The Widower

The dawn chorus woke John, as it usually did, but he felt.... different. He felt well rested, and he didn't remember waking up at any point in the night.

They had gone back to the stable on a slightly different route yesterday, Marie letting John sit with his thoughts for a while, until they reached the edge of the estate, where Marie had pointed out what she called the farm.

'We actually grow a little bit of our own food here, but mainly, this is here for those ponies whose fantasies lean towards being draught animals. Take a look...'

John followed where she was pointing, to where a naked woman was harnessed to what could only have been an old fashioned plough. She looked larger than Joanne, even at a distance, well muscled. 'How do you decide what role a pony is going to take?'

'Sonetimes the pony chooses herself. Brigitte over there came over from Germany, and already knew what she wanted. She weight lifts in competition, so this is another way she has to build strength.'

She waved her hands toward Joanne, glistening with sweat in the shafts before them, legs still pumping. 'We test others, test them for endurance, speed and strength, and get a good idea of a match. That's why we trained Joanne here for this sort of thing. It's a part of the discipline part of the initial days here. I'll show you more of that tomorrow.'

John looked back at Brigitte, seeing the trainer walkng behind the plough snap a whip she was carrying, Brigitte turning to the left in response.

That evening, after being given the chance to shower and change, John had eaten with Marie and Vicki, who it turned out was Marie's partner. There was a lot of talk of the ponies, and John felt a little out of the conversation, as names and who their response to training was going

'How about Luci?' asked Marie at one point.

Vicki shook her head. 'I'm not certain. She's very fast, but dear Christ she's a pain in the arse. You'll have to deal with her. I don't have the patience.'

Marie nodded. 'Tomorrow.' She noticed John yawning.

'John, we'll get an early start in the morning, get some rest tonight.' She called Jane over, who had been serving drinks during the dinner. 'Jane, take John to his room, and give him a good massage....' John had started to interrupt, but she cut him off. '.... And don't take no for an answer Jane...'

John accepted that this wasn't going to go his way, and truth be told, John had no memory of the massage ending. He must have fallen asleep during the massage itself, which is why he was actually naked under the covers right now.

There was a knock at the door.

'Come in...'

Jane pushed open the door. 'Good Morning Sir!' She was carrying clothing draped over one arm, and a pair of riding boots in the other. 'Mistress has asked that you wear these today, and says breakfast will be in the atrium at 7:30.'

John looked over at the clock. 45 minutes from now. 'Thank you.'

Jane closed the door behind her and placed the clothes on a chair, and the boots to one side of the bed. 'Does Sir need anything else?'

John was about to say no, and send her out, as he was naked under the bed clothes, but then stopped. He was naked now, because she had massaged him last night.

'Jane, why are you here?'

'Sir, I am here to serve.'

He took another tack. 'What do you do outside of here? What do you do for a job?'

'Sir, I am a Solicitor in Oxford.' She must have seen the surprise in his face. 'I spend time here every year. It is... relaxing to not have to actually worry about anything except serving, Sir...'

He thought about how Lesley would come back from her trips here. Relaxed, focused. He was beginning to understand now. He got out of bed, and headed into the bathroom. In for a penny, he thought...

'I think I'll need some help in the shower, Jane.'

Her smile was well worth it.