Among my many published gay stories there are lots of free episodes and some episodes that never made it into any of the novels. I am giving all these away free under the title of "Loose Leaves". My main themes are adult relationships between young men, the fascination of a gay man for straight men and the blossoming of homosexual relationships.
I have written many gay/bisexual stories and would welcome any feedback. This particular story "Archie" is a Victorian Occult fantasy. It is available for the Kindle on Amazon. It is slower-paced than some of my gay novels and details the homoerotic friendship between two young, virgin men in Victorian society, who do not yet realise they are homosexual, but nevertheless develop a strong, intimate, adult friendship.
So this time, don't expect explicit gay fiction, but hopefully you will enjoy the more naive, homoerotic descriptions.
My Blog is: http://richardpetersbooks.blogspot.co.uk/
My Amazon author page is: http://amazon.com/author/richardpeters
Archie Chapter 1 – The Meeting
With heavy heart I descended from the horse-drawn cab outside the Stand club
I was eighteen years old and on the verge of manhood, in the year of our Lord 1905. But my boyish heart was being strangled by society and my parent s expectations of me.
"Archibald" My father had said when I reached sixteen years of age. "You will move into the family firm and study for your papers" he had insisted, after I had said I wished to be an artist.
Upon his words the clouds of conformity descended upon my young heart. I looked to my mother for rescue, she being a gifted pianist and understanding of the artistic heart. She had smiled sadly and cast her eyes down, away from her darling son, in deference to my father ,the head of "Copthorne & Son" Bookkeepers and fiscal agents.
My fate was sealed and I became the "& Son" that my father had once been to his father.
My two years of training in the financial ways of the world were not entirely unpleasant. There was even an aesthetic beauty to be found in the precision and accuracy of numbers. But my heart found little solace in this, while it still yearned for the joy and freedom of expression to be found in the artist's ways.
I still painted on an evening and my mother had given over half of her music room to form a studio for me, in front of the north facing window. But my father did not approve, calling my work "childish dabbling".
"It's time to come into society and find a wife, Archibald." He constantly said, but I found the musical evenings and dinner parties tedious and the company of the young women being forwarded into society unexciting. My mother's presence at the musical evenings helped make them bearable. No girl would ever fill the space in my heart that my mother occupied.
As I stepped into the doorway of the Stand club, I fingered my starched collar to ensure my appearance was neat. This was my first meeting as representative of Copthorne & Son. For the first time I found myself wishing I had allowed what whiskers I could grow to grow. "Grow your whiskers, boy!" Father had commanded. "You must take a man's appearance if you wish to be attractive to the young women of society." I had steadfastly shaved my thin boyish whiskers and although I could now probably grow some reasonable, if whispy, side-whiskers and a sparse moustache, I had stubbornly refused to change my appearance from a boy to a man.
But here on my first assignment as a financial consultant I did wish I had made myself more manly and mature. I was meeting with Viscount Bottlebury to receive some papers from him. The club's steward ushered me into the plush sitting room on production of my business card and my request for his Lordship. He led me past several dark green leather armchairs to the far and most discrete side of the room.
The steward presented my card on his silver tray to the figure hidden by the high backed green chair. The hand took my card and the steward faded away into the smoke filled air of the club. I was startled when a young man stood and smiled at me, offering his hand.
"Mr Copthorne!" He smiled and held my hand softly. I felt a strange shiver through my arm and chest. "Percival Bottlebury" The immaculate young man of clear breeding said. "My father, Viscount Bottlebury asked me to come into town to hand over his papers, for your company to audit."
"Archibald Copthorne" I replied, squeezing his hand to indicate I was a serious man of business. "My father asked me to collect the papers."
Lord Percival Bottlebury let my hand go and my soul felt a chill of loss. He indicated the luxurious chair opposite his own and he sat down regally indicating for me to sit also. He smiled a pleasant smile and crossing his legs said "It seems this business is given equal weight of importance by both my father and your own, that they send their sons as messengers!" He smiled.
"Oh I can assure you and your Lordship that I am fully authorised by my father to engage in business!" I said rather defensively.
Percival Bottlebury laughed a merry laugh and I felt my bubble of self-importance softly deflate. I smiled back and Lord Percival clicked his fingers summoning the steward. I requested a whiskey in echo of Lord Percival's request.
Two glasses of fine Malt appeared on a tray and I took mine, after his young lordship took his.
I sipped it, hiding my horrific distaste at the effect on my palette. Percival Bottlebury handed over a file of papers and I popped it into my briefcase, it being bad form to look at them outside the office.
