“Come now, don’t be so stubborn. You do have to eat."

Venomania was staring down at the luxurious ensemble he’d chosen to wear to dinner. Karchiss didn’t understand the logic of changing perfectly clean clothing several times a day. He could generally wear one suit of clothes for three days straight, assuming his trousers didn’t stain with mud from the village roads. The Duke’s tall boots would’ve prevented a single drop from sullying his fine clothes, even then.

"I don’t have anything suitable to wear," Karchiss muttered, "and I’m not so terribly eager to see Yufina right now."

"You won’t see her," the Duke assured him. "She generally takes her food in her room, or in the gardens. Quite a shy girl, your beloved." As he began to strip, Karchiss glanced hastily away. “I suppose that’s one characteristic the two of you share.”

"Can’t you just send a servant up with food?"

"I could, but leaving you to eat alone on your first night here would make me a singularly ungracious host."

Karchiss sighed. The Duke was evidently improprietous only when it suited his whims.

"They’re going to discover your presence here at some point. It will also become apparent what you are, and the moment that happens, you will never know peace again. You must continue your ill-advised charade for the time being. I should hate to have you stolen away from me so soon."

Karchiss glared at him. If he’d still had access to the dagger, he might’ve been tempted to use it. The impulse dissolved soon enough. Venomania was smiling through the curtain of his loose hair, bare to the waist, ivory skin untouched by the harsh sun of summer or the cutting wind of winter, unbearably fine and warm and-

His face felt suddenly hot.

The Duke reached out and took his hand. "My lady," he intoned, bowing politely, "it would be my most supreme pleasure to have you as my guest this evening."

"Bastard," Karchiss mumbled, as Venomania kissed his fingers.

"I have the perfect dress for you." He produced a spectacular bundle of fabric from its place within the wardrobe. It was tied with a velvet ribbon which the Duke surreptitiously appropriated. He held it out to Karchiss with an eager smile.

"It’s very- gold."

"Yes." Venomania paused. "I’m told it belonged to my mother. It’s a court dress, very stylish in its day. Now I’m sure it would be regarded as hopelessly outdated, but fashion in this country is roughly thirty years behind, so-" He shrugged. "I’m quite certain it will make you the envy of everyone present."

"As if that’s what I want."

"I want it." The Duke was leaning in close. Karchiss could smell the same damp clean as before, and something else, like smoky incense. "I want them to know you’re mine, that I’m coming back with you tonight." He caressed Karchiss’s face. "Do you object to that?"

“What use could my objections possibly serve?”

"Then undress."

Karchiss hesitated.

"Do I have to help you figure out how to take mens’ clothes off too?"

"Idiot. I know how to do that just fine." He hastily removed his borrowed shirt, then unfastened the equally oversized, awkwardly gathered trousers. "Be a gentleman, please."

Apparently propriety meant nothing to the Duke at that moment. Venomania leaned against the wardrobe, watching him intently, and Karchiss gritted his teeth, trying to salvage whatever was left of his dignity in any way possible. In the end he sat down and turned his back to the Duke’s uncompromising gaze.

A hand touched his shoulder. Karchiss glanced up, feeling as though he had wronged the man somehow. "Allow me to help you with your stays."

"I’d rather not.”

Venomania sat down beside him. His body was very warm. The room was cold- the fire had not yet been made- and Karchiss was shivering. The Duke laid his head on his shoulder. "The dress won’t fit you properly without it," he murmured. "Besides, a badly laced corset is what gave you away to me. You can be sure the women will notice more quickly." His voice was soft, pleasant. Karchiss could listen to it for hours, as he’d once listened to Yufina’s, before he’d become too preoccupied to notice her quiet suffering, and she’d begun to speak less and less to him. Sometimes there were things he wanted to hear her say again. Things he could imagine this voice telling him-

You must learn how to properly see to her needs.

Was the Duke really trying to teach him something, after all? Karchiss stood up. Venomania was holding the corset in his lap. "Thank you for your offer of assistance."

The Duke smiled at him. "You’re welcome." His neck was still bare, and though the thin cut Karchiss had given him had long stopped bleeding, seeing it there still caused him a physical pain.

"You’re going to have to turn around. Put both your hands on the bedpost." Karchiss did as he was instructed. It was honestly the same way he and the charwoman had gotten it on before, but he’d been irritable and impatient and yelled at her most unkindly, and after about half an hour of resistance and abuse, the good woman had finally given up. This time he was resolved to go through with it fully and without complaint.

Venomania had unlaced the thing entirely and was now sliding it around his chest and stomach. He held it in place with one firm hand while working the laces in with the other, his body brushing close. It wasn’t as disagreeable as Karchiss had expected, not even when the Duke began to tighten the cords. "Hold fast," he admonished. "Lean forward as far as you can and keep pulling, no matter what. Don’t give up your ground."

"You sound as though you’re an officer supervising the hauling of cannons."

"You’re about to wish that I were." With that, Venomania jerked at the laces, and Karchiss stumbled back for a moment before regaining his forward momentum.

"Now I know how the horse feels at the reins," he muttered.

