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Click here"Say no more. I know all I need to. You are the high personage the duke has had me discreetly inquiring after?"
"Just so."
Charles was glad to know his letters had made it. Another victory to tell Julia about. The coach came to a halt and both men dismounted. They were on a small wharf, where a sharp little schooner was tied up.
"Michel, rouse the captain," the ambassador said.
He turned to Charles and bowed.
"I should not be seen here. Good fortune to you," he said before climbing back into the coach.
Charles went down and up the gang plank. As soon as the ship was underway, he curled up and slept on the open deck as the wind in the sails lulled him to sleep.
Their crossing was swift and they arrived in Calais in the evening. Charles commandeered a horse and rode for Paris.
He arrived in the evening, going directly to the duke's home. He was admitted to the duke's private study and soon, the great man himself arrived.
"De Locke. I am surprised to see you. I hope you have good cause to appear before me so dressed."
Charles didn't reply. He took off his cloak and his shirt, only then removing the heavy brocade stays he had been wearing since he fled the Russian court.
"Have you a blade?" he inquired.
The duke passed him a dagger off his desk and Charles carefully slit the lining open where he had so laboriously sewed it back up. He retrieved the letter from Elizabeth he had secreted within them and handed it to the duke. The parchment was still in good condition, the great seal of the Tsars still visible in the red wax seal.
De Fleury stared at him and tore open the letter. He read it quickly and then laughed out loud.
"Go home, De Locke. I have much to do. I will call upon you when it is expedient to do so."
"I suppose you are here for your reward?" the duke asked.
"If you please," Charles said, bowing stiffly.
The duke looked up from his desk for the first time since Charles had been shown in. He opened a small drawer and took out two large pieces of parchment, holding one in each hand. He extended the parchment in his left hand.
"I have here a commission as captain in the King's Dragoons," he said, drawing the parchment back when Charles reached for it.
He extended the parchment in his right hand.
"Here, I have the titles, lands and estates of the De Toberville family, including a fine chateau. There is also a generous 100,000 franc pension from a grateful king and, from myself, a one time grant of half a million francs to purchase all you should need to set yourself up as a lady of the court."
"Half a million francs!" Charles exclaimed.
"Indeed."
"It seems, my lord duke, you have a preference in which reward I choose?" Charles said carefully.
The duke stood and turned his back on his guest, staring out the window and clapping his hands behind his back.
"I have many agents, including several women. Do not get me wrong, for certain missions there is no better agent, but women are inherently treacherous tools. They are ruled by emotion and there is no accounting for whom they might fall in love with. A man who can pass as a woman? That's a rare thing. One who can do so and still has the wits to complete missions of the delicacy which you have? Rarer still, and worth the price."
Charles considered this for along time.
"I appreciate your position, but I must take the commission," he said hesitantly.
"I sense some hesitation on your part," the Duke said turning around.
He placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward, staring intently into Charles's eyes. The young man felt a shiver down his spine. He had never seen anyone with such an intense and penetrating glare. He remembered Gustav's words about their being no soul behind those eyes, and he felt his lip begin to tremble.
"I am not able to sweeten the deal much more, but what would it take?"
Charles considered the answer, considered himself and decided to be frank, mostly because he did not believe he could effectively lie under that intense gaze.
"For myself, lord, I could ask nothing more, but I cannot consider just myself."
"Ah, your father?"
"Yes. He's on his death bed. Dr. Chargreave gives him no more than a month or two to live. His son, a captain of the Dragoons, I can make peace with him. I have done nothing, been nothing, and he has been disappointed in me. Even my time in the cavalry was displeasing to him. I can, with one act, erase a lifetime of disappointing him."
"Hmmm. But if that were not a consideration, you would take other offer?"
"I would."
"Well, then what if we reach an agreement?"
"Agreement?"
