Merrywood Hall (Part One)

By James Ryder

Jack Curtis, rugged and brooding, fell for kind-hearted Tom Archer the first night he saw him. But as servants at Merrywood Hall pursuing their love wasn't easy because the Honourable Edward Merrywood, heir to vast estate, was a bitter and arrogant man and he was determined to keep Jack and Tom apart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: James Ryder
• Release date: Nov 22, 2015

James Ryder

James Ryder Lives in Ireland. Sign up to his Reader Group below to get FREE books, plus info on upcoming publications. https://us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fb95efc0f5b9115badd6092c7&id=9f05af9fa9

Book preview

Part One

It was the year 1913.

Jack Curtis, a strong and rugged young man from the workhouse, came to Merrywood Hall on the same night a thunderstorm ravaged England. The servants at the Hall thought it was a bad omen. They didn’t like him. The dour Scottish butler, Lodge, was suspicious of this savage and watched Jack carefully as he tried to warm himself by the fire in the servants’ hall. Jack looked like a drowned rat. The housekeeper, Mrs. Murdoch, was worried that he might steal the silver in the night and couldn’t understand what had possessed Lord Merrywood to bring a workhouse lad back to the Hall.

The maids whispered to themselves in the corner. They tried to decide if Jack was handsome or not. There was certainly something brooding about him. Was it his dark, narrow eyes, vigilant and imbued with a touch of violence? Was it the square, clenched jaw? Or was it simply that Jack was tall and broad shouldered, lean and muscular. Jack’s body was manly and sensual. A hint of danger was always attractive.

There was a debate about where Jack was to sleep. Mrs. Murdoch objected to the idea of him having a bed in the attic ― how could she get any sleep knowing he was so close and capable? Lodge suggested that Jack be given a pallet in one of the stores.

It was Tom Archer, the footman, who went against the prevailing tide of opinion.

‘I don’t see why he shouldn’t have a bed like the rest of us,’ he said.

‘He could cut our throats in the night!’ Mrs. Murdoch protested.

Tom studied Jack’s face, as if he could read his inner thoughts. He didn’t see any violence in them ― uncertainty, yes, but not violence. Tom didn’t fear Jack. The feeling was mutual. Jack saw decency in Tom, a kind―heartedness. As they stared at each other in the servants’ hall the two young men formed a bond there and then ― a silent, invisible bond that nobody else noticed.

‘I don’t think he’ll give us any trouble,’ Tom assured the other servants.

‘Then he can stay with you,’ Lodge said.

‘Fine with me, Mr Lodge. There’s an extra bed in my room.’

So when all the servants went to bed Tom showed Jack to his room in the eaves of the house. It was simply furnished with two iron―framed beds, a wardrobe, wash―stand, and a chest of drawers. It was cold. The house was old and had draughts. Tom pulled a screen across the room to allow Jack to undress and wash in private. Tom caught sight of Jack’s reflection in the mirror. He was struck by the lithe muscularity of Jack’s body and was turned on by the fleeting glimpse of the large cock hanging between Jack’s thick thighs.

He had been telling Jack about life at Merrywood Hall and now he’d lost his train of thought. ‘Um...what was I saying?’

From behind the screen Jack said, ‘You were talking about Lord Merrywood.’

‘Oh yes... He can be a cantankerous old thing, but he’s fair. You’ll like Lady Merrywood though. She’d a decent soul, a real lady.’

Jack asked Tom to blow out the candle before he jumped into bed. He was naked. The sound of Tom’s voice, gentle and warm, coupled with the fact that Jack thought him handsome, had given Jack an erection. He wanted to hide it from him that first night.

*

Jack was put to work in the stables as a groom because