At the ball tonight.
Disclaimer: From Eroica with Love belongs to Yasuko Aoike.
Klaus had once again been dragged into some boring social event by his father. And right after entering the house the Major knew it was going to be hell. The ballroom was filled with people laughing and talking meaning there was no way for him to just hide in some silent corner. The hostess, lady von Heidenberg, smiled what Klaus thought looked like a crazy smile when she came to welcome them. To Klaus’s horror she told his father about her daughter who apparently was very much available. Actually it was her birthday ball tonight.
Before the senior von dem Eberbach had time to say anything to his son, Klaus disappeared into the richly decorated ballroom. Hurrying towards the bar Klaus decided that if nothing else, he was going to have a drink before he was attacked by all the available ladies present. Maybe then his night would look a little better.
When he reached his destination, a gentle voice from his right stopped him. “Need a drink?” Looking at the speaker Klaus saw a young black haired woman in dark blue dress standing next to him, offering a glass of something that looked like it was alcoholic. “I do not drink alcohol so I was hoping to find someone who I could give this to. And you look like you really need one.” Smiling pleasantly the girl gave Klaus the glass she had been holding. “Oh, if my father asks, I did drink it.”
The woman looked at him for a second or two before putting out her hand. “I am Lady Lotte von Heidenberg by the way.” Klaus took her hand and gave a little bow staring into the grey blue eyes, “Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach. It’s a pleasure.” Lotte smiled politely back at him. “My grandfather is a Major. Or was. He’s retired now. He always has some nice stories to tell his grandchildren.” That comment made it obvious that lady Lotte von Heidenberg wasn’t quite like normal ladies of the society. She asked the bartender for a glass of water and dipped an olive in it to make it appear like it was something stronger.
Lotte noticed she was being stared at and looked up at Klaus. “You must think I’m silly doing this”, she nodded towards her glass and gave it a little swirl. “For some reason my father thinks I should drink at least on my birthday, but I cannot see why. The party is much better without. Now, if my dad happens to look this way, it doesn’t look like water to him.” Slowly swirling the liquid around Lotte stared into the crowd on the dance floor. “I hate this.”
Only to himself Klaus admitted that he was a little surprised to hear that. Usually the ladies were much better at handling parties than he was. “Is this party not to your liking, miss?” Lotte rolled her eyes. “Oh, it’s not that. Mom just managed to catch me before I had time to escape. Now I have to endure this instead of spending time in the garage fixing my car.” Lotte smoothed the blue fabric of her dress with her left hand and leaned back on the counter behind her. She saw the spark of interest in the man’s eyes. “My car is probably the most important thing to me and usually people leave when I start talking about it. But you’re still there. You like cars?”
Klaus watched as Lotte played with a curl of her shoulder length hair. Suddenly she froze up and turned away from Klaus as if she had seen something that scared her. “What’s the…?” Klaus was about to inquire if she was alright when she turned back. “Oh, I’m sorry! I am just trying to hide from somebody.” Klaus nodded and did not question her further. Just when he was going to answer that he did like cars, Lotte paled and stared at something right behind Klaus. “Milord?” The Major turned and came faced a mass of blond curls and bright blue eyes. “My love!”
After his first shock had faded Klaus noticed that the person who actually wasn’t Eroica was not addressing him, but… “Lotte, darling! Fancy meeting you here!” The growling sound coming from Miss von Heidenberg would have made normal people shudder, but Klaus and the blond man obviously were not normal people. “Who let you in, Daniel? You are not wanted here and you know it.” Klaus had turned to face the bar to give the two some privacy, but stayed close in order to save Miss von Heidenberg if need be.
“Well, my uncle got an invitation from your mother and since he is not married I came with him to make myself familiar with etiquette and social protocol in situations such as this.” Klaus could almost hear the smug smile and knew that whatever this man said, it was not completely true. “You are lying. The only reason you are here is to tease me and make sure all the possible suitors I could have stay away. Do you even have an uncle?” After years of being pursued by Eroica, Klaus could relate. He had tried to not listen, but having lived through that, he couldn’t help it. “Of course I have an uncle! He’s right over there.”