"I will give you the commission and a three month leave for services rendered to the crown. You may get your uniform, go home and impress your father. Your duties at court will keep you near Paris. When he passes, God rest his soul, you will come here. One of my agents shall continue on to the front in your place and Charles De Locke will be killed in action. Lady De Toberville, meanwhile, will take up residence in her family estate and after a suitable mourning period for her brother whom she could not save, will return to court."
Charles considered it. His head spoke against it, but his heart was sure.
"I accept," he said.
"There is a price, before you agree," he said.
"Name your price," Charles said.
"Only this: when you come here and remove your uniform to don your petticoats, Charles De Locke ceases to exits. You will be Lady De Toberville. Should I ever hear of you appearing as a man again, in public or private, I shall have you thrown in prison."
"I will assume there will be an exception should I need to act as a man while working for you, as on this occasion? I would hate to arrive in Paris with a treaty only to find myself a guest in the king's dungeons."
"Of course. When working for me, anything you have to do is acceptable."
Charles felt his pants, the comforting weight of his saber on his hip, the freedom to breathe. Yet he could still feel his skin come alive when the soft fabric of his corset touched him, the comforting swish of his petticoats, the genuine delight in how pretty he was. The inner debate was brief. He had done nothing in his twenty years as Charles. In two as Charlotte, he had changed the political face of Europe.
"Since you place a condition, I shall too. When my servants and things arrive from Russia, you will see to it they are taken care of until they can take up their positions again. That includes Gustav as my house steward. You will also see to it that my sister is looked after, since she will no longer have a brother for protection."
"Those are strange demands," the duke said in surprise.
"For my own indulgence, I cannot forsake those to whom I have obligations."
"As long as you remember to whom your primary obligation is, I see no problem with that. Your servants can remain here with my household and I have a vested interest in your sister, so I will make sure she doesn't suffer in your absence."
"Very well, then, I accept," Charles said after only a moment's hesitation.
The duke signed his commission and handed it to him.
"Very well then, my lady captain," he added with a sardonic smile.
- COMMENTS
Epic tale …. What a journey and fantastic adventures with an amazing end …. Bestselling quality
CT, this was my last read of your heritage and Thank you for sharing those extraordinary stories ….. your soul rests in peaceful places now and Namaste
Ten hearts for you CT 💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝✨✨✨✨✨✨✨🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸☘️
This is such a long and lovely story, I am thrilled by the story and the great hot sex. I love the gender ambiguity, and the way he begins not just to fuck like a woman but also thinks and relates like a woman - really expanding the range of possibility in his life.
CT is(was) a great writer and character making was great but as far as story goes I couldn't read it fully with far interest. When reading a story I try to attach myself with one of many characters from story and see if I can anticipate. But here I couldn't bring myself to it. I may be biased or stereotype but as far as taste goes this story has none for me.
She could have us fooled? A talented male writer disguised as CT? Hmm never know do we?
I know the author has passed away and my comments are more for her friends who may keep up with her account. This was an engrossing tale, a terrific adventure almost in the Three Musketeers tradition, but with the erotic threads woven in very naturally and convincingly. I was initially intimidated by the length, but I read it in one sitting while sick - such nice company. So glad the tales are still here - RIP, Colleen Thomas.
you write so well, I was caught up in the story, each character played their part and added to Charlotte's education and new understanding of playing a woman, but it wasn't just her role of playing a woman, but how you conveyed a women's point of view, a woman's nuances, strengths and perceptiveness. I found as a female quite empowering, the strength of a women and how often men do underestimate us, yes I know it was a man, but you had to have the guilenesss, cunning and wit to get where they ended up. In the beginning I was looking for more between C and Ivan's relationship, but glad it ended the way it did. Only thing, I wasn't so keen on her 'availability' on the ship, seemed jarring, when she was more selective or rather emotionally connected to her other paramours. But overall loved this, the length was just right. Congrats
When I realized that this story was headed for TV/TG/mm, I almost dropped reading it, but then I remembered - Coleen had never disappointed with a story (and I'm reading her submissions top to bottom, unfortunately nearing the end of the list, so this is saying a lot).
