After drying off and putting on the nightshirt that Blake had brought, Lance wrapped the warm coverling around his still shivering body. Standing up and walking toward the door, Lance turned to look back at Joseph. "Good night, M'lord. It's late and I better get to my chambers."

"Your chambers were not prepaired for you as usual tonight Lance," Joseph said. "I thought, that after what Joshua and Justin said to you tonight, that you might want to stay with me here. But, if you would perfer to sleep in your chambers, then you are also free to do so."

Lance looked at Joseph and smiled. "Than...thank you, M'lord. I want to stay with you." Nodding his head, Joseph, pulled back the covers on his bed as he and Lance climbed in. Wrapped in Joseph's strong arms, Lance felt very peaceful and contented. "Good night, M'lord...I...I love you."

"I love you too Lance," Joseph whispered as he held Lance close. Humming a tune his mother had taught him when he was young, he found himself staring at his blond husband for half the night as he slept. Occasionally, he would run his thumb over Lances' cheek, gently as not to wake him; or kiss his forhead. "My angel," he whispered into the still night. "My beautiful angel."

Lance stirred and moaned softly as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Joseph. Tenderly touching Lance's cheek, Joseph leaned down and dropped a soft kiss on Lance's lips. Moaning again, Lance timidly put his arms around him as the kiss grew more passionate.

His heart fluttering, Joseph took his time, being patient with Lance. He knew that the blond was still scared somewhat, but he vowed to himself that until Lance was accustom to this, he would take it at his husbands' pace.

Lance moaned into the kiss as Joseph ran his hands up and down his back, pushing him gently back on the bed. It took all of Joseph's strenght not to take Lance then and there, but he didn't want to frighten him. Concentrating on the nook between Lances' neck and shoulder, Joseph bit down slightly as his hands travled up and down Lances' arms, or tangled in his hair.

"Mmm," Lance moaned as he tilted his head to the side, allowing Joseph better access. His own excitement growing, Joseph slowly pushed up Lance's nightshirt, leaving a trail of kisses down his chest and stomach.

Covering the exposed skin in kisses, Joseph looked up and smiled as another moan eminated from Lance. When he felt Lance jerk his body to the side and a quiet laugh when he dropped a kiss on his left hip, Joseph smiled wickedly as he repeated his actions, again causing Lance to laugh and moan at the same time.

"That tickles," Lance whispered as Joseph laughed. Looking at his angel, Joseph became serious again, taking Lance's right leg and pulling it toward him, gently turning Lance on his stomach. Lance whimpered slightly as his body trembled in fear. He knew Joseph would never hurt him, but he was still somewhat afraid of the marriage bed. Joseph sensed his nervousness and spoke tenderly to him.

"If I could take the pain from you Lance, I would," he whispered, laying on Lances' side, his hand rubbing the small of his back. "But I can't. All I can do is help you become used to it. Just relax your body and it will not hurt as much." Climbing back to straddle Lances' backside, Joseph felt his husband jump slightly. It broke his heart to see him so scared on what should be joyous nights. Leaning forward and massaging Lances' shoulder blades and back, he hummed the song again, hoping it would help Lance relax.

Lance whimpered again as he felt Joseph slowly spread his legs. "M'lord," he whispered in fear, inhaling sharply as Joseph entered him. The pain wasn't as bad as the first night he'd entered Joseph's household, but it was still there. Lance dropped his head on the pillow as silent tears slid down his face.

"Shh," Joseph comforted. "I'm sorry for the pain Lance, but, please believe me when I tell you it will be less each time." When he heard a quiet whimper from below, Joseph thought about pulling out and playing other ways, but he knew Lance had to learn how to please him in bed. And he would never learn if they never bedded together. Holding as still as he could, he again showed his patience by saying, "Let me know when you are ready Lance."

Lance nodded his head, continuing to cry softly as Joseph began slowly thrusting in and out of him. Hearing another whimper from his blond angel, Joseph leand down and kissed his neck, trying to get him to relax.

