-----------------
Scandalous!
by: Koneko
[email protected]
Genre: A Regency Romance -- Humor?
Season: Alternate Universe
Rated: R (for strong sexual uhm... thoughts?)
Standard Disclaimer Applies.
Chapter Five
-----------------
For the second time that day, Serena was incensed. You'd think
that men in the nineteenth century could at least be, well, polite,
however, even that seemed to be too much for the Duke of Kensington.
You can't just go out and kiss someone the first time you meet them,
especially after insulting them horribly!
And to think she had tried to apologize. She was so embarrassed
by her reaction to his kiss that she only felt even more embarrassed by
her attempt to apologize for something that didn't even deserve an
apology. He was being an ass, and not only to someone he didn't know,
but to his own sister! And then she kissed him! Without abandon!
She threw herself into her room and quickly locked the door
before rushing to her vanity and staring at herself in the mirror. Her
lips were a little puffy and her hair was everywhere. She looked like
she had just been rolling in the hay. Serena sighed. If someone had
done that in America, especially a man, she could have sued for sexual
harassment, but here it was, she shivered, practically his right.
She stared into her eyes and whispered to herself, "I want to go
home."
* * *
Mina knew as soon as her brother entered the room. She
continued to embroider as if she hadn't realized. He sat down across
from her at the piano and waited for acknowledgement. She continued
sewing.
"Mina, would you just put that damnable thing aside and tell me
what the hell is going on?"
Her breath caught and she stopped herself from giving him a
surprised look. Carefully, she placed her project next to her and
lifted her head in hope. "What do you mean, Darien?"
"Who is she?"
"Oh Serena! She's an American, Darien, and trust me she's quite
darling. I'm very sure that she's not a guttersnipe, as that is what
you seem to think."
"How did you discover her?" he demanded, not acknowledging what
Mina had said.
Mina, in turn, smiled inwardly. Mischief began to brew inside
of her. "I found her sleeping on the streets in near Lord Tallon's town
home. It was after midnight and I couldn't just leave her there. Who
knows what could have happened!"
"How do you know she's not going to leave in the night with some
of our possessions?"
"I'm sure if she was going to, she would have already. Besides,
you should see some of the things she has! She doesn't need any of our
money. And besides, she doesn't speak at all like someone who's a
burglar, why I wouldn't hesitate to say that she can pen something
better than you!" Mina then watched with interest as his eyes flared
brightly and he left the room in a whorl.
"How amazing…" she mumbled to herself as she picked up her
embroidery once more, a small smile grazing her face, "How utterly
amazing…"
* * *
Serena had no idea what she was doing. This was a bad, bad, bad
idea. She turned her head to the left and offered a little smile to the
people who were staring at her, eyes wide. She looked at her appearance
to make sure that it was Regency enough and decided that she should fit
in. Of course, it could be partially that she was lugging around a very
large, very not-regency-era luggage bag, but that was entirely beside
the point.
It's not as if she was about to leave this place without her
golden shoes. She had spent good money on those stupid heels.
But beside that problem, she really had no idea where she was or
where she was going. Well, she knew where she was going, but then the
problem was how to get there. It was a little strange, but Serena
realized that she had never actually left Mina's town house for the few
days that she had been there… and she had never actually figured out how
she had gotten there in the first place.
Serena sighed and blew at her forehead to get some hair out of
her eyes. It flew up and then floated back down to her face. She
growled and tried it again, getting the same reaction. Finally putting
down her suitcase, she pulled out a bobby pin and put the hair back.
Satisfied, she grabbed her things and was about to turn one way or
another, but a man blocked her view.
"Well if this just isn't the strangest of coincidences."
Serena shivered. She knew that voice, had heard it one to many
times. Meeting his grey eyes, she offered a small smile and attempted a
curtsy but almost fell to the ground, her knees were so shaky.
"Good day, Lord Kunzite."
His lips perked up a little and there was a glint in his eyes
that made Serena a bit uncomfortable. "Is there something I might be
able to help you with?"
"Uh…" Serena looked left and right but people refused to pay her
plea for help any head. "Well, I'm on my way to Hyde Park."
His response was chilling. "Why Miss Tellings, you're going the
wrong way. Would you like to be escorted in my carriage?"
She was already being pulled towards his plain vehicle, the
shield of the Viscount Jemsworth displayed proudly on the door. She was
scared to no end, and for no particular reason. There was just
something about him that completely creeped her out… and it didn't help
that she was about to enter his carriage with no one to save her.
