by Rob Buckman
“And all of them have either been sent off to some god awful posting to the other end of the galaxy, or resigned their commission and gone back to civilian life with their tail between their legs.”
“Wow! That bad.”
“Worse,” Suddenly, there was a note of seriousness in the air.
“She makes it her job to destroy bold young men such as yourself, so be careful, Mike.” Taffy interjected.
“A bitch she may be, but she’s a Royal bitch. If your goal is to stay in the service and make it your career, tread carefully around her.” Seaford offered.
“I’ll take your advice to heart.” Mike wondered how a simple King’s messenger wield so much power, but he didn’t pursue the question. Probably related to someone in power. He didn’t enlighten them to the fact he’d already bedded the young lady in question, nor that fact he’d spanked her pretty bottom for good measure.
“Do you fence, Mike?” Seaford asked casually, breaking Mike’s train of thought.
“Oh, here is comes, he’s looking for another victim.” Taffy shook his head.
“Don’t take the bait, Mike, Seaford is the Fleet fencing champion.”
“Yes, I have done a little fencing.”
“Care to cross swords with me?” He asked, a gleam in his eye.
“Um, I’d have to think about that after what Taffy just said.”
“Taffy, you have a big mouth.” Seaford grumbled. “Now I shall never find another victim... I mean partner.”
“I wish I had the time, but I have an assignment to complete, and my style of fencing is very different from yours I suspect?”
“Pity, the fleet tournaments is coming up and Seaford needs to train.”
“If you can get down to Portsmouth, or Davenport in the next few weeks, I could take a few hours off.”
“You will? That's very decent of you old chap, I’d appreciate that.”
“Sucker.” Taffy muttered.
“Quiet, you Welsh throwback!”
“Throwback! I’ll have you know that I was thrown forward off the horse when he refused to jump the wall.” It felt good to sit and listen to the banter flying back and forth. None of it meant in a mean way, and most got as good as they gave.
That was unusual for Mike, having been on the butt end of far too many slights and slurs to his origin and parentage. All too soon the break was over, and they went back upstairs. Tonight was the ball, and walking back to his room he thought about meeting Lady Ann again. What would he say to her? How would she react now she was home safe? Someone had laid his dress uniform out for him, neatly cleaned and pressed, and the shoes polished to a brilliant shine. The party wasn’t for four hours yet, so Mike took a short nap before showering and dressing, and by 8:30, he was ready, and simply sat and waited for the page to show him down.
* * * * * *
In another part of the Palace, the Lady Ann wasn’t pacing back and forth. She stood in her underwear, looking at herself in the full-length mirror, turning this way and that to see if the panties looked right.
“What do you think, Mary?” She asked her maid, looking pensive.
“A bit daring to my way of thinking?” Mary sniffed
.
“Don’t be an old harpy. I want to look and feel sexy tonight.” Her eye traveled up her body, from the sheer black, lace topped stocking, to the red and black teddy.
“Well, black lace lingerie will do that!”
“Good.” The teddy flared slightly at the hips emphasizing the white skin between the old-fashioned garter straps holding her stocking.
She adjusted the panties slightly and turned to look in the side mirrors. The soft silky material clung to every curve of her body, yet her look was critical. Was she putting on a little weight on her hips and thighs? She thought about added additional sessions on the tennis court and gym.
“Let me try the velvet collar with the cameo.”
“You are being very daring tonight.” Mary wasn’t sure she liked this new look, as far removed from the Lady Ann normal mode of dress as possible. Usually plain and simple, bordering on frumpy.
“Oh yes, I want to make a good impression.” She giggled.
“Well, thankfully, no one will see you dressed like that, and it will all be nicely hidden under your ball gown.” Mary sniffed, shaking her head slightly.
“You are such a prude, Mary.”
“Prude! Me?”
“Yes, you, you old darling.”
“If a young man saw me dressed like that, he’d know exactly what I was after.”
“And I bet you’ve worn something like this, haven’t you?” She smiled.
“I’m not saying I have, and I’m not saying I haven’t, Milady.” She sniffed again, but the smile on her face gave her away. She carefully fitted the black velvet collar around Lady Ann neck and set the clasp.
“Um, yes, that will do nicely.”
“You’re certainly going to get the young men’s attention tonight your ladyship.”
“I’m only interested in driving one particular man out of his mind, Mary, thank you very much!” She giggled.
“I just hope he ready for you, not that I think he has a chance of escape, short of shooting himself.”
“Don’t say that!” She looked at her maid in horror, “beside, he’d never do that.”
“Then he’d better run for the hills is all can say.”
“One look at me and he’ll run the other way, to me.”
“If he sees you dressed like that he will, now put your dress on and let’s get you ready.” The Lady Ann sighed and reluctantly stepped into the open bodice of the ball gown her maid held for her, her mind on the coming evening.
