The Memoirs Of A Young Victorian Lady Ch. 2

It was my turn to gasp out my indignation, but James was beside himself. He let out a bellow of fury and swung a backhand at the fool's face, putting every drop of his righteous outrage into the blow. As his companions looked on, my assailant went flying halfway across the room, falling over one table and upsetting another as he crashed to the floor. The entire room stopped and stared at the incredible scene. I laid a hand on James arm to restrain him from further violence, while he stared at the others in the drunk's group, as if to dare them to join in. His looks cowed them into inaction.

After several seconds, as waiters and the manager began to gather around the wreckage, my accoster arose from the ruin of the table he had crashed through, shaking the wooziness from his head. Blood streamed freely from the shattered ruin of his nose and mouth, and it was obvious that his nose was broken and that he was missing several teeth. James turned to eye him and quipped conversationally to us, "I must be getting old."

"How so, James?", asked Uncle Wally.

"Well, he got back up. Normally they stay down for the count."

Harry chimed in, "Oh, not to worry. You're simply out of practice."

James nodded in polite agreement as my abuser staggered forward. "You struck me!", he said in dazed bewilderment.

James gaped at the fool. Setting his hands on his hips and standing spread-leg before the man, he said, "Well of course I did, you fool. What were you expecting me to do, challenge you to a duel?!"

"You struck me!" He seemed completely incapable of understanding that his actions had resulted in a physical rebuke. He had the overly spoiled and wealthy look of someone who had probably never been disciplined in his life, and had most likely never been struck in his life, even as a child being told 'No!'

James rubbed a hand across a weary face. He decided to toy with the idiot and then take our leave of the establishment. "This is ridiculous. Fine, Harry, you can be my second; give the idiot your card. Sir, have your second call upon him and make the necessary arrangements."

Harry caught on immediately. He reached into a pocket and removed a card, which he pressed into the man's bloody hands, saying, "Really, James, kill the fool and be done with it. This is getting most tiresome."

We left, with the man dripping blood onto the card as his friends stared at us. Harry and AnneMarie went their own way home, while James and I gave a lift home to Uncle Wally. Once we were in the carriage, Uncle Wally commented, "Well, that was interesting, after a fashion. Whatever possessed you to challenge the dolt to a duel?"

James guffawed, and said, "Did you see the look on his face when I said that!? It was worth the entire evening! The idiot will even be able to brag that he was challenged to a duel."

We all got a good laugh out of this, then Uncle Wally said, "I have to say, though, I did not think much of your friend, Mr. Kendrickson's behavior."

James and I gave him a curious look, and James replied, "How so?"

"Well, his behavior with the young lady, to be specific. He is obviously of some wealth, yet he has told her he works in a pickle factory, and has led her to believe that that ring is false, when I for one know it is real. Does he need such prevarications to charm the lady improvidently?"

"I must agree, James. I thought that rather odd myself, though I can not believe so ill of Harry.", I interjected.

"Hmm." James pondered the thought for a bit, then asked of Uncle Wally, "Major, you are of the nobility. Are you a wealthy man?"

Uncle Wally smiled, and replied, "The knighthood is a title only, no lands or estates are attached. I have a bit laid away, and can live a comfortable life, if not an extravagant one, but no, I am not at all wealthy. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I have been both poor and wealthy, and while being wealthy is by far the superior station in life, it does have a most singular drawback. A wealthy man can never truly know the feelings of those around him. Do they like him for himself, or because of what he and his wealth can do for them? Even worse, does the woman who professes her love for him do so for the love of his purse? It can be an unbearable conundrum."

At such a statement, I blanched and turned teary eyes upon my beloved. "James..."

He gazed at me tenderly, lifting my hands to his lips and kissing them. "This did not happen in my case, since I am to wed a woman who is my equal in wealth, and that wealth was hers before we fell in love. Caroline is my heir, Major, in case you were curious, and I know her heart to be true. However, I have been regularly pursued by so many matrons pushing their daughters upon me so as to enrich their families as to be cast in armor against their assaults."

Uncle Wally laughed heartily at this. "So you think that Mr. Kendrickson has this problem?"

