The Lord and the Lady

Chapter 31 – A little help from your friends.

AN* - When I read through all your wonderful reviews, I decided that some translation was called for which could help the story flow for some readers. So, my friends, here goes:-

The Ton – In the early 19th Century this was a euphemism for the top ten thousand Aristocrats in Britain. The Ton held most of the land and almost all of the wealth in the UK and as such these people held positions of real power. They could do no wrong, and amongst the men their crimes were many, including murder. The phrase ‘judged by a jury of my peers’ comes from this time, as a member of the Ton was felt to be so far above your average working man that only their ‘peers’. i.e. fellow members of the titled class, could judge them. It was such a tight community, as they only married into their own class. This meant the whole Ton was related in some way to one another. In 1850 more than 80% of the UK was owned by titled peers; today it is less than 10% and most of that has been turned into public parks to reduce death duties.

Luckily my country has moved on from this type of thinking and a title means very little to most British people. However the Regency period fascinates me and I have done quite a bit of research into the manners and habits of this era, which was why I set my story during that time.

The double standards held by the Ton were, to be honest, disgusting. If a young virginal lady of the Ton was raped, she was ostracised by society as it was felt she had encouraged the man and therefore she had to be a ‘loose’ woman. The man who committed the rape was congratulated for ‘bagging a virgin’ and almost revered. The victim was not supported by her family in these circumstances and was usually tossed into the street to look after themselves in any way they could, which usually meant that they became courtesans or worse. Many simply disappeared and any record of their connection to their illustrious family was eradicated from records.

I feel quite strongly about this which is why I have made Buffy a strong character who will not tolerate a man who wishes to dominate her and take away her spirit.

This story has a long way to go and I hope you enjoyed this little piece of British history, and I hope it explains a lot of the interactions between the main characters.

If I write about anything that is at all confusing, please e-mail glynisf@hotmail.com and I promise I will try to answer any questions you may have.

Please note that any places I describe, such as Vauxhall Gardens or Almacks, can be googled on the net. These places really did exist in the timeframe of this story.


Thanks for your patience.


Shall we get on with it now………




At eleven o’clock that morning, William knocked on Clem’s door. His friend was the only person he could trust and the only person who knew all the circumstances of his relationship with Buffy and Drusilla. In fact, William sure that Clem was half in love with Buffy himself, but would do nothing about it. Although he might should he think William did not care for his fiancé. William was at his friend’s door to reassure him that he indeed harbour deep feelings for Buffy.

Clem’s butler, Hodgkins, led William to the morning room. “His Lordship is in the stables, Lord Whitmore; I will send one of the footmen to inform him of your visit.”

William nodded at Hodgkins and moved towards the fire. Moving further into the room, William placed his right foot on the fender and his right arm along the fireplace. He still felt slightly confused over his time with Drusilla the previous night. He could not remember anything between gagging into a basin and falling asleep. Although this was not an unusual occurrence between he and Drusilla, it had been the first time he had thought about the lapse in time. He was still pondering this conundrum as Clem entered the room.

“Hello William,” Clem greeted him with a smile. “What brings you here at this time in the morning?”

“Could you ring for some coffee, Clem? I have a bit of a tale to tell you.”

Intrigued, Clem did as William bid. Within moments the coffee arrived and Clem indicated that they would pour their own. Handing his friend a cup of steaming black coffee, Clem could bear the suspense no longer.

“Out with it William,” Clem sighed as he stood before his friend. He had already resigned himself to listening to his friend’s latest tale of woe concerning Drusilla. Maybe he could talk some sense into William regarding the twisted whore.

When Clem noticed the beaming smile on William’s face, he started to worry in earnest. What had the rancid slut promised him now? Clem knew that William and Dru’s relationship was dark and twisted and in a small part of his brain he worried how his friend would treat Buffy once they were wed. From the tales William had shared with him about what he and Dru got up to between the sheets, he was convinced no gently bred woman such as Buffy should be subjected to such vulgarities. Women, in Clem’s opinion, were put on this earth to be worshipped and revered. Drusilla was put on this earth to tempt saints into sinners, and with William she had succeeded. He really did hate the fucking bitch.

Deciding to come straight to the point, William declared. “I have decided not to see Dru again, Clem.”

In shock, Clem moved to the nearest chair to sit, he stared up at his friend.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked in disbelief.

Once again William smiled at Clem. “Gone deaf in your old age my friend?” William moved from the fire to sit. Slowly, enunciating every word, he repeated “I said, I have decided not to see Dru again, Clem.”

Clem could not help himself, he had to ask. “Why?”

The smile died from William’s face as he replied. “I went to Dru last night. I was prepared to grovel to get her back, yet she greeted me as if she had said nothing to me in the Green Park.”

“Did you tell her about the arrangement with Buffy?”

William looked down at his coffee cup held loosely in his hands. “We did not get round to it.”

Clem could hardly imagine what they did get up to. Knowing both his friend’s reputation and Drusilla’s ‘tastes’, he dare not ask what they had been doing. Leaning back in his chair, he decided to let William talk. He had learned long ago that William would tell him more if not questioned.

“She was waiting for me, Clem.” William told him in a small voice, never taking his eyes from his coffee cup as if it was the most fascinating object in the world. “Laying back in her bed, she looked all wanton, warm and inviting. I hardly even kissed her, I just stripped down and started to get down to business, you know?” William looked up from his cup and smiled, almost shyly at his friend. “I went down on her Clem, liked she asked me to, and I was almost sick.”

Staring at his friend in astonishment, Clem’s mouth dropped almost to his chest.

