Chapter 3: The Game Continues

        Robert of Feldstone found her attractive, she knew it. It was in his silent body signals and blatant posturing. He wanted her and she knew it, so she let him catch her. Now the fun of the evening was put aside and the "business" began. She hid a grimace of disgust behind a coy smile as he pressed his mouth to hers in a passionate display - or, at least, what he considered the emotion to be. His carriage bounced and jolted her around 'probably to his ultimate excitement' she thought, rolling her eyes. She was distant, but, of course, he couldn't tell the difference. He was rather older in age, paunchy, and generally revolting. His one redeeming quality was that he was as rich as Croesus, and for Serena that was the key to the whole thing. She always hated this part of the evening.
        It seemed that most rich men were old, fat, and horrible lovers. She assumed that this was mainly due to the fact that they were 1)old enough to have built a fortune 2)indulgent enough with themselves once the goal was achieved, and 3)confident in the powers of money to smooth over any ineptness in the art of passion. All-in-all, it was a job for Serena, and that was exactly the reason why she could not "catch" the Earl of Bath. He was far to handsome, and she could not afford to lose control at this stage in the game. She only needed to keep doing this until she found a husband and then she would have money accessible for her.
        She almost forgot herself and swatted Robert's offending hand off her full breast, but she remembered herself in time. God she couldn't wait to take a bath! Finally, his carriage arrived at his town house - thank god - and she was saved from his perpetual mauling until she got into the house. At least she had thought that. She was disappointed to notice that he strung himself across her like a broken Christmas wreath for every inch they walked. She almost groaned in impatience. 'I think I'm about to strangle the man!'
        Finally, finally, finally they were in his study. She almost sobbed in relief. This was so annoying. He attacked her the moment the door slammed shut. The rolled eyes of Robert's butler had not gone unnoticed to her and she still felt a twinge of...of...something whenever that sort of thing happened, but it was a casualty of work. She slipped down and out of his arms and quickly dashed to avoid his wildly searching arms. The man looked up dumbfounded but smiled lecherously when the look on her face convinced him she was only playing hard-to-get. He smiled in what he most likely assumed was a coaxingly seductive manner,
        "Oh Angel, Come to Papa..." He dashed towards her but she lifted the brandy decanter and nimbly darted away, saying,
        "Nuh-uh Darling, not until you've had a drink to calm yourself. You are far to wild for me to handle without the help of spirits..." She poured them both a glass and she began to sip hers. He, anxious to "get to know her better" quaffed it in a single gulp. He leapt for her, splashing the wine left in her glass all over her. Serena danced out of his fingertips but he clung to a loose piece of her semi-transparent get-up and ended up tearing it. She mentally cringed. It was such a beautiful costume, she hated to ruin it because it was that much more she had to replace to keep all this up.
        It took several minutes but it seemed forever and a day until Robert, her would-be lover was slumped on the floor. Serena gathered up her various belongings strewn across the room and a small fortune in gold from dear, dear Robert. She cast one last glance at the man, adjusted him one last time, and sauntered out the door like the consummate scarlet woman. She whispered to the butler,
        "I would leave him for a bit, he seemed very tired." The butler absorbed this all with a dour face and a put-upon attitude, not surprised in the least. Serena was pleased at the outcome of the night. It had been a successful one, and thanks to Giana's mildly delusionary poison, Robert of Feldstone would wake up believing he had just had the most satisfying night in his experience. What would he care about a few missing coins? Perfect, absolutely perfect.
        Serena made a quick stop by Giana's town house to change her clothes to the gown she had left her house in that night, told of her adventure, and let Giana escort her home after a rousing "evening at the opera". The carriage ride to her home was long, for her family lived in the country, but it was too close to London to warrant buying a house in town. It was a quiet ride and it gave Serena time to reflect on what had happened. It had gone off without a hitch and no one would ever know the truth. Nothing could go wrong.

        Darien stared at the lavish canopy above his huge bed. So much wealth one man did not need, but it was his. Great. Just Great. He could probably buy Angel with enough money. From what he had heard and seen at the party she was most certainly a prostitute, or close to it. He sighed in contentment. Life was just fine right now, but he anticipated that it would get better in the weeks to come.

        The after-effects of a very mild hangover kept Serena in a touchy mood for the first part of the morning. She had a headache and she was sore. Some bruises spotted her body due to Robert's attentiveness, but it was livable and none were noticeable. Of course it meant that she had to dress herself that morning. Explaining to her maid how she had come upon such fair number of bruises the size of fingerprints was not something she felt particularly up to just then. It wasn't that she couldn't dress herself or that she hated it, but it was simply so much better to have someone else do it for you this early in the morning. Oh well she sighed. Her father grunted in greeting when she entered the kitchen to catch a quick breakfast. She and her father, for all their differences, tended to be early risers and took their breakfast informally in the kitchen most mornings. Serena's mother and brother slept in more often than not and had breakfast in bed, but Serena herself loved to go for morning rides on her treasured horse.
        She snatched a fresh, steamy muffin off a tray that one of the maids was bringing in to her father and darted out the door - ignoring the mild scolding of the beleaguered maid. She ran across the back lawn to the stables, tearing at her muffin the whole way. By the time she reached her destination, the sleepy-eyed stable boy was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her popping the last piece of the muffin into her mouth. He gulped and drank in the site of her, sframed by the rising sun in a very casual light blue riding habit with nothing done to her hair except a brushing. Serena noticed him staring at her and was a little ill at ease. Do I have something on my face? she wondered and lightly brushed her face. No, I guess not, so why is he staring at me like that? He's acting like those men do when I'm... she mentally scolded her vanity. She knew that men didn't find her attractive as she was, they only liked her and found her desirable when she was in full "Angel" regalia. She nervously waved to him and said good morning, exiting quickly to saddle her own horse. She didn't want to bother him with it right now.
        Later, when she was farther away, walking her horse over her favorite field of heather, tears leaked silently out of the corners of her eyes. She hated herself for hating herself but she just couldn't help it. She was depressed that being "Angel" was the only way she could attract men. It was completely false but Serena believed it. Her brother always told her she was ugly, her father didn't care really, her mother told her she was pretty but who would believe their mother!? she cried to herself. All the men, they only offered for her because her dowry was composed of well-rounded numbers. And if being unattractive was bad, being klutzy was worse. The only thing she could ever remember doing was falling flat on her face, constantly. Serena hadn't noticed the change in herself on that account. Serena calmed down. Sometimes she just needed to get it all out of her system but the hurt still lingered.
        By the time she took her horse back, her mother was dressed and called her over. She smiled at her daughter,
        "Serena, princess, how you always get up so early amazes me no end." she said and gently kissed her on the head.
        "I love to going for early rides, it's wake me up and it's so refreshing." Serena smiled.
        "Yes, well, I doubt I could do it!" her mother grinned, "and dear, make sure you pick out what to wear for dinner this evening." Serena looked quizzical,
        "What's so special about tonight?"
        "You forgot? Oh goodness, tonight is that dinner party I planned three weeks ago. We are going to be in town tonight at Chez Roi." her mother started up the stairs. Serena, however stood where she was and let out perhaps the fourtieth sigh of the day. Just great. This should be boring.

        Darien stepped into his carriage and headed to Chez Roi. He normally didn't go to events like this but he liked the food there and he had been told there would be a few pretty young girls there. He didn't seriously pay court to any of the young debutantes, but every once in a while it was fun just to do some minor, and harmless, flirting.