Irene did tell Benjamin what had happened between us; that much I do know. Exactly what she told him or how he received the news was to remain a mystery, for she never told me (or Elizabeth that I know of) anything of it all. I knew well enough not to look either of them up in the ensuing days, and so all the angst and mystery of the day after were still very much in force when Elizabeth and Jonathan returned to Westfordshire City on Saturday. Though I did not know with certainty which train they were on, I was quite desperate to see my friends again and, on an educated guess, went to the station in time to meet the afternoon train.

They shone like a pair of diamonds amongst the crowd emerging from the train, and I was nearly bursting with joy when I flagged them down. "Agnes!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise! You hardly needed to come meet us, you know!"

"Oh yes I did!" I replied, enveloping them both in a hug at once. "Yes, I certainly did."

"What on earth has gone wrong, then?" Jonathan asked.

"Wrong?" I was suddenly reluctant to talk about it, though I knew it must be done.

"Anyone can see you are quite agitated about something," Elizabeth agreed. "Shall we go for a round of wine in town, after Jonathan and I are rid of our luggage?"

"Please!" I agreed. "I'll tell you everything once we're settled there. No need to worry you in the meantime."

And so it was that I accompanied them to Jonathan's downtown flat, where they left their suitcases, and then it was around the corner to the café. Elizabeth squeezed my hand and provided me with sympathetic, non-judgmental looks periodically throughout the wait.

With few afternoon customers in the warm summer weather, we were able to secure an intimate corner table at the café, where Elizabeth and Jonathan lost no time in fortifying me with a lovely glass of chilled white wine. "Gulp down as much as you need, dear, and please tell us what is going on," Elizabeth prodded as soon as the barmaid had retreated.

With a few large sips out of the way, I was finally able to open up. "Irene and I, the other night – or morning actually – well, night and morning..."

"Oh, good heavens!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "You and Irene – in bed?!"

"She didn't actually say that, Elizabeth," Jonathan said. "Let us not jump to conclusions."

"I am afraid she jumped to the correct conclusion." I said it staring down at the table, unable to make eye contact with either of my friends.

"Oh, dear." Jonathan sounded almost frightened as he said it.

"Well..." Elizabeth stammered, "That is a lot to take in, Agnes. I mean, it is not my place to get angry with you, but..."

"But you are?" I asked, finally looking my friend in the eye.

"Well...no. Like I said, it's not my place. But I am, well, hurt. I mean, we are all so very close, and what will happen now that you and Irene have hurt Benjamin like that?"

"I know!" I said, near tears once again. "How I know. And yet, the pull to play was ever so irresistible, and Irene did say she was willing to a point."

"To a point?" Jonathan probed.

"We were to play only with ourselves," I recalled. "We could look but not touch, but then we woke up together and we were in fact touching, and neither of us could stop." I paused and waited for a reproof for one or both of my friends. None coming, I continued. "I blame only myself, I assure you! It is just that Benjamin was gone, and here I am still ever so alone when I had thought Edward and I should be married by now, and Irene did say she had interest in women as well as men..." My voice trailed away a moment too late as I recalled that she had never told Elizabeth of that matter that I was aware of. But I could not un-ring the bell!

"Irene said what?!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "My word, we do miss some interesting developments when we go to the country, Jonathan!"

"My dear, have you never noticed how Irene looks at you when she has had too much wine?" Jonathan asked. "And Agnes too, now that I think of it?"

"You knew?" Elizabeth demanded.

"Not formally, no," Jonathan reassured her. "She is your best friend and but my cousin, and surely she would have told you first. But it was not something I needed to be told, I suppose."

"You are not suggesting Irene has designs on me, though," Elizabeth said. Then, turning to me, she asked, "Does she?"

"I am so sorry, I have already said far too much on the matter," I said.

"Then you had just as well not stop now!" I could tell Elizabeth was struggling not to sound frustrated; but she did not quite succeed.

A deep breath, and I continued. "She and I both, I suppose, had this wonderful image of you and Benjamin side by side, and us running our fingers through both your..." I could not go on for fear I should die of embarrassment.

Jonathan, perhaps surprisingly, found the revelation amusing. "That does sound positively adorable, Elizabeth, does it not?"

Elizabeth was silent for a moment, and at long last she allowed a smile. "Rather enjoyable for Benjamin and myself as well, I confess," she admitted. Then she took my hand in both of hers. "I suppose it is a bit my own fault, given all the randy situations I have led you and Irene through, that one or two of us ultimately lost control."

"No!" I reassured her. "I blame no one but myself, Elizabeth! I have two good hands and a wonderful imagination, and I should have left it at that."

"Yes, but I suppose our frequenting the baths and talking so openly about all things intimate, not to mention that night in my room –" At that mention, I instinctively looked at Jonathan and could see he did not know what she referred to, but Elizabeth was not to be deterred. "Sorry, Jonathan, I never told you; several months ago Irene and I spent a night in my room teaching Agnes to masturbate. I assure you we did not touch her, nor she us, but the three of us did spend the night in my bed together."

"I see." Jonathan looked more titillated than angry, bless his patient heart.

"In any event, Agnes, I cannot help but feel I set the stage for something like this to occur sooner or later, particularly while you remain single. But I must say I had not anticipated what you have told me about Irene."

"I do not blame you at all," I repeated. "Perhaps you were as powerless against all this as I was, Elizabeth, you and your hunger. The hairy ones are the horny ones, after all!"

"I'll drink to that," Jonathan added with a mischievous grin.

"Thank you so much," Elizabeth replied with a look of her own that appeared to say this matter would be settled later on in bed – or perhaps it wouldn't be settled. "Perhaps you are right, Agnes. Regardless of fault, though, I suppose something must be done to relieve the tension between us all if we are to remain friends. There are bridges to rebuild and doors we must unlock."

"Do you say that for my sake only?" I asked suspiciously.

"Hardly!" Elizabeth replied. "Jonathan and I enjoyed a very eventful holiday, you see." (You must recall, dear reader, that at this point I had no knowledge of the events with Frances or their other new friends; Elizabeth was to tell me of all this several days later.) "And we learned yet more about the importance of communicating with those closest to you. One is never too old to learn, I suppose. We met a wonderful group of young friends who had been beset with some communication troubles of their own, and had I known what was waiting for us back here, I'd have spent the entire trip turning it all over in my mind. Now that we are up to date, Agnes, no need for that."

"I know not what you are suggesting," I admitted.

"Nor I, and I was there," Jonathan added.

"When Jonathan and I are married," Elizabeth continued, "That shall change the dynamic of our circle of friends. I am afraid it must, whether we wish it to or not. The same shall be true should Irene and Benjamin marry, and I assure you, Agnes, you will find your special one as well in good time. Whether we like it or not, our days as a gang of chums are numbered. Less than a year now until the wedding, as a matter of fact. So this is no time for any of us to repress our feelings for one another or to wreak havoc behind one another's backs. My dears, I believe a holiday of our own is most in order."

Little else was said on that matter before we paid our bill and left the café. Jonathan struggled to look disapproving, but Elizabeth and I could tell he was most intrigued by her vague yet thrilling suggestion. I, for my part, made no effort to hide my own titillation; after all, my own secrets were already in the open and her suggestion was the perfect complement to them. Elizabeth tidied up the proposal with a firm reassurance that more concrete plans could be made later. "We must discuss the matter with Irene and Benjamin as well, after all," she said as we emerged into the hazy sunshine. "And also, I believe little Alexandria is off to school shortly. I should like to see her off with a woman-to-woman talk, I think, before we take our own leave."

"That reminds me, Uncle has said he wishes you to do just that," I told Elizabeth. And at that point, dear reader, I made a serious mistake. For reasons I understood neither then nor now, I did not tell her what Alexandria had revealed as to her knowledge of Elizabeth and the city baths. Perhaps I did not wish to discuss the matter in public, perhaps I was restrained by the lack of any detailed awareness of just what Alexandria did know – she had, after all, said only that she did not know just what we "were up to in those baths" – but whatever the reason, I held my tongue on that uncomfortable subject.

"I should be more than glad to have a chat with her," Elizabeth told me in that long last moment when I could have added all I knew, but did not. "If there is anything I can do to save her or any other girl from the nightmares I endured, then I shall certainly do it." And with a round of chaste kisses on the cheek, she and Jonathan were off and I was alone at the stop.

That afternoon I wrote a letter of apology each to Irene and Benjamin, divulging no inappropriate information to either of them and proffering my sincere hope that our friendship would heal in good time. After posting the letters, a nap relieved me of the effects of the wine, but the memory of Elizabeth's proposal and the angst of not knowing the reactions to my letters had me most nervous. In spite of myself, my mind once again wandered to the memory of Irene so soft and lovely against my body. As I sat up on my bed and gazed out the window at the hazy summer landscape I had so loved for so long, I strove to turn my thoughts anywhere but to what Irene and I had done.

It was no use, however, as I saw not the serene empty field that was in fact beyond my window, but rather Irene and myself frolicking joyfully nude in the soft grass, caressing one another and shrieking with uninhibited delight in our naughty play. The emptiness of my room offering no comfort or any alternative to my busy imagination, I gave in and spent the next quarter of an hour lying back with my gaze out the window and my hands up my skirt. My own still-inexperienced touch was a poor substitute for Irene's delightfully crafty fingers all about my vulva, but the memory of her in my arms and in my thighs was perfectly delightful nevertheless. I rubbed myself to two lovely orgasms as I envisioned Irene's beautiful body, her shy smile, her uninhibited touch and kiss, and myself fearlessly returning the favour.

The following morning had grey, threatening skies, as if a summer downpour might appear at any moment. I slept poorly due to overindulgence on wine the evening before, and forced myself to arise for breakfast in hope that would alleviate my suffering. I had the good stroke of luck to find little Joy and Thomas at breakfast when I arrived. "Agnes!" Joy squealed when she saw me. "But where is Auntie Elizabeth?"

"Well, I don't know," I said. "Perhaps she is waiting for you in the nursery?" It was Sandrine's day off, and Elizabeth filled in for her on such days in return for reduced rent.

"No, she is not," declared their nurse in her usual dour tone. "And she had better present herself there shortly!" As if to follow through on her unspoken threat, the tense woman arose and strode purposefully out to the hall and the stairwell.

Thomas dared look over his shoulder to see she was gone. Seeing the coast was clear, he said to me, "I agree, she'd better be there. Who would want to sit with Nurse all morning when we could have Auntie Elizabeth?!"

"I want to hear all about her lovely trip!" Joy continued. "I have a new idea for my first trip, when I'm old enough. I'm going to go to Australia!" Thomas smirked at her, but said nothing; he knew better than to say anything negative that might come to Elizabeth's ears and deprive him of her usual embrace.

"I am sure Elizabeth will be delighted to hear of that, Joy," I said. "But where is your sister? I believe your father wishes for Elizabeth to have a word with her."

"Already up in the nursery," Thomas explained. "She was fresh with Nurse this morning so she didn't get any breakfast. I can't wait for her to be off to school!"

I knew I should tell Thomas not to say such things. But I found I could not condemn him for wishing to be free of his sister's difficult company.

At that moment, I heard the front door of the mansion burst open. I guessed – correctly – that it would be Elizabeth, rushing in from Jonathan's flat in the city, freshly washed and dressed as if she had just come from her own room. Sometimes rushed, but never unprepared, that was our Elizabeth. "Good morning, children!" she exclaimed as she brushed through the dining room, grabbing up a biscuit and some fruit. "And Agnes! Molly, is my tea ready upstairs?" she asked the kitchen maid.

"Brewing now, milady," Molly reassured her. "And no, the mister and missus haven't been round."

"Oh good, then!" Elizabeth exclaimed, and she sat down to eat her breakfast most quickly.

"Why is that good?" Thomas asked with a hungry grin, always deathly curious of Elizabeth's life outside the nursery.

"That is none of your concern, Thomas, is it?" I interjected.

"I suppose not," he admitted, while Elizabeth flashed me a grateful silent look. "It is only that Father and Mother should hardly care, long as she is here on time, isn't that right?"

"Quite right, Thomas," Elizabeth said. "Quite right."

Her impromptu breakfast eaten as quickly as it had been assembled, Elizabeth was off upstairs just before the nurse reappeared to collect Thomas and Joy.

The threatened rain came not long afterward, but Elizabeth created a pleasant haven in the nursery with her appropriately sanitized recount of her and Jonathan's travels. Joy hung onto every word about train stations and compartment cars and the view of the world rushing by, while Thomas no doubt thrilled to the opportunity to simply look at Elizabeth as she told the tale. Alexandria, having ignored the invitation to join her brother and sister around the table, spent the morning curled up on the window seat, gazing out at the rain and saying not a word. Elizabeth cast a hopeful eye in her direction now and again, through the story and then through the subsequent playtime while she sipped her tea and supervised Thomas and Joy; but Alexandria never rewarded her with a glance.

