a new depth to them. The hour I'd lost track of had obviously been time well spent. The singing and grounding meditation took care of any unsteadiness that lingered after my walk. On the way inside I scooped up Lance and approached Charles.

“Lance will only wear his special clothes when I wear mine.” I said. “Where do you have my new outfit hidden Dad?”

“I was hoping my son wouldn't mind me saving a few pounds by having an old set adjusted.” Charles said with a smile. “I think it would be fitting to spar in them this morning even if we will have to take our shirts off. Excuse me people but there isn't enough space inside for our presentation of gifts so if you wouldn't mind waiting here at the foot of the steps we'll bring them out.”

Leslie suggested it would be easier for them all to see if I stood on the top step to receive the gifts. I wouldn't have people looking up at me in any sense I declared. A large circle so everybody can see will suffice Sophie agreed. I pulled the boys and Tim to me in the middle of the cleared space. Columba came down the stairs carrying what looked like a tailor's dummy draped in a sheet. Griogair carried three gift boxes in his arms.

“Mary please join us.” Columba said. “I need yer support to speak in front of such a large group.”

“Especially a group of unsavory scoundrels like us.” Petersen said.

“We can't all be angels like Mary.” Columba said earning himself a kiss. “Boys it is thanks to you that Mary has blessed my life with her presence. I would still be trying to find the courage to approach her. So as a wee token of thanks I would like to present you with a gift. These are for Adam and Morgan.”

The dark brown leather arm bracers had a crest at the wrist end of them. Griogair told us it was the Middleton coat-of-arms. Charles protested it was not his confidence in me saying yes that inspired it. He said he had it put on hoping the universe would take the hint and make it happen. A physical expression of his prayer that had indeed come true. He knelt next to Columba for a hug and a kiss from the boys. Mary leaned down and kissed them.

Tim and Dylan were given theirs next. Then Columba held out a pair to me. I hugged and kissed him, Charles and Mary just as the boys had done. Griogair took them from me and asked me to remove my shirt. Then he strapped them on my arms.

“Rohan when it comes to feeding you every penny saved is welcome.” Charles said with a grin. “I don't think you'll mind wearing lightly used clothing in this instance.”

Hanging on the tailor's dummy was a traditional Scottish ensemble of black blazer, white shirt and a kilt. Tracy came over with another gift box which she handed to Griogair. He took out a pair of black leather boots and wool socks in the Middleton plaid. The socks were long enough to extend a couple of inches above the boots. Tim thought it very sensible to have only a little flesh exposed between the bottom of the kilt and the top of the socks. You only had to worry about your knees getting cold. He shuddered when Griogair pointed out there was no underwear. Better find some way of warming it up before it gets near me he warned. A pretty icicle is still an icicle he pointed out amidst the laughter.

“Are they?” I asked. “Then how? Lawrence did this didn't he?”

“Yes he did.” Charles said. “I didn't think it was possible but once he had your measurements and measured the clothing he told me he could do it. All I had to buy was a sewing machine and Iona offered him the use of hers. Rohan this was Samuel's traditional outfit. All of us would be honored if you'd accept it.”

“Gladly. Well Lance I think you've waited long enough.” I said unbuckling my belt.

The others apart from Tim and Griogair all turned their backs while we got changed. Griogair pointed out they had turned their backs because I was the heir. Tracy let me know it would only last while we were here. I agreed it would be hard for her to help me in the shower if she had to keep her back turned. Lance looked so adorable in his outfit. Tim decided maybe a lack of underwear was sensible because I looked no less adorable. Adam suggested if he helped himself to me now I wouldn't be too cold.

Charles had gone inside to change into his kilt. He returned carrying a dagger for Lance and a claymore for me.

“No less a sword would be good enough to welcome a son.” Charles said forestalling any protest I might have made.

“Thank you Athair.” I said accepting the gift with a bowed head.

“Athair pronounced ah-her means father.” Griogair whispered to Tim. “Let's get the sparring started before somebody notices my eyes are damp.”

