Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2012 15:38:50 +0100 From: Adam Stewart Subject: The Tangled Web - part 3 This is a gay love story set in the late 60s and early 70s when, despite the new legislation allowing homosexual acts between two people, it was still difficult to be open about your sexuality. It is pure fiction and fantasy and none of the characters portrayed relate to any known person. Warning - it contains explicit m/m sex. The Tangled Web 3. After breakfast the following morning Jacob drove John, Ann and Isobel to the station to catch their train to London. The plan was that John would introduce Ann to his father and announce their engagement and Rupert would go to Kensington the following day for him to inform John's father about his engagement to his daughter Isobel. Rupert meanwhile was to travel up later with Cecil to visit the house in Regents Park to deal with the removal of the current butler who was not only fiddling the house accounts but was also very fond of his drink. What they in fact found when they arrived later that morning made the job a lot easier for Rupert. "Do you have your key Cecil? Lord Rupert asked once they had climbed out of the taxi. Cecil pulled out his bunch of keys and they quietly opened the large front door. Once inside, they could hear shrieks of laughter coming from upstairs. Rupert and Cecil looked at each other with raised eyebrows. They crept quietly up the stairs and moved to the front bedroom where the noise was coming from. For a moment, they both stood in the doorway and gazed at the spectacle before them. None of the occupants were aware of their presence. A naked woman was kneeling on the bed whilst a naked man was having very intimate sex with her. For a brief moment Rupert just watched the man's naked buttocks thrust back and forth into the woman. He then noticed another naked man laying flat on his back across the bed. The woman was busy pleasuring him with her mouth whilst being serviced by the other man. Rupert recognised the man sprawled naked across the bed and who was extremely sexually excited, as being Trent the butler he had come to remove. Almost a minute must have gone by before Trent saw Rupert and Cecil who had now walked further into the room. For a moment or two the sexual action continued before Trent called out in a very slurred manner "Come to join us?" This prompted the woman to stop what she was doing to Trent and look round as did the man pleasuring her. For a moment they both froze. The man then pulled out and turned face on to Rupert. His sexual prowess remained erect for a moment or two until his embarrassment had the desired effect and the organ went limp. The woman remained kneeled on the bed offering herself for anyone who cared to take her. "Out, now" Lord Rupert shouted to the woman and the man. The man turned and grabbed a pile of clothes from the floor, grasped the woman's hand and pulled her off the bed and out of the room. He passed so near to Lord Rupert that had he moved his hand just an inch or so he would have touched the man's naked flesh. He was tempted but managed to control himself. "Kindly escort these two persons out of my house immediately please Cecil" "Certainly my lord" Cecil replied as he quickly followed the other two who were now hastily dressing on the landing. Meanwhile, Trent remained naked on the bed casually playing with his manhood. For a moment or two Rupert just watched him. He had a nice looking body and for the briefest of moments thoughts of what he would like to do to the man flashed through Rupert's mind. Trent did not seem the slightest bit concerned or embarrassed that he had been found in the act as it were. It was very clear that the man was well lubricated with alcohol. Rupert moved nearer and picked up the remaining clothes that had been discarded on the floor beside the bed. "I suggest you put these on now unless you want me to drag you downstairs naked" Rupert said as he tossed the clothes onto Trent's naked body. Trent seemed to suddenly realise the situation he was in and immediately tried to get off the bed and stand up. For a moment, Rupert thought the man was going to fall over due to his inebriated state but somehow he managed to steady himself whilst he hastily put on his trousers and slipped on his shirt. Whilst he stuffed his underwear and his socks into his pocket he thrust his feet into his shoes leaving the laces untied. As soon as Trent was decent, Lord Rupert took the man's arm and led him out onto the landing and downstairs. The Regents Park house was one of many in a long row facing the park itself. Number eleven was in fact one of the smaller houses but it had suited Lord Rupert's family for several years and provided a convenient place for them to go to when visiting London. In Rupert's earlier years before his forced exile, he had spent many happy times at the house. It kept him away from his father who spent most of his time at Brylands and provided him access to the many other men of his persuasion in London. The butler at the time had been in the family's service for many years and was a congenial fellow. Rupert liked the man as well as his wife who looked after the house admirably. Rupert was sad when he heard that the man had died and his wife had decided to retire. His father then recruited Trent but as usual, his lack of ability to