Suddenly there was a voice, a very familiar voice, saying, “Ah, here you are Lotte. You have really become a fine lady and… Major? What a pleasant surprise!” Gritting his teeth Klaus turned to face Eroica. Lotte stared at the two men in front of her and tried to avoid looking at Daniel. “It seems you two know each other. Major, this is my godfather, Dorian Red Gloria, Earl of Gloria.” Klaus snarled while Dorian beamed like the sun and placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “This young man here is Daniel du Rochefort, my nephew and the next Earl of Gloria.” Daniel shook hands with Klaus while Lotte snorted audibly and got herself some more water.
The two blonds stared at their black haired beauties who in turn scowled back at them. When the band started on a waltz, Dorian broke the silence and asked Lotte for a dance. After the two had left Klaus looked at Eroica’s nephew. The similarities were striking, but now he could see that Daniel’s face was rounder and his body not quite as athletic, though he wasn’t by any means fat. His eyes also had more green in them than Dorian’s. And of course he was not dressed nearly as flamboyantly as his uncle. Daniel wore a black tuxedo and had a flower bud in his button hole. To Klaus’s great pleasure he did not look too comfortable in fine clothes either.
“How do you know Lotte?” The question took Klaus off guard. It was apparent that the young man was following the pair moving elegantly on the dance floor. Klaus looked for them too and noticed that Lotte was laughing at something the Earl had said. Not a trace of her past anger towards the younger blond was on her face. “I only met her tonight. We were just talking about cars.” Klaus heard Daniel sigh.
“That bloody car is all she cares about. She could spend days talking about her precious BMW and nothing else.” Klaus felt a small smile gracing his lips. The situation he found himself in was quite laughable. “I love her and she treats me like I’m the lowest creature in the world. You saw how she was. Sometimes I feel like I should just forget about her, but I know that I will never find someone like Lotte.” For some reason Klaus felt like he should help the young man with his problem. “Have you tried telling her about your feelings when it’s just the two of you? Apparently she is a private person and thus doesn’t like being courted in public.”
Daniel stared at him in wonder and then turned to look at Lotte and Eroica who had just finished the waltz and were now wading through the crowd towards them. They both looked happy and were laughing at something or other. Eroica’s hair was even curlier making locks of gold dance around his face wildly and his light blue tuxedo matched his twinkling eyes perfectly. Lotte was flushed and her straight black hair was falling from the bun it had been done in. Her eyes were the color of the sky on a winter day.
Klaus heard a sharp intake of breath from Daniel standing right next to him. The Brit walked to Lotte and whispered something in her ear before taking her hand and leading her to the balcony facing the garden. Klaus saw her questioning eyes turn towards him, but it was Dorian who nodded at her to go with him. Eroica came to stand before Klaus smiling that secretive smile Klaus had come to like. Blue eyes locked with his and Dorian asked quietly, “What did you tell him?”
Leading Dorian hastily out of the ballroom and into the garden Klaus wrapped his arms around the blond. “In short I told him to stop making a spectacle of his feelings and tell her when they are alone. And I’m sorry; my father came with me, so I couldn’t hug you back there.” Dorian nuzzled into Klaus’s strong chest and smiled. The night was chilly, but in his lover’s arms he didn’t feel the cold. Closing his eyes Dorian breathed in Klaus’s scent and yawned. “Well, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Daniel earlier. Or that I was also invited. I wanted it to be a surprise. He’s the eldest of my nephews and a very good choice for my heir. I hope Lotte sees that too.”
Gently he moved his right hand to cradle Dorian’s head while the other combed through rose scented curls. “I don’t care who’ll be the next Earl Gloria. In any case Lady Lotte von Heidenberg will surely manage his Lordship quite well. It’s the present Earl Gloria I love.” Stilling the hand carding through the mass of sun colored locks Klaus lifted Dorian’s chin and looked into the hypnotizing pools of blue. Bringing his lips to meet Dorian’s soft and wet mouth Klaus still felt the electric shot going through him even after all this time. Deepening the kiss Dorian wound his arms around Klaus’s broad shoulders and sighed happily.
