An Extraordinary Evening ~ The fourth novelette from Forbidden Feelings , a Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic novelette collection. Vol. II. Read online

  ~ An Extraordinary Evening ~

  A Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic Novelette

  by Lady T. L. Jennings

  William Heatherton and his closest friend, Robin Crawley, are two of the most notorious rakehells in London, infamous for breaking hearts and creating scandals wherever they go.

  The day after the grand Rosenfelts’ ball, the opening event of the season, William Heatherton wakes up in his four-poster bed with a terrible headache and only vague memories of what happened the evening before, but with an odd feeling that something rather unusual has occurred...

  An Extraordinary Evening

  A Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic Novelette

  by Lady T. L. Jennings

  All rights are reserved. This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s peculiar imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be regarded or constructed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons (living, dead, or undead), actual events, locales, organisations, or groups is wholly coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. No part of this book may be used or reused. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copyright © 2015 Lady T. L. Jennings

  Proofread by Pauline Nolet.

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  Victorian Romance and Erotica short story collections

  by Lady T. L. Jennings

  ~ Lust and Lace ~

  a Victorian Romance and Erotic short story collection. Vol. I.

  ~ Corsets and Cravings ~

  a Victorian Romance and Erotic short story collection. Vol. II.

  ~ Secrets and Seduction ~

  a Victorian Romance and Erotic short story collection. Vol. III.

  Gay Victorian Romance and Erotica

  ~ Different Desire ~

  a Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic Novelette Collection. Vol. I.

  ~ Forbidden Feelings ~

  a Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic Novelette Collection. Vol. II.

  ~ Complicated Affairs ~

  a Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic Novella

  ~ Blackmail ~

  a Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic Novella

  ~ The Mystery of the Black Widow ~

  a Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic Novella

  ~ An Extraordinary Evening ~

  A Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic Novelette

  William Heatherton woke up slowly and somewhat against his will.

  “May God have mercy on my soul,” he mumbled drowsily as the impact of the previous evening’s indulgence and extravagance began to register in his mind.

  The sun had already crawled up above the rooftops opposite the street and shone mercilessly through the thick winter curtains that had not been properly drawn.

  “Damn those maids,” William muttered to himself and closed his eyes again. He lay flat on his stomach on the soft feather mattress in his mahogany four-poster bed, with one arm dangling lazily over the edge of the bed.

  Despite closing his eyes tightly, it felt like the sun was shining through a magnifying glass directly on his eyelids, and William wondered briefly if he had turned into one of those bloodsucking and sun-avoiding ‘vampyres’ by the author Polidori that seemed to be the latest craze in London’s literary world nowadays.

  But no. If he somehow had managed to turn into one of the creatures of the undead, then surely he would not have such a tremendous headache, William concluded and opened one eye carefully, searching the nearby bedside table. His trustworthy valet, Mr Rendell, usually placed a glass of water mixed with Bayer’s aspirin powder next to his bed if William arrived back to his house late. Thankfully William sent Rendell his quiet gratitude and reached for the glass and drained the bitter drink, while he tried to remember what had happened the previous evening and realised that he could not even clearly remember how he had managed to come home from the Rosenfelts’ ball.

  It must have been quite an extraordinary night, William thought with a small smile.

  After all, the Rosenfelts’ ball was the grand opening ball of the season in London, and everyone who was anyone had been there. The Rosenfelt family was beyond rich and well connected and they seemed to take great pleasure and pride in spending their fortune on lavish balls and excessive dinner parties, which often were the talk about town for weeks afterwards.

  How someone would be willing to squander so much time and money on a single ball was simply beyond William, who had chosen to live alone as a bachelor and never held dinner parties himself. Not that he complained, of course. A splendid evening with free-flowing drinks, scrumptious canapés, orchestra music, and beautiful ladies to dance with, dressed up in their finest gowns and decorated with fans and feathers, could never be a loss.

  Now, if he could only remember what had happened at the ball…?

  William had an odd feeling that something most unusual had occurred yesterday. With a slightly furrowed brow, he began searching his dim memories and tried to recollect the incidents from the night before…

  *

  “What do you say, Heatherton?” Robin Crawley greeted William as he inspected himself in the large full-figure looking glass in William’s hallway. Robin critically adjusted the elaborate silver pin on his perfectly tied cravat. “Will I do?”

  William could not help but smile. His best friend Robin Crawley was the very personification of a Victorian rich gentleman dressed in the latest fashion from Savoy Street. Robin was a very handsome young man, but he was also quite vain, something which William tended to tease him about.