"My angel," Joseph whispered into Lances' ear. "My sweet, perfect, angel...please don't cry. It breaks my heart to see the tears fall from your gorgous eyes."

"I...I am sor...sorry, M'lord," Lance whispered, tears continuing to silently slide down his face. "It...it just hurts so much."

Not being able to see his angel in such pain anymore, Joseph pulled out gently and moved to lay next to him. He was unsatisfied, but he wouldn't bring up the subject. "I wish I knew how to take the pain away," he whispered, wiping away the tears as Lance turned to face him.

"I...am sorry, M'lord. I didn't mean for you to stop," Lance whispered, suprising Joseph with his words. "I...I know that this is expected of me and that I need to learn how to please you. I...want to learn...I just hope that in time it won't hurt so much."

"Lance, you please me just by being in the same room with me. If you are uncomfortable with this type of playing, then there are others that we can play."

"I...I want to be with you...I want to learn how to please you," Lance replied, kissing Joseph softly on his lips. "Please, M'lord...please say you want to be with me, too."

"There is nothing more to me in the world then being with you Lance," Joseph whispered. "Nothing could ever tear me away from you."

Tenderly touching Joseph's cheek Lance looked deep into his eyes. "Will...will you do something for me?" he asked softly.

"Of course," Joseph answered, his voice soft like Lances'. "Whatever your heart desire, all you need do is ask."

Laying back on the bed, his arms outstretched toward Joseph, Lance looked up at him, his green eyes full of love. "Please," he whispered. "Please be with me."

Smiling, Joseph moved to fill Lances' arms, being careful to not hurt him, if he was still in any pain.

"I...I love you, Joseph," Lance replied quietly, causing the dark-haired lord's eyes to fill with tears at Lance's use of his first name. "I want so much to be with you." His voiced choked with tears, Joseph simply smiled and ran his fingers through Lances' hair as a tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

Not sure if Joseph knew what he was trying to say, Lance again turned onto his stomach, looking back at Joseph to see what he would do. Realizing what Lance wanted, Joseph's heart was filled with love and desire for his blond angel.

"I...I don't want to hurt you," he whispered, his voice shaky. "Anymore then I already have."

His own voice choked with tears, Lance looked back at Joseph. "The only way you will hurt me is if you don't want to be with me," he replied.

Nodding, Joseph moved to take his place behind Lance. "Tell me when you are ready. And if it starts to get too much for you." Nodding his head, Lance indicated that he was ready and braced himself for the initial pain. Leaning forward and massaging the small of his back, Joseph eased himself into Lance, the pressure on his back increasing to cover for some of the pain at his enterance. "Does this help take the pain away some?" he asked once he was settled in his husband.

Lance just nodded his head as he felt Joseph enter him. It still hurt, but not as much as before. Gripping the pillow, Lance moaned as Joseph snaked a hand under him and began stroking him, in an attempt to add to his pleasure.

Leaning down and dropping a kiss on the back of Lances' neck, Joseph pulled out slowly, and thrusted back in the same way, his hand stroking Lance at the same speed. "You're so good to me," he whispered, his warm breath kissing the back of Lances' ear.

Lance whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the pain. He tried to concentrate on Joseph's hand stroking him and how good it felt but to no avail. Silent tears slid down his face, but he buried his head in the pillow so Joseph wouldn't see them.

Continuing his soft praises, Joseph kept his pace the same, only increasing when he felt Lance was ready. "Angel," he whispered. "If...if this...this is hu...hurting..." he began, only to trail off, down the road of ecstacy.

Lance wanted so bad to let Joseph know that it did hurt, but kept quiet, enduring the pain so as not to disappoint him. He emitted a soft moan as Jospeh continued stroking him, bringing a smile to Joseph's face.

"See, I told you the pain would subside with time," Joseph said, increasing his pace yet again. Lance whimpered again, his head dropping on the pillow as Joseph gripped his shoulders, his release imminent. Not hearing the whimper, Josephs' body took over. Thrusting as hard as he could, within a few moments, his shouts filled the room as he shot his seed into Lance.

