After the Dreams (Caroline's Company) (18 page)

‘That would be very
interesting, and probably a great deal of fun,’ replied Caroline. ‘She
certainly seems to enjoy Cassie’s company, although perhaps she’s not quite as
sisterly as she was last night.’

This last remark was prompted
by Cassie and Janet leaning towards other propped on their mallets, and kissing
each other over the last hoop.

The two blondes were whispering
together. Despite all the playacting and posing, and sometimes really
aggressive play by Sylvie, Cassie had maintained the lead, and now all the blue
and black balls had to do was to ‘peg out’ by hitting the central multi-coloured
stake.  At this point however, they were vulnerable to attack. If the blonde
team could push either of the blue or black balls onto the stake, then that
ball would have finished the course, and no longer be able to play. That would
leave the remaining ball vulnerable to attack by either of the red or yellow
balls, which might manage to keep it away from the stake until they had caught
up.  The next to play was Sadie with the yellow ball. After a whispered
briefing from Sylvie, Sadie tossed her long hair behind her, and lined up for
the shot. She had the endearing habit of sticking her tongue out a little when
she was concentrating. Her aim was good, but she hit the ball rather too hard.
She did indeed croquet Cassie’s blue ball, but moved it quite a distance away
from the stake. The whole game could now depend on how Sadie managed the roquet
shot.

Everyone was now concentrating
on this next critical play. Caroline, John, and Jo were leaning on the
balustrade, Cassie and Janet stood on the far side of the lawn, close to the
clipped yew hedge. Sylvie again whispered to her partner, as Sadie picked up
her ball ready to position it against the blue for the shot.

None of them noticed Poppy and
Philip quietly join the other spectators on the terrace.

Sadie placed the ball, lined up
even more carefully than before, pushed her hair out of her eyes, then stood
back and shook her head. Sylvie came to her side, tied up Sadie’s hair for her
in a loose pony-tail, and checked the alignment of the two balls, yellow and
blue.

‘Ooh, have we come at a critical moment.’ Poppy sounded
quite loud in the late afternoon air.

‘Shh my love,’ Philip quietened her. ‘I think we need to let
them concentrate.’

‘But who’s winning?’ Poppy
asked again. Philip made sure that she couldn’t disturb anybody any more by
putting his mouth to hers in a prolonged and very tender kiss.

Sadie lined up her mallet
again, checked the angle of her swing, struck the yellow ball and sent the blue
quite fast towards the stake.

Cassie and Janet clung to each
other in the tension of the moment. The ball moved smoothly over the superbly
maintained grass. There were no rough patches or weeds allowed on Caroline’s
croquet lawn. The lovely summer afternoon seemed suddenly heavy, and
thunderous, even the rooks in the trees by the lake were quiet.

The blue ball ran on, moving
slower and slower.

It stopped two inches short of
the stake.

There were cries from everybody as the tension relaxed.
Janet had clasped Cassie’s neck, and was kissing her with complete abandon.

On the terrace, Caroline kissed John. ‘Sauce for the goose
is sauce for the gander!’ she said, before she exchanged kisses with Jo as
well.

‘Hello you two,’ she held out her hands to Poppy and Philip.
’Are you rested enough?’

‘Well, we’re still a bit tired,’ replied Philip. ‘It took a
long time to get Poppy clean in the shower.’

‘But you enjoyed it my love, didn’t
you,’ Poppy murmured in his ear, which she started nibbling with her teeth.

On the lawn, Cassie had moved over to examine the next shot.
She had to be careful not to hit the stake by accident, and she did not have a
clear path to Janet’s black ball.

Sylvie and Sadie had retreated to the steps at the far end
of the lawn where they stood with their arms round each other, leaving the play
to the dark haired women. The conversation on the terrace hushed again as
Cassie lined up carefully, and knocked her ball into a perfect hit on the red,
Sylvie’s, ball.

‘What’s she doing,’ hissed Poppy. ‘Hasn’t she hit the wrong
one?’

‘That depends’ replied Jo ‘on
what she can do with the roquet.’

Dark clouds were building over
hills beyond the lake.

Cassie was again lining up very
carefully. Janet stood to one side, open mouthed in admiration.

After the sharp crack of Cassie’s stab shot, Sylvie’s ball
moved away to the far corner of the lawn, leaving Cassie able, with her follow
through, to neatly croquet the black ball.

