Rivendell Bookstore

[OnHarry]

As Sage snaked her leg up Arthur’s his hand reached down and caressed her thigh over her stockings. Moving upward until he passed the top of the thigh highs, and came to that bare expanse of thigh and moving the dress aside, he moved his hand under her dress to her buttocks, kneading then and as he came to the centre top and solved the mystery of whether Sage was wearing underwear or not.

Their tongues were like two snakes mating, intertwined, and most, exploring each other with a fervour that spoke to their longings, it had been a week after all, almost. Sage then pushed his jacket off his shoulders, onto the floor, and worked to undo and remove his tie while Arthur looked on bemused. Sage’s hands were trembling no doubt from desire rather than any trepidation.

With his tie removed and his shirt undone, Arthur came up close to Sage and she tried to insinuate her hands inside his now open shirt. He stopped her and then reached around behind her and deftly undid the zipper at the back of her dress. When he had the tab down as far as it would go upon the top of her buttocks, he reached up and pulling from the top front, he pulled the dress towards him and when it came loose from Sage he tugged gently downwards, and then let it fall to the floor to join his jacket.

When he saw what lay hidden beneath the fabric of her dress, he stopped and stared, nodding and smiling as he surveyed her underwear. Sage smiled back fully aware of the affect she was having on him and pushed him gently to a sitting position on the bed. Then she stepped back a few paces and slowly turned around until she had come full circle, and finally asked the now silent but obviously entranced Arthur, “you like?”

Arthur only nodded in reply, and then made a circle motion with his hand to get Sage to circle around once more. She complied smiling as he stared open mouthed at her, looking over her shoulder as she turned. When Sage got to where she had her back to him he motioned for her to stop and then said, “back up to me.”

Sage did so her rump coming close to Arthur, and then he placed his hands where the thong rose from the cleft of her buttocks and pulled downwards a bit, then moving his hands around to where the waistband of the thong came to the bottom of the corselet, he pulled downward until it was able to fall of it’s own accord to the floor. Then leaning forward he planted a long warm kiss on her right cheek, saying “For now the rest stays.”

“Do me a favour Sage and walk away from me to the other side of the room, and then circle around\and come back to me.”

Sage did as she was asked walking slowly almost slinking as Arthur watched entranced as her now naked bottom moved in perfect concert with her hips and legs, until she came to the edge of the room and started her turn which gave Arthur a profile view of her framed top and bottom by the under garments. Then as she made the full turn and started to walk back towards him Arthur gasped in delight as she was now completely and utterly shaved clean. As she walked towards Arthur agonizingly slowly, her sex seemed to stand out to him like a beacon.

Sage’s face was red either from blushing or from her arousal, but as she came up to Arthur still walking in the exaggerated gait she had been using Arthur slid from the edge of the bed to the floor. When she was directly in front of him Arthur reached his hands up to the back of her thighs and pulled her to him, the silk of her thigh highs caressing his cheeks, and as he gently pulled her to him he moved his moth forward and gently kissed her left thigh above her stocking, then her right, and so on. Sage moaned softly, as he continued, until he was licking her bare flesh above the silk, then moving a bit upwards he started to lick at her exposed sex.

He licked, nibbled, and sucked on her mound until the moistness could no longer be contained, and her juices were evident. Lapping at her like a cat slowly tasting her, teasing her clitoris but never making full contact. Sage was now moaning louder and more insistently, but Arthur continued to work away at her patiently building up her tension for the inevitable release, he could see she was having trouble standing while he ministered to her now very damp opening. Finally Sage could stand n o more and she leaned forward to the bed her breasts contained with in the firm platform of the corselet, and Arthur then reached around behind her to grasp one of her cheeks in each hand.

Thusly positioned Arthur started to lick more insistently, listening and watching for the tell tale signs he sought. He noted that her thighs were starting to quiver, he could hear her taking deeper and deeper breaths as if starved for oxygen, and he could from his vantage point sense a change in the viscosity of her fluids. Noting this he then moved his lip upward on her, pushing back the hood to better expose her nub. He then started to slowly circle and touch and caress her engorged clit. She was almost shaking all over now the climax soon to arrive was being delayed by Arthur’s very slow attention to her.

