Deceptive Lord (Lords of Bondage) (2 page)

Jules accepted the papers and offered to introduce him to the rest of the lords.
He was glad to accept the
offer, as he needed to familiarize himself with all of the lords, and more importantly, he needed to meet the
uncharacteristically
dark haired one.
Twenty minutes later, he reached his target.
The male introduced himself as Lord Devereux Langley.
His features were characteristic of the Asstrum, but he would need to observe him a little longer
to determine if he was one of their own.

***

“Who is that?” Lady Eden Avenal asked
as she stared at an exotic looking
male
specimen with golden hair
.
He was tall and broad of shoulders, with well-formed arms and calves
suggesting natural strength
.
He wore an expensive looking tunic that
reached his knees.
She was quite familiar with all
of
Nefertiti’s ma
les, but she had never before seen that
one.

“I heard that his name is Lord Kane Woodcock,” Lady Audrelia stated.
“He
’ll be staying in the harem
.”

“Woodcock?
I’ve never heard of that family.
From where do they hail?”

“Southwest Flourda,
according to Jules,
” Audrelia stated.
“I also know nothing of the family.
It’s strange that the
c
ountess
did not mention a new arrival.
She usually plans
something extra special
to mark the occasion.”

Eden shuddered
as she recalled some of the more recent festivals of
indecency and debauchery.
The spec
ial entertainments were
horrid
, perverse
spectacles
and they were all forced to
attend them.
Her wishes did not matter, as she was expected
and required
to obey the
c
ountess
, who was the head of her family.
In Flourda, the female head of the family (the
materfamilias
) had complete control over all of the members of her family,
including
absolute authority to arrange mating unions, appoint positions within her household and to assign job-related tasks and duties,
and
sell
members into slavery
.
She also had the
authority to punish or put to death any family members displaying disobedience
, which left Eden feeling vulnerable
.
She had felt
apprehensive
about her future
ever
since the death of the previous
c
ountess
, her older sister Ariana.
Ariana was all that was kind and good, but their sister Nefertiti was self-centered, narcissistic, self-absorbed, and cruel.
She had not
really known
Nefertiti until recently, as they had been reared in separate households.
So far, s
he did not think
her sister
had a good opinion of her, as she
criticized her often and insulted her intelligence.
The
c
ountess
had been ignoring her for the most part ever since their other sister, Briella, had arrived.
Briella now appeared to be her favorite target and was catching most of the insults.

Eden glanced at the male concubines who were essentially slaves.
She felt sorry for them, as their
misery was difficult to conceal and she knew they would much rather be somewhere else.
She felt sorry for herself as well, because she was hardly free
.
A
lthough she wa
s a noblewoman and was addressed as
Lady Eden, she was
basically a slave of Nefertiti.
She could not leave Avenal, work, or select a mate without the
c
ountess
’s approval.
She had to watch her sister openly mate with multiple males, yet she was denied the privilege of having one of her own.

“Come,” Audrelia stated.
“Let us go to the small salon for drinks.”

Eden nodded her agreement and followed the crowd to the Red Salon, where refreshments were served and
the ladies mingled with the lords.
She was surprised that the
c
ountess
allowed them to congregate with each other.
Historically, such interactions were used to facilitate appropriate matches between unmated males and females
.
However, the
c
ountess
did not seem inclined to approve any matches for her ladies.
She watched Lord Woodcock with curiosity.
For some reason, he intrigued her.
He appeared different from the other lords, although she could not figure out why he seemed so to her.
At first glance, he appeared to be interacting in that slightly superficial manner the other lords employed during
Nefertiti’s events.
However, she noticed that he scanned his surroundings with an intelligent and
assessing eye.
Every now and then, his gaze landed on her.
He looked at her directly, as if he had a right to announce his interest in such a forward manner.
Hardly any of
the other males did so, as
they followed the rules of conduct without fail.
All males
were expected to conduct themselves in a submissive manner
when in the presence of a lady.
However, when she looked at Lord Woodcock, she sensed something about him that was far from submissive.
This time, when she caught him watching her, she boldly held his gaze.
Surprisingly,
he did not appear the least bothered by his indiscretion.
She had expected him to look away from her, but instead she could have sworn that she saw him
smile at her before he returned his attention to the lords.
His brazen behavior aroused her curiosity and she wondered what the males were discussing.
She moved closer to him, pretending to head toward the refreshment table.
His voice was smooth in tone and tantalizing, although his
direct manner of speech
was rather
odd.