So, I kept reading - and I must say, damned good story, believable, great characters, wonderful history, I could go on but it's all summed up with this: your genre or not, this story is a must-read.
I agree with the general sorrow that the author did not have the opportunity to continue her rendition of the fantastic saga of the Chevalier de Eron. Her rendering of his life up to his return to France is an extraordinary creation. And well interpreted to appeal to our modern tastes.
For those readers uncomfortable with the sexual ambiguities represented by Charles efforts to survive and complete his appointed missions, they fail to understand the realities of past ages. We moderns did not invent homosexuality. In general, we lack the capacity to comprehend any sexual activity that we do not personally practice. Before antibiotics and blood transfusions and sanitation, birthing a child was often a death sentence for many women. Which meant young healthy virginal women were a valuable commodity when rigorous enforcement of lineage was the universal practice.
As for pedantic complaints about spelling, I urge you to read, well, try to read the original source material. On every page, in every language, you will find the same word, when used more then once, spelled differently most of the time. They knew what they were writing about, their readers understood the meanings of what was written. They were not as narrow-minded and anal retentive as modern commentators.
You have a gift for story telling. I hope you enjoyed the writing as much as I enjoyed the reading. Last but not least there were remarkably few errors. However you did try several spellings for Marcus Aurelius. Next time try doing an internet search on the name. Yahoo or Google should be able to confirm your spelling, or offer the correct one. You have by far the best style and story telling of the many authors I've read over the years at Lit. Now if you could just include some hetero sex........
This story is well-told and worth reading without the sex-scenes. Like most of Colleen's work, all of the sex acts are homosexual in nature. This story only has gay-male sex-scenes. You've been warned.
Beautiful piece; very much the 'Lit' of Literotica, with plenty of the erotica present, too! My first favoriting of a story and of an author here.
Only gave it five stars because the damnable thing doesn't have ten.
Wow. That took me two whole nights to read. I never thought I could go through with reading something of this theme, but curiosity kept me going, and I have to admit that it was an interesting read. Sure, there was the sex, but you can find that anywhere. What pulled me in and pushed me through was reading everything and watching through Charles'/Charlotte's eyes how her thinking changed and developed through the various experiences she's had. It's like reading a diary of one who grows older as the pages pass by. The writing as well as the thoughts evolve, and in the end, we are left with someone who is the same and yet completely different.
My only complaint in this story would be it's lack of closure. The ending was just too abrupt, especially with just how unusual the factors are. An epilogue of sorts would probably help round things up.
It was a strange read for me, all-in-all, but nevertheless, it was still entertaining. Good job.
Truly, I cannot imagine what I could say to express how much I enjoyed this. Erotic, detailed and utterly spellbinding. When I started reading I expected a story consisting mostly of sex with a bit of history thrown about carelessly. Instead I found a story that dragged me in as few stories have. Sensual, human, and made all the more sexy by how developed and real the characters feel. Each encounter is charged with real emotion. Drama, warmth,friendship, hatred and sexual tension all in perfect balance against a backdrop that feels real enough to touch. Charlotte is so well developed that the reader cannot help but be pulled into her experience. This story is a work of art.
A most impressive piece, the wit and charm of the story as well as its overall scope was well appreciated. If I have one compliant it must be to say your prejudices are showing. Too many of your arguments were abit too much of the classic straw man ilk, your arguments on gender differences while well thought out at times were also much weaker than your story deserved none the less keep up the good work. 6/5 indeed!!
I believe strongly that man (in the generic sense of man and woman) has a soul that moves to a better place once the earthly body dies. Your soul is out there, constantly as a spirit that reminds me how much joy, erotic pleasure and downright adventure you have left as a legacy to all who read and have read your works. You move me, challenge me, to write better fiction. I read your essays on 'how to write' and see how well you put the theory into action. Thank you. As you look down from your celestial vantage point, I hope you can inspire others to pen with energy and adventure. Your time on earth was too short but you were a bright flame that burned so bright.
