Boxed Set: Innocent Immigrant (3 page)

In the larder, I had fresh bread that Maraea had baked that morning, and Ari had returned from town with cheese after delivering the milk to the small dairy factory. Katie was gaunt, and I felt certain a good meal would do her well. I could hardly imagine the state of the ship’s food, whether in quality or variety, by the time her vessel had reached Auckland.

I heard Ari’s footsteps as he walked across the veranda. He kicked his boots off at the door and entered the kitchen. “You’re home early, Griff. I hope everything is well?”

“Better than ever, Ari. I received a nice surprise from the steamer this morning.”

“Was it as good as the surprise Sid Watson bragged about in the hotels? The whole town’s been itching to know what it is.”

I grinned. “You’ve answered your question; Sid’s surprise has become our good fortune.”

“Oh?”

“That crafty Sid bought himself a mail-order bride: one Miss Katie Masefield. She arrived on the
Ondine
. I’ve already held her in my arms, although I did drop her into the sea, carrying her from the tender.” I watched my friend’s eyes widen.

“Tell me more!”

“The young lady’s heavenly, Ari. Everything I’ve dreamed of. Everything you’ve probably dreamed of, too. The idea of Filthy Sid getting his hands on her makes me ill.”

“Where is the lovely Miss Masefield now? I have to meet her.”

“She’s resting in our guest room.”

Ari turned towards the hallway.

“
Resting
, Ari. She’s had a drenching in the sea and a shock. The poor creature has spent eight weeks on a ship, only to arrive in New Zealand to find the life she’d imagined for herself doesn’t exist. We’ll have to tread carefully with her.”

“You know I’m careful with the ladies.”

I roared with laughter. First, there were no ladies in this part of the colony, and when we came across a willing female, we were so frustrated it was impossible to control our desires. Both of us were like rutting bulls.

“I do foresee a problem...with Herbert.” I’d tried to push that concern out of my mind, but it refused to stay away.

“Do you think he knows about her?”

The possibility was likely. Everyone knew Sid had a surprise coming, though what wasn’t known was whether he’d let his cousin in on his secret.

“If she’s as lovely as you say, Herbert could work in our favour,” Ari added.

He had a good point. Kotuku was so bereft of women suitable for marriage that there was a certain arrangement between families and friends that was accepted, almost encouraged, by the local Mission church. Any woman widowed was ‘under the protection’ of male relatives until freed—which was rare. This meant that a brother not betrothed automatically had first rights to his brother’s widow. Although a woman could be married to only one man, it was common for other men in the family to share her. We were desperate to populate our village, and the uneven ratio of men to women meant the usual societal norms were overlooked.

In the case of no male relatives, a friend could be chosen to take up the position.

Sid had been a blowhard but when it came to his cousin, Herbert, a viler, uncouth deviant could not be found across the entire peninsula. The idea of him laying a claim to Katie sickened me. If she laid eyes upon him, she would surely favour Ari and me over that animal.

“So Katie needs our protection,” said Ari.

“From Herbert?”

“Herbert, and all the men in town.”

“That she does, Ari. Wait until you meet her. In Kotuku, there is no safe place for a single woman like Katie.”

“Surely if Herbert knew of her arrival, he’d have been there to meet the boat?”

“Unless he was in his usual position, drunk and blocking a gutter.”

I poured two mugs of tea and added some milk while Ari sliced bread.

“What about Pastor Mackay?” he asked.

I hadn’t thought about the Pastor. He had contacts in England and frequently organised for women to come to Kotuku and our neighbouring larger town, Mercury Bay. He would know for certain about Katie.

“I’m sure Pastor Mackay will give us his blessing,” I muttered.

Ari laughed. “So long as he gets his fee, and the chance to watch.”

“He’ll see nothing of Katie on her wedding day, but her pretty face hidden by a veil. Wait until you meet her; you won’t want another man watching us love her, either.”

Along with the sharing of wives, Pastor Mackay had a number of unusual and salacious ideas when it came to marriage. One was his insistence of proof of consummation, generally by way of the menfolk of his commune witnessing the taking of a bride’s virginity. The small house of worship even had a special consummation room for the act. I don’t know which denomination ordained Pastor Mackay, but he seemed to have invented his own book of rules when he arrived in this town.