"I am sure of it. The Kendrickson fortune is, if anything, even greater than my own, and would undoubtedly bring forth the flower of young womanhood and their grasping relations. Now, while I will be the first to admit that it is just as easy to fall in love with a poor man as it is with a rich man, the rich man will always have that wonder in the back of his mind. On the other hand, if he can imply, at least without being completely dishonorable, that he is not wealthy, then perhaps he can discern for himself the true facts of the matter."

Uncle Wally shrugged in acceptance. "You may be right, sir, but I would guess that sooner or later the ruse will fail. When it does, will the lady in question not be angry and put the man off? And if she does, will he be in no better position than before?"

It was James turn to shrug. "Mayhaps, sir, mayhaps." James turned towards me and smiled. "You do realize, my darling, that when you accepted my hand, you saved yourself from just such a life for yourself." I gave James a confused look, and he continued, "Oh, yes, my sweet. I know for a fact that several of the young 'gentlemen' who called upon you earlier this year did not do so for any love other than for your inheritance."

I scoffed at this, even as I suspected it to be true, and we jested about this whilst we drove Uncle Wally to his hotel and continued on to ours. James and I returned to our rooms, whereupon he took our cloaks and hats and hung them in the closet. He found me standing before the glass, examining myself. He stepped up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. "A penny for your thoughts."

I looked up at my beloved in the glass and said, "Was I the cause of that scene tonight?"

"What?!"

"The gentleman, well, he called me a tart, a harlot for hire. Was I dressed as such? I am so sorry..."

James laughed loudly and tightened his grip around me. "Ye Gods, Caroline, that is the most ridiculous thing I have heard in ages! First, that gentleman was no gentleman, he was a cad and a bounder, and was unfit for polite society. Even if you were a two dollar strumpet, a gentleman would not behave so."

James lowered his head and began kissing and nibbling at my neck. "Further, you were not dressed as a strumpet nor were you behaving as one. You were dressed to excite my passions, which is the mode of dress I enjoy you in, and I wish you to continue wearing such clothing. Most of the other women present were dressed so, as well. Even AnneMarie, a schoolteacher, was exposing as much of her boobies as you were!" At this James brought his hands up and began to cup and fondle my bosom. My quim began to heat and moisten as my lover expertly touched me. Even as my body began to respond, I had to think about his statement and agree. AnneMarie's dress had been as extreme as mine, showing Harry and the rest of us the considerable extent of her bosom.

Even these thoughts left me as James moved a hand behind me and began to undo the buttons holding my dress together. As my dress fell to the floor, he allowed his fingers full roam over my exposed and excited flesh. His hands left a trail of fire as he touched me, and as I gasped and squirmed before him, his manhood pressed rampant against my quivering buttocks. His cock was released next, and without further ado, he pushed himself inside me from behind. James began thrusting madly into me as we stood before the mirror, and I shrieked in pleasure at his assault. I spent wildly whilst he groaned and exploded within me, then James took up the pace again. Without ever withdrawing, he began thrusting his still hard organ into my hot and slick cunny, and we had a second and even grander bout before the glass. When it was finished, I could barely stand, and James' seed flowed freely down my thighs.

I led him to our bed, and helped him to undress in full, then as he lay upon his back, I revived him with my lips. We both found this so pleasurable that I urged him to release down my throat. Reviving him a last time, I climbed atop his prone and naked form, and rode him to the most glorious of climaxes, marveling as I felt him expand within me to thrust and pump his seed deeply inside my quim. I collapsed upon him and we slept the night through.

Chapter 8 - An Evening's Entertainment

James' and my passions had been so intense the prior night that we both slept later than our norm, though as usual I awoke before he. By now I knew his habits, and I knew by the depth of his snores that he would not awake if I made my usual attempt, that is to say by suckling his cock with my lips and tongue. Climbing from his bed, I made my way to my bath and began running my bath water.

I had just climbed into the tub, when I heard a faint knock at my door, and acting upon my suspicions, I directed the knocker to enter. As I had suspected, it was Mary, arriving to begin cleaning and helping me to dress. She brought with her a pot of coffee and a cup and saucer, and I thanked her profusely, for I was in desperate need of wakefulness. I invited her to join me in a cup of coffee, which she did, and I lounged back in the soapy bubbles as she sat on the vanity stool and we talked.