* * *
Mina was worried. Serena hadn't been down from her room in
hours, and it was time for their daily Tae Bo lessons (which she wasn't
about to stop doing, no matter what Darien said). Finally, she climbed
the stairs and walked down the hallway to the guest bedroom the American
was staying in and knocked on the door.
No answer.
Trying to forgive herself the breech of Decorum, Mina carefully
opened the door and peeked inside. She looked around and saw… nothing.
Entering the room entirely, she noticed that there were none of Serena's
strange articles of clothing littering the ground, or her
'industrialized' makeup, as Serena had dubbed it, and opening the closet
she found… nothing.
Serena had gone.
Even more worried than she was before, she searched the room
again and found a little note saying that Serena had plans to go home.
Mina ran from the room. Right now, Serena was wandering the streets of
London with that huge bag of luggage and she had no one to protect her
from various dark characters. And as an American, well, the girl was
just asking for trouble.
Without worrying about seeing if Darien was busy, Mina entered
his study/library and slammed the note in front of him.
"What is this Mina?" Darien said tiredly, pushing aside what he
was working on and picking up the note.
"Serena's gone."
"What?" her brother asked, confused.
"Gone. She's left the house with all her things and is
attempting to go home. And she's all by herself."
"She's done what?!" Darien rose from his desk and began
gathering his coat and gloves to go after her.
"I told you! You are going to get her, aren't you Darien? She
hasn't been alone in London since I picked her up, and who knows what
could have happened then, let alone now! People have been abducted in
daylight before!"
Darien stopped at the door and turned to his sister, "Don't
worry Mina, I'll find her."
* * *
The carriage had been moving for awhile now. They couldn't be
moving that fast… certainly not as fast as a car and people jumped out
of speeding cars all the time, right? She saw it almost every time she
went to see a violent movie. Carriages could only go about twenty five
miles per hour probably. Problem was, Kunzite was sitting right in
front of her, right across from her. She couldn't flee with her
suitcase, and she still had no idea where she was going.
Serena opted to look out the carriage window and noted that at
least they were still in the good side of town. She looked at the
carriages rumbling around them and was excited to see that… they were
all stopping.
As the carriage stopped, Serena waved to Kunzite saying a hectic
"Thanks!" and jumped from the vehicle, running for her life.
Of course, she still didn't know where she was going, and she
still didn't know whether or not she had actually had good reason for
running from Kunzite, but damnit, he was scary! But then, it didn't
help that she didn't know where she was going either.
And suddenly she was pulled up into the strong arms of a man and
onto a horse. Terribly afraid that she had been kidnapped, and that she
would never ever be able to go home, and that she was stuck in a time
with no toilets, no indoor heating, no Hershey's, where you got
kidnapped whichever way you turned, she looked into the eyes of her
captor and started.
It was Darien.
She sighed against him with relief. At least she could trust
this one… well, sort of. "Your… your grace…" she stumbled.
His eyes showed anger. She shrunk back, afraid, and waited for
him to lash out at her. He didn't say anything, but simply put his arms
around her, grabbed the reins of the horse, and started galloping back
to his town house.
Well this was great. Serena had to admit that she was in a much
better situation now than she had been a few minutes ago, although
Kunzite really could have truly been helping. However, she shivered,
she doubted that. But then, with Kunzite she didn't have to contend
with a really angry Duke. To tell the truth, she didn't know what was
worse.
And besides that, she hadn't ridden a lot of horses in her life,
making this endeavor with Darien fairly uncomfortable, especially the
way that her body was situated. Her butt was bouncing up and down,
alternatively hitting the saddle and Darien's thigh. It didn't help
that she was shaking fiercely because, no matter what she tried to tell
herself, she had just been kidnapped by someone who was probably not
very safe who still had her luggage… all of it.
Serena gulped. She didn't even have any tampons now. Or birth
control pills; she wanted her birth control pills! What was she going
to do without tampons or birth control?!
She started rhythmically hitting her head against Darien's chest
along with the pace of the horse. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why had she
thought that she could safely make it to Hyde Park all by herself? She
hadn't even known where it was, or where she had been living for almost
a week!
All in all, the day wasn't turning out very well.
