Charles Lee is paranoid. And possibly reads fanfic.
Master of the House
Chapter 7 - the First Battle
“Master Lee,” the maid bowed to the man respectfully.
Charles Lee stared at Clipper, a dark, suspicious look in his eyes. Carefully, he gestured a dismissal to the maid.
“Mary, please see to the cook. James has left a list of foods that our guest is allergic to, and it would be unfortunate if any of them appear at our dinner.” His eyes never left Clipper’s form as he spoke.
Mary curtsied gracefully, “At once, Master Lee,” and then swiftly exited.
Clipper was left alone with the man he abhorred.
For a moment, neither man said anything, merely stared at each other in mutual suspicion and dislike.
Finally, Lee broke the silence.
“You are my guest here, and James seems to trust you to some degree. However,” he paused. “However, it would be unwise to conduct any affairs against me or mine while you stay in this house.”
Clipper felt a rush of anger at the words, but wisely swallowed the words that came to mind. Connor was locked behind the walls of this house somewhere, and Charles Lee held the key. For his dear, dear mentor, he could ignore his disgust for Lee.
“I want to see him now.” Then, grudgingly, “please.”
Lee almost looked disappointed that he had not baited Clipper into an argument.
“Very well. I will take you to him—”
Clipper interrupted him. “I want to see him alone.”
Lee glanced sharply at him, temper clearly rising at his words.
“No! Absolutely not! Do you think me a fool that I will allow you access to him unsupervised? That you may spirit him off and—“
“With all due respect,” Clipper omitted the ‘sir’, “there is nowhere for me to go, nowhere for him to disappear. Not with your current popularity amongst the people.”
Lee ground his teeth, unclearly uncomfortable with the prospect but recognizing the truth behind the words.
“There is still no reason for you to visit Connor unsupervised. You may not make off with him as you say, but I’ve seen the way you looked at him at our wedding. You and those blasted brothers of yours.”
Clipped blinked and, for a moment, was stunned into shock by the wild accusation. He found his voice scant seconds later.
“We are friends! Colleagues, comrades, brothers-in-arms, friends, mentor and students!” he cried.
“Really?” Lee sounded doubtful. “You have never dreamt about him? About his smooth tan skin, about his fine features and long limbs. About holding him down as you enter his tight heat...”
“No!” Clipper was scandalized. Lee was—Lee was crazy! No wonder Mary the maid was so worried.
“No,” he repeated. “We never—he’s our respected mentor!. And I am an Omega.”
Lee snorted. “Mentorship is not a barrier,” (and did Clipper hear a vague bitter quality to his voice?). “And Omegas have been known to pair off with Omegas in the past, provided an offspring is viable.”
Crazy...
“I am not interested in him in that way. I am bonded to James,” he stressed his mate’s name, hoping that this, at least, would lend some logic to the man in front of him.
“Ah, but you are away from James right now.”
The attempt had clearly failed. And Clipper was out of arguments.
“Then have one of your servants supervise, if you cannot trust the chasteness of the feelings I have for my friend.”
Lee shook his head. “There is no need to waste my servants time on this task when they have many chores to perform.”
Clipper felt himself shake at the description.
“Is that all he is to you? A waste?
Lee stayed silent, eyes bitter and mouth curled into a sneer.
Poor Connor, Clipper thought. He had known that Lee was a vile, vile man, but that he would tear Clipper’s mentor away from his loved one, force a marriage on him and then declare it all a ‘waste’...
“One wonders why you went to so much trouble to acquire him, then, if he is a waste. One wonders why you desire help in treating him, in helping him, if he is a waste.”
Lee looked away at that. Clipper had the sense that he was seeing something that wasn’t there.
Clipper gritted his teeth. He would not let Connor’s first sight of him again be of him and Lee, of all people. He would do his utmost to protect his mentor from his tormentor.
“You must not come with me to see to Connor.”
“Out of the question—“
“I cannot do anything if you are there.”
Lee snapped his mouth shut and turned upon Clipper again, glaring at him.
“Do you mean to renege on your promise to me? To James?” Lee’s nostrils flared with anger.
Clipper shook his head.
“I mean that recovery will not be possible.”
“I fail to see how—“
Clipper interrupted him again. “Do you agree that it is you who have caused him to be in such a state?”
Lee looked sullen at this, but did not deny it.
“Then you must see that your presence would be detrimental to Connor. And to the child he carries.”
Lee swallowed thickly, and Clipper began to hope that the man who leave him alone, would allow him to be by Connor in peace.
To see Connor again. To be by his beloved mentor and make the man whole and well again...
“Do you give your word?” Lee began softly. “Do you give your word that you will not try anything to cause him to lose the child? That you will do whatever it is in your power to bring him back, to make him well enough to birth the child?”
Clipper didn’t want to. He would not hurt the child, but if Connor was whole and sound of mind and truly did not want to give birth to his hated enemy’s child, then Clipper did not want to be the one to stop him.
But Clipper wanted to see him again so very, very much. Wanted him healthy and whole and utterly unlike that stunned man who had been forced upon in that church one year ago...
“Yes,” he whispered. Then, when Lee made no move, when he gave no indication of having been heard, he repeated himself with a stronger voice. “Yes. I promise. Please let me see to him.”
Lee looked away. “I will give instructions to my servants that you be allowed to see him for one hour unsupervised every day.”
Then, when Clipper opened his mouth to protest, he added, “You will spend the rest of your time with him accompanied by Mary or Matthew, who has been Connor’s doctor since we discovered his first pregnancy.”
Clipper slowly closed his mouth. It was not a great offer, but it was acceptable.
Mutely, he watched as Lee called for his maids and gave them their new instructions. He doubted that all such struggles against the man would go as smoothly as this one did.
