Cally's wedding gown was ready. The servants sewed diligently on the clothing she would take with her until she might obtain that fine London wardrobe. The duke was pleased that Aurora and George would be coming in eight months' time rather than on his heels. He had Aurora's measurements taken, and promised that a wardrobe would be sent to her in time to travel to England. And George, too, was to share in his brother-in-law's bounty. It would be winter when they arrived, the duke reminded them, and they would both need warm, fashionable clothing.

"You will send to me to let me know on what ship you intend traveling. I would suggest the Royal George, or its sister ship, the Queen Caroline. I will send my carriage to meet you."

"You are so kind to us, Valerian," Oralia said.

"Would you not come too, ma'am?" he asked her as he had several times previously. "We would welcome you at Hawkes Hill, and hope that Calandra will be with child by then. I know she would welcome her mother, particularly under those conditions."

Oralia shook her head. "When Robert brought me here from Jamaica, I vowed that I would never again set sail upon the sea. I have neither the head nor the stomach for it, it seems." She laughed.

"Then we must return to St. Timothy often so you may know your grandchildren, ma'am," Valerian said generously.

Oralia beamed even as Calandra giggled.

He had begun to worry about Calandra. How many walks had they taken in the plantation house gardens? But she had yet to allow him any intimacy but the privilege of holding her hand. On the several occasions he had attempted to kiss her on the lips, she had turned away so that his lips barely brushed her cheek. If she would not allow him an innocent kiss, what was to happen when they were married? Aurora, he suspected, would have long ago succ.u.mbed to his kisses. He didn't know why he had thought it, but he did. Then, having thought it, he put the idea from him guiltily. Certainly Oralia had, or would shortly, explain to Calandra her marital duties. Then it would be up to him to instruct his bride in the more practical aspects of those duties.

The night before the wedding Oralia joined both her daughters in Cally's bedchamber. "Aurora, I think it best you leave us," she said.

"May I not remain?" her stepdaughter replied. "You are going to speak to Cally of the physical side of marriage, aren't you, Mama? I might as well hear it now, as you probably won't be with me when I marry."

"But you are not departing for England for several months," Oralia replied. "We will speak then, Aurora."

"I would rather hear it all with Cally, Mama."

"Oh, please let her stay," Cally begged prettily.

Oralia shrugged. She was uncomfortable enough as it was. It was actually a very practical idea to get this little speech all over and done with just once. "Very well," she acquiesced. "Marriage has many aspects to it," she began. "A good wife respects her husband. She keeps his house, and if he so desires, she may even offer him her counsel. But a woman's chief duty, my girls, is to give her husband children. In order to do this, she must cojoin her body to his and receive his seed into her womb. For some women this is a pleasant duty, and she may even enjoy her husband's pa.s.sion."

"Did you?" Aurora asked frankly.

Oralia blushed. "I did with your father," she said low.

"But not with mine?" Cally asked.

Oralia bit her lip, but then said candidly, "Your father was not as gentle a man as was Robert Kimberly. While all men are basically alike in their forms, each is different in the manner in which he makes love to his wife. You must be prepared for this, both of you. Cally, I believe your duke will be kind and patient. Permit him the freedom of your body, for it is his right. You must not deny him."

"What will he do?" Cally asked curiously.

"Each man has an . . . um . . . um . . . an . . ."

"Appendage?" Aurora suggested.

"How on earth did you know that?" her mother gasped.

"I remember seeing George had one when we swam together as children," Aurora said calmly. "It was a bit small, however."

"They grow as the male grows," Oralia told them weakly, thinking this was probably the worst thing she had ever had to do in her life. "This appendage is the means by which a man joins his body with his wife."

"How?" Cally said.

"There is an opening in a female's body," her mother said. "It can be found between your legs. As a man's desire grows, this appendage will thicken, and grow. It is then ready to enter your body, which your husband, if he is thoughtful, will prepare for his entry."

"How?" Cally again.

"He will stroke you," Oralia said.

"Like a cat?" Cally sounded disbelieving.

"You know what you need to know," Oralia said. "Valerian will answer any other questions you have, Calandra."

"How does a baby get into my body?" Cally persisted.