The Duke gave another strong pull. "Act as though you mean to fall over. Don’t worry, I won’t drop you." He shifted his weight accordingly, and the Duke drew him slowly towards him, on his strings like a marionette, until Karchiss stood directly against his body. "At this point, I should put my knee to your back to make the knot hold true, but considering the injury I gave you, I’m going to wrap the cords and tie them in the front instead."

Feeling the Duke’s arms surround his waist, Karchiss sank back closer against him. "This should make it easier to take off as well."

He nodded but didn’t immediately draw away. He was quite sure the Duke was staring down at his lower body and the reaction he’d caused there, but it wasn’t so embarrassing as long as he couldn’t see Venomania’s face. Karchiss felt oddly compliant. Maybe that was the reason men had shoved women into corsets in the first place, but he really didn’t mind it. The Duke took a deep breath and slowly pushed him away.

"Get dressed, Karchiss."

He’d never been in a room with so many women before. The dining table looked as though it’d been transplanted from a castle, but it still wasn’t large enough to seat everyone. Other tables were scattered around, filled with the swirl of heavy gowns and lighter voices. The scent of various perfumes permeated the atmosphere, overwhelming, almost nauseating. Karchiss hesitated. It had been pleasant, walking arm in arm through deserted hallways with the Duke, but standing in the midst of so much sensuality, he felt extremely ill at ease.

"Karchiss," Venomania whispered, "are you unwell?" He didn’t answer. "Do you wish to leave?"

All the conversation suddenly stopped. Everyone was staring at the elegant lady clinging so closely to the Duke. Their collective gaze was not particularly kind.

"No," he answered slowly. "Let’s sit down."

"Good evening, Lord Duke," someone called out. "Who is your lovely companion?"

"Yes, who is she?," more voices demanded. The Duke gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Good evening, my treasures. This exquisite creature came to me but today, and, unfortunately, I do not yet know her name." A murmur of protest went up all around them. Karchiss had never witnessed a riot before, but he imagined the present situation might easily escalate into something which bore a passing resemblance. Pretending to be deaf would be useless- someone might already have seen him speak a few words to the Duke- so he settled on the next best course of action.

"Donsla paria ne segeldish. Ne borenlat." He said the nonsensical phrases in his best approximation of a female voice as a hush fell over the room. Venomania smiled down at him, unfazed.

"This lady has come a very long way to join me," he announced. "I cannot decipher the meaning of her speech-" The Duke wrapped his arms around Karchiss protectively, and rather more dramatically than was strictly necessary. "Only her body."

Karchiss stared up in alarm as Venomania leaned down to kiss him but didn’t exactly resist. The murmuring resumed, this time in quiet whispers. No one was very careful what they let slip- the foreign lady could not possibly understand them, and they seemed cruelly eager to exploit that.

"She’s obviously very high-born."

"She doesn’t belong here."

"The Duke is very well-read, and has traveled throughout the Continent. Is it really possible he does not know her language?" To which a companion responded, "Perhaps she’s come from Russia?"

"Nobility or not, that dress is far too much. It puts every one of ours to shame."

"How are we to compete with an exotic who cannot communicate her own will? The Duke will take full advantage of her ignorance."

"Beneath that scarf, I would wager her head is covered in lice." In answer: "It may be the custom of her country."

"She’s too pale to be one of the heathen."

"There are also heathens in Russia." Upon hearing this, two or three of the women made the sign of the cross.

"The Lord Duke desires a proper harem," someone nearby was joking.

Karchiss looked out on a veritable sea of resentment and felt his heart sink within him. All of his life he had known women as men know women, beautiful, soft, incorruptible souls, patient, kind, and understanding. Now he was but one amongst them, the dissonance was unrelenting. His only solace lay in the fact Yufina was nowhere to be seen crossing herself, or insulting him along with the others.

He glanced to where the Duke was sitting beside him. Venomania seemed unspeakably sad, and Karchiss, without thinking, laid his head on the other man’s chest. Surrounded by such unaccountable madness, the madman appeared almost painfully sane.

"You can’t be serious," the woman was protesting. "It’s my night tonight, and I refuse to give you up to this-" She frowned disdainfully at Karchiss in his overextravagant dress, looking for all the world as though she’d come down with a most alarming case of indigestion.

"My dear," the Duke responded softly, "she has no where else to go. She does not even speak our language. Arrangements have not currently been made-"

"I don’t care about any of that! This isn’t what you promised."

Lord Venomania sighed. Karchiss interrupted with more of his gibberish, somehow managing to work in the words ’drawing room’, albeit with a heavy and hopefully convincing accent, but the Duke hastily grabbed at his shoulder.

"No. I won’t allow it." He bowed to the woman dismissively. "Forgive me for saying so, fraulein, but I find the jealousy in your demeanor most unbecoming."

"Lord Duke!," she shouted loudly. "You absolutely cannot send me away!" Venomania turned the key in the lock, careful to keep a firm grip on Karchiss’s arm. "Good night, fraulein."

