Chapter 3 Stonebridge Manor
CHAPTER THREE
Lady Baldwin was sitting in the helicopter at Battersea Heliport waiting for her pilot to get them in the air and home again. She could have donned the headset and microphone and chatted to the pilot, Ian, but she didn’t like him. He was fat and rude, so she hardly ever spoke to him, and she was certain that her attitude irked him no end. Which amused her greatly.
She’d been in London for a few days now, doing lots of shopping, predominantly at Harrods which was close to her townhouse. She’d also visited with her showbiz friends for lunches and dinners, gone to the theatre, had meetings with her interior designers and of course her liaisons. There was Simon, who was always hungry for her and whose bed she’d left not long ago. Then there was Tristan, the long time mate of the movie star, and Lady B’s friend, Jane Robins, who she couldn’t get with as often as she liked. Most often it was with Jane in close proximity, which made it even more delicious.
It was only a short flight, thirty-five minutes or so, and she waited for Ian to shut the helicopter down before putting down her magazine. She could just as easily have gotten off without him shutting it down. It wasn’t necessary, but still she waited, just as Tom and Kay waited on the lawn beside the house. Tom would retrieve her shopping and Kay would welcome her and relay messages and gossip.
“That was a bumpy ride, Ian,” she commented, as she stepped out the open door he held for her.
“So sorry, Lady Baldwin. Air control wouldn’t let me change altitude,” he offered as way of excuse.
”Well, don’t let it happen again,” she uttered, already walking away toward the house, gingerly, in her stiletto heels on the grass.
“Good evening, Milady, did you have a good trip?” asked Tom, who was making his way toward the aircraft.
“Yes, thank you. There are some shopping bags to come in.”
“Good evening, Milady, you look good tonight and very refreshed. London agrees with you,” fawned Kay, as Lady Baldwin approached the French doors to the house, one of which Kay was holding open.
“Where are the dogs?” asked Lady Baldwin, looking around.
“Cathy took them to Crompton for a few days as you told her to.”
“Well, I like them here meeting me. Tell her to come back and bring the dogs. Is my husband here yet?”
“He got home a couple of hours ago. He’s in the library, I think.”
They continued on their way. Kay relaying her messages as they made their way toward the master bedroom on the next floor up.
“She couldn’t even say thank you for a safe flight,” stormed Ian, as he retrieved her shopping from the hold, passing the bags to Tom. “She sits right behind me so I can’t see her, never talks to me during the flight, always has me shut the engine down, then she always finds something to moan about. The fucking bitch.”
“And how do you really feel, Ian?” laughed Tom.
“I tell you, one day I’ll really give her a flight to moan about. I’ll throw her sorry ass out the door.”
“If you do, make sure she’s not wearing a parachute.”
They both laughed, Ian losing the tension he’d felt since waiting for her at Battersea Heliport. Although she thought of him as fat and rude, everyone else quite liked him. He did have a manner about him, but then he had been in the armed services for most of his career and was only used to superior officers talking down to him. He didn’t like that either. He was quite large, about 280 pounds, but he was always well dressed. His uniform of blue, officer markings on the sleeves, lighter blue shirt and air regiment tie were impeccably pressed. He even wore a peaked cap most days. Facially he appeared craggy, a couple of small scars on his cheeks, pale blue eyes, good teeth, triple chinned, close cropped beard and mustache.
“I think that’s about everything, Tom,” he said, closing the hold door and rummaging through the discarded magazines in the passenger compartment.
“Okay. Well have a good night, Ian” he called as he struggled away with all the shopping bags.
“You too, pal. You too.”
Tom put all the bags down once inside the house and quickly closed the door. Ian had just started rotors moving so he gave him a quick wave and picked the bags up again, taking them into the kitchen. Rene was already cooking something for dinner and asked Tom what time she wanted it.
“She didn’t say.”
“Shit,” Rene spoke with his accent making it sound more like ‘sheet’.
“She’s brought some food back,” Tom stated, as he looked at the contents of each bag, before picking some of them up again off the counter and leaving the kitchen.
Rene sighed and lowered the heat under the pans, taking the lamb out of the oven before it overcooked. He generally half cooked the vegetables, waiting to finish for when she actually sat down for her meal, which could be anytime. Having stopped cooking, he instead began to put away the shopping, items he himself had ordered which couldn’t be obtained locally. Like his favorite French cheeses that were extremely aromatic.
Kay was running a bath for Lady B. It was hot and liberally laced with the oils she liked, but the housekeeper hated, as they left hard to dislodge lines. Lady B was sitting by her marble topped dressing table just to the side of the huge free standing bath, clipping her hair up and removing her makeup, wearing just a thick white bath robe.
