The Widows of Spencer Hall part one
NC 17 over all
I own nothing and I expect even less
The newly widowed Lady Olivia was traveling to her parents home with her daughters, Ava and Emma. She was trying very hard to look like a woman in mourning, but all she felt was an overwhelming sensation of freedom. Her father had arranged her marriage to the much older Lord Spaulding when she was just sixteen years old. She gave birth to Ava within a year of the wedding. She was quite certain that Emma was not her husband's child, but that of her stepson Sir Phillip.
With the death of her husband, Phillip had become the lord of the manor. Olivia was free to stay at Spaulding Manor, but quickly chose to go back to her family home.
It was a long ten hour coach ride from Spaulding Manor to Spencer Hall, but Olivia wanted to drive straight through. She didn't want to stop at any of the roadside taverns along the way and subject her daughters to the riffraff that frequented such places.
The sun had been down for several hours by the time the coach came to a stop at Spencer Hall. Olivia's mother Lady Rebecca met them at the door. Ava had a sleeping Emma in her arms as they entered their new home. Rebecca pulled Olivia into her arms and hugged the daughter she had not seen in several years. She was overjoyed to have her home again.
The servants gathered the little family's belongings and took them to the wing that was to become Olivia's sanctuary. Rebecca instructed Natalia to take Emma from Ava's arms. Natalia curtsied and took the toddler into her arms. She was more then happy to help. She had grown up with Olivia. Natalia's mother was Rebecca's lady's maid. She was thrilled that now she was to be Olivia's.
"Lady Olivia please follow me. I'll take you to your chambers." Olivia noticed Natalia for the first time. A big smile took over her face as she recognized her childhood friend.
"Natalia it's so good to see you again. It will be so comforting having you to help me." Natalia turned to hide the big dimpled smile on her face, Natalia guided them through the many hallways leading to the set of rooms that were for Olivia and her girls.
"These rooms get the morning light. It's quite lovely." Natalia said as they came to Emma's chamber. Olivia could feel all the energy leaving her body.
"Ava, you will have your own room, but for tonight please stay with Emma. I don't want her waking in the middle of the night and getting scared."
"My lady, I had planned on staying with the little one, if that's alright with you?" Olivia gave a very tired smile to her childhood friend.
"Not tonight Natalia. Emma doesn't know you and I will need your help in my bed chamber. I can't go to bed tonight without a bath to wash away all the grim from the road and ease my sore muscles from being bounced around for so many hours. I'll get the girls settled in here, while you get the water warmed for my bath." Natalia curtsied.
"As you wish my lady." She turned and went to take care of her task. Olivia took Emma over to the bed to change her out of her traveling clothes and into her sleeping gown..
"Ava how are you doing? I know you are missing your father terribly and now I have taken you away from the only home you have ever known." Ava sat down on the bed to remove her boots.
"I do miss daddy a lot, but I would miss him even more at home, where everything would remind me of him. I'll be fine here. It's where you grew up and hopefully you will be happier here." Olivia looked up from Emma to look Ava in the eyes.
"What do you mean sweetheart, I was happy at Spaulding Manor." Ava looked at her mother and raised her eyebrow the way she had seen her mother do all her life.
"Mother, I heard you crying yourself to sleep most nights. I'm not a child anymore. I know what they both were doing to you. I know you were protecting me from them. I'm glad you took us away from Phillip. He is not a nice man at all." With tears slowly running down her face, Olivia pulled her oldest child into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"He never touched you, did he?" Ava shook her head no.
"Good, than all I went through was worth it. You will be safe here and I will be left alone." Olivia put a still sleeping Emma under the warm feather comforter and kissed her on her forehead.
"Ava sleep well, we can both relax and enjoy our dreams in this house." She kissed Ava on the forehead as she left the baby's room to find her own. She saw the flickering light of a candle down the hall. She walked very slowly towards it.
Inside the lady's bed chamber, Natalia had pulled the large copper tub to sit in front of the fireplace. She had already started a fire and was waiting for the kitchen boys to start bringing the hot water for the tub. She had towels laid out, ready to keep her lady warm and dry after her bath. She heard the gentle knock on the servants door. She opened it to let the boys in with the water. They had the tub filled just as her lady came into the room. Natalia shooed the boys out of the room and went to help her lady out of her traveling clothes. Olivia was very grateful for the help.
"Thank you Natalia this is just wonderful. Please help me into the tub." Natalia held out her arm for Olivia to balance on as she eased herself into the soothing hot water. Natalia started to wash her lady's back. Olivia moaned at Natalia's strong but gentle touch.
"It's so good to see you again Natalia. I have thought of you often in the years that I've been gone." Natalia started to massage Olivia's tight muscles in her shoulders and her neck.
"I am sorry for your loss my lady. Do you miss your husband terribly?" Natalia was surprised when Olivia smiled.
"Oh Natalia you are the only one I can tell this to. I don't miss him at all. I wish he had died years sooner. I wish his detestable son had died with him. If I don't ever have to let another man touch me, I will live a long and happy life. I'm hoping that since I've only given birth to girls, no man will want and old widow to take as a wife." Natalia continued to work out the knots in Olivia's shoulders and started to work down Olivia's back. She started to notice scares on her back. They looked like they had been made by a cigar.
"You were treated very badly. I can see the marks he left. You are safe here my lady. No one here will ever hurt you. I'll sleep at the foot of your bed every night to help you feel safe." Olivia relaxed back into Natalia's hands. She finally started to believe the nightmare was over. She let Natalia wash off the grim from her body. Natalia's gentle touch was starting to wash away some of the pain.
Tbc