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Berowald Innes had had a lot of time to think as he walked. After all it had been a long journey since he left his ship on the south coast, run up on the shingle beach before it could sink with a large hole in the bow. He knew it had been foolhardy to see how far he could sail with his eyes shut. But that was the sort of idiotic thing he did when he was young, as a means of establishing how far he could push the limits when he was exploring the world. It was a crazy idea. His inertial sense of direction was not as good as he thought it might be. He had lots of mad ideas at that age, and the excitement of self-discovery was irresistible to him.
But now it seemed he had been walking north for so long, seemingly almost back to the start of time and dinosaurs, he thought. Yet he knew the year was 1160. Even now more random thoughts fed through his head as he ambled along the rough path through the Secret Valley. He always hated walking on limestone, unless it was finely crushed. But here it was the lumps of white rock you find that had been eroded from the landscape above him and had rolled and washed into the bottom of the deepening ravine where he trod. In parts the path had become a stream, rainwater and snow melt funnelled into the vee of the valley and he cursed as he tripped and stumbled on the uneven stones, slipping on the edges worn smooth by the feet of passing traveller’s, horses and cattle. Now it was drizzling too, making him cold and damp. And to add to his woes the cheap cape and boots he had bought in Rocester further down the Limestone Way were already falling apart. The trader had promised the boots were waterproof but already his feet were cold and wet, and the rabbit skin pelt around the hood was falling apart. Each time the wind blew the side of the hood against his cheek bits of the poorly tanned fur stuck to the moisture of his mouth leaving him spitting and wiping at his lips to remove the soft hairs. Again he chided himself. The woman who saw him haggling over the items with the stall owner in the market had rudely interjected that the products were shit and he shouldn’t hand over any money. But, as he tripped over another lump of limestone, he admitted to himself he had foolishly ignored her advice. Thank god she wasn’t around to see herself proven right. But why did he always think he knew better?
He had almost forgotten about the small grey mutt that tracked him. She had been tracing a path higher up the slope, parallel to him up on the right hand, snout to the ground as she sought scents, but suddenly he heard her sharp bark. It pulled his mind back to the here and now and he raised his eyes to focus on the route ahead to see what made her shout her warning to him. The little schnauzer had spotted a group of five wild ponies, long manes and tails waving in the wind. Their heads were erect, looking towards him. Stood proudly at the front, in defence of the group, stood a magnificent white stallion. Behind, a beautiful white mare peered over his shoulders whilst two brown and one grey female stood gathered behind.
The sight of them took him by surprise. He had walked hundreds of miles and his feet were weary. His knees ached. And he so badly wanted to bathe in piping hot water and have a close shave. He deserved a rest. But now he was in a remote valley, and ….he swivelled round, eyes scanning the skyline to check for anyone else....he could grab one of the ponies and save his legs. But first he needed to consult where he was. You could very quickly find yourself hanged, drawn and quartered if convicted of stealing some lord's animals, so he better check who they might belong to first. Rooting around under his coat he felt the folded parchment and pulled out the battered old Anglo Saxon map. It was ancient and filthy and hadn't been updated with the latest castles, roads and walls but his index finger soon traced the line between Rocester (or Rowcestre as the old monks still referred to it as) and the Norman tower at Castleton. Something in the back of his mind reminded him these were the lands of the baron, William Peveril the Younger. And these would be his ponies he surmised. Yes, reading the landscape in relation to the map in his hands, he reckoned he was about to enter Cave Dale and soon he should see Peveril Castle below.
"OK!", he thought. "My feet are hurting so much on these blasted chunks of limestone, I shall take a pony and if confronted say that I am borrowing it to rest my feet until we get across to Lose Hill and there I shall set it free again, still in Peveril's lands. But of course if I get as far as Lose Hill I shall keep the mare until I reach my journey's end in Morayshire, more than 500 miles to the north. But,...…. hey-ho! Still seeing what I can get away with!", he thought. "Incorrigible. Or just downright baaaad!"
But surely he couldn't get into too much trouble anyway? He had stopped to chat to travellers coming the opposite way last evening and heard that King Malcolm IV of Scotland had just stayed at Peveril castle a few days earlier. And lo and behold it was only the same great man that had bestowed the Lands of Innes on himself, Berowald!!! He had never met the king himself but the Royal Charter had reached him when he put his ship into port in Flanders. It was his reward for his prowess shown in sea battles against troublesome French forces in the Bay of Biscay. And now he had a title! "Yay! Berowald!! The first Innes of Innes! But first he had to travel to the north of Scotland to take up his title and oversee his lands. At this rate it might take him a month!
He decided. Looking directly to the stallion he connected eye to eye, and after a pause moved quietly and confidently towards him. The pony stood stock still until Berowald suddenly leapt to grab a firm hold of his mane. He bolted immediately rushing to go by his left side but it was exactly the move Berowald wanted to help swing him up onto the ponies back. But he turned and raced downhill into the gorge of Cave Dale. Woah, what a mad ride, terrifying as the pony cantered down the rough path of limestone chunks, with no reins, saddle or stirrups to keep him on the pony but once again he did that crazy thing and closed his eyes, just knowing this could only end in disaster.
It might have lasted ten seconds, perhaps twenty, may be even thirty. It made no difference. The pain came just as suddenly. He tried to read the ponies direction through his knees, feel the shifting forces, adjust his centre of gravity but he knew he had lost the fight when he suddenly became weightless and wondered briefly how great the agony would be. Or would he just slowly fade after some body breaking impact and never................
He crashed hard, the air of life crushed out of him. He could not breathe, his body in spasm from the collision with the ground. He gasped for breath but his diaphram would not allow air to enter his lungs as he rolled on the cold wet grass bank fighting to draw breath. It came eventually as he overcame the feeling of dying and he was able to look around and take stock of his situation. He felt sore especially through his ribcage but testing his arms and legs he was relieved to find nothing seemed to be broken. However his head was muzzy and putting his hand on his scalp brought a sharp pain and left blood on his fingers. But he saw the white stallion stood further down Cave Dale and his dog trotted over to nuzzle her whiskers on his face and check he was still alive.