The bouncing stopped and Serena felt herself being lifted off
the horse by Darien's strong hands. Her upper waist involuntarily
clenched itself from his touch. Without ceremony, however, she was
pulled into the Shield household, not given any chance to say sorry to
Mina who was standing at the doorway, and into his study where Darien
promptly began pacing back and forth angrily.
Great.
"Why did you leave?" he finally asked, rounding on her and
staring down his high patriarchal nose at her.
She couldn't help it, she responded to his anger with anger.
"Well excuse me, but last time I checked most women didn't appreciate
getting sexually harassed!"
"Sexually what?! You call a piddling kiss harassment? Besides,
it's not as if you didn't enjoy it!" He threw back.
"Enjoy it?! I was trying to apologize for *your* chauvinism,
and what do I get out of it but more proof that you're nothing but a
patriarchal ass! I'm not about to let you boss me around!"
"A patriarchal ass! It is my good grace that keeps you in this
house! I could send you away any time I want to!"
"Well excuse me your oh-so-amazing grace, but I appreciate
respect! Something that apparently you don't know how to give." Serena
screamed angrily.
"Respect! And you should be one to judge how much respect a
person gets? Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Oh suuuure. You're Darien Shields, the ever so wonderful Duke
of Kensington. And so what if you have more money than I've ever seen
in my lifetime… even for the Regency period!" she snorted. "That still
gives you no right to treat people like dirt!"
"Do you know what I do for the people of this town?"
"I…" Serena stopped and looked down. "No."
And suddenly she was being kissed again.
------------------
Wai! Another really really really REALLY late addition from Koneko!
Aren't we all incredibly excited? o_o I'm sorry this story takes me
forever to write... i just never seem to have inspiration when I want
it. Anyway, I'm not particularly sure if I like this chapter (and I'm
sorry abou the length, but I found the perfect place to stop it, ne?).
If you guys want to e-mail me (and you know, I WANT YOU TO E-MAIL ME!
REVIEW OR E-MAIL, YOS), then please tell me how you like this chapter
and whether or not you like the characterization/interaction between
Serena and Kunzite.
Anyway, again, sorry for the wait, and hopefully for the next chapter
you won't have to wait what... six months?
3 Koneko
[email protected]
http://www.firstlovefics.com
Scandalous!
by: Koneko
[email protected]
Genre: A Regency Romance -- Humor?
Season: Alternate Universe
Rated: R (for strong sexual uhm... thoughts?)
Standard Disclaimer Applies.
Chapter Five
-----------------
For the second time that day, Serena was incensed. You'd think
that men in the nineteenth century could at least be, well, polite,
however, even that seemed to be too much for the Duke of Kensington.
You can't just go out and kiss someone the first time you meet them,
especially after insulting them horribly!
And to think she had tried to apologize. She was so embarrassed
by her reaction to his kiss that she only felt even more embarrassed by
her attempt to apologize for something that didn't even deserve an
apology. He was being an ass, and not only to someone he didn't know,
but to his own sister! And then she kissed him! Without abandon!
She threw herself into her room and quickly locked the door
before rushing to her vanity and staring at herself in the mirror. Her
lips were a little puffy and her hair was everywhere. She looked like
she had just been rolling in the hay. Serena sighed. If someone had
done that in America, especially a man, she could have sued for sexual
harassment, but here it was, she shivered, practically his right.
She stared into her eyes and whispered to herself, "I want to go
home."
* * *
Mina knew as soon as her brother entered the room. She
continued to embroider as if she hadn't realized. He sat down across
from her at the piano and waited for acknowledgement. She continued
sewing.
"Mina, would you just put that damnable thing aside and tell me
what the hell is going on?"
Her breath caught and she stopped herself from giving him a
surprised look. Carefully, she placed her project next to her and
lifted her head in hope. "What do you mean, Darien?"
"Who is she?"
"Oh Serena! She's an American, Darien, and trust me she's quite
darling. I'm very sure that she's not a guttersnipe, as that is what
you seem to think."
"How did you discover her?" he demanded, not acknowledging what
Mina had said.
Mina, in turn, smiled inwardly. Mischief began to brew inside
of her. "I found her sleeping on the streets in near Lord Tallon's town
home. It was after midnight and I couldn't just leave her there. Who
knows what could have happened!"
"How do you know she's not going to leave in the night with some
of our possessions?"