He then heard her start to breath a bit more shallow and quickly, but he stayed slow, making long slow deliberate love to her clitoris, waiting, waiting, until yes it started to break, she started her long protracted climax, building, building, until suddenly it rushed over her like a powerful wind shaking her very being, and then Arthur when he sensed the orgasm was upon her started to suck in hard and forcefully on her clitoris, and her entire sex taking in mouthfuls of her as the waves broke over her shores, with a tsunami like force, until Sage collapsed on the bed over top of Arthur.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

"That was... " Sage's laugh was deep, throaty and redolent with wanton delight as she collapsed face down on the bed; spasms from the long-awaited and much anticipated orgasm continuing to wrack her body. She could feel Arthur moving between her legs and forced herself onto her back, capturing him between them yet again. "I need... " she murmured, staring into his eyes and knowing that he not only understood, but needed her as well.

His erection was straining against his trousers, a damp spot on the material further evidence of what she had seen in his eyes. Sage smiled, pushing herself into a sitting position and hooking a finger into the waist band. It would have been fair, she thought, to tease him unmercilessly - much as he had done her only moments before - but she was greedy; wanting to feel him buried deep inside of her. As one hand worked the buckle on his belt, her other smoothed over the turgid object of her desire.

Arthur's eyes never left Sage's as he lowered the zipper, making her clumsy attempt to lower his trousers a little easier. "At last!" she gasped with a mixture of relief and delight as his throbbing cock was released, her fingers encircling it as she salaciously parted her lips and licked them. He stepped closer as her mouth.

Truth, it wasn't where Sage needed him, but she wanted - needed - to taste the droplets of precum that glistened at its tip as if taunting her. She moaned; the tip of her tongue flickering out, dipping into the clear liquid and savoring it before swirling around its head. Slowly. Slowly.

Seeing his eyes close for a moment, she parted her lips and slid her mouth down the length of him as his fingers twined in her hair. She shivered when it throbbed, her ardor increasing with every slow, sinuous stroke of her mouth; caressing, smoothing, suckling.

Sage thrilled when Arthur's hips began to rock back and forth; in and out of the moist, wet heat of her mouth and his shallow breaths began to match their rhythm. "Mmm... " He drew air in through his teeth as the sounds of her encouragement she offered vibrated throughout his body.

 

[OnHarry]

So long as she only stimulated him orally Arthur could go a long time before he climaxed, and this felt so exquisitely good, her warm damp mouth and tongue working his erection, the way she was. Soon however Sage started to stroke him as well, and suddenly Arthur was there at the precipice, he had to act fast and he almost roughly pulled Sage’s head away from his engorged member.

She looked up quizzically, a sly smile on her face, no doubt knowing why Arthur had disentangled himself from her loving attention. For a few brief seconds Arthur literally hung in the balance, he could go either way, but then the feeling gradually subsided, and he came away from the precipice. Now he could go for some time before it would become urgent again.

Sage noting his composure return, once again started to work him with her tongue only this time, holding his cock against him as she licked the bottom of his shaft, slowly languorously, as if he was an ice cream treat. Arthur’s head was back his eyes closed, as he enjoyed the snakelike attention to his member. This could easily have gone on for some time but Arthur also had a desire to be joined with Sage.

He recalled something he had read recently after he had elicited the extremely wet and intense orgasm from her in his store, and wanted to follow up on his research, all in the name of science of course. It was very hard for him to tell Sage to stop for a moment, as the way she worked him, and the way she kept looking up at him, was truly seductive.

He delayed the plan for a second as he removed his last article of clothing, his shirt, and then he leaned down and cupped Sage’s face in his hands and gently guided her to a standing position and took her in his arms and lovingly kissed her deeply with a lot of intensity, still holding her face as he did so. “Sage,” he said huskily.

“Yes” she answered.

“I want you now.”

“You have me, …..now,” she answered with that look of mischief again.