Gradually he sat up. And then he heard laughter from above and behind him. He looked round and up, eyes rising up the cliff face and then onto the stone walls of the Norman castle. Three faces peered down from the crenelated top. And a raucous feminine voice yelled out. "Ha! Ye try an' steal my ride, ye bastard!" in a most uncouth manner. "Who the feck are ye?"
Berowald was most taken aback. "Well....well...." he stammered. " I am....I am Berowald. First Innes of the Inneses and baron of the lands of Morayshire". And gathering some fortitude, retorted in a style he thought she might understand,, "And who the feck are ye?"
Well, she scowled down at him, "I am the porter of this castle and I have two watchmen here, and I saw ye try to steal my horse, for which I shall punish thee, ye entitled bastard baron!" And with that the faces disappeared from the castle top.
Shaken from his fall off the steed and bewildered by the strange challenge from above he started to stagger unsteadily back to the path through Cave Dale, below the castle.
But once again he was surprised to hear a shout from behind, and turning saw to his horror, the three from the castle running down the slope full tilt towards him. Between the two burly looking henchmen he now saw the female porter, somewhat weird with her minxy little figure, rushing, screaming and spitting entitled, class hatred obscenities at him. He recoiled as the big men grabbed his arms and held him fast as the toxic female confronted him face to face. "So, I have my next victim!" she cawed like a banshee."Take him to the tower!"
His feet barely touched the ground as the henchmen gripped him from either side and forcibly took him up the slope. Resistance was futile and even if he broke away he reckoned the female porter following behind would wrestle him to the floor. He had noted her well toned build and strong shoulders and, whilst an intereeesting thought, wasn't sure he could beat her in a grapple on the ground.
Once through the castle doors he was pushed towards the spiral staircase and a couple of firm hands between his shoulder blades propelled him upwards. Berowald assumed he was being taken to the upper halls but at each level he was shoved onto the next upward spiralling staircase until they arrived out on the top of the tower overlooking Cave Dale and the surrounding Hope Valley. He saw the white stallion far below and his little grey dog howled and yelped, abandoned below the castle walls Turning to face his captors he tried to read the situation, and didn't give much thought to the contraption positioned out over one corner of the square tower. 'She' arrived on the tower top and he backed away, until he could retreat no more, up against the wall surrounding the castle top. she had a smile on her face which he found unnerving. She had power. She knew she was in control. He was at her mercy.
She didn't even speak before the two thugs she called watchmen, stepped forward and clasped their hands around his arms and walked him across to the other corner of the tower: the one upon which the contraption sat. It was constructed out of wood, laths of beech and thin sheets of board. It had a few wrought iron parts but was largely help together with leather bonds, an assembly of heavy duty kites. One of the watchmen reached to stand the contraption vertical on its tail, pushing the baron back against it. He had no idea what was happening, transfixed by the threatening stance of the female porter in front of him, so that it was too late when he realised his wrists were quickly tied with leather thongs to the strange contraption. And when they bent to tie his ankles and bind his thighs to it he looked down and around with increasing fear to work out what sort of torture she had planned for him.
"Ha!" she cackled. "Ye, steal my horse. And now ye shall pay! Marko, face the plank out over the edge" And with that Marko and the other watchman flipped the contraption round so that it, with Berowald fixed to its underside hung out off the highest part of the castle. Fear turned to terror, as he saw the rocks and ground below .
"Nooooo!" he howled. "What do you want? I didn't steal your horse. Please! Please, don't hurt me! Please tell me what you want!"
"Haha!" she cackled yet again, " I want to play with thee, my little guinea pig! Marko, …..Anders.... Ready???..... On my order, push him off the wall!"
"Push!!" she yelled!!
Berowald, 1st Innes of Innes did all he could do and screwed his eyes shut. He whimpered and screamed "Noooooo!" as he felt the board tilt forwards and down and then a rush of wind. He flailed with his arms and legs, fighting against the bindings that held him to the construction. They gave a bit but all that happened was that the boards hinged and flapped, faster as he became more frantic in the few seconds before he was dashed on the rocks below.
But he wriggled and fought, kicked and flapped with more strength than he thought he could ever muster and awaited the final impact that would crush all life from his body. But, but he kicked out, legs and knees getting tired, flapped, shoulders and elbows stretched and torn with pain, but no life ending crash. Not this second or the next.
Sheer terror forced his firmly closed eyes open......ground below, speeding forward, a racket of flapping panels and boards about him, a white pony, small against the gorge, a little grey dog running along to keep up, small houses, a town below...Oh my Lord!!! He was flying like a bird!!!! And looking back towards the castle through the thrash of his flapping arms and legs he saw the female porter standing on the top of the fortress tower, a huge beaming smile on her face.
He crash landed for the second time in the last hour in a muddy field beyond Castleton. He was so relieved to be alive and even without any serious injury that it was some time before Berowald, 1st Innes of Innes and baron of the lands of Morayshire, appreciated that he had become the first man to fly and survive. Icarus had failed when he flew too close to the sun, and his wings made of wax, melted. But Berowald made his mark in history a full 743 years before the Wright Brothers.
OK, then, that was a load of shit. But some of it is factually correct.
Handsome. Think these fellows are hunted all year round and therefore very shy. Have heard them before but not seen one .... Thought they were the size of a large dog but no, more like a horse. The water here is deep !
This past weekend I found several trees that were in full bloom. I stood under one and took 211 photos and every single one of them looks wonderful - not because of the photography but because they all fill my screen with soft color.
Do you think these trucks have been retrofitted with modern roller bearings? They look like old-school journals.
Someone did a lot of work painting up this historic car which is offered up for public viewing.
There's a big hose hanging out of the bottom of the car at the right end. It may be a big ice box on wheels?
Journalism grade image.
Source: 4,100x1,800 16-bit TIFF panorama file.
