Barbra Beard
Au Pair Girl
PART ONE. Jean
1
The early morning air, lightly scented with apple blossom from the nearby orchards, wafted pleasantly through the open window. A mild spring breeze was blowing from the Surrey Downs and it caught the upper branches and leaves of an overhanging pear tree, making them slither softly at the pane The ripening foliage brushed and tapped against the glass, creating a rustling murmur in the room.
The girl stirred languidly, stretching herself reluctantly into wakefulness. As her arms lifted, the single pink sheet which covered her fell away from her breasts. The cool air played on the bare white globes, raising goose-pimples on the delicate skin.
She opened her eyes slowly, blinking at the bright morning light which now flooded into the room. Her nipples felt itchy and large: the sudden change in temperature had caused them to harden instinctively and stiffen into a tight rosiness. The girl smiled to herself, her hands slipping over her breasts and giving them a brief but possessive fondling.
She sighed, wishing for a moment that she could snuggle down in the bed again and let her fingers roam dreamily over her body… But in a few moments she knew the alarm would begin to shrill and it would be time to dress and prepare breakfast.
Monique released her breasts regretfully and threw the sheet back. She jumped quickly out of the warm bed and snatched up her robe. Tying it tightly around her waist so that the shot-silk garment clung sveltely to her curves, the girl crossed to the window.
She breathed the crisp, clean air gratefully, drawing it deeply into her lungs, feeling the fumes of sleep being quickly banished. She looked out across the green English countryside — at the chequer board of ploughed fields alternating with the neat squares of distant meadows. The view was comforting; it gave her a strong feeling of serenity and peace, assuring her that spring would always return, that the renewal of life was constant and permanent, and that her own youth and beauty were eternal.
Monique pushed the window open a little wider. The sky was light blue, a few fluffy clouds scudded lazily overhead. Cattle grazed on the verdant grass and a cock started to crow, heralding the new day loudly and boastfully. The girl stood at the window for several minutes, lost in sweet contemplation of the tranquil landscape which stretched as far as the eye could see.
She had repeated this ritual daily since the first morning she'd arrived at the Camerons' house, but it never failed to fill her with renewed delight and pleasure. Regularly, she awoke before her alarm sounded and spent these few precious minutes staring out at the panoramic expanse of countryside.