((I know it's Visna's turn to post, but this has been gnawing at me in my mind and I just have to get it out.  I hope you don't mind, V.  It will give you a little more to respond to perhaps.))<br/><br/>Jessie hadn't expected the amorous response she got.  The woman next to her responded by turning towards her and kissing her, wrapping her arms around her, and then going further to grope at her breasts and reach down under the man's shirt she wore to touch her 'down there'.  She made a little squeak of protest but it was stifled by the kiss.  Despite her reticence at being kissed so passionately by the person she thought was a whore, Jessie felt tingles and a warm flush rising quickly up inside her, like butterflies in her stomach, but it felt good.<br/><br/>Then it all went wrong as Penelope awoke and accused her of a dubious carnal intention.  The Yankee woman's voice, though still a whisper, seemed to carry loudly to Jessie's ears, and knowing the scruffy fellow was probably still outside listening, she felt a pang of fear stab through her again.  Reacting quickly, she grabbed Penelope's wrist in one hand, covering her mouth with the other as she scrambled on top of her to hold her down to keep her from struggling.  The tussle caused Jessie to end up laying between Penelope's legs, with her body atop the other woman, a hand clamped over her mouth, and holding her wrist above her head, pinned to the mattress.<br/><br/>Jessie's mouth was close to Penelope's ear as she hissed in a quieter whisper, "Hush, woman!  There's a man outside who can hear us!  You'll give the whole thing away!  Besides, you ain't sleeping where you're supposed to.  It was supposed to be Beth in the middle.  And what do you mean about us 'Sesesher women'?  It was you Yankees who was fighting for union, after all.  I was just trying to make a good show of it for our unwelcome audience.  Everybody in the wagon train is going at each other, and have been all evening.  It would seem out of place if nothing was going on here."<br/>