Please do not copy this image for any purpose.
Think Hollow Bastion but make it Black Falcons, and Dreamzzz, and Chima, and Steam Punk.
Did the Black Falcons (the real Black Falcons) build this place? Or did they just find it and move in?
Captured this bizarre image last summer of this bee that looks like its purposely sitting and posing for me...
I think i can honestly say on my four mile walk this afternoon this highland beasty was the first friendly face i saw i am sure he smiled at me when i said say cheese
what an unusual bit of signage advice on the back of this truck. reading between the lines, someone must have tried that maneuver once and it ended poorly?
ANSH scavenger6 "between the lines"
(being both literal and figurative ~grin~)
....hmmm, i seem to be in a wide crop mode recently
Well did you think I could go to Holy Island and not visit the Priory? Of course not. Here's the history.
Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island was one of the most important centres of early Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England. It is still a place of pilgrimage today, the dramatic approach across the causeway adding to the fascination of the site.
St Aidan founded the monastery in AD 635, but St Cuthbert, prior of Lindisfarne, is the most celebrated of the priory's holy men.
From the end of the 8th century, the isolated island with its rich monastery was easy prey for Viking raiders. In 875 the monks left, carrying Cuthbert's remains, which after long wanderings were enshrined in Durham Cathedral in 1104, where they still rest. Only after that time did Durham monks re-establish a priory on Lindisfarne: the evocative ruins of the richly decorated priory church they built in c. 1150 still stand, with their famous 'rainbow arch' - a vault-rib of the now vanished crossing tower. The small community lived quietly on Holy Island until the suppression of the monastery in 1537.
HAD to go to Mom & Dad’s so I could post for Jules’ Photo Challenge Group!
At home, still no connectivity so I am way behind. Yes I really did have my hair totally bleached and died pink!!
Chapter 7
The Daring Kind
She must have been able to read the discomfort in his eyes, assuming her actions had left her lover speechless.
She appeared happy to accept that for an answer and backed away, still smiling smugly, towards the staircase.
The diamond dangling from the coronet was still flashing its Morse code-like flickers, tapping the message to him that signalled, come get me!
Happily, she tapped his cheek, then turned and disappeared back around the corner with a swish of her gown, trilled affectionately to ‘Gaston” as she did…
“A most welcome home darling Gaston!”
He then heard her say merrily from her hiding spot...
“You have till the count of 25 luv , so get a move on”.
He stood there, jaw opened wide beneath his mask, his eyes had watched as her gown had wispily whipped around the corner behind her, whilst listening as she was giggling quite excitedly to herself at her cleverness!
He just didn't know what to think.
So of course, He obediently followed her directions.
“Bloody “ell” he muttered, thinking, had he just had fallen into a cat thief’s wildest dream!
He opened the door to the green satin wrapped damsel’s bedroom, and pulling out his torch, lit its pencil-thin beam.
Wishing only now that only the real Gaston didn’t decide to show his mug and spoil all the fun!
Once Inside, the torchlight quickly found her oak jewel case on the mantel of an old stained oaken dresser.
The high case matched the dresser and drawers below it perfectly, and it appeared that it was all uniquely Chippendale!
It sat across from a matching four-poster, with a sea blue satin coverlet and matching silken sheets.
“Nice of her to point out where her jewels are kept!” He thanked the clueless girl!
He swiftly went over and began opening the many drawers of the jewellery case, or jewellery coffin as some would churlishly call it!
The thin light of his torch lit up a sinfully copious display of jewels, note quite as valuable as the ones discovered in the master bedroom, but it was a damn close race all the same!
He happily began pulling out the drawers and sliding the prettily flickering contents into an already bulging case.
Rudely discarding the empty drawers unceremoniously upon the floor.
The lady he hoped, would appreciate the dedicated “realism “that this’ Gaston’ of her’s was going to put into her play, and he was just the person to make it realistic!
He reckoned this with a rather nefarious smile spreading upon the bearded face, covered by its thin black mask.
At that precise moment, he heard the door creak slowly open….
She was coming in quietly, and soon the lady proved her mettle to be quite the actress!
He heard her gasp behind him as he continued on his work!
“ No, not my jewels, Do anything to me but don’t take my family jewels!”
He turned around to face the damsel, holding the pearl filled final drawer in his thin black-gloved hand.
She stood there with her left hand to her mouth, while her right ringed gloved fingers played with her necklace. The diamonds flickered quite as she held it up!
She then teased, delighted at his captured attention! …
“You want these, do you not Mister Burglar, I can see it in your eyes!”
Looking upon her, he tipped the drawer full of pearls into the black bag, then dropping it empty onto the pile strewn about at his feet.
Then he eagerly, purposefully, moved towards her, lustfully eyeing the pretty victim’s savoury jewels.
She shivered as if she read his mind, that he would take her jewels and flee into the night with them.
But she was not ready to have him do that, so she commanded him in a softly brisk tone…
“Not yet!”
Putting up a nicely ringed finger to indicate he should come no further!
Surprisingly to himself, for he had no real reason to listen, he obediently stopped in his tracks to await her next command.
As it turned out, he was soon very glad he had done so!
Then he eagerly, purposefully, moved towards her, lustfully eyeing the pretty victim’s savoury jewels.
She shivered as if she read his mind, that he would take her jewels and flee into the night with them.
But she was not ready to have him do that, so she commanded him in a softly brisk tone…
“Not yet!”
Putting up a nicely ringed finger to indicate he should come no further!
Surprisingly to himself, for he had no real reason to listen, he obediently stopped in his tracks to await her next command.
As it turned out, he was soon very glad he had done so!
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Chapter 8
One must be Methodical
Dropping her hand, she questioned him…
“What have you forgotten to do, my dear thief?”
He stood still, hoping she would just obligingly tell him what to do next.
She happily did so...
“My closet! Gaston your always forgetting any good burglar worth his salt checks a damsel’s closet for brooches and such left on by ladies far too lazy to remove them from one's party frocks. I swear Gaston You would make a horrible burglar in real life. You would positively starve if it were not for being directed by someone like me!”