Arthur smiled at that and said, “yes but I want to fully possess you, so if you wouldn’t mind, get on the edge of the bed on your knees.”

“Why Arthur whatever are you going to do,” she asked in mock concern.

Smiling he only answered, “you’ll find out.”

She did as he asked and he guided her such that she was on the edge with her rump in the air and her face down. Arthur moved his hands over her cheeks as he admired her anatomy, and her undergartments, and then he moved up to her his erection slipping between her legs, until it contacted the damp glistening lips between her legs. Rather than enter her though, they had time after all, he rubbed his throbbing member over those lips which elicited a guttural moan form Sage as if to say get on with it.

However it was Arthur’s turn to tease a bit now and instead of pushing forward he deliberately moved his erection along the slit until it made contact with her clit, and then he moved it back and forth combining his own fluids with hers to make her nub throb once more. Perhaps due to her high state of arousal Sage started to moan deeply into the mattress again so Arthur continued slowly moving his penis in this manner until the next wave of climax swept over her, mercifully this time it came much faster.

Twice now Sage had scaled the mountain of pleasure and Arthur had not as yet entered her. While the climax was still washing through Sage’s body, which made Arthur wonder how much pleasure, could one body take, he slowly and deliberately moved himself down a bit and then slowly agonizingly slow, Sage must have thought, he entered her receptive love tunnel.

Arthur based on his research, pushed into Sage slowly, and even though he was sufficient to fill her, he pushed down on himself with his hand which forced the erect member to push firmly against the top of her opening as he moved slowly into her. The last waves of her second climax were subsiding when he did this, and as he moved a few strokes Sage’s head suddenly jerked back and she made a sound Arthur could not describe, this is the reaction he sought.

Sage said to him, “Arthur stop I think I have to……” her voice trailed away as Arthur ignored her and continued his deliberate and concentrated motions on her. Then again she started to moan, and yet this time it seemed even more deep, more primal, as if something was taking over Sage from deep within herself she could not control.

Sage started to convulse once more, and the position was a fortunate one as she almost screamed but did so into the mattress, and there was no doubt at this point that a climax powerful and almost frightening in its intensity was coming again, and come she did with an intensity that seemed to Arthur almost unbelievable. The evidence of it being that suddenly as Sage shook and shivered so fiercely, Arthur was aware that she and now he were both very, very, wet. He had gotten what he had sought, and having obtained it such an orgasm would be that much easier to obtain in future.

Sage was literally whimpering now, tears of emotion coming as she was immersed in the massive orgasm. Arthur stopped and she collapsed onto the bed, and so he lay beside her taking her in his arms, kissing her all over her face and her shoulders holding her as she tried to regain some form of composure, he had not as yet climaxed but he figured this would be a good time to back off for a bit.

Holding her he said tentatively, “I could stop for a while if you want, that was rather intense, I hope it was all right?” Then he added “we will have to share your bed tonight mine is a bit damp.”

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Sage tried to laugh but could only manage a low, satisfied moan and a nod of her head, where her pulse was beating a steady, pounding tattoo. She turned her eyes to look at Arthur.

"You okay?"

She nodded her head. When she tried to move, all she could do was flop back onto the pillows, managing a good impression of the limp noodle she felt like. Arthur grinned then tried not to, his face contorting in a way that made her laugh weakly.

Raising her arms, she wrapped them around Arthur's neck, proffering her lips for his attentions. As she arched her back, needing to feel his skin against hers, she moaned her desire. It was amazing, she thought. Even after that... that... Gods!

Arthur arched his eyebrows questioningly and she nodded, adjusting himself between her legs as one of her hands snaked between their bodies to capture his still rigid sex. "Slow... " she murmured, lifting her legs to encircle his waist. "And... easy." A low, guttural and totally lascivious groan escaped her lips as he lifted one of them to his shoulder and rubbed the tip of his erection through her slick, wet cleft.

"For posterity's sake," he murmured, gazing down at her flushed, eager face.

"Posterity or posterior," she queried, a wicked glimmer in her eyes.

