Swagger Inn (The Snug - extended)

[SisterHelenoftheEternalCatchUp]

For them that wants it, since the old snug is nearing the end of its life.
Come in, sit by the fire and relax with a Fuzzy Tom (or whatever drink grabs your fancy) and indluge in some drivel about which Musketeer is the FAFest.

If you're lucky, a literary wench might tell you a story.

(PS - No doilies allowed)

This thread is not be replacing The Tavern.
It's not a thread number
It's rumbling-in-the-background for anything that people don't want to put in the Tavern.

I thought the second one, but as that's pretty close (as it were) to the first one, and would have the same result in terms of Aramis er, noticing then I think that counts as getting what you meant.

Excellent, yes, either one fits.
So it was just sparks for a moment then.. phew. Thanks wenches, for everything.

Well well well. What an ending. I loved it SF. Really well finished and left us wanting more which is always a good thing!!!

Huge round of applause

Ps Sparks confusion re the glove HILARE

Previously.... (because it's been a while) Porthos was a jealous twat, but redeemed himself and was sent to get honey while Norah saw the mercer...

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Porthos strode through the streets carrying a small parcel. As he reached Jacques' shop he arranged his features into a polite smile and knocked on the door - Norah was with him after all, and Aramis was always saying you should be generous in victory. Personally, he thought it would be far more fun to rub it in, but he didn't want to get into any more trouble with Norah, and besides - if he upset her suppliers then it would make her job that much harder. He really ought to tell her, he thought suddenly, how proud he was of her - how it made him smile to himself in court to see the ladies wearing her clothes and admiring them on others. He was jolted out of his reverie by the door opening and a maid looking enquiringly at him, before showing him in as he explained he was there to escort Norah home.

He sat on a bench waiting, gritted his teeth as he heard Norah laugh in response to a comment from the mercer. No matter - the mercer could be as agreeable as he liked. He wasn't going to change the fact that Norah was with him. He got ready to force a smile on his face as they came in, but found himself smiling anyway in response to Norah's grin of delight at finding him waiting patiently for her.

Norah chatted about the materials as they walked home, her arm tucked in Porthos'. He listened vaguely as she described the different materials - one that would suit him very well apparently, and gradually fell silent. He grinned down at her, recognising the signs that she was busy working on designs in her head and guided her through the streets, stopping to buy some fresh bread on route.

Once she'd closed the door behind them he passed her the parcel with a grin and raised eyebrows. Norah unwrapped it upstairs - finding a sealed earthenware pot, a small carved honey drizzler, and a chunk of honeycomb which had leaked honey despite the careful packing. She grinned at Porthos and, cat-like, licked a finger - then held one out for Porthos to taste. He took her hands in his and drew her finger into his mouth - swirling his tongue round it and sucking gently - maintaining eye contact with her and watching the colour rise in her face. He grinned and looked down at the pot, unstoppered it and dipped a finger in. He drew the finger slowly across her lips, catching his breath as her tongue flicked out and then she drew his finger into her mouth - sucking and licking the honey from it. Again he dipped his finger in and traced her lips with it, this time sucking his own finger clean before leaning forward to kiss her, licking the honey from her lips and tasting it in her mouth. Norah closed her eyes, losing herself in the kiss as it deepened - the taste and scent of the honey mingling with the smell of leather, sweat and fresh hay that surrounded him.

She wrapped her arms round him, then moved her lips to his neck as she pulled his shirt loose. His fingers fumbled with the laces on her bodice and she pushed him away to unfasten them before they got covered in honey. she stepped carefully out of her clothes until only her shift remained, pulled it over her head then lay back on the bed. Porthos discarded his clothes carelessly on the floor and drizzled a line of honey from the base of her throat down towards her cleavage. He leant over her with a grin as her eyes devoured the sight of him - naked above her and licking his way down her body. He wiped his beard and looked ruefully at the honey covering his hand. "This is going to get messy..." Norah giggled and licked his hand as he dipped another finger in the honey, circling her nipples and watching as her breath caught. She lay back, relishing the feel of his tongue and lips, darts of pleasure shooting through her body as she wove her fingers through his hair and pressed herself against him - squirming at his touch, legs wrapping round his.

He rolled over on the bed, taking Norah with him so that she was on top, grinning down at him. She reached out to the pot of honey and dipped her finger in - licking it clean again as he watched. She dipped it in again and he grasped her hand, growling "I think you'll find that's my job?" then drew her finger back into his mouth. She grinned and wiped another smear across his lips, raising her eyebrows as he licked them clean.

"I think you'll find that's my job" she echoed him, and leant forward to kiss him before trailing a sticky finger down his chest, then picked up the drizzler and circled honey over his stomach and lower still. His breath caught as she moved down the bed, lips and tongue following the pattern of the honey. Moving inch by delicious inch lower. Norah smiled to herself at his indrawn breath and began to suck and lick the honey away, listening to his groans of pleasure and feeling him twitching and hardening in her mouth. She sat up, a smile on her face. "Well, I think that's you cleaned up now... shall I cook some dinner?" She waited for the reaction, but was still taken by surprise at the swiftness of his response as he grabbed her and flipped her on her back.