She chortled at her wit.
He just smiled, thanking her inwardly for being ever so much a big help to her poor Darling ‘Gaston’!
He turned to his right and headed straight to the closet, curious as to what he was expected to find inside?
Opening the door, a long floor length mirror was revealed, allowing one to see into the interior of the bedroom behind him.
Including the reflection of his most helpful victim as she stood there in all her jewelled and tight-fitting emerald satin attired glory!
She keenly watching his progress with an eager interest, as he stole a look at her reflection, muttering happily to himself…
“Best get this over with quickly, then attend to the lady and her finery!”
He turned to look back inside, and was met with a designer like an assortment of colourful dresses, gowns, and other fancy attire!
A quite nice, if not downright beguiling, display of soft velvets, slinky silks, sleek satins, frilled lace, and shiny leather.
He quickly began his task at hand, letting his thinly gloved fingers feel through the wonderfully sleek fabrics for anything hard and metallic.
On one velvet number he felt something like a necklace around its top, he pulled it out, but disappointedly it was a rhinestone collared frock.
He tossed it onto the bed and resumed his search as she could be heard softly giggling behind him...
“Nope, nothing on that one, but don’t quit just yet!
He stole a glance at her from the mirror, then he turned back into working the closet.
The glance revealed that his ‘mentor’ was watching him eagerly, her whole being quivering in anticipation head down to spiky heeled foot!
He fingered a satiny white ruffled blouse, he decided he had better keep tabs on this one, still not sure what exactly her game was all on about?
He muttered to himself…
“They were her jewels after all, weren’t they? Indeed, rather valuable for mere playthings!”
There had to be something inside here!
He thought as he let drop the satin blouse and plunged his gloved hands inside again and felt around.
This time he was rewarded by feeling a slight prick of something solid and sharp.
He pulled out a luxuriously long black satin number and saw it had two ruby clips attached to its bodice.
He held it up to the mirror so she could see.
she clapped gleefully, watching him pull free the ruby clips from the evening gown and casually flipped them into his bag on the floor.
“Well done Gaston!”
He looked up at her, as the slinky black gown was indifferently added to the growing pile on her bed.
He could see by her reflection that she was excitedly eating it up.
Then she suddenly resumed back into her character of being the hapless victim.
And began to miserably plead…
“Please mister burglar don't take everything of mine! I am sure there is nothing more inside!”
He smiled, wondering how she would react when she eventually found out that indeed, she was a hapless victim of her game!?
Turning his attention once again to her closet he moved aside the hangers, revealing a set of shelves set in the back that contained a nice selection of sensible shoes, wedged pumps, glossy spiked heels and designer style purses.
One purse caught his ever-appraising eyes, a small gold clutch with what looked like (and probably was) a diamonded clasp!
He pulled it out and tossed the expensive bugger into the bag.
“Oui , Good eye Gaston! It's almost like you were a real thief.”
She gurgled this, shivering in delight, as her earrings and necklace flickered along with her figure, like uncontrollable wildfires.
He watched the enticing show from her reflection in the handy door length mirror.
Then he turned back to the closet.
For, as he was moving the dresses over to look into the shelves, his eye had caught sight of a black leather jacket with a belt studded by what must have been a thousand rhinestones.
He now pulled it out and searched its pockets, mainly to tease her a bit further, for he imagined that “Gaston” would do such a thing!
So, he was utterly surprised when his gloved fingertips felt something cold and a bit weighty in a side pocket!
He slipped it out and found he was holding a solid gold cigarette case, which he added to the ever-growing collection in his bag!
His “Mentor” trilled as he did so, exclaiming with happy surprise...
“I had wondered where that had gotten off to luv! The matching lighter should be there too!”
He reached back in, and there it was, as well as a small ivory and ebony gold ringed cigarette holder.
Both of which quickly joined their companion in the now bulging bag.
He then pulled off the shimmery belt.
Even with rhinestones, it was worth a pretty penny he reasoned.
As started to pitch it into the case, he heard the Lady helpfully exclaim in the background, a good idea she said excitedly.
“Save that for when you tie me up to take my jewels!”
Shaking his head, why not? he tossed the belt to the helpful lass’s feet…
Thinking he was quite finished with the closet as he held the leather jacket, he for no rhyme or reason, took the time to hang it back up rather than adding it to the pile on the bed.
But It was as he did so that something, a most decidedly not rhinestone something, flashed in the dim lights in the gap that had been made where the leather jacket had hung!
He eagerly reached in and pulled out a lovely long brown, silky soft, liquidly appearing gown.
Holding it up triumphantly, he looked down at the dazzling sparkles of a magnificent gem-encrusted brooch that was suspended from the gown’s wide centre waistline.
“Good show Gaston!”
She exclaimed in the background.
His eyes left the brooch and looked into the mirror at her.
She was clapping, rings and bracelets, earrings and Coronet, the whole lot, erupting into a million pinpricks of fire as she did so!
He felt his manhood rising precariously as he looked her over, feeling the effect, even from this distance, her primitively carnal arousal!
She eagerly continued, spilling her emotions into her words!
“Mon Mari, I was going to tease you later if you were to ‘ave missed that one, and I was sure you were going to!”
“Tsk!” he said to himself. wonder what the teasing part would have entailed!
At the same time his mind was picturing this, he automatically, without taking his eyes off the mirror, pulled off the brooch and nonchalantly pocketing the breathtakingly pretty jewel before throwing the scintillatingly downy soft feeling soft gown onto the shiny pile already laying strewn about the bed.
It flashed through his mind that the fancy dresses strewn about could have been the striplings from that many jewel encrusted maidens, like this one, and what a delightful haul that would have been to carry out!
Savouring those thoughts, he turned once again to focus his attention, on the rather all too helpful Miss, his eyes traveling unabashedly up and down her figure.
Time was a-wasting!
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Chapter 9
Wasting Time?
He eagerly started to move towards her...