He shut the door rather unceremoniously in her face, then pressed his back hard against it. The woman swore for several minutes before the sound of her exaggerated footsteps retreated down the corridor.

"I despise being told what I can and cannot do," the Duke complained bitterly. "In all honesty, it’s become quite bothersome being trapped in a house full of women. I am the prisoner here. Not them." He gave Karchiss an apologetic smile. "Would you mind pouring me some brandy? My nerves are so shaken I dare not attempt it."

Bottles of every description cluttered the bedside table, and Karchiss found the one he was looking for with a certain amount of difficulty.

"How is it you can face a vengeful man with a knife in perfect composure, but a mere argument with a woman makes you unsteady?"

The Duke shook his head. "Nothing a woman does can be called ’mere’," he answered. "Their words are sharper than any dagger, their animosity more dangerous, and I dare say less forgiving." He pulled at his cravat in irritation. "I cannot excuse their cruelty to you tonight."

Karchiss stiffened. "That's inconsequential-"

Venomania sat heavily on the enormous bed, overburdened with its various pillows, as Karchiss handed him his glass. "If you hadn’t insisted on passing me off as a woman, it wouldn’t have happened."

"And what would you have preferred me to do?" The Duke swirled at the amber liquid. "Had everyone watch as I kissed and caressed another man, as I retired with him to my chamber?" He took a long draught, and Karchiss noticed his hand was indeed shaking. "Would you have even let me?"

"No," Karchiss admitted. "Perhaps not."

"Then please grant me the supreme favor of being my lady just a little longer." Venomania took Karchiss’s hand and pulled him down beside him. "You handled that situation with marvelous grace and resourcefulness, and far more refinement than any of those women could’ve managed. I am in awe of it, and you." He paused. "Won’t you have a drink with me, my lady?"

"Why? So you can seduce me? Venomania raised the glass once more. This time he was smiling.

"Exactly so, although I sincerely doubt its necessity." His hand trailed lightly along Karchiss’s bare shoulder.

"Lord Duke? Forgive my asking, but- have you done this before?"

"Offered a man in a dress who tried to murder me a drink?" Venomania drained the last of his brandy. "I’m afraid I’ve never had the pleasure." He sank back against the multitude of pillows with a sigh. "Many times, Karchiss. Aristocrat to servant, once a professore, and the occasional priest-"

"Lord Duke!" Karchiss stared at him in astonishment, while Venomania shrugged.

"They are men like any other."

"And you are the devil incarnate."

"Such repeated accusations from a mouth as sweet as yours and I find myself almost convinced." The Duke softly reached to stroke his face. His hand was warm. The way he gazed at Karchiss was unbearable. "Since the moment I saw you standing before me, shivering, naked as an angel, I haven’t been able to think of anything else. Perhaps it was wrong of me to condemn the fraulein’s jealousy."

Venomania brushed a smooth fingertip over his lips before kissing them quite gently. His slightest touch set Karchiss’s whole body aching. Its memory was etched on his flesh, etched deeply, deeply within it. When he thought of how he’d allowed the Duke to use it, that flesh-

"All throughout dinner I wanted to throw you on top of the table and rip those fine skirts away from your body."

"All throughout dinner I wanted to leave."

Venomania pulled him closer. "And afterwards, what then?" He began to unfasten Karchiss’s dress.

"Lord Duke-"

"If you want me to stop, you have only to utter the word." The bodice dropped to his waist. He stared down into Venomania’s shining eyes, feeling his body grow unaccountably warm. His fingers reached towards the Duke’s throat.

"Do you mean to strangle me now?"

Wordlessly, Karchiss unpinned the broach from the fabric. He ran one finger over the fading cut he’d placed on that pale skin, then loosened the velvet ribbon tying back Venomania’s hair.

"Such boldness," the Duke taunted, as Karchiss peeled away at his jacket.

"I doubt you would’ve had the decency to do it yourself." He lifted off Venomania’s shirt and suddenly found himself gathered up into the other man’s arms. Pressed against that smooth flesh, surrounded by that silky curtain of hair, Karchiss barely noticed the Duke’s lithe fingers pushing away the heavy mass of his skirts. He quickly unlaced Venomania’s trousers and pulled.

"It seems I’ve been outdone," the Duke admitted in a whisper, gripping the cords of Karchiss’s stays and drawing him nearer.

Venomania’s lips softly moved up his neck, punctuated by the sound of their ragged breathing. Then he felt the Duke’s tongue at his ear. Karchiss shuddered, his hand clutching hard at Venomania’s shoulder. The Duke’s lower body ground against him mercilessly. He reached for Karchiss’s corset and shoved it halfway down his chest. His nipples were bare. The hard edge of the reinforced fabric rubbed underneath them whenever Karchiss moved, making him groan. The Duke pressed one hand to his chest, and Karchiss watched in shocked anticipation as his lips caressed the top of the little mound.

"So it’s true. You do have a new type of plaything."

Karchiss turned slowly in the direction of the voice. The door was open. The fraulein was standing just inside the threshold.

"Yufina’s suitor, is it?" She smiled. "I wonder what she’ll say when I mention this little rendezvous-?"