Janet held her hands to her
face as Cassie placed her ball at the correct angle against the black ball,
then with a sharp tap sent the black into the stake. A sudden bolt of lightning
did not distract her and she followed through to hit the stake with her own
ball just as the thunder rolled, and a dense wall of rain moved up from the
lake.

*****************************

Everyone moved rapidly into the house. By the time the
laughing Sylvie and Sadie reached the terrace they were soaked. Their short
flimsy dresses clung to their bodies. Neither of them were wearing much
underwear.

‘That makes them look worse than naked!’ exclaimed Poppy.

‘And I don’t think they’ll mind
one bit,’ replied her husband, as Cassie and Janet who hadn’t been that wet
from the rain got a lot wetter in the embraces of the two soaking blondes.

‘You two are like muddy dogs,’ said Caroline ‘do mind the
carpet!’

‘But they played so well,’ exclaimed Sylvie. ‘I think she’s
almost as good as you Caroline!’

‘That,’ said Caroline, taking Cassie’s hands in her own, ’we
will have to see. But you did play beautifully Cassie.’

‘So did Janet,’ replied Cassie, blushing slightly.

‘So she did,’ exclaimed John, with his arms round his wife,
‘but it was you that made it possible, wasn’t it Janet?’

‘Absolutely,’ Janet basked in the attentions of her husband
after her flaunting behaviour on the lawn. ‘It was all Cassie’s playing really.
I just had to do what I was told.’

She batted her eyelashes at Cassie.

‘Don’t you think there should be a prize for the winners?’
suggested Jo.

‘Yes there certainly should,’ replied Caroline. ‘What should
it be Cassie?’

‘Well,’ said Cassie, blushing more but emboldened by her
victory on the lawn, ‘I have this idea.’ She whispered briefly in Caroline’s
ear.

Both of them looked at the wet blondes, and giggled
together.

‘That might be enormous fun, and very good for you
Cassandra!’

‘But not yet,’ replied the girl. ‘I want to be... be
properly ready first.’

‘That would not be a problem at
all. We’ll just keep everyone else, and especially those two, in suspense for a
while. Their fate will hang over them like the sword of Damocles!’

‘What’s this idea Cassie, and how does it involve us?’
demanded Sadie.

‘That,’ said Caroline, ‘is something you will find out...
eventually! But for now we need to get dry- again, and then please can you two
see to some supper. It’s your mother and father’s night off Sadie.’

‘Oh yes of course,’ replied Sadie. ’Mum said she would leave
something ready.’

‘I’ll help,’ said Cassie.

‘No you leave it to them.’ replied Caroline. ‘Sylvie tried
to set you up to lose that croquet game, and kept trying to distract you, so
she deserves to take some immediate penalties!  But I do like your idea
Cassandra.’

‘What idea?’ protested Sylvie.

‘Come on, we’re not going to find out now,’ replied the
other wet blonde girl. ’Let’s go and get on.’

Sylvie looked reproachfully at
Cassie, then turned to leave with her erstwhile fellow player. As they left
through the double doors into the hallway, they both wiggled their nearly naked
wet bottoms in unison.

Everybody else laughed at the
little display of pretended pique.

‘You’re wet as well,’ Caroline said to Cassie. ‘Do you want
to change?’

‘Oh – perhaps I’d better.’

‘Do you mind if I come with you?’

‘No - of course not. Not at
all.’

Caroline and Cassandra walked
through the double doors into the cool stone-flagged hallway.

‘I need to change as well, but I wanted to have a word with
you, to make sure you’re alright.’

‘Oh yes, thank you,’ replied Cassie as they went up the wide
staircase. Was it only yesterday evening that she had promenaded down here for
the first time in her evening dress?

‘I’ve really enjoyed the last two days. Well, I’m enjoying
all the time here ... with you and the others, but this party has been exciting
and ... informative. I’m seeing the different ways people behave.’

‘Did you have a good talk with Sadie?’

‘Yes, and I was a bit shocked by some of her story. Well,
shocked, but to tell you the truth a bit excited as well. I think I’ve had a
very sheltered life... until....’

‘Yes, but you coped very well with your last few months in
London. You may not think so now, but you were very brave.’

‘Well, there wasn’t much else I could do.’