Little wonder, Elizabeth thought to herself, if the poor girl had heard any such stories as her own of life as a first-year boarder. Difficult as Alexandria had been of late, it was not something Elizabeth could condemn in light of her own nasty memories of those days. But perhaps had she known something of what to expect...no, she did not suppose that would have helped. What, then, would? Elizabeth asked herself that question time and again as she sipped her tea through the late morning. Only one answer emerged with any plausibility to speak of, and it came to Elizabeth again and again even as she groped for some other option: hearing from an adult who had survived and thrived in the face of all the unpleasantness.

At least she could offer Alexandria that, Elizabeth knew. In light of Alexandria's attitude of late, she had precious little desire to attempt it. But there was no other option at her disposal, and she had agreed to Uncle's request. With ten minutes or so to lunchtime and the younger children happily ensconced in their own activities, Elizabeth took a deep breath and approached the window seat gingerly. "Alex," she said gently as she sat at the far end of the seat from where the girl was curled up. "Your father has asked me to talk to you about things."

"Things," Alexandria repeated the word as if it were the epitome of stupidity. "What things are those, Elizabeth?"

"I think you know, my dear," Elizabeth said. "Leaving for school, and your attitude." She reached for Alexandria's hand, but the girl drew away and curled up tighter, as if frightened. "Believe me, I can imagine how intimidated you are. But it is hardly fair to your family for you to act like this."

"What do you know about fair, Elizabeth?" Alexandria replied. "Ever so well-adjusted, with your lovely fiancé and your wonderful life? Just what do you know?"

"More than you think," Elizabeth began gingerly, still unsure just how much of her own past she wished to share, to say nothing of her present. "Much more than you think indeed. Be that as it may, though, Alex, I just want you to know I am here to share your fears with. I know more than you think I do."

A few silent minutes followed, Elizabeth uncrossing and recrossing her legs but otherwise not moving, as she waited and hoped for a break-through. Alexandria looked to be fighting back tears, but she said nothing for the moment. Finally, the wretched girl's lips curled into a smile, and Elizabeth thought for a moment that the first skirmish had been won. "You know, Auntie Elizabeth," she said in a sugary tone, "I know much more than you think as well."

Elizabeth was not alarmed, for she had misinterpreted the wretched girl's remark entirely. "Undoubtedly you do, Alex. Most girls your age do know a great deal more about life than their parents like to believe. There is nothing wrong with that."

"Not about life, Elizabeth," Alexandria said. "What is there to know about life from this godforsaken house? No, I know more about you than you think."

Elizabeth let out a nervous chuckle. She had always been so very careful to keep all details of her private life out of the nursery; whatever Alexandria might be insinuating could hardly be anything pertaining to all that. Treading carefully, she made to continue, but was interrupted by the opening of the nursery door.

It was the kitchen maid, coming to collect Elizabeth's teapot and dismiss the children for lunch. As usual, she made her ritual announcement: "Elizabeth, you're free!"

"Thank you," Elizabeth said with her usual grateful smile. But Alexandria did not rise from her seat to follow her brother and sister downstairs, so neither did Elizabeth. Turning back to Alexandria, she chose to plough through the hazardous waters. "If you know more about me than I think, Alex, then you know I do indeed know what you are fearing. And so, if you wish to talk about it, you know I will likely understand."

"Didn't you hear the maid, Elizabeth? She said you're free!" Alexandria looked at Elizabeth and smirked. "You're free, she said. We children all know what she means by that, you know. Aren't you dying for a wee as usual? Why don't you go already?"

Elizabeth smiled through her annoyance and embarrassment, and recalled just in time that she had re-crossed her legs four or five times since joining Alexandria in her corner; of course the little brat had figured that out. "That can wait, Alex," she said.
"Can it? Are you sure?"

"I appreciate your concern, Alex," Elizabeth said, forcing a smile now. "But if you know so many of my secrets, you know I am quite accustomed to holding off on all that when I must. Now, as I was saying, I do understand you are frightened and nervous about leaving for school. But your mother and father have had quite all they can take of your surly behaviour of late, and I can tell you from experience it shall serve you no purpose at school!"

Alexandria jumped up and glared at Elizabeth. "Exactly why do you care what my mother and father think? And why should I, for that matter, when they are sending me off to the slaughter?! If they care so much, why ask you to appease me when they don't even like you?!"

"Alex!" Elizabeth was now at her own limit, though she was already quite aware of Aunt's low opinion of her. "There is no excuse for you to talk like that, especially not of your parents and not with someone who loves you as I do!"

"You think they care?! You think they know anything? Not if they asked you to soothe me!"

"They asked me to soothe you because they know I love you, Alex, and –"

"They know nothing of me!" Alexandria snapped. "And I doubt they know enough of you, if they asked you to help me. You think they want their daughter prancing around the city, the cafes, knowing half the young men in town so very well?!" She paused just long enough to savour the look of outrage on Elizabeth's face as her horrible words registered. Sensing she had won the battle, she then dove in for the kill. "And queen of the public baths to boot!"

"You little bitch." Elizabeth heard the words slip out before she could clamp down to stop them.

"I am sure Father shall appreciate you calling me that!" Alexandria gloated, turning on her heel to prance downstairs. She timed her final comment perfectly so that Elizabeth would have no opportunity to respond: "Now get up off my cushion before you wet it!"

Though she was indeed absolutely desperate for the water closet, Elizabeth remained seated for a few more minutes, digesting in horror all the knowledge Alexandria had revealed. How on earth had the wretched girl learned so very much?

I, of course, had had a few days to ponder that question by then, and I had concocted a few theories. A friend from primary school with a loose lipped cousin or uncle. An overheard conversation between her father and a business colleague – many of them were acquainted with Elizabeth in the city. Maybe even a case of her mother's usual snide conjectures about Elizabeth, which I knew were based in nothing more than jealousy. But in the heat of that deeply uncomfortable moment, Elizabeth was not so clearheaded as to think of any of those explanations. Her first and only thought was of my comment outside the café the day before: "That reminds me, Uncle has said he wishes you to do just that." She knew, then, that I had been somewhat privy to the matter of Alexandria's horrible attitude. Naïve young Agnes, living right there in the mansion, and heaven only knew what she might have let slip in the presence of the children!

I had, of course, done no such thing. But I was not present to defend myself, nor had I taken the opportunity to forewarn Elizabeth of Alexandria's knowledge. As I said, dear reader, a serious mistake.

I was fortunate enough to have gone to the office for the day, catching up on some work to alleviate the lingering effects of the liquor from the night before. So I was not available to answer Elizabeth's furious rap at my bedroom door shortly after lunch, nor did I receive immediately the gracious letter Benjamin had written in response to my apology. The latter would have been a delightful antidote to the former, to be sure; but I was aware of neither for the time being.

Instead, Jonathan was to be the first of us to reconnect with Benjamin. In light of the poor weather and Elizabeth being busy with the children for the day, Jonathan had opted for an afternoon at the baths. He had followed Elizabeth's lead in avoiding the matter of Irene's indiscretion, and so had had no contact with Benjamin since his return to the city. But upon arriving at the baths – and here, dear reader, I must detour from our story to confess that although I never saw the men's baths, I imagined them in no small amount of detail, most especially the entrance all my male friends made in all their naked glory; and so while I have no idea if Jonathan strode into their bath chamber with the elegant, proud poise with which Elizabeth always entered ours, in my imagination he certainly did so! Be that fact or fiction, however, Jonathan arrived at the baths a bit past one o'clock, and found them crowded due to the rain. Amidst the hearty welcomes and the colourful inquiries after Elizabeth's well-being ("Made it another week without getting lost in your lady's jungle, I see!"), which he acknowledged politely as usual, Jonathan chanced to see Benjamin in a corner of the pool, looking rather nervous at his arrival.

A confrontation could hardly be avoided, Jonathan knew. And so, after lowering himself into the steamy water and the necessary round of greetings and handshakes, he waded in Benjamin's direction. "Good afternoon," he said as confidently as he could.

"Hullo, Jonathan," Benjamin said. "I take it you had a fine trip with Elizabeth?"

"Wonderful, yes, thanks. An adventure and a half as it always is with her." He groped for the next comment. "I..."

To his surprise, Benjamin smiled. "No need to beat around the bush, Jon, I can see you are aware of what happened in our absence."

"Yes," Jonathan admitted. "And I'm sorry."

"Ain't your fault, is it?"

"I guess not," Jonathan said. "But you know, Elizabeth does feel partially responsible."

"Oh, no," Benjamin said. "She wasn't even there, after all. Of course, if she had been..."

Jonathan could not suppress a laugh. "She would have found a way to make it all much more interesting, no doubt!"

"Indeed. And inclusive, one hopes. But no, I do not blame Elizabeth. I blame Irene, and I blame Agnes, although she was decent enough to send me an apology and I have accepted it."

Jonathan longed to ask if he had forgiven Irene. But he knew better than to ask.

In the event, Benjamin was not finished. "I suppose a thing like this was inevitable. All of us young and spunky and uninhibited, and having had that one very intimate outing in the country already. I understand Agnes is bitterly disappointed at having missed that, you know."

"She certainly is," Jonathan said. "I say, it's none of my business, but have you heard of your own role in the fantasy Irene confessed to?"

Benjamin laughed, and acknowledged the matter with a glance down at his hairy chest and midsection glistening delightfully in the hot water. "Yes, Irene told me all about it when she confessed. And you know, I would be all for it had she but asked. Agnes, too, if it came to that. I mean, why not, my good man, as long as we are all given a chance to participate? But they had to go and do it behind my back. I guess you are fortunate that Elizabeth wasn't there to join them, aren't you?"

"You do know all three of them had a bit of an encounter once, aren't you?" Jonathan asked.

"What?!"

"It was news to me too," Jonathan said. "I only just learned of it. But apparently Agnes had never learned how to please herself, and Irene and Elizabeth treated her to a live demonstration."

"Well, that sounds perfectly..." Benjamin began, trying hard to sound disapproving. But, the baths being what they were and the male body being what it is, a glimpse into the water proved his disapproval was purely feigned. Jonathan – who was also hard as a rock – looked back and forth at Benjamin's face and his cock, and Benjamin gave up his charade as they both burst into embarrassed laughter. "Oh, hell, no sense in pretending we don't find that whole idea perfectly wonderful, is there?"

"Indeed," Jonathan agreed. Their laughter had been boisterous enough to earn the attention of a few of their fellow bathers; any worries that word would get out of the pair of them acting inappropriately together were washed away immediately by the knowledge that Elizabeth and Irene would surely find the truth perfectly delightful. "Yes, when Elizabeth told me of it all, I felt no jealousy, only regret that I was not there to witness it."

"I wonder would they have allowed that?" Benjamin said. "Agnes in particular, I can't imagine she would have wanted male company that evening." (While he was undoubtedly correct on that matter, dear reader, I feel I must add that any such reticence had long since been disposed of by the time of this conversation!)

"Then, probably not," Jonathan agreed. "But you know, Elizabeth made a most interesting suggestion yesterday, after Agnes told us of what had happened. A holiday for the five of us. A clearing of the air of sorts."

"Is it really such a good idea for us all to have a retreat together when Irene and Agnes are already struggling in vain to keep their hands off one another?"

"The idea," Jonathan said with a deep breath, in a low voice lest he be overheard by their nosy compatriots, "Is to have one last opportunity for us all to do as we like with one another. Get it all out of our systems, if you will, before we set about living our adult lives and keeping our friends at an appropriate distance again."

Benjamin drank in the salacious proposal, and Jonathan could not help but notice his erection did not recede. "Well, I'd be lying to say I did not find the idea appealing in its way," he admitted. "But I do worry about the effect it might have on our relationships. Certain things cannot be forgotten once they're done, and all that."

"I'm afraid we're already there, though, Ben," Jonathan said. "We all know these desires and fantasies are flying about among the five of us; we simply have not acted on them. Or rather, not all of us have."

"My concerns exactly."

"Well, at the risk of stepping on your toes, Ben, perhaps facing these matters head on is a step you and Irene must take. It's none of my business, I know, but the future of your relationship may well depend on your ability to accept and trust one another through these things."

Benjamin would later confess that he was rather irritated with Jonathan's unsolicited advice in his hour of frustration with his true love. Rather than allow that discomfort to bubble to the surface, however, he followed Irene's favourite rebuttal to both Elizabeth and Jonathan when she wished to needle them. "Trust?!" he asked with a grin. "Am I not sharing a bath with a fellow who needs to wee all the time? That, my friend, is trust!"

"Oho!" Jonathan forced a laugh of his own now. He was rather less thick-skinned on that topic than Elizabeth was, perhaps because he had far less experience in being teased on matters so personal, or because she had been a voracious tea-drinker far longer than he had and thus the condition was far newer to him. Regardless, he kept his irritation to himself. "Benjamin, you had better make amends with Iron Bladder Irene. Clearly the two of you belong together!"

