(This chapter has been slightly revised after like two years lol)
Read if you want. It could be to your benefit
Thanks to all the reviewers I got for my first chapter! I'm happy you guys girls whatever liked it. There was one review that said it would be soo stupid if it was a Serena and Darien fic. Hmm maybe it's me, but I think I wrote in the first chapter that it was a Serena and Darien fic. All that means is that it contains Serena and Darien in it. They may end up together they may not.spoiler lol If some people don't like them being together then you probably might want to skip this story. Maybe. I've made Serena kind of different from how I would normally write her. Her reaction to Darien's adultery is fun to write. I would have reacted differently, but I'm writing a story about the characters not me. Take it how you will. Once more thank you for all the reviews and opinions. As you all know Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. Hello Cocoa! look your name is up on the net!
The sun was starting to pour down its scorching rays on the carriage that the housed the Duchess Serena Shieldguard and her children. The heat and the distinct feeling of being trapped woke the Duchess from her uneasy slumber. She blinked at the light that crept through the drawn window curtains and yawned.
She was quite uncomfortable. Shelly and Remy had some how moved from the other side of the carriage to her side, and were now fast asleep underneath her arms.
She looked from one face to the other, moving the damp curls that clung to their sweaty foreheads. She covered her hand to her mouth when a stomach turning wave of nausea swept over her.
The sudden occurrence of sweet bile rising in her throat was undoubtedly from all the chocolates and pastries she had eaten. She had not indulged in sweets like this since she had been a very young girl.
Chocolate had been long ago banned at Shieldguard manor. At the time of the "Chocolate Diaspora" as she called it, she had been only seventeen, and the twins had been nearly two months old.
The explanation Darien had given her was that he would not have his new wife becoming fat. "It's bad for your figure darling" he'd said with that infuriating smile.
In a rage she had gone to pastry after pastry shop, only to be told that they were forbidden by "His Grace the Duke of Shieldguard" to sell chocolate or sweets to her. She had been humiliated by there grins and smirks. One had even dared called it a lover's quarrel.
'Ah! Lover's quarrel is the best kind. The lovemaking is so passionate afterwards.' chimed in her head.She decided to ignore the little voice that had added itself to her conscience of late.
If she pretended she didn't hear it then maybe it would go away, and she wouldn't have to think she was going mad.
In retaliation to Darien restricting her of her rights to eat sweets, she had "accidentally" broken two of his most prized Elizabethan ceramics.
The end result had been her having to go and "visit" her friend in an attempt to escape his rage. Ashamed, of her childish behavior she had replaced the two priceless pieces with to slightly smaller ones of the same era.
That was back when they could still be fairly civil to each other, now if she broke anything of his, it stayed broken, whether it was by accident or the not. Darien treated her with the same civility.
As the wife of a Duke she was always to be the model of propriety, but this early morn when she had entered the pastry shop, she'd triumphantly declared the hell with propriety.
She was a woman, not a babe. For the first time in her entire existence she controlled her own life. As if that statement had been a revelation of her new found identity, her mind had begun to run with thoughts that she had never dared let cross her mind.
In all her excitement, the urge to undo the constricting stays on her corset and send it with boxes of chocolates and red garters to her husband had been overwhelming.
'I would have done it.' the voice said.
Thankfully, her pride and modesty had kept her sanity in check. At the time it had been quite a triumph to out eat Shelly and Remy by three pieces of cake each.
It might not have been the thing for a responsible mother and Duchess to do, but she had counted it as a testament to her new found freedom. Her stomach heaved again. She prayed that the nauseating effects of her liberation by gluttony were not a sign of things to come.
'Not if I have anything to do with it' the voice said again
"I'm going insane." Serena muttered. She shook her head and took deep breathes trying to ease her restless stomach.
"Of course it is not a sign." She told herself. "All it means is that I should never go shopping for sweets again, ever."
She looked at the three pound boxes of Winterfield's chocolates sitting on the floor of the carriage. She had gotten a bit carried away with the chocolate, but she assured herself it was an investment in freedom.