find good staff had produced a very unsatisfactory man. This had all occurred in the few months leading up to Rupert's banishment from England. On the ground floor, the house had a dining room at the front of the house, a drawing room at the back which provided access to a small walled garden, and a reasonable sized kitchen with modern amenities. On the first floor there was a large master bedroom at the front, another smaller one at the back which used to be used by Rupert when he was in London, and a good sized bathroom. The second floor contained three smaller bedrooms which the servants used plus another smaller bathroom. There was also an attic but Rupert had never explored that part of the house and understood it to be more or less empty. The only other area was a small basement which was used as a wine cellar and general storage area. Rupert decided to use the dining room for his meeting with Trent so he led him into that room and sat him down on one side of the table. He then sat on the opposite side and looked into Trent's eyes before saying anything. Cecil meanwhile had completed his task of removing the other two people and was now hovering in the doorway. Rupert beckoned him to join the meeting and he stood to one side eying Trent who was gradually sobering up. "So Trent, would you like to explain why you were romping around naked with two others in my late father's bedroom?" For a moment Trent looked somewhat puzzled, "Late?" he said enquiringly. "Yes, did you not know that the Marquess of Tyndale passed away last week and was in fact buried yesterday?" Before Trent could answer, Cecil interjected and reminded him that he had called to tell him that the Marquess had passed away. "No doubt you were under the influence of alcohol at the time and it did not register" Lord Rupert retorted. Trent just looked at Lord Rupert and said nothing. "However, you are now in my employ so I ask you once again why you were romping around naked with two others in the master bedroom?" Trent mumbled something which neither Rupert nor Cecil could hear but from what Rupert could gather it was not a satisfactory explanation. "As butler of this house you will no doubt agree that it is deplorable behaviour as is your current alcoholic state" Rupert then said. Trent nodded and muttered a "Yes sir" as his face reddened with guilt and the realisation that he was in serious trouble. "But your debauchery is not the only thing you are guilty of is it?" Lord Rupert added. Trent again looked at him quizzically and watched Rupert pull out a sheaf of papers from his attaché case. He then spread various documents in front of Trent and explained that they were copies from the house accounts and bogus supplier invoices written in Trent's hand to claim fraudulent amounts. As Trent looked at the documents before him, his face drained of colour until it was white. "So what is your explanation for this act of theft and deception then Trent?" Lord Rupert asked with a stern tone. Trent once again muttered something without looking at Rupert. "Do you deny that this is your work of deception?" Rupert then asked. Trent shook his head and said "No". "So you are guilty of immoral behaviour, being under the influence of alcohol whilst on duty, theft and deception. Is that a correct summary would you say Trent?" "Yes sir" Trent replied as he shuffled further down in his seat, placed his hands on his shirt, which had been open down the front exposing his hairy chest, and pulled the material together as if it provided him with some form of defence. "I am pleased to see that you have the decency to admit your transgressions Trent but you will of course realise that I have no option but to dismiss you with immediate effect. Since you have stolen considerable sums of money from me during your tenure, and no doubt depleted my wine store, you will not receive a penny of severance from me or any reference. Is that understood Trent?" The man nodded clearly accepting his fate. "In that case, you will pack your things and I want you out of this house within twenty minutes. If you are not, then I will call the local constabulary and get them to arrest you for theft and deception. Is that clear?" "Yes my lord" Trent said as he lifted his sagging body from the chair. "Cecil, perhaps you would be kind enough to supervise Trent's removal from the house and take his house keys." "Certainly my lord." Trent then shuffled out of the room and climbed the stairs with Cecil following close behind him. When they had gone, Rupert smiled to himself. "That went rather well I thought" he said to himself as he looked round the dining room. He had always liked the house and it was one of the few areas where his father had allowed him to do as he wanted. His father rarely used the house so did not care much about what Rupert did to it. As such, Rupert had modernised it considerably in the two years leading up to his exile. He looked around and was still pleased with his work even though it was now six or more years since it had been done. All it needed was a good clean. He then walked into the drawing room and had the same feeling of satisfaction. He could see himself and John spending an enjoyable time together here. He doubted if Ann or Isobel wished to travel to London that often so it would suit him nicely. He opened the French window that led out onto the small