"Indeed we do," Benjamin said. "Indeed we do."

Elizabeth was once again saddled with watching the children for the long, rainy afternoon. Her rage at Alexandria having subsided but her disgust remaining, she wordlessly but firmly gook the girl by the arm when she returned to the nursery after lunch, and directed her to a chair in the corner. "Ow! Elizabeth, what are you doing?!" Alexandria demanded. "Just leave me alone!"

"I shall leave you alone, all right," Elizabeth replied icily. "Alone in the corner." She gave Alexandria a rough push, and the girl landed on the chair with an exaggerated plop. "You are to sit here all afternoon, facing the wall."

"You can't make me do that!" Alexandria roared, standing back up and straining to look Elizabeth, who was several inches taller than she, in the eye. "You are not my nurse!"

"Indeed I am not. But if you do not do as I say, I shall let Nurse know all about it." That was no idle threat, and Alexandria slunk back down into the chair in defeat. "Now, should you wish to share your concerns with me about what awaits you at school, dear, I will be more than happy to listen and reassure you if I can. But neither I nor your parents are going to stand for any more of your nastiness, Alex, no matter how frightened you are."

With that, Elizabeth turned on her heel and walked across the room to find Thomas and Joy had been frightened into burying their noses in books. They were both on their best behaviour for the afternoon, but their quiet agreeability left Elizabeth little to do but to stew further over Alexandria's revelation and my role in the matter. Had I been there to answer her call at my door, perhaps a confrontation would have ultimately had an agreeable ending. The lack thereof made its effects all too well known on Elizabeth's mind throughout the long afternoon.

I received the full effects of all that compressed anger on my return that evening. I was relaxing with a mindless novel after the long afternoon at work when once again she banged upon my door. "Agnes!" she howled.

"Elizabeth?" I stood up just in time for her to wrench open the door.

"Exactly what have you been telling the children about me?!" she demanded.

In that awful moment, I understood my mistake; but in the same instant I made another misstep. "Alexandria!" I said with a knowing nod. "That little wretch." I then made eye contact with Elizabeth to set the record straight, only to discover I had given her the wrong idea entirely.

"Then you have been talking to her behind my back, on matters that are none of her concern and far beyond her age!" Elizabeth snapped.

"No!" I insisted. I wanted to step forward and meet my friend, but every inch of her presence screamed at me to do no such thing.

"No? Well then do tell, how does she know of the baths, and all else we do in town, and probably my body as well?!"

"I have no idea, Elizabeth! I don't!" Now I was growing quite angry myself. "Do you truly believe I would tell a child such a thing?! Particularly that child?"

"But it was you who told me your uncle wanted me to have a word with her, Agnes! And when I do reach out to her, she knows all manner of things she should never have known about me!"

I drew in a deep breath. "I should have told you, then..."

"No, Agnes, you should never have told anyone anything!"

"Elizabeth! No! You do not understand –"

"I understand all too well! I take a holiday I do not even want to take, and you ruin everything in my absence! What on earth has become of you, Agnes?"

Now I was as furious as she. "What has become of me? For starters, I have become quite tired of your refusal to listen to me, that is what! If you are going to believe I would do such a horrid thing, then off with you!" I turned and sat back in my chair, fighting back tears and hungering for the sound of Elizabeth slamming the door and retreating into the hall. After an excruciating moment, I was rewarded thusly.

What became of me next is of little interest: I simply spent a lonely evening pondering the misunderstanding and trying in vain to focus on my book. Though angry and sad, I comforted myself with optimism that Elizabeth would recognize the reality of what had and had not occurred once her fury had passed. Clearly we all needed her proposed retreat more than even I had recognized. Naturally, that thought gave way to delightful images of sexual abandon with all my friends; but even that could not cheer me appreciably on that dark evening.

I likely would have been rather resentful had I known what was transpiring on the other side of the mansion, in Elizabeth's room, while I coped alone with my angst. Fortunately, I was not to know of it all for quite some time. Elizabeth and Jonathan had, on parting that morning, settled upon his coming to spend the night in her room. Due to her nasty altercations with Alexandria and his uneasy conversation with Benjamin, neither was in a particularly romantic mood when he arrived shortly after Elizabeth had taken her leave of me. That the rain had returned in full force did not help matters, for Jonathan had been caught off-guard and was soaked to the bone when he appeared in her doorway.

Nevertheless, Elizabeth's heart rose a bit when the rap came at her door, and she could not help but be amused at her true love's dishevelled presence. She tried to suppress her laughter at the stray raindrops now falling from his nose, hair and clothes; but she did not succeed completely. "Oh dear, Jonathan, I am sorry, but..."

"I know, I know," Jonathan said, tearing off his sopping coat. "I am sure I look a state to you, Elizabeth. Don't we both always amuse our friends with our looks!" Just as Elizabeth had failed to hide her amusement, now Jonathan failed to hide his irritation.

"I am sorry, Jonathan. Here, let me call for some tea to warm you up..."

"No!" He paused for a deep breath, his shirt half-unbuttoned and his soaked pants still hanging limply about his hips. "Sorry, Elizabeth, but tea is the last thing I want tonight, thank you very much."

"Why on earth not, Jonathan? We love our tea, don't we? What does Irene always say?"

"Precisely," Jonathan grumbled. "And I am sick to death of those comments!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Jonathan, grow up! After the day I had with Alexandria, that is not a matter on which I have any sympathy for you! You know as well as I that Irene only began teasing us about all that because she was jealous of our love!"

"Yes, and I suppose now she once again has reason to be," Jonathan said. He was now down to his short pants and socks, and Elizabeth was finding her titillation outweighing her anger. She sat back on the edge of her bed and admired his body as he finished undressing. "I had a most awkward chat with Benjamin today at the baths, and he just had to...to..."

"Comment on your frequent need to wee?" Elizabeth asked. Jonathan acknowledging the accuracy of her query with a silent nod, she continued. "I endured the same from little Alexandria today. All these years I believed the children had no idea of my private joke with the kitchen maid – 'Elizabeth, you are free!' – free to run off to the water closet, of course. It seems Alexandria knew all about it. That and a lot more."

"I'm so sorry, darling," Jonathan said, his voice softening for the first time. "I was so wrapped up in my own annoyance at Benjamin's comment, I had no idea."

"Oh, I hardly care about that, really," Elizabeth replied. Jonathan was fully nude now, towelling himself off, and the sight was magnificent in spite of the uncomfortable topic of conversation. "You know me, fully accustomed to rude comments about my body. It was more a matter of just who it was who knew it. I try so very hard to keep my private life private from the children. After all, it is only appropriate! It is quite different with our friends."

"Perhaps for you it is," Jonathan said. "But the very idea, that I would piss in the baths, for heaven's sake!"

"Oh, Jonathan, he knows you would never do that! It is simply his and Irene's most convenient way of lashing out at us when they feel the need to! You know it was a joke with Irene well before she even met Benjamin."

"And it ate at me then, too, if you must know."

"Oh please, my darling, you know as well as I it was a naughty thrill for the two of us to have that matter in common! Just one more way in which we were perfect for one another!" Her outrage at Alexandria was now mostly gone, for the first time since lunchtime. Jonathan was looking wonderfully vulnerable standing there with his towel in his hands and not a stitch of clothing. Elizabeth stood up and slipped her arms around him. "Don't you recall our very first evening together, how we both had all that wine and then when we got back here..."
"We both tried to keep it to ourselves," Jonathan recalled.

"The way you tried so hard to be gentlemanly about it all," Elizabeth added, rubbing his back. "Then and now, we have nothing to be ashamed of! So what if we like rather more tea and wine than Irene and Benjamin do?"

"Or Alexandria," Jonathan agreed.

"Oh, heavens, that little brat," Elizabeth said. She let Jonathan continue to hold her, but the mood was broken for the moment. "I am afraid there is much more where she is concerned, Jonathan. It seems she knows all about my life at the baths, the pub, and even my body!" There was no need to tell Jonathan what aspect of her body she referred to; it was, after all, what Elizabeth was known best for in certain circles. "And the worst of it all is that Agnes seems to have told her all about it!"

Jonathan, to his eternal credit, was sceptical. "Agnes? Are you sure she would tell the children such things? Darling, she is not that naïve and certainly not that disrespectful of you! Or of any of us."

"But you heard her, outside the pub yesterday! About how Mr. Marlston wanted me to talk to Alexandria."

"Yes, and that is all she said."

"About Alexandria! Think of all she let slip about Irene! And me, for that matter!"

"All that pertained directly to her, though, Elizabeth. It makes no sense that she would tell Alexandria your secrets!"

Elizabeth slipped out of his embrace, and Jonathan looked around for something to cover himself in. With the changing of the mood, he now felt naked rather than nude. But there was nothing at hand, and a racy thought in the back of his troubled mind suggested it would help for Elizabeth to have an uninhibited view of his body. "It makes no sense that anyone would share that information with a fourteen year old girl!" she countered. "But clearly someone did!"

"Or she overheard it," Jonathan suggested.

"From whom?! Who would say a thing like that in her presence?"

"Someone who did not know she was listening?" Jonathan suggested. "Remember who we are discussing here, Elizabeth. Alexandria is hardly respectful of adult boundaries, is she? How many of her father's business associates might have made inappropriate comments about you over cigars and brandy in his study?"

Elizabeth nodded with an embarrassed smile. There had been several male visitors over the years who knew all about her hairy and horny reputation, a few of them first-hand. She had long suspected Mr. Marlston knew most of her secrets but was gentlemanly enough to keep such things mostly to himself. A stray look or word from him now and again had often raised her suspicions, as did his wife's frosty demeanour towards Elizabeth, but there had never been any proof.

"But Mr. Marlston would never discuss such things with his children!" Elizabeth finally protested.

"I never suggested he would. But darling, Alex is a little sneak, you know that. Is it really so hard to believe she may have taken to listening in on his meetings now and then, perhaps through an air duct?"

Elizabeth cringed, and Jonathan saw the unmistakeable look of one who has just put two and two together. "Heavens, Jonathan, that's it! How could I have forgotten that?"

"Forgotten what?" Jonathan asked. "Have you been to her bedroom? Is it just above her father's office, perhaps?"

"I haven't been there, no," Elizabeth said. "But every now and then she has complained of the stink of his cigars in her bedroom! One day she came to the nursery in tears and said she'd been whacked by the nurse for opening her bedroom window on a cold night. Of course I wondered why on earth she had done such a thing, and she explained how her father had been in a late night meeting in his study and the smoke from all the cigars had wafted up to her room. I remember it because I had been present at the meeting, and she was right, the air was positively dense with smoke. I could still smell it in my hair the following morning myself."

"So if the smoke was keeping her awake," Jonathan said, "the little wretch would no doubt be thrilled to sit by the vent and wait for some juicy gossip."

"And once she heard one intimate comment about me," Elizabeth continued.

"She would always be on the lookout afterward for more!" Jonathan concluded.

Elizabeth ran her fingers through her thick mane in frustration. "Dear God, I owe Agnes a lavish apology," she said. "Perhaps I should go to her room now..."

"Perhaps you should take some time to relax first," Jonathan countered. "Allow cooler minds to prevail. He touched her shoulder gently, and she arose and returned to his waiting embrace. The crisis over, she now allowed herself to enjoy his nudity once again; his bare body was delightful as ever in her arms! "Do you still want that tea?" he asked her now.

Elizabeth laughed. "Jonathan, I had no idea you felt any shame over the matter of our tea drinking!"

"I have had less practice than you in such things," he said.

"Well, I am capable of letting it upset me as well from time to time," Elizabeth admitted. "Alexandria certainly knew how to hurt me with it this morning. But never mind her now," she said, relaxing in Jonathan's arms. They swayed together in intimate comfort for a few moments, and Jonathan finally reached up to untie her dress. Just as he had the bow undone, Elizabeth frowned anew. "Oh, good heavens!" she exclaimed.

"What now?" Jonathan asked.

"If Alexandria knows so many of my secrets, is it not very likely that little Thomas does as well?"

"Elizabeth..." Jonathan began gingerly, with a grin he could not hide.

Elizabeth saw the grin. "You find that amusing, do you?"

"Hardly," Jonathan reassured her, taking her hand in both of his. Her dress slipped off her shoulders as he did, and neither of them tried to stop it or help it along. "It is only that Thomas is madly in love with you. You know that as well as I."

"I know it only too well," Elizabeth conceded, now pulling her arms out of her sleeves. Her dress floated gracefully to the floor and she stood before Jonathan in her brassiere and panties, which were bursting with hair at every edge as usual. "That is why it concerns me that he may have heard more than he should know about me."

"I assure you, Elizabeth, whether he has heard any of these things or not, in his imagination he knows all about your body – or at least his ideal of it! Remember, I was a twelve-year-old boy once, with a teacher I adored. I never heard the first thing about her private life, but I imagined at least as many steamy little details as I know about you in real life!" He stroked her bush gently through her panties as he explained. "Including what I wanted to believe she looked like in the nude."