I took the opportunity to glance surreptitiously at the young heir, not feeling it my place to engage too open a look at my social better. The fair, youthful face seemed to be amused, as he sipped his whiskey and placed the glass on the table between us un-crossing his legs and crossing them over the other way. His face was soft and he was still clearly a boy, although I judged him to be my age, but like me he was un-whiskered. His hair was fair and immaculately cut in a foppish style; his eyes were silver-grey, his nose aristocratic and fine; his high cheek-bones and sunken cheeks gave him a soft, vulnerable appearance; his lips were red and moist against his pale skin. He wore the collar of a landed gentleman, as opposed to my rounded collar of a business gentleman. His suit was a pale brown gentleman's suit, compared to my grey business suit. His trousers were wonderfully well tailored to his legs; his crossed over thigh filled but did not stretch the material. He wore fine brown brogues on his feet. He was every inch a noble young gentleman.
Percival Bottlebury laughed out loud, breaking my covert inspection of him. Isn't whiskey foul!" he whispered with a conspiratorial grin. "How I would prefer my nurse's delicious hot chocolate!" He laughed. I laughed back, taking an instant liking to my noble companion.
We both sat back in our chairs, distancing ourselves from the foul, adult drink and smiled at each other like naughty boys.
I felt myself blush slightly as the young Percival inspected me. "I think we will be great friends!" He declared decisively.
"I would like that very much Lord Bottlebury." I said, trying to smile and look relaxed.
"Percy" he said. "Archibald?" He checked on my preferred name.
"Archie." I said. "My friends call me Archie."
Percy reached across our abandoned whiskeys offering his hand again, this time in friendship, rather than business. "A friend I am, Archie!" He smiled and I noticed his handsome teeth.
"Yes, indeed, Percy!" I eagerly agreed. Our hands met and embraced in friendship. This time I held his strong, smooth hand softly, just like my new friend did mine. Our eyes met and the friendship was sealed. My heart leapt joyfully, as our mouths smiled at each other.
"Let's go somewhere less stuffy!" Percy said, clicking his fingers for the steward to appear swiftly, out of the cigar smoke. "Please keep Mr Copthorne s briefcase in safekeeping until he returns." He commanded in a tone of one used to giving orders.
"Yes sir" The servant replied.
Suppressing laughter, my new friend and I left the Strand Club. Out in the London street we laughed joyfully at our release. "Let's go to Lyons Tearooms!" Percy suggested in a way that brooked no disagreement. I was happy to go along with his suggestion.
"Shall we walk or take a cab?" He said, preparing to hail a nearby horse-drawn cab. "We'll walk!" he answered his own question and strode off down the Strand with a merry gait. I skipped off catching him up and we looked to each other with childish grins on our faces.
"It's so rare to find a friend!" Percy said gaily.
"I'm not really sure I have any!" I said without bitterness. My heart was singing for joy.
"You have now!" Percy declared, throwing an arm over my shoulder and guiding us happily through the bustling Strand.
We enjoyed scones and cream with tea at Lyons Tea-house. I told Percy about my real dream of being an artist.
"I think you must be a most talented artist. I can see you have the delicate fingers and alert eye required and I'm sure anything you turn to, you must do most wonderfully well." Percy's eyes twinkled in admiration. My soul felt safe and wonderfully refreshed by my friend's certainty in me.
While we sipped our tea, I pulled a pencil and notebook out of my pocket and sketched a rough portrait of Percy. I noted again his aristocratic features, his fine complexion, his foppish fair hair, his handsome features and his eyes that twinkled with the mirth and joy of life. This twinkle was impossible to capture, but otherwise I made a decent enough job of the task. I tore off the page and slipped the finished result across the table between our teacups.
Percy gasped. "Oh Archie! That is the most wonderful thing I have ever seen!
My friend's eyes watered in appreciation. "Your sketch flatters me, but I shall treasure it always!"
"You make a handsome subject to draw. The task is all the easier when one likes the subject." I said.
"My dear friend!" Percy said. Reaching his hand over the table to take mine in thanks. He squeezed my fingers and again my heart leapt with an unknown affinity. The waitress appeared and coughed in embarrassment. Percy laughed out loud at the girl discovering our hand to hand embrace. My friend seemed to find fun in almost everything.
Our fingers parted and no, we did not require anything further. Giggling we left the teahouse. "Oh Archie! May we never grow up!" He declared to the London sky more than to me. "May we be like Peter Pan and be forever young!" he shouted, arms outstretched and passer-by business men and ladies shopping for fine hats and costumes dodged away from his whirling arms as he circled around joyfully staring at the sky.
I undid my business jacket and stepped beside him opening wide my arms and twirling in unison. "Forever young!" I declared and was hardly aware of the obstruction we were causing to the ruffled, troubled passers-by.
"Hyde Park!" Percy declared as he stopped spinning and we grinned dizzily at each other.