Unknown to me Tim had called Vernon so he could watch our bout. We removed our blazers and shirts. After a few practice swings and blocks to get used to the sword we stepped back. We drank some water. When Charles nodded I stepped forward.

“Let your hearts lead.” Vernon said loudly enough for both of us to hear.

My first sparring bout with dad. How could I lose? I had won before I swung the claymore. When Griogair signaled the start of the bout my heart pulled me forward. I almost leapt at Charles. He'd felt the same not-so-gentle tug and trusting Vernon because of me he'd followed his heart. Our blades clashed as our feet landed. The sound of our blades striking rang out in the yard. He called me son. I called him dad. Grinning we swung strongly at each other. Knowing the other could block our strikes we really had at each other.

Despite the chill in the air sweat glistened on our bodies. The kilt was wonderful to fight in. There was such freedom of movement I almost began to think of myself as a dancer. We cut and parried. A straight thrust was nigh impossible but I tried it just to give Charles something to think about. He drove me back with some forceful blows. I slipped out from in front of him and forced him back diagonally. After the first surge my heart settled. When I could I took a deep breath and reminded myself to relax. Sink down in the hips. Keep the point up. Rolling hands to keep him off guard.

My claymore was a lovely weapon with a lovely voice. I rolled my wrists before impact and dropped the tip of my blade. Moving to my left I brought my sword back across behind Charles' blade and nicked his chest just above the ribs. The faintest of touches was enough to draw blood. Griogair threaded his needle while we hugged and kissed. Beautiful Tracy thrust a glass of beer at each of us.

We drank. Griogair stitched. A shower. Suck Dylan. Bugger Tim. Let's eat.

“You just did Scoundrel.” Tim said.

“Food.” I said hugging him tight.

Leslie laughed when I told her I was taking the compliments about my clothing well because I was still euphoric. I have a lovely new sword I added. She agreed it was pretty and had a sweet voice. Tim suggested they serve me a pot of oatmeal to save having to wash all the bowls. I told him to behave or I'd have him thrown in the pot with the oatmeal. Dylan decided that would make for an interesting pot luck. Charles had put his foot down so there was no cleaning by anybody taking place today. Immediately after breakfast I headed to the kitchen with Petersen and Leif. Charles kicked everybody else out of the house. The wonderful man had picked up some more kegs while he was in Edinburgh. Tracy promised to have him canonized within a week of passing on. Charles decided two dozen kisses sufficient thanks. Bernadette had to take a picture of Tracy on his lap thanking him.

Leif dragged Fionola safely out of our reach. She felt better when he told her he would be standing well clear with her. Their job he explained was to simply help prepare vegetables for Bram and J now. Later they would help take care of the roasts. Lamb in the oven. Beef pot roasts. Petersen chose a spatula as his weapon of choice. I defended myself with a long-handled spoon. Sanne popped in to carry the vegetables out to the fire pits. She watched us at play for a bit. Chatted with Fionola about her garden. Let me kiss her twice for being such a big help in getting everybody to join us for a holiday. Sanne liked my new sword as well. This was a very good day she agreed with a smile. I left my pot roasts in the care of Petersen and visited the fire pits. They were working nicely. Back inside to spar against the spatula. Tim, Dylan and Adam came bearing a tray of beer. Tim, Dylan and Adam got soundly kissed. I promised to make gravy by the gallon for them.

Charles called me and Lance up to stand with him before we served lunch. His lawyer hovered in the background. The Chief Superintendent and Dr. Deidre would witness our signatures. I signed the adoption papers first. Then Lance signed his adoption into the clan. I signed my clan adoption papers. Griogair led the lawyer inside to make copies. Caryn told Lance there was a safe in their home to keep these important papers safe. I asked him to keep my copies with his. We're brothers now I explained.

“Let's celebrate with a special hot chocolate.” I whispered. “Nancy my clan brother and I are merely going inside to get hot chocolate. This is a special occasion so we need fresh hot chocolate. I wouldn't dream of making it a special hot chocolate so early in the day. The occasion is special enough. Do you think I fooled her Lance?”

“No I don't think so.” Lance said as we walked away.