“You were almost sick?” Clem asked when he could get his thoughts back together.

William sighed and replied, “Gagged in the basin on her dresser, and had to drink brandy to cover her taste.” William paused for a few seconds in his tale. “She tasted disgusting, Clem, almost as if she had not bathed in days. She reminded me of death.”

“How did she react?” Clem asked.

Looking up at the ceiling, as if for inspiration, he continued, “The thing is Clem, and this is what worries me, I cannot remember a thing after that until I woke up beside her a few hours later.”

This was almost too much for Clem to take in. “You remember nothing at all?”

“Nothing at all,” he agreed.

“How can you remember nothing at all, William?” Clem considered his friend carefully. “Did you go on to White’s and hit the brandy before going to see her?” Clem found it hard to say the bitch’s name.

“That’s just it Clem,” William looked with confused eyes at his friend, then laid his cup carefully on the table beside him. “I went straight to her house once I had seen you home. We only had two brandies and one glass of port at Craven’s, and even then we had spaced that out over three hours.” Looking at his hands crossed loosely in his lap, William continued. “I have spilled more drink than that and still been sober. We drank coffee or tea all night. You know this to be true. Clem, you were there.” William’s voice was desperate now as if he needed confirmation from his friend that his wits had not been addled when he visited Drusilla.

Disbelief was evident on Clem’s face.

“You can ask John Coachmen if you don’t believe me.”

Astonished that William would consider that he would not believe his friend, Clem asked softly. “Did Dru give you anything to drink when you arrived, Will?”

William sat quietly for almost a minute as the events of the night before came hazily to his mind.

“I do remember that I compared her taste to Buffy’s in my head and that was when I started to gag, then nothing.”

“Christ, Will, this is terrible.” Inspired, Clem asked, “Maybe she had drugged the brandy, Will? There are such things out there that can make you forget things. Laudanum is so easy to find these days, maybe she had laced the brandy to make you sleep and keep you beside her.”

William looked at his friend, and smiled. “I thought that too at first, Clem, but I would have woken twelve hours later, not a few. I would also have a head like cotton wool when I woke, yet my mind was clear.” William continued in a small voice, “Except that I could not remember getting into bed to sleep with her. God, Clem, I even checked my dick to see if it was clean. I know I did not fuck her so why was I there?”

“I don’t know, Will.” Clem poured them more coffee as he spoke, he needed the stimulation the drink brought him and he was sure William would feel the same.

Knowing that William had not completed his tale, Clem handed William his cup and sat back to await the rest.

Taking a sip of the coffee, William decided to tell Clem more.

“When I woke up I was tucked around her back. You what it is like in the morning, Clem, you wake up to a warm female body and you want it.”

Nodding his agreement, Clem continued to drink his coffee and waited for William to continue.

“I started to feel her up and eventually she woke. I played with her a little bit, as you do, then it hit me.”

Clem could not stifle his curiosity. “What hit you, Will?”

William laughed harshly. “You are not going to believe this, Clem, but the smell of her hit me between eyes and I started to gag once more. I got up from the bed and dressed as quickly as I could and got out of there. I think I told her I would be there at ten of the clock tonight, but I’m not sure. I just wanted to get out of there.”

For ten years Clem had wanted to have this conversation with William. When his friend had first taken up with the mad bitch, he could understand the attraction. Definitely not the case now, he had given up on trying to pry William from Drusilla’s side, yet it would appear that Will had managed this for himself.

Inside Clem rejoiced, but he carefully kept his face schooled into an expression of slight concern.

“And what of Buffy, William, what are your plans for after the marriage?” Clem asked innocently. He did not know that William had started to harbour feelings of jealousy at the camaraderie that obviously existed between Buffy and he.

“I remember one thing from last night, Clem.”

Clem moved slightly forwards in his chair. With the revelations the Will had told him this morning, he could only wonder what it could be.

William sat stiffly in the chair and stared at his friend with cold eyes. Clem backed away slightly as the only time he had seen William look at anyone like that it preceded a huge fight which ended in death for the other man.

“I love Buffy, Clem. I love her more that I ever did Drusilla. She is my sun where all I have ever had is darkness and evil. She’s the one, Clem.”

Clem could not believe that his friend’s expression could get any harder, yet it did. He could not understand why Will’s temper had focused on him.

“I’ve seen the way you look at her, Clem.” Clem gasped at his friend in astonishment. “I came here to tell you she is mine and I won’t let anyone else touch her, no matter what conditions she thinks to place on this marriage. I will follow her north and seduce her until she loves me again,” he declared.

With the words hanging between them, William rose and made to leave.

“I will make my own way out, Clem, and I will see you at Almacks tonight. Let me tell you this, my friend, “ he almost spat the words at Clem and continued, “if I find you making moon eyes at Buffy, I will call you out.”

As the door closed behind Will, Clem stared into space.

Good God man, he pondered of his friend. If William thought for one minute that he could easily win Buffy’s heart he was in for a great disappointment. Buffy would never trust him. That much was obvious if the terms of their agreement were true.

I believe she will shoot him through the heart if he goes near her, he thought. And I won’t stop her, Will is a fool who could have had everything and does not realise that he has already lost the one person he proclaims to love.

Clem decided he would not dance with Buffy at Almacks tonight. He valued his own life too much to deliberately anger his friend, who was definitely on a mission. Staring at the empty coffee cups on the side table, Clem sighed.

He would have to pick up the pieces of his friend’s heart again before the year was out. He had never been so positive of anything in his life.