  “Hm,” William replied and stroked his clean-shaven cheeks in a thoughtful gesture while he pretended to contemplate the question. He walked down the wide marble stairway, his hand gliding along the smooth cherry wood staircase rails. “I do not know, really; let me have a look at you.”

  Robin turned around gracefully and slowly in a circle, clearly not minding the extra attention.

  Dark low-heeled leather boots, tailored pinstriped trousers that seemed to mould itself around his calves and thighs, snow-white silk shirt and cravat, a brocade dove-grey waistcoat that matched his trousers and covered his corset, and a long-tailed frock jacket that enhanced his slim waist. A black top hat and silver-tipped cane finished the outfit.

  He is–without any exaggeration–quite stunning, William had to admit and decided to tease his friend a little for his rather narcissistic character, because there was no doubt that Robin had spent the better part of the day getting ready for the evening.

  “I do not know…” William hesitated and pretended to frown. “That brocaded waistcoat… is it not a little ‘last season’?”

  “What!” Robin exclaimed, his eyes narrowing. “How dare you!”

  William broke out in laughter. “I was only joking, of course. You look splendid, as always, my friend. And
I think that you are well aware of it too.”

  Robin scoffed loudly in reply and looked at himself in the mirror again, carefully smoothing his dark curled hair from his forehead before he put on his top hat.

  “I really do not understand why I put up with you…” he muttered, half to himself. His blue eyes met William’s eyes through the mirror.

  “Well, perhaps that because of me, we have personal invitations to the Rosenfelts’ ball tonight, thanks to my older brother’s baronship?” William suggested and walked over to him so they stood next to each other in front of the mirror. They were almost the exact same height and similar enough that people sometimes mistook them for brothers, with their dark hair, pale skin, and similar fashion sense.

  “Or perhaps,” William continued, “since I tend to keep you out of trouble?”

  “Me? I am never in trouble,” Robin lied unconvincingly.

  “I prevented you from losing your summer estate at the gaming table last month at that ill-reputed gaming hell, which you insisted that we visited?” William reminded him.

  “Ah, yes.”

  “Or possibly”, William said and lowered his voice, “because together we are–hardly without any doubt–the most fine-looking and best dressed young gentlemen in London?”

  “We are indeed,” Robin agreed. “Shall we, then?”

  “Ready to break some hearts and create a scandal or two?”

  Robin raised an eyebrow. A small, wicked smile played at the corner of his lip.

  “But of course.” He offered William his arm in a gentlemanly fashion.

  William had to laugh, because the gesture was obviously meant for a lady, but he took it nonetheless and together they walked out to the awaiting carriage.

  *

  “Have you selected a lady for the evening yet?” Robin whispered unexpectedly close to him.

  William flinched. He had not noticed his friend sneaking up on him. The other young man smiled mischievously at him and William rolled his eyes in reply to his childish behaviour, but forgave him as Robin handed him a new glass of iced champagne.

  “I believe that I may be inclined to spend the evening in the company of someone from the New World,” William said and sipped his cool, sparkling drink.

  They stood by the large arched pillars on the upper balcony of the second floor, which surrounded the massive open black-and-white chequered ballroom floor below. The dancing had not started yet, and some of the early guests were gathering in various groups below, mingling and drinking punch and champagne. In half an hour the ball would be properly open and Lord and Lady Rosenfelt would lead the first dance and the dancing would commence. However, for now this was an excellent opportunity to scan the crowd from above as the guests were presented by the entrance by the head floor manager dressed in black livery and a short Prussian blue cape with golden aiguillette woven cords.

  “Ah, I see,” Robin said and followed his gaze, which lingered on a gorgeous young lady dressed in a wide peach-coloured gown, which seemed slightly out of place. She had honey-blonde curly hair, decorated with pearls and two large white feathers. Short and with a generous bosom, she did stand out from the rest of the pale tight-laced aristocracy gentlewomen around her. “So, you have your eyes set on the ambassador’s daughter, do you?”

  “Indeed I have,” William replied. “You have to admit that she is exceedingly pleasant to look at.”

  “I do,” Robin confessed and paused. “However, I have heard that she is about to be engaged to Admiral Stanton, who is not here tonight after an unfortunate riding accident. In fact, their engagement will most likely be announced within a fortnight.”

  “Hm,” William mused and a small smile began to form on his lips. “A challenge, then.”

  “More than that, I think,” Robin said and lowered his voice in a dramatic manner. “But beware: I have heard that her parents are most anxious to get her to the altar as soon as possible, because apparently she is not as innocent as she seems. In fact, there have been wild rumours that she has been involved in a certain affair with a significantly older gentleman–and his maid!–in New Orleans.”

  “Intriguing.”

