Lords and Ladies
Author: Raindrops on Roses
Rating: PG-13
Category: Fluff, Romance, AU
Spoilers: None
Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters; they belong to DPB, CBS, Paramount, et al.
Author's notes: This is in response to the challenge I begged for. The challenge was to use these items in a story:
- Scottish Castle
- Dinner Party
- Jealous AJ
- Attentive Lord (oh, make up a name)
- Pissed Sarah
- Smut (lord or AJ, your choice)
And, for Shirl, a cat :-)
Lady Sarah fidgeted in her seat, awaiting the end of the feast. It was the first clear night in a sennight--the night of the new moon, no less--and the falconer, Harmon, had finally agreed to start her astronomy lessons. He had been putting up a fight, insisting that it was not seemly for a woman to profess an interest in men's affairs, but finally, her uncle interceded.
Sarah smiled thinly as Lord Lindsey, the Duke of Sheffield's second in command, gave her another flowery compliment. She hadn't been able to discourage the man at all. Yes, she was of marriageable age; but she knew Uncle Matthew would never force her to marry against her will. For this, she was thankful. If he had commanded her to marry a man of his choosing, she would follow his wishes, of course; but she would not be happy. She was far too independent to ever be completely obedient to her husband; besides, she could not master all of the feminine arts. Oh, she could dance fairly well, and she knew how to mend a garment, but she was far more comfortable on the archery range, or practicing in the tiltyard, or hunting with Harmon.
Sarah sighed and looked around the room. Sometimes she wondered if she would be happier if she were more like the Lady Meredith, gossiping about the latest fashions and plotting on how to find a good husband. She smirked as she noticed the man seated beside Meredith; he looked as if he were quite bored. Something about him caught her eye, however. Perhaps it was his broad shoulders... or his strong jaw... or his smooth scalp. Or maybe it was the aura of quiet power he wore like a well-fitted cloak. As Lady Meredith turned to the person on her right, chattering away, the man looked up, straight into Sarah's eyes. He cocked an eyebrow and gave her a crooked grin. Sarah blushed and looked away, licking her suddenly dry lips.
Finally, Uncle Matthew gestured for the hired musicians to begin playing, and the dancing began. Sarah smiled and accepted her uncle's hand, and they started dancing. Others joined them, and the floor filled quickly.
At the end of the first song, the mysterious man approached Sarah and Matthew. "May I cut in?"
Matthew stood aside, smiling slightly, and Sarah and the man began dancing. Sarah's senses were on alert. The man held her a bit closer than propriety allowed, and she could feel the heat of his body. She looked into his deep, beautiful brown eyes, and felt as if she were drowning. The scent of him was wonderfully masculine. He had a powerful presence; the one of a man used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted it. They danced in silence, but Sarah felt like her nerves were on fire.
Lord Lindsey came up behind the man, and requested a dance. The nameless man relinquished his hold, but glowered at the smaller man as he clumsily took up the dance. Sarah felt a sense of loss as the man walked away.
Finally, Sarah got a rest from dancing. She faded into the shadows around the elegant room, and slipped into the corridor. Her shoes--mere slippers, really--made a muffled sound against the stone floor. Lifting her skirts, she walked as swiftly as she could up the staircase. She cursed whoever set the ridiculous fashion of multiple layers of skirts and petticoats; didn't they realize it was much easier to move with less clothing?
She exited the stairwell and continued on to her bedchambers. She intended to change into more comfortable clothing, and then meet Harmon in the tower for her astronomy lesson. She could be a few minutes late--Harmon was never on time--but if she didn't show, he would either panic and have half the castle searching for her, refuse to continue her lessons, or both.
She screamed as a hand wrapped around her wrist, but her scream was quickly muffled by a gloved hand. Her attacker dragged her into the closest room, which happened to be the library. The person kicked the door closed and released his hold on her. Sarah turned, and was greeted with the leering face of Lord Lindsey.
"What do you think you are doing, my lord?" Sarah sputtered indignantly.
