Title: Noblesse oblige
Author: Laelia
Genre: Romance/Drama/ Action/ Adventure
Rating: I'll try to keep it only R
Chapter 1
Lucas Thomas de Quincy, the 28th count of Wyndham and duke of Sheldon was rudely awaken by a brutal shaking, his shoulders being captured in a vice- like grip. Grumbling, and mentally decided to fire the poor bastard who had dared to wake him up from one of the hottest dreams he had had so far in his 28 years of life, he opened his eyes groggily.
He groaned as he looked up into the frowning face of Edgar Lawrence, a middle-aged, tweed-dressed man who had been his family's accountant since the beginning of time it seemed. Not only had Mr. Lawrence dutifully served the young duke, but he had also worked under his deceased father. To sum it up, the Lawrence family had been working with fidelity as accountants and financial advisors for the house of Sheldon for almost four centuries.
"My Lord, I am afraid we must discuss important matters as this moment!" ,the older man whispered, though Luke's migraine turned the whispering into shouting.
"Gee, must we really, Ed?", the duke mumbled, though he knew his employee must have had a damn important reason to appeared in his bed room at - he raised his head slightly to glance at the old horologe - 5:45 in the morning.
"I am afraid so, my lord.", "Ed" bowed slightly before adding "I shall be waiting in the grand library, sir." He bowed again, before leaving, not managing to hide his disapproval as he had to practically dig his way out from the intricate pattern of naked bodies laying on the floor.
With a sigh, Luke lifted himself up and stood on the edge of the bed, looking around and remembering last night's events. There had been a wild party, as it had become the habit ever since he had turned 21 and obtained complete and unlimited possession of his family's funds. The party he had thrown then! Half of the English aristocracy had attended and the other half felt offended for months for not being invited..that had been the true beginning of his "career".
Glancing over his shoulder at the bed, he smirked as he spotted the sweet Swedish twins still entwined in a hot embrace. Man, those girls sure knew how to party! "Yeah, bisexual chicks rule!" he smiled at the pre- adolescent thought, and stood up, swearing as his foot hit a small bunch of used condoms. Damn, he hated waking up in the morning, but hey, at least he knew that he neither knock up any of them nor did he get a sexually transmitted disease.
Luke made his way through the large, richly-decorated bedroom stepping from time to time on a hand or a foot. Near a table, there laid his best friend with an expression of divine happiness on his face, a slender, beautiful black girl's nipple still in his mouth. Chuckling, Luke felt his amusement returning full force. Somehow, lately, all his partied turned into full- blown orgies, but, hey, who was complaining? Maybe Ed.
He padded bare-footed through the large halls, decorated with paintings of his ancestors and actual medieval armoury, smiling devilishly as he encountered some more victims of the alcohol.
Brushing a hand through his curly golden hair, he opened the doors to the big library with his foot. The room was a huge one, going on three levels, practically flooded with all kinds of books. It was only normal for it to be so, after all there have been numerous generations to contribute to it. Luke's personal contribution was a collection of porn books, dating back from the 14th century. To his amusement, he had found out that he was not the only one to bring such material into the family library, the most prominent ancestors of his being interested in the stories of the pleasure of the flesh being a Victorian aristocrat. "Must truly be genetic!", Luke mused and turned his ancestor into a role model, aware that one can not win over own genes so, if you can't beat them, join them.
Lawrence was looking out of the window, and turned around startled as he heard the door open. His conservatory, rounded glasses were steamy, and beards of sweat were running down his forehead and cheeks.
"So, Ed, what's up", Luke asked, throwing himself into a leather-covered chair and putting his feet on a near by coffee table. "Spill the beans, already!", he demanded rubbing his forehead with the tip of his fingers and pinching the base of his nose.
"My Lord", Lawrence babbled "something terrible had occurred."
Luke frowned as he took in the dishevelled looks on his accountant. Lawrence, or how he loved to tease the snobbish old man Ed, never looked anything but perfect. In his entire life, Luke couldn't remember spotting even the slightest error in his attire, even the hair on Ed's now bolding head was perfect, even if he were in the middle of the world's biggest hurricane.
Now, if he looked closely he could see the sweating staining the area near his armpits, and, as he took off his glasses, Luke also noticed the his accountant's hands were shaking.
"Master, I am afraid we are ruined."
"Excuse me?"
"I am terribly sorry, my lord, this is all my fault!" Lawrence begged, literally falling down on his knees and shaking like a leaf. Big, round tears sprung form his eyes as he wailed:
"I have let you down and I have disgraced the name of my ancestors as well as the name of your illustrious house. I am nothing but a worm, a useless being . your late father is probably twisting in his grave for letting me handle the business.I am so very sorry."
"Hey, hey.take it easier, man!" Luke stood up and walked to the kneeling man, forcing him up and placing him into a near-by chair.
