Sabine was acquainted with an English lord that spent most of his time in Ireland. She had received an invitation to his annual Halloween Ball to be held at his country manor. She RSVP'd and requested to bring Cassandra as her guest. His Lordship approved of course. The more unescorted women the better and a friend of Sabine’s was bound to be lovely.
Sabine and Cassandra took a leisurely bath together, playfully kissing and touching each other.
“We must not get too worked up my dear, we want to be warm for the party, not over cooked!”
Cassandra splashed her and laughed. Then she moved in closer and kissed Sabine fully on the mouth. “We should dress then before I change my mind and want to stay home.” She whispered..
The women rose from the tub and dried one another. They exited the boudoir into the bedroom where their gowns were laid out on the bed. The ladies maids came to dress them.
Sabine wore a high waisted white charmeuse gown with a pale blue ribbon ribbon under the bodice. A pale blue outer dress which along with the gown was down to the floor. A platinum and sapphire pendant hung around her neck and the stone pointed to her cleavage. The ensemble showed her lovely body in a most immodest way.
Cassandra chose a light gray high waisted charmeuse gown with a very slight A line and a petticoat to give it volume and a dark gray, tightly fitted, high collar Spencer jacket. She wore a headband of platinum and small rose cut diamonds. The long drop earrings were of the same materials.
Both wore slippers of colour to compliment their attire.
“So conservative, Cassandra dearest. Apparently one can take a woman from Rutledge Square, but some things remain the same.”
“Sabine, this jewelery alone must cost a fortune. How do you afford all of...this?” Cassandra made a sweeping motion with her arm.
“People give me... gifts”.
“They give you £600 headbands?”
“The powers you have can be used in many ways. So far we have hunted among the poor. Tonight we hunt for a different sort of prey. The aristocrat or nouveau riche gentlemen.”
“You mean you steal from them.”
“We darling. You are part of this, too. You have accepted all that I have offered. You are as guilty as I. Tonight you shall learn to contribute to our partnership. There are many ‘gifts’ available tonight. If you meet a man who strikes your fancy, don’t hesitate to take him to your bed. I shan't be jealous. What we have is different than simple sex.”
Cassandra’s shock faded quickly as she recalled the pleasure of having a man inside her.
“It will be a busy night. You want three things; food, gifts and a man, perhaps. Food can be combined with either of the other two. Remember, don’t kill him!”
A knock came on the door, “Your carriage has arrived, Mum.”
“Thank you Martha. Tell the driver we shall be down presently.”
They arrived at Lord Hargrove’s manor. The coachman helped them down and a footman escorted them to the ballroom, a brightly lit room with people milling about, engaged in conversation and sipping glasses of champagne. The butler announced them and they proceeded into the room. They floated through the crowd and Sabine introduced Cassandra to people she knew. Presently Lord Hargrove approached.
“Good evening ladies! I see you have met some of my guests. Let me introduce you to a few you don’t know.”
Sabine and Cassandra held hands as he led them to several groups of men without wives present, men of business from London mostly. There was one man he took special care to introduce. He was tall and looked to be about 30. His hair was wavy and black, his body well proportioned. Louis Philippe, the Duke of Orleans. He had a reputation as a rake as he had fathered at least two illegitimate children on his travels through Europe and the Americas.
Bonsoir Monsieur, Let me introduce you to two of the most charming young ladies in all Dublin, Madame Sabine Elizabeth Gilbert and her cousin, Miss. Cassandra Catherine Flynn. They curtsied and wished the Duke a good evening. Sabine squeezed Cassandra hand as he looked them over. When his eyes met Cassandra’s, she locked him into her power. Cassandra had noticed the floor was clearing in preparation for a reel.
“I would so love to dance!”
The Duke nodded his ascension to the idea. Looking his lordship in the eyes, Sabine looked to Lord Hargrove.
“Shall we make it a foursome then?”
The Duke took Cassandra’s hand and Lord Hardgrove Sabine’s. They lined up and the the music started. The gentlemen bowed and the ladies curtsied then the dancing began in earnest.
“Monsieur looks well after so many adventures.”
“All of that was long ago. I have been in London more than 5 years. I am in touch with my mother and my sister in Spain and my brothers are in London with me.. I am restored to a life befitting a person of my station but my family lost much in La Révolution.”
“It must have been dreadful for you.”
“Yes, Madame Guillotine was cruel to my family. I lost my father in the reign of terror. He was a supporter of the revolution but when the Jacobins came to power he was arrested and executed ten months after his cousin, Louis XVI. I was in the army in Austria at the time or I would have gone too.”
This man was interesting and Cassandra wanted to hear more of his story. He was certainly handsome. Perhaps this man could be more than a simple meal...he could feed some of her other needs as well. Cassandra loved Sabine. Sabine was her maker and she loved her deeply. Their sex was wonderful. But on occasion she missed the feeling of a man’s arms around her, the firmness of his body and the hardness of his sex pounding inside her, as it was with Henry. She would tell Sabine of her desire. Perhaps she would also like to find another lover for this night.
“Tell me more of your time as a hunted man.”
“The tale would take a long time to tell. Perhaps one day I will write a book.”
Cassandra gazed into his eyes “Then tell me the things that were most important. What path has led you to this party in Ireland.”
Transfixed for a moment, Philippe regained himself and began his tale.
“The revolution and The Terror were preceded by a long period of unrest. I was the oldest of my siblings and destined to succeed my father as Duc d’Orleans. I had entered the army at 19 and was an officer serving under Dumouriez near the Austrian border. Things in Paris were tense. Riots were breaking out. While I supported the revolution, my desire was to see a constitutional monarchy not the eradication of the Ancien Régime. My commander persuaded me we should cross into Austria and enlist the support of the Austrian army for a march on Paris. We were apprehended on the way and held briefly. We escaped and returned to our unit to rally the support of our troops and we almost succeeded but the artillery deserted us. I was branded a traitor and had no choice but to flee.
We escaped to Switzerland and connected with my sister Adelaide and the Countess of Genlis in Schaffhausen. We were discovered there and fled to Zur. Once again we were forced to flee, this time to Zurich. The authorities ordered me to leave Switzerland though they allowed my sister and the countess to stay. I crossed the Rhine with my servant Baudouin and found employment at a boy’s school in Reichenau. I taught history, geography and modern languages. We had a place to stay and we would no longer be hungry.
By this time I resigned myself to the idea I would never see my home or France again. I was in a deep state of melancholy when I met a young Bavarian woman, Marianne. She was a cook at the school and she brought some joy back to my life. Had it not been for her I may have hurled myself into Lake Constanze. We became lovers and when she became pregnant, it was my desire to marry her. It was Baudouin who convinced me of the folly of this thing. Monsieur Jost, the Headmaster, sent Marianne to Italy for our child to be born among her relatives. I understand the baby was adopted by one of her family.
She returned to the school though I had of course been dismissed."
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