This was a tough place for women who fell into the wrong hands.

“You seem determined to take this young lady on.”

I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. “If she is a problem, she is one of the most beautiful any man could wish for. I look forward to teaching her about our ways, and I’m sure you will too.”

Ari took the bread and cheese to the table. “And what if the lovely Katie isn’t interested in our ways?”

“Then we’ll change her mind. She is in an impossible situation, so she has little choice. We can give her a grand life—better than she’s had thus far—position in the community, anything money can buy.” I took a mouthful of tea. “I have to return to the warehouse soon. Watch out for her to awaken and don’t let her leave the farm.”

Book 1, Part 3

ARI

I waited for Griff to leave before I went through to have a look at our house guest. I had to see for myself whether he had lost his mind. It was common for any new woman to town to be snatched up immediately for marriage, but there had never been a woman Griff or I had taken enough interest in to make us talk of marriage.

If a woman wanted to stay in Kotuku and not be married, she would most usually live at the Pastor’s commune until her ideas were changed. Or she would finish up in an establishment like Flora’s in Auckland, servicing any man with a few shillings to spare.

I pushed open the bedroom door, and Griff was right. The woman on the bed stole my breath away. Red hair fanned across the pillow, and she wore a plain white nightgown, open at the neck. The sun streamed through the glass panes of the veranda doors, directly across her bed, clearly warming her, because she had kicked off the quilt. Her nightgown had risen, and I could see her pretty feet, delicate ankle and calves. Furthermore, a few inches of one soft thigh were on display.

My cock rose in response, to the point that I had to grasp and shift it to ease my discomfort.

I stepped into the room to look more closely at her. When I saw her hardened nipples poking at the material of her nightgown, I liked to think that she dreamed of Griff taking her, sturdy and strong, so that she begged for her release. Of how I’d hold her, and suck her tits, comforting her through the pain as he rid her of her maidenhead, for I was certain she would be a virgin.

If I didn’t get my thoughts straight, I’d be jacking off the moment I got back to the barn.

I inched towards her, my eyes never leaving her beautiful nipples, and I lowered my head and blew on them gently, in an attempt to keep them stiff and proud.

When she whimpered a little I smiled, knowing how Griff and I could take those soft whimpers and transform them into cries of ecstasy. We’d done it for many women before her, but none so sweet and innocent looking as Katie. It would pain me to be patient.

Although Katie had no idea about our intentions, I was concerned that she might awaken with the thought of sneaking away. She had probably been tired and shocked on her arrival in town but after some rest, she might decide she should be taking matters into her own hands.

To prevent her escape, I carefully slipped her trunk and small bag from the room and hid them away.

No matter how desperate she might be, I didn’t believe this young lady was brazen enough to leave the house in her nightgown. The commotion if she did would be heard all around Kotuku.

Still hard, I left her room and entered the bathroom. Her clothing hung across the railing, making the room seem so much better for having evidence of a woman’s presence. I sifted through it and found her chemise and drawers. Taking them to my face, I inhaled deeply, her personal scent faintly masked by the perfume of lavender water. My cock fought against the buttons of my flies, and I could no longer resist its needs. Hastily I reached down and slipped the buttons, freeing my prick. I spat on my palm and ran it across my cockhead, smearing the essence that already leaked and gathered there. I stroked hard and fast, with a ferocity that had me panting, her underclothes held to my face to muffle my groans.

Good God, she smelled delicious.

I imagined my face between her thighs, licking the sweet juices from her cunt as she gripped me with her legs, begging me to make her come. I’d take her hard little clit between my teeth and push two fingers into her tight quim, making her scream and spasm, until she pleaded with me to cease.

The vision overwhelmed me, and I staggered to the washstand, my balls tightening and then pulsing as they drove my semen in long spurts that sprayed across the rose pattern around the ceramic basin. Dropping the underclothes, I leaned my forearms on the kauri washstand and sucked in great gulps of air. After what I’d seen of Katie I hoped to get inside her soon, or I’d need a visit to Flora’s to avail myself of one of her whores.

