A Proper Scottish Wife Ch. 09

I am back on track with this novel and you should see more chapters coming out with more regularity than in the past few months. I foresee more of the emerging conflict with Blackthorne to begin playing out, with perhaps slightly less emphasis on erotica, though never so little that it doesn't fit under the Literotica banner.

*

Isobel slept late the following morning. Nightmares were what woke her; vivid dreams of her husband beating her. Her surroundings confused her at first, then remembered that her husband had lost her in a card game and she was at Cameron Keep. Despite the reassurances of the Cameron's the previous evening, she was still uncertain of her status. She'd never been lost or won in a card game before and wondered what the winner would expect of her. She'd been used to pay her husband's debts before, but never on a permanent basis.

Finding some of the clothes that Muiríol had set aside for her, she got dressed. She did not remember her way to the kitchen; the previous night being somewhat of a blur, and had to ask one of the maids scurrying around for directions. The maid stopped what she was doing and led her to the kitchen, where the cook gave her some bread, meat and cheese. Upon asking where she could find the others, the cook directed her to the courtyard, where Isobel could hear a lot of noise and clamor.

Taking her food with her, Isobel went out to the courtyard and saw many people engaged in fighting. At first she thought it might be some sort of battle, but quickly realized that only a few people were fighting at any one time, the rest leaning on their swords, or squatting, watching the few who were. When those few fighting were done, another group would take their place and the previous group would take their place to the side. All of it done under the watchful eye of Laird Cameron and another fellow she remembered from the trip from Dervaig yesterday. She had only been introduced to the family and not any of the men-at-arms who she traveled with. She supposed that she should find Lady Cameron and begin to find out what her expectations of Isobel's duties would be around the Keep.

"Excuse me," she asked one of the nearby men, "could you direct me to where I might find Lady Cameron?"

"Aye, she's right over there," the fellow said, pointing to another, smaller, group off to the side working with lighter swords who she had thought were youngsters.

She finally realized that one of them was Lady Cameron in a pair of pants, her hair tied back and a large floppy hat on her head. She danced back and forth with the others, one of the thinner swords in her hand, always pointed at her opponent and Frang was keeping that group under his watchful eye. She moved closer to observe.

Ailene's pants and shirt were leather and she had some metal plates over the outside of her shirt over her breasts. The entire outfit was somewhat scandalous for a woman, particularly a lady of her stature. The pants showed off her legs and the metal plates over her breasts did nothing to conceal her curves. Isobel soon recognized the practicality of the outfit as Ailene continued to advance and retreat as the wee swords poked and stabbed at each other. Skirts and shifts would be entirely impractical for the quick back and forth movements. Isobel saw that the swords had flat tips that would keep the opponent from getting punctured, but were still small enough to leave bruises. The practicality of the breast plates was clear when Ailene missed a deflection and the point bent off the plate. She waited until Ailene was resting and another group took over, then she approached.

"Good morning, Lady Cameron, what exactly are you doing?" Isobel asked.

"Call me Ailene, please, Isobel. There is no point in standing on formality if you're going to be staying here with us."

"Ailene, can you tell me what you're doing?" She asked again.

"Aye, well the Cameron's have an enemy, Lord Blackthorne, perhaps you've heard of him. I was nearly defiled when I was out looking for herbals outside the castle and after that, Stuart and I felt that given our enemies, thieves and bandits, it would be good for me to know how to defend myself. Frang is showing us a new form of weapon which has become popular in Italy and France. It's called a rapier, and as you can see, it's light and can easily be maneuvered by a woman."

"You're learning to fight?"

"Aye, and kill if necessary. Being that close to being raped made me realize that I wanted to know how to protect myself. My husband and Frang found me in time to keep the unthinkable from happening, but if I'd been able to defend myself, it might not have come that close."

"Do you think that I could learn to use the rapier as well? Would Frang teach me? I know I'm asking a lot. I should probably help around the Keep, but I'm so tired of being beaten and abused, the means of protecting myself would be a small miracle," Isobel said.

"Of course, Isobel. I'm sure that Frang would be happy to teach you as well. As soon as he's done, we'll ask him."