“Almost!”
She said with a giggle, her flashily ringed finger raised again, stopping him as he had started to move towards her as she admonished him…
“Not quite yet! You forgot the most important part of burgling a lady’s chamber! “
Again, he stood staring, not quite knowing what the devil this peculiarly eager to be robbed damsel in distress was going on about now!?
But quite recent experience told him it should be to his thieving benefit to take more precious time and hear her out!
So, he stood questioningly waited to hear what the most important part was?
Which she then, quite helpfully, spelled it all out to him…
“You didn't check the lingerie drawer, Gaston! Any real burglar would have done so!”
He observed her winking at him …
“Come along Gaston l, get into your role my darling…!”
He looked at her, smirking to himself…
“Indeed, lady, I will!”
Curiously He turned and looked down upon the drawer in the stand next to her bed.
“No silly, still in the drawer beneath my now pilfered jewel case!”
She was looking down mischievously at the Drawers set in the ancient oak antique Chippendale dresser.
He turned, hesitating…
Should dear Gaston know which one it was?
He decided to just start at the top and began opening them one by one and pray he did not invoke her to start having any doubts as to his true nature!
He went over and started to pull open the top drawer.
She could be heard giggling in the background…
“Moved it on you didn’t I from the last time!? “
Her most welcomed words relived a bit of his anxiety, the gig was still not up, she still hadn’t guessed that he was the real thing, and not some love lost Beau sadly burdened with the moniker of Gaston, of all things!
“Ahh, there you go my darling!”
She said as he opened the next…
The drawer was found to contain, as promised, piles of wispy thin satin and silks, in all colours of a shimmering rainbow! Curious as to what further riches he was meant to find, he greedily swirled the expensive lingerie about, soon finding a pile of glistening silver all carefully laid out on one side.
A silver brush comb and matching mirror, all studded with jewelled handles, and a pair of silver handcuffs!
He lifted the jewelled vanity pieces...
He had once drooled over a similar set discovered in a museum's case!
“Oops, she giggled, forgot those were there, just leave ‘em luv!”
But he continued to place them into the case at his feet and was surprised when she did not protest.
Instead, she said reasonably…
“But of course, they are jewelled, just be careful with ‘em please my darling?”
Buy then he was already curiously looking inside, lifting the handcuffs…
He heard his victim give out a hoarse moan behind him!
The handcuffs and keys he lifted and threw on the satin comforter of the bed, wondering how many times she and her Gaston had put them to use?
He picked up the now quite hefty leather pouch and looked over at his smirking victim.
“Come mister thief!”
She instructed lustfully …
“Finally time to do your worst!”
“With pleasure” he murmured to himself, studying most hypnotic swaying of her long jewelled earrings…
“To all my just gratification, Madam!”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Chapter 10
Lusting Gratification
He came over from the fancy oak dresser and finally stood before her.
The lady’s head came up to his chin, her pretty face looking up with innocence, into his.
She was smiling most provocatively, one hand still holding the clasp of her cloak, the other resting upon the shimmery brooch pinned onto the cloak over her right breast.
He, for no real reason, found himself wondering if the broach’s placement meant she was left-handed.
“Okay mister burglar, take me broach, I see your eye’ in it!”
For the first time, but not the last, he almost felt sorry for the show that poor Gaston was missing out on, but glad deep down that he, on the other hand, was not!
He reached down and pried her fingers from the brooch, and as he unpinned the precious jewel, she pushed against him so his fingers brushed against a rather perked, notably heaving breast.
Obligingly he allowed his fingers free reign to fondle her tits!
With a deep sigh, she listlessly allowed both her hands to fall to her sides as she leaned into him, her eyes turned upward gazing lustfully at him with her imploring hazel green eyes.
Huskily she murmured…
“That’s it, not too quickly now…”
He unsteadily managed to unfasten the broach, his fingers a bit encumbered by the game she was playing with her body as she leaned in against him.
Pulling it off, his fingers brushing her soft figure, he let the broach plop into the pouch at his feet…
He then reached up and undid the jewelled clasp of her long green satin cape, exposing is silvery lining… and finally revealing the playful lady’s gown as it lay in full glory down along her enticingly Horney diminutive figure!
As well as revealing her remaining ornaments, in all their exquisite glimmering glory!
Tongue-tied in awe; he watched the cape slither down from her arms.
She looked up into his face, lustful eyes sparkling with delight at his unbridled rapture at seeing her...
Though not for a second realizing quite what it was about her that had captured his total drooling interest!
“Cat ‘ave your tongue there laddie?”
She purred, her hazel eyes opening doe wide, offering no quarter as to their needful meaning.
He just let his eyes travel up and down the now fully exposed figure, quickly taking it all in.
He thought with satisfaction …
“The only thing that had more shine than those doe-like eyes were the diamonds that fell ever so dripping, ever so invitingly, from alluring points along down her scintillating figure!”
Her green satin gown was fitted to show off every delightful curve of her figure.
The bodice was not decorated by rhinestones or anything else that would have taken away one’s eyes from the jewels the wearer was sporting.
Those jewels consisted of a brooch equally as magnificent as the one he had plucked from the brown satin gown found hanging in her closet.
Besides, now could be viewed her long wide necklace dripping down to just above her visibly heaving breasts. The fine piece was set with blazing diamonds, smaller round ones surrounding a steady stream of larger egg-shaped ones that matched the one that hung from her forehead.
She smiled at his amazement.
“Gaston, you almost act as you have never seen these before!”
She scolded, while playfully lifted the necklace, letting it flow charmingly through her emerald green satin gloved fingers.
“Or are you really getting into robbing me, you naughty man!”
She let her other hand playfully pat the side of his mask.
For a second, he thought she was going to pull it up to kiss him, thus spoiling the game.
So, he quickly grabbed her by the wrists under the pretense of studying her rings and bracelets, thus successfully diverting her mind away from the thought.