Elizabeth allowed a relieved sigh. "I suppose this teacher of yours was as hairy as I am," she said with a chuckle.

"Nearly," Jonathan allowed. "And nearly as fond of sex as well." He now had her panties off and was running his fingers gently through her large triangle while Elizabeth squirmed in pleasure at his touch. "I say, Elizabeth, did you never have a male teacher – or some adult in your life – at that age to whom you were attracted?"

Elizabeth dissolved into quiet but salacious laughter, as she recalled the butler's young assistant her parents had hired the year before she had been sent off to school. "Mr. Penton," she recalled. "I do not believe I ever even knew his first name, yet somehow I knew all about what his body looked like underneath that crisp uniform of his. I knew just how long his cock was, and how thick it grew when hard, and...well, those were the days when I believed all adults were ever so hairy down below as I already was by then – this was before I was aware of how unusual I was, you will recall – and I would imagine him disrobing casually for me to admire, and maybe even let me touch it...oh, dear, and Thomas probably imagines me doing such things for him all the time!"

"And so what if he does, Elizabeth?" Jonathan reassured her. "This Mr. Penton never did anything inappropriate with you, did he?"

"True, he did not," Elizabeth agreed. "And I would never be inappropriate with Thomas."

"Then there is no harm done. Indeed, Elizabeth, perhaps it is best that he has you to practice growing up on from a safe distance."

"Jonathan, that's a perfectly lovely thought!"

"Perfectly lovely is correct," Jonathan whispered in her ear, and simultaneously he eased his middle finger into her perpetually hungry vagina.

Elizabeth felt her breath catch in her throat as she lay back on her bed and indulged in his expert inner massage. There were no more thoughts of the children – or of me, I suppose – as he rubbed her slowly and teasingly into a lather. "Oh, Jonathan...ohhhhhhhhh!" She wriggled in delight as his fingers disappeared into her lush bush time and again, only to reappear glistening wet a moment later. She opened her eyes but once, to be satisfied with the sight of his fully-engorged cock at the ready. That only increased her hunger as she feasted on his gentle fingers.

Just as Elizabeth's moans were reaching their telltale fevered pitch, Jonathan slipped his fingers inside and held them still. Her ecstasy turned to sweet frustration, she opened her eyes to see him grinning innocently at her. "You marvellous torturer, you!" she exclaimed, squeezing her inner muscles around his still-unmoving fingers.

"Why, thank you!" Jonathan slipped his fingers out, a sensation that was pleasant but too slight to satisfy her longing; and he climbed atop her.

With a relieved sigh, Elizabeth took his cock in her hands and guided him in. With a satisfied grunt, she whispered, "That was worth waiting for."

"I am ever so glad it was!" Jonathan whispered. But he was not done teasing Elizabeth. He pulled back nearly out, very, very slowly, and then eased back in just as slowly. Gazing lovingly into her eyes, with no sound but the rain against the windows, he continued to make love to her but an inch at a time. Gliding steadily, slowly, in and out, he went on for how long neither of them knew or cared.

With only Elizabeth's mellow moans to mark the time, Jonathan was nearly ready to graduate to a higher pace when she spoke at last. "Jonathan, this is beautiful!" she whispered. "Make it last forever!" And with that encouragement, he did not increase the pace one bit. The frustration of her just-missed orgasm now forgotten, Elizabeth indulged herself completely in the gentle sensation he was inspiring within her. The occasional further encouragement escaped her lips – "This is unbelievable...Never stop!" – but nothing else disturbed the magic in which they were enveloped.

Jonathan lasted so long he was tempted to look at the clock; but he knew better than to do so. He hoped – in vain towards the end – that Elizabeth would come, yet he knew it was unlikely at such a slow pace. For many minutes he was likewise in no danger of bringing the magic to a close; but inevitably, he did feel the gathering storm deep within his loins. Try as he might to put it off, his orgasm washed over him and he came to rest buried deep inside Elizabeth. When the moment arrived and he collapsed atop her, she threw her arms around him and all was quiet.

All was quiet for a moment or two, in any case, before Elizabeth broke the silence with her weeping.

Jonathan propped himself up on his elbows. "Elizabeth? What's the matter?"

"Sorry, Jonathan, no one has ever been that gentle before," she said through her tears of joy.

Realizing now that they were tears of joy, Jonathan pressed his body up close against hers once again, and she squeezed him as tightly as she could. There were no more words for several minutes.

But Jonathan suspected that Elizabeth, although delighted, was not finished. When at last he had rolled off her and onto his back, she confirmed as much with a playful hand around his now-soft cock. "Is the poor dear asleep already?" she cooed.

"It would appear not," Jonathan conceded, as he felt himself stiffening once again. Though he was now ready to sleep, he could hardly deny Elizabeth a second helping after such a wonderful session.

"How can I persuade you to take another round?" she wondered aloud, both of them knowing the rigidity in her hand rendered the point moot.

"It appears you needn't persuade me, now doesn't it?" Jonathan asked. And with no more words, Elizabeth climbed onto him and once again enveloped him.

She went at him just as hard and fast as he had been gentle in the earlier session. She rocked hard back and forth, even leaning back on her palms and moaning at the ceiling. Jonathan was tired, but not too tired to reach up and run his fingers merrily through her bush as he knew she loved, even reaching in with one thumb to graze her clitoris. Elizabeth yelped loudly at his touch, and ground hard into him as her belated, intense orgasm at last washed over her. Jonathan had no trouble in joining her moments afterward. Satisfied at last, Elizabeth lay down to kiss him, still clamping him within until she felt his erection receding, and soon they were fast asleep in a joyful jumble of arms and legs.

I, who knew none of what had transpired in Elizabeth's room, was caught unawares at breakfast the following morning when they both appeared in the doorway. Instinctively, I tore my gaze away and wished I had a newspaper to bury my face in. The discomfort was fleeting, for Elizabeth and Jonathan both joined me at the table with apologetic smiles. "Agnes, I am sorry," Elizabeth announced. "I believe you didn't tell Alex anything."

"You believe?" I was relieved, but still rather upset. "Does that mean you are sure?"

"Yes," Elizabeth said. "Completely. I still don't know just how she learned what she knew, but Jonathan and I have a good idea of it."

"How, then?" I asked. "If you wish me to forgive and forget, I'd like to know what bright idea came over you."

"The air ducts," Jonathan said. "We think she heard someone – maybe several someones – talking about Elizabeth in Mr. Marlston's office, from her room."

"Listening through the air ducts?" I asked. "Yes, that makes as much sense as anything. But I won't lie to you, Elizabeth: I am hurt."

"I do not blame you," Elizabeth said. "I truly don't."

"Just what has overcome all of us lately anyhow?" I demanded. "Suddenly we are all so angry at one another, and all for no good reason." After a pause, I conceded, "Okay, Benjamin has a good reason."

"But he's not angry at you," Jonathan countered. "Not anymore, in any event. I spoke to him yesterday."

Now, that was a relief! "He got my letter, then?"

"Yes, and he accepts your apology. And..." Jonathan looked around to ensure neither the children nor the servants were present to overhear him, and they were not. "...Well, Agnes, let's just say I saw his reaction when we talked of your fun with Irene and Elizabeth, and clearly he did not find it fully disagreeable."

It took me a moment to understand just what he meant, but in good time I made sense of it. We then shared a laugh and I enjoyed a jolt of titillation within.

"I think we are badly overdue for our retreat together," Elizabeth concluded. "Don't you both agree?"

"Completely," Jonathan and I said in unison.

The issue remained of Irene and Benjamin and their relationship. None of us wished to pry, of course, and at least we knew Benjamin knew and approved of Elizabeth's proposal. Though we had little doubt Irene would be open to joining us, none of us knew just how – or even if – to address her just then.

As usual, Elizabeth was more than up to the task. Unbeknownst to Jonathan and myself, she sent Irene an invitation to meet for lunch that day. Though Irene did not respond to the invitation, she did arrive unannounced shortly before noon. Because the secretary knew her well, she bade Irene see herself to Elizabeth's office. "Yes?" Elizabeth asked when the door opened, not looking up from her work.

"Erm, hello," Irene said, more nervous than she had ever felt with Elizabeth since their awkward first meeting in the baths.

"Irene!" Delighted, Elizabeth set down her drafting pencil and rushed around the desk to embrace her friend. "It has been far too long!"

"I'm sorry I did not respond to your invitation," Irene said, somewhat reluctantly returning the hug. "I was uncertain as to whether I was up to coming by today."

"That is perfectly all right," Elizabeth said.

"You say that, but I'm afraid there are some things you don't know about what went on while you and Jonathan were away," Irene told her.

"Agnes told us all about it," Elizabeth said as gently as she could.

"Oh, dear God!" Irene looked horrified in the instant Elizabeth could see her face, before she turned away and retreated behind Elizabeth's desk to stare out the window.

Elizabeth gave her friend the space she so clearly needed in that moment. But she addressed her from behind. "Irene, it is all perfectly all right as far as I am concerned. What you and Agnes did is none of my business, and I understand Benjamin has forgiven you both."

"Then Agnes did not tell you about...my private desires?"

"I am afraid she did, and I am most sorry she violated your trust, Irene. But I take no offense at your thoughts." She paused and hoped Irene would look back at her, but she did not. "Indeed," Elizabeth pressed on, "It sounds like great fun. For Benjamin and me both."

Irene still did not turn to look at her friend, but she did allow for a nervous laugh which slowly grew heartier and more comfortable. At long last, she did turn around. "I appreciate your open-mindedness, Elizabeth," she finally said. "I do, really. But I am absolutely mortified nevertheless."

"What have you to be mortified about, Irene?" Sensing it was now welcome, Elizabeth reached out and slowly took her friend in her arms. "How much time have we spent together at the baths? You knew my body before you knew my name, and we did have that night with Agnes!"

"Thank you, yes," Irene admitted. "But I still feel a poor excuse for a friend for not telling you myself. And it was most unfair to Benjamin as well."

"Have you spoken to Benjamin since you confessed to him?" Elizabeth asked.

Irene shook her head.

"Well, then," Elizabeth said, turning to lock the office door. "You will be delighted to know he and Jonathan had a chat about it at the baths yesterday, and the very idea had him harder than a rock."

Irene dissolved into relieved laughter. "What a lovely image that is! Lest you think I care only for women anymore, Elizabeth, I can assure you..."

"No explanation necessary, dear," Elizabeth told her. "I know perfectly well how fond you are of Benjamin and all parts of his body." It then occurred to her that Irene was the last of the gang to have no knowledge of her holiday plans. "And on that topic, Irene, there is a wonderful idea I had after Irene broke the news to me. We all had a rather unpleasant weekend, if the truth be told, and the more I think about it, the more I believe it is an idea whose time has come."

"What would that be?" Irene asked.

"A private retreat for the five of us, at the seashore perhaps."

"A private retreat?" Irene asked?

"Exactly what you are thinking," Elizabeth reassured her. "A chance for us all to clear the air, and act out any fantasy with which we are all comfortable. Sort of a last hurrah before Jonathan and I are married – and you and Benjamin should it come to that."

"He hasn't proposed," Irene said. "And now I'm not certain he ever will."

"Perhaps," Elizabeth told her. "But he has agreed to my proposal. So have Jonathan and Agnes. But if you are uncomfortable with it –"

"I'm not!" Irene said it so quickly and emphatically that soon they were both laughing together at her eagerness. "Thank you, no, I am most interested." After a comfortable lull in the conversation, she spoke up again. "Of course, this could change everything between us all, you know."
"That is part of the idea," Elizabeth said. "If our relationships are not strong enough to withstand ideas that have been lurking in all our minds, it is best that we learn of it now."

"Well said," Irene agreed. Then she grinned. "All of our minds?"

"I must confess, Irene, ever since Agnes spilled the beans, I have been imagining you with one hand in Benjamin's bush and one in mine."

Irene laughed again, but now it was a nervous laugh. "I am ever so humiliated at all that."

"There is no need to be," Elizabeth reassured her. Stepping back, she gathered her skirt up around her hips and stood facing her friend. "If you would care to practice a bit, you are most welcome," she said with the salacious grin she usually reserved for Jonathan.

"Elizabeth!" Irene exclaimed in a husky whisper, looking at the door.

"I locked it, didn't I?" Elizabeth reminded her.

Irene was torn; Elizabeth could see that, but she did not let her skirt back down.

Reluctantly at first, as if she were struggling to keep her hands at her side, Irene reached out. She looked her friend in the eye as if to ask was she quite sure. Seeing nothing but welcome in her face, Irene placed her hands on Elizabeth's hips and slid her panties down. Then, as if handling a delicate treasure, she reached her right hand into her bush. Lush and thick as ever, it was a bit matted from the panties, but Irene's touch had the hair fluffed back to its normal prominence in no time. Her fingers felt electrified with nervous delight as they frolicked at last in her friend's vast bush, and her titillation only grew as Elizabeth began to shake and laugh at her touch. "Is it too much?" Irene asked.

