Produced by Daniel Fromont
[Transcriber's note: Anonymous, Laura Middleton; Her Brother and her
Lover (1890) A classic Victorian erotic novel]
Laura Middleton; HER BROTHER AND HER LOVER.
ST. KITT'S.1890.
The remarks which Emily had made regarding the share Laura Middletonhad had in opening up her ideas on the subject of the mysteries inwhich she had now been fully initiated had not escaped my observation.It so happened that at that very time I was under an engagement to paya visit to the Middletons, who were very distant relations of mymother. It of course occurred to me that it was possible I might beable to turn the information I had thus acquired to some account. Lauraand I were old friends. She was about two years older than I, a veryhandsome, fine-looking girl but, as I had then fancied, upon rather alarger scale than quite suited my taste. We had always been on verygood terms as children, but she had a sort of haughty, imperious airwhich, joined to the difference in our ages, had operated in a mannerthat would have prevented me from thinking of taking any liberties withher; and she was about the last person in the world I should have beendisposed to imagine addicted to the amusements in which Emily hadparticipated with her.
When I again met her on arriving at their country seat, I found that aconsiderable change had taken place in her person, but probably thiswas merely the natural result that the preceding two years, duringwhich I had not seen her, had worked upon a girl at her time of life,by fully developing the proportions and fining down the parts of thefigure which at an earlier period might have appeared too prominent. Itoo had grown considerably during this period, more so in proportionthan she had, and now her height by no means appeared to me to be toogreat; and, altogether, I could not help acknowledging to myself that Ihad rarely seen a handsomer or finer-looking woman. She still retainedsomewhat of her haughty air, though softened down, and I could hardlyfancy, when looking at her, that Emily's account of her behaviour inthe hours when she gave herself up to enjoyment could be true. I soon,however, became aware of circumstances that tended to corroborate thetale, and which put me in the way of making advances to her, which Ihastened to do.
When it came to be time to dress for dinner, Lady Middleton said to methat she had presumed on our relationship to put me into the familywing of the house, as the arrival of some unexpected visitors had madeher change the destination of the room she had previously intended forme. She said she had no doubt I would find the one set apart for mequite comfortable, for the only objection to it, and which preventedher from being able to put a stranger into it, was that it opened intoanother room which would have to be occupied by her son Frank, who wasexpected home from school in a short time. This last room, inconsequence of some alterations made in building an addition to thehouse, had no separate entrance, but opened into the two rooms on eachside, and as the one on the other side was occupied by his sister andaunt, Frank would have to enter through mine. She said I must keep himin order and make him behave himself, and if I had any trouble with himto let her know. I had not seen my young namesake for about two years,but I recollected him as a fine, high-spirited, very handsome boy abouttwelve or thirteen years of age, always getting into some scrape orother and always getting out of them somehow in such a fearless,good-humoured manner that it was impossible for anyone to be angry withhim. So I said I should be