“Ahh mister burglar, you want my pretties, I can tell, do you desire them more them Moi? One can imagine that you do! Quickly now, put yonder chair to use and ensure sure your victim cannot slip away whilst you wrestle the jewels from her very body!”
Liking this game more and more, he quickly fetched over the chair she was indicating.
Happy to oblige, it would make things far easier at the end he thought to himself with a dash of relief!
The chair was another sturdy Chippendale, Victorian-era straight-backed. Its' position, reflection in the closet door he had left open, would allow them both to watch from all angles. Dear Romeo ‘Gaston’ could not have planned it better!
He sat it down behind her and she started to sit.
He grabbed her by the wrists, keeping her upright. He looked into her wide-open eyes, yet she was the one smirking like the cat eyeing the canary in its cage!
“Good Lord he thought wryly. What did you get yourself into mate?”
she asked him sweetly, honey dripping with each syllable.
“What do you have in mind for your victim?”
He briskly turned her around and began to unzip her gown, feeling its slick material, quite luscious even under the thin gloves he wore.
“Good show Gaston!
she chirped in approval…
“Make your victim feel vulnerable!”
She kicked off the gown and it fell in a pile on the carpet, with the brooch on top, sparkling like a lighthouse on top of an Irish island of shimmering green. She was looking up at him, clad only in a scant mint coloured silken slip that hung delightfully tight against her now quite overly perked figure.
She stooped down giving him a purposely good view of her ‘fin arrière’, tightly outlined by her silken thin slip. She reached down and retrieved her cape, covering the cold oak back of the high-backed chair with it and slipped onto it, too fast for him to react.
“Damn! He had planned to nick that pretty cape with its expensively wrought clasp as well!”
“But he reasoned, all is fair in love, games, and theft!”
He went over and undid the satin sash of her green gown, eyeing the brooch, but not taking it...
“Not yet my pretty!”
He said to himself with promise, as he slipped the sash off.
He turned back around, again she was still smirking like the cat that had now caught the canary, though this time it looked like she had bloody thing in her mouth. He looked down at her gloved hands, the bracelets were there, but judging by her now bare fingers, it was not a canary she had sucked into her mouth.
Without letting on to her mischievous game, he went behind her and she quite helpfully placed her gloved hands behind the chair, her fingers beckoning, trying to get him to notice her missing rings. But he had other ideas for that part of her game…
And it did not involve Gaston snogging ‘er to get at em!
He employed the sash by tying her waist to the chair.
He could feel her shiver deliciously from her head to toe, squirming playfully in the chair.
Then in her throes of passion, she almost slipped off the chair, made slicker by the cape upon which she perched, sitting in an equally slippery slip, and he had to catch her and pull her back, feeling her shiver pleasurably as he held her.
Her dangling earrings were flickering like mad throughout the show, beckoning quite invitingly in his face as he was kneeling, causing him to shiver in much the same manner as her.
He then rose and going to the bed picked up the set of the handcuffs. Going back, he held her eyes steady with his, as she tried to come across as if she was imploring him not to do it, the rings hidden in her mouth preventing her to speak out!
As he approached, she kicked off both of her emerald rhinestones covered spiked heels, playfully missing him.
He smiled at her mischievously, going around and handcuffing her wrists together as she squirmed!
Then he came back around, and bent down in front of her, his hand reaching back and snatching up the rhinestone belt from her leather jacket.
He reached down, and taking an ankle in turn, strapped them both securely together!
She was not going anywhere without dragging the chair with her!
He had kept the keys on the bed, she could reach there to undo herself, but he was planning to be long gone before she would manage to accomplished that feat!
She was now ready, bound up the way she was, to be mercilessly stripped of the rest of her jewels!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Chapter 11
The Subtle Touch
He went down behind her and she arched back in an attempt to watch what he was up to!
He looked over at their figures image in the mirror, her coronet, necklace, and earrings vividly sparkling in the reflection, like fire on a distant mountain he thought drooling with anticipation…….
He methodically decided to start with her Bracelets….
Holding her left wrist with his left hand, he let his right-hand travel up her squirming figure till he reaches her breast. Cupping it he began to with a slipping motion, massage it through her thin satiny slip.
She curled her figure against her bindings, closed her eyes, and began to whimper and moan lustily, opening her mouth just enough to keep her rings hidden inside!
As his right hand subtly pleaded her breasts, his left hand travelled down to a cuffed diamond bracelet. He began rubbing it up and down her gloved wrist in sync with his right hand, eventually worked it open and slipped it off from around her wrist, tossing it neatly into his pouch.
He repeated the performance on her right wrist as she continued moaning in total satisfaction.
If she noticed her twin bracelets were being removed in the process of having her breasts massaged, she did not appear to care.
Then, playing along with the lady’s game, he fruitlessly felt for her rings, hearing her muffled giggles above him as she squirmed.
“Mmmm,” she said, through gritted teeth not being able to open her mouth due to her rings.
He could see that what she was unable to voice, it was readable in her expression, reflected from the handy mirror!
Then he moved his hands, grasping her by the silken sides of her slip, and began to tickle her mercilessly, she started to uncontrollably giggle, then stated to sputter, finally letting loose with a gasping laugh!
This sent the three sparkling rings she had been holding inside her mouth, spinning out and plopping onto the green silk of her lap, where they slithered down between her knees!
“Dirty Play, Gaston!”
She admonished, snapping her legs closed to hide the rings, tears in her eyes as she laughed out her words…
“That wasn’t how… !
He hushed up her words by quickly plunging his gloved fingers down inside her slip, grasping and kneading her breasts in unison
Her whole being tingling with the exquisite pleasure, made her forget entirely how she had wanted him to play the game with her rings!
But he was now entirely in control of the situation, and she felt her whole figure limply wilt under his command!
He left his right hand inserted down her slip to carry on with the task, subtly extracting his left to then run fingers through her long blonde, luxurious feeling hair, pulling it back behind her head, where it hung down in a gold coloured silken mass!
Figuring if he did, she would lean right back to look up at him!
Which is exactly what she did, playing right into his trick!