"Not at all!" Elizabeth said. "It's perfectly delightful! I may well need to tickle myself as well after you've gone, though; you're making me quite eager!"

Irene let her fingers dance all the way down to Elizabeth's cleft, and she found it was wet to the touch. She had little doubt that her own pussy was similarly lubricated by then, and the thought of lowering her trousers to let Elizabeth return the favour crossed her mind. But that seemed a bridge too far just yet, and so Irene contented herself with tickling Elizabeth's bush for the moment.

When she had Elizabeth squirming so much she was nearly feeling guilty, Irene forced herself to stop. Reverently she pulled Elizabeth's panties back up with both hands, amused at the idea of trying in vain to cover all her hair with the thin swath of fabric. "It's a good job you don't care about these not covering everything," she told Elizabeth.

"I do care about that, actually," Elizabeth confessed, adjusting them slightly before she let her skirt down at last. "But Jonathan doesn't seem to mind, so I accept it."

"Jonathan is a lucky guy," Irene said, leaning in to kiss Elizabeth's cheek. "Thank you for...this."

Irene found she needed to visit the water closet before she left the building; but it was not only to make water. In the makeshift privacy the stall offered, she quickly brought herself to an intense orgasm. She would have been more titillated still to know that Elizabeth was similarly engaged in the privacy of her still-locked office at precisely the same time.

Having still not heard directly from Benjamin, Irene took the bull by the horns and rang his doorbell that evening with a single red rose and a bottle of wine in her hand. He looked neither surprised nor angry when he opened the door.

"Come in," he said with a cordial smile. After shutting the door, he accepted the rose with a thank-you and went to the cupboard for a vase. "It's nice to see you again," he said, not unkindly.

"I understand Agnes has apologized to you," Irene said.

"Yes, and I have accepted. That goes for you, too, but I do wish we could have discussed all this beforehand."

"It was absolutely unplanned," Irene told him. "At least by me. I now know Agnes had been interested in an encounter for some time."

"Ever since you taught her to please herself."

"Evidently. Benjamin, I'm sorry I didn't tell you of that encounter either, but I assure you, on that occasion I never touched Agnes or Elizabeth."

Benjamin smiled for the first time. "But you wanted to touch Elizabeth. And me. At once."

"You've heard, I see," Irene said. "Little point in trying to keep secrets among our friends anymore, is there?"

"I must admit, Irene, I rather liked the idea myself when I heard it."

"So did Elizabeth," Irene said. "Speaking of whom, I should probably tell you, we had a bit of a tryst at her office today. I hope that's okay. I figured, since we are planning on that outing anyway..."

"Perfectly okay, I assure you," Benjamin said, though he looked less than delighted. "On one condition."

"You wish to have your turn with her as well, I suppose," Irene said.

"I love you dearly, Irene," Benjamin said. "But as we both acknowledged on that occasion at the hotel, Elizabeth and I do have a unique bond."

"I could not agree more," Irene said. "And yes, of course it is all right with me. It is only fair, after all."

Benjamin had settled himself on his bed by then. "But tell me one thing, Irene," he said. "Knowing what you now know about your interest in women as well as men, are you quite sure you love me?"

"Certain," Irene said. "Elizabeth and Agnes are friends – close friends, but only friends, just like Jonathan is. You have never been insecure about my friendship with him, have you?"

"He is your cousin," Benjamin reminded her.

Irene burst into embarrassed laughter. "Quite right. But yes, Benjamin. What I did with Agnes and Elizabeth was good fun, perhaps satisfying because it was finally being honest with myself about a matter that has eaten at me since I first started noticing boys. I started noticing girls, too, but I always told myself it wasn't really so. I now see it was. But it is you I love, and that is so much more than just good fun."

"I believe you," Benjamin said. But he made no move to act upon his declaration.

That evening, Benjamin made dinner for Irene and they shared her wine, and talked late into the evening. They talked of their past several months together, and of the future, and of life beyond Westfordshire City and where it might take one or both of them. But he never even touched her, and she followed his lead and kept to her side of the table as well. At half past ten, with the wine long gone, Irene was growing tired and she sensed she would not be welcome to stay the night. Masking her regret behind a smile, she stood up. "I guess I ought to be going home," she said with a forced smile. "Thank you for dinner."

Benjamin stood up. "It was my pleasure, Irene. I'll look forward to seeing you on...Saturday? Have they set a date for the outing?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll see you whenever the date is."

"Wonderful, then. Good night."

"Good night, Benjamin."

And neither of them made any attempt to contact the other for the remainder of that week.

With all five of us in favour of her proposal, Elizabeth lost no time in making plans for our weekend by the sea. An awkward but pleasant reunion with Irene and myself at the baths later that week confirmed that we all needed some time together in a safe place all our own. Although Irene and I got along fairly well, her news of the rocky reconciliation with Benjamin was unwelcome news. "I am so very sorry to hear of all this," Elizabeth told her gently after a recounting of it all. We were huddled together in one corner of the pool, just out of earshot of the boisterous regulars at the other end.

"Thank you, but perhaps it is just as well," Irene said. "Perhaps a line has been crossed." Irene then turned to me to see I was gazing apologetically at her, with no desire at that moment but to comfort my friend in any way I could. "I do not blame you, Agnes, I assure you. It does take two, after all."

"I suppose so," I concurred. "But I still feel horribly guilty over it all."

"You shouldn't."

"But I do."

Elizabeth cut in. "And that is exactly why we need to get out of the city for a bit, now isn't it? To work all these things out among us all?"

"I do miss how perfectly comfortable things were," Irene admitted. "That in-the-baths feeling, it's gone, even here in the baths, and I can only hope we can reclaim it."

"Is it really, though?" I asked, wading out a bit into the water so they both had a better view of my body. I was rewarded with admiring looks from both of my friends.

"Ah, I can hardly wait to have some gentle fun with you," Elizabeth said. "But I do hope you realize this could change things between us."

"Things already have changed," Irene said. "Like it or not."

We were set to leave on Saturday. There was one order of business before then: Alexandria was off to school on Friday. On Thursday evening, Uncle asked Elizabeth and me for a word in his study. This, of course, afforded us a marvellous opportunity to test our theory regarding Alexandria's eavesdropping. However, neither of us broached that subject immediately as Uncle poured three glasses of whiskey for us, accompanying the gesture as usual with an expression of amazement at how women could drink like men these days. "I can cut yours with water if you'd prefer, Agnes," he said. There was no need to ask Elizabeth; he knew she took her drinks straight.

"That won't be necessary, thank you," I told him, accepting the glass from him. Then, as brazenly as I dared, I said, "I take it this concerns Alexandria?" I looked up at the vent near the ceiling, and saw Elizabeth doing the same.

"Indeed it does," Uncle said, sitting down at his desk and nodding at us to have a seat in the chairs before him. "I suspect I owe one or both of you an apology. I do not know what my daughter may have told either of you, but judging from the scuttlebutt I have been able to piece together from my other children and their nurse, she has been most ungracious towards all your efforts to soothe her apprehension regarding her departure for school. I had hoped you would be able to reach her in a way her mother and I could not, one young woman to another. But I suppose I underestimated her determination to be miserable. She is her mother's daughter in that regard, I am afraid."

Elizabeth was, as usual, both gracious and in control of the situation. With another knowing glance at the vent, she said, "There is no need to apologize. In all sincerity, it may well be for the best that Alex brings her current attitude to school with her."

"What on earth do you mean?" Uncle asked. I silently wondered the same – for the moment.

"Well," Elizabeth began, "As you know, I was also sent off to boarding school at her age. I was not world-weary like Alexandria, though. I was a naïve little girl who anticipated a lovely time at school rather than the harsh, cold reality that greets new students upon their arrival. Now, as you may already be aware, sir, I was bullied relentlessly at school."

"How would I know that?" Uncle asked. I must credit him with betraying no indication that he did know.

"Perhaps I should apologize to you now," Elizabeth continued gingerly, "But I have found that rumours often reach the wrong ears in this house, and some of your business associates have known me right well at one time or another. You are, of course, too much of a gentleman to comment on such things, and I thank you for that; but I have no way of knowing which of my secrets may have reached your ears."

"I confess that I have received information that ought not be repeated in polite company," Uncle replied. "But I have heard of nothing that might have inspired bullying in your younger years. In any event, your private life is none of my business and I have always made every effort to treat it as such."

"Yes, thank you," Elizabeth acknowledged. "As I was saying, then, I was bullied horribly at school. I am afraid the fact that I had anticipated such a lovely time only made reality all the worse to cope with. Had I been expecting a horrible time as little Alex is, well, I should at least have not been disappointed!" She allowed a mild laugh, as we both hoped Alexandria was listening in. "She expects the worst, clearly, so at the very least what she does find will be no worse than her expectations."

"At best, perhaps she will be among the bullies," I added.

"Why should that be best?" Uncle asked.

"It is very much in keeping with her attitude of late, is it not?" Elizabeth suggested.

"Quite," Uncle admitted. "She has certainly succeeded in spreading her misery here, has she not? Why should we keep such things all to ourselves here at home?"

By now we were all laughing. "And she is quite good at it, isn't she?" I said.

"I knew a bully or two myself in my time," Uncle said. "Perhaps it is best that she gets it out of her system early on. I can only hope she will grow out of it; we have all done all we could to help, haven't we?"

We clinked glasses and drank up. Just as Elizabeth and I were taking our leave, Uncle had one more question. "I say, Elizabeth, just what was the cause of the bullying you suffered? I cannot think of anything sufficiently unusual about you that I have ever been aware of."

Elizabeth had, I knew, long anticipated and dreaded Uncle broaching that subject. But she handled it beautifully: "It is something the loose-lipped young men who know me might have mentioned to you. If they have not, I assure you it is not something you wish to hear."

"Quite right," Uncle agreed, betraying not whether he was aware of her reference. "But do tell me, is it something Alexandria can also expect?"

"I doubt it," Elizabeth said. "She has never given me any indication that she knows or loves herself in the way I did before the other girls discovered my secret."

"I see," said Uncle, though I suspected he did not.

Once Elizabeth and I were safely away on the stair, I asked, "Just what did you mean about knowing and loving yourself?"

Elizabeth looked around to be sure we were alone. Quietly she explained, "I used to love knowing how different I was, before the girls at school made me feel so hideous about it. I would be willing to predict Benjamin would tell you the same about himself. Alex has never – and recall, I have known her since well before she was old enough for this to be an issue at all – she has never given me any indication that she has any such fondness for her own body. It's sad, really, and you are probably correct that it will inspire her to be a bully. But at least you and I can say we tried to instil a better attitude in her."

"Do you think she was listening to our conversation?" I asked.

"Every word, I hope," Elizabeth said.

The next morning, we discovered that she most probably had been listening. Appearing late at breakfast in her best frock, her hair tied back so tightly it looked painful, she gave every indication of having been in tears quite recently; but her eyes were now dry. After a cursory greeting to her parents, she strode to the corner table where Elizabeth and I were enjoying our tea and fruit. We looked up, speechless, as she approached.

"Agnes? Elizabeth? I owe you both an apology."

"Well, yes, Alexandria, you do," Elizabeth said in a polite but firm tone. "But it's good of you to acknowledge as much. I do hope you also apologize to your father for listening to his private conversations."

Alexandria's eyes grew wide as saucers. "You knew I was..."

"We made an educated guess," I said. "But that does not mean we didn't really mean every word we said about you last night."

"You are a first-rate bully, Alexandria," Elizabeth said. "But you also have it entirely in your power to change that if you do not like it, you know."

"That is why I came to apologize to you," Alexandria admitted. "I see now that I bullied you, and that is not what I wish to be known for in my new life, however it may be for me from now on." Now her eyes grew moist. "I promise you, Elizabeth, I will never bully any girl at school, whatever I may think of the lot of them. I will prove to you that I can change."

"Well, that's wonderful," Elizabeth said. She reached out and gave Alexandria's hand a squeeze. "I forgive you." Alexandria looked hopeful that Elizabeth or I might stand up and embrace her; but neither of us was feeling that much forgiveness. "I think you will find, if you can keep this new attitude of yours, you will enjoy school a lot more than you think you will, you know," Elizabeth added.

"Thank you, and I will try!" Alexandria promised, smiling through her disappointment that we remained seated. "I promise." She turned to join her parents at their table, then reconsidered. "One last question, Elizabeth, since you know I heard everything last night anyway, and I do want to know how to avoid subjecting anyone to the abuse you suffered...just what was it you would not tell Father, that you were bullied over?"