“Then we better be quick.” I said scooping him up and running to the manor.

Nancy swatted me firmly when we returned. Then she kissed me. I offered her a sip of my hot chocolate but she declined. Dylan took a sip and doubled over. This led to Nancy taking a sip of Lance's. She thanked me for going so light with Lance. Tim was curious and insisted on a sip of my hot chocolate. When he regained his breath he asked me if there was more than a teaspoon of hot chocolate in my mug. Hopefully not more than two I told him. I drained my mug quickly because we were about to sit down for lunch. Charles nodded when I asked if I might say something about my special plans for tomorrow.

“Today we are celebrating clan adoptions and my adoption by Charles.” I said. “Tomorrow there is another celebration I'd like you to join. Slightly less flamboyant but no less special. Tim recently decided to join the Order. He has already made generous gifts to the Order. Tim has asked this be kept within our family. I am including the staff of the manor when I use the word family. You are all invited to join us for drinks at six and dinner at seven. Thank you Charles for giving me the opportunity to invite these lovely people.”

The afternoon was a lot of fun. We had a tug of war. Columba won the toss the caber competition. I was glad just to throw the thing at all. Charles raised my kilt to swat me when I told Adam the Scots invented shot put because their gunpowder kept getting wet in the miserable weather and they had to manually throw the cannon balls at the enemy. Lance found the story hilarious. Nancy agreed he couldn't possibly be laughing at Charles' antics. Then it was time for soccer. I told Charles to find his own goalie because Bernadette was my goalie. Nobody kept track of the score.

I returned to the kitchen with Petersen and Leif. We transformed the leftover roast into thick stews with flat bread. Leif led Petersen away and sent Tracy in to help me make Tipsy. We absolutely had to make blackberry cobbler as well. While we were busy Christopher joined us for a few minutes.

“Rohan the test results came in late yesterday afternoon.” Christopher said. “You were correct and we confirmed it with Daizan before we went to sleep. Was it just her teachings?”

“No although the familiarity has always made me wonder.” I said. “You know that all of our meditations start with creating a protected space because some less scrupulous people can pry on the higher planes. What I haven't shared with anybody is when I was doing the energy work during Genta's passing somebody with impeccable manners asked if she might see what I was seeing so to speak. I honored the request because it felt right. There was great love from this soul toward Genta. Obviously with all that I was trying to keep track off I didn't have time to ask questions. Then it slipped my mind in the aftermath and my grief.

Leif mentioned a comment Janice made about how they needn't be sad because she was joining her true love who had passed on just a short while ago. Janice never told them his name. He also told me she had asked him to give me a thank you kiss for sharing so intimately with her. Tracy to let her experience what I was experiencing with Genta I had to drop all my defenses. There was nothing I couldn't hide. Even the stuff about being homeless that I have kept from you was there for her to learn if she wanted. I was confident anybody who loved Genta this much would respect what I shared and keep quiet. Whatever she learned she took with her or shared very selectively. A pity I didn't figure this out sooner and pay her a visit.”

“There is always some unfinished business in every lifetime.” Christopher said. “Things we believe we ought to have gotten around to doing. Ultimately we do what we need to do and must trust it is enough. Let's go join the others while those cobblers bake. The others are waiting to start dinner.”

I was happy to let Lance sit on my lap while we ate dinner. He leaned against me when he finished and watched me eat seconds and thirds. I set him on my shoulders when I returned to the kitchen with Tracy to make custard. Lance told us we had done a great job. I set him on the ground so he could help carry a bowl of custard to the tables. The manor staff saw us approaching and gave us a hand bringing out the rest of the desserts. On the way inside my housekeeper hugged and thanked me for remembering her on such a special day. I told her it wouldn't have been nearly as special without her.

We walked Lance and Nancy home a couple of hours later. Lance asked me to watch as he put the copies of our adoption papers in the safe. Nancy and I tucked him in and kissed him good night. Bernadette, Adam and Morgan surprised me by returning to the manor with us. Everything became clear when Charles told Juliet the sparring room was ready for her. He thanked her for helping me.