Carnations in the Alley | manxman | (Historical Romance)

V - Running to the Moon

The first drop of rain to strike Edgar's forehead touched the moment he hammered the final nail into the newly repaired fence. The clouds had come rolling in and now the world was dulled to a miserable shade. He'd stored away all his tools and extra planks of wood, assisted the farmhands in cleaning up their stations, but his most important job did not lie with cattle or property maintenance.

As this property strictly belonged to one of the most notable noblemen in all of England, there was a valuable mineral collected from the winding river that cut through the property and every ounce collected added thousands of pounds to his name on a weekly basis.

Standing at the head of the short pier that stretched a small way onto the river, Edgar approached the line-up of men wielding their now empty sifting pans. With them, each carried a tray speckled with what nuggets of gold ore they uncovered, and Edgar gathered each tray to take back with him to the house.

Before thanking each worker, they were made to follow the routine of proving they hadn't taken any of the gold for themselves, turning their pockets inside out, flipping their socks, and so on and so forth. There had never been anything to worry about from the everyday worker, and Edgar had only run into an issue with one person in the past, but given they were no longer involved in the collection of gold, there typically wasn't anyone to worry about. Everyone who tended to the grounds were taken care of far too kindly for anyone to lead toward deception.

Most importantly, any treachery was dealt with in a manner no one wanted to suffer, and Edgar himself was known widely as the executioner of these punishments.

"That will be all," Edgar said, taking the stack of ten trays with him, and he returned to the house as everyone else left for the day.

Upon closing the rear door, Edgar halted midway down the hall passing a sitting area. Seated on the floor before a wide bay window, Kent was spotted nestled with his head resting on his arms, eyes closed as the dull light of the cloudy day bathed his face.

Had he sat here the entire time? Edgar hadn't thought the young man would actually sit and watch him work from a distance, and he considered how uncomfortable Kent must have been to sit here on the floor for so long.

Leaving Kent for the time being, Edgar ventured to an office to stow the trays of gold away. He would typically begin the weighing process and document today's findings immediately, but he thought to insert an additional, selfless chore before day's end.

A vision fluttered through his mind as he carefully swept the gold from each tray onto a shallow dish. It was an apparition with a head of dark blonde hair and rather stringy arms and legs. Its' countenance was charming and jeweled with subtle yet pointed delicacies, and when Edgar remembered the brush of warmth that'd pressed against him when this nymph attempted to lay with him, his lost focus caused him to lose hold of the dish of gold.

Edgar fumbled to catch it, but the small saucer struck the desktop and bits of nuggets strewn every which way across it. Luckily, none dashed to the floor.

"Dammit," he cursed, shoving the diverting image from him.

Edgar brushed the collection onto the dish yet again and set it aside. When he turned, he halted in his tracks when faced with Kent standing in the doorway. The young man stretched his wiry arms above his head, and Edgar couldn't help his gaze from lingering down to Kent's waist.

The shirt Edgar had given this morning wasn't long enough to completely shield the young man. As the material was drawn up with the rise of Kent's arms, his entire naked groin was revealed, cock and all along with the sharp dips of his hip bones and the soft shape of his supple thighs.

Edgar would be the world's biggest liar if he said Kent wasn't an enticing fare from head to toe. His taste buds seemed to bring forth that fact from the manner his jaw clenched, as if he were anticipating the savor Kent's skin would leave if it touched his tongue.