Sunshine and Roses

The rain vanished, replaced by snow and colder weather. 
In the servants' section, Fiona was conceited and vain. Because Justin had taken her offer of a night time visitor more than once, she thought to place herself over the others but Lowry refused to bow down to her. Infuriated, she went to Justin and suggested it was time for Richard's adopted son to be sent away.
"Why?" His hands cupped her bosom through her blouse, kneaded them, clasped the huge globes with firm hands.
"You don't need him."
"He's my valet." He undid her blouse.
"You can get another one." She moved backwards. Her own hands massaged her dusky nipples. They grew hard. "Send him away, William."
"Nay."
"You don't need him and I don't like him!"
"I said no. Come here." He began to undo his breeches.
"he makes fun of me."
"Does he?"
"He calls me Queen Anne." She pouted.
Justin did not like that look. It irritated him. "Why would he do that?"
"He's jealous of me!" She licked her lips.
"Why would he feel that way toward you?"
"I don't know!" She swyesd toward him. "You don't need him, William. I can take care of you. I can take good care of you."
He pushed her down to her knees. "The take care of me." He finished undoing his clothes. His shaft sprang out and upward.
"William?"
"Take me into your mouth."
"Your mouth?"
"Yes."
"I have never done that way." She tried pouting again but it did not work on him. Annoyed, she did so.
It was while she was working on Justin that Lowry came in. The young man stared at them for a moment, then left, shaken. In his room, he cupped his own organ through his rough, dark clothing. Thousands of tiny sprinkles spurted upward from his organ. Alarmed, he dropped in front of his crucifix and began to pray.
"I'm not like Sir Richard! I'm not! Please!" he mumbled.

In Justin's room, Fiona whispered seductively, "Tell Lowry to stop teasing me."
"I will speak with him." For some reason, he was tired of her. She had grown too confident. He would not be surprised to find she had plans to be his wife. Justin wondered if he had made a mistake accepting her into his bed. He wouldn't have given her so much attention but each time he was with Ray Lowry, his body reacted violently he needed release. . .desperately. When he spoke to Lowry, the other man was still in his room, on the floor, kneeling before his cross.
Justin stared at him for a moment then said, "Fiona says you call her Queen Anne."
"I do." He gripped his hands. . .his knuckles turned white. His groin began to react to Justin's voice. Alarmed, stricken, he drew closer to the roughly made, wooden, unpolished crucifix.
Justin watched the movement of that backside and swallowed deeply. "I don't like it." Lowry bent his head. "I'm sorry to be bothering you while you are praying but I've come to ask you to stop." Justin waited. . .nothing but a further tightening of those slim buttocks. His shaft responded. "Did you hear me?" His tone was sharper than he had intended.
"Yes."
When no further words came forth, "No one's perfect, Ray Lowry, no one! Everyone has a secret they hide, even you I'm sure though you appear pure enough."
Secret? If Justin knew. . . If anyone knew. . . Torment sliced into Lowry's soul. <He is right. . .I have no right to taunt her when the imperfection in my body is so strong. I am like Sir Richard, God help me, I am.>
"Well?" Justin demanded, impatient.
"I will cease calling her Queen Anne."
Justin stared at the other man's back for a moment. Had he heard anguish in that voice? Surely not. A simple request would not have caused that. Yet, his reply was uncertain as he said, "Thank you."

Weeks later, as he left his room, Justin was by Robert de Grippe. "There is much dissension downstairs, " Robert told him a low, worried voice.
"About what?"
"There are two problems. You want the big one first, or the small one?"
"The small one, " came the glum reply.
"Did you know Sean the Carpenter was a regular visitor here when Sir Richard ruled?"
"Sean. . .? You mean he and Sir Richard. . .?"
"He and Sir Richard and anyone else who was willing."
"But his father said. . . Are you certain?"
"I have only the talk from those who have served here for so long. They do not like his presence here in the castle. It reminds them of Sir Richard and it makes them wonder about you."
An odd look flickered briefly across Justin's handsome face. "Have the Mompphreys left yet?"
"Yes, this morning. Good riddance too. Lazy baggage, every last one of them."
"He is too old to have to live at home. Let him have that cottage then. I don't need dissension in my own house."
"I'll have it done today. What should I give him for a reason?"
"Tell him I want him to concentrate on the village houses now and it will be easier for him to travel from his own home. And the big problem?"
"Fiona."
"Fiona? Is Lowry teasing her again?"
"Nay, it is not Lowry, it is the lack of Lowry that's doing it."
"I don't understand." Justin stopped at the front of the stairs, turned questioning eyes at his friend and fellow warrior.
"He has stopped teasing her like you had asked him to, but he's gone further. It seems that he goes out of his way to make up for his earlier actions. The other servants have noticed this and have assumed it is because she is to become your wife. They wait on her hand and foot, treat her as though she were already wed to you. They don't like doing that. She has grown too conceited, too demanding. She has begun to treat them like dirt. She has even begun to treat your men as though they should serve her. They have flatly refused. William, it has grown worse over the last few days for she has forced the servants to be lack in their care of the men. The food they are served is cold and sometimes burned. Their rooms are not as clean as they could be."
"I will put a stop to her."
"How?"
"It seems I shall have to send her away as well."
"Perhaps, in the future, you should concentrate on many women and not just one."
"Yes, that is good advice, " Justin agreed glumly. There was only one thing wrong with it. . .it was not women he wanted. . .it was Ray Lowry.