"Walk or cab?" I grinned.
"Run!" He answered and set off at a dash.
Quickly, I set off after him. My friend was a good, strong runner and his trim but muscular physique told me he would have stamina. But I was a good runner and dodging between annoyed Londoners I caught up with my friend.
Grinning at each other, we raced through Piccadilly and on towards the park. Percy smiled at me through clenched teeth and stepped up his pace, daring me to keep up with him. I spurted forward and passed him, quickly I darted across Park Lane dodging the cabs and skipping over the horse deposits. I could hear my friend's footfalls behind me as we dodged the busy traffic and leapt over the grass verge and onto the park, with the Serpentine glistening in the summer sun in front of us.
We were strong young men in our prime and although our pace slackened we still raced at a fair lick over the grass, with myself just managing to stay in front of him.
"Enough!" I heard his desperate voice falling behind me. Like a rampant stallion I raced around in an extravagant arc across the grass back towards my friend who was collapsing onto the green sward. By the time I arced back to him he was lying on his back loosening his tie and gentleman's collar.
I stood above him triumphantly breathing hard but not exhausted like my friend. I looked down on his panting body, his chest heaving inside his opened jacket, his legs sprawled supinely out on the grass. I felt powerful and strong like I had never done before. There was something about my noble friend that brought a strength out of me that I little realised I had.
Panting myself, but making sure they were lighter than Percy's gasps, I lay on the grass beside him and slackened my tie and business collar. Side by side we panted and regarded the summer sky.
"You are a magnificent runner, Archie!" He said between gasps.
"Thank you, you are a fair rival, yourself!" I admired back.
"But your Business suit!" He said, "I fear I am a bad influence on you, my friend!"
I sat up suddenly worrying about grass stains on my grey jacket. I reached to slip the jacket off my shoulders and Percy quickly knelt up beside me and helped me disrobe. There was something strangely exciting about being undressed by someone who had possibly never even undressed himself, having a serving man disrobe him every night. But here he was slipping my jacket down my arms, making sure it didn't touch the lush grass.
"Is it all right, Archie?" he asked solicitously, while I inspected the grey material.
"It seems fine!" I said carefully folding it back on itself so that the lining was on the outside, before carelessly dropping it on the grass as a pillow and lying back to stare, still panting, at the summer sky.
Percy laughed gaily and took his own jacket off. I squinted at his torso and arms inside his crisp white shirt and judged that my friend was slightly less muscular than I. "What about yours?" I asked looking back up at the sky
"Oh this old thing!" He carelessly said as he sighed back onto his back. Seemingly, his immaculately tailored suit, although more expensive than I could afford, was considered unworthy of concern.
"I am in town today for the charity work I do on a Thursday evening with some of the needy youths of Bermondsey. So I'm in my old rags today!"
"Charity work?" I asked.
"Yes, my father supports a sporting facility for the less fortunate. A gymnasium. He gave it to me as one of my duties until I inherit. It's the least one can do." He said simply, while squinting at the sky.
"Well I can see you are an athletic man." I said.
"Boy! I am a boy. I refuse to grow into a man!" He joked.
"Being athletic, I'm sure you can set a good example to the less fortunate young men of our city." I said, ignoring his silliness.
"I shall never age from this point, like Wilde's Dorian Gray, I shall be forever young!" He rolled onto his side, propped his head up on his hand and looked down on me. "Like you, my friend, we will stay forever boys!"
I laughed. "Not if my father has anything to do with it, he says I must become a man, grow whiskers and take a wife!" I said, laughing ironically.
"Fathers!" Percy said in joking exasperation. "Anyway I don't believe you could grow whiskers" He said leaning forward to inspect the skin on my face. His free hand reached and gently touched my cheek.
I gasped at the feel of his strong, soft fingers touching me. His breath sweet and fresh whispered on my cheek and I was transported to some strange pleasure. His fingertips traced over the curves of my eyebrows and down my slightly too large nose, and over my cheeks, which were a little fuller than his and softly over my smooth chin.
"A little on your temple, but you are no man yet!" he laughed and fell over onto his back.
"Oh yes, and you," I said feeling his cheek for any rasp of manliness. It was as smooth as a baby's and Percy sighed at the feel of me. I felt compelled to stroke around his face, to inspect him for any evidence that he was no Peter Pan, no Dorian Gray. His eyes were closed while he felt my fingers inspecting his face.
His chin and cheeks were smooth and soft and his temples showed no growth beneath his natural hair line. It struck me how beautiful he was. Maybe, indeed he had found an elixir of youth. His soft red lips parted slightly at the delight of my soft touch. "Your fingers are so delicate" He sighed as he luxuriated in my touch.
