He sighed and tears formed in his eyes as he continued, “All of her so-called friends deserted her, but I didn’t. Her parents committed suicide by starting their Rolls Royce in the closed garage at their mansion. We got married on November 29th, one month after everything else in her life fell apart. Your grandfather was born eight months later.”
Gerald was never sure if his great-grandfather’s tears were for his dear wife who was now gone, or for what she had lost so early in her life.
Another servant, also dressed in formal livery, opened the door to the Rolls with his gloved hand and gestured for Gerry to exit. When he was standing upright, the footman said in very clear and crisp British-style English, “Your invitation, sir?”
Again, it was more of a statement than a question, but in response, Gerry pulled the invitation from his front pocket and handed it to the liveried servant. The footman read the name on the outside of the envelope and then opened the invitation itself to read what was inside. His eyebrows raised slightly as he read the very personal note which Maddy had written.
Setting the invitation aside in an elaborate basket next to one of the pillars of the portico, the footman said crisply, “Follow me,” and turned to enter the front doors of the mansion. Two menservants stood watch at the doors and opened them as they approached. Once inside the large foyer, the footman picked up a large walking stick and pounded it loudly against the floor.
When everyone was quiet he called out, “Master Gerald Maxwell.” He then turned and walked pompously back out the front doors.
Almost immediately everyone resumed talking. Gerald wasn’t sure what to do next. He could see that there appeared to be only a select few at this elaborate gala. This was obviously some sort of lavish fund-raiser for one of the museums. He couldn’t understand at all why he was invited. He wasn’t– and never would be– a major financial supporter for any of the charities in town. And he was sure– absolutely sure– that he had never been inside this particular museum.
Just as he finally decided to wander around the room and hopefully find a food table before he was thrown out, a young woman hurried across the parquet floor. Her costume was stunning. She was dressed as Little Bo Peep, complete with layers and layers of taffeta petticoats under a very full blue dress with wide, exaggerated hips. In her hands, she was holding an elaborate shepherd’s crook topped with a bright blue bow. A blue and white bonnet covered her auburn hair. A white satin mask hid the upper portion of her face. Beneath the white mask a perfect pair of red lips parted slightly to reveal gleaming white teeth.
“Gerry,” she said with a smile. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come after what father said to you.”
“Maddy?” he asked.
This had to be Maddy. He could not see her face. But even if she had not been masked, Gerry was sure he would not have recognized her. He was absolutely sure that he had never before in his life seen this young woman.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in response.
He answered truthfully, “I’m not sure why I’m here or what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“You are here because you love me,” she replied, pulling him close and laying her head on his shoulder.
Turning so that her face was under his ear, she breathed softly as she whispered, “I knew you would come. Even after daddy drove you away, I knew you would come. You were my last hope. That’s why I sent Jerome for you.”
Her head raised as she looked around the room. “This room should be full,” she said, breaking into tears. “They’ve all deserted me… except those who are in the same boat with me. Everyone knows that we were wiped out in The Crash. Those of my supposed friends who still have anything are afraid to be seen with me. They are afraid we will pull them down with us.”
“I don’t understand,” Gerry said. He wanted to ask, “What crash?” but her sobs drowned out his question before he could ask it.
“Dad was trying to start a new company,” she replied as her sobs abated slightly. “He had everything mortgaged to the limit… the house… the business… even the stocks he had in other companies.”
She turned and gave Gerry a weak smile. “The bank wants us out of the house by the end of the week. After that, we will be on the street.”
She made a sweeping gesture with her hands. “This party,” she said with a hollow laugh, “was already paid for.” Pointing to the servants at the door, she said sadly, “They are here out of loyalty… and the fact that they don’t have anyplace else to go.”
“I’m here,” Gerry said. He put his arm around her and added, “and I will always be here for you.” He had no idea why he said that or how he was ever going to keep that promise, but it sounded like the right thing to say at the time.
“Do you love me, Gerald?” she suddenly asked. She had stopped and turned to face him so that they were looking directly eye to eye. “I know that my parents told you that I could never marry so far below my station. But I was willing before, despite what my father said, and I am willing now.”