At that very moment the sweet smell of the melting chocolate, and the incessant bouncing of the carriage roused her stomach. 'Watch out below!' the voice seemed to shout. Serena nearly trampled over Shelly trying to get to the window.
Darien was furious, but one would never know it, because he betrayed no signs of anger. He believed in his own philosophy of not showing one's true emotions to anyone.
Men who could not control their emotions were weak. They became susceptible to their weaknesses, which could easily be exploited. And to be controlled by your own failings was utterly disgraceful.
'Let's see how long that shall last.' Rang in his head. He growled at the voice in his head, then immediately stopped. Having a reaction to a voice in his head would surely acknowledge that there was indeed a voice in his head and surely there was no other voice because then he'd have to admit he might be going mad. So the natural thing to do was to act as normal.
He had even managed to joke with the servants and stable hands while waiting for his groom Edward to ready the carriage. When the time began to tick by, his irritation began to grow, and his placid facade began to fracture. 'It's only a matter of time' rang out in his head.
He was starting to pace around the stables. Steven who was always keen on any changes in his master's attitude, suspected all wasn't right in the world of Duke of Shields.
"Sir is everything alright?" he asked. Darien didn't seem to hear him. Steven cleared his throat, wondering if he should try again.
The Duke had a very volatile temper that he tried to keep hidden. But Steven had known Darien since he was a boy. Although he seemed calm, something was obviously not, right.
"Your Grace?" he said again tentatively.
"What?" Darien snapped, his irritation beginning to break through in his voice. "Is something the matter?" Steven asked.
Darien looked at Steven. Steven came from a long line of butlers. His family was one of the oldest generations of butlers in England. He had known Steven ever since he was a young child. He had inherited Steven's service from his own father.
Steven was a testament to their loyalty and legacy, and for some reason Darien was exceedingly annoyed with him. It wasn't his fault that the little witch had stolen his children. Darien arched his brow. It was Steven's fault.
"Steven get my horse, and tell Edward never mind. By the time he's finished she could be half way across the country." he said mostly to himself.
"Why would she be half way across the country sir?" Steven asked. Steven also had a way of completely being blinded to the obvious. "Are you speaking of your beast Pegasus? I could have sworn Pegasus was male."
Darien looked at Steven's balding head and concerned expression becoming more agitated. He snapped.
"Damn it Steven! Would you kindly go and get my bloody horse!" he yelled. 'Told you!' The voice shouted. 'I'm going insane' Darien thought.
Everything went quiet for a minute. He looked around at the shocked stable hands staring at him. "Well get back to your jobs Damn it! What I am I paying all of you for!" he shouted.
"So much for not betraying my emotions." he muttered. "Oh my," Steven said, and promptly went to go fetch his master's beast.
Darien rode Pegasus hard. Pegasus didn't mind. He knew his master and absorbed his mood. They became one being when Darien rode him. He was Darien's most prized Arabian thoroughbred.
Riding Pegasus had always been a form of therapy for him. He was able to think much more clearly when riding him. He was starting to come out of the shock of what Serena had done, and he found he didn't like what the reality offered him.
He knew the Duchess well enough to know that she planned on leaving and never coming back. He smiled. The hell she would. Who did Serena think she was playing with? He would drag her back if he had to.
First he was headed to the place he would most likely find her. The house that seemed more like a bordello than the home of a Lady. The vipers nest of Mina Lovington, or was it Heartintgly? Whatever the case, it was one or the other. The woman had been married so many times he had lost count.
She was the only person of the ton who Serena seemed to recognize as a friend. The irony of it was laughable. She was probably the one who had put the idea in Serena's head.
He reared his horse when he reached the gate of her estate.
"Whoa Pegasus!" Darien said pulling back the reigns.
A young boy jumped up to open the wrought iron gates.
"Is your mistress in?" Darien asked impatiently. The boy blushed and nodded his head. Darien sighed. He always seemed to have that dumbstruck effect on people. 'He's not the only one suffering from dumbness.' The voice said.
"Come on boy!" Darien said putting Pegasus in full trot when the gate was finally opened.
