Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2018 14:35:03 -0500 (EST) From: HENRY BROOKS Subject: Forbidden Love (Period piece short story) Forbidden Love Oliver Crandall and The Earl of Danforth were in the same year at Eton College. They met on the first day they attended classes and they became good friends. All through their school years, they were inseparable, and they spent all their leisure time together. Just before graduation, in the year 1830, Danforth asked Oliver what he was doing for the summer. "I was just about to ask you the same question. My father has encouraged me to travel on the continent all summer, but in no uncertain terms, he warned me to be home by the first of September to start apprenticing in the family business. Now tell me, what are your plans?" "The reason I asked is that I used to spend every summer with my mother and father at our home in Brighton, but this year they are going to be traveling also. I'm not looking forward to rambling about all alone in that huge estate and I was wondering if you would like to spend the summer with me. I might add that the girls who summer there are quite an eyeful." "If I accept your kind invitation, the pleasure of your company will be sufficient." "Please say yes," Danforth pleaded. "It will delay our being separated by two more months." They arrived in Brighton in separate coaches. Danforth came from his family estate and Oliver came from London, but they met up at the terminal. One of Danforth's servants arrived with a coach and escorted them to Danforth's summer house. When they arrived at the estate, Danforth instructed his servant to take Oliver's satchels to the room next to his and to please hang up his clothing or place it carefully in the dresser. By the time they were unpacked and comfortably settled, Danforth's cook had prepared a delicious dinner for them. As it had been for the past four years, conversation flowed easily between them. There were no topics off limits. They even discussed the awful truth that they were still virgins in their twenty-second year. "I won't be a virgin for long," Danforth said. "My family has arranged a marriage for me with my second cousin." "Good Lord!" Oliver exclaimed. "What's she like? How do you feel about it?" "This marriage was destined since both our births. I accept it, along with all my other duties as Earl of Danforth. Eleanor, my betrothed, is quite pleasant looking, and she is closer related to the Queen than I am, so that can't hurt my career when I enter The House of Lords." "Indeed not, and I can do nothing less than to bless your union." Oliver smiled and raised his wine glass. "I'm glad to hear that because when the day comes, you'll be my best man and only groomsman." "Thank you, sir, for the honor." Suddenly, Danforth's face brightened, and he changed the subject. "The beach behind our house is perfectly private," he said. "After breakfast tomorrow, let's go for a nude swim. I promise it will be very invigorating." "I'd love that, but for now I am so tired I am having trouble staying awake. The coach ride was arduous, and I'd like to go to bed." "Certainly; I'll have one of my servant's assist you." They said goodnight, and when Oliver climbed into bed, he fell asleep immediately. Oliver was uncertain how long he had slept, but sometime in the middle of the night, he was awakened. Someone was crawling into his bed. At first, he thought he was dreaming, but when that someone lifted his nightshirt and placed his hand on his burgeoning cock, he awoke with a start. This was no dream. "Shh," he heard Danforth whisper. "I love you. I always have." "I have loved you since the day we met, "Oliver whispered back. He reached out and found Danforth's cock. They lay still, fondling each other, and sighing with happiness. Suddenly Danforth stopped stroking Oliver's cock, and he leaned over his one true love. Oliver felt like he was bathing naked in a warm tub. He realized that Danforth was pleasuring him with oral sex. "My God, Danny," Oliver said. "Do you realize that we could be imprisoned for what we are doing?" "Let's not consider it. We are alone in the house and the servants wouldn't dare disturb us. I entered your room through an adjoining door in my bedroom. For all the servants know we are sleeping peacefully in separate rooms. Danforth's tongue was massaging Oliver's cock, and he whispered. "That feels so good. I think I'm about to climax." Danforth stopped abruptly. "I have some ointment that my mother uses to moisten her skin. I'm going to apply some to my arse, and to your cock. Then I'll sit on you and guide your manhood up my arse. You can climax inside of me. I so badly want you to do so." "You have no idea what joy you are giving me. I wish I could explain in mere words how much I love you. When I have climaxed, I promise I will do all this to you." Good manners, and the etiquette of the time, dictated that Danforth visit and greet the other summer residents who had homes along the beach. Aside from that social amenity, the two friends spent most of two months making love. They never tired. ********** It seemed to Oliver Crandall that the coachman managed to find every bump and every rut in the road. He was being jostled up and down and back and forth in his seat. His trousers began to rub against his cock and he started to get an erection. There were many miles ahead of him on his voyage to the mansion of The Earl of Danforth. He was alone on the coach so he whipped out his manhood and masturbated. He experienced a whopping good climax thanks to the bumpy ride. Oliver had received an invitation to attend a weekend party at the home of his best friend, The Earl of Danforth, which he accepted immediately. Sitting in the coach Danforth had provided for him, and looking out over a bleak landscape, his mind went back to happy days at Eton College. Danforth and he graduated from Eton fifteen years earlier. In school, they had been close buddies, but much to their regrets they saw precious little of each other over the years. They lived a good seven hours apart by coach, and their busy lives interfered with their friendship. Nevertheless, Oliver had been Danforth's best man at his wedding, and godfather to his eldest son. The Earl had three sons, aged thirteen, twelve and ten. Although they saw very little of Oliver, they called him "Uncle" when they did see him. ********** Oliver's reveries were interrupted when the coach stopped. The coachman opened the door and said, "We're here, sir. I'll see to it that your bags are delivered to your room." He helped Oliver step down from the coach just as Danforth flew out of the house to greet him. The two men shook hands, and Danforth whispered, "I'll greet you more properly later when we are alone." Oliver was confused. What did Danforth mean by, `when we are alone'? Where were the other weekend guests? Where was his family? He didn't ponder long. He just wanted to get washed and settled. Danforth followed Oliver to his room. As soon as the door was closed the two old friends and lovers embraced. They kissed with open lips and