For the last spring before Gregory headed to Eton for his studies, Benedict took him to My Cottage, Benedict’s residence in the countryside. Although it was called My Cottage, it was actually a grand country house that could accommodate dozens of guests. Every year, Benedict spent only a few days here, leaving his estate under the management of the caretakers, Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree. After greeting them, Benedict took Gregory to the upper floor and let his brother choose his own room.
It was early April, and it was exceptionally warm for this time of the year. The sun was shining brightly, and gentle breezes blew through the trees surrounding My Cottage. Only a fool would want to stay indoors in this splendid weather.
“Where are we going?” Gregory asked as the two brothers strode across the forest near My Cottage.
“A swim.” Benedict replied. “Can you swim?”
“Of course I can, but I don’t practise very often. But I don’t have my swim trunks. Should we go back to My Cottage to collect them?”
Benedict smirked. “Who needs trunks to swim?” And he carried on walking, leaving Gregory no choice but to keep following him. They walked through the dense forest for a while, then the track led them to an open area surrounding a little pond. Before their eyes, the water gently sparkled with the light of the afternoon sun. It was really quiet. The only sound they could hear was the crack of some twigs under their shoes as they approached the pond.
“Shall we?” Benedict winked at Gregory. Before Gregory could say anything to protest that the water might still be cold, Benedict had stripped himself naked and “bang”, he jumped right in the lake, splashing water everywhere.
“Are you coming down?” Benedict’s head emerged from the surface, his chestnut hair had been completely drenched.
Reluctantly, Gregory took off his clothes and stepped into the water. It was really, really cold. But after he swam a little bit more, his body gradually adjusted to the temperature, and he started feeling at ease in the lake. His biggest challenge now was to keep a safe distance from Benedict, just in case his older brother decided to pull his legs or tickled him while he was swimming.
Gregory had never swum naked with one of his brothers before.
It was such a serene place. He could forget all his worries about Eton, about academic subjects, about his insecurities regarding his body, and about the latest incidents with his wet dreams. All he could hear was the sound of water splashed around him and his brother. All he could see was the peaceful scene of the dark green forest, the blue sky with some white rolling clouds, and the light reflected on the waves as they swam freely.
Benedict tried three times to pull Gregory down under the surface. But he managed to escape his brother twice. He was not so lucky with Benedict’s last attempt, and swallowed quite a bit of water.
After a refreshing swim, the two brothers lay down on a patch of grass that was still generously endowed with sunlight. They were naked, exposing all of their body to the warm air. For Benedict, he really liked drying himself like this.
“How were you guys at Eton?” Gregory asked.
“Me? Anthony and I caused quite a bit of trouble. He did study, but sometimes we couldn’t help doing some pranks on our friends and got punished. Colin was different. He was a perfect student, following every rule, and excelling at every subject he put his mind into.”
“Wait, how were you punished there?”
Benedict put his left arm under his head. “Well. Most of the time it was not very serious, spending time in detention, copying some long texts. But I was flogged once, or twice, or perhaps three times.”
“What did you do?” Gregory seemed a little bit shocked. He knew that physical punishments were common in places like Eton, but he did not know that his own brother was hit.
“Well, to be honest, I was known among my peers for excessively sexual jokes, which were totally inappropriate, I admit. A teacher overheard my jokes, and so I was flogged for being…, well, a little bit naughty.”
“But you are a good kid. You will be fine, just like Colin.” Benedict added with a broad smile.
“The other time I was flogged was when I missed a lot of deadlines for my homework.” Benedict revisited some long forgotten memories. “After our father passed away, I was confused and reckless for a while. Anthony became a completely different person. I was on my own at Eton, and did not know what to do.”
Gregory turned to Benedict and held his brother’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” Benedict squeezed Gregory’s hand slightly.
The sun was about to dive below the trees.
“I think we should go home.” Benedict said. “Don’t tell mother that we went swimming naked. She would certainly flog me, I swear.” Returning to his cheerful mood, Benedict rose up and put on his clothes. The two brothers returned to My Cottage.
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