"I'm sorry I slept so late. It's not like me to be so lazy," Isobel apologized.

"Nonsense. It was a traumatic day. Frang told us how you were mistreated at the card game. Even more, you then find yourself among strangers, not knowing what would become of you because he foolishly allowed you to think that you might be leaving the kettle for the fire. After all that, I'm not surprised you would sleep so late," Ailene reassured her. "Once you've acclimated and established some routine, I'm sure you won't be the slug-a-bed you were this morning."

"I promise you, I won't be."

They both watched as Frang worked with the youngsters, stopping on occasion to give praise or to correct poor footwork or other move that would become deadly if it became habit. He worked with the next group for over a half hour and Ailene pointed out each of the things that he was teaching and what the purpose was.

When he finished and sent the lads off to their other duties, Ailene said, "Isobel was wondering if you'd be willing to teach her the rapier, Frang. She believes that it would be useful to know how to defend herself from the brutes and knaves of the world."

"Aye. I'd be happy to teach her. She'll need some pants and shirts like yours, linen would be fine to start. She won't have to worry about being poked until we get her caught up with the rest of you. If she wishes to learn, I'm going to need a word with you, Lady Cameron, if I may. Excuse us please, Lady McTavish."

Frang pulled Ailene aside and said, "You'll have to get the sizes for her breast protectors, Lady Cameron."

"How am I to do that?" Ailene asked.

"The same way that I did it for you," he replied.

"Why can't you do it, Frang, as you did me?"

"Think of what you're saying, Lady Cameron, and you'll know very well why I can't do it. Until her divorce is approved by the kirk, she's a married woman and even if she were single, another man can't be handling her teets without bringing shame on the lass."

"You did it to me," Ailene said.

"And by the time I did, it was already determined that you'd be shared with Thorburn and me. Fondling your breasts was nothing compared to what we'd already done and planning to do in the future. It was by far the least that could happen. I'll not do the same to another woman. I would imagine that women are always measuring and doing similar to other ladies for dresses and such."

"I'm not a milliner. We're not making a dress and no woman ever held my breasts the way that you handled mine."

"Well, aye. I'd imagine not, but it needs to be done, nevertheless, and you have to find some way to do it or she could be injured when she starts fencing. If you explain the purpose for it, surely she wouldn't be offended," Frang explained.

"It's awkward," Ailene said.

"I can understand that."

"From what I know of your past affaires, you didn't much care for the reputation of married ladies in the past. Why the concern for this one now?" Ailene asked.

"Aye, I was a bit of a rascal, but I was a foreigner and an outsider and they looked down on me for being only half French. I figured it only right to show them their wives didn't mind the Scottish part. But I'm back home, part of a major land owning family and I don't think I should sully the characters of the local ladies without considering how it looks for us. We depend on the good will of the locals and we wouldn't have it were I sleeping with their wives and daughters."

"How mature of you," Ailene teased. "You only sleep with your brother's wife."

"It keeps the other ladies safe, Lady Cameron. It satisfies my manly urges."

Ailene went back to Isobel and asked her to follow her to the armory. After they both entered, Ailene locked the door.

"That's so we won't be disturbed," she said.

"Disturbed. I don't understand," Isobel said.

"We need to get you measured for the breast pieces," Ailene said. "I need you to take off your stays and shift so that we can determine what size they should be. It will take some time to be made and they should be done before you start with the rapier or your breasts could easily become painfully injured. I'm sorry. This will be as uncomfortable for me as it will be for you."

Isobel started removing her garments and Ailene saw how painfully thin she was. Nearly every one of her ribs was showing as well as her hip bones. Her body was covered in an assortment of bruises, from recent to old. She could even see welts, evidence that she had been switched with a cane or something similar. She could easily gain thirty pounds and not be fat.

"I'm so sorry, Isobel. Do they still hurt?" She asked, touching one of the bruises.

Isobel flinched. "Aye, some are quite painful yet."

"Did your husband not feed you at all?" Ailene asked. "You're skin and bones."

"He didn't believe much in wasting food on the women in the household. He gave us enough to keep us alive, and not much more."

"My God, what a disgusting brute. You must be glad to be rid of him."

