Chloe's heart pounded as she tapped at the castle door. The young woman had just turned 19 a few days before, and, as was the custom of the village where she lived, had been summoned to the Duke's palace.
It was a tradition that went back to at least the Middle Ages: the dukes of Clairmont were each entitled to spend one night with each young woman in the town, on the occasion of her 19th birthday. Chloe had long heard rumors about what happened during these visits to the Duke - but none of the older women who'd been there and back had been willing to tell her exactly what would happen to her. They merely smiled and changed the subject. The fact that the Duke was young and quite handsome (even if he was quite arrogant) only made the rumors more titillating.
One thing was for sure. Chloe was about to be initiated into a secret that all of the village women shared. It was a true rite of passage.
A few seconds after her knock, the two palatial doors swing open, and a grim-faced butler, accompanied by a maid dressed in a black uniform, gestured her into the hall.
"Welcome," said the butler, smiling now as he recognized his guest.
The maid looked her up and down.
"I think the Duke will be very pleased to see you," she laughed.
Chloe blushed. She knew that she was considered pretty. She had long blonde hair and delicate blue eyes and a slender figure to match. She was wearing a dress and corset made specifically for this occasion by her mother, and she knew that her ample young breasts were positioned perfectly to attract the attention of men and women alike.
"Well," said the butler, "Maggie will show you to your room. You won't have long to wait. The Duke wishes to see you in less than an hour."
Maggie, the maid, extended one arm in a beckoning gesture, and Chloe followed her down the long, mirrored hall to a regal staircase. The heels of the two women's shoes landed softly on the velvet runner that extended to the top of the very long stair.
When they reached the landing, the maid opened a door and gestured her into a room.
"Take off your clothes and put them here," she motioned to a tall four-poster bed.
"Pardon, Madame?"
The maid laughed at Chloe's use of a title unsuitable for a servant such as her.
"It's Maggie, please. And yes, you must change your clothes. The Duke has his own...preferences."
Chloe felt a mixture of excitement and embarrassment. She really was a simple village girl! How could she pretend to own a dress appropriate to meet a Duke in? Even if her mother had made it especially for her.
Half and hour later, she'd taken a warm bath in the luxurious tub and had been dressed by Maggie in an unexpectedly short one-piece dirndl dress that tied in the front. Maggie tied her hair up into two pigtails and then produced a pair of high-heeled shoes from a wardrobe.
"These should be your size," she said.
"Sorry Madame, I mean Maggie," said Chloe, blushing, "but I must first put on my knickers!"
"No knickers, dear. The Duke has special preferences, and he explicitly ordered me to dress you exactly in this manner. Please put on your shoes, and I will color your lips."
Chloe gulped. She felt the cool air of the palace on her legs, and everywhere else... down there. It was beginning to become all too clear just what the Duke had in mind for their night together.
She looked at herself in the mirror as Maggie applied her makeup. She looked like a strange combination of the innocent village girl that she was and some kind of a...well, the type of girl who would spend the night with men for money.
But she wasn't going to be paid for tonight.
Maggie put the final touches on Chloe's makeup, and then stood back to admire her work.
"You look beautiful. The Duke will be quite pleased."
A few minutes later, Chloe's heart pounded as they stood in front of the two large wooden doors leading to the Duke's receiving room.
The clocked chimed eight.
"Perfect timing," said Maggie, "just relax and be your pretty little self."
How can I be myself when I'm not even wearing any underwear? thought Chloe.
She nodded and took a deep breath as Maggie raised the large brass knocker and rapped three times on the door.
The doors swing open immediately, revealing a long, elegant dining room. At the end of the table, in the distance, stood the Duke. He was alone. The servant who had opened the door for them had disappeared as quickly as he came.
"Welcome!" He called. Maggie led Chloe down the length of the room. Until they were standing in front of the young man.
He was, without a doubt, the handsomest man Chloe had ever seen in real life. His dark blue eyes seemed to go right through her. She blushed deeply and averted her gaze.
"Chloe Wainwright. You're from a good family. I think my father knew your mother."
He gave her a sly look.
Knew? The double-entendre was not lost on Chloe. Her mother must have spent the night with his father many years ago, of course. Why hadn't she ever told Chloe anything about it? Was he implying that his father and her mother had been intimate?
That was what this tradition was about, right? Sex?
She wasn't sure if she was terrified or aroused by the idea of having sex with the man standing in front of her. A mixture of both, probably. She had absolutely no experience in that department, besides seeing animals do it, and stealing a few kisses from her betrothed, John Baker.
"No need to say anything at this juncture," said the Duke, clearing registering her embarrassment, "let me inspect your appearance."
He sat down in his large, almost throne-like chair and beckoned Chloe to approach him.
His eyes lingered on her for an unbearable interval, focusing first on her hair and face, then moving slowly down her slender neck, tracing the contours of the revealing dress until they rested momentarily on her cleavage.
Though her eyes were averted, Chloe could sense his gaze all over her. It made her feel special and embarrassed all at the same time. She also felt something else at the same time.
Something she could only remember feeling when kissing John or thinking about him.
She felt a wetness spreading between her legs. She was so wet, in fact, that she began to feel a single drop of her nectar travel down her bare thigh.
She flushed red and white several times over, hoping that the Duke wouldn't notice.
He clearly did notice, because he let out a short laugh.
"It's normal to be shy at this point. After all, I'm sure no man has ever seen you like this. That's correct isn't it?"
Chloe nodded.
"I know a virgin when I meet one. But being a virgin doesn't exactly make you a virtuous woman. You know that, right Chloe?"
Chloe still couldn't meet his gaze. She was trembling now, either out of nervousness, desire or both.
"Let me explain to you how tonight will work. I will determine your virtue through a very simple test. If you pass this test, you and I will have a long leisurely meal together, after which you will retire to your own chambers for the night."
Chloe looked up at him questioningly.