She looked down at the floor and sighed deeply, then raised her head to again look into Gerry’s eyes. “Can you love someone who is now so far below your station?” she asked with a sob. “Would you still be willing to marry me?”
“Of course,” Gerry stammered out. As a way of giving himself time to think, he added, “But there are a lot of things to work out before we start planning the honeymoon.”
“Not necessarily,” Maddy said with a smile. “Let me show you something.”
She led Gerry over to the grand staircase and tugged on his hand to pull him up behind her as she climbed the stairs. When they reached the upper floor, she continued to pull him down the hallway to the last room.
“This was to be my wedding chamber,” she said softly as she opened the door. “It has always been the tradition of the family that the first night is spent at the family estate. This room was intended to be used for nothing else.”
She pulled him through the door and toward the bed. Then she swiftly stepped around him and closed and locked the door. She was unbuttoning the front of her costume as she walked toward him.
“We could have our honeymoon first,” she said– almost smiling– almost crying. “Then it can never be taken away from us.”
Her blouse was hanging from her waist. She pushed on the oversized hips of the costume and it slid to the floor. She was now standing in a white, cloth brassier with a matching white garter belt that held up her Bo Peep thick, white stockings. Beneath the garter belt was a rather expansive pair of white granny panties that must have also been part of the costume.
After standing still for him to examine for several moments, she said, “I didn’t wear my corset tonight.” She giggled and added,“I didn’t think anyone would notice that it wasn’t there under that heavy costume.”
She stood before him and took the bonnet from her head, but left the white mask in place. She threw the bonnet over to join the pile of clothes on the floor. Then she lifted up her leg slightly with her bent knee nearly touching Gerry.
After a moment she said, somewhat petulantly, “Well, aren’t you going to undo my stockings?”
“Oh!” blurted out Gerry. “Oh… yes… stockings.”
He reached forward and then stopped. “How do these things work?” he asked.
“You are so precious,” Maddy answered with a light laugh. “You push the little rubber knob back into the big circle and it pops out.”
Gerry followed her instructions and the first clasp came free. There were two clasps on each stocking. Maddy was pushing her body closer and closer to his face as he worked to open the clasps and then slide the stocking down her legs. The warmth of her skin and the smell of her body powder were extremely distracting.
“I had better do this,” she said as she reached behind her back and opened the clasp on her bra. “If you can’t do stocking garters,” she laughed, “you surely can’t handle a bra clasp.”
She turned down the covers on the bed and sat on the sheets. Looking up at him, she asked, “Do you want me to undress you?”
“No… no…” he stammered out. “I’ll do it myself.”
He started to take off his coat, but then looked around the room. He was half expecting someone to jump out with a camera and shout, “You’ve been pranked!”
He checked again before slipping off his shoes, and again before unbuttoning his shirt, and once more before unzipping his pants.
When he was down to his underwear, he looked back over to the bed and asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’m sure that I will lose everything,” she said softly, “if I don’t do this.”
Holding her face in her hands, she added, “Without this, I will have lost even the will to live.”
She sighed deeply and ran her hand across the sheets of the bed and said sadly,“This is all I have left of my dreams of what my life would be.” Her voice became much stronger as she ended with, “But if we do this tonight, they can never take it away from us.”
Gerry lowered his underwear to the ground and slid into the bed alongside Maddy. While he was undressing, she had taken off her garter belt and panties and, of course, the mask. She was a beautiful young woman. She looked vaguely familiar to him, but Gerry was still absolutely sure that he had never met her.
She hugged him tightly and said softly into his ear. “Despite how wanton I may have seemed to be tonight, please be gentle. I have never been with a man before.”
Gerry wanted to say, “I’ve never been with a woman before either,” but somehow it didn’t seem like the right thing to say. So instead, he kissed her as passionately as he could.
Her lips opened as he pressed against her. Her body was suddenly hot against his own. He slid his tongue forward slightly, but her teeth were closed, so he merely licked her lips as he moved his kisses across her face.
There is no such thing as a totally unskilled lover. If a man listens to a woman and pays attention to her body and if a woman listens to a man and pays attention to his body, they will know what to do. Maddy and Gerry explored each other and slowly discovered each other and each other’s needs.
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