“The
c
ountess
is rather homely and revolting.
I should hope she doesn’t require to be serviced orally, because I would not be able to stomach
it
.
That landfill’s been dumped in far too frequently.”

“Not to your taste, Lord Woodcock?” Lord Payne Hastings asked.
“Thankfully, she has not asked
for that.
It’s a good thing, because the woman does not bathe very often and she smells putrid, not to mention the difficulty it would pose
maneuvering through that immense jungle of hair
between her legs
.
She
even
has more hair under her armpits than the concubine Ermanio has on his head.”

“Has she never heard of a razor?”

“She prefers
a completely natural look,” Payne stated.
“She says that the denuding of hair is for slaves and concubines.”

Eden was unprepared to hear such brutal appraisals of the
c
ountess
, although she did not disagree with their perceptions.
She supposed it was easier for them to criticize
Nefertiti’s
appearance than to express any deeper
concerns, but she had heard about the
c
ountess
’s recent foray into bondage and beatings.
She had seen for herself the bruises and red marks left on some of the masculine chests and throats
, and she had noticed that the males were doing their best these days to avoid being chosen for a night of pleasure.
She was so absorbed in their discussion that she had forgotten to take steps toward the refreshment table.

“It’s awfully rude of you to eavesdrop on a private conversation, Lady Avenal,” Payne stated.
“I wouldn’t recommend repeating anything you may have heard to the
c
ountess
.
I would have to deny
those things were said and I would have to
paint you as a foolish, jealous child in need of chastisement.”

Eden shook her head and smiled.
“I would not betray you.
I’ll speak so highly of you that you will be foremost on her mind when she next calls for a lover, because no other is more deserving of her attentions.”

Payne softened his tone and tried to appear apologetic.
“I would rather you not do that, Lady Eden.
Please do not.”

Eden turned to Lord Woodcock and gazed into his clear blue eyes.
“What about you?
Shall I sing your praises to the
c
ountess
?
I can be very convincing.”

Lord Woodcock held her gaze a little too long and
smiled at her
.
“Who are you?”

“That’s Lady Eden Avenal, the
c
ountess
’s half-sister, and it would be best not to talk to her,” Payne said.

“He can talk to me if he chooses, Payne.”
Eden was
often
irritated by
Payne’s
overbearing attitude and it was a wonder that the
countess
tolerated him.
She had to admit to herself that
Payne
was handsome, despite his eternal crankiness
.
D
ue to that, the
countess
would not be sending him home to his mother any time soon.
She hoped the male’s domineering attitude did not rub off on Lord Woodcock.
“Lord Woodcock, what are your talents and
gifts so that I may expound on them when I next see the
countess
?”
When he delayed in providing a response, she asked, “You would like
to be
chosen by
the
countess
, right?”

“I’d rather be
chosen by
you,”
Lord Woodcock
said.

Eden blushed,
unprepared to hear such a blunt invitation.
The male’s regard made her feel
suddenly shy.
“That’s not possible.
You belong to my half-sister.”

“What do you do for the
countess
?”

Eden was not sure she had any important role in the household.
She was considered too young to be one of the
countess
’s advisors.
She was not especially skilled in matters of war,
like some of their females, nor was she adept with politics.
She was expected
to wait on the
countess
hand and foot, assist her with dressing and grooming, arranging all of her many gowns and shoes in her many closets, and helping her decide what to wear.
An over-glorified
servant, that
was what she was.
A complete waste of her brain, which according to her tutors, was extremely adept in acquiring knowledge.
She had been interested in studying other cultures, especially ancient ones, but the
countess
would not allow her to attend Flourda College.
She claimed that she was needed
in Avenal.
“I
assist her in her chambers and provide companionship.”

“Do you enjoy being her companion?
Did you never wish for more, a life of your own?”

Eden did not care for the reminder that she had no life, and who was he to judge her?
Flourdan males were not allowed to own land or property and they had few rights.
His situation was likely worse than her own, unless he had a very generous mother that would consider his preferences and choices when rendering her decisions.
He was considered property of his mother, after all.
And she was the property of her depraved half-sister
.
She was deluding herself to think that
a life worth having
was
in her future.
She
forced herself to take a deep breath to coax her mind and body into a more
relaxed state.
She
had to stop f
eeling sorry for herself
.
Surely Nefertiti had a heart
somewhere in that body
of hers.
She certainly seemed cold, but once she got to know her better, she
would eventually treat her as a cherished family member.
She was afraid she was only
fooling
herself,
though, and
the
countess
would
only
worsen in her treatment.
“Worry about your own life, Lord Woodcock, for it will not be easy being here.”