"The wet spot," he grinned, inching into her, thrilling at the way her sex spread for him, like a flower blossoming; moaning softly as it reshaped to mould itself around him. A perfect fit.

"You feel soo good," they murmured in unison.

"Great minds... " They had done it again.

"Shh... " Sage placed a finger over Arthur's lips, smiling when he kissed it and they began to move. Slowly. Deeply. She arched up to meet his downward thrusts as they found their rhythm. Good. So good. Like moving in syrupy slow-motion. She tightened her muscles, he flexed his cock in response.

Sage's fingers ran the length of Arthur's arms, upward and pausing at his shoulders before travelling back down and beginning again. They were moving faster, he was thrusting harder, deeper. He ground his pelvis against her, rubbing her clit before pulling back again. Gods, she thought, if only she could make him come the way he had done her. The way he was making her come again.

She moaned, mewling, breathing his name and how good it felt, how much she wanted him, needed him until the words became guttural sounds of desire and passion as her body tensed expectantly. "Please... " she gasped. Her mouth was so dry. Licking her lips she managed to plead again, "With me... I... " Her body lifted as her spirit soared. Higher. Higher. Almost there. Al... most... She gyrated wildly against him as he pulled her close, one hand clutching at her buttocks.

"Mmmyeah... " He was pausing, tensing; Sage clenched him tightly within her, and, greedy for his release - and her own - she let go. Let that wonderful, warm feeling spread throughout her body until it gathered in a voluptuous peak and erupted. Shuddering, spasming, convulsing wildly around him, she laughed for the sheer joy of it; her orgasm urging him to join her. She watched his face as he pulled back and thrust again, this time staying, pulsing, emptying. Heaven.

 

[OnHarry]

Perhaps because he had stopped and started a couple of times Arthur did not climax immediately, when they coupled again, no doubt aided by Sage’s slick being, even though she clenched and gripped his erection with her sex. He was close though, and when the next orgasm swept over her like a grass fire, he felt his own starting even before she pleaded with him to finish with her.

It was no problem really as her orgasm perhaps aided by her over stimulated G spot, seemed to go on and on and then he felt the tightening in his scrotum, and the start of his own end, and come he did, the last three or four thrusts almost violent as he emptied himself into Sage’s receptive vessel. He almost collapsed onto Sage, spent, totally utterly spent.

“Holy shit” was all he could mumble as their sweat soaked bodies melded together, her damp breasts against the fur of his, his still semi hard erection, in her even damper sex, and a feeling of utter happiness, washing over him. Arthur almost, just almost said ‘I love you’ to her but some modicum of sense restrained him. Instead he lightly kissed her all over her face, embracing her and basking in a nuclear afterglow.

After a while they both got up and walked to the shower where they washed away the fallout of their coupling. They then retired to Sage’s bed, both nude and both happy as they could be. They fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows, and were locked in sleeps sweet embrace till morning when the phone rang.

Arthur obviously forgetting his situation answered the phone instinctively, without thinking who might be on the other end. He groggily said “hello.”

There was a silence on the other end, for what seemed like an eternity within which he did realize where he was and who might be on the other end. Finally a very curt female voice with a trace of an accent asked, “is Sage there?”

Thinking as quickly as he could Arthur replied hoping he still sounded groggy enough, “Sage is in, 247 not 249.”

“The desk said this was her room,” answered Ernestine.

“It was the room they assigned her, but the hvac unit was too noisy and we switched, if you call the desk again, they will put you through, sorry for the mix up, and now I want to go back to sleep bye.”

There was an even more curt thanks and she hung up, Arthur said to Sage who was looking on in horror, “quick run into my room, when the phone rings answer, and sound like you just woke up.”

For some reason Sage seemed to want to whisper, and asked as she was getting out of bed, “who was it?”

“I think it was the wicked witch of the west, but hurry before the desk puts her through.”

Sage ran, very attractively Arthur thought as her nude form retreated quickly to the adjoining room. The phone rang just as she was going through the door, but she waited till it rang a third time before answering, and sounded to Arthur convincingly like she had just been rudely awoken.