"Lady Sarah, I am sorry if I hurt you. A beautiful flower like
yourself should never be harmed in any way."
Sarah rolled her eyes and snorted. "Flower? Lindsey, I am a woman, not a plant."
"Indeed you are, my lady. A most beautiful woman. You outshine the sun itself."
Now, Sarah began to laugh. "How does one 'outshine the sun itself'? Really, Theodore, you need a few new flatteries."
Lindsey appeared to be confused. "Lady, I love you. I have wanted to tell you this for the longest time. I would be honored if I could have your hand in marriage."
Sarah stared at Lindsey in disbelief. "You waited for me, in the dark, then dragged me in here, to propose to me? Have you gone mad?"
"Mad with love, my lady."
Sarah shook her head. "Why should I marry you? I barely know you!" She calmed herself, then continued, "I'm sorry, Theodore; I cannot marry you. We could not possibly be happy together."
Lindsey's eyes narrowed. Apparently, this was not what he had expected. He tried again. "My lady, I will do anything within my power to see that you are happy. I'll see that you have the latest fashions; I'll give you as many servants that you desire; I'll build a house in the country and one in the city, just for you."
Sarah was quickly losing her patience. "I said no, Lord Lindsey. Now if you will excuse me, I have a lesson to attend."
Lindsey moved to block the door. "I don't think so, my lady," he said in a threatening tone of voice.
"I do. What do you think you're going to do, drag me off to Gretna Green?" Sarah scoffed.
Lindsey sneered, "Why, what a good idea." He reached toward Sarah and tried to grab her. She attempted to elude his grasp, but was hampered by her voluminous skirts. He got a fistful of her hair and yanked her towards him, pinning her arms to her upper body. Sarah let out a strangled yelp. As she struggled in Lindsey's arms, she saw a movement in the shadows. Putting this out of her mind for the moment, she thrust her head backwards sharply. Hearing the crack of bone breaking, she jerked out of his grasp and spun around. Before Lindsey could recover, Sarah reached into the folds of her skirt and pulled out the small dagger hidden there. Falling into the stance drilled into her head by the arms instructor, she said, "Get out of this castle, get off of these lands, and never come anywhere near me again. If you do, I will make sure everyone knows your nose was broken by a mere woman--but not before injuring you in a precious place. Do we have an understanding?"
The man nodded wildly, pale with shock and fear. "Get out," Sarah said. Lindsey dashed for the door, without looking back.
Sarah watched the door swing shut behind him, then sat in a nearby chair. She jumped back up again when she heard someone clapping.
"Brava," said a deep voice. A man stepped out of the shadows into the light given off by the few candles in the room. Sarah recognized the man from the feast.
"Who the devil are you, and what are you doing here?" Sarah snapped rudely.
The man smiled in bemusement. "Sheathe your weapon, my lady. I have no intention of hurting you," he said.
Sarah realized that she was still holding the dagger. "Not until you answer my questions," she replied defiantly. Her heart began to pound. The dim light made the man look much more dangerous. She realized that he could easily disarm her, but kept her grip on the weapon nonetheless.
"You have had training in weaponry, haven't you, Lady Sarah?" The man smiled again. "Of course, I had heard the rumors, but I dismissed them. Really, who would allow a woman to train in combat?" he asked no one in particular.
"My uncle believes that women are just as capable as men are. He allows me to study any subject of my liking, including weapons and combat. But you still haven't answered my questions."
The man bowed slightly. "Forgive me, my lady. I noticed that Lord Lindsey left the room not soon after yourself, and I came to investigate."
"What? Did you think that we had some sort of a tryst planned, my lord?" Sarah snorted. The slight flash of his eyes gave him away. Sarah's jaw dropped. "You did, didn't you? That's simply ridiculous! Why on earth would I..." She shook her head angrily. "Why don't you find out the truth before jumping to conclusions! Really!"
"I did; that's why I'm here. So I could find out the truth." Sarah finally noticed that the man had slowly been moving towards her. She shifted her weight subtly, ready to defend herself if he tried anything.