Her eyes, though, were still tightly shut, as her focus went off to some erotic location, as she was reeling in the vivid pleasures of her game.
Her green satin gloved fingers tried to adjust her bonds so she could reach back out behind her, and he knew for what and responded appropriately by rising so she could reach her objective.
Then it became his turn to be the one moaning softly through gritted teeth…
He silently thought, while groaning inwardly…
“Easy on the family jewels there, missy!”
“Oh, My Darling Gaston!”
she responded, apparently, hopefully, waiting for a response.
He gave her one, though not verbally…
He leaned against the backside of the chair, getting as close to her as he could!
She began to grope quite furiously and he thought of a monkey he had seen once in the city zoo doing one such number on a banana.
He was also finding it increasingly difficult to keep his mind on the task at hand.
So, he pulled away from her grasp a little, allowing her fingers the barest of touch!
He then gently pulled back her blonde hair, and quickly started caressing her now sweating earlobes, taking advantage of where this lady’s reeling mind was otherwise occupied!
Slowly, carefully stroking up and off, he pulled out the gold hooks attached to her sparkling earrings from each pierced ear.
Freeing both of her lovely long earrings in turn and letting them drop, glimmering into his leather pouch!
He kept on caressing, deeply thrusting his right hand in and along her breasts for several minutes taking precious time with the task as to keep her mind away from what he was accomplishing from behind her trussed up back.
Meanwhile, his left hand moved up into a new position.
Her entire being was squirming, so enraptured and enthralled, that she never even felt him picking up the ends of the thin coronet: lifting oh so carefully, each end of shiny gold braided ends that were woven into her hair, and began gently lifting out each one free!
As he pulled it delicately away, she did not even miss the egg-shaped diamond as it stopped brushing against her sweat glistened brow!
Once he had freed the shimmering piece, he eagerly lifted to admire it!
She broke his trance by purring, opening her eyes as he quickly hid the jewelled coronet!
“Well, my Gaston! I can feel you desire me again, my darling! It has been quite a long time for you also!”
But though she may have felt that something growing between her captor’s legs, she had no inkling that he had been busy lifting her pricey jewelled headpiece!
Nor did she now hear it being dropped in the pouch at her foot!
So, oblivious that her earrings and coronet were gone, the bound, satin slip clad lady, quite seductively began murmuring these words as her fingers continued their gentle free play between his legs.
“You want me don’t you luv!”
She asked this seductively, wistfully as her eyes opened wide and looking up into his, catching him hovering over her, his eyes from the slits in his hood, looking down upon her.
He had stopped fondling her breasts with his right hand and placing that hand on her shoulder was looking down upon her with lust-filled eyes!
But she was entirely misreading the object of his also lustful gaze…
She again closed her eyes with a heavy sigh!
As his eyes went to what he now really wanted from her!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Chapter 12
The Fondling Theft
He smiled as he looked down upon her throat, watching the diamond and emerald necklace moving up and down in conjunction with her heavy breathing!
For the small fortune in diamonds, dribbling nicely down as her throat was arching back in her ecstasy, was sending a rippling cascading fire of colour from its’ gemstones!
This was, for the most part, the blame for a stiffly obvious condition of his John Thomas!
“Kiss me, Gaston!”
The enraptured miss cried out yearningly at that point.
In her bliss, his victim moved open her knees ever so slightly, uncovering several small glittering objects!
The rings! He had almost forgotten all about them!
Seizing the moment, his hand had delved down, then up in between her legs!
He pried open wider her legs, finding no resistance atoll.
He then obliged her sweet fantasy
As her thoughts of being kissed vanished into the aire in a fit of convulsive ecstasy.
She screeched, her whole figure thrashing against her bindings as the intensity of sparking feeling erupted from the sensitive area he had invaded!
He reached into her lap, his fingers plunging in against her silken slip, scooping the rings inside, inserting two fingers, pushing inside a portion of her slip with the bundle of 3 rings, deep up within her vagina!
Her whole being exploded into enveloping, exquisitely painful jolts of pleasure as her long waiting orgasm took full effect.
He had ardently moved against her and he felt her fingers curling around his manhood, he pulled away quickly before she could cause him some pain from a reflecting grasp!
“Gaston,!” she screamed her eyes closed shut tight in pulsating ecstasy!
He had begun groping about inside her vagina, searching inside the slip he had pushed up for the rings that were laying somewhere there, unseen!
He soon found and scooped out each glittery ring one by one, pushing them deeply up and into her pulsating “Labia Majora”, before pulling them from the now damp silk and tossing them each neatly into his bag.
As he pulled out the last ring, along with her now wet portion of slip, she said, her voice hoarse with expectations,
“Sure you found everything mister burglar Gaston?”
He reached down and randomly pulled up her hairpiece from the top of the glistening pile in his pouch and dropped it down between her legs.
She opened her eyes, looking down
“When did that fall off?”
Forgetting her hands were bound, she had tried to feel up for her hair…
Like she had done with her rings, she firmly clamped her legs tightly over the jewel, extinguishing its flicker as it laid there shimmering brightly!
“Not part of the game, luv… I borrowed that from Lilly, silly! “
She giggles at her rhyme, light-headed from the lingering effects of her prickling arousal and orgasm!
He smirked, thinking!
Hmmm, where is this Lilly, and is she another one wondering about, wearing the good ‘ice’ this evening? But, back to the job at hand!
He bent down and tried to open her knees…
She resisted, struggling against her bindings as she tried to work her hands-free to stop him!
He hoped she was still playing her game, and not having second thoughts about it.
It could make things rather unpleasant!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Chapter 13
Pleasant Reflections
But apparently, the gig was not up yet!
For an old memory had been invoked back to her conscious mind.
With this thought, she said lustily, her dry throat cracking her words…
“Ah yes, you are right my dear Gaston! Recreating that time in the film we were watching, when a thief lifted some jewels from those ladies at a party, after promising them he was reformed!”
“Yes Gaston, you remembered that game..!”
she said with a sultry gasp, before uttering one last word.