  “Indeed,” Robin agreed before he added in a somewhat aloof voice, “Alas, I am sorry to inform you that I have heard rumours that she will spend the night together with someone else and that you do not stand a chance to lure her off to your lair.”

  William met his eyes over their high crystal glasses.

  “Really?” he said in disbelief. “And who is her mysterious lover, then?”

  Robin smiled mischievously.

  “Why me, of course!” he said. “You did not really believe that you would be the only person who would try to steal her away from her fiancé, now did you? Besides, she is far too pretty to be left to the likes of you.”

  “How rude of you, Crawley!” William said and scowled at him. “Besides, we both know she does not tempt you.”

  “Ah well.” Robin laughed softly. “There is nothing wrong with a little bit of courting and wooing. And apparently she does have a very handsome brother, should worst come to worst…”

  William could not help but smile at his wicked friend. He was well aware that Robin’s preferences lay in a different direction than his own; however that never stopped his friend from flirting outrageously with the ladies and creating scandals wherever he went.

  “You are hopelessly depraved, did you know that?”

  “And proud of it too,” Robin said in a pleased tone. “Life is far too short not to enjoy it to the fullest. Now let us go downstairs and see if we can manage to get ourselves introduced to the lovely ambassador’s daughter and her charming brother, if he is anywhere nearby, shall we?”

  “You really are the cad about town,” William concluded.

  “You are a scoundrel!”

  “Rakehell!”

  “As if you are any better, Heatherton?” Robin exclaimed. “All the mothers in London fear that you will come within half a mile of their daughters! No wonder you have to start flirting with American girls! No one in their right sense will come with you anymore, due to your black reputation.”

  “Stuff and nonsense!” William drained the champagne. “I am seen as a charming and outgoing modern gentleman. And I bet you one hundred pounds that she will be coming with me tonight.”

  “Accepted,” Robin scoffed with a small smile. “Although it is almost highway robbery to accept those terms.”

  *

  “Mr Crawley! You are too bold,” the young ambassador’s daughter, Charlotte, gasped in astonishment before she broke out in delightful laughter. “And I always thought that Englishmen were supposed to be stiff and prudent!”

  However, the way she carried her satin embroidered fan spoke another language. At first she threatened to close, which would have meant ‘Do not be so imprudent’ in the secret fan language, but then slowly–almost by mistake–she let it brush her right cheek. ‘Yes’ it meant.

  William frowned slightly. Robin could be devastatingly charming without seeming too forward if he wanted to, and he was winning her over with his charismatic manner and clever comments.

  He shall not win this, William thought, his eyes narrowing. And there is more than one way to charm a woman, he concluded, and instead of laughing with the rest of the company, he deliberately looked away from them, in an almost uninterested manner.

  “What do you think, Mr Heatherton?” the ambassador’s daughter asked when she noticed that he was not laughing.

  William waited a second before he replied neutrally, “I am sorry to inform you that you are both utterly incorrect.”

  A small crease formed on the young woman’s smooth brow.

  “I do not understand,” Charlotte said at last and tilted her head to one side.

  “I know.” William sighed. “And that is hardly surprising, Miss Hartford. However, since you are a member of the fairer sex, you should not have an opinion
at all.” He paused and added as an afterthought, “Unless it is about crocheting, child-rearing, housekeeping, or watercolour paintings, of course.”

  His comment worked, as always.

  “How very old-fashioned you are, Mr Heatherton,” she said disapprovingly in a slightly annoyed tone and studied him with a renewed interest.

  William noticed that she unconsciously had shut her fan over her heart which meant ‘You have won my love’; however, he pretended to neither notice nor care, which only made her more intrigued by him. For some mysterious reason a dark, handsome stranger with a brooding and almost unpleasant attitude always seemed to make the ladies interested, although William had never really understood why.

  “Yes,” Robin interrupted and moved a little bit closer to her and continued in a soft voice, “My friend can be very old-fashioned and even a little bit dull at times. I am, on the other hand, not like that at all…”

  His comment made the young lady giggle and she was clearly torn between the two men’s attention.

  “I do not believe,” a gentleman said suddenly with an unmistakable American accent in a cold voice behind them, “that you have introduced me to your new acquaintances, Charlotte?”

  The ambassador’s daughter laughed nervously and turned around.

  “Oh,” she said and blushed deeply. “Of course. This is Mr William Heatherton, who is the younger brother to Baron Heatherton, and this is his friend Mr Robin Crawley. This is my brother, Stuart Hartford.”

  William saw Robin eye the newcomer and noticed that he absentmindedly licked his lips, which made William suppress a smug smile to himself. He knew he would win the bet now, because Robin was already more or less undressing the other man with his blue eyes.