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CHAPTER 5 - INTERLUDE
William Walter Elliot
sat in his favorite armchair in his study in his house in London.
"Study" was only the name of the room; no serious work
was ever done there - that he reserved for his small office near
Whitehall. Elliot had many business interests - not all of them
quite legal, in the strictest sense of the term. Still, he felt
no apprehension - a gentleman is held to a different standard
than a tradesman or anyone else of the lower classes. Elliot
would never be exposed as long as his "investors" (some
considered themselves "victims") only claim to interest
was money, and that from trade. Elliot would never partner with
someone of rank - that would be far too dangerous.
In one hand Elliot
held a snifter of brandy; in the other was a page from the newspaper,
the following announcement well read:
Sir Walter Elliot, late
of Kellynch Hall, announces the marriage of his daughter Miss
Anne Elliot to Captain Frederick Wentworth, RN, HMS Laconia…
Elliot sat sipping
his drink staring into the fire in the hearth as the evening
closed in about him. Many thoughts ran through his head: anger,
regret, sadness over lost opportunity. Years ago, Elliot had
married well, if unhappily. His wife, thoughtfully dying, had
left him his fortune. His "activities" had added much
to that amount. Secure in his future, he set to immortalize himself.
Land, Kellynch Hall - they were as nothing to him. Only the title
had value in his eyes. To be a baronet - Sir William Elliot -
was his only remaining desire. And perhaps to begat an heir or
two.
However, that was
threatened by an upstart - a woman of no standing. Mrs. Penelope
Clay had ingratiated herself with Miss Elizabeth Elliot, the
eldest daughter of the current baronet. As Elizabeth was as insipid
as she was lovely, it was a certainty that Mrs. Clay was after
bigger game. Should Sir Walter lose his head over the slightly
pretty widow, a possible heir coming along would dash all of
his expectations.
That was the reason
he reestablished contact with the foolish Sir Walter Elliot and
his family. His purpose was to marry one of his daughters. As
a son-in-law he would have immense power over protecting his
interests. He could control Sir Walter and end Mrs. Clay's schemes.
Of the two candidates, there was no contest. Elliot could barely
stand being in the same room as Elizabeth Elliot. That left Anne
- which was a pleasant fate indeed.
William Elliot was
not interested in a marriage for form's sake - he had done that
once before. No, he would marry for his own enjoyment. While
Anne was not as pretty as either Miss Elliot or even Mrs. Clay,
she was a handsome woman. And there was something else - hidden
fires well concealed. A patient man might well be highly rewarded
by such a woman. And Anne seemed complying enough to look the
other way when her husband sought comfort in other arms when
the enviable cooling of passions occurred.
To his astonishment,
Anne Elliot not only spurred his advances but attached herself
to a long-faced, weather-beaten sea captain! Elliot did not consider
himself to be a vain man - he reserved that application for Sir
Walter - but he knew that he was a very good-looking gentleman.
To be dismissed in favor of Wentworth was beyond all understanding.
All of his efforts, condensation and mortification went for nothing.
Fortunately for
Elliot, he was playing a double game. While acting the charming
suitor for the lovely Miss Anne he had engaged the attentions
of Mrs. Clay. A pretty if common woman, Elliot had sensed that
she would be amicable to a seduction. As usual in such matters,
Elliot was correct. By making her his lover he could prevent
her from becoming Mrs. Walter Elliot. What was surprising was
Penelope's enthusiasm for and skill in the bedroom arts. Elliot
knew he was lucky on two counts: first that he was the recipient
of such enjoyable attentions; and second that he discovered Mrs.
Clay's talents before his aged relative could do so.
So when all of Elliot's
plans were shot to pieces, it was a simple decision to flee with
Penelope. His inheritance was secure - the estate was entailed
to him - and with his greatest threat sharing his bed rather
than Sir Walter's he knew nothing could stop him from becoming
Sir William one day. It did not take much cajoling to convince
Penelope to fly with him - she seemed to enjoy their romps as
much as he did. He was also certain that she harbored an expectation
of being made an honest woman by her protector eventually.
Elliot snorted into
his glass - Lady Penelope! Ha! She was good, but she wasn't
that good. But I will keep her here for a bit, as long as
her brats remain in Somerset.
So here he was in
his London townhouse sipping an after-supper brandy in his study.
Penelope was somewhere about. He glanced again at the announcement.
She is married. Well, damn her to hell. May the bitch die
in childbirth. You may have your captain but I will have the
title. And I may yet raze Kellynch to the ground, just for spite.
Just then, the door
to his study opened. Penelope Clay entered, her nightgown unbuttoned
and held closed only by a loosely-tied sash. She had a glass
of wine in one hand, a smirk on her face and a flush on her cheeks.
Having an intellectual discussion was not on her mind.
"Will, are
you not coming to bed?" After closing the door she approached
him in her bare feet, her heavy breasts moving unrestricted underneath
her clothes. While Elliot's mind may have been irritated at the
interruption, his body could not help but react to the enticing
sight before him. His response did not go unnoticed by his lover.
She placed her glass down and sat in his lap, wiggling her bottom
just to tease him.
"Penelope…
I am reading…"
She snatched the
newspaper from him. "What is so important?... Oh! Your Miss
Anne Elliot is no longer! So she has her sailor at last! Stupid
chit!"
"At last? They
have a history? What do you know of it?"
"Elizabeth
told me - Anne has known Captain Wentworth for almost nine years.
She turned him down back in the Year Six."
"Indeed? Not
wealthy enough for her, I suppose?"
"Something
like that…he's certainly wealthy enough now. Still, I cannot
understand how she chose him over you. She would regret her choice
if she knew what I know…" she giggled as she groped
him. He reached down to stop her, which only escalated her efforts.
Wrestling, he grunting and her laughing, the pair fell to the
floor, the woman's gown completely undone. "Now look what
you've done…You must pay the penalty…" With that,
Penelope reached up and kissed Elliot fiercely, her hands undoing
his shirt.
William Elliot mentally
sighed as he began to return her kind attentions. As they began
to make love on the floor, he closed his eyes. In his mind's
eye he saw not Penelope Clay but Anne Wentworth writhing in ecstasy
beneath him…
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