Mike was thinking along the same lines, nervously pacing back and forth, not sure if he was ready for his first official Royal Ball, not that he had a choice. The same page knocked on his door a while later and led him through the Palace and down to the Ballroom by a back way, so no one saw him. After another wink and a smile, he vanished around a corner. Mike found the rest of the ‘gang’ as he thought of them gathered at the foot of a short staircase leading down to the ballroom and walked down to meet them. They all nodded to him as they checked each other out for anything out of place. They all looked resplendent in the various dress uniforms, and Mike noted that they each represented a different branch of the service. Army, Navy, Air Force, and him as the Royal Navy representative. Gradually, other young men joined the group until they had a gaggle of eager young men waiting for the ball to start, some in uniform, most in evening clothes. They checked each other, brushing here and there, but eventually, they all eyed the twin medals on Mike’s right breast, and he did his best to ignore the whispered conversation going on behind his back.
“Let the games begin.” Seaford whispered as the band struck up.
“Games?” He asked.
“Like the Roman games of old, when they threw the poor Christian to the lions.”
“And I take it, we’re the Christians, and not the lions.” He laughed.
“Now you’ve got it old boy.” He smiled and gave him a sleepy eyed look. “You’ve been dragooned for escort duty tonight.”
“Escort? How does that work.”
“We stand on the steps over there and look pretty, and as each of the ladies comes in, we take them by the arm and lead them down onto the ballroom floor after we have been formally introduced.”
“And then?”
“Then, my dear chap, we wait until the Prince or His Majesty arrives, and the party begins."
“And, our job?"
“To have fun and entertain the ladies.”
“Dance you mean?”
“Yes that too.”
“Damn!”
“Now don’t tell me you don’t know how to dance old chap.”
“I do, but badly.”
“Then just go with the music.”
“That's very helpful, I must say.” He muttered, hearing Seaford chuckle.
“I shall have to get Taffy to give you dance lessons, it's the least I can do as you so gallantly offered to be my sparring partner.”
“Taffy?”
“Yes, he’d the best dancer out of the bunch.”
“Your attention, Milord’s, ladies and Gentlemen, please take your places.” The Chamberlain announced, and Mike followed the other, and took his place at the foot of the stairs.
He was glad he was at the end of the line, as it would give him a chance to see how the others did this. Just then a flurry of movement in the hallway leading to the Ballroom caught his eye, and looking around, Mike saw a young lady in a Ball gown waiting to come in. It wasn’t the Lady Ann. One by one the debutants entered from behind a curtain at the top of the stairs. Each paused for a moment, giving the Chamberlain time to announce them as they started down the stair. As they reached the bottom one of the waiting young men stepped forward beside the lady and escorted her out into the ballroom. The first few were quite young, sixteen or seventeen was Mike’s guess, but as the proceeding moved along, they got older, but not by much. He also guessed there was a rank system, but being unfamiliar with them, he didn’t know what half the titles meant. At last the group thinned until it was down to the ‘gang’.
“The Lady Margaret and Leftenant, Viscount Lord Seaford.” That made Mike look at Seaford again. No one had told him what title Seaford was. Seaford stepped forward, bowed slightly before taking the young lady's arm and escorting her across the ballroom.
“The Lady Stephanie and Leftenant, Lord Hastings.” The Chamberlain intoned. Again, one of the group stepped forward and performed the same ritual as Seaford.
“The Lady Sara and Leftenant Evens, Duke of Cardiff.” This time, Taffy stepped forward, giving Mike a quick wink. Mike, on the other hand wondered how many of the other had titles as well.
“The Lady Bridgett and her escort, Leftenant Michael Ross,” for a moment he looked up at the heavens, hopefully, “Duke of Argyle and the Outer Islands.” The Chamberlain finished. Mike just groaned softly.
He didn’t bother listening to the remaining two, mentally kicking himself for not finding out who his brother officers were. Then he found himself standing alone, waiting for the last Lady to appear. It had to be the lady Ann, and he smiled.
“Your attention please, my Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, Anastasia, and her escort, Leftenant, The right honorable, Michael Gray, Esquire CGM. VC. VC.”
It took a second for it to register that the Chamberlain had announced him, but he was disappointed that the Lady Ann wasn’t here. Like a lightning bolt out of the blue, it struck him. They’d left him to escort the Princess Royal. The group had suckered him, and he glared at Seaford’s grinning face. With a small sigh, he stepped forward just as the Lady Ann stepped from between the curtains and looked at him, holding her arm out. Mike froze for a moment as the second thunderbolt hit. The Lady Ann! Anastasia! The bushy eyebrows and the buck teeth were gone, as was the mouse brown hair and bad skin. Now she was the perfect blond ice Princess he’d heard about. Everyone had suckered him, from the Princess down. He felt stupid that he hadn’t connected the two together before this. All the clues were there, but he just hadn’t seen the connection. He blushed slightly, feeling stupid, and gritting his teeth, he forced his body into motions. He stepped forward to take her arm, forgetting to bow in the process as he tried keeping a neutral expression on his face. Now the gangs' remarks all fall into place.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before, Mike.” She whispered.