lustful, skillful tongues. Finally, Oliver pulled away. "What's going on, Danny? Where are Eleanor and your sons? In fact, where are the other guests?" "Eleanor took the boys to Kensington for a fortnight to visit her parents, and to give them some time with their grandchildren. As for guests, you are the only one. Don't you know how much I love you? I wanted to relive those glorious days we had in Brighton." "I have no objection," Oliver said, and they embraced again, but this time they rubbed their hardness against each other. "I have some other wonderful news," Danforth said. "I told Ellie that my duties in The House of Lords required me to be in London much more than I had expected, so I have taken a flat in London. She might come to visit occasionally, but then we would stay with her parents. The flat is too small for the entire family." "I'm surprised that she didn't object." "Why should she? We haven't slept together since my youngest son was conceived." "That's incredible." "Why is it incredible? I love you so much, I can't make love with anyone else. Now stop talking. We only have one short weekend to make up for lost time. When I occupy my flat, we can be together often. I look forward to that." "We can alternate between your flat and mine. That way, our meetings won't be so obvious," Oliver suggested. They undressed rapidly and made love like two twenty-year-olds, just like they did fifteen years ago. Their bedrooms even had adjoining doors as had been their good fortune in Brighton. ********** Oliver might have thought that his flat provided him with a private place where he could entertain Danforth, but he was not immune to nosy neighbors. The men had been visiting each other steadily for two years. They alternated back and forth between the two flats. Finally, Oliver's nosey neighbor reported his suspicions, regarding homosexual activity, to his local constable. "The visitor comes on various days of the week, but he consistently comes on Monday evenings," the neighbor told the constable. The following Monday night, while Oliver was about to orgasm in Danforth's mouth, there was a loud banging on the bolted door. "It's the law," a gravelly voice proclaimed. "Open up." Oliver threw Danforth's clothing at him and ordered him to leave through an open window. Danforth objected, but Oliver persuaded him to leave in order to protect his family. As soon as he left, Oliver put on a nightshirt and answered the door. "Why did you wake me up from a sound sleep?" he demanded to know. "Where's your companion?" the constable literally sneered. "Are you mad? For your information, I am unattached, and for now, I sleep alone. What is all this nonsense about?" "Mr. George, here, reported seeing a man coming and going for a very long time now, and he registered a complaint of homosexual activity." Oliver laughed. "Of course a gentleman comes and goes. He's my clerk, my assistant. You might instruct Mr. George to mind his own business and to stop snooping around. He's disturbing my privacy." "Yes sir," the constable muttered. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you. When he left, Oliver sighed with relief, but he knew that they would have to make other arrangements to be together. If he went to Danforth's flat all the time, he was sure someone would eventually notice that also. Unfortunately, he didn't have a clue what to do. He hoped Danforth would. They decided together, that as painful as it would be, they would limit Oliver's visits to Danforth's flat to one day a week. They agreed to alternate the day of the week so that no nosey neighbor would see a pattern. It was difficult for them to restrain themselves like this, but the fear of imprisonment helped them to remain disciplined. They lived like this for eight more years. Then a series of unexpected events resolved their dilemma. One day, Eleanor noticed a lump on her breast. Of course, she ignored it. The lump continued to grow until it was the size of a croquet ball. There was no problem keeping the lump hidden, but Eleanor could not hide the fact that she was losing weight at an alarming rate. Every day she felt weaker and weaker, and finally, she couldn't get out of bed. One night, she died peacefully in her sleep. Shortly after her death, Danforth's three sons asked for an audience with him. They were now in their early to mid-twenties. All of them had graduated from Eton and were well educated. The eldest, whom Danforth had named Oliver, spoke for all of them. The long and the short of it was that England was entering into a new age, a more democratic age, and a less class-conscious age. The young men would not abide arranged marriages or semi-royal duties. They did not wish to live so far from the exciting city of London, where they could attend theater, concerts, ballet, and the opera. They announced that they had taken a very large flat together in London. They all hoped to find employment and wives there, and they urged their father to sell the old estate and move to London permanently. Apparently, his young sons were not afraid, nor did they care, if Danforth disinherited them. They wished to be independent. To tell the truth, the cost of maintaining the mansion was putting a great strain on The Earl. He had no trouble selling the farmland, but nobody was interested in the mansion. He deeded it to the historical society of the nearby town, and not a year after Eleanor's death, all her men were living in London. Danforth gave up his tiny apartment and leased a more suitable one for a man of his station. It had four bedrooms and servant's quarters, but that was not the attraction. He had no need for servants in London. A charwoman would do. As for the bedrooms, three of them would go unused. Oliver lived in a duplex on ground level. The flat upstairs became available, and Danforth leased it. They were in the same building now and could come and go without suspicion. It took Danforth over a month to get his flat furnished and settled and lived in. During that month he slept with Oliver every night in Oliver's flat. Until now their love-making had been furtive, and they were never really relaxed. In Brighton and in Danforth's country mansion, there was always the fear of discovery by a servant. Later, in their flats, there was always the fear of nosy neighbors, as they sadly discovered. Now, within the confines of their building, they could come and go at leisure, when entering and leaving the building. At night, they could visit each other's flats without a single prying eye. During the month that Danforth was busy settling in, he had his evening meal every night with Oliver. After dinner, they bathed together, and then they made love. They always used oral sex as foreplay but satisfied each other in their arses. One night, after making love, Oliver began to cry. "What's wrong my love?" Danforth asked. "Oh, Danny, do you have an inkling of how much I love you? "Of course I do old man. It's exactly half as much as I love you. Oliver stopped crying and laughed instead. They fell asleep peacefully, just the way they would for the rest of their lives.