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"John, this is madness!" David exclaimed.
John scrubbed a hand through the back of his hair, making the artful style even messier than usual. He was unable to deny that his intentions towards Meredith Rodney McKay could be considered madness, considering he and his brother had planned the downfall of Declan McKay for many years before seeing their plans come to fruition at the ball.
Witnessing Declan McKay humiliated and left destitute and broken should have filled John with great joy, but he had not anticipated making the acquaintance of the son and finding him so agreeable. From all he had learned since that evening, the imploring request for clemency was out of character. According to others of his acquaintance, Rodney, as he wished to be known, had a sharp intellect that made him less inclined to tolerate the foolishness and stupidity of the simpering masses. Many thought him a most disagreeable fellow because he had no wish to discuss politics, the Arts, or the latest fashions for a single man about town. It was said that he kept the company of men of letters, of mathematicians, and those who studied the sciences and astronomy, following in the path of such great men as Newton and Galileo, Descartes and Euler. It was said that most often the younger McKay was seen arguing passionately with fools such as Kavanagh, whose postulations and calculations were often so erroneous that even John could see the flaws in logic and principle.
Rather than fill him with repugnance, this reference of character served merely to intrigue John all the more. He found he had a desire to see Rodney animated thus, interested to learn if the rumors of the man's brilliance were in truth rather than exaggeration. He had noted McKay's interest in the books lining the shelves in the Library, and he had pulled out the one that had caught McKay's attention, leaving him so enthralled that he had not become aware of John's presence immediately.
John had spent those few minutes observing the other man, silently wishing for a different placement of furniture, for it stood between them, spoiling John's view. Yet he had seen enough to make his heart beat faster in his breast; the broad shoulders tapering to a narrower waist, the fall of the tailcoat over a rear clad in far more flattering buckskin that clung to him like a second skin. His arms were thick but John could tell it was muscle rather than the obesity of sedentary living. His fingers intrigued John the most, delicate as they touched the pages of the book with such reverence. John had heard rumors that the McKay siblings were both accomplished pianists, and John wondered if Miss Jean McKay would have taken her turn to honor them with a performance that night if not for the revenge played out against the father.
"John. Have you not heard a word I have said? Father will be turning in his grave-."
"Father was as much to blame for our mother's death as Declan McKay."
David sighed heavily. "I have not seen you become so quickly enamored by another in many years." He held up his hands in supplication when John turned to him. "I have no objections to the gender of this attraction, merely to the family name." His voice turned pleading. "I merely wish for you to exercise caution before-."
"It is already done. I have informed McKay of my intention to court him, and he has accepted. To abandon such a path now would be seen as vacillation on my part; an undesirable trait in any man, and injurious to both parties."
David sighed heavily, having spoken his piece. In spite of his words, John knew his brother would support him in his desire to court Rodney, but others might not be so generous in their approbation for it was not a favorable match. Their differences in fortune aside, it had been many generations since one of the McKay blood line had brought forth light into the King's court by their presence alone, whereas John's lineage was strong, as befitting a second cousin to the King.
"Then... Go! My blessing is yours."
John clasped the hand thrust out toward him and pulled David into a brotherly hug.
****
"Sheppard? THE Lord Sheppard, who has besmirched our family's good name and stripped us of our wealth, of our position, of all our possessions?"
Rodney gave a wan smile as Jeannie ranted, wishing he could share the knowledge of her benefactor with her, if only to see how it might affect her disposition towards Rodney's suitor.
"And are you certain that he has made this declaration to you, and have not mistaken his words for seeking approval to court me? After all, you are no sweet-natured woman who could provide him with heirs, and my hand is spoken for." She raised her chin defiantly in a gesture they had both inherited from their father. "I am to be married and shall become Mrs. Kaleb Miller in but a few days hence."
"And if Kaleb Miller were not an English Professor, I would pity the man. As it is, he is fully deserving of you, sister."
"And what of father? Has he knowledge of this alliance?"
"No. And it is no longer of his concern. I am a grown man with an admittedly small source of personal income."
"Mer." Her voice softened and she took his hands in her smaller ones. "I will admit that he has exceedingly pleasant features and excellent lineage. However, the rumored transgressions of his youth fill me with dread. Take heed that Lord Sheppard does not have sinister intentions towards you. I fear he seeks only to take your virginity and then to discard you, in further vengeance against our family name. Should his intentions be impure, then no man or woman of good standing would accept your association in future, and the McKay name will fall completely from grace."
"I-I believe he has good intentions."
"Oh, Mer, you hide your sweet nature too well, but wear your heart and passion too openly." Her pity was more than he could stand to bear so he glanced away, aware that he had revealed more than simple interest in Lord Sheppard. "You must keep this association from Father for as long as possible."
"Oh, I have no intention of asking for Father's approval or counsel."
Rodney retired to his bedchamber soon after, but his thoughts dwelt on his sister's words, filling him with apprehension.
By a deplorable inequality between the sexes, chastity in a man was not considered of monumental importance, except when needed to make a match more favorable where there was a marked difference in social standing. They were both gentlemen, and both descended from great houses, so in that they were equal. However, the McKay lineage had weakened over the generations through bad alliances, and combined with his recent impoverishment, this made Rodney a far less desirable match for any man or woman of standing. Without chastity or youth, he had only his great intellect to offer to one of the lower gentry, such as the Gauls and Millers.
For all his intellect, Rodney knew he could be oblivious to social cues and deceit, taking all at face value. Yet Sheppard had made his petition to court Rodney in a most gentlemanly manner, with no mention of seeking intimate relations before a formal agreement - a marriage.
It disturbed Rodney that his restraint would be weak should Sheppard make sexual advances towards him before a formal alliance had taken place. Even now just the merest thought of the man, of his handsome face and body, filled Rodney with a strong desire that stretched the fabric of his buckskin breeches.
He stripped out of the now uncomfortable garments alone, after having already dispensed with Grodin's services due to the deplorable McKay financial position, finding his former manservant an enviable position with his friend, Carson Beckett. His bedchamber was cold for no fire had been lit, and no warmer had been placed to take the chill from the bed linens, but the goose bumps rising in his skin had little to do with the frigid air in the room. His skin felt heated with desire as he allowed his imagination to feed him images of John Sheppard, and he wrapped his palm around his hard flesh, for the second time thinking only of John as he brought himself to release.
As he lay afterwards, feeling strangely bereft rather than sated, he hoped his singular trust in Sheppard was not misplaced.
END
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