Lance lay still as he whimpered in pain, feeling as if his body had been ripped apart. Joseph leaned over to kiss him and heard him crying.

At once, Joseph was concerned for Lance. Turning his face so that they looked at each other, the expression upon Josephs' was that of sincere regret. He had hurt Lance after promising his parents that he wouldn't. "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.

Lance looked down, embarrassed and ashamed. "I...I...I couldn't," he sobbed. "I...displeased you once before. I...I did not want to do so again. I...I love you...and I...I need to leard how to please you."

Pulling him close carefully, Joseph tried his best to not move Lance once he had him in his arms. "You do need to learn," he began. "But I don't want you having to hide your pain each time we do this. I don't want to do something that you're not ready for and hurt you even more Lance. And you didn't displease me on our wedding night; it was Justin. I was just in a fowl mood because of his attitude that day. Unfortunatly, I took it out on you, when I should have taken it out on Justin." Kissing his temple, Joseph added, "You have done nothing but please me since the day you came into my family."

Lance buried his head in Joseph's chest. "I...love you so much," Lance whispered. "I just wish..."

"Take your time," replied the elder one, rubbing his hand up and down Lances' back gently.

"I want so much to enjoy our time together," the yooung blond whispered. "I just wish that the pain would go away so I can."

"Perhaps, the next time, we can make one small change," Joseph offered.

"I...I don't understand," Lance whispered. "What do you mean?"

"Remember last night, I told you that you have to learn how to receive and give pleasure?" he asked. "What if you start learning what it is like to be on the giving end of our games?"

Lance looked at Joseph, then lowered his eyes. "Oh, M'lord...I...I don't know. You...you're so much more experienced in these things than I."

Lifting his chin so that Lance had to look at him, Joseph asked simply, "What better way to gain experience then to practice?" Smiling reassuringly, he continued, "I was once like you, scared and inexperienced as well. My parents didn't teach me anything about the marriage bed, only that I should do what felt good, and what I thought would feel good to my husband. So, with a little expermenting, I learned what I needed to know; just as you will."

"But...but..." Lance protested. "What...what if I make a mistake? What if I...I don't please you?" Joseph smiled tenderly at his green-eyed angel. He was so shy and so endearing, Joseph thought.

"If you make a mistake, then I'll correct you and either show you or tell you how I like it," Joseph answered. "And you needn't worry about displeasing me remember? You've done nothing to make me angry with you."

"Y...yes, M'lord," Lance replied, bringing a smile to Joseph's lips. "I shall try and ex...exper...exper..."

Stopping Lance with a finger over his lips, Joseph shook his head. "Not tonight Angel," he cooed, dubbing Lance with a new nickname. "There's been to much excitement for you today. Tomorrow night, if you feel up to it, you can experiment."

Lance looked up at Joseph, smiling shyly at him. "Yes, M'lord," he replied softly as he settled down in Joseph's arms. "Good night...I...I love you."

Wrapping his arms protectivly around Lance, Joseph kissed the top of his head, repeating the three words as well before closing his eyes and humming the song Lance had sang earlier that night, before finally falling asleep.

Looking past Justin quickly, Joshua frowned when he saw the empty bed. "He hasn't been with you either?" he asked, quickly looking down the hall both ways. Neither of them had been given permission to leave their rooms, but they figured if they didn't get caught, then they would be no less for wear.

Justin sat on the end of the bed and buried his head in his hands. "I...I miss him so much, Josh," the young lord sobbed. "He hasn't so much as looked at me that way since his little farm boy came into the family."

"I know Justin," Josh said, moving to comfort the younger one. "Everything was just fine before his Lancey arrived. We both got equal time with Joseph, but now, it's a miracle if he'll give us the time of day." Sighing deeply, Josh mumbled, "If only there was a way to get Lance out of the family..."

Justin looked up at Joshua, his face a mask of pure hate. "I agree. He's not a noble...he'll never be equal to us. He has no place in this family and I want him gone."