"So, calm down, Ed.everybody makes mistakes, we'll fix this somehow!" he gently padded the old man on his back
"But, sir .. we are talking millions and millions of Euro here!" he protested.
"What had happened?" Luke demanded, seeing that his accounted had somewhat turned calmer.
"It is only my fault sir .. I have put the money into a safe account, all of your money because I wanted to re-build the interest system and then..it simply vanished. The bank claimed that I have moved it, but I know I haven't. I went to the police and they said something about hackers, whatever those are..the fact is that we are broken. Except the properties and the other material goods, we don't own a thing."
Luke nodded thoughtfully. From the selling of just one of his numerous properties, a normal man could live easily seven lifetimes. Next to those, there were the factories, the boats, two private jets, the raise horses, jewellery and priceless works of art. One would hardly consider himself ruined, but that was Ed, always the pessimist.
"Cheer up, old man, we'll handle this situation just fine." He assured, though inside he was boiling with anger. How dare they steal his money, didn't they know who he was? But Luke had to be careful not to let his rage vent on the old man, who was the closest man in the world for him. Ed was already mortified by remorse, and he needn't make him feel guiltier.
"But, sir, the top! With your money gone ..now." Ed babbled.
"That can't be true!" Luke protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "No, I refuse to accept that, Ed.you are not saying what I think you are!"
"I am afraid so, sir . we are no longer in the world's 100 .and, and you know what that means." he trailed off.
Luke gritted his teeth in anger. Of course he knew what it meant. It has been almost a century since this stupid bet had been made between his great- great grandfather and the head of a rival family, that the house that would loose its place in top 100 of the wealthiest people at the end of each year should give all its properties to the other. So far, neither of the two families had lost or gained the bet, but now, only three months away from the end of the financial year, things were pretty dark for the house of Sheldon.
"Fuck!" Luck swore soundly, smashing a vase of Bohemia against the carved wooden door. "Fuck!" being poor was no fun, plus he hadn't lost a bet in his life.
"Leave me alone, Edgar!", he ordered. "Go and get yourself smashed in a bar!"
"I will , sir", Lawrence answered standing up and leaving the room. Under normal circumstances, that would have been a great Kodak moment, but now.
For the next hour or so, Luke helped himself with a bottle of the finest whiskey, applying to himself the method he had suggested to Lawrence. And to think that only 60 minutes ago he had no problem in the world, he was still Europe's most famous bachelor: he was young, handsome, rich and of pure blood. Oh, well, he'll came up with something.. soon ..after all, he was a genius!
Author: Laelia
Genre: Romance/Drama/ Action/ Adventure
Rating: I'll try to keep it only R
Chapter 1
Lucas Thomas de Quincy, the 28th count of Wyndham and duke of Sheldon was rudely awaken by a brutal shaking, his shoulders being captured in a vice- like grip. Grumbling, and mentally decided to fire the poor bastard who had dared to wake him up from one of the hottest dreams he had had so far in his 28 years of life, he opened his eyes groggily.
He groaned as he looked up into the frowning face of Edgar Lawrence, a middle-aged, tweed-dressed man who had been his family's accountant since the beginning of time it seemed. Not only had Mr. Lawrence dutifully served the young duke, but he had also worked under his deceased father. To sum it up, the Lawrence family had been working with fidelity as accountants and financial advisors for the house of Sheldon for almost four centuries.
"My Lord, I am afraid we must discuss important matters as this moment!" ,the older man whispered, though Luke's migraine turned the whispering into shouting.
"Gee, must we really, Ed?", the duke mumbled, though he knew his employee must have had a damn important reason to appeared in his bed room at - he raised his head slightly to glance at the old horologe - 5:45 in the morning.
"I am afraid so, my lord.", "Ed" bowed slightly before adding "I shall be waiting in the grand library, sir." He bowed again, before leaving, not managing to hide his disapproval as he had to practically dig his way out from the intricate pattern of naked bodies laying on the floor.
With a sigh, Luke lifted himself up and stood on the edge of the bed, looking around and remembering last night's events. There had been a wild party, as it had become the habit ever since he had turned 21 and obtained complete and unlimited possession of his family's funds. The party he had thrown then! Half of the English aristocracy had attended and the other half felt offended for months for not being invited..that had been the true beginning of his "career".
Glancing over his shoulder at the bed, he smirked as he spotted the sweet Swedish twins still entwined in a hot embrace. Man, those girls sure knew how to party! "Yeah, bisexual chicks rule!" he smiled at the pre- adolescent thought, and stood up, swearing as his foot hit a small bunch of used condoms. Damn, he hated waking up in the morning, but hey, at least he knew that he neither knock up any of them nor did he get a sexually transmitted disease.
Luke made his way through the large, richly-decorated bedroom stepping from time to time on a hand or a foot. Near a table, there laid his best friend with an expression of divine happiness on his face, a slender, beautiful black girl's nipple still in his mouth. Chuckling, Luke felt his amusement returning full force. Somehow, lately, all his partied turned into full- blown orgies, but, hey, who was complaining? Maybe Ed.