"Oh, aye. I'm sure there's not a woman in his household who wouldn't be glad to be gone. He's cruel to all of them. We had nowhere else to go. I'm sure they all feel the same way, trapped without alternatives."

"When Frang won the land from McTavish, did it include the servants too?" Ailene asked.

"I don't know. I hope so, for their sakes, the devil take the man." Isobel responded.

Isobel now stood topless before her. "Will your breasts fill out if you're fed right, Isobel?"

"They've been larger. I don't know. It's been a long time since I've been fed right."

"We may have to do this again after you've been fattened up. I'm not sure how accurate this may be in a month or so, but we'll take them now and see what happens, shall we?"

"I suppose."

Ailene took some string and measured Isobel around the bust, knotting the string where it met. She removed her own breast plates and had Isobel try them on. They were much too large; Isobel said her breasts felt like they were rattling around inside.

"I'm sorry, but I need to get some idea for the size of the cups," Ailene said. "Is it all right if I use my hands to get an idea of how small they should be?"

"Aye, go ahead. The Lord did not see fit to endow me with a bosom as generous as your own."

Ailene put her arms around Isobel from the rear, just as Frang had done for her. She cupped Isobel's breasts in her hands. They were small, scarcely more than would fill her own small hands. She felt Isobel's nipples grow hard in her palms and she felt her cheeks flush as she realized that Isobel was becoming aroused at her touch. She tried to note the position of her cupped palms so that she could remember to show Frang, then removed her hands. Isobel covered her breasts with her own hands and turned to face her, noting the blush on Ailene's cheek.

"I'm sorry. It's been so long since anyone touched them so gently," Isobel said, apologizing for her arousal.

"It's okay. It was awkward for me as well. You can go ahead and put your clothes back on," Ailene said. "I want you to make sure that you eat enough every day, past the point where you think you're full. You've been on poor rations for so long your belly may not be used to enough food. You need to put some meat back on your bones. You don't look healthy."

"Are you sure, Ailene? So far, I've done nothing to contribute to your household. I feel I'm abusing your hospitality."

"Nonsense. I feel that we're going to be great friends, Isobel, and there's nothing that two friends shouldn't do for each other."

"Thank you. I'd like that a lot. I've not had any friends in a long time; not since my father sold me to McTavish."

"Things are about to change for the better, Isobel. Never doubt that." Ailene opened the door now that Isobel was dressed again. "In fact, you may want to get more to eat now. I'll be a few more minutes out here and then I can show you the rest of the Keep and we can decide how you may help around here."

"Bless you, Ailene. Bless you."

"Go along now. I just need to speak to Frang, and I'll be right along."

As soon as she was gone, Ailene approached Frang and gave him the string and her approximate breast size based upon my hands. He looked them over carefully and tried to estimate how big they would be in his own hands.

"We may have to do this over again in a few weeks," Ailene said.

"Why?" Frang asked.

"She's so thin. I think McTavish was starving her. I could count her ribs and her hip bones stuck out. When she starts eating more food, I imagine even her breasts will get larger."

"So, you think that we should make it a wee bit larger to accommodate extra flesh as she eats more?"

"Aye, not much more, but some," Ailene replied.

"So breasts get bigger as you gain weight?" Frang asked.

"Not tremendously so with small weight changes, but she's so tiny, it might be substantial. She needs to put on twenty pounds at least, maybe twice that given her height. I'd be surprised if she weighed much more than 90. McTavish was a nasty bastard and I'm glad you took her away from him. Can you tell me if the other servants go with the property. From what Isobel said, all the women may be underfed."

"All but his butler, personal valet, estate manager and a couple bodyguards."

"From the sounds of things, the estate wasn't doing that well. Not sure losing the manager is much of a loss. She said he fed the men okay, probably because he needed them for his protection."

"The manager may have done a fine job keeping his estate afloat considering his gambling habit," Frang warned. "Hard to manage anything when the owner's giving it away as fast as it comes in. We'll make sure there's some changes to the food distribution as soon as we get our hands on the property."

"Might have to do it even sooner. It's unlikely he'll feed them any more food now that the property's coming to us."