"Your husband will deliver his seed into your womb by means of his appendage. This seed will grow if you are fertile at the time it enters your body, for you will not always be fertile to his seed, and the seed evolves into a baby. It generally takes about nine months for a child to come to full term. At that point it will push itself from your body through the same opening by which it entered it."

"Will it be a son or daughter?" Cally was not yet satisfied.

"You will not know until the child is born," her mother said. "Now, Calandra, Aurora, I think you have more than enough information. It is time for you to go to sleep. Tomorrow is a very important day for you, Calandra. You will marry, and you will leave St. Timothy as the d.u.c.h.ess of Farminster. You must get your rest."

"Let Aurora stay for a while," Cally asked her mother. "It is the last night we will have each other's company for a long time, and when we meet again, everything will be different."

Oralia nodded, understanding, and then, standing up, she left the room. She and Robert had been so fortunate in their marriage and in their children. She wanted that for both of the girls.

When she had gone, Cally said, "I wonder what part of me he will stroke." Then she giggled nervously. "It is all quite silly."

"Men, I have noted, have an appreciation of women's b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Perhaps he will stroke your b.r.e.a.s.t.s," Aurora said. "Have you ever touched yourself, Cally?"

"Have you?"

Aurora nodded. Then she undid the ribbons on her nightgown, exposing her upper torso to her sister's view. "Undo yours," she commanded.

Cally complied with the request. "I've never done this before," she whispered. "Is it naughty?"

"Probably," Aurora responded, her hands cupping her round little b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "Do what I do, Cally."

Cally's bosom was only slightly larger than her sister's. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were cone-shaped, and had large nipples. Shyly, she slipped her hands beneath them, all the while watching as Aurora began to rub her nipples with her thumbs. Cally followed suit. Her nipples grew hard beneath her touch, but she felt more irritation than anything else. Aurora, however, closed her eyes and sighed. She slipped one hand down her body, pushing her nightgown away, until her fingers were lost in the tight curls of her bush. Cally watched wide-eyed as Aurora thrust a finger between the folds of flesh and began to rub herself.

"What are you doing?" she said, half shocked.

"You do it too," her sister said softly. "Ummmm, it feels so good. If this is what a man does to you, I can hardly wait to marry!"

"I cannot do that," Cally protested, but she was fascinated.

"Yes . . . you can," Aurora murmured. "Oh! Oh! Oh! That was so nice, Cally. Go ahead! Try it. You'll feel so good afterward!"

Nervously, Calandra followed her sister's instructions. Soon her body began to tingle in a way she had never known before, and she did not think she liked it. Her fingers were slickly sticky with some kind of juice her body seemed to be emitting. Then she gave a little shudder. "Ohhh!" she cried. "Ohhhh!"

"There now, wasn't that nice?" Aurora said mischievously.

"I don't think I liked it at all," Cally said, arising from the bed where they were both sitting to wash her fingers off. "How did you ever learn such a thing?" She scrubbed her hand fiercely.

Aurora shrugged. "I don't really know. I just did it one day, and I liked it. Valerian will probably touch you that way. I think the gooey fluid that comes from that place is what Mama meant when she said he would prepare you for his entry. I imagine the appendage goes in far more easily when it is greased than if you were dry."

"I think it is nasty, and I shall not do it!" Cally said.

"Oh, don't be silly, Cally. Of course you'll do it. You have to if you're going to have a baby, and, as Mama says, it's your first duty to the Hawkesworth family to give them an heir. You'll probably like it better when Valerian does it to you. Has he kissed you yet?"

"I wouldn't let him," Cally said.

"Well, you'll have to after the wedding," Aurora told her sister in practical tones. Then she arose from the bed, retying her nightgown. "I'm off for bed, sweeting. Happy dreams, little sister. I will miss you. See you on the morrow."

"Aurora!"

She turned.

"I love you!" Cally said.

"I love you too," Aurora replied, and then left her sister.

In the downstairs foyer Calandra's trunks sat waiting. The wedding would be first thing in the morning, when the Royal George arrived. Then the newlyweds and their two servants would depart for England after a wedding breakfast. The minister would be returned to Barbados by means of a St. Timothy boat, and the day would progress just like any other day on the island, except that Cally would be gone.

The household was up early. The baths were filled, and all involved bathed. Tea was brought to each bedroom. Cally's maid, Sally, was so sick with her excitement that she vomited twice.