It was eight in the morning, and Arthur filled with the vision of Sage as she had departed the room was getting just a tad excited again, and he was debating rogering Sage or having breakfast. He heard Sage hang up the phone, after a few minutes, and then he heard her in the washroom, then she returned and looked at Arthur with a scowl on her face, “the old bat called on some pretence, about the kids but I think she was spying on me.”

Arthur shrugged and said, “sorry about that, I just automatically answered the phone being a long term bachelor does that to you.”

Sage sighed and said, “I think she was convinced,” then pointing at Arthur she said what is that?”

Looking where she was pointing Arthur said, “you know guys in the morning, it is just the natural thing you see.”

“Uh huh,” was all Sage said but she put her left arm over her head and dangled her right alluringly to the other side and leaned against the door frame showing off her naked body with sinuous form, her breasts looking almost perky and her hips pushed outward, her hair tussled, and her bare shaved sex prominently displayed.

Arthur not surprisingly indicated his attentiveness with a few spastic movements of his own sex under the sheet. Sage walked slowly over to the bed and pulled the sheet back to reveal Arthur in all his erect glory, “ummmm,” was all she said. Then she got on the bed and applied her hands to his erection, sliding them up and down, with a wicked smile.

It was Arthur’s turn to go “ummmmmm” and then after a few minutes of this slow measured administration to him, Sage straddled him, and positioned herself over his cock, then she guided him to her and pushed down. She was not quite ready yet, and there was some resistance at first, but she worked his head with her increasingly slick lips, until he glided home. “Ahhhhhhh” he said.

Sage was in command and Arthur let her have her wicked way with him.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Ernestine sat staring at the phone, her forefinger tap-tapping against her lips. For some reason, Arthur Henderson hadn't sounded as effeminate as he had the day she and her son had gone to the book store, and something about it bothered her.

"Good morning, mother!"

She tilted her head so that her son could kiss her cheek. "It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when you came in last night. You know, Stanley, I worry about you and your late hours."

"I know, mother." He squeezed her shoulder and flopped down in the chair opposite her. "But I'm a big boy now and you know what they say about while the cat's away... "

Although they laughed together at his little joke, Ernestine scowled and stood, crossing the kitchen to get her son a cup of decaf. Maybe it's the mice... she thought to herself. No. It simply couldn't be. Her gaydar had never steered her wrong before. Arthur was a Nancy boy and no mistake and the sooner she put this nonsensical thought out of her mind, the better off she'd be. "Eggs, dear?"

"Sure," Stanley replied, opening the morning paper. "Kids still in bed?"

"They are. I was going to wake them, but I know they need their rest, too." By the time she finished making his eggs - Benedict, of course - their talk had turned to the dinner she'd be attending with him. "It's high time they promoted you," she grumped, not a small amount of pride coloring her words. "Now tell me about the people I'm going to meet."

Their conversation continued without incident until Vanessa and Stanley, Jr. came downstairs and Ernestine got up to prepare their breakfast as well. This is where she belonged, she thought to herself. Right here. Taking care of her son and his children. She smiled to herself thinking she'd never said a truer word.

******​

Sage's movements were slow and deliberate, all thoughts of Ernestine's phone call washed away in a sensuous haze of hedonistic delights as they found their rhythm. Soft moans and gasps escaped her lips as their bodies met; grinding, gyrating, colliding. She leaned forward as his hands cupped her breasts, weighing them, plumping them. His thumbs rubbed against her the stiff nubs of her nipples as she ground her clit against his pelvis.

"So good... " she murmured. "So... "

Arthur pulled her closer, his mouth open like a babe to suckle and Sage stopped moving for a moment, her inner muscles tightening around his erection. Teasing. Pleasing. She felt him throbbing, swelling even further as his teeth scraped against her nipples. There it was again! That exquisite pleasure/pain of wanting.

She gazed into his eyes and he nodded, wrapping his arms around her and rolling them until he was on top. "Hard!" she urged him. "Deep!" she cried.

