The Lady was not one for being refused and Lord Varatt was no exception. She led him to a workroom that had a large open pit fire place and a wooden table in the middle of the room. Candles lit the room and ceramic pots simmered with water and lavender, making the room fragrant with relaxing steam. In the corner a young girl plucked a harp. In the corner was a tall screen and Vivianne pointed toward it.<br/><br/>“Go there and strip. You will find sheets of chamois to wrap around your waist for modesty sake. Then join me  here.” She indicated the table with a pat on the smooth grained top.<br/>While he changed, the Lady supervised the preparing on the oils and the medicinal tea .The serving woman set about to prepare herself for the actual massage, but the Lady waved her away. When Lord Varatt returned, Vivianne had changed her scarlet gown for a plain serving woman’s gown that bared her arms and left her legs and feet bare.<br/><br/>Varatt was fit but his mid section had softened some. Vivianne could see the cuts of his muscles rippling under his tanned skin. Scars decorated his otherwise taunt skin and Vivianne let her eyes linger over them, marveling that he still lived from some of them.<br/><br/>“Lay here, my lord,” Lady Vivianne said, putting out her hand to draw him near. He smiled with no hesition or shyness and held her hand and her eye contact as he settled himself.<br/>“I will begin with just a general massage and then go to a warmed oil massage. At the end, I will wrap your back in hot towels laced with capesin and tallow.”<br/><br/>She was as good as her word. At first, she was methodical and Lord Varatt bore her ministrations with stoic silence but as the massage deepened and then was followed by the warmed oil, he began to groan in sounds that mimicked the ecstasy of love making. Vivianne continued, enjoying touching the warm strength of a man as much as he was reaping the benefit of loosening muscles.<br/><br/>One by one, the serving women, including the young harpist, crept from the room as the candles burned lower. Varatt was keeping up a constant murmur of enjoyment, almost catlike, Vivianne thought. She wrapped him in the warmed towel and tucked them under him. While he lay on his stomach, covered with the hot towel, she massaged his scalp and temples. Soon, she heard the soft rasp of a snore from him. She stopped and gave into the urge to kiss him softly upon his brow.<br/><br/>While he rested, she cleaned the room and freshened the herbs in the steaming water. When all was complete, she took the towels from Varatt and covered him with a soft sheet while he continued to sleep. She changed her own clothes and sat in a chair near the fire and closed her own eyes for just a few minutes.<br/>```````````````````````````<br/>Nimue was tired and Maric was so sweet to clean up after a party. She hoped that none of his friends found out that she did not finish her duties for that would shame her husband. Doing her part was defined by the house and the kitchen as well as what other duties that Maric might desire from her.<br/><br/>She had fretted about the company having no roof over their heads but Maric had explained that they had brought a fancy traveling tent and would be staying in the field by the paddock. Nimue had a feeling that their home and grounds would soon take on the aura of a traveling fair and that was just exciting!. She had no idea that Maric knew so many  interesting people and she hoped that she hadn’t disgraced him with her country bumpkin manners.<br/><br/>Samantha had known how to act around them and so Nimue watched her actions and tried to follow suit. The little boy was adorable but pangs stabbed Nimmie’s heart for her own son, now dead. She wondered if she and Maric would have a child. They had made love and yet there was no child to show for the effort. Nimue straightened up the bed, plumping the pillows and shaking out the quilt. Maybe she didn’t want one, down deep, after losing the one to willingly have another to potentially lose. But she did want Maric and he wasn’t helpless, as a matter of fact there were times when he was so masterful and almost magical.<br/><br/>She started to put on her gown for bed but suddenly a fierce longing for Maric came over her. The gown lay over the chair and Nimue crawled into bed, sky clad.