"What's the matter with you?" Martha asked the younger woman.

"I'm going 'ome!" Sally said. "I'm going to see England again, and be personal maid to a d.u.c.h.ess!" Sally's term of bondage had ended several years earlier. She had always been homesick for England, but had never had the means to return. She had been transported for debt. The only means of support she had was here with Calandra. Now she had been asked to accompany her mistress, and she was thrilled. "Don't tell me, Martha 'enry, that you won't be 'appy to see England again."

"You ain't going to remain personal maid to a d.u.c.h.ess long if you don't put those H's back on your words, Sally me girl," Martha told the younger woman sternly. "I thought we had learned you better these past ten years. A d.u.c.h.ess's servant got to talk more posh. You want to end up back in the same London slum from where you came?"

"Gawd, no!" Sally exclaimed. She looked worried. "Maybe I ought to stay put right here on St. Timothy."

"Don't be a ninny," Martha said. "Just remember to speak careful, and learn everything you can from the Hawkesworth family servants. You've got the next couple of weeks to make friends, and ask questions of Browne, the duke's valet. And by make friends I don't mean you should go and seduce the poor fellow. And if anyone should question your authority, and try and steal your place, just remember to be tough and remind 'em that you've been with her grace since she was a child. Few will challenge an a.s.sociation like that. Be pleasant, but don't trust anyone until you got a real good lay of the land. The dowager d.u.c.h.ess will have a favorite serving woman. Make friends with her and defer to her judgment. With a strong ally like that, you ain't got nothing to worry about."

"Oh, Martha! I'm going to miss you!" Sally's plain face was woebegone. Her gray eyes were teary.

"Go on with you," Martha said gruffly, but she was feeling a bit weepy too. When Sally departed, she would have no close woman friend of her own cla.s.s. But it was only for a little while, she reminded herself. Her eye went to the windows, and then she said, "Look out in the harbor. The Royal George is sailing in, and the bride not ready!"

Cally's wedding gown was brought forth. It was a beautiful garment of cream-colored satin. The round neckline was edged in matching lace that matched the engageants falling from the three-quarter sleeves. The skirt opened in the front to reveal a brocade underskirt embroidered in a delicate floral pattern with gold thread. The skirt was gathered full at the hips with flounces and ruches, and lay over its underskirt and several stiffened petticoats. Calandra's dark hair was gathered into a chignon, and one long curl was coaxed to lie over her left shoulder. She wore no jewelry except for pear-shaped pearl earbobs and a small gold cross on a fine gold chain. Carefully she slipped her stocking feet into low-heeled cream brocade shoes with small gold rosettes. Then she looked at herself in the long mirror.

Calandra Hawkesworth. It had a n.o.ble ring to it. Calandra, d.u.c.h.ess of Farminster, she thought, and preened before the gla.s.s. Yes. She looked like a d.u.c.h.ess. She was going to be a great success in England. "I am beautiful," she said aloud to no one in particular.

"You are, and that's the truth," Martha told her with a smile, "but don't you forget when you get to England, that pretty is as pretty does, Miss Calandra. I'll want to hear good things of you when we arrive."

Oralia came into the bedroom and stopped, her hand going to her heart as she viewed her daughter. "Oh, my, my, darling! It is perfect. You look regal." She handed Cally a small spray of star-shaped white orchids. Then she asked, "Where is Aurora?"

"Here, Mama." Aurora entered by the door that connected her room and Cally's. Her gown was almost identical to her sister's except that it was pale rose-colored silk. The visible underskirt was of cream brocade, hand painted with tiny blue forget-me-nots. Her matching shoes had pink rosettes, and her brown-gold hair was fashioned with twin ringlets on either side of her head. Her only jewelry was a gold cross that matched her sister's.

"Oh, how lovely you look!" Oralia said, pleased. She presented her stepdaughter with a bouquet of pink hibiscus and green ferns.

George popped his head in the door. "Captain Conway and the Reverend Mr. Edwardes have arrived. The bridegroom is waiting eagerly. Are you ladies ready?"

"Escort me down, George, and then you may come and get your sister," Oralia said, gesturing to the two servants to accompany her.

The two sisters were alone for a brief moment.