"Mmm... " Arthur growled, lifting both of her legs and thrusting into her hot, slick sex. He wasn't going to hold back this time. Sage was well on her way and this time he was going to be greedy.

 

[OnHarry]

There was nothing subtle or refined about the sex now, Arthur pummelled Sage furiously as he held her legs up and drove himself in and out of her with a frenetic energy born of his arousal. He did this for a short period when Sage gave voice to yet another climax, and this in turn set Arthur off as he emptied himself into her willing sex.

They collapsed together, and Sage whispered to Arthur , “we could stay here today if you like, and just screw and sleep.”

In mock horror Arthur said, “Such a wanton lady, I cannot believe that you would suggest such a thing, however tempting though that is we do have an appointment with the archives.”

Sage groaned, but then smiled as she lay beneath him, “fair enough but I can’t be held responsible if I self combust when we do this tonight.”

They lay there for some time finally getting up and in the interest of expediency showered in separate rooms so as not to get aroused yet again, though Arthur did in fact start to get firm as he soaped his genitals.

They met in the restaurant for breakfast Arthur arriving first dressed in jeans and a button down shirt, with a light windbreaker. Sage showed up a few minutes later in the same short jean skirt she had worn when the sketch books had been picked up. “you wore that on purpose didn’t you,” said Arthur as he surveyed her, and recalled the day they had made love in his office.

“I can’t possibly imagine what you mean Arthur,” said Sage with a smile that would have made a monk horny.

They ate breakfast to the tune of their animated conversation, consisting of rude double entendres and innuendo, though by the time they had finished they were into a more scholarly mode of conversation. They left and went to the car, with Arthur directing Sage to the university and the central library proper. They entered and Arthur turned in the main lobby to the left and went down a corridor to a door marked collections.

The door opened into a two story lobby of it’s own and they walked up to the main desk where a pleasant looking matronly lady looked up and said, “Arthur so nice to see you again, Alfred is in the vault, and here is your pass.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise saying, “they moved the collection into the vault?”

Bernice, the librarian, answered, “we had to, as it has gained somewhat in importance, and a few things started to go walkies, so we had to put the collection into a controlled access room.”

“Wow,” was all Arthur said as he accepted the swipe card from her.

As they made their way to the door indicated, Sage seemed to almost shiver as she smiled and said, “it feels good to be in a university library again."

Arthur nodded and said, "I like it here, it is so calming, if you know what I mean."

Sage smiled wickedly and said, "so that means no sex on the tables in here then."

"Afraid not," Arthur answered as he swiped the card, and opened the door. There ahead of them was a large room with a number of sections divided by short walls. They walked down a central carpeted section until they came to a place where Arthur looked in and saw an elderly man sitting at table among a stack of what looked like old ledgers or journals, with a table, and some shelves, and a door behind it to another smaller room.

Hardly raising his eyes he said, "good morning Arthur, and who is this vision?" Sage must have looked surprised at his remark and he added, "I may be gay but I am not blind." Thus was Sage introduced to Alfred Schumann. He was a shorter man and a bit paunchy, with thinning grey hair, and rather bushy thick eyebrows. He wore a linen shirt and wool pants, with what looked like an expensive dark blue blazer draped carelessly over the back of the chair he was sitting on.

After the formalities of introduction were dispensed with, Alfred got right to the point, "so Arthur, and Sage, tell me about these dirty pictures you have."

"There were thirteen sketch books with water colours in them, all dated, the earliest being two from the time she was in the art school, and the rest done once a year it seems, I am assuming when she was at her place in New Hampshire. Starting in 1901 and ending with 1912."

Sage added, "there is no doubt they were depicting the book, and they were to say the least very graphic."

Alfred nodded and said, "I hope they were more artistic than that trashy book of Van Hudels."

Arthur smiled and said, "they were, and now they are gone."

"Where?" Asked Alfred.

Sage answered him sounding somewhat bitter, "the art school who expelled her and trashed her wanted them back."

Alfred’s eyes opened wider at that and he said, "did they give you a good price for them?"

Arthur answered, "one hundred and twenty five thousand, to be precise."

