A Summer in Olympia Ch. 02

Penny endeavored a short viola solo of Sir Charles' composition, a well crafted but unremarkable piece. He then cajoled Pearl to put her book down to sing her father's three settings of Swinburne's Roundels, which she sang in a clear pleasing voice with little conviction. Having done her duty, she returned to her book, giving me a sidelong glance that spoke of her displeasure with the proceedings. Sir Charles and Penny then essayed several other current pieces in their collection, works of other English composers. Finally he turned to Maurice: "Would you favor us with something on your flute, sir?"

She nodded and said gravely: "If Mr. MacLeod would be pleased to accompany me on the piano."

Sir Charles gave me an invitatory look, and I replaced him at the piano again. Maurice handed me a copy of the "Salut d'Amour" of Edward Elgar, and blew into his flute to warm it. It had been a while since I sight read anything, and I was concerned to see the original was for violin, but Maurice was determined and we performed the piece adequately to a warm reception. On rising, I noticed Pearl put her book down again. "Quite nice," she said, "one of the two best works on this afternoon's program. Tell me, Daddy, is Mr. Elgar's fortunes still rising?"

He shook his head. "Yes, I had a letter from Edward two weeks ago saying his works are still popular at choral festivals in the Midlands, and his Serenade for Strings has sold well. Mr. Jaeger is helping him personally, and I dare saw his star is in the ascendant."

"Quite right," Alice chimed in, "a talented fellow, in spite of his background, and deserving of better recognition. Perhaps he will get promotion and even a knighthood in spite of being Catholic." She sipped a glass of lemonade and fanned herself. "Monty, why did you have to move us to a place so beastly hot? I would leave you for a Turkish brothel, which would be cooler, were I not grateful you did not land us in India or some ghastly place in Africa."

He looked flustered. "Tush Alice, Olympia is a splendid place, and we were fortunate to find such a situation where we could bring our people with us. Would you rather be served by foreigners? Perhaps a Watusi with a huge plate in his lower lip? Perhaps I should send Mrs. Edwards and the rest of them home."

"Such talk, Monty, how absurd. I positively could not abide this place without their friendly faces and dependable service. This city of Saint Louis is a town of beastly arrogance, so full of Germans would one think they were in Bavaria or the Rhineland, the culture is horrendously provincial, not worthy of the Lake District or even Wales. We could have settled in New York or Philadelphia or Boston . . ."

"Now Alice, you know neither New York nor Philadelphia nor Boston offered us anything, I could not get my opera produced there. I deeply regret having to take you away from England, nothing to be done for it, but would you have me toil at my life's passion without an opportunity to share it with the world?"

She took another sip and fanned herself. "No, Monty, I would not and you know it. Calm yourself, you always get worked up about this. Mr. MacLeod is here to help you and soon all will be well."

Penny took the opportunity to discuss the upcoming birth of a child to the Duke and Duchess of York, speculating whether this heir to the British Empire would be male or female and what it would mean. Alice quickly picked up on this stream of conversation with Sir Charles offering an occasion opinion. Pearl stayed buried in her book, and I sipped lemonade.

I excused myself to take an afternoon nap, and rejoined the party for dinner. After dinner, I went with Sir Charles to his study to discuss the work: he was writing an opera named _Andromeda Chained_, based on the ancient Greek myth of the Princess of Ethiopia chained to a rock in punishment for her mother's boast and rescued by Perseus. He cultivated the local Choral-Symphony Society to rehearse the work and even present it at some point in time, with the hopes it would get a full production in New York or Philadelphia. I was to prepare a fair copy of the full score, a piano/vocal version, and a set of parts. There was much work to start with since he'd finished the first two acts and was almost done with the third.

The thought crossed my mind that someone else had been engaged to do this work and not finished, but not a word was mentioned about it. It was more likely I was the first person to answer his advertisement, the first person desperate enough for funds to take up his offer. The salary he was paying me was regal, and with the room and board and other fringe benefits I could re-establish myself in my career within a year.

We smoked cigars, drank brandy, toasting the opera, and shot billiards for an hour until he pronounced himself ready to retire. Upon returning to my rooms, I found Mrs. Edwards waiting for me in her nightdress and holding a candle. "Come with me, Frank," she urged, and led me back into the secret passages.

She led me to the spyholes for the master bedroom. This time the viewers were at the same height, necessitating me to bend over to use one. Sir Charles was in the process of removing his clothes while Lady Alice was propped up in bed reading a book. "I think this young man will work out splendidly. Bright, talented, pleasant company, awful at billiards, respectful. Maurice has high praise for him as well."

"Just don't make any wagers on your billiard playing," she said, lowering her book. "He could be letting you win."

He shook his head. "You're always fussing, Muffin. Of course, I won't make any wagers. Wouldn't be fair to pay him a salary with one hand and take it back at the billiard table. Would be slavery, which I believe was outlawed in this country about 30 years ago."

"If you say so, Monty. How soon will you be ready?"

He had finished disrobing and slipped a nightshirt over his head. "Now, Muffin. It is time for a good wife to do her duty."

"Oh yes, of course. And you wish to make the Sabbath complete, even though you're not Jewish in the slightest. Very well, I'm ready. Do you need help preparing?"

Crossing the room he stood at the head of the bed and lifted his shirt, exposing his privates. "Yes, dear, I think he needs some good wanking before he's ready."

She put her book down and moved over to take his penis with her left hand, reaching across her body. "I wish you didn't have to do this. People our age should be done with these base urges."

"Now Muffin, be a good sport. That's a good girl, stroke him nicely for me. Oh, I still have this dream you would kiss him."

"Dream on, Monty: you know only a low born woman or a harlot would perform an act like that." Her face was a mask of concentration as she worked his flesh.

"It's just the two of us here, no one will know."

"No one will know because it will not happen."

He sighed in disappointment, and it took her quite a while to get him erect. When his penis was sufficiently engorged, she lay back, lowered her covers and pulled up the bottom of her nightdress, exposing her sex and hairy crotch, as he got up to mount her. After some fumbling, he inserted himself and spent several moments thrusting into her unresisting body until he gasped and finished his orgasm.

She rolled him off her as soon as she could and pulled the covers over them both, turning down the lamp as the sound of his snoring filled the room. Mrs. Edwards led me back to my room and bed; I stopped her and said: "Why did I have to see this tonight?"

"I thought he would say something about you, and you'd want to hear what your first impressions were."

"All right, done. What we witnessed I could have done without. His lovemaking is as uninspired as his music."

Kneeling before me, Bella undid my trousers. "I'll reward you for that them. I can't get enough of it, watching them, even though it's so banal."

"Tell me, how often does he do that deed with Maurice?"

She found my manhood and exposed it, stroking it and kissing it. "As to what we saw last night, about once a week. Usually Maurice sucks him and lets him sodomize her, that happens about three times a week."

"And Lady Alice."

"Only on Sunday does Lady Alice do her duty to England."

"All right, that explains a lot. What of the others?"

"I've known Miss Pearl since birth: she's too smart for her own good and will probably never land a husband. All head and no heart. Never interested in any young man she's ever met. Miss Penny is searching for a suitable man of her class, in the meantime she's with us and acts as his muse."

"I thought she was Lady Alice's friend."

"Oh, she's that, too, and that's why Lady Alice puts up with her. We'll see sometime how Miss Penny inspires him; Lady Alice isn't right about things high born women will do. Now to inspire you, Frank." With that she engulfed the end of my prick in her mouth, swirling her tongue.