"I'm sure if she was going to, she would have already. Besides,
you should see some of the things she has! She doesn't need any of our
money. And besides, she doesn't speak at all like someone who's a
burglar, why I wouldn't hesitate to say that she can pen something
better than you!" Mina then watched with interest as his eyes flared
brightly and he left the room in a whorl.
"How amazing…" she mumbled to herself as she picked up her
embroidery once more, a small smile grazing her face, "How utterly
amazing…"
* * *
Serena had no idea what she was doing. This was a bad, bad, bad
idea. She turned her head to the left and offered a little smile to the
people who were staring at her, eyes wide. She looked at her appearance
to make sure that it was Regency enough and decided that she should fit
in. Of course, it could be partially that she was lugging around a very
large, very not-regency-era luggage bag, but that was entirely beside
the point.
It's not as if she was about to leave this place without her
golden shoes. She had spent good money on those stupid heels.
But beside that problem, she really had no idea where she was or
where she was going. Well, she knew where she was going, but then the
problem was how to get there. It was a little strange, but Serena
realized that she had never actually left Mina's town house for the few
days that she had been there… and she had never actually figured out how
she had gotten there in the first place.
Serena sighed and blew at her forehead to get some hair out of
her eyes. It flew up and then floated back down to her face. She
growled and tried it again, getting the same reaction. Finally putting
down her suitcase, she pulled out a bobby pin and put the hair back.
Satisfied, she grabbed her things and was about to turn one way or
another, but a man blocked her view.
"Well if this just isn't the strangest of coincidences."
Serena shivered. She knew that voice, had heard it one to many
times. Meeting his grey eyes, she offered a small smile and attempted a
curtsy but almost fell to the ground, her knees were so shaky.
"Good day, Lord Kunzite."
His lips perked up a little and there was a glint in his eyes
that made Serena a bit uncomfortable. "Is there something I might be
able to help you with?"
"Uh…" Serena looked left and right but people refused to pay her
plea for help any head. "Well, I'm on my way to Hyde Park."
His response was chilling. "Why Miss Tellings, you're going the
wrong way. Would you like to be escorted in my carriage?"
She was already being pulled towards his plain vehicle, the
shield of the Viscount Jemsworth displayed proudly on the door. She was
scared to no end, and for no particular reason. There was just
something about him that completely creeped her out… and it didn't help
that she was about to enter his carriage with no one to save her.
* * *
Mina was worried. Serena hadn't been down from her room in
hours, and it was time for their daily Tae Bo lessons (which she wasn't
about to stop doing, no matter what Darien said). Finally, she climbed
the stairs and walked down the hallway to the guest bedroom the American
was staying in and knocked on the door.
No answer.
Trying to forgive herself the breech of Decorum, Mina carefully
opened the door and peeked inside. She looked around and saw… nothing.
Entering the room entirely, she noticed that there were none of Serena's
strange articles of clothing littering the ground, or her
'industrialized' makeup, as Serena had dubbed it, and opening the closet
she found… nothing.
Serena had gone.
Even more worried than she was before, she searched the room
again and found a little note saying that Serena had plans to go home.
Mina ran from the room. Right now, Serena was wandering the streets of
London with that huge bag of luggage and she had no one to protect her
from various dark characters. And as an American, well, the girl was
just asking for trouble.
Without worrying about seeing if Darien was busy, Mina entered
his study/library and slammed the note in front of him.
"What is this Mina?" Darien said tiredly, pushing aside what he
was working on and picking up the note.
"Serena's gone."
"What?" her brother asked, confused.
"Gone. She's left the house with all her things and is
attempting to go home. And she's all by herself."
"She's done what?!" Darien rose from his desk and began
gathering his coat and gloves to go after her.
"I told you! You are going to get her, aren't you Darien? She
hasn't been alone in London since I picked her up, and who knows what
could have happened then, let alone now! People have been abducted in
daylight before!"
Darien stopped at the door and turned to his sister, "Don't
worry Mina, I'll find her."
* * *
The carriage had been moving for awhile now. They couldn't be
moving that fast… certainly not as fast as a car and people jumped out
of speeding cars all the time, right? She saw it almost every time she
went to see a violent movie. Carriages could only go about twenty five
miles per hour probably. Problem was, Kunzite was sitting right in
front of her, right across from her. She couldn't flee with her
suitcase, and she still had no idea where she was going.