"You are a flirt and a tease."

She raised her eyebrows "And your problem is...?"

His answering grin was wide and he buried his face in her neck as his hand moved lower, squeezing and caressing her skin, fingers rubbing and teasing, enjoying the feel of her squirming against him and the sound of her gasps and whimpers, how her voice caught as she breathed his name - eyes wide as she looked up at him. He eased himself inside as she wrapped her legs around him, moving as slowly as possibly to prolong the sensations, but unable to control himself for long as she moved beneath him, bringing both of them to a shuddering, sticky climax. He tried to trail a finger between her breasts and they both smiled ruefully as it stuck and dragged against her skin. "Baths?"

Norah nodded in agreement. "In a minute or two..." she reached out and dipped her finger back in the honey pot.

OOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh.

Welcome back Nonny we've missed you

Excellent Nonny, excellent

Is there going to be a bathing scene? [greedy]

Oooooh. Loved it .

That honey in that chest hair is going be a fucking nightmare to clean up tho.

Very nice Nonny and welcome back

Oh wow, that was amazing! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

I was going to let them have a bath in peace, but if you insist...

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Norah winced slightly as she dipped a toe in the water, for all that she needed a wash, she'd have preferred the water to be warmer than this. She thought wistfully of Kate's description of the thermal baths at Bourbon. Porthos grinned, watching her standing on the steps, a shift on for modesty's sake - not that there were many people left here now. He ducked back under the water and shook himself as he resurfaced, rubbing his torso and arms to rinse off what remained of the honey. "It's not going to get any warmer you know..." he waded towards her "come on, I'll warm you up." He leered good naturedly and she rolled her eyes, blushing at the sniggers from a couple of young men at the far end on the baths. Gritting her teeth, she stepped down, up to her calves in the water. Porthos looked skywards - she'd never get in at this rate. He stepped forwards, picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, then dumped her into the water. She gasped at the sudden shock of the cold water, and her squeal of outrage was muffled as he kissed her. "Come on you, get yourself cleaned up." He stepped back, then realised her shift was virtually see-though after he'd dunked her, and clung to her skin - leaving nothing at all to the imagination. He glowered at the young men still laughing in the corner and they looked away hastily and left, deciding that they didn't want to pick a fight with Porthos. "Come on, we've got the place to ourselves now.." He helped her peel the shift off then stepped back to watch appreciatively as she rubbed and rinsed herself clean.

Norah glanced up at him through her eyelashes and turned away , smirking slightly to herself. It wasn't so cold now she was in up to her shoulders. "Can you get me a pitcher for my hair?" He waded back to the side, more of his body emerging from the water as he reached up to a jug sitting on the side. Norah gulped slightly at the sight of him: water beading on his toned skin, trapezius muscles clearly defined and drawing her eyes down his back... he turned around and raised his eyebrows at the expression on her face but passed her the pitcher without comment, helping her rinse her hair out.

"Is there anywhere the honey didn't get?" He smiled ruefully as she separated strands of hair that were stuck together and poured another jug of water over her head.

"Well, there's still a bit that I'm not sure I've got off yet. Maybe you can check?" she took his hand and guided it down into the water "Just about here..."

His eyes darkened as she guided his hand between her legs and he felt his body responding, despite the chill of the water. "Norah..." she reached up and pulled his lips to hers, eager to feel his skin - slick and wet against hers as she pressed her body against him. He groaned slightly as her fingers trailed across his body and she grinned at the feel of him stiffening against her.

"We do seem to have the place to ourselves...?"

He wove his fingers through her hair, pushing her towards the middle of the baths. "Scandalous woman" he muttered, then lifted her and thrust inside, feeling the heat of her body surround him - her lips crushed against his as she squirmed in his grip, nails digging into his shoulders. He broke off the kiss to lick and suck on her neck, listening to her soft whimpers echo off the marble walls, then moved a hand round to cup a breast, teasing the nipple, feeling it bullet hard against his hand. she nudged his head with hers and kissed him again, dragging her fingernails down his back, along his sides, though his hair - anywhere she could reach. He carried her to the wall where the water poured in from pipes. They both gasped at the shock of the water falling onto their heads, and then reached the wall with the water falling behind them, leaving them deaf and blind to their surroundings as they kissed, sheltered from view by the wall and the cascading water. His kisses were urgent now, demanding, as he thrust into her and she pushed back, trying to pull him deeper inside, shuddering uncontrollably and gasping at the sensations as he buried himself inside her. He wanted to watch her as he felt her tensing against him then relaxing back into his arms, but was unable to do anything but bury his face in her hair as he slumped against the wall, spent.

WOW! Loved that Nonny, absolutely loved it

Also, The Snug keeps disappearing off my Threads I'm On so I'll keep checking

Brilliant Nonny

Any Athos filth coming soon?