"That is no more your business than his," Elizabeth told her. "But I shall tell you this: you will be living in close proximity to your schoolmates, with limited privacy, and you are likely to be seeing one another in various states of undress now and then. Remember that we are all different in one way or another, and differences can be hard to hide when you are in the nude. No one deserves to be subjected to abuse over the natural state of her body."

Alexandria looked Elizabeth up and down, clearly in a state of desperate curiosity as to just what she referred to. But she said only, "Thank you, I shall remember that," and then she was off.

"Then she doesn't know after all," I said.

"Or she only wanted to hear me say, 'Who, me? Oh, I have a hairy pussy,'" Elizabeth said, so quietly I had to lean in to hear her; and then we both burst into naughty laughter.

Elizabeth and I were off to the office shortly afterward, and so were spared any long goodbyes for Alexandria. This was most definitely a relief, for although we appreciated her apology, neither of us was terribly sorry to see her go. She would be home in four months for Christmas in any event, and, Elizabeth predicted, "Rather a sadder but wiser girl then. If so, then I shall be able to forgive her completely."

"How will you know she is sincere, though?" I asked. "She could be bullying the fat girl or the short girl or the hairy girl and we would never know if she tells you the right thing when she gets home."

"A true bully doesn't have the shame to hide it," Elizabeth replied. "Believe me, we will know."

I was not persuaded, but I did not care to argue with Elizabeth about a topic she knew so intimately and painfully.

Elizabeth spent that night at Jonathan's flat, so I was on my own for the journey to the train station the next morning. It was a hazy late summer day, perfect weather for a trip to the seashore, and I was fairly bursting with anticipation of what was to come. But I also felt a touch of melancholy as the streetcar approached the station, for reasons I could not quite place. As the station grew into view, I realized exactly why; but I smiled through my unpleasant realization until I found my friends waiting on the platform.

Irene and Benjamin were holding hands chastely, but looking cheerful at least. Elizabeth and Jonathan were, of course, as tight as ever. "Good morning," they all chorused. "Ready for the holiday of a lifetime?" Benjamin asked, somewhat to my surprise.

"I certainly am," I said. Then, since Benjamin seemed not to mind, I whispered in his ear, "Can't wait to see you naked, dear."

"Nor I you," he said, and I was rewarded with a sultry grin. Irene did not ask what we had said; perhaps she had guessed it.

"Are you okay, Agnes?" Elizabeth asked. Leave it to her to see through my brave face!

"Oh, I'm wonderful," I said. "It is only...I just realized on the way here, the last time we were all at the train station together..."
"The day we saw Edward off," Jonathan said. "That's right, I hadn't given that any thought."

"Well, you wouldn't, would you?" I asked. "You didn't nearly marry the man."

"But aren't you glad you didn't!" Irene reminded me in no uncertain terms.

I had to admit that I was glad, and then she continued. It had, in any case, been a lovely day, Edward so eager for his new life overseas and I relieved to be shutting the door on a very difficult chapter of my life. I had, by that time, had several weeks to realize fully just how poorly matched Edward and I had been and how much better romance would be with a man who could and would love me for who I really was. Perhaps that was why the memory was a less than pleasant one today: besides the unwelcome reminder of losing my lifelong companion forever, I also now realized that after all these weeks and months, there was still no one new.

On our return trip, I would be grateful for that in a way. But that was yet to be seen on that morning just before the train rolled in.

As soon as we were settled in our private compartment, Elizabeth revealed to me that they had all wondered if I might not show up. "We would certainly have understood if you had developed cold feet in the end," she reassured me. "But none of us expected you to be the last one to arrive."

"I wouldn't miss this for all the world," I said. "I suppose I just wanted to look good for the occasion." It had, I now realized, taken me rather a long time to choose my dress for the trip. But the short bright yellow one I had ultimately selected was quite flattering and fitting for the cheerful occasion. Elizabeth and, to my surprise, Irene were similarly attired, while Jonathan and Benjamin were both wearing loose cotton trousers and wonderfully tight short-sleeved shirts. We did make an attractive bunch, even on a casual holiday. As the train raced on, so did my imagination with wonder at whether anyone else aboard might guess what we five had planned for the weekend.

Of course, even we had no definite plans. That was part of the fun!

The others were as nervous as I was. This I could tell because of the unusually subdued conversation, which did not rise above small talk for well over an hour. The atmosphere was punctuated only by first Elizabeth and then Jonathan stepping out to visit the water closet. Irene, to my surprise, did not tease them about it as she normally would have; perhaps word of Jonathan's testy response to Benjamin's needling had reached her ears.

Naturally, it was Elizabeth who at last found a way to break the ice. After an especially long period of silence, she broke into a quiet laugh. "I do not know whether to feel flattered or offended here," she declared. "Here we are on our way to a holiday where our main end is sexual abandon with me at the centre for some of you, and you're acting more like we are on our way to a funeral!"

Benjamin, perhaps the most morose of us up to that point, joined in the laughter and took Elizabeth's hand. I glanced at Jonathan just long enough to see that he made no objection, and turned back just in time to see Benjamin add his contribution. "Well, Elizabeth, there may be some concerns about getting lost in our hair, after all."

"That should be great fun for us, though, shan't it?" Elizabeth rejoined, and she kissed Benjamin on the cheek.

"For us too!" Irene admitted. "Wouldn't you say, Agnes?"

"I am most afraid I forgot my handheld mirror," I confessed. "Should I be lost in there, I hope you shall hear my screams!"

"They are most fortunate that we already love them, aren't they, Benjamin?" Elizabeth asked.

"As are we that they love us," Benjamin said, and the look of relief on Irene's face at that moment was palpable. "I say, it is most regrettable that things have been so uncomfortable of late just because of a moment's weakness that I think we have all had at one time or another."

"Oh, Ben, thank you!" Irene said. "I do hope this is a wonderful experience for us all, and especially for you!"

Jonathan had not said a word, and so I looked at him. He was grinning and not looking at all left out, and at that moment it occurred to me that there was no reason why he should. I was just as eager to play with him as with the others, after all! In the event that he was hiding his disappointment behind a smile, I reached over and rubbed his leg playfully, and uncrossed my legs to allow him a preview. He looked down and smiled appreciatively, and I couldn't help but recall what Elizabeth had told me about their tryst on the train just a couple of weeks before. The temptation seized me to stand up and take my panties off as Elizabeth had done then; but then Jonathan might deduce that Elizabeth had been sharing such intimate details with me.

But then, weren't we there to share such things in any event?

I very nearly did stand up and take the initiative, and I have little doubt Elizabeth and Irene would have followed suit. But in light of our short skirts and the often-gusty winds at the seaside, my better judgment got the best of me...barely.

We were, therefore, still all fully clothed and in great spirits when at last the train arrived. It also seemed my gesture to Jonathan was most appreciated, as he embraced me eagerly as soon as we were all off the train. "I am ever so glad you and Irene created a need for this outing!" he said to me, and kissed me on the cheek.

"Well, thank you!" I said, and cast a nervous look at Elizabeth, only to see she clearly did not object. Rather, she was gazing out at the beach and the waves, just down the hill from the station. The beach was dotted with fellow revellers, but it was not overly crowded despite the hot and beautiful afternoon.

"Come on, let's get ourselves settled and changed!" she told us. "I can hardly wait to get in that water."

"Nor I," Benjamin added, and taking up Irene's suitcase along with his own, he set off toward our hotel. We had been fortunate enough to find a suite in a lovely hotel just across the street from the beach; evidently there had been rumours of a storm that weekend that had not come to fruition.

On the walk to the hotel, I whispered to Elizabeth my earlier thoughts of us going barebottom on the train. She laughed with me and said, "Oh, my darling, you should have done it! I would have joined you, and I imagine Irene would have as well!"

"Doesn't the wind here concern you?" I asked.

"You forget how accustomed I am to people in general knowing that particular secret of mine," Elizabeth replied, putting her arm around me for a friendly squeeze. "There is no greater freedom than being unashamed of your body!"

Checking in was no more efficient or less boring than it ever is at any hotel (though in those days I had fairly little experience in that regard; how that was to change!). But the staff were courteous and quick in carrying our luggage upstairs to our suite; and what a lovely suite it was! Three bedrooms (I had the centre one, the smallest of course) linked to a sitting area with a lovely view of the sea, and at the far end, a shower-bath chamber complete with a private tub large enough for us all. I needed only to look at the others to determine if this was like the one they had once shared before I met them; Irene replied with a silent nod. She looked ready to take a dip immediately; but Elizabeth was set on the beach first, and I found I preferred that to the main event as well.

Another awkward silence as we all stood fully clothed in our private sitting room. This time it was Benjamin who broke the silence. "Well, then, let us all retire to dress, and then off to the beach!" Amid mildly relieved tacit agreement that the time was not yet right for our intimate encounter, we all did as he said.

With the sun streaming pleasantly into my little bedroom, I tamped down my mild jealousy at being the only one who would be changing without an audience. It would, after all, be soon. Upon removing my panties, I found the anticipation had left me quite well-lubricated, and I was tempted to throw myself upon the bed then and there for a quick round of fun. But I did not wish to hold up the party, even if I would have enjoyed the kick of knowing they would surely guess the reason for my tardiness! And so I continued undressing and then pulled on my bathing suit. An elegant emerald-green one-piece model that I had purchased just for the trip, it framed my bust and hips deliciously. It also somehow managed to just hide my bush, which, though smaller than Elizabeth's, was large enough to have me believing up to that moment that I could never wear such a revealing suit. Seeing now that it did cover all the essentials, I felt thrilled in my daring at revealing as much as it did!

Eagerly I stepped back out into the sitting room, only to find I likely could have gotten away with masturbating first after all. The other doors remained closed, and once again I longed to be sharing the moment with someone! At least there was not long to wait, as Irene and Benjamin emerged not long after I had, she in a red suit not unlike mine and he in beautifully small and tight trunks that left little indeed to my wild imagination. He clearly was equally thrilled at the sight of me, and our eyes met in pleasant embarrassment before I allowed another look at his hairy, muscular chest. Tonight would be such fun!

The three of us set about donning the dressing gowns provided by the hotel for the walk to the beach while we waited for Elizabeth and Jonathan. I had just finished tying the sash of mine when they emerged, Jonathan looking just as ravishing to me as Benjamin had been while Elizabeth wore a black suit with a skirt for modesty – naturally there had not been a swimsuit in all Westfordshire City that could have hidden her pubes without one. As if to remind us all that she had nothing to be ashamed of in spite of that, Elizabeth opted not to wear a robe. "So silly of all of you to hide in your clothes when we're going to be frolicking about half-naked out there anyway!" she teased as she opened the suite door for us, no one daring to point out that she was dressed more modestly than any of us beneath our robes!

It is easy for me to forget now how new the outside world really was to me in those early days of my friendship with Elizabeth. Though I was by this time quite comfortable with going nude in the pools back in Westfordshire, wearing my bathing suit on the beach was something else again. As I let my robe drop and stood there in my skintight green suit, I looked around me and enjoyed the naughty rush I felt while my friends all ran off into the waves. Plenty of men gave me the eye, of course, and I felt beautiful.

At least one of the men who admired me found me beautiful as well, for he lost no time in ambling over from his blanket to make my acquaintance. I was soon to learn, of course, that the most forward of men are often the least desirable; but as I have said, I was rather naïve as of that day. I was, at least, soon to learn a valuable lesson when the dapper young man with the handlebar moustache approached me. "Good afternoon, madam!" he said in a posh accent so unlike mine in those days. "My name is Leroy, and I can tell you are new to this area."

"Well, hello, Leroy," I said in my best flirtatious voice, for he was quite attractive at that moment: topless, his broad chest well-bronzed by the sun, and his tight shorts left very little to the imagination as to what he thought of me. "I'm Agnes, and yes, this is my first visit." I presented my hand, and his moustache tickled me pleasantly when he kissed it.

"Do you know how I can tell?" he asked, still eyeing me shamelessly up and down, but I did not object because I was doing the same to him. "You have the air of one who is not yet jaded. Not like your friends who all ran straight for the surf; you wanted a few moments to drink in the scene and bask in the beauty you added to it. And that's wonderful, Agnes."

I struggled not to laugh, for he seemed so sincere! "You sound like my former fiancé," I told him instead. "He was an artist, always talking about everything the way you just did."

"Your former fiancé?" Leroy asked. "If he could not see the artistic value in you, he was a fool indeed!"

"Oh, that was not quite his problem," I said, setting off now for the water and my friends, for I was quickly growing irritated with Leroy. But he followed along like a puppy might, and so I continued talking. "He certainly was able to see the beauty of the female form, if that is what you are wondering. He painted three beautiful paintings of my friend Elizabeth, two of them nudes."

"Dear God, he left you for this Elizabeth?" Leroy asked.

"Hardly! She is happily engaged to someone else, and they are both among my friends that you saw run for the waves." I pointed at Elizabeth and Jonathan, who were splashing each other joyfully in the tide.