The boy stared after the young man riding up the coble stones on the most magnificent beast he'd ever seen. He reminded him of a picture of a knight he'd once seen.
He shook his head, embarrassed at the feelings the sight of his beautiful face and lean body had aroused in him. 'Who was that man?' he wondered.
Darien dismounted his horse and handed the reins to a servant who had come up to take Pegasus to the stables. Darien, not waiting for an invitation to enter, opened the huge double doors, which he knew were always unlocked and walked into the house.
For once he ignored the giggling girls that peaked from behind corners at him. He sniffed indignantly. The house had a distinct feeling and smell of a brothel. He'd been in enough of them to know.
"Where's your mistress?" he asked one of young maids that always seemed to be lingering around with nothing to do. They always seemed to be without anything to do however, when they spotted a gentleman who might take enough interest in them to occupy their fancies.
A very young girl with enforced cleavage pushing up against her bodice pointed towards the parlor. "Thank you." he said causing her to squeal with delight after he had left.
Darien could here shouts of laughter coming from the closed doors of the conservatory. Without knocking, he slid open the cream colored doors, and walked into the bright room.
Sitting on a gaming table with playing cards and wine glasses surrounding her was the Lady Mina Lovington and all her beaus. They seemed not to have heard his entrance, so he cleared his throat loudly.
The lady Mina turned her head swiftly towards the door, causing some of the contents in her wine glass to spill. The uproarious laughter ceased immediately and all eyes were on the new arrival.
The faces of the five gentlemen at the table immediately turned sour when they saw who the intruder was. There were a few red faces among them also.
They were none to happy to see their rival the Duke of Shields standing in the door way with the light haloed around him like a damned Greek god.
At the thought of Darien looking anywhere close to a god, they began to shift in their seats self consciously.
All of them at some point in their lives, had been involved in situations involving the Duke, their wives, or other female relatives. The out comes had been in his favor.
None of them would have dared to challenge him. He smiled at them teeth white, straight, and gleaming. Now for him to see them sitting there openly drinking and gambling was a deep disgrace.
"Gentlemen," he said, greeting them with a tilt of his head. They all nodded to him, and solemnly continued their game. He smiled out of the corner of his mouth. He definitely had no friends here.
Mina stared up at the surreal figure standing in her doorway. For a moment her heart felt like it had skipped a beat. Old feelings began to resurface, but she quickly pushed them aside.
"Darien!" she exclaimed cheerfully. She wanted to jump from the table and run to him, but then she glanced quickly at the five faces that stared up at her.
"I mean, my dear Duke. How lovely of you to call! And to what might I ask, do I owe this unexpected visit?" she said relaxing her smile and raising her glass to him.
Darien stepped down unto the floor of the conservatory and walked towards Mina. The men sitting around her stirred. What yellow-bellies and malingerers they were. Darien smirked.
They need not worry that he would expose them. He wasn't the sort to gossip, but he did play a game of black mail know and then. How very unfortunate for all of them that he had discovered them here.
Two of the men where married viscounts, the rest belonged to the Almack's club, which he had membership and frequented weekly. It would be scandal if the ton knew they had spent even one hour in the house of a Lady that was widowed and already held a sullied reputation in the ton.
As for Lady Mina, her open debauchery was shameful. No wonder she was almost shunned by everyone in the ton. No man or woman who valued their good name would be seen with her.
How ironic that this was the person Serena chose to associate herself with. He should have stopped their interactions a long ago. He could not exclude Mina's presence in his wife's life from influencing Serena's behavior.
He lifted her hand, and Mina's stomach flipped when he brought his lips down to kiss her hand. It meant nothing of course.
She stared at him in a daze. "Well," she said airily. She pulled her hand back and looked away from him trying to regain her composure.
"Gentlemen, excuse me it seems I shall have to steal Lady Mina away for a moment." he said finding great delight at the tightening of their faces. Lord Featherby, Lord Petegrew, Lord Brighton, Lord Defleur, and Lord Grinestone they were all cowards, the whole lot of them.
Mina fanned herself briefly. "Excuse me gentlemen." she said, sliding off the table. She let him lead her towards the door as he took her arm.