You'll have to wade through plot first...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

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Athos walked into the room as Kate closed the ledger with a satisfying thud and looked up at him with a grin. "Done!"

He smiled at the look of relief on her face and watched her stretch her arms out as he walked round to stand behind her, rubbing the tension out of her shoulders as she leaned back against him. "Should we celebrate? Go hunting? We could take the dogs and hawks out - catch some rabbits, eat by the pool...?"

"Eat?" Kate's smile was amused and she glanced back at him as he shrugged.

"Eat, swim, I'm sure we could find other ways of entertaining ourselves. Aramis says that he found the fishing was very good in the upper pool." Kate smirked at this observation. According to Eleanor, the fishing wasn't the only thing that had been good at the upper pool - in fact, the fishing had been of far less interest than the thoroughly enjoyable activities that followed it.

They were interrupted by the sound of brisk footsteps, followed by a sharp knock before Madame Allais came in. "Hibou has just arrived, and says a carriage is coming - probably Charlotte's from his description."

Kate frowned, puzzled. "Just Hibou by himself? Do you know why he's here?" She sighed and stood up, giving Athos an apologetic look as she went to investigate.

Hibou was standing quietly in the shade, waiting and watching, then pushed away from the stable wall as Kate came towards him looking worried. "Hibou, is there a problem?"

He looked at her cautiously. "Corbeau said..." he paused and started again "We all thought you seemed out of sorts. I thought I should check if we're still welcome here."

Kate looked at him in blank astonishment. "Of course - why would you not be?"

He glanced towards the house "We weren't sure - you're betrothed. We thought he might not welcome our presence, we don't want to create problems for you."

She smiled, relaxing. "No, no he has no problem with you. Not unless I do. "

Hibou looked dubious "He didn't appear to enjoy the performance, and he seems very protective... he kept close to you in town."

"He was worried about Corbeau's warning. And as for staying close - duty and pleasure sometimes overlap." She grinned.

"You're content then - this betrothal is your choice?"

"Not entirely my choice, but I have no complaints."

Hibou nodded, reassured. "And Albert's son...?"

"He came, we had words, he left. I don't think it's going to be a problem. I hope not." Kate ran her hand absently through the lavender bushes as they walked past the hedge. "Thank you for the warning though." She stopped and looked at him "Will you come for the harvest feast?"

"All of us?"

"Of course, all of you!"

His answering smile was broad, transforming his face "You're sure?"

"Louise will kill me, but yes. I'll order some extra food from town."

"We'll put on a play..."

"No" Kate shook her head "Music, juggling if you want, but no plays. Relax - enjoy yourselves, just..."

"..don't cause any trouble." He finished the sentence and they smiled at each other.

They turned back towards the stables and the dogs started to bark as a carriage arrived. Hibou retrieved his horse and they walked together to the front of the house.

missed a bit...

----

Athos watched through the window as they talked. There was none of the tension he seen when she'd talked to Corbeau in town - though the circumstances of this exchange were completely different. They were smiling companionably as they started to walk towards the front of the house and he wandered through to the library to pour a drink.

He looked back as the door opened. "Who are they?" he asked as Francois came in. The steward frowned slightly as he looked out of the window.

"The players? Who knows - they're hers. They arrived soon after she was married. It was winter and they came looking for shelter, a quiet place to sit out a storm. I was heading out with Jacques to send them on their way and she was horrified - asked what they'd done wrong, and then said she wouldn't turn a dog out in that weather. The Viscomte was away... She'd been like a mouse until then, scared of putting a foot wrong, and she just.." He shook his head, remembering the stubborn determination on her face.
"She rode out with me and told them that if there was so much as a feather missing from a chicken she'd turn the dogs on them herself, but if they caused no trouble then they were welcome to take shelter - use the field barn, and to ask at the kitchen if they needed anything. Everyone was scandalised, but we'd been told that what she wanted, she got, so...."
He shrugged, remembering Phillipe calling Kate into the office to explain why they hadn't been turned off. She'd been white as a sheet as she went in, and visibly terrified despite her efforts to hide it. "When he got back he spoke to her about it, then just said that if she'd given her word, then they could stay on her terms. They've stopped here ever since when they're passing - usually stay for a few weeks and then leave. They've never caused any trouble on the estate - though I think they put a fair dent in the rabbit population." He paused. "They consider themselves in her debt, and they take their debts seriously." He frowned in recollection "They had a new lad with them one year - he tried to get smart with her - apparently made some comment about it being hard to have a husband near old enough to be her grandfather." He shook his head at the recollection of Kate's icy response and the reaction of the players who had been in earshot. "Corbeau gave him a thrashing - said she was to be treated with the same level of respect as if she was Hibou's wife or Corbeau's own sister. We didn't see him again." They raised their eyebrows at each other and looked out of the window at the carriage that had arrived.

Nowt wrong with plot Nonny see previous comments ad infinitum

Still waiting for the filth

Just caught up. Lovely detail and excellent writing. I'm really enjoying it all!