walled garden and walked up the paved path to the end. He had arranged for it to be re-laid out as part of his modernisation to make it easier to maintain. A rose arbour divided the end of the garden from the front part and as he walked through to the space behind, his mind flashed back to the many hours of pleasure he had spent sitting here with John. Because of the high walls surrounding the garden and the dense foliage on the arbour, it was hidden from the main house. He and John had been able to kiss and cuddle without being seen and on more than one occasion feel each other's manhood! Rupert returned to the house and walked into the kitchen. Apart from looking untidy with several dishes left scattered around, it still looked good. He retraced his steps back into the hallway passing the door to the wine cellar but decided not to visit this. Instead he would ask the new butler to check it and restock as necessary. Both Rupert and John enjoyed their wine so he wanted a well stocked cellar! He then climbed the stairs and once again went into the master bedroom which faced the front of the property and overlooked Regents Park. This too had been modernised despite his father's disapproval at the time, so Rupert was happy to make this room his and John's. Apart from the unkempt bed following the earlier shenanigans, the room looked in a reasonable state. He would however, need to get the closet cleared of his father's clothes. The room at the back looked much the same, albeit smaller, so he would allocate that one for his sister and her lover should they decide to visit London at any time. The bathroom too had been modernised at the time of his other changes so still looked satisfactory although he made a mental note to discuss with John about having the bath replaced with a larger one so they could both enjoy baths together! Finally, Rupert went up to the second floor. It had been some while since he had looked at these rooms. There were three smaller bedrooms and a bathroom. All the rooms looked as if they could do with redecoration so he would arrange that and the bathroom would definitely benefit from modernisation. He would instruct the new butler to make the necessary arrangements once he had been appointed. As he made his way downstairs, he found Cecil waiting for him in the hallway. "Trent has now left my lord" "Excellent, excellent" Rupert said, "He played into our hands just perfectly did he not" he added grinning. "He certainly did sir; I could hardly believe my eyes when we found them in the bedroom; and if I may say so, I thought you handled the situation with great dignity and competence sir." "Thank you Cecil" Rupert smiled, "Now what time is Thomas due to arrive?" "He should be here very shortly sir" Cecil replied, "in fact that is probably him now" he added hearing the front door bell sound. "Bring him into the dining room and please join us if you would" Rupert replied as he left Cecil to open the front door. Within a few minutes, a good looking young man was being shown into the dining room. "Good morning my lord" Thomas said as he walked in towards where Rupert was standing. "Good morning Thomas, thank you for coming to see me" Rupert replied offering his hand to shake the young man. Having completed the formalities, Rupert asked Thomas to sit down where Trent had been seated. He then indicated for Cecil to join them at the end of the table. Rupert asked Thomas to provide a synopsis of his experience and why he felt he was suitable for the post of butler. Considering he was only twenty two years of age, the lad presented himself extremely well and Rupert was impressed with his apparent experience. "As you may know sir, Lord Brandon is suffering from ill health and no longer uses the house in Mayfair where I worked so the house has now been closed down and I believe is to be sold; this being the reason why I am now out of work." He then passed over the table a reference from his two previous employers which Rupert noted were glowing indeed. "Excellent, now if you do not mind me saying Thomas, I understand from Cecil that you are not attracted to the fairer sex." Thomas immediately looked slightly concerned and was about to say something when Rupert continued. "Do not get me wrong Thomas, I have no objection to that fact at all; all I ask is that you use discretion in terms of your private life and keep anything else you may see or hear whilst working for me within these four walls and strictly confidential. I am sure you are only too aware that despite the recent legislation concerning the likes of us, we all still have to be careful." Thomas had not realised that his potential employer was of the same persuasion so he gave a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you my lord; you can be assured that I am the soul of discretion and am well used to keeping confidences." Rupert then detailed the duties expected within the post and the remuneration. Having heard this, Thomas was more than happy since it was vastly more generous than he had expected and certainly a lot higher than his job as under butler at his last employment. "So Thomas, the job is yours if you are of a mind to accept" Lord Rupert said having checked with Cecil that he had covered everything. Thomas could not believe his good fortune. There was no hesitation in accepting the post and shaking hands on the