Once they were outside the doors, the hold Darien had on her arm tightened. He quickly swung her around to face him.
"Where is she?" he hissed quietly. Mina looked at him in confusion.
"Where is who? What the hell are you talking about?"
Darien tightened his grasp on her arm. Mina looked down at the fingers that grasped her arms then up at him. "And let me go, you're hurting me! What in God's name is the matter with you?" she asked.
"Mina I have no time to play games with you. Where is The Duchess?" he hissed. Mina stared at him as if he had grown a second head. "What do you mean where is Duchess? Isn't she at home?" she asked.
Darien gritted his teeth. This woman could drive a priest mad. "Damn it Mina, if she was at the manor I wouldn't be asking you!" he shouted. He took a deep breath. He had to calm down, he couldn't afford to have others over hear them. He released his hold on her arm, and ran his fingers through his hair.
The Lady Mina began to smile. "If I understand you correctly," she said putting her hand to her mouth. She did her best impression of absolute horror.
"Serena's gone… and you, her husband,don't know where she's is?"
Darien looked at her from the corners of his eyes. He could see the wheels in her little blond head begin to turn.
Suddenly she began to laugh. She doubled over and clutching her stomach as she laughed harder. "Oh God! Oh God! She really did it!" Mina bellowed.
Darien's temper went through the roof. He grabbed Mina and slammed her hard against the wall. "If I find out you had anything to do with her leaving, I swear I'll kill you Mina." he seethed.
Mina's laughter quickly turned to hiccoughs that vanished as soon as they'd started. It seemed that Darien hadn't changed that much over the years after all.
She cleared her throat, and stepped a little off to the side. "Of course I had nothing to do with it." she said. She looked at Darien's calm expression, and began to smile again.
"Why do you care if she's gone anyway?" she asked suspiciously.
"Don't tell me you're actually worried about someone other than yourself? Oh my, could it be that you've fallen in love with your wife and that you can't bear to go on without her?" she said in her usual sarcastic tone.
She almost wished it was true. Darien falling in love with Serena, or falling in love with her, either would be expectable in her book. She lived for drama, and more than anything she wanted to see Serena happy or someone in her life happy. She had to admit, the girl was growing on her.
"You had better watch the way you speak to me, and no you twit." Darien said causing her smile to falter. "Serena has taken Shelly and Remy with her." he said running his fingers through his hair.
Mina began to choke. "What!" she shouted.
Darien folded his arms and stared at her. He gritted his teeth.
"Do you want heaven as well as those blathering idiots in there to here you? But then again you never were very graceful, were you?" he said matter-of-factly.
Mina blushed. "That's beside the point! What did you do to her, besides the usual?" She said narrowing her eyes at him. They stared at each other for a few moments.
Darien cleared his throat. "I see that coming here was useless." he turned to leave.
This had been a complete and utter waste of time. One wrong lapse in time could cost him dearly. He'd learned as much fighting on the Continent.
When he was almost out of the door, he heard an unsettling shrill laughter, and then a loud shout that sounded like 'Vive! Le Liberation!'
'Amen!' the voice boomed inside his head. He slammed the door hard on his way out.
Lady Mina sipped on a glass of wine while the men played. Her mind was some where else now. So that's what Serena had meant when she had told her on the wharf that she was going to liberate herself someday.
She had thought that Serena had been referring to throwing away her corsets. Even though corsets weren't readily worn these days, the scandal would still have been wicked, and everyone knew she enjoyed a good scandal here and there. She had even ardently agreed to do the same. Serena had looked at her and laughed.
She smiled into the wine glass. If she was correct she knew exactly where Serena was. They weren't the best of friends, but it was so obvious where Serena was going. Men were idiots. How could Darien not figure it out? 'I think I'll be taking a little vacation myself' she thought.
"Eeelllaaa" she shouted. "Ready my bags!"
This is the end of chapter two (revised). It was a little short but the next one will be long. Now go on and review if you like it! In the next chapter will begin to understand the reality and magnitude of what she's done or is planning to do…