"Elizabeth, then, is the one in black?" Leroy asked. "Ah, yes, the one who hadn't time to shave for the holiday. But I understand we are sometimes too busy for grooming properly nowadays."

I stopped cold in the damp sand and glared at Leroy. "What, exactly, makes you believe she 'forgot to shave', and what business is that of yours?" I demanded.

"Madam, I am here throughout the season. In these days of ever-more-revealing swimwear, I simply know what it means when a woman wears a suit with a skirt like your friend has. There is no shame in that; it is just the way things work. I am sure she made a lovely painting subject when she did have the time to groom properly." And then, demonstrating once and for all that he had misread my reaction most utterly, he took my hand again and rubbed it between both of his. My inclination was to tear it away and perhaps even slap him, but I did not wish to make a scene. Besides, it occurred to me immediately after tamping down my instincts, Elizabeth would surely want the opportunity to put him in his place. And so I smiled and feigned approval while he continued. "In any event, whatever came between you and your former fiancé, I must confess I feel most fortunate to learn that he is that, and I should like to hear more about your friends' penchant for nude paintings besides! Would you do me the honour of joining me for a swim?"

For the sole reason that I hoped to arrange a confrontation with Elizabeth and the others, I consented to his taking my hand and leading me into the water. By then my friends had all spotted us, and were looking on shamelessly at my new acquaintance. I would rather have been frolicking about with them; but at least the crashing of the water meant Leroy could no longer make the situation even worse with his mouth. Instead, articulation gave in to silly screeches and laughs from us both as we splashed about. I was not at all surprised the first time Leroy "accidentally" touched my breast; but I was alert enough to make certain there was no second time.

Before long, of course, the others found their way over to us, and introductions were in order. "Elizabeth, I presume," Leroy declared when she appeared at our side with Jonathan close behind. "Agnes has been a most ardent defender of your honour in your absence, I must assure you." Then, to Jonathan: "And you must be the fortunate fiancé?"

"I am, and exactly what has Agnes been compelled to defend regarding her honour?" Jonathan demanded, while Elizabeth looked at me in disbelief of my new 'friend's' comment.

"My good man, it is a topic that is not to be discussed in polite company, and from one gentleman to another I am quite certain you know that of which I speak." I was beginning to wonder if Leroy wanted us all to despise him. He was certainly doing an admirable job to that end.

Jonathan was still looking flabbergasted and groping for an appropriate response when Irene and Benjamin arrived at our side. "Agnes, have you got a new friend already?" Irene asked cheerfully, having of course not yet been exposed to Leroy's regrettable personality.

"Indeed she has," Leroy declared, offering his hand to her and then, less willingly, to Benjamin. "I am afraid she told me Elizabeth's name but not yours, my dear," he added, thus striking to the heart of Irene's frequent sense of feeling overshadowed by Elizabeth. I was left to marvel at how any human being could be so adept at saying precisely the wrong thing at every turn in such a short span of time!

"Is that so," Irene said in a clipped tone. "Yes, well, Elizabeth has been on Agnes' mind a great deal of late." She flashed me a stern look, and much of that morning's goodwill was instantly undone for me. Fortunately, I managed to shake my head "no" while Leroy was assessing Benjamin and inquiring as to whether he and Elizabeth were related. Irene looked mollified, but Benjamin looked set to shove Leroy under the waves at that point, a sentiment for which I did not blame him.

Elizabeth, who after all was exceptionally experienced in coping with extremely tactless people, spoke up then with a smile I could tell was forced. "Leroy, I am terribly sorry, but this holiday is intended for us to reconnect as friends and enjoy some quality time together. That requires some privacy, as I am certain you understand, so –"

"Need say no more, my friend!" Leroy proclaimed. "You wish for a more secluded place than the beach. I know just the thing! Beyond that rock over there –" he pointed to a boulder protruding from the sand a hundred yards or so behind us, behind which the sand disappeared around a bend – "there is a tidal pool that forms when the tide is low as it is now. The sun warms the water delightfully and one feels just like bathing in an outdoor heated tub. It is one of the best-kept secrets of the locals, my friends. Shall we meander there?"

I will always and forever regret that I was not looking at Elizabeth and Jonathan at that moment, and so I will never know if they exchanged knowing looks. Given what was to happen next, though, I must assume they did. As it was, though, we were all beyond surprised when Elizabeth said, "Yes, Leroy, that is a delightful idea. Let us go."

"But Elizabeth..." Irene began.

"I said let us go!" Elizabeth repeated. "I want very much to see this natural pool of Leroy's. Indeed, I think Jonathan and I both are in rather a hurry to see it."

Irene did not look convinced, but something about our friend's tone settled the matter, and off we walked through the low tide. Elizabeth and Jonathan led the way, walking briskly hand in hand, while Irene and Benjamin followed them. After a moment's hesitation, they also held hands. I brought up the rear, my arms folded over my breasts both to prevent Leroy from staring at them and to disabuse him of any idea that I might also let him hold my hand. Showing no signs of being put off, he splashed his way alongside us, sprinting up to chat Elizabeth up and then dropping back to take his turn by my side. "My old man owns a spread just inland, you know," he prattled. "Cost him a pretty penny when he got back from the service, but it's such a great location. Perfect for lounging about the beach all the time while I wait for my boat to come in. Literally and figuratively, I mean, you'll understand. No telling what the world is going to bring me sooner or later, after all!"

Perhaps it was my imagination that Elizabeth and Jonathan picked up their pace as we approached the big rock. But it was all to make sense later on that perhaps they really did. The view out onto the endless sea and the mystery just beyond the rock were worth putting up with Leroy's nonsense in any event, I had to admit, though I did wonder why on earth Elizabeth had given in.

The promised secluded pool was deserted, and it was all Leroy had promised. Formed of a few rocks smoothed out by millennia of tides and a natural rise in the ground at just the right angle from the water, it was full of salty water trapped from the receded waves, warmed by the sun to feel like an outdoor bath. If one didn't mind the seaweed-laden banks, the view of the ocean and the now-setting sun was magnificent.
Elizabeth, for one, definitely did not mind the seaweed. "Oh, Leroy, you are quite right," she said, sliding into the warm water. "This is indeed delightful." The water was murky, but not so murky that everyone including Leroy could fail to see the skirt of her bathing suit billow up and reveal the rarely-kept secret of her pubic hair. Naturally, Leroy made no effort to hide his repulsion at the sight; but Jonathan had already joined Elizabeth with a sigh of approval and a hearty invitation to join them.

"Erm...well, yes, of course," Leroy conceded. Gingerly he stepped into the water, positioning himself at an angle from Elizabeth; anyone could see he wished to avoid having to take any further notice of her peeping pubes. Equally unsurprising was the way he looked at me immediately after he was settled. "Surely you will be joining us, Agnes?" he asked, one arm held up to his side where I was apparently supposed to have some desire of sliding in.

I tried to smile through my discomfort, and wracked my brain in search of a plausible excuse.

"Oh, Leroy, I am afraid Agnes has some private affairs to attend to with Irene and Benjamin," Elizabeth said. "Perhaps the three of them can wander off into the surf and address the matter, and join us a bit later."

"Thank you, Elizabeth," I said, though I had no earthly idea what she may have been alluding to. I could see in Irene's eyes that she was similarly mystified but grateful. "Sorry, Leroy, I could not think of a polite way to extricate myself, but Elizabeth is quite good at such things."

"Indeed," mumbled Benjamin. "Come, then, ladies?" And so we did.

As soon as we were beyond Leroy's earshot, I asked, "I do not suppose either of you has any idea what Elizabeth was on about?"

"I do not," Irene said, "But I trust she has a plan and we shall be delighted with it once it is done with."

"In any event, we certainly owe her our thanks for allowing an escape from your new friend, Agnes," Benjamin said. "Dare I ask what attracted you to him?"

"Absolutely nothing, I assure you. I am merely guilty of having been a bit liberal in returning a friendly greeting. Of all the men on the beach..."

"We have all been telling you, Agnes, there will be other men who are right for you," Irene said. "I suppose we neglected to tell you there will be many others who are not."

Irene and Benjamin were soon splashing about like the old friends they nearly were; seeing no discomfort in the atmosphere, I joined them. Our wild abandon lasted perhaps ten minutes, during which all of the angst of the preceding weeks and months was wonderfully absent. The knowledge of what Irene and I had done, of what Edward and I were never to do, were present only as one remembers a dream as we enjoyed ourselves like children in the pleasant shallow water. As for concerns that Leroy would see we were not in fact taking ourselves seriously at all, I do not believe any of the three of us cared in the least.

Indeed, the first and last thing we heard from Leroy was a stern, exaggerated "Right, then!" in response to which the three of us saw him climb out of the pool and storm off without a proper goodbye. The battle being won, we set off back up the beach just as Elizabeth and Jonathan were emerging from the pool.

"Aren't you going to stay and let us join you?" Irene asked.

"Oh, you do not want to go in that water, Irene, I assure you of that!" Elizabeth said. "And we won't be going back in until after the tide has come and gone."

"Oh, surely Leroy couldn't have been as bad as all that!" Benjamin remarked, though he did follow their advice and abstain from slipping into the pool.

"No indeed," Jonathan said. "He was not. One tasteless remark about Elizabeth's...well, you know, and when I told him in great detail how much I appreciated it, well, the man was absolutely deflated. Tried to treat it all as a joke, he did, but he certainly left in a hurry when I didn't laugh."

"But not before we gave him his just deserts," Elizabeth added, beaming as she took Jonathan's arm and squeezed it.

"But what has all that to do with not wanting to go in the water?" I asked.

"Or is it just that the two of you need a break?" Irene asked. "I suppose one or both of you are dying to go to the water closet, is that it?"

Elizabeth and Jonathan looked at one another and burst into nervous-sounding laughter. "Why, I don't need to go at all," Elizabeth said rather too innocently.

"Nor I," agreed Jonathan, "But I must say I am in rather dire need of a hot shower."

"As am I, and soon," Elizabeth said.

They were both roaring with laughter by the time Irene, Benjamin and I all understood. Instinctively we all stepped away from the tidal pool. "Elizabeth, that is perfectly disgusting!" Irene declared, though she was struggling not to laugh.

"Yes, but ever so well-deserved," Jonathan said, turning back towards our hotel; we all followed his lead. "And just think, our friend Leroy will never even know."

I was morbidly curious. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you ever communicate about this plan without Leroy knowing?"

"Do you recall when Elizabeth suggested she and I were both in a hurry to see the pool?" Jonathan asked.

"And of course you both knew what that really meant," Irene said.

"I am rather surprised you did not also read between the lines, Irene," Elizabeth said. "You are ever so quick with a joke on that particular topic, after all. In any event, yes, we both were of one mind on the matter. Once you three were off and Leroy was making an ass of himself, it was simply a matter of choosing the right moment. When he started lecturing me about grooming, Jonathan looked over at me and we both nodded, and that was that."

"Remind me, Irene, never to follow in your footsteps with teasing Elizabeth and Jonathan about their tea-drinking!" I said. I was rewarded with a round of laughs that, I could only hope, might have caught Leroy's attention if he were still lurking about in the crowd.

We collected our robes back at our initial site, although I chose to follow Elizabeth's lead and not wear mine; I was finding I rather enjoyed showing off my body in the green bathing suit. My heart was aflutter with excitement as we strode back to the hotel, our conversation addressing everything except what we were about to do. No need, after all, to talk about what we already knew; the time was clearly right!

An awkward lull was perhaps inevitable, and it finally arrived as Irene was unlocking the door to our suite. "Well then," she said, looking at Elizabeth and Jonathan, "I suppose the two of you will be needing that shower straight away."

"Indeed," Jonathan said. "And if Elizabeth has no objection, you are all welcome to join us as you see fit."

I smiled shyly and said nothing, but my heart was very much aflutter with anticipation as I retired to my bedroom. Allowing myself no time to lose my courage, I peeled off my wet bathing suit as soon as the door was shut. Standing nude and hopeful just inside the door, I lay my hand on the doorknob; but I forced myself to count to a hundred and give Elizabeth and Jonathan a fair chance to wash off. After what they had done, I had no desire to share in that particular ritual. But my mind did run wild with a vision of them soaping one another up joyfully. Once again I longed for such companionship of my own; but the thought of Leroy joining our private affair was enough for me to defeat my self-pity. As I waited, I was quite tempted for a close look at my body in the mirror; but fortunately I resisted the temptation to give in to my insecurity. I did allow myself to run my fingers once through my bush to fluff out the matted hair as best I might, though I knew there was no hope of comparing to Elizabeth in that regard.

When I had finished counting, I held my breath and opened the door. Irene and Benjamin were evidently still in their room, while the shower was still audible in the bath chamber. Fancying myself as confident as Elizabeth at the baths, I stepped out into the common area and, surprised to realize I did not need to force a smile, walked briskly toward the sound of the steamy water and steamier sounds of Elizabeth and Jonathan.