On the balcony above them the next Lord Gloria shared his first kiss with his future wife.
The End
Klaus had once again been dragged into some boring social event by his father. And right after entering the house the Major knew it was going to be hell. The ballroom was filled with people laughing and talking meaning there was no way for him to just hide in some silent corner. The hostess, lady von Heidenberg, smiled what Klaus thought looked like a crazy smile when she came to welcome them. To Klaus’s horror she told his father about her daughter who apparently was very much available. Actually it was her birthday ball tonight.
Before the senior von dem Eberbach had time to say anything to his son, Klaus disappeared into the richly decorated ballroom. Hurrying towards the bar Klaus decided that if nothing else, he was going to have a drink before he was attacked by all the available ladies present. Maybe then his night would look a little better.
When he reached his destination, a gentle voice from his right stopped him. “Need a drink?” Looking at the speaker Klaus saw a young black haired woman in dark blue dress standing next to him, offering a glass of something that looked like it was alcoholic. “I do not drink alcohol so I was hoping to find someone who I could give this to. And you look like you really need one.” Smiling pleasantly the girl gave Klaus the glass she had been holding. “Oh, if my father asks, I did drink it.”
The woman looked at him for a second or two before putting out her hand. “I am Lady Lotte von Heidenberg by the way.” Klaus took her hand and gave a little bow staring into the grey blue eyes, “Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach. It’s a pleasure.” Lotte smiled politely back at him. “My grandfather is a Major. Or was. He’s retired now. He always has some nice stories to tell his grandchildren.” That comment made it obvious that lady Lotte von Heidenberg wasn’t quite like normal ladies of the society. She asked the bartender for a glass of water and dipped an olive in it to make it appear like it was something stronger.
Lotte noticed she was being stared at and looked up at Klaus. “You must think I’m silly doing this”, she nodded towards her glass and gave it a little swirl. “For some reason my father thinks I should drink at least on my birthday, but I cannot see why. The party is much better without. Now, if my dad happens to look this way, it doesn’t look like water to him.” Slowly swirling the liquid around Lotte stared into the crowd on the dance floor. “I hate this.”
Only to himself Klaus admitted that he was a little surprised to hear that. Usually the ladies were much better at handling parties than he was. “Is this party not to your liking, miss?” Lotte rolled her eyes. “Oh, it’s not that. Mom just managed to catch me before I had time to escape. Now I have to endure this instead of spending time in the garage fixing my car.” Lotte smoothed the blue fabric of her dress with her left hand and leaned back on the counter behind her. She saw the spark of interest in the man’s eyes. “My car is probably the most important thing to me and usually people leave when I start talking about it. But you’re still there. You like cars?”
Klaus watched as Lotte played with a curl of her shoulder length hair. Suddenly she froze up and turned away from Klaus as if she had seen something that scared her. “What’s the…?” Klaus was about to inquire if she was alright when she turned back. “Oh, I’m sorry! I am just trying to hide from somebody.” Klaus nodded and did not question her further. Just when he was going to answer that he did like cars, Lotte paled and stared at something right behind Klaus. “Milord?” The Major turned and came faced a mass of blond curls and bright blue eyes. “My love!”
After his first shock had faded Klaus noticed that the person who actually wasn’t Eroica was not addressing him, but… “Lotte, darling! Fancy meeting you here!” The growling sound coming from Miss von Heidenberg would have made normal people shudder, but Klaus and the blond man obviously were not normal people. “Who let you in, Daniel? You are not wanted here and you know it.” Klaus had turned to face the bar to give the two some privacy, but stayed close in order to save Miss von Heidenberg if need be.
“Well, my uncle got an invitation from your mother and since he is not married I came with him to make myself familiar with etiquette and social protocol in situations such as this.” Klaus could almost hear the smug smile and knew that whatever this man said, it was not completely true. “You are lying. The only reason you are here is to tease me and make sure all the possible suitors I could have stay away. Do you even have an uncle?” After years of being pursued by Eroica, Klaus could relate. He had tried to not listen, but having lived through that, he couldn’t help it. “Of course I have an uncle! He’s right over there.”
