His Lord and Master

By Andrea Dalling

In the repressive world of Victorian England, two men find freedom where love meets pain.

Percy has loved Lord Hatton ever since coming to live at Hatton Park. Knowing his feelings can never be returned, he has tried to forget the tall, muscular blond who haunts his fantasies. A life at the fringes of society is all Percy can hope for—marriage is impossible. But not for Hatton. Percy fears he'll have to leave the comfort and security of the estate he thinks of as home—he cannot endure seeing the man he loves with another.

Hatton must produce an heir, but the thought fills him with dread. Worse, he must live every day with his late father's ward—Percy, the gentle, dark-haired man who brings grace and beauty to the wilds of Hatton Park. The attraction builds between them, but becoming lovers would mean risking imprisonment. Hatton won't take that chance. He must find a wife in order to protect Percy.

But when Percy is threatened, Hatton's protective instincts explode. He can deny his feelings no longer. Percy submits to Hatton's desire for dominance, and Hatton knows he's found enduring love. Can they live together peacefully in a society that threatens to destroy them? Or must they go their separate ways for their own preservation?

This scorching Victorian M/M romance is for a mature audience. It features power control themes and a happy ending.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LoveLight Press
• Release date: Dec 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9798215776117

Andrea Dalling

Andrea Dalling lives in the sexy Southeast U.S., where the summers are hot and the romance hotter. She loves to torture her characters but eventually rewards them with a happily-ever-after.  Married to her college sweetheart, she's an ally and an advocate for LGBT rights. When she's not writing, she enjoys gardening at her Raleigh home and scuba diving in the clear blue waters of the Caribbean.  You can follow her on Facebook (andrea.dalling.romance) or on Twitter (@Andrea_Dalling). For news about upcoming releases, sign up at http://eepurl.com/00WxP or visit her website at http://andreadalling.com. Want free books? Sign up for her ARC Club to receive advance reader copies. http://eepurl.com/2c4DH

Book preview

His Lord and Master

A Gay BDSM Victorian Romance

Andrea Dalling

LoveLight Press

Copyright © 2017 Andrea Dalling

His Lord and Master by Andrea Dalling.

Electronic Edition.

Editor: Pair of Nines

Cover design: Artesian Well Publishing.

All rights reserved.

No part of this story may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied within critical reviews and articles. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author has asserted her rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book.

This book contains sexually explicit content which is suitable only for mature readers.

First electronic publication: December 2017.

http://lovelightpress.com

This book is set in Victorian England but primarily uses American English.

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

About This Book

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

About the Author

More Books by Andrea Dalling

About This Book

In the repressive world of Victorian England, two men find freedom where love meets pain.

Percy has loved Lord Hatton ever since coming to live at Hatton Park. Knowing his feelings can never be returned, he has tried to forget the tall, muscular blond who haunts his fantasies. A life at the fringes of society is all Percy can hope for—marriage is impossible. But not for Hatton. Percy fears he’ll have to leave the comfort and security of the estate he thinks of as home—he cannot endure seeing the man he loves with another.

Hatton must produce an heir, but the thought fills him with dread. Worse, he must live every day with his late father’s ward—Percy, the gentle, dark-haired man who brings grace and beauty to the wilds of Hatton Park. The attraction builds between them, but becoming lovers would mean risking imprisonment. Hatton won’t take that chance. He must find a wife in order to protect Percy.

But when Percy is threatened, Hatton’s protective instincts explode. He can deny his feelings no longer. Percy submits to Hatton’s desire for dominance, and Hatton knows he’s found enduring love. Can they live together peacefully in a society that threatens to destroy them? Or must they go their separate ways for their own preservation?

This scorching M/M Victorian romance novella is for a mature audience. It features BDSM scenes and a happy ending.

Chapter 1

Maximilian Percy stepped out of the library with a book in one hand and a silver candlestick in the other. The sweet scent of beeswax and the gentle flame warmed him like familiar friends. Shadows flickered on the wall, giving the long corridor an eerie appearance. Percy liked this time of day, when the house was quiet. The real monsters came out during the light.

Living amid such luxury was a privilege that Percy never took for granted. The new lord—Henry, Earl Hatton—might have thrown him out before the old lord turned cold. Instead, an uneasy peace had descended upon the house, Hatton tolerating his presence. Percy worked to keep out of his way.

Engrossed in the book, he walked slowly, only half attending to his surroundings. Everyone else was abed. Or so he thought, until he turned a corner and heard a muted shout.

Percy, what the blazes—watch where you’re going!

Percy stopped short at the gruff baritone. The voice belonged to Hatton. Even the annoyance in it didn’t disturb its musical quality. Percy had loved the sound of that voice since he’d met Hatton, and had dreamed of it often enough when he touched himself at night.

Sorry. Percy looked into his patron’s eyes, which softened ever so slightly. Glittering in the candlelight, they were the most beautiful shade of aquamarine Percy had ever seen.