“Except …”
He froze not sure if he should follow-through, not wishing to upset any apple carts of fantasy she was expecting.
Then she went on….
“I should have told you that the Tiara was out of bounds, of course, you wouldn’t ‘ave known it was mine, being absent for so many years…!”
He looked down at her and saw that she was again watching him with some queries.
Was she having some doubts as to what game was being played?
he was curiously wondering?
He removed his hands from her leg!
She sighed happily!
“Thank you, you are a gentleman as well as a thief! Dear sir!”
He then reached up and lifted her necklace, fingering its beckoning lure.
She said nothing...
So apparently, this beauty was still in play!
it was time for the coupe de grace!
He eagerly contemplated as he eyed the magnificent necklace, the last and best piece of his victim's worn jewels.
He again grasped her breasts, fondling them through the silken slip with his right hand.
Whilst his left travelled up her slick backside, reaching the back of her throat, and her necklaces’ jewelled clasp!
Using two gloved fingers, he neatly popped open the clasp and watched as the two ends fell open and hung down over her shoulders.
Curious as to what reaction she would give,
She did not disappoint
She quivered and moaned, then, began choking out the words in quite in a seductive, huskily hoarse-voiced manner.
“Gaston, Mon Mari!”
Her eyes were glazed over, reflected in the mirror, wide open with crazed excitement!
Suddenly an epiphany of an idea enters his head
letting one ned of the necklace noticeably drag up and over her shoulder, he released his hold, with a cascading fiery slither, it fell inside between her heaving breasts.
His right hand still fondling those breasts, he felt the necklace and worked it past so it slipped further down, landing in her lap!
Her diamonded necklace had joined its jewelled mate, the forbidden fruit, the jewelled coronet!
He then did the job properly, feeling along with the outside first, then reaching inside and giving great attention to all of her sweet spots.
Finally reaching the bottom, he again located her clit and began to manipulate it!
“Oh good, lord !”
she exclaimed, pleasurably leaning forward as much as her bindings would allow
As he fondled and groped, going all out to give her already intensely aroused figure as much over stimulation as possible!
Said figure, which had been ratcheting impulsively during the entire performance, now shot straight rigid as his fingers began once again searching the area between her legs!
She let out a piercing squeal as he hit home several times.
And as she closed her eyes tightly with each plunge of his right hands’ fingers finding their mark contorting her figure into exquisite convulsions, he took the opportunity to reach in with his free left hand and grabbed the now unprotected jewels from her lap!
As he pulled her jewels free, she slumped back into the chair, her whole being exhausted from her ecstatic struggles!
He slipped the shimmering strings of diamonds, necklace, and coronet, down on top of their pilfered, glittering mates…
Quite a haul he thought as He looked at her body, eyes clamped shut, still grasping to control her pinnacle reached desires!
She never even noticed that her borrowed headpiece had also been scooped up along with her necklace as he had quickly, unobtrusively also taken it to be deposited inside his bag
He went over to the piled green gown laying on the floor.
Lifting it he carried it over to his victim.
Holding it up he watches as the dazzling brooch was reflected in her, now open, slightly glazed over, doe wide eyes.
He slipped off the jewel, mindlessly pocketing it with the other, as he laid the gown reverently out over her lap.
Her only reaction was to close her eyes and groan happily.
“Okay Gaston you win, she murmured huskily, now untie me!”
“This Gaston did win!
He thought smirking to himself as claimed the now weighty pouch from the floor!
He began to stroll briskly towards the bedroom door exit, preparing himself for when she would realize the truth and start her desperate pleading.
It didn’t take long he heard her exclaim from behind his back before reaching the door…
“Hey, Gaston ! Where do you think you are going, lad?!”
“I said game over, no didn’t I ?!
She must have been looking down, for she began to bleat on like an annoying lost lamb…
“And you give me back that Tiara, it is not supposed to have been part of the game!”
He spoke aloud for the first time, lecturing…
“It is more of a Coronet than a Tiara my sweet!”
The burglar boldly closed the door behind him, distinguishing any further comment from the now indignantly squealing young, distressed Damsel.
He retraced his steps out to the second-floor sitting room’s balcony.
Then made his exiting the way he had come.
Climbing from the ancient wrought iron fire stairs conveniently located down off the second-floor balcony!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think I'll make this my last share from Japan. Such a beautiful place with incredibly friendly and helpful people. Thanks for joining me virtually.. This was a street in Arashiyama on the outskirts of Kyoto.
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Photographer: BeaR
MD: Mina Chang
Makeup: Yukari Chen 優花梨的和裝俱樂部 (和服浴衣)
GROUP: W.H.
Retouch: LR+PS
#BeaRPhoto
Think of the ups and downs during the past distressing pandemic.
Olympus OM2000
Zuiko Auto-Zoom 75-150mm/4
Kodak Ultramax400
Epson Perfection 2400
✰ This photo was featured on The Epic Global Showcase here: bit.ly/1SX2tGl
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Sometimes I think I’m going to blind myself by photographing into the sun - yikes!!
by @photosbycorina on Instagram.
Please do not copy, use and modify any of my photographs without my explicit written permission. All rights reserved.
Location: Wan Chai Sports Ground, Hong Kong
Rollei 35RF
Leitz Wetzlar Summaron M 35mm f/2.8
Leica ggr Green Filter
Rollei Retro 400s
This little common blue rested quietly for a while on this leaf when the sun was in at Farlington Marshes, on the south coast of the UK (not far from Portsmouth). The butterfly was up on the perimeter path around the embankment of the marsh, just feet away from the water of the harbour.
Not being one to miss a photo opportunity like this (what? butterfly not moving like the clappers for once?), I got down and took some shots with the great luxury of being able to steady the camera reasonably well for once!
Enjoy!
IMG_28412, 30%
I think these coaches are a great match to my Darjeeling live steam engine. Technically these are to run with Emily of the Thomas and Friends fame, but the green is a nice match and they look great in a line.