Suddenly there was a voice, a very familiar voice, saying, “Ah, here you are Lotte. You have really become a fine lady and… Major? What a pleasant surprise!” Gritting his teeth Klaus turned to face Eroica. Lotte stared at the two men in front of her and tried to avoid looking at Daniel. “It seems you two know each other. Major, this is my godfather, Dorian Red Gloria, Earl of Gloria.” Klaus snarled while Dorian beamed like the sun and placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “This young man here is Daniel du Rochefort, my nephew and the next Earl of Gloria.” Daniel shook hands with Klaus while Lotte snorted audibly and got herself some more water.
The two blonds stared at their black haired beauties who in turn scowled back at them. When the band started on a waltz, Dorian broke the silence and asked Lotte for a dance. After the two had left Klaus looked at Eroica’s nephew. The similarities were striking, but now he could see that Daniel’s face was rounder and his body not quite as athletic, though he wasn’t by any means fat. His eyes also had more green in them than Dorian’s. And of course he was not dressed nearly as flamboyantly as his uncle. Daniel wore a black tuxedo and had a flower bud in his button hole. To Klaus’s great pleasure he did not look too comfortable in fine clothes either.
“How do you know Lotte?” The question took Klaus off guard. It was apparent that the young man was following the pair moving elegantly on the dance floor. Klaus looked for them too and noticed that Lotte was laughing at something the Earl had said. Not a trace of her past anger towards the younger blond was on her face. “I only met her tonight. We were just talking about cars.” Klaus heard Daniel sigh.
“That bloody car is all she cares about. She could spend days talking about her precious BMW and nothing else.” Klaus felt a small smile gracing his lips. The situation he found himself in was quite laughable. “I love her and she treats me like I’m the lowest creature in the world. You saw how she was. Sometimes I feel like I should just forget about her, but I know that I will never find someone like Lotte.” For some reason Klaus felt like he should help the young man with his problem. “Have you tried telling her about your feelings when it’s just the two of you? Apparently she is a private person and thus doesn’t like being courted in public.”
Daniel stared at him in wonder and then turned to look at Lotte and Eroica who had just finished the waltz and were now wading through the crowd towards them. They both looked happy and were laughing at something or other. Eroica’s hair was even curlier making locks of gold dance around his face wildly and his light blue tuxedo matched his twinkling eyes perfectly. Lotte was flushed and her straight black hair was falling from the bun it had been done in. Her eyes were the color of the sky on a winter day.
Klaus heard a sharp intake of breath from Daniel standing right next to him. The Brit walked to Lotte and whispered something in her ear before taking her hand and leading her to the balcony facing the garden. Klaus saw her questioning eyes turn towards him, but it was Dorian who nodded at her to go with him. Eroica came to stand before Klaus smiling that secretive smile Klaus had come to like. Blue eyes locked with his and Dorian asked quietly, “What did you tell him?”
Leading Dorian hastily out of the ballroom and into the garden Klaus wrapped his arms around the blond. “In short I told him to stop making a spectacle of his feelings and tell her when they are alone. And I’m sorry; my father came with me, so I couldn’t hug you back there.” Dorian nuzzled into Klaus’s strong chest and smiled. The night was chilly, but in his lover’s arms he didn’t feel the cold. Closing his eyes Dorian breathed in Klaus’s scent and yawned. “Well, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Daniel earlier. Or that I was also invited. I wanted it to be a surprise. He’s the eldest of my nephews and a very good choice for my heir. I hope Lotte sees that too.”
Gently he moved his right hand to cradle Dorian’s head while the other combed through rose scented curls. “I don’t care who’ll be the next Earl Gloria. In any case Lady Lotte von Heidenberg will surely manage his Lordship quite well. It’s the present Earl Gloria I love.” Stilling the hand carding through the mass of sun colored locks Klaus lifted Dorian’s chin and looked into the hypnotizing pools of blue. Bringing his lips to meet Dorian’s soft and wet mouth Klaus still felt the electric shot going through him even after all this time. Deepening the kiss Dorian wound his arms around Klaus’s broad shoulders and sighed happily.
On the balcony above them the next Lord Gloria shared his first kiss with his future wife.
The End