I felt no need to withdraw my fingers and stroked his cheekbones, his temples and softly stroked his forehead. I knew not what drew me on to being so bold and as we both sighed, I felt strangely impelled with desire to touch his soft lips to my lips.
Suddenly Percy threw open his eyes and my fingers ceased their inspection. Come down this weekend and stay!" He said. He stood up and wiped his hands down the back of his trousers to remove any grass. It wasn't a request, it was a command, but looking up at his fine, statuesque body my heart leapt with affinity for my new friend. His command was like a softest silk, caressing my soul.
"Of course I will!" I replied. "I'd be delighted."
"I have to go to Bermondsey now. Bring some of your paints and I'll show you the best views on the estate" He slipped on his jacket, none the worse for being a pillow, I marvelled at the smooth flow of his limbs. "I'll have a carriage sent to you on Friday evening, tomorrow. Shall we say eight? It takes three quarters of an hour, so you'll be too late for dinner. That way you'll escape inspection by my family, until you have settled in."
Percy was starting to walk away half backwards half sideways, dusting his suit with his hands. I sat up "Yes, yes, I'll look forward to it." I said, as he retreated reluctantly away.
"Until tomorrow!" He waved and walked backwards still watching me. I waved back and he seemed relieved at my friendly gesture. He turned and walked a few yards and turned again for another wave.
I rolled onto my stomach and felt curiously warm in my loins as they pressed into the grass. I watched my new friend walk away across the park, turning every now and again to wave his goodbye's to me. I turned onto my hip and waved back. Our waves became sillier and more and more exaggerated and even from that distance I knew my merry, gay friend was laughing out loud at our foolishness.
I leapt to my feet and jumped up and down waving frantically. He started doing crazy leaps and foolish waves. I copied him and at a distance now of a quarter of a mile we both knew we were giggling like young boys.
Eventually he reached the edge of Park Lane and stood waving like a madman, before hurling himself down off the embankment and out of sight as if he had just leapt off a cliff. Laughing out loud to myself I brushed myself down as best I could, hoping my suit was not ruined. It would take some explaining to my father that I was covered in grass stains because I had been frolicking in the park with our noble client's son!
Walking over to Park Row I mused on the fun that my friend was and how all the more unsatisfactory the new friendship made the rest of my life. Ah well at least it was only one more day until I saw him again. Descending off the park back to the road I hailed a handsome and made my way back to the Strand club.
The steward looked me up and down disapprovingly as if he could see my foolishness from the state of my suit and asked me to wait on the pavement while he retrieved my briefcase. Obviously now that I no longer had an appointment with the young Lord I was not fit to enter the club.
While I waited, I realised my tie and collar were still undone! I straightened my dress up and when the steward returned his eyes noted my improved appearance. My briefcase retrieved, I hailed a cab and headed for home, it being too late in the day to return to the office.
That evening, Father was pleased to hear of my friendship and how it would be good for the business. I couldn't help but feel satisfied that I had done something to please my father. Fortunately he knew nothing of our foolish gambolling in the park.
"Maybe young Lord Bottlebury's social set will include a nice young lady who takes your eye, Archibald!" My mother said gently, but hopefully.
"Mother!" I protested, blushing.
"He'll need to grow some whiskers before any respectable girl will consider him for a husband" My father interrupted gruffly, dabbing his serviette on his be whiskered face to remove any traces of soup that may have got caught in his growth.
I was glad when dinner was over and I was able to retire to my room. Before falling asleep I found my mind wandering to my "forever young" friend and the feel of his fingers on my face and then the feel of my fingers on his.
Although my father and mother moved in good social circles, they did not mix with Dukes and Viscounts. My family's place was lower down the social scale. But here I was, hardly able to believe that my new good friend was a noble Lord. Percy liked me! He seemed so, ordinary, despite his commanding way, just an ordinary young man like myself.
Again the memory of his fingers stroking my face for signs of whiskers came back to me. And the memory of my fingers stroking his soft face. My lovely, handsome new friend!
Friday drudged its way through. The columns of figures did not appeal to my senses today.
Home early and I was packed for my weekend visit by thirty minutes after seven.
"Be sure to maintain the best of manners" my dear mother said as she fussed over my jacket shoulders with her hands, squaring up the collar.
"Why he needs his art folder I fail to realise." My father grumped.
"Lord Percival Bottlebury is very interested in my art, Father." I retorted.
"Bah! Balderdash!" he grumbled. "Be sure to set a good impression of the business, boy!" He said, grumbling out of the room.
Mother kissed my cheek and I smiled excitedly at her. The doorbell rang, my carriage was here!
Once free of my mother's fussing hands I stepped out and into the two horse carriage. The driver sped me away from home and into the unknown!