Alfred was sitting with his elbows on the arm of the chair he was sitting on, with his chin supported by his thumbs. He smiled a bit and said, "paid for no doubt by a mysterious benefactor."

"Precisely," said Sage.

Alfred nodded and smiled, "I think I know who that would be." With that he had the attention of both Sage and Arthur.He waited a moment perhaps for dramatic effect, perhaps not and then said, "your mystery man is none other than Michael Vandenburg."

"The publisher," asked Sage with incredulity, "he doesn’t do dirty books, I thought his companies were all upright and such."

Arthur answered, “your right Sage, and that is why he would want them. His great grandfather was John Vandenburg who was the founder of the Hudson River Artists Colony, on his father’s property I might add. Still that begs the question Alfred why would he want to suppress them or take any interest in them."

Alfred looked like the cat that just ate the canary as he grinned and replied, “I have some new information on this whole thing. It turns out his great grand father John married, Anna Waldheim, sister of Catharine.”

Arthur Whistled when he heard that, “no wonder he wants that stuff suppressed, oh and by the way speaking of the Waldheim’s, you recall the character Mr. W, in the book?”

“He of the heroic member?” answered Alfred.

“The very same, I was looking at a picture I photocopied from John Gardiner’s dissertation and he is the same guy, based on the illustrations.”

Alfred did not seem surprised by this, and he said, “before me is the latest acquisition for the archives, a spotter I know found them in a box of anonymous journals in Sotheby’s in New York, how they came to be there is anybody’s guess. However they are journals from Rowena immediately after she left the Philadelphia Art School. I gather they came from New Hampshire somewhere so maybe not so strange.”

He handed one to Arthur and asked him to read the last paragraph of the page it was opened to. Arthur took the leather bound journal and read where indicated, aloud, "I will never see RW ever again, he is unbearable, the vessel of my femininity cannot comfortably contain his cargo, I am in pain whenever we meet."

"Wow" said Arthur, "it sounds like Reinhardt Waldheim to me. Maybe that was the impetus for Katharine to expose Rowena to Montgomery, assuming she did."

"It would have been nice if Rowena had written something in those sketch books," commented Alfred.

Arthur looked up quickly and said, "she did, you read it Sage that day the sketch books left do you recall what she said."

They both turned their gaze to Sage.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

"How could I have forgotten?" she berated herself. "Why did I let that slip my mind??" When her eyes met Arthur's, Sage's face colored a deep crimson and she lowered them immediately, bringing the palm of her hand to her forehead with a resounding slap. "It all makes sense now," she paused, looking from Alfred to Arthur and the journals. "Or maybe it doesn't make sense except in my own mind. There were just a couple of lines, in very small print. Remember?"

Arthur nodded, but shamefully admitted that he hadn't really looked. He'd had other things on his mind. Sage took a step toward the men. "It was a quote from Walter Scott's Marmion. You know the one: Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive!" She took a deep breath. "Do you see it? Can you??" Her eyes bored into Alfred's. "Are you certain all of the journals are in Rowena's handwriting?"

"What are you saying?"

"Constance's documents. She gave them into safekeeping before her death." Sage's eyes turned to Arthur. "You said that Katherine killed herself in an asylum. What if... What if the vessel isn't what we think it is, but Katherine. What if... she left documents with Rowena?"

"Saying what??"

"I don't know. Maybe Katherine was Rowena's lover. What if she tried to keep her safe from that bastard of a father? What if... " Sage threw her hands up in the air. "Damn I need a drink!"

 

[OnHarry]

Alfred looked thoughtful for a moment and then said more or less directly to Sage, “From what I have read so far in these journals I would say that it is safe bet that that Katharine and Rowena were lovers of some form or other. I would have guessed platonic but based on the illustrations perhaps somewhat more tangible”

“So perhaps there was a disagreement of some sort and Katharine exposed Sage, er I mean Rowena to the director of the school.” Arthur was blushing furiously in turn now as Alfred stared at him with a half smile. He said nothing for a moment which only served to deepen the hue of scarlet on Arthur’s face. Sage was actually smiling herself at his discomfort.