He padded bare-footed through the large halls, decorated with paintings of his ancestors and actual medieval armoury, smiling devilishly as he encountered some more victims of the alcohol.
Brushing a hand through his curly golden hair, he opened the doors to the big library with his foot. The room was a huge one, going on three levels, practically flooded with all kinds of books. It was only normal for it to be so, after all there have been numerous generations to contribute to it. Luke's personal contribution was a collection of porn books, dating back from the 14th century. To his amusement, he had found out that he was not the only one to bring such material into the family library, the most prominent ancestors of his being interested in the stories of the pleasure of the flesh being a Victorian aristocrat. "Must truly be genetic!", Luke mused and turned his ancestor into a role model, aware that one can not win over own genes so, if you can't beat them, join them.
Lawrence was looking out of the window, and turned around startled as he heard the door open. His conservatory, rounded glasses were steamy, and beards of sweat were running down his forehead and cheeks.
"So, Ed, what's up", Luke asked, throwing himself into a leather-covered chair and putting his feet on a near by coffee table. "Spill the beans, already!", he demanded rubbing his forehead with the tip of his fingers and pinching the base of his nose.
"My Lord", Lawrence babbled "something terrible had occurred."
Luke frowned as he took in the dishevelled looks on his accountant. Lawrence, or how he loved to tease the snobbish old man Ed, never looked anything but perfect. In his entire life, Luke couldn't remember spotting even the slightest error in his attire, even the hair on Ed's now bolding head was perfect, even if he were in the middle of the world's biggest hurricane.
Now, if he looked closely he could see the sweating staining the area near his armpits, and, as he took off his glasses, Luke also noticed the his accountant's hands were shaking.
"Master, I am afraid we are ruined."
"Excuse me?"
"I am terribly sorry, my lord, this is all my fault!" Lawrence begged, literally falling down on his knees and shaking like a leaf. Big, round tears sprung form his eyes as he wailed:
"I have let you down and I have disgraced the name of my ancestors as well as the name of your illustrious house. I am nothing but a worm, a useless being . your late father is probably twisting in his grave for letting me handle the business.I am so very sorry."
"Hey, hey.take it easier, man!" Luke stood up and walked to the kneeling man, forcing him up and placing him into a near-by chair.
"So, calm down, Ed.everybody makes mistakes, we'll fix this somehow!" he gently padded the old man on his back
"But, sir .. we are talking millions and millions of Euro here!" he protested.
"What had happened?" Luke demanded, seeing that his accounted had somewhat turned calmer.
"It is only my fault sir .. I have put the money into a safe account, all of your money because I wanted to re-build the interest system and then..it simply vanished. The bank claimed that I have moved it, but I know I haven't. I went to the police and they said something about hackers, whatever those are..the fact is that we are broken. Except the properties and the other material goods, we don't own a thing."
Luke nodded thoughtfully. From the selling of just one of his numerous properties, a normal man could live easily seven lifetimes. Next to those, there were the factories, the boats, two private jets, the raise horses, jewellery and priceless works of art. One would hardly consider himself ruined, but that was Ed, always the pessimist.
"Cheer up, old man, we'll handle this situation just fine." He assured, though inside he was boiling with anger. How dare they steal his money, didn't they know who he was? But Luke had to be careful not to let his rage vent on the old man, who was the closest man in the world for him. Ed was already mortified by remorse, and he needn't make him feel guiltier.
"But, sir, the top! With your money gone ..now." Ed babbled.
"That can't be true!" Luke protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "No, I refuse to accept that, Ed.you are not saying what I think you are!"
"I am afraid so, sir . we are no longer in the world's 100 .and, and you know what that means." he trailed off.
Luke gritted his teeth in anger. Of course he knew what it meant. It has been almost a century since this stupid bet had been made between his great- great grandfather and the head of a rival family, that the house that would loose its place in top 100 of the wealthiest people at the end of each year should give all its properties to the other. So far, neither of the two families had lost or gained the bet, but now, only three months away from the end of the financial year, things were pretty dark for the house of Sheldon.
"Fuck!" Luck swore soundly, smashing a vase of Bohemia against the carved wooden door. "Fuck!" being poor was no fun, plus he hadn't lost a bet in his life.
"Leave me alone, Edgar!", he ordered. "Go and get yourself smashed in a bar!"
"I will , sir", Lawrence answered standing up and leaving the room. Under normal circumstances, that would have been a great Kodak moment, but now.
For the next hour or so, Luke helped himself with a bottle of the finest whiskey, applying to himself the method he had suggested to Lawrence. And to think that only 60 minutes ago he had no problem in the world, he was still Europe's most famous bachelor: he was young, handsome, rich and of pure blood. Oh, well, he'll came up with something.. soon ..after all, he was a genius!