"But who are you?" she asked insistently.
"Forgive me again, Sarah. I am Admiral Albert Chegwidden, of His Majesty's Royal Navy."
Sarah straightened and returned her dagger to its sheath. "Well, Admiral, thank you for attending our feast. Now, if you will excuse me..." she stepped toward the door, but realized that the man... the Admiral... was blocking her way. "Admiral... I do need to get by," she said.
"Of course," he said in a low voice. He moved to the side, but put his hand on her elbow, saying, "Allow me to escort you to your lesson, my lady."
"Really, that isn't necessary, Admiral," Sarah protested weakly. His proximity was once more wreaking havoc on her senses.
"Oh, you never know, Sarah; there may be other men waiting in shadows to abduct you. Although I do suppose you can take care of yourself, I insist on escorting you."
"Very well," Sarah said. "I was planning on going to my chambers, however, to change out of this dress."
The Admiral raised an eyebrow. "Indeed?"
Sarah blushed. She opened the door and quickly walked down the empty corridor. She felt the Admiral's eyes on her the entire way. Finally, they made it to Sarah's bedchambers. She opened the door, then sighed. "I suppose you had better come inside; it would look rather suspicious if you waited outside the door."
The Admiral smirked slightly, but said nothing. Sarah blushed again, realizing the double meaning her words carried. She hurried into the maid's room to change. However, the maid was not there, having been given the night off to see her husband. Sarah struggled with the buttons on her gown, but finally gave up. She would have to swallow her pride and ask the Admiral. Blushing furiously, she walked into her room. The Admiral was studying a painting of a woman holding a tortoiseshell kitten. He turned when he heard footsteps.
"I... I'm afraid I forgot that I gave Harriet a day's leave. Could you help me with my dress?" she asked, stuttering.
He chuckled at Sarah's discomfiture, but said, "Of course." He swiftly walked over to where Sarah was standing, and turned her around. "I never thought I would be playing lady's maid," he commented as he fumbled with the small buttons.
"I'm sorry; I..."
"It's all right, Sarah; I was only joking." Sarah realized that this was the second time that he had called her by her given name, not her title.
"There; all finished," the Admiral said at last.
Sarah shivered at the husky note in his voice. "Thank you," she whispered as she pulled away. She turned and looked at him. Her knees weakened as she looked into his dark eyes. The desire she saw there was overwhelming. Her lips parted as if to say something, but no sound came out. Her tongue darted out to wet them. Swallowing, she stammered, "I... I..."
The tall man reached out and gently grasped Sarah's shoulders. He took a step toward her, so that they were mere inches apart. Heart pounding wildly, Sarah closed the remaining space between them. Raising her head, she saw a fleeting smile on the Admiral's face as he lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle, but heady. Sarah moved her arms up around his neck. He deepened the kiss, teasing her lips open. Sarah moaned at the feel of his tongue sliding against hers, his hands gliding over her back, branding her with his heat. She began to move her hands in exploration of his strong shoulders. She traced the muscles of his back through his crisp linen shirt. She tilted her head back, allowing him to trail kisses down the smooth column of her throat.
The sound of knocking filtered into her consciousness. Sarah lifted her head at the insistent knock on her chamber door. "Lady Sarah! Lady Sarah, are you there?" She groaned at the sound of Harmon's muffled voice coming through the door. "Sarah... Mac! Mac, come on, open the door!"
Mac opened her eyes, squinting against the sunlight streaming through the blinds. She once more heard the pounding at the door. "Mac! Come on, Mac, answer the door!"
Grumbling, Mac sat up on the couch, where she had fallen asleep the night before. She glared half-heartedly at the paperback book that had fallen to the floor. "No more romance novels for you, MacKenzie," she muttered. She rose and padded to the door. Looking through the peephole, she groaned. She unlocked and opened the door.
"Harm," she sighed, ushering her friend inside. "You have the worst timing."