Serena opted to look out the carriage window and noted that at
least they were still in the good side of town. She looked at the
carriages rumbling around them and was excited to see that… they were
all stopping.
As the carriage stopped, Serena waved to Kunzite saying a hectic
"Thanks!" and jumped from the vehicle, running for her life.
Of course, she still didn't know where she was going, and she
still didn't know whether or not she had actually had good reason for
running from Kunzite, but damnit, he was scary! But then, it didn't
help that she didn't know where she was going either.
And suddenly she was pulled up into the strong arms of a man and
onto a horse. Terribly afraid that she had been kidnapped, and that she
would never ever be able to go home, and that she was stuck in a time
with no toilets, no indoor heating, no Hershey's, where you got
kidnapped whichever way you turned, she looked into the eyes of her
captor and started.
It was Darien.
She sighed against him with relief. At least she could trust
this one… well, sort of. "Your… your grace…" she stumbled.
His eyes showed anger. She shrunk back, afraid, and waited for
him to lash out at her. He didn't say anything, but simply put his arms
around her, grabbed the reins of the horse, and started galloping back
to his town house.
Well this was great. Serena had to admit that she was in a much
better situation now than she had been a few minutes ago, although
Kunzite really could have truly been helping. However, she shivered,
she doubted that. But then, with Kunzite she didn't have to contend
with a really angry Duke. To tell the truth, she didn't know what was
worse.
And besides that, she hadn't ridden a lot of horses in her life,
making this endeavor with Darien fairly uncomfortable, especially the
way that her body was situated. Her butt was bouncing up and down,
alternatively hitting the saddle and Darien's thigh. It didn't help
that she was shaking fiercely because, no matter what she tried to tell
herself, she had just been kidnapped by someone who was probably not
very safe who still had her luggage… all of it.
Serena gulped. She didn't even have any tampons now. Or birth
control pills; she wanted her birth control pills! What was she going
to do without tampons or birth control?!
She started rhythmically hitting her head against Darien's chest
along with the pace of the horse. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why had she
thought that she could safely make it to Hyde Park all by herself? She
hadn't even known where it was, or where she had been living for almost
a week!
All in all, the day wasn't turning out very well.
The bouncing stopped and Serena felt herself being lifted off
the horse by Darien's strong hands. Her upper waist involuntarily
clenched itself from his touch. Without ceremony, however, she was
pulled into the Shield household, not given any chance to say sorry to
Mina who was standing at the doorway, and into his study where Darien
promptly began pacing back and forth angrily.
Great.
"Why did you leave?" he finally asked, rounding on her and
staring down his high patriarchal nose at her.
She couldn't help it, she responded to his anger with anger.
"Well excuse me, but last time I checked most women didn't appreciate
getting sexually harassed!"
"Sexually what?! You call a piddling kiss harassment? Besides,
it's not as if you didn't enjoy it!" He threw back.
"Enjoy it?! I was trying to apologize for *your* chauvinism,
and what do I get out of it but more proof that you're nothing but a
patriarchal ass! I'm not about to let you boss me around!"
"A patriarchal ass! It is my good grace that keeps you in this
house! I could send you away any time I want to!"
"Well excuse me your oh-so-amazing grace, but I appreciate
respect! Something that apparently you don't know how to give." Serena
screamed angrily.
"Respect! And you should be one to judge how much respect a
person gets? Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Oh suuuure. You're Darien Shields, the ever so wonderful Duke
of Kensington. And so what if you have more money than I've ever seen
in my lifetime… even for the Regency period!" she snorted. "That still
gives you no right to treat people like dirt!"
"Do you know what I do for the people of this town?"
"I…" Serena stopped and looked down. "No."
And suddenly she was being kissed again.
------------------
Wai! Another really really really REALLY late addition from Koneko!
Aren't we all incredibly excited? o_o I'm sorry this story takes me
forever to write... i just never seem to have inspiration when I want
it. Anyway, I'm not particularly sure if I like this chapter (and I'm
sorry abou the length, but I found the perfect place to stop it, ne?).
If you guys want to e-mail me (and you know, I WANT YOU TO E-MAIL ME!
REVIEW OR E-MAIL, YOS), then please tell me how you like this chapter
and whether or not you like the characterization/interaction between
Serena and Kunzite.
Anyway, again, sorry for the wait, and hopefully for the next chapter
you won't have to wait what... six months?
3 Koneko
[email protected]
http://www.firstlovefics.com