Chapter Four. The party
One pleasant morning, Peter was searching amongst the shrubbery looking for
small nondescript but quite rare plant and Betsy was turning a few cartwheels on
the lawn. The weather was warm and her stiffness was slowly going but she had
difficulty in getting enough spring to do backward somersaults.
Lord Nigel came up to her. "Would you be kind enough to entertain us with your
tricks at our party on Saturday week Betsy?"
"Is it a party or an orgy Sir?"
"Which ever you like to call it, my dear."
"I will have to see if Lord Peter will go, M'Lord. I wouldn't go without him. If
we do go, what would be expected on me?"
"Only some juggling and dancing like you are doing now. If you perform to our
liking you could well earn yourself a sovereign or two. Try and persuade my son
to come for once. He's not the virgin he was, I understand."
"I'll see what he says Sir. He can be quite stubborn as you know."
"Betsy? You know that nothing can come of your relationship with my son, don't
you. We would never give him permission to marry you so you would at best just
be his whore until he tires of you. His toy for a while only. You do not have
the breeding to become a lady." Tears sprang to Betsy's eyes. She hadn't thought
of marriage but knew she liked, even loved Peter. "Despite what happened on that
first day, I do like you Betsy. You have a lot of spirit and courage but you
can't read, do not know how to behave in social company, or even how to use the
utensils at dinner. You could not possibly make Peter a suitable wife. Think
about it. I have no objection to your staying although my wife would prefer you
well gone but while here, we will continue to treat you as a guest, a guest for
keeping Peter happy. Understood?" Betsy nodded, tears flowing from her eyes.
"What was all that about?" Peter asked when they were alone again.
"He invited me to perform at the party on Saturday week."
"That didn't make you cry!"
"He said we could never marry. I wouldn't make you a suitable wife. I didn't
have the breeding. I was just your whore and you would tire of me."
"Betsy dear, in the short time you have been here you have brought more
happiness into my life than I have ever known. In most people's eyes I am just a
cripple. Deformed. Even the servants laugh at me behind my back. I know they
call me Lord Hop-along. They think I am timid and shy and a pushover. Well
perhaps I am. However, since being the target for a knife thrower who was a
complete stranger to me, they seem to have just a little more respect for my
courage. You, who are so agile, treat me as an equal. You don't seem to mind my
dragging you back and even if you do not have social breeding as he puts it, you
have more life than any of the socialites." Tears were again streaming down
Betsy's face. Peter went on. "My father can stop me marrying for another two
years, until I am 21. After that I can and will make up my own mind. He can
throw me out of the hall but I do own a smaller place we call 'The Cottage' with
only a few acres and I have enough income to keep us and perhaps just a couple
of servants. Nothing grandiose but I don't think either of us want that."
"I've never had any sort of house so a small one would be a vast improvement on
that! But would you even want to think about marrying me?"
"As of this moment, yes. But I do think we ought to find out a lot more about
each other before we make a final decision. I don't think you are very keen on
life at the hall. Henry and my mother frighten you even though you try not to
show it. Am I right?" Betsy nodded.
"Now about the party. I told you what sort of parties they are. They are sexual
orgies and I cannot see them just wanting you to do a bit of juggling and a few
cartwheels. At the very least you would be doing them naked in front of an
audience. You wouldn't be earning a sovereign or two just doing what they have
already seen. However, if you do want to go, I will go with you. We would need
to find a decent dress for you though and I would guess you might need some
instruction in table etiquette."
They asked Martha about a dress. "Well, we can go and have a look but I don't
know if there is anything suitable in the store room," Martha replied. "The
servants dresses are too plain and most of the gentry women have more bosoms
than you. Sorry Miss I shouldn't have said that."
"That's alright Martha. I know I am more of a boy's build than most ladies."
"And you'll want something that comes off easily too Miss. Us maids only have
little corsets and an apron and the invited ladies have dresses that button top
to bottom and do without the tight lace-up corsets."
"So it really is an orgy Martha?"
"Yes, Miss. We do it because we gets paid extra, especially if we get spanked
and rogered. In any case Henry insists we do. Once one of the maids refused and
next day he thrashed her terrible."
All three looked in the store room but nothing seemed likely to fit. "How about
a page boy outfit Miss?" Martha asked.
Betsy looked at Peter who said, "Betsy, you'll certainly be different. All the
society ladies will know about you anyway and will be ready to gossip about the
way you walk, the way you talk, the way you eat and they would condemn any dress
that you wore, so give them something to get their teeth into. Wear it as though
it was absolutely right thing to wear."
*****
"You should bow not curtsy, young man," the voluptuous dowager countess of
Ardenly spoke sharply to Betsy.
"As you wish M'Lady," smiled Betsy. She was determined not to let these haughty
people get her down. She did a fair imitation of a man bowing low. It didn't
satisfy the countess.
"Walter," she spoke to a young man near her, "Show this wretch how to do a low
bow." Walter demonstrated with a flourish, his head almost touching his knees.
