Page 80 of Too Many Beds
J
Evan’s brow crumpled as he re-read the letter, and wondered if all the sex Jeremiah had partaken in had addled his mind.
A man appeared at his side, he wasn’t wearing a costume but instead wore tailored evening dress. “We’re all delighted you’re here, Evan. I’ll be pleased to assist you in your quest.”
He held up the piece of paper. “I need to find a crocodile.”
“I understand you need to find more than that, and I might be willing to help on both counts.”
Evan cleared his throat. “That’s rather sporting of you.”
“Team sporting endeavours are highly appreciated at Crofton Hall.” He reached out and stroked Evan’s arm. “While tonight you’ll mainly be playing with the captain, you’ll get to experience a taste of what some of the rest of the squad can do.”
Evan realised this was Clive, one of Jeremiah’s favourites and a keen footballer playing for Tottenham Hotspur before being injured at the end of the previous season. “I will bear that in mind. So what about this reptile?”
“He’s quite a charming specimen, and a real favourite around the hall. When he was younger, Jeremiah was bequeathed a crocodile from the estate of the Duke of Pembrokeshire,supposedly caught during His Grace’s expedition to Africa. Let’s just say that a number of ‘unworldly incidents’ befell visitors to Crofton Hall after the arrival of the crocodile. Although my personal favourite is the one with the youngest son of the local magistrate who was found half-naked asleep under the bed in a spare bedroom, with strange markings around his torso that resembled bite marks. Jeremiah put forward the explanation that the crocodile often gave out a strange vapour that could bend an impressionable young mind and caused the lad to act out of character.”
Evan laughed. Jeremiah’s reputation of a rogue was well-earned, and those bite marks had not come from any crocodile.
“Follow me,” Clive said. “There are clues that will help you on your way and find the bed Mr Scales has taken for the evening. In addition, you can ask me up to five questions which will help you locate our friend. But you can’t ask me a direct