Chapter 39

Isobel sobbed even harder. "Nay, lady, no harm nor hurt. I can't begin to thank you for buying it for me. You are so caring to me. You didn't know me. We weren't friends before. I am a stranger to you, yet you welcome me into your home, feed me, clothe me. No one has ever been this nice to me before. I will never be able to repay you for your kindness."

She clung harder to Ailene, who could do nothing more but gather her head to her shoulder and let her cry. She patted her back, rubbing it as she cried herself out.

"You're like the sister I've never had, Isobel. You're kind and loving and haven't deserved the life you've been given. I can see how good you are by the way you care for your former tenants and the servants who no longer serve you. You were away from McTavish and your old home, but you still cared what transpired in your absence. Stuart said that many of them spoke highly of you while they were there. They asked after you. I'm sure they'll not care a whit what happens to McTavish when he's gone. I should do for you out of plain Christian duty, but I like you. You're smart, funny, pleasant to be around and much stronger than I might have been should I be in your circumstances. You work hard, and do all you can to help around here. My work load has been halved by your presence. I could not wish for more from a sister."

Isobel snuffled. "You care for me a little, then?"

"I care for you a great deal, Isobel. You are very dear to me."

Isobel lifted up her face, red from crying, and suddenly kissed Ailene. It was sudden and startled Ailene and she found herself responding automatically, before she realized that she was kissing another woman and that this was not a sisterly kiss. She pulled away and turned her back to Isobel.

"I'm sorry," Isobel said. "It was wrong of me to do that. I'm so grateful for your affection, I was overcome. Please forgive me."

Keeping her back to Isobel, Ailene, still confused, said, "It was not proper. That was not the kiss of a sister. I'm married. I love my husband. It can't happen again. Do you understand?"

"Yes. It won't happen again. Please forgive me. I really was overcome with gratitude, you must believe me. I meant nothing more than that," Isobel said, hesitantly reaching out a hand for Ailene's arm, then pulling it away, afraid to touch her.

"I'm going now. I'll see you tomorrow. We'll not speak of this again."

Ailene left without looking at Isobel again. Isobel sat down on the edge of her bed and cried into her hands. What have I done, she thought. I may have ruined the only friendship that I've ever had.

Ailene joined Stuart in their bedroom and started removing her clothes, still confused about what had just happened. There was a sudden knock on the door and Ailene held up a nightgown to cover herself.

"I wonder who that is?" Stuart said going to the door.

He cracked the door and Frang was staring earnestly at him.

"Sorry to bother you, Stuart," Frang said, loudly. "I know it's late now, but I was wondering if I could speak to you about the McTavish property and how we're going to join our estates together? It might be something we should discuss before you speak to William about managing the McTavish land."

"Give me a moment so that Ailene can put on some night clothes."

He closed the door while Frang stood outside.

"Throw a robe on, Ailene, and I'll let him in, but I wager he's not here to discuss the McTavish property any more than he is to talk about the price of tea in China."

Ailene put on one of her heavier robes, but nothing beneath it and after a decent interval, he let Frang in. Ailene was in the bed with the covers pulled up to her chin.

"Thank you, Stuart, for speaking to me at this late hour," again speaking a trifle more loudly than necessary.

After the door was closed and bolted, Frang whispered, "Thank you. I know that Thorburn did more than chat and share oranges with the charming Teárlag this afternoon, and Isobel has been around Ailene ever since she got here and I'm a desperate man. If I don't get some relief soon, I'm like to burst like an overripe plum."

"I figured as much. You might care about what happens to the McTavish place, but not so much you'd lose even a minutes sleep over it," Stuart whispered back.

Frang began shucking his clothes and Stuart joined him, and both men climbed into the bed, naked, both with their stiffening cocks dangling from their groins.

"So now you're going to share your marriage bed as well as your wife, Stuart?" Ailene said, low voiced.

"Aye. If I'm sharing the wife, I don't see how the other matters at all," he whispered back.

Frang pulled the covers down and her nightgown up, exposing her legs and the lovely delta of dark hair gracing her cunt. Frang's head lowered between her legs and his hands started to part her legs. Ailene acquiesced with a sigh, sliding further down the bed and spreading her legs to grant him access to her cunt. Frang's tongue found her furrow and began to explore it's warmth and softness.

"So what do you want me to tell William when I speak to him?" Stuart asked, louder than he had to be.

Frang lifted up his head and whispered, "I'm rather busy here. You don't really expect me to carry on a conversation, do you?"

Stuart whispered back, "Just mumble loudly. They don't have to hear individual words, just sound like there's some kind of conversation going on in here."

"Aye. I suppose I can do that." He lowered his head and gave several low growls and mumbles that Ailene felt go straight to her core.

"How long before we can get the two properties merged then?" Stuart said.

Frang mumbled again, and Ailene moaned low and deep. She pulled Frang's head against her sex. What a wonderful thing his tongue was, she thought.

"Will the people on the two estates be interchangeable then?" Stuart asked.

Frang growled again and Ailene felt herself shiver, close to the cusp of her climax.

"I suppose that we'll have to train the new retainers to fight as we do ours," Stuart said.

His lips locked onto her clit and Frang began to hum, not a tune, just random sounds and her legs began to shake as she released into a strong orgasm.

"Mmm. That feels so good, Frang," she whispered. "Keep doing that."

Stuart said, "I suppose that we could send Bjarkë over there to get started on the arms training. Ours are pretty well trained and Thorburn can keep them tuned up." One of his hands was stroking Ailene's head, smoothing her hair as tremors shook her body. His other hand was caressing and kneading one of her breasts, stopping to occasionally pinch and pull her throbbing nipples.

Frang raised her legs more so that he could lick the rosebud of her ass to prepare it for his cock, now stiff and hard. Each time that Stuart spoke, he'd mumble or growl some low pitched noise. When he felt that he'd laved the puckered muscle enough, he put her on her knees and rubbed the head of his prick against her nether hole. He began pushing his way past the tightened sphincter and his shaft began to disappear into that warm cavern.