‘But you looked after everybody you could. Sadie’s story is
different; she had more choice about what she did and what happened to her.’

‘She started on... on this female road very early.’

‘She did, but she obviously wanted to, and most of the time
she has enjoyed it I think.’

‘But what Jenny did to her was
really horrible.’

They had reached the landing outside Cassie’s room.

‘Do you mind if I come in with you?’

‘Of course not.’

They entered the room, which still looked a bit dishevelled
after the previous night. The clothes Cassie’s had worn were thrown around the
floor.

‘I’m sorry it’s a bit of a mess.’

‘Don’t worry. I doubt if Sylvie gave you much time to tidy
up.’

Cassie blushed. ‘I’m sorry if...’

‘Why should you be sorry? I’m glad Sylvie looked after you
properly. I don’t get to see Jo that often, and she needs looking after as well.
She has her own problems.’

‘You always think about taking care of other people.’

‘I try, but I do have my own compensations as well you know,
and I love being surrounded by beautiful people. Like you Cassandra!’

Cassie blushed again.

‘Shall I dry your hair for you?’

‘I can just use the...’

‘Let me towel it for you, and
then I can comb it out.’

Cassie fetched one of the large fluffy towels from the
bathroom, and sat down on the stool in front of the dressing table. Caroline
wrapped her hair in the towel and vigorously massaged her head.

‘Now I’ll brush it out for you.
Your hair isn’t that long. It’ll take Sadie much longer to dry hers. She’ll
probably wait till after supper.

Cassie felt very warm and comfortable, and quietly enjoyed
the attention from the older woman, and the sensation of having her hair
brushed.  But then she remembered that, of all the things she had learnt and
heard that day, the one that troubled her most was Sadie’s betrayal by Jenny.

‘What is it Cassie?’ Caroline saw (or felt) her concern.

‘Sadie thought that Jenny
really cared for her, and they looked after each other. Perhaps.. perhaps a bit
like this. And Jenny just threw everything away, as though nothing had mattered
at all.’

Caroline stopped brushing, sat
down beside the girl, and hugged her.

‘In this house we look after people. We like to have fun and
enjoy ourselves, but we don’t deliberately hurt people, and we try to stop them
from hurting themselves. Yes, I have my own agenda and plans, and even some
plans for you – if you like them. But we would never just abandon people. You
can walk away if you like, but we will still try to help you.’

‘I don’t want to walk away,’ said Cassie quickly, ‘not now.
You are taking care of me, and I really appreciate it, and everything is... so
much fun!’

‘Good girl’ Caroline kissed her lightly on her lips. ‘Now
what are you going to wear this evening. We’re going to be fairly relaxed.’

‘There’s this long grey dress, which I quite like.’

‘Go on then – show me.’

Cassie went to the lengthy built in wardrobe, and fetched
some of the results of her shopping trips.  (The wardrobe had plenty of space
for more shopping.) It was a simple dress in a shimmering grey with two broad
shoulder straps, designed to cling to the waist with an ankle length skirt. In
case it should be seen as too plain, it had a slit up the left thigh.

‘That looks very nice. Go on- put it on.’

Cassie put the grey dress on the bed, but struggled to undo
the back of her sundress.

‘Here, let me help.’ Caroline unfastened the hook and eye on
the back of the sundress, and gently lowered it to the floor, leaving Cassie in
her cream coloured panties and bra that she had put on after swimming. Cassie
was again slightly embarrassed about Caroline seeing her in this state.

‘You shouldn’t be embarrassed Cassie dear, not in this
house.’

Caroline patted her bottom and again kissed her lightly on
the lips.

She held up the grey dress so that Cassie could pull it over
her head. The younger girl settled the dress in place, and instinctively
twirled so she could see herself in the mirrors that covered much of the wall
space. 

‘You do have a natural sense of style you know. What shoes
have you got?’

Cassie fetched a pair of soft grey leather mules, with a
three inch heel. When she had put them on, she twirled again, and the slit
skirt showed her smooth and shapely leg.

‘Very good. Do you have any jewellery to go with it?’

‘I wanted something silvery, but I didn’t see anything I
liked.’

‘Not only a girl with style and taste, but the sense not to
buy something she doesn’t like. Very sensible.  And makeup? Sorry, I’m not putting
you though a test, I’m quite fascinated by how good you are getting at this.’