Master of the House - part 8
Master of the House
Chapter 7 - the First Battle
“Master Lee,” the maid bowed to the man respectfully.
Charles Lee stared at Clipper, a dark, suspicious look in his eyes. Carefully, he gestured a dismissal to the maid.
“Mary, please see to the cook. James has left a list of foods that our guest is allergic to, and it would be unfortunate if any of them appear at our dinner.” His eyes never left Clipper’s form as he spoke.
Mary curtsied gracefully, “At once, Master Lee,” and then swiftly exited.
Clipper was left alone with the man he abhorred.
For a moment, neither man said anything, merely stared at each other in mutual suspicion and dislike.
Finally, Lee broke the silence.
“You are my guest here, and James seems to trust you to some degree. However,” he paused. “However, it would be unwise to conduct any affairs against me or mine while you stay in this house.”
Clipper felt a rush of anger at the words, but wisely swallowed the words that came to mind. Connor was locked behind the walls of this house somewhere, and Charles Lee held the key. For his dear, dear mentor, he could ignore his disgust for Lee.
“I want to see him now.” Then, grudgingly, “please.”
Lee almost looked disappointed that he had not baited Clipper into an argument.
“Very well. I will take you to him—”
Clipper interrupted him. “I want to see him alone.”
Lee glanced sharply at him, temper clearly rising at his words.
“No! Absolutely not! Do you think me a fool that I will allow you access to him unsupervised? That you may spirit him off and—“
“With all due respect,” Clipper omitted the ‘sir’, “there is nowhere for me to go, nowhere for him to disappear. Not with your current popularity amongst the people.”
Lee ground his teeth, unclearly uncomfortable with the prospect but recognizing the truth behind the words.
“There is still no reason for you to visit Connor unsupervised. You may not make off with him as you say, but I’ve seen the way you looked at him at our wedding. You and those blasted brothers of yours.”
Clipped blinked and, for a moment, was stunned into shock by the wild accusation. He found his voice scant seconds later.
“We are friends! Colleagues, comrades, brothers-in-arms, friends, mentor and students!” he cried.
“Really?” Lee sounded doubtful. “You have never dreamt about him? About his smooth tan skin, about his fine features and long limbs. About holding him down as you enter his tight heat...”
“No!” Clipper was scandalized. Lee was—Lee was crazy! No wonder Mary the maid was so worried.
“No,” he repeated. “We never—he’s our respected mentor!. And I am an Omega.”
Lee snorted. “Mentorship is not a barrier,” (and did Clipper hear a vague bitter quality to his voice?). “And Omegas have been known to pair off with Omegas in the past, provided an offspring is viable.”
Crazy...
“I am not interested in him in that way. I am bonded to James,” he stressed his mate’s name, hoping that this, at least, would lend some logic to the man in front of him.
“Ah, but you are away from James right now.”
The attempt had clearly failed. And Clipper was out of arguments.
“Then have one of your servants supervise, if you cannot trust the chasteness of the feelings I have for my friend.”
Lee shook his head. “There is no need to waste my servants time on this task when they have many chores to perform.”
Clipper felt himself shake at the description.
“Is that all he is to you? A waste?
Lee stayed silent, eyes bitter and mouth curled into a sneer.
Poor Connor, Clipper thought. He had known that Lee was a vile, vile man, but that he would tear Clipper’s mentor away from his loved one, force a marriage on him and then declare it all a ‘waste’...
“One wonders why you went to so much trouble to acquire him, then, if he is a waste. One wonders why you desire help in treating him, in helping him, if he is a waste.”
Lee looked away at that. Clipper had the sense that he was seeing something that wasn’t there.
Clipper gritted his teeth. He would not let Connor’s first sight of him again be of him and Lee, of all people. He would do his utmost to protect his mentor from his tormentor.
“You must not come with me to see to Connor.”
“Out of the question—“
“I cannot do anything if you are there.”
Lee snapped his mouth shut and turned upon Clipper again, glaring at him.
“Do you mean to renege on your promise to me? To James?” Lee’s nostrils flared with anger.
Clipper shook his head.
“I mean that recovery will not be possible.”
“I fail to see how—“
Clipper interrupted him again. “Do you agree that it is you who have caused him to be in such a state?”
Lee looked sullen at this, but did not deny it.
“Then you must see that your presence would be detrimental to Connor. And to the child he carries.”
Lee swallowed thickly, and Clipper began to hope that the man who leave him alone, would allow him to be by Connor in peace.
To see Connor again. To be by his beloved mentor and make the man whole and well again...
“Do you give your word?” Lee began softly. “Do you give your word that you will not try anything to cause him to lose the child? That you will do whatever it is in your power to bring him back, to make him well enough to birth the child?”
Clipper didn’t want to. He would not hurt the child, but if Connor was whole and sound of mind and truly did not want to give birth to his hated enemy’s child, then Clipper did not want to be the one to stop him.
But Clipper wanted to see him again so very, very much. Wanted him healthy and whole and utterly unlike that stunned man who had been forced upon in that church one year ago...
“Yes,” he whispered. Then, when Lee made no move, when he gave no indication of having been heard, he repeated himself with a stronger voice. “Yes. I promise. Please let me see to him.”
Lee looked away. “I will give instructions to my servants that you be allowed to see him for one hour unsupervised every day.”
Then, when Clipper opened his mouth to protest, he added, “You will spend the rest of your time with him accompanied by Mary or Matthew, who has been Connor’s doctor since we discovered his first pregnancy.”
Clipper slowly closed his mouth. It was not a great offer, but it was acceptable.
Mutely, he watched as Lee called for his maids and gave them their new instructions. He doubted that all such struggles against the man would go as smoothly as this one did.