We were in the midst of discussing the events of the prior evening, including our frolics afterwards, when the door to the bath opened. As Mary and I stared wide-eyed, in stepped James, wearing nothing more than a wide grin and a grand tumescence, with the comment, "Darling, I think you forgot to take care of something!" At Mary's snort of laughter James realized that it was more than just me in the bath. Yelling, "Ohmygod!!!", he bolted from the room, whilst Mary and I laughed uproariously.

After we had got our breath back, I asked my friend what she had thought of the sight she had just witnessed. Smiling, she complimented me on the length and breadth of the cock I had available to satisfy my carnal desires, and claimed that it was even larger than the one that her husband possessed, though only by the slightest amount.

I finished bathing and Mary helped me to dry off, then I dressed to greet the new morning. James had mentioned the possibility of taking in an exhibition at a nearby museum, so I dressed somewhat more conservatively. I wore a rather slimming dark skirt and a high necked and long-sleeved blouse over a long and lacy shift. The blouse was sheer enough so that the shift was quite visible beneath, but since the shift was of a full coverage, the effect was more pretty than sexual in nature. I wore a pair of slippers of only medium height, as well. While dressing, Mary and I had another cup of coffee, and she served up a few sweetbreads and breakfast rolls to assuage my hunger.

As I finished brushing my hair, Mary and I heard a knock upon the door to the suite and we looked at each other curiously. Neither James nor I had been expecting any visitors, so I led the way to the door and opened it. I was greeted by Harry Kendrickson and another gentleman, an older and somewhat short and stout gentleman dressed in a conservative black suit. "Harry, what in the world are you doing here at this hour?", I asked, ushering the pair in.

"Waking slugabed children, of course.", he said unrepentantly, stepping inside. I snorted derisively at this and gave a curious glance at the gentleman who followed him in, and Harry introduced us. "Caroline, this is Mister Theodore Hawkes. Mister Hawkes, Miss Caroline Pendrake. Mister Hawkes has something to say to you and James.", he told me.

At this I raised an eyebrow. After asking Mary to serve coffee all the way around, I went to the door to James' bedroom and knocked on it, informing him of our guests. He came out a few moments later, pulling on his vest and buttoning it, and Harry repeated the introductions. Mary excused herself and the four of us seated ourselves in the parlor, James and I on a couch and Harry and Mr. Hawkes in armchairs.

It was Mr. Hawkes who spoke first. "I gather that my nephew, Henry Pendergast, and you had some words last night. This morning, upon realizing the seriousness of his misbehavior, he wished to make his apologies for his actions of last night. Unfortunately, last night was in the fashion of a going away party, since he was to board ship for Europe this morning. As I saw him off this morning, he informed me of his misdeeds and asked me to apologize for him, and to say that a written apology will be sent as soon as possible. So, if I might, please let me extend his apologies, and indeed, the apologies of myself and our entire family, to you, sir, and to your lovely lady, and beg that the incident may be forgotten."

James had drawn himself up rather stiffly and formally as he listened to this incredible tale. To be honest, I had almost forgotten the affair, so thoroughly had James ravished me afterwards, but I could see that James remembered it in its entirety. Speaking slowly, he said, "I would be willing to allow bygones be bygones for my own sake, but the insult was not to me, but to a lady who ill deserved such treatment. It is in her hands to accept the apology, or not." He nodded his head in my direction, and Mister Hawkes turned to face me.

I had no desire to drag the events out, so I simply replied, "I accept the apology and thank you for making it, sir. Let the incident be ended."

Harry smiled at this and refilled our cups with coffee, as James and Mr. Hawkes visibly relaxed. James turned to Harry and asked, "What in the world are you doing here, Harry, and how did you get involved in this?"

Harry laughed, saying, "You forget, James, I am your second."

James' eyes widened to saucers. "Good Lord, I forgot all about that! You are, aren't you!?"

It was at this point that Mr. Hawkes spoke up. "Would you please explain what that was all about, sir. Mister Kendrickson described my nephew's antics last night, but I fear that the description of what happened after is rather confused." The rest of us looked at him, and he explained, "I mean really, a duel? In this day and age? And who challenged who?"