With luck, Griff and I would tonight be able to convince Katie to stay with us.

I spent the next few hours between chores at the stables and checking on our guest. I had no need to relieve myself again though my cock was certainly responsive any time I laid eyes on Katie’s sleeping form. I expect she was exhausted, and it pleased me that she’d been able to find the sort of comfort at our home that allowed her to sleep.

Around four that afternoon, when I again stood a step inside the bedroom door gazing at her, she must have been aware enough to sense my presence. Her eyes flew open.

“Who are you?” she said. “You frightened me.” She took the quilt tight up to her chin.

I’d hoped Griff had informed her there was more than one man living in the house, but perhaps not. “Hello, Miss Masefield, I’m Ari...Ari Raukura.”

Her pretty face screwed up as if trying to decide whether she was safe or if she should call for help. She cocked her head. “I thought this was Mr. Tucker’s house; are you sure you should be here?”

Her voice had a lovely lilt that made her question sound melodious. I smiled to reassure her. “Yes, this house belongs to Griff and me.”

“I see,” she said slowly.

“Are you rested?”

“Thank you, yes.”

She kept the bedcover pulled hard up to her chin. The way she peered over it, with emerald eyes that looked round with a mixture of curiosity and alarm, reminded me of a kitten recently weaned on its first solo exploration.

“I expect you’re hungry. We’ll have supper in a couple of hours but until then, come to the kitchen and have tea. We have some fruitcake, and I can offer some bread and jam.”

“That’s not necessary.”

She cast her gaze towards the door as if willing me to leave the room.

“You’re our guest, Miss Masefield, and I can assure you we don’t allow guests to starve. When did you last eat?”

She thought for a moment. “Last evening, on the steamer.”

“That’s nearly a full day without food. I expect to see you in the kitchen in ten minutes.” I left her before she thought up a new excuse to refuse our hospitality, and it wasn’t until the kettle was heating on the range that I recalled I’d taken away her clothing. I chuckled as I wondered if she’d have the courage to come to the kitchen in her nightgown.

“What’s the joke, Ari?”

I’d seen Griff pass on his horse towards the stables. He’d certainly made good time in his work at the warehouse and return to the villa. “Our guest has recently woken. She should be here in the kitchen for tea any minute, but I’ve just remembered that I’ve hidden her trunk. She’s trapped in the bedroom in her nightgown.”

Griff joined my laughter. “I’m glad you did that. It wasn’t until I reached the warehouse that I thought of the same idea. If she bolts from here, she’ll find herself in trouble—”

“Excuse me.”

We both swung around to the sight of the young woman standing in our doorway; a huckaback bath towel wrapped tight over the top of her nightgown. Her brilliant eyes were dancing with anger.

“Where are my clothes?”

“Maraea has taken them to be washed,” I told her, trying not to smile at the thought of her knowing how I’d inhaled her scent from them first.

“I am quite capable of washing my own clothes; there was no need to have them removed.”

She was right to be annoyed, and if she’d stamped her foot it wouldn’t have surprised me.

“I’m sure you are more than capable, Katie,” said Griff. “However, Maraea does the household laundry, and she will see to your clothes.”

“My name is Miss Masefield—“

Griff laughed. “We haven’t completely lost our manners, but we’re less formal in the colonies. Seeing as you’ll be staying with us, why don’t we drop the formalities? Call us Griff and Ari...
Katie
.

“Fine,
Griff.
That still leaves the matter of my missing trunk. Am I to call the constabulary?”

“So long as you wish to leave the house dressed in that manner.” I paused to take my time appraising her from top to toe, giving her a taste of how she would feel out in public dressed that way. “You’re most welcome to call Constable Jenkins. You will find him keeping order in one of the many public houses that at this moment will be filling with single men, parched from a day working their shift in the mines. Without a doubt, they will make you feel more than welcome.”

“This is outrageous.”

Griff stepped towards her. “This is taking care of you. You’re in a new country, unprotected. You do not strike me like an imbecile; therefore I’m not going to explain your situation to you again. Right now, you are under the protection of this household. We won’t keep you captive, but you will be introduced properly to the community so that they know to leave you well alone.”