Hearing a knock on the adjacent bedroom door, Kay turned off the faucets, closed the bathroom door and opened the bedroom door for Tom to bring in the bags.
“Just leave them, Tom. I’ll sort them out.”
“Okay, do you know what time she’d like dinner?”
“I’ll ring down when I find out.”
Closing the door behind him, she returned to the bathroom. Lady B always liked either Cathy or Kay in there with her. She wasn’t shy with her nakedness. She felt admired by everyone, and in here she could gossip and tell her tales, knowing her husband wouldn’t intrude.
Although Kay was always embarrassed about having to sit by the bath with the naked lady, she nevertheless relished the tales she was told, although having to gossip about the other staff was sometimes difficult.
The bath was placed directly in front of a huge window. Sometimes, if she bathed during the day, Lady B would leave the drapes open so she could see outside, sometimes standing up if someone was out there. It gave her a thrill to think one or more of the estate workers might secretly lust after her. The drapes were down now as she lay back in the hot water with her head on the bath pillow facing them, as the hot water and the oils worked their magic on her sated body.
“So, Kay,” she barely mumbled as she sat beside her, “ what’s been happening around here?”
“Well,” she began excitedly, “Lady Entwistle had a dinner party the other night. A big one with a lot of the hunt members like the old Duke, Lord and Lady Salcombe, Sir Robert and Tina Noble, and it was a huge disaster. Some of the wine was corked, most of the meal was cold and she swears she’ll never use the same caterers ever again.”
“We were invited to that, what fun.”
“It’s also being said that the owner of that restaurant you go to, Pepe’s, was caught with his trousers down with one of the waitresses.”
“No, not George!”
“Yes. Apparently his wife wondered why he was late coming home, so she went round there without calling. She walked in and he was screwing a waitress on one of the tables.”
“Oh my god, I can’t imagine,” Lady B laughed, “I’ll never be able to look him in the face again.”
“You might not have to. They’re also saying they may have to close if his wife sues for divorce.”
“That will be a shame, it’s one of the best places around here. I wonder which table they used.”
“Does that matter?”
“No, I just wondered is all. So what else?”
Kay noticed the soft smile on her lips, the look in her eyes as she said this and she wondered which table she’d had sex on with George. Especially when she imperceptibly touched herself on her breasts.
“It’s got the whole town talking.”
“Nothing around the house?”
“I think Ann wants to quit.”
“Do you mean Tom’s wife?”
“Yes.”
“Well, she can’t.” Lady B was emphatic. “It was part of their terms when they came here. Why does she want to quit?”
“She says she needs more space.”
“More space? What does that mean?”
“I think they’re having some marital problems and she doesn’t want to be around him all the time.”
“If she’s having marital problems, she should have an affair. I won’t let her quit.”
“I think there might be more to the story. I’ll let you know.”
“Anything else, Kay?”
“I haven’t heard anything from any of the children since you were last here, but I think Cathy is also having problems at home.”
“I haven’t heard from the kids either, but I think they hate me, for some unknown reason, and I give them everything. What problems is Cathy having?”
“They don’t hate you. They’re young adults now and finding their own way is all. Cathy’s husband is playing up again about her being here all the time, him having to look after the kids and do all the meals and things.”
“He should have moved down here if that’s what his problem is. I offered them a house and it’s not like he has a job or anything. The kids would get a much better education here and I need her around. No one else knows where all my things are.”
“It gets to her, especially with the kids. They treat her like a visitor nowadays. Despite what her husband says, it’s actually Cathy’s mother who looks after them and bringing them here would upset her. I don’t think Cathy is bothered anymore as to what her hubby thinks, but her kids are a different matter.”
“Get her back down here and I’ll talk to her. Tell her not to forget the dogs, otherwise they’ll start pining for Phillip again. He has nothing to do up there apart from spoil the dogs. Now put some more hot water in the bath.”
Kay got up and did as she was told, trying at the same time to avert her eyes from Lady B’s naked body. It was almost as if it was flaunted before her, knowing that she struggled with her own figure on a daily basis. She had only to look at some chocolate to gain a few pounds more. It was so unfair.
“That’s enough hot water, Kay. Sit back down and I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to.”
“Can I tell the kitchen when you’ll want dinner first?”
“Don’t worry about the kitchen. Let me tell you about the dinner party at Jane Robins house and how Tristan and I snuck away for a few minutes,” she whispered, picking up a bar of soap to lather herself with as she told her tale.
Kay sat down. She thought Tristan was gorgeous like no other, but this was as close as she was going to get, she was under no illusions there. She could still dream though.
“I’m all ears Milady, all ears.”