We all know that Mark is going to throw me out." I don't want to," I replied. "You are physically very attractive. But you keep fighting with everyone... Aine, you have hinted that you've had previous friends who mistreated you. I will never do that." I don't believe you," she said."Aine," I said. "I have never lied to you. I've said several times that if you start to get along with the rest of my ladies, I could see keeping you as a possibility." But there are so many," Aine complained."Try to. Claire thought for a moment and turned away in her turn, only half closing the door.After breakfast they packed Claire’s car and after John had turned off the water, turned the central heating to the frost setting and locked up, they began the journey to Grange-over-Sands.On arriving they made the preparations for the impending gathering, making up beds, warming the house through, doing local shopping, buying a large tree and decorating both it and the house.John left the gathering very early. And going splat!“Not again?” they said together.Unbelievably, while I fell, nothing broke. However, my ankle ... my left ankle was terribly sore provoking the immediate need for a pain pill. Before I was completely under its spell, I got Peter and Charles to the room.After they did a down and up on both my mother and my wife, they saw my wrapped leg and looked at each other with big grins.“I don’t want to know what happened, the audience would never believe us,” Charles said. Both ladies. Stephen said, "I'll take care of this while you're in the bath. Just let me get it started."Stephen set the bathtub to filling and poured in some bath salts he found. He went back into the bedroom and stopped in front of his mom. He took her hands and lifted her to standing. He kissed her so sweetly she thought her heart would overflow. He cradled her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. He said, slowly, with great feeling, "Mother. Lover. Mine."He kissed her again, hungrily. She.