By now everyone's eyes were on Betsy. They knew the countess was trying to
humiliate her. "Oh, I can easily bow as low as that," laughed Betsy as she took
off her cap and shook her curls. With a highly exaggerated flourish she swept
the cap between her legs and followed it with her head and, startling the
onlookers, did a back flip to land on her feet again. The countess had moved
smartly backwards in alarm but didn't say anything. Betsy though turned to her
companion, "Walter, that's what I would call a low bow."
"Sir Walter," the countess snapped.
"As you wish M'Lady." Betsy again beamed a smile at her and even noticed a
twinkle in the older woman's eye.
Dinner was a little strained. To mix the company, no couples were allowed to sit
with each other so Betsy found herself between two middle aged aristocrats who
boringly talked about horse racing. Betsy at first fumbled over which knife to
use and how to hold it but then gave up and ate as she would normally do. Rarely
had she had food of this quality and the wine was good too although she decided
to limit the amount she drank. She guessed there would be other tests she would
have to overcome later.
Dinner over, the band started playing and dancing began. Betsy had no idea of
the steps so tried to sit them out especially as it soon became obvious dancing
was only an excuse to fondle one's partner. Very soon, most of the ladies had
their bosoms fully exposed and the men their breeches open. After two dances,
couples were retiring into corners to openly caress each other. Betsy noticed
they were not the couples that were together when she was introduced.
Her boyish garb somewhat stifled the men in their attempt to see her breasts but
like the others she was fondled through the material and indeed was a little
aroused by it. It was not long before Lord Nigel called the gathering together
and announced Betsy would entertain them with a juggling act. He had briefed her
a few minutes before hand as to what they would expect. She didn't want to do it
but decided for Peter's sake she would have to try.
Looking round the room she noticed all the guests were naked or nearly so. Some
of the maids were as well and Henry stood by the door with a full erection on
view. Peter too she noticed, was trouserless and being massaged by a very
elderly lady who seemed to be enjoying it more than Peter. "I've got to get out
of this," she thought. She had a plan.
"My Lord would you please clear the whole of the centre of the room for me
please and have all the guests sit around the walls. I need space to perform and
also need to know where the guests are so neither of us gets hurt." Lord Nigel,
guessing she was going to do some of her gymnastics, acceded to her request.
Betsy started by juggling five balls in various patterns until the audience
started to get restless and one man yelled, "Get them off!"
"All in good time Sir," Betsy laughed, "I don't have that much to show." It
brought forth laughter. Slowly, while still juggling, she unfastened each button
of her jacket and shrugged it off. Flicking a shoe she added it to the balls,
then another. Now she had five balls and two shoes in the air. One by one she
threw a ball at Peter. Juggling the two shoes she removed her trousers until she
was naked. The pattern of the two shoes now changed as she bent and threw them
between her legs or did a high stepping dances with the shoes describing
graceful arcs under and over her legs. She finished that act by tossing both
shoes in the air catching them and throwing them to Peter. The applause was
spontaneous and well deserved. Even the countess joined in.
Betsy now started turning cartwheels and doing forward and backward somersaults,
ending near Peter. Dragging him to the centre of the floor she whispered for him
to lie down on his back. He did so, his erection pointing to the ceiling. Betsy
again leapt and jumped this time ending with a sideways split over Peter's
erection. She felt it partly enter before jumping up again and doing a fore and
aft splits with her legs and again impaling herself on the shaft. Once again she
leapt and this time ended crouching on his cock. "Sit up," she murmured and when
Peter did so she lifted him to his feet still with his cock inside her. "Take me
out of here." Peter hobbled to the door and then releasing Betsy they returned
to his room. As they left the applause died away. It was the climax to the party
and anything that happened afterwards would seem tame by comparison. Betsy had
effectively sabotaged the party.
Two days later, Betsy spoke with Peter on their future. "Peter, dear, I am going
to have to go. I don't wish to leave you but I cannot stand the life here any
longer. I am not a guest and I am not a servant. I am something between that
nobody recognises. After the party your father thinks I am a whore and keeps
trying to get his cock in me. Henry has twice waylaid me, with the same intent
but each time I have managed to get away. I love you but it has been made clear
to me, that nothing can come of it so maybe I should leave before I eventually
get pushed out."
"No Betsy Don't go please. I want you to stay. We can work things out."
"You'll find somebody else Peter. Somebody with breeding." Betsy's vision was
blurred by the tears flowing from her eyes. "In the morning I will set off and
see if I can get a job in the circus that is touring the area. Martha says it's
the one with the fat lady clown and I know her slightly. They will be in Histon
the day after tomorrow and I should be able to walk there by then." All that
night Peter pleaded and begged her to stay but it was to no avail.
Next morning Peter saw she was well stocked with food and gave her a little
money, enough for food and lodgings for a week or two and then took her to the
stables. "I want you to take Queenie," Peter told her, "She is on loan to you
for as long as you like but if you ever have no further need of her, bring her
back here. But when you bring her back, you will have to stay too. You must
agree to stay at least long enough for us to try and work something out."
As Betsy led Queenie out Lord Nigel stopped them and Peter explained why she was
taking the horse and the conditions he had imposed. He seemed genuinely sorry to
see her go but that may have had more to do with her party piece than friendship
for her as a person.
After a very tearful goodbye and last minute pleading for her to stay, Betsy
rode off and the next day joined with the circus.