matter. "Excellent, excellent" Rupert exclaimed, "and I believe you are available to commence immediately". "Absolutely my lord, this very day in fact if you so wish" Thomas beamed in response. With that agreed, Rupert asked Cecil to show Thomas around having ascertained at what time the other young man was due to arrive for the post of houseboy. "He will be here by two this afternoon" Cecil replied and then asked Lord Rupert if he would like some refreshment prepared for lunch. Rupert said something light would suffice and also added that he would be dining at his club that evening so would not require dinner. "Would you also note that tomorrow I will be out most of the day Thomas but will be returning in the evening with Lord John who will be staying with me for two or three days. He will be sharing my room so all I need is that to be made up" Rupert added smiling, "Oh, by the way, the bed in the master bedroom requires new linen since it has been used and not remade as yet". "We will attend to that as soon as we have prepared light refreshment for you my lord" Cecil replied, "and I daresay the room could do with a quick clean from what I saw earlier" he added grinning. "Quite so Cecil" Rupert grinned in response. When Thomas and Cecil had left, Rupert smiled to himself. Thomas appeared to be a nice young man who had impeccable references and the recommendation of Cecil who had seen him in action, plus the fact that he was very pleasing on the eye! 'A good find indeed' Rupert told himself as he inspected the various surfaces around the room which clearly needed a good dust. It was not long before Thomas reappeared with a tray of sandwiches and a pot of coffee for Rupert's lunch. "Ah thank you Thomas, they look delicious" Thomas smiled, pleased that his first task met with Lord Rupert's approval. "And by the way Thomas, I think we need to redecorate all the rooms on the second floor before you and your assistant get too settled in them, and I feel the bathroom needs updating as well, so perhaps you could arrange for a suitable decorator and plumber to attend the day after tomorrow when I am here to have a look at what needs doing. In addition I may wish to replace the bath in the bathroom on the first floor. Could you arrange that for me please?" "Certainly my lord, I know just the firm to contact" Thomas replied hardly believing that his employer was already improving his living conditions. Having eaten his light refreshment Rupert pondered where in fact he would go for his dinner that evening. He was not sure that in fact he really wished to go to his club which he tended to find stuffy at times and without Lord John's company would mean he would either be on his own or have to endure the company of others he had less wish to endure. Lord John had told him during their time in Dover that the Lancaster where most men of his persuasion had frequented before he went abroad, had in fact been closed down. It seemed the police had found out what was going on within the premises and had raided it one evening. This was four years ago apparently but Lord John had stated that another establishment called the Green Carnation had now opened. This was much more discreet and one could only obtain entrance with the support of an existing member. Lord John was of course a member. Rupert therefore decided to call John to see if he was available and interested in joining him that very evening. Having obtained John on the telephone and ascertained that he was able to speak reasonably freely, he asked him if he would like to dine with him at his club that evening before going on to the Green Carnation. John said he would be delighted to do so. "I am interested in seeing what is on offer" Rupert giggled. "Quite so" John chuckled, "and from what I saw the last time I visited I do not think you will be disappointed". Having made the necessary arrangements, Rupert was aware that Cecil was informing him that the young man for the post of houseboy had arrived. Rupert asked Cecil to take the young man into the dining room and to join them for the interview. By the time Rupert had collected his thoughts and got to the dining room, the lad was already standing by the table looking somewhat nervous. "Good afternoon" Rupert said jovially, "I believe you are Robin are you not?" "Yes sir, my lord" the lad replied in a fluster. "Please sit down" Rupert said waving at the seat opposite him, "no need to be nervous, I do not bite" Rupert grinned. The lad relaxed and settled back in his chair whilst Rupert asked him to explain what duties he had performed at Lord Brandon's house. Having heard the list it seemed the lad had been expected to do almost anything so Rupert was sure he would do fine. He then covered the same issue regarding confidentiality without being quite so open about his own sexuality even though he knew from Cecil that the lad was also of the same persuasion. Rupert wondered how many like him worked in such establishments but perhaps it was because Cecil just knew where they were. The lad assured him that he was used to keeping his mouth shut regarding matters associated with his master's house so Rupert went on to discuss the duties and the pay. "See, how old are you now Robin?" "I have just turned eighteen, sir" Robin proudly replied. "And do you have a reference from your last employer?" Robin fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a somewhat crumpled envelope to pass to Rupert. The reference was also exemplary and since both Cecil and Thomas had also vouched for him, he decided to offer the lad the job. The lad was visibly delighted and thanked Lord Rupert very enthusiastically. "You will be kept busy young man since there is much to do to get this place clean and tidy" Rupert said, "and I understand you also have an interest in matters concerning plants" he added. Robin said he did enjoy looking after plants and had done so at his last place of work. "Excellent, the garden here is badly in need of some loving care and attention so you can use your skills on that." Rupert then asked Cecil to call Thomas into the room and whilst he was gone, Rupert looked at the lad. He had bright blue eyes and a fresh complexion. Whenever he smiled it sent slight shivers of excitement through Lord Rupert's body. He definitely found the lad appealing! When Thomas arrived, Rupert gave him the news that Robin had been appointed to the post so asked him to take the lad under his wing. Rupert noticed that Thomas immediately placed a comforting hand on Robin's shoulder as they spoke. Robin certainly did not react in any negative way; in fact it was quite the opposite so Rupert decided they knew each other intimately! When Thomas and Robin had left the room, Rupert congratulated Cecil on his find. "I think they will both do admirably" Rupert commented. "I do hope so my lord" Cecil replied. "So how did you come to meet them?" Rupert then asked casually. Cecil explained that the Marquess had often visited Lord Brandon's house before he became too ill to travel and Cecil had met both Thomas and Robin at the house since he often accompanied the Marquess as his valet. "Ah, I see, so you know Thomas quite intimately then?" Rupert asked with a grin that said much more. "You could say that my lord" Cecil grinned in reply. Having completed the main tasks for the day, Cecil said he would return to Brylands if Lord Rupert did not require him further. "Yes by all means Cecil, I'm sure Thomas can attend to any other needs I may have." "I am sure he can" Cecil replied with a slight chuckle. When Cecil had finally left to catch his train back to Brylands, Rupert wandered aimlessly round the house. He popped his head into the kitchen and immediately noted a difference in terms of its tidiness and cleanliness. He then looked into the drawing room and found young Robin busy dusting and cleaning in there. "Did you want to use this room sir?" Robin asked, "I can continue later if necessary". Rupert assured him that he did not so to carry on with the excellent work he was doing. He went upstairs feeling extremely content. It looked as if he had two excellent workers and who would most certainly be pleasing to look at as they undertook their duties. When he reached the master bedroom, he found Thomas just finishing off. "I have put new linen on the bed sir and have given the whole room a good clean so hopefully it will be to your liking" Thomas said smiling. "It all looks and smells wonderful Thomas, thank you; I think now I shall have a bath before I get dressed to go out later" Rupert replied looking round the room and noting how different it looked now it had been tidied. "Would you like me to run your bath sir; I will remove your late father's clothes from here later if that meets your approval." Rupert said that was fine and watched Thomas glide along the landing towards the bathroom. He was a slim lad but well formed he decided as he tried to imagine how Thomas would look without his clothes. Rupert slipped off his clothes and stood naked looking out of the window. The late afternoon sun was just going down and it was a beautiful sight. "Your bath is ready sir" he heard Thomas say as he stood in the open doorway. Rupert turned and nodded, "Thank you Thomas; I hope you do not object to nakedness; I tend not to wear a robe when I go back and forth to the bathroom when I am here alone or with Lord John." "Certainly not sir" Thomas replied taking note of Lord Rupert's slim naked body and feeling his own react in a pleasant way, "can I do anything else for you?" Rupert was tempted to say 'yes' he could but quickly put the thought out of his head in case his body started to show his true thoughts. Instead he told Thomas he could manage and to continue with whatever else he needed to do. Having had a long hot soak in the bath and reflected on the way his new life was panning out Rupert finally climbed out and used the towel that Thomas had left for him to dry himself off. His appendage was showing signs of interest as he walked naked back along the landing towards his bedroom. He again met Thomas coming out. "I was just removing the final garments from the closet sir" he said noticing the size of Lord Rupert's organ as he stepped to one side to let him past. He was definitely going to enjoy this job he chuckled to himself as he left Lord Rupert to get dressed! ******* The next chapter of 'The Tangled Web' will be available shortly. I welcome comments so feel free to do so by sending me an email. Don't forget that Nifty needs donations to host stories like these. See the Donate link to make your donation. Thanks. Other stories by Adam Stewart: Moving Forward Love at Last Gary's Story Finding Ryan The Advert Number Twenty Five Life After Ryan