"You're certain you're not sorry?" Cally said. "This is a wonderful and generous thing you have done, Aurora, but even I know Papa would not approve."

"I am not sorry," Aurora a.s.sured her, "and Papa would want me happy first and foremost. You know that. Now, you be happy, Cally."

"Ohhh, I just know I will! I am going to be a d.u.c.h.ess, and live in England. I cannot wait to get there and become a part of society!"

"And Valerian? Do you give no thought to him?" Aurora was just slightly troubled by Cally's childish att.i.tude.

"Valerian? Well, he will be my husband. What else is there?" Cally replied. "I'm certain we shall get on quite well."

George returned. "Come, my little sisters. 'Tis time."

They left the bedchamber, and Aurora descended the staircase first, moving slowly so that everyone would have a chance to see and admire Calandra. Of course only the servants were there to see, besides the ship's captain and the Anglican minister who stood with his back before the open door of the house. To his left stood the duke, dressed simply but elegantly in pale fawn-colored breeches, full at the top and fitted above the knee, below which he wore white stockings. His coat was of black velvet, and his waistcoat a white brocade embroidered with black thread garlands. He had silver buckles on his shoes, and lace at his throat and cuffs. Reaching the minister, Aurora stepped to the left and turned to see her stepsister.

Cally moved gracefully, her little hand upon George's arm. When they arrived before the Reverend Mr. Edwardes, Valerian stepped forward, and George gave his sister's hand into that of the duke and stepped into Valerian's former place as George had two roles to fulfill in this wedding. He was to give the bride away, and he was also the best man.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together today in the sight of G.o.d and this company to join together this man and this woman," intoned the Anglican minister.

How long had it been since she had been to church? Aurora wondered. The minister had come from Barbados for her father's funeral, and before that? She could not remember. Her father would have liked to have had a clergyman on St. Timothy, but without a congregation it would have been good money wasted, he always said. The slaves had their own religion, and a family of five plus their servants was hardly worth the bother. So the minister was sent for only when he was needed. Hardly an ideal arrangement, Aurora thought. When I go to England I shall go to church every Sunday, she decided. England. What fate was awaiting her there? Only time would tell. Her mind wandered here and there for the next few minutes, and then she heard the minister say, "I now p.r.o.nounce you man and wife." He joined their hands. "Those whom G.o.d hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Amen." Then the Reverend Mr. Edwardes smiled at the couple. "You may kiss the bride, your grace."

Knowing her shyness, Valerian quickly and lightly brushed Calandra's lips with his own. She looked very surprised.

Oralia kissed her daughter and then the duke. "I am so very happy for you both!" she said, her eyes filled with tears.

The newlyweds were then congratulated by their relations, Captain Conway, and the servants before they adjourned to the dining room for a wedding breakfast. While they ate, the trunks were being carried from the house, put into a cart, and taken down to the harbor to the ship. When the last toast was drunk, Captain Conway arose from his place.

"I do not wish to rush your grace, but the sooner I can weigh anchor today, the sooner we will reach England."

"Of course," the duke agreed, standing and drawing Cally up with him. "You will want to change, my dear. Sally, take your mistress upstairs, and do not dawdle."

"Yes, yer grace," Sally said smartly. She and Martha had been invited to the table, being old and treasured retainers.

In a surprisingly short time the new d.u.c.h.ess of Farminster returned, dressed fashionably in a gaily flowered Pompadour taffeta travel dress, a broad-brimmed straw hat with blue ribbons, and lace mitts upon her pretty hands. "I am ready," she said in a breathless voice.

Oralia began to cry. Both her daughter and stepdaughter rushed to comfort her. "I am being foolish, I know," she sniffed.

"Now, Mama, you must reconsider your decision and come to England with Aurora and George in late autumn," Cally said.

Oralia shook her head. "I do not like to travel," she replied. "When you have had a baby or two, or three, bring them home one winter to St. Timothy for their grandmama to see before she dies."

"Now, Mama," Aurora said, struggling not to laugh. "You are not going to die for many years to come. You are far too young. Give Cally your blessing, and a kiss so they may be under way."

Oralia sighed, but did as her stepdaughter suggested, kissing first Calandra, and then Valerian Hawkesworth. "Take care of my darling child," she instructed the duke.

"I will, ma'am," he promised her.