The heady warm air enveloped my body in a delightful sensation as I stepped in, and I found myself remarkably devoid of self-consciousness as Jonathan looked up from his hands on Elizabeth's breasts to see me. He turned and afforded me my first look at a man's body, his adorable penis emerging from its modest garden of curls (which appeared smaller still in contrast to Elizabeth's wonderful forest) and growing turgid before my eyes as he admired my body. I smiled in silence and welcomed his admiring gaze. "Agnes! Welcome!" he called out.

Elizabeth gave me a similar welcome, but I had seen her in the nude countless times and was focused on Jonathan's beautiful hard cock, which seemed to be pointing directly at me now. I laughed at the wonderful sight, and Jonathan joined in. "I knew you would be beautiful," he purred as I joined them both in the hot spray.

"I have told you as much!" Elizabeth reminded him. With that she rubbed some liquid soap into my hair and was soon working up a pleasant lather. Sensing some inhibition on my part, she whispered, "Go ahead, I know you're dying to play with it!"

"And I am dying for you to do it, too," Jonathan reassured me. And so it was with no further ado that I took his hardness in both of my curious hands. I squeezed gently, and he sighed in approval. Then, recalling something I had overheard in the baths, I tickled the underside lightly. Jonathan wiggled and let out a throaty laugh. "Heavens, you're crafty for a beginner!" he exclaimed.

"Haven't I told you how remarkably easy it is to reduce a man to a bowl of jelly if you know how to handle his cock?" Elizabeth reminded me. By then she had her arms around me from behind and was rubbing my breasts gently. "I can't even tell you how many times at the baths I have wished I could do this, Agnes," she added.

"Or all the times since that day at the café when I have imagined Irene doing this to you," Jonathan added, and before I was fully aware of what was going on he had gently pushed two fingers inside me. Now it was my turn to squirm delightedly as he had just done at my touch. His fingers probed me gently, deliciously, and I allowed a joyful moan at both his touch and Elizabeth's on my breasts.

"He is remarkably good at that, isn't he?" Elizabeth asked, not a twinge of jealousy in her voice.

"Good God, he is!" I exclaimed. For all the very many times I had caressed myself, nothing was half so magical as the gentle touch of another. Particularly not that of one so reverent of a woman's body as Jonathan was; Elizabeth had told me as much, and now Jonathan was proving himself worthy of her esteem. I was nearly lost in the lovely waves of pleasure, but not quite so lost as to forget my own gentle rhythmic strokes on him.

"Well, I hope we are only a bit late to the party!" sang out Irene's voice behind me. Still enveloped between Elizabeth and Jonathan, I turned to see her and Benjamin joining us in the steamy spray.

"Indeed we have only just finished washing ourselves off," Elizabeth confirmed. "Welcome!" She turned and embraced both Irene and Benjamin, also kissing them in turn, to everyone's delight.

I was in no condition to offer a proper greeting, as Jonathan had by now worked me up to the brink of orgasm. When it at last arrived, I nearly lost my balance in the lovely moment that I put on such a loud expression of joy for all my friends; but a hand on my back steadied me. After the stars had stopped flashing in my eyes, I turned to see the hand belonged to Benjamin. "Thank you," I whispered, and then I drank in my first close look at his body. A bit taller and rather a lot hairier than Jonathan, yet just as delightfully vulnerable to my touch as I took him in the soft grip of my left hand. With Jonathan still clutched in my right, I found myself with two men at my mercy in the final moments of my virginity. I felt magnificent, and evidently looked it too as they both caressed my breasts and back gently while I stroked them. Elizabeth and Irene, meanwhile, were now locked in a passionate embrace, sharing a deep kiss ever so much like the one I had awakened to with Irene not so long before.

I had just enough time to imagine something of a contest between my two hands – nearly like milking the cows back on the farm, but ever so much more fun than that – before I felt Jonathan's hand clamp down rather harder on my right breast as he let out a yelp. Elizabeth and Irene turned to look just in time to see him squirt delightfully into the spray. "Lovely, darling!" Elizabeth said. "Hasn't she a magic touch?"

"I should say so!" Jonathan agreed, and he kissed me wetly on the cheek.

"Now we must help Benjamin along, mustn't we?" Elizabeth added. And so, like Irene before me, I was now allowed a close look at our two hirsute friends in proximity as Elizabeth rubbed her fingers up and down Benjamin's chest and even down into his pubes while I bore down rather harder than before with my left fist. "My, it feels queer to lose my fingers in someone else's bush like this," Elizabeth cooed. "Now I see why Jonathan loves it so!"

"So...do...I!" Benjamin grunted, as at last I brought him off just as triumphantly as I had with Jonathan. This brought applause from all as Benjamin slowly regained control, and finally rewarded me with a kiss on the mouth – deep, rewarding and just as I had always imagined Edward might one day do. Having now received that satisfaction from another man, I was yet another step removed from my hopeless childhood sweetheart, and thank heavens.

"Okay, everyone, let's rinse off and retire to the sitting room!" Irene suggested firmly, and none of us were averse to the recommendation.

We were a joyful, uninhibited cacophony of squeals and laughs as we dried one another off with the fresh white towels; and thanks to our foreplay there was no hesitating as we emerged into the suite. I stood by the door for only a moment before Elizabeth took charge. "Benjamin, dear," she said, reaching out her hand which he took, "I believe Irene wishes to tickle us, if you don't mind."

"I've been looking forward to it for quite some time, to tell you the truth," Benjamin agreed, and they stood side by side. Like Irene before me, I still could not decide which of the two was more pubically endowed; it was more than sufficient for me to conclude that they were both magnificent on display before us.

They did not remain on display for very long, for Irene lost no time in accepting their invitation. "I – I still cannot believe I allowed this secret to get out," she stammered, kneeling before them.

"We have no secrets this afternoon, Irene," Elizabeth admonished her.

I nearly felt Irene's rush vicariously as she touched their lower bellies with one hand each and then grazed her fingers downward into their bushes. "So amazing, both of you," she murmured, and slowly she began dancing her fingers about in the abundant hair. "Thank you so much for this!"

Benjamin was evidently the more ticklish of the two, for he began buckling his knees and laughing first. Elizabeth was not far behind, and soon they were hanging on to one another for balance and sharing a knowing look in one another's eyes as they laughed together. The look and the laugh led to a perfectly natural kiss that silenced their giggles at last, although Irene was still fingering them both mercilessly. Their erotic squirming had me longing for more release of my own; the kiss was the final straw that brought my hands between my thighs to play along. Jonathan, as if on cue, drew me into a warm embrace from behind and then set his hands gently on my breasts. His gentle rubbing and tweaking soon had me moaning loudly enough to compete with Elizabeth and Benjamin's laughter.

Jonathan bit my neck lightly and nibbled, just as my own rubbing grew to full intensity. I wanted him, and after all, Elizabeth was busy with the others.

"God, Jonathan, let's do it," I whispered, loudly enough for the others to hear, though I was not sure that they did hear.

"Yes please," Jonathan replied, and he drew his hands down from my breasts to my hands. "Over here," and he prodded me to the larger of the two couches. Hey lay down, his shoulders propped up on the bolster cushion, and bade me climb atop him.

There was no time for pondering the matter of my losing my virginity to my dearest friend's fiancé while she was in the room with another friend's fingers in her vagina; and really, what could anyone make of all that in any event?! Rather, I straddled him and took his once again hard cock in both hands, and slowly but surely I discovered the joy of enveloping a man in my body for the very first time. I had heard stories of bleeding and pain on the first occasion; but countless instances of rough horseback rides and climbing trees when I was younger had evidently conspired to spare me that unpleasantness, for I had little resistance and no discomfort in guiding Jonathan inside.

And what a delightful sensation it was! Feeling his pulsing hardness rubbing so firm yet gentle and moist against my own inner flesh, I was scarcely able to catch my breath as some instinct took over and I felt my hips grinding into him. As the initial ecstasy of the moment dissipated and the enormity of what was happening dawned on me in full, I felt the need to apologize, however half-heartedly. "I do hope my smaller ladygarden is satisfactory to you," I said with a lusty grin that was mostly involuntary.

"It is most enjoyable, I assure you!" Jonathan replied, gazing into my eyes.

"Shall we follow their lead, Benjamin?" came Elizabeth's voice.

"Please do!" Irene said, and I turned to see her lying back now to watch Elizabeth and Benjamin embrace and fall onto the couch together. I paid little attention as I was of course focused on Jonathan, but I did hear Irene add, "Only natural the two of you should have a go with one another!"

"I'd have to agree," Elizabeth said. That was the last I heard from her or Benjamin for the time being, save for a great deal of moaning and grunting, intermingled with cheers from Irene, who was masturbating furiously on the floor. The knowledge of all that only feet from us made me all the hungrier as I pushed Jonathan as deep as he would go into me again and again.

"Coming!" I half-whispered, half-grunted it at the moment I knew there was no turning back, and I squeezed harder than ever on Jonathan as my first orgasm washed over both of us. I yelped in delight as it did, understanding for the very first time just how beautiful it can be to share that moment with another person.

"Me too...harder!" Jonathan commanded. And so, as soon as the final delicious jolts had washed away, I ground in harder and faster than before. I could feel another round all set to burst from my loins when at last Jonathan's moans grew to outright screeches and he exploded wonderfully inside me. That beautiful sensation pushed me to my limit once again, and I dove in for a last deep kiss as I exulted in another climax.

Elizabeth and Benjamin's own beautiful music came into focus for us both as we relaxed in the afterglow, and with me still on top and him still in me, Jonathan and I turned to admire them on the other couch. I was nearly feeling sorry for Irene, but she was quite wrapped up in her own play and did not appear to be lonely. If the hairy ones are indeed the horny ones, I now saw they are also the noisy ones when that longing is satiated, for they were both bellowing most wonderfully as they both came within seconds of one another. The rest of us were absolutely riveted by the earthshattering performance they put on in that moment.
When it was over, only Irene remained still busy with any play. I could take no more of seeing her on her own on the floor, and I kissed Jonathan one last time and slid off him to join Irene. "Come now, darling, you deserve some fun too," I said, and in no time I had her lying back on a discarded cushion and my face buried in her pussy.

"Oh God, yes!" she called out, this time utterly devoid of the twinges of regret and inhibition that had marred our previous encounter. "Yes! Agnes!" I pushed a finger in gently while still teasing her with my tongue, and her boisterous joy grew louder still.

I was aware then of Elizabeth joining us on the floor. "You were so very good at tickling me with your fingers," she said to Irene. "Let's see what you can do with your tongue!" With that she sat gently on Irene's chest and slid down her neck, and Irene's mouth rose to the challenge. I could not see it from my vantage point, of course, but I could hear that her moans were suddenly muffled, and then joined by Elizabeth's own throaty responses.

"Beautiful, ladies!" came Benjamin's voice, and I looked up long enough to see him stroking himself. "Absolutely lovely!"

"Indeed!" agreed Jonathan, and I looked up again to see him doing the same.

Although Irene could no longer moan audibly while she was busy with Elizabeth, I could tell when she came by the shuddering and sudden jolt her hips gave. To confirm, she broke away from Elizabeth just for a moment to yelp in delight. My neck and tongue being rather tired by then, I sat back up to admire the grand finale. And what a finale it was! Elizabeth – beautiful, amazing Elizabeth, who had so successfully overcome her self loathing to teach all of us in that room how to love ourselves and shed our inhibitions – at that moment she was once again showing us just how magical intimacy can be. Shuddering and roaring with pleasure, she let Irene lick her into the most intense orgasm of that whole steamy afternoon – or so it sounded to us all. We were all speechless with admiration.

Elizabeth was still breathing heavily when at last she slid off Irene and curled up beside her. "Thank you, Irene," she said, with a final, oddly chaste kiss on her cheek.

Irene looked up just in time to see Benjamin, Jonathan and myself joining them in a joyful embrace on the carpet. "Well, I guess our mission was a success," she quipped.

"It's a good job summer is nearly over," Jonathan said. "I don't see how we could top this."

"That was the point, wasn't it?" Elizabeth said. "Now that we've got it all out of our system, we can go back to normal back home."

"I don't know that 'normal' is possible after all this," Benjamin said. "But we can certainly set about putting things right again now."

I silently shared his doubts, but hoped he was correct. If the truth be told, I was only too happy to return to Westfordshire and to platonic relations with all four of my friends, as I was by then deep in that sense of emotional enormity that comes just after a first sexual encounter. With the ice finally broken, I was ready to find love elsewhere at last, and to once again relate to my friends as just that.

But I was also content to put reality on hold for one day more, at least, as I exulted in the uninhibited embrace of all my dear friends. I looked up through my sleepy eyes to see the sun sinking outside. With Jonathan's arms around me and Elizabeth's breasts close against my face, I was content to let the final hours of our summer take their course.