"You might be right. Maybe Stuart, Thorburn and myself should go over there first thing tomorrow with a wagon load of food, make sure they don't all starve to death before we take it over."

"I think you're right. You'll have to make sure that they get to keep it and McTavish doesn't take it with the rest of his property. I'll talk to Stuart."

"I'll talk to Thorburn then."

Ailene went back in the house and found Isobel eating as instructed. After she finished, Ailene gave her a tour of the house, excepting the punishment room. A woman who had been brutalized by her husband didn't need to see that room at all. She talked to her about her responsibilities at her husband's home. Isobel said that he didn't have a lot of female staff, so she was expected to do a lot of the cleaning, assist the cook with cooking, make and mend her clothes and that of those servants who couldn't do their own. She confirmed once more that her husband had loaned her to others to pay his gambling debts. Some of them treated her a little better, but not substantially so.

"Well, it sounds like you have a lot of experience with a household. Is there anything particular that you'd like to do to help out?"

"Anything you wish, Ailene. I'll cook, clean, sew, whatever you need."

"That's fine, Isobel, but what do you enjoy doing? My mother always said that the day goes quicker when you do what you like."

"I love to sew. I'm a pretty good seamstress," she replied.

"There it is then, we'll put you in charge of the needle workers. You can help train them, teach them to sew a straight stitch, how to read patterns. You can refit the clothes Muiríol found for you so you have some things to wear. We'll have to make you a shirt and trousers, linen to start, and leather when you start fencing in earnest. Oh, and I bought material in town yesterday for a new dress. We're going to have festival for the first day of summer. The next time we go to town, we can get you some fabric for your own dress."

"I have no money to pay, Ailene. I can't impose on you to buy me material."

"If you can help me with my dresses, that would be more than enough. My mam always told me I should practice my needlework more, but I didn't listen and I'm only half as good as I should be. It's from Paris and quite scandalous, but Teárlag convinced me to buy the design. Said my husband would love me in it."

"Teárlag?" Isobel asked.

"Teárlag Mackintosh. I met her in the dress shop yesterday and we had tea afterward. Do you know her?"

"I know of her, Ailene, but I've never met her. Her reputation wasn't the best. Most women thought she was too familiar with their men."

"She is a force of nature. She kind of made it known that she was looking for another husband and apparently picked out Thorburn as Stuart was taken. Thorburn thought she was forward, but he didn't seem to mind her attentions."

"From what I heard, she may not stop at Thorburn if he isn't interested. Frang or even Stuart could catch her eye."

"She'd dally with a married man?" Ailene asked.

"That's what I heard. As I said, I've never met her."

"I might have to keep an eye on her if she's around Stuart then. But never mind. Does that sound good, the sewing I mean?"

"Of course. Anything you need, I will be happy to do."

"It doesn't sound as if we'll be starting your lessons tomorrow, but I can show you a few things involving footwork. I think that Stuart and his brothers and a few other men-at-arms will be going to your former husband's and checking the status of the servants who will be staying. We're worried that McTavish won't feed them if he's going to lose the property anyway."

"You're right to worry," Isobel said. "He's a cheap, brutal bastard and he won't care if people die under his care."

"It's all settled then," said Ailene. "Why don't you get those clothes you need to alter and we'll get started. Maybe you can teach me to sew proper stitches."

They spent the rest of the afternoon sewing, two other maids assisting, altering Ailene's old clothes to fit Isobel. When it was time for supper, Isobel ate with the rest of the family, wearing one of the altered dresses, which now fit her quite well. Her hair had been done up by one of the maids after she took a bath. She looked quite lovely and Frang appeared to be taken with her.

Ailene asked Frang to help her with something at the sideboard and when she had him alone, she whispered, "Be careful, Frang. Remember what you told me about the local ladies just this afternoon. She's married and she's been brutalized. She doesn't need another disappointment."

"I've never been a disappointment to a lady," Frang whispered back. "I'm sure you'll back me on that."

"Not a disappointment in bed, you dolt. A disappointment in life. She's fragile and could easily be broken."

"I'll be gentle, I assure you."

"You insist upon being dense. Not physically fragile, emotionally fragile. Don't play with her emotions."