Hinterlands Book II: The Stables Read Online Free PDF Page B

Amelia’s eyes. Her
skin was shiny and brilliant in the sunlight and her nipples stood out erect,
small and pink. Surely, she was still skinny and awkward, yet girlish and
pretty when she wasn’t talking. Amelia hadn’t forgotten that she had helped
keep her warm this past night embracing her and cuddling close, and they both
smiled at each other briefly before abashedly looking away.
    Amelia watched the more senior girls talking to one
another, noticed the way they gazed at one another’s bodies openly, touching
eachother’s shoulders and chatting offhandedly.   They seemed to not care about the
nudity, perhaps had even grown immune to it. But beyond this they also seem to
gather about one another, brushing up against each other with a familiarity
that made Amelia blush.   She watched
them hold hands, and pat each other on the backside.   This was in stark contrast to the manner
in which her small group of women still regarded one other.   Perhaps this would change with time.
    All of these thoughts and ruminations were quickly lost
in the face of an impending meal however, and Amelia felt her stomach growl
hungrily in anticipation.   She
hadn’t eaten since the previous morning’s breakfast at Hinterlands, and she
hadn’t realized until that moment how weak from hunger she truly was.
    They eagerly entered the dining hall, wholly ignoring the
vast soaring ceilings and rows of towering cathedral-like windows; windows that
looked out upon the lush green valley below, and the swirling river gouging its
way through the white chalk canyon, and distant hilltops spattered with groves
of aging Ash, Oak and Poplar. They also didn’t see, or care to see, the iron
chandelier, bedecked with a hundred wax candles hanging high above them and
flickering in the airy space like some scattering of iridescent stars. These
things bore no importance to the girls, as they gazed out at the smorgasbord
laid out on split-plank wooden tables trailing off into the distance.
    Silver trays of French pastries smiled at them, pastries
filled with nuts and cinnamon and drizzled in fresh honey that had been gathered
from hives that sat nestled upon the rolling hills surround the great house.   Great silver pots of tea steamed here
and there amongst hundreds of little dishes, each containing various jams,
jellies marmalades and preserves. Puddings, both black and white, great heaping
mounds porridge and bacon, fresh sliced ham with berry sauce, boiled tomatoes
and steamed mushrooms; these all dazzled their eyes, and overwhelmed the girls’
senses.   Amelia sat down in a frenzy
to eat, buttering large pieces of cinnamon bread and stuffing them into her
mouth.   She washed this down with an
overfilled cup of tea splashing it down her chin. Without even wiping it off, she
immediately devoured two warm pieces of bacon, feeling their grease begin to restore
her energy.   The other girls did the
same, eating the food ravenously, staring at each other in amazement as they
consumed sumptuous dishes that seemed to have been laid out for nobility.
    This went on for no more than 15 minutes before Ms.
Farstone announced that breakfast was complete.   Many of the new girls stuffed bread into
their mouths in horror, afraid that they would never encounter such opulence
ever again.   Amelia noticed the more
senior girls simply leaving-off, however, and she had an inkling that meals
like this were typical here, as unbelievable as this seemed.
    The girls were ushered out of the dining hall and deeper
into the stables away from the courtyard.   Many of them chattered good-naturedly.   They were a much larger group now, and
their own odors were divine and pleasurable to experience, overpowering even.
The flowers, food and oils mixed together to create a virtual cloud of
loveliness, and cheer that seemed to infect all the girls, causing them to
smile and laugh comfortably.   In
this state they were all lovely to behold to Amelia, despite their nakedness,
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