"I second that thought," Joshua said, casting his eyes down to the carpet, deep in thought. They both knew of Joseph temper and if he were to find out that they wanted Lance gone, they would surely be banished from their husbands' land. But it was a risk they would take; anything to get Lance out of their way. "We need to get rid of him and soon," Joshua stated. "After all, three is a crowd."

"I know," Justin replied. "Three is a...wait a minute," he exclaimed, a wicked smile crossing his face. "I've got it...the perfect way to get what we want."

Turning to look at his friend, Joshua tried to read Justins' face, but in the dim light, that proved quite difficult. The curiousity rising within him, he asked, "And what would the perfect way be Justin?"

"We apologize to Lance tomorrow and beg his forgiveness," Justin stated simply, the smirk growing wider.

Total confusion now covering Joshuas' features, he shook his head. "And that will help us how?"

"Easy," Justin stated, proud of himself for coming up with the perfect plan. "We make nice with him, let he and Joseph think that we have seen the error of our ways and finally have accepted Lance into the family. We offer to help him with his reading and writing when Lord Christopher isn't here and we offer to take him on outings with us. Then, when Joseph has to go away on business, we make our move and get rid of the little farm boy once and for all."

Still skeptical, Joshua stood and paced the room. "But what if Joseph found out what we did? Or what we're planning?"

"He won't. We'll turn on the charm and fool Lance into believeing we accept him as part of the family." Walking to look out into the cool, clear night, Justin mumbled to himself. "He'll never be a part of this family if I have my way...never."

"Justin," Joshua started. "I knew I loved you for some reason. At least, I loved your devious little mind."

Tentatively going toward his door, Justin looked nervously up and down the hall, before closing the door and turning to Joshua.

Putting his arms around the older one, Justin hungrily kissed his lips. "How much do you love me?" he cooed. Joshua looked at him and smiled. Justin wasn't a mean person; he just needed love and lately, Joseph wasn't giving him the time of day.

"I love you enough to know that if it were permitted, I'd be spending every night in your bed with you, or vise versa." Slipping his arms around to complete the circle, Joshua ran a finger lightly down the middle of Justins' back as the moonlight that filtered in from the window twinkled off his eyes.

"Joshua, please," Justin begged, his voice a whisper. "Please stay with me. I don't want to be alone tonight."

Holding him safely in his arms, and staring into his eyes, as if trying to loose himself in the blue pools, Joshua shook his head. "If we're caught together..." he started.

"By who...Joseph?" Justin whispered, snuggling in Joshua's arms. "Do you think he will tear himself from his little blond farm boy to worry about us?"

"It's not Joseph I'm worried about Love," Joshua replied, turning them around and pushing Justin back to sit on the edge of the bed. Wrapping his arms around Justins' neck and sitting lighlty on his lap, Joshua added, "It's the servents. There's too many of them around for us to be safe."

"Kenneth and Devin are loyal to us, Josh," Justin replied. "They won't say anything, I'm sure. Besides" he cooed,laying back on the bed and holding out his arms. "It's a risk I'm willing to take just to feel you inside me again."

"But what if I'm not willing to risk loosing all we have?" Josh asked, raising an eyebrow as he continued to straddle Justins' lap.

Looking up at Joshua, Justin lowered his head and broke down in tears. "You don't want me either," he sobbed. "First Joseph, now you. What's...what's wrong with me? What is it Lance has that I do...don't?"

Smiling devilishly, Joshua moved to lay at the head of Justins' bed. Tucking his hands behind his head, Joshua looked up and Justin, then closed his eyes. "Let me know when you figure it out okay Love? Night."

"Joshua, please..." Justin whispered, laying his head on the older lord's chest. "I need to be with you."

"No talk," he mumbled. "Sleeping..." Turning onto his stomach, Joshua started snoring, acting as though he was asleep. Looking over at the 'sleeping' Joshua, Justin slipped under the covers. Turning his back to Joshua, he lay down, tears slipping down his face. Joshua heard him crying and turned to face him. Slipping his hand under Justins' arm and scooting as close to him as possible, Joshua kissed the back of Justins' neck. "Love," he whispered quietly. "Please...don't cry..."