In stony silence, he lead her down the stairs and onto the floor, seeing the people bow or curtsy as they walked passed, the women giving him admiring looks. The Princess nodded to people here and there, as they walked across the glittering ballroom, but it was more a question of her leading him, as he had no idea where he was supposed to take her. With the slight pressure of her hand, she guided him across the room to stand beside a raised platform. Three chairs stood side by side, and Ann guided him to the left more chair. As she took her seat, there was a drum roll, and the tall, handsome figure of the Price of Wales came down the stairs. He bowed slightly to the room at large, then came across the floor towards the dais. As he passed the Ladies curtsied, and the man bowed, and he smiled at each, stopping occasionally to shake hands with someone. Walking over, he hugged Ann, and they kissed each other on the cheek.
“How are you, brat!” He smiled at her.
“Well, ugly duckling.” She laughed. “Let me introduce you to Leftenant Mike Gray, the man who rescued me.”
“Oh, that's right, you don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?” The Prince tapped one of the VC’s on mikes chest, seeing Ann’s eyes open wide.
“Two of them?” She hadn’t noticed until now, more worried about the dark look on his face.
“Yes, it only seemed fair that we give him two, one for rescuing you, and one for rescuing me.”
“Richard?”
“I mean it, he rescued me on some blasted planet who names I can’t remember.”
“Borland, your Majesty.”
“Michael, I thought we’d settled that.”
“It’s hard for me to call you Richard, sir.”
“Why,” he chuckled, “you called me a lot worse on that planet.”
“Yes, I do seem to remember a few choice words back then.”
“Annie, you will have to get him to tell you his side of the story, and why he richly deserves that first medal.”
“So, you really are the man of the moment, Michael.” Ann gave him one of her pixy grins as the Princess laughed.
“Come and sit down, it's been a while since we’ve had the chance to chat.” Taking her hand, he led her to her chair and waited for her to sit. Mike followed not sure what to do.
Taking care not to mess her Ball gown, Ann sat down, whispering that he should stand beside her chair. He did, standing beside and a little behind it. Once she’d sat the Prince motioning for the orchestra leader in the balcony, and they began to play. That was the signal for the people to start dancing, as well as the presentation parade to start. People came by as the Prince and Princess held court, shaking hands, or saying a few words to each before moving to the next. Princess Ann kept smiling, but it was getting hard after the tenth females batter her eyes at Mike. Having stood guard duty for long hours, standing behind her chair wasn’t that hard, but he was angry. Why hadn’t she told him before who she was, why the deception? Then she held her hand out, and he took it as she stood up.
“Stay we dance.” She said at last, not that she really wanted to, guessing how angry Mike was with her.
“We can try, but I’m not very good at this.” Mike answered, stiffly.
“I’ll be careful not to step on your toes then.” She giggled to try and break the ice, but the look on his face said he wasn’t in the mood to laugh.
“Please, Mike, try to understand, I couldn’t tell you who I was until now.”
“Yes, you could, but I think you were having too much fun playing with the colonial boy.” He answered, not sure, if he was angry or embarrassed.
“That’s not true!” She hissed sharply.
“Isn’t it?” The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
“Oh my! I’m in trouble again, aren’t I.”
“Yes, Milady, you are, but this time there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it, is there.” Anger overcoming his uncertainty and his better judgment.
“Yes, you can.”
“Oh really, and just how am I supposed to punish the Princess Royal?”
“Well, the same way you did before.” He looked down, and saw her biting the right side of her lower lip, looking up at him with a sort of half worried, half hopeful look on her face. In answer, Mike let out a bark of laughter and growled softly.
“I’m sure your Father would be delighted to hear that a Leftenant in the Royal Navy spanked his darling daughter like a spoiled brat!” He growled.
“I don’t even want to think about what he might do to me.” He growled.
That left Ann with very little to say, and she turned her head away. After a moment, she wished she hadn’t, seeing all the young ladies looking longingly in their direction. They weren’t looking at her, but her escort.
“Damn it! Does every woman you meet get dewy eyed and want to get in bed with you?” The Princess snapped in that snippy voice he hated.
“Huh?” Mike blinked, trying to understand the question. “Not that I know of your Majesty.” He answered after a moment, wondering what prompted the question. The Princess shook her head, being careful to keep a neutral expression on her face.