Finally Alfred spoke, “you certainly have a knack for foot in mouth disease Arthur.” Then with a heavy sigh Alfred said, “as I said based on my so far limited survey of these journals I think we have to rethink some of our previous assumptions. That Rowena was a free spirit and certainly inclined to be a lesbian is without question in my mind now, but I do not think Catharine exposed her.”

“Why so” asked Sage quietly.

“In the writings here by Rowena, I assume that because they are signed by her and match other signatures I have of hers. In these ramblings, they do have a fair amount of angst, she does not at anytime give voice to any criticism of Katharine but has only kind and if I may make so bold an assumption loving things to say about her.”

“But the pictures,” asked Arthur with Sage nodding agreement.

“What of them,” asked Alfred, “you must be cognizant that I have not seen them?”

“In the pictures Rowena,” Arthur said that with slow deliberate phrasing to avoid his earlier faux pas, “gives life to that statement she made in the stuff you had on hand about a viper at her breast and it was undoubtedly Miss Waldhiem. That reminds me do you have the dissertation that was done here I wanted to look at A clearer picture of the Waldhiem family?”

Alfred turned somewhat awkwardly and pointed to a shelf to his left, “top shelf, about half way across.”

Arthur retrieved the bound dissertation and after consulting the picture index opened the book to the appropriate page, and looked at the happy family, the picture was much easier to see than his photocopied version at home. Arthur’s eyebrows went together and then he frowned deeply.

“Something amiss Arthur or are you having an attack of indigestion?” asked Alfred.

Sage looked at him her head to one side as she waited for an answer to Alfred’s question, a look of interest on her face.

“It never occurred to me until just now, but looking at a clearer picture of the family Catharine and Anna could have almost been twins. Perhaps the girl holding Rowena in the picture was not Katharine but Anna. I mean taking artistic license into account and looking at this picture it could have been either sister.”

Alfred looked thoughtful for a moment and then said slowly as if formulating his sentence as he spoke, “so are you suggesting that perhaps Anna discovered her sister in an unholy, certainly sinful liaison with another woman and exposed the foul miscreant that so perverted her sister to such sin and depravity, is that what you are suggesting?”

“Yes I guess I am,” said Arthur, “that makes sense actually and perhaps may account for Catharines so called madness.”

“Well the contemporary reports about Katharine do indicate some rather shall we say extreme behavior did they no?”

“I would remind you of the notable maxim that history is written by the winners, and I suspect that her family would never admit to putting there daughter in an asylum and thus condemning her to death by suicide. I suspect many of those reports were written after the fact possibly post mortem.”

“It bears thinking about that is for sure, here just a minute,” Alfred went to the shelves and came back with a folder, “here Sage, Alfred take this and go over all the copies inside checking the dates where you can here is the date of her confinement and here is the death notice. Go through them and see which ones are after those dates which ones before and whether they document her odd behavior.”

Arthur and Sage sat at the far end of the table Sage taking some and Arthur the rest, while Alfred resumed scanning the journals. It should have taken only a short time to check the dates but Sage and Arthur both became involved, in reading the documents Sage often becoming indignant at what she was reading. Arthur was the same as he and Sage constantly interrupted each other to point out salient facts and points of interest. Two things became clear very quickly the intensity of the descriptions of Katharine’s irrational behavior regarding the rest of her family was becoming much more strident as the they proceeded chronologically through the letters between the various family members and the doctors at the asylum she was sent to.

After a few hours Arthur sat back as Sage finished reading the letter in front of her. She put it down shaking her head and Alfred looking up from Rowena’s journals asked, “well does it bear out your hypotheses?”

Sage nodded looking angry, as Arthur said “yes undoubtedly, when she was confined they describe worse and worse behavior and when writing about it after she died it is even more strident. Almost as if they were trying to absolve themselves of any blame.”

Sage repeated her statement of that morning, “I need a drink.”

Alfred nodded and said it is now after one why don’t we retire to the faculty lounge and I will treat you to the libations of your choice