As luck would have it, I started to read this the day you left us. It took me awhile to get back to it, real life does that to me sometimes. And when I learned of the world's loss, I still had difficulty returning.
Only a fourth of the way through, and I knew I'd never be able to tell you how you pulled me into a genre I don't really care for. How you teased and tantalized my imagination in such a way.
Last night, I finally worked up the courage to contine the read. Again, you sucked me into your tale. When I finished reading at 5:00 this morning, I decided to sleep before writing a comment you will never receive.
For weeks, I've had a hell of a time getting to sleep. No matter how tired I might be, self-incriminating thoughts would flood my mind. When will I finally get a job, how I am going to pay the bills, things I should have done during the day, things I maybe could have done better.
But in the wee hours of this morning as I lay down, you had filled my mind with thoughts of princes and dukes, carriage rides and sword fights, balls and beautiful gowns.
Thank you, Colly. You still have the ability to put a troubled mind to rest. Your beauty still graces this earth.
Always in your debt,
Jenny
You never cease to amaze me. I've read everything you've published on this site, and if you're not writing for a living, you're wasting yourself.
You wove a wonderful tale.(as you always seem to) Thank you for writing it. I have truly enjoyed reading your work.
This story is absouletly wonderful and a pure joy to read. I read it for the first time and am still in awe of the skill and craftsmanship that you used to create such an enthralling tale. No amount of braggin or boasting is suitable for this story. With a gentle pace befitting a lifestyle change you really create a woman out of a man. This is the definitive man into womanhood story. Period. You set the standard for what must be met in even trying to create a story such as this. Very few stories have changed my life. This is one of them. The way in which in showed a lifestyle that gets such misunderstandings is superb. You allow your reader to truly understand why this is appealing. That is the best thing an author could every do for their audience. So many lines are quotable. So many are relevant to today's life. The story may be a period piece, but it rings true today. I look forward to enjoying this story many more times in the future. Thank you very much for sharing such a delicate and delicious treat.
And I'm still in awe of how much it, and your skill in a totally new area, grew. Colly, this is truly amazing work. I remember reading the first opening and the begining of the trip, and I'm actually glad I didn't get to read much more in segments. It started very well, but got better and better as you wrote it. Watching the transition that Charlotte goes through...You wrote it so smoothly and naturally that by the end it's hard to remember when she became a girl in my reading and impossible to see her as a man again. It's up there with Furies as just an irrististable novel to get drawn into and tugged along, consistantly wondering what is next, how the favorite characters will escape, hoping against hope that somehow it will all work out, even wondering what ever happened to some of the minor characters after Charlotte and Ivan left them behind. I have to add that Baron Gosse makes my eyes tear up, beautifuly written character.
Colly, I'm impressed. I knew you were fabulous, everyone on Lit knows that you're one of the best, but I'm so glad you kept going on this one.
You done good.
I just cannot imagine how any literary agent could let Colly get away without a contract in hand from reading any one of her stories, but if one lets her get away after this one, they need their heads examined...thoroughly. This one tops the charts. The history...accurate, the characters... rich and abundant in personality, the writing...simply amazing. Colly, each piece gets better and better, don't know how you'll top this, but I've no doubt you shall.
xoxo Solnishka!
In spite of much of the sexual content being outside my preferences, I could not help but be drawn into the story.
So many characters so well fleshed out. Such a fine feel for the intrigues of the time.
One could hear the music of the balls, the clopping of the horse hooves as they travelled, the clash of swords, the swish of the sails.
A marvelous piece of work.
Well done, Colleen!
My boyfriend now hates me because I decided to stay readding insted of going out with him. It must be a very, very good tale to keep me from seeing him... what do you think??