James and I explained the events of the prior evening, and Mr. Hawkes shook his head in evident disgust. Finally he said, "I was afraid it was something along those lines. Harry came pounding on my door early this morning in the company of some of his wastrel friends, and from his condition and the raving story about a duel and Mr. Kendrickson's card, I knew that something extraordinary had happened. To be honest, I bundled him off on the first boat that was sailing. I could not chance it being true; he's my sister's only son, worthless ass that he is." He said this with great sadness, as if he knew that there was considerable doubt that this would change his nephew's behavior.

James snorted at the idea of actually dueling, but I took his hand and said, "Mister Hawkes, I must inform you that whilst my fiancée would never have fought a duel, your nephew escaped lightly from his misbehavior. James has a rather protective outlook in regards to my person, and is possessed of a most lethal nature as needs be. Earlier this year we were accosted by bandits and James was forced to prevent my abduction. He killed two of my attackers and wounded the other two." A sudden concern overcame me and I turned to face my love. "James, you wouldn't have really dueled, would you?"

James laughed easily and patted my hand. "Never, or at least not here and now, though there was that one time in Sumatra..."

Mister Hawkes blanched at all this, especially when Harry interjected, "Actually, James killed three of them." James and I turned in his direction and stared at this statement. Harry gave a sheepish look, and continued, "Well, I remember how it was in all the newspapers, and I followed the story. One of the fellows you wounded later died, James."

"The one who was shot or the one who was stabbed?", I asked.

Harry gave a far away look as he tried to remember, then said, "Stabbed. An infection, I recall."

Mister Hawkes had a ghastly look on his face as he excused himself. Harry poured himself another cup of coffee and we all settled back to discuss the rather unusual morning conversation. After a bit I asked Harry what his intentions were with regards to AnneMarie, mentioning what she had said of her ring. He gave an amused look. "Good heavens but I hope she doesn't treat it as paste. My father gave that ring to my mother, and it's worth a king's ransom!'

"So your intentions are honorable?", I pressed.

"What, don't be silly!", he protested. "I am a man! My intentions are anything but honorable! If, however, you are asking if I plan on marrying the lady, then the answer is an emphatic 'Yes!'"

James and I laughed at this whole-heartedly, and I invited Harry to bring AnneMarie to dinner tonight. Surprisingly, he demurred. "Perhaps another evening, but tonight I have a rather intimate entertainment planned."

"Oh, how so?", I asked.

Harry gave a slightly uncomfortable look at the question, but James said, "You mentioned it Harry, not us."

"Well, all right then. As I am sure you understand, AnneMarie and I are more than just friends. Well, this evening, I have made arrangements at a certain establishment, a house where we will be able to witness something beyond the norm, and we plan on visiting."

"You're taking AnneMarie to a bawdy house?!", I exclaimed.

"Precisely. The one involved has a room in it through which you can watch through a looking glass into another room without being seen, to watch the antics of other revelers. When I mentioned the existence of such places to AnneMarie she became rather taken with the idea."

I glanced across the couch at James and was quite unsurprised to find him attempting to hide a most prodigious erection within his trousers. I had known for quite some time that he had a pronounced voyeuristic bent; witness the proliferation of such mirrors and the secret passageways he had built throughout the mansion at home. I distinctly remember the evening when he watched Ahkbar and Siobhan having relations, and the profound effect it had on our own lovemaking later.

"Well, that sounds very interesting, indeed! You shall have to tell James the address of this house.", I said.

Harry started at the comment, looking at my beloved curiously. "Really, James, this would interest you?"

"It would positively fascinate me.", he admitted. "May I suggest the following, that you bring AnneMarie here tonight, and we shall all go out to dinner. Then, afterwards, we shall all attend this entertainment."

"Intriguing.", commented Harry. "I agree most tentatively. Let me ask AnneMarie first, then I shall send a message, all right?"

Harry left, and as noon was fast approaching, James and I went down to the dining room for either a rather late breakfast or a rather early lunch. We dawdled over our meal, and were pleasantly surprised when a waiter appeared with a message. He must have thought it rather cryptic, inasmuch as it said, "Agreed. Meet at six."