The two men stood a breath apart, and Percy’s body hummed with low-level desire. It happened every time he got close to Lord Hatton, a hulking Adonis with dirty blond hair that fell rakishly over his forehead. Tall and muscular, Hatton was two-and-twenty, just a year older than Percy. They had lived together at Hatton Park since Percy was fifteen.

Percy’s mother, a dark-eyed beauty and the daughter of a viscount, had died two years into her marriage to Hatton’s father. The old earl had nevertheless continued to treat Percy as a son, lavishing him with the extravagances befitting a peer. The old lord’s death a few months earlier had been a dreadful loss. Percy felt the pain of it every day in a house too empty without the kind voice of its former master.

Since his father’s death, young Lord Hatton had immersed himself in activity—riding and shooting with a parade of guests—so the house was never quiet enough for grief to overtake him.

For Percy, it was not so easy. He had a more studious temperament, preferring reading and drawing and walking in the silent contemplation of nature. He had read Walden through a dozen times. Spending so much time in his head, he could not escape the heavy mantle of grief that the loss of his stepfather had placed on his shoulders.

But nothing seemed to chase away Hatton’s façade of cheerfulness. Raiding my library again, I see, he said. His voice held no malice, but perhaps a slight hint of disapproval shone through.

Percy swallowed. If your lordship does not wish—

With a sweep of his hand, Hatton interrupted him. You may as well enjoy them. Those books do not benefit anyone else in the house. He gave Percy a smirk. In the dim light, Percy could not see whether the expression was kind or dismissive.

Percy understood that he was unwelcome. While the old earl had loved him, to the new lord Percy was a burden. One Hatton had to feed and shelter, without even the offer of vigorous company to repay him.

There had been a time when Hatton had not minded Percy’s quiet and thoughtful disposition. But that had been years ago, before they had started university. Percy had studied for a career in the law, but a bequest from the old earl had ensured that he could live comfortably, as long as he could call Hatton Park his home.

And thus it had been stipulated in the old earl’s will. Young Hatton did not challenge it—he simply endured it, with obvious discomfort and disdain. Sometimes during the hellish meals they spent alone together, Percy would look up to find Hatton watching him with a fierce intensity in his eyes.

Hatton hated him. And it was Percy’s own fault.

Come to the library with me, Hatton said lightly. I need someone to challenge my ideas. And as you’re the only one awake, you’ll have to do. That smirk again.

Percy followed him back to the library. Hatton hummed a drinking tune, one his two friends the Norris brothers had been singing with him over brandy earlier in the evening. Percy had never seen Hatton overindulge—but the same could not be said for the Norrises. They were not kind when they were drunk. They were barely civil when they were sober.

Hatton opened the door to the library and lit a candelabra. He sat behind the desk and Percy in front of it, with no idea what this was about.

Norris is pushing me again to invest in a railroad company. I have been puzzling over it all night. Hatton sat back in the cognac leather chair. My father was frugal—too much so, in my opinion. I could spare three thousand pounds, but this venture seems risky.

Do you trust Norris’s financial judgment?

I do, and he’s not the first to suggest it. Sanderson is one of the principal investors. He’s hinted that if I contribute a substantial sum, he’ll throw in his daughter to sweeten the deal. What think you of that?

The air rushed out of Percy’s lungs. Was that a joke, or could Hatton be serious? A sensation crawled like an insect up Percy’s spine. The thought of Hatton married was unbearable.

But Percy had better get used to it, because it would happen sooner or later. Hatton had a duty to further the family line. And when that day came…Percy would have to leave.

He had tried to will away his feelings for Hatton. Percy’s affairs with young men at university had been a welcome diversion, but each time he saw Hatton again, the truth of it came rushing back. This was not the mere calf love of a schoolboy. It was an all-encompassing devotion, and a physical craving that chased him day and night.

Pain balled into a heavy weight in Percy’s chest. He would never overcome this wastrel of a love. He hated the idea of leaving Hatton Park and the happy memories it held. But seeing Hatton with another would be a bone-crushing blow. He could not endure living with a Lady Hatton, be she the most amiable woman on earth. He could not endure seeing her every day in possession of the only thing he wanted in life.

Percy somehow managed to find his voice. Are you considering it?

Hatton shrugged. I like Miss Sanderson. I was in town when she made her debut two years ago. She’s pretty and vivacious, with a quick mind and a teasing but kind disposition. We’d be compatible, I think.

Percy swallowed. But you are not in love with her?

Hatton shook his head wearily. Men like me do not marry for love.

You could. There must be a thousand suitable women for you to choose from. Percy grew quiet again. Of course he did not wish Hatton to marry at all, but selfishly, if Hatton must marry, Percy would like to see that day pushed as far as possible into the future.

Perhaps. He sat back in his chair, and his eyes drooped closed a moment before he opened them again. It’s late and I’ve been drinking—this is much too serious a subject. I would not consider Sanderson’s suggestion if Norris weren’t persuaded of the wisdom of the railroad investment. And of course I must produce an heir.

Percy’s stomach contracted. He loved children and would be happy with a houseful, if it were not for the means of getting them. The thought of Hatton with a woman, sharing tender caresses, wound a tight ball of pain in Percy’s solar