"Nobody wants me," Justin continued to sob. "I...I love Joseph so much, but all he cares about is his farm boy. And you...you don't want me either."

Pulling Justin so that he lay on his back, Joshua propped his head up with his arm and brushed away the tears that slipped from Justins' eyes. "If I didn't love you, would I still be here with you?"

Looking up at Joshua, Justin reached for his hand and placed it on his crotch. "I want to be with you, Joshua," Justin whispered as Joshua slowly started to stroke him. "I want you to make me feel loved."

A wicked idea forming in his mind, Joshua kept his pace the same, never increasing his speed. "What will you give me for showing you how much I love you?" he asked quietly.

"What...whatever you want," Justin whimpered as he felt the heat start to build slowly deep within him.

"Whatever I want?" he echoed. Pulling away, Joshua again propped himself on his arm, thinking about all the possible things he could ask for. "Hm...I could ask for...or...yeah maybe...nah, did that already...how about..."

"Joshua, please," Justin whimpered again, grabbing his hand again and putting it back. "I want to be with you...please."

Shaking his head, Joshua replaced his hand with Justins'. "I think..." he started, the evil gleam still in his eyes. "That you enjoy this too much Justin." Leaning down so that he could whisper into his lovers ear, Joshua added, "Show me how much you like this."

Justin wrapped his arms around Joshua, his tongue snaking inside his waiting mouth. Pulling back, he grinned at Joshua as he reached down and started stroking himself.

"See," Joshua cooed, kissing Justin lightly before he too pulled away. "Even when I'm not with you, you can still have fun." Soon moans and panting filled the room as Justin brought himself closer to climax, but Joshua would have none of that. Gently pulling his hand away, only seconds before it was time, Joshua looked into Justins' eyes again. "I seem to remember the last time we were together, I was the one in you...shouldn't you repay the favor Love...hm?"

Justin flipped Joshua over on his stomach, and swiftly entered him. Gripping the older lord's shoulders, Justin moaned as he thrusted in and out quickly, climbing closer and closer until, with a shout he climaxed. Lying still until his breathing returned to normal, Justin kissed the back of Joshua's neck. "Thank you," he whispered in Joshua's ear.

Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Joshua smiled as he remained still, savoring the feeling of Justin within his depths. These were stolen times, and they were few and sometimes far between; so anytime they could be together, they both used their time wisely. "Fo...for what?" Joshua asked, his voice a whisper as his body started to fall asleep.

Justin slowly pulled out, and lay next to Joshua. Kissing him, Justin smiled. "For making me feel loved," he whispered.

Moaning as he grew accostume now to not having Justin in him, Joshua turned and looked at Justin, the love he had for him growing. "You should always feel loved Justin." Reaching out and brushing some sweat covered hair from his forehead, the elder lord added, "Because you are loved...remember, I love you."

"I love you, too Joshua," Justin whispered, attempting to settle down in the elder lord's arms, but Joshua moved off the bed and headed toward Justin's door, explaining that they didn't want to get caught. Joshua knew that Justin wanted him to stay, but the risk was too great.

"Meet me in my study tomorrow, after lunch," Joshua said, his hand slidding to the doorknob. "Everyone will be too busy with their afternoon activities to even miss us."

"Don...don't go," Justin pleaded as a lone tear slipped down his face. "I...I need you."

"Shh...don't cry Love," Joshua soothed. "I want to be with you too, but...if we're caught." Walking over and kneeling down next to Justin, the elder one cupped Justins' cheek in his hand. "I don't want to loose you Justin. And I don't want Joseph finding out about us. Please say you understand."

Sniffing, Justin looked at Joshua as he nodded his head. "I...I guess you're...you're right," he whispered. "Joseph is angry enough at us as it is. I don't want to incur any more of his wrath." Kissing his lover one last time, Justin watched as Joshua checked the hallway to see that all was clear, then slipped out of his chambers. Sliding under the covers, Justin smiled at the memory of he and Joshua bedding together and of their plan to get rid of Lance. "Soon, farm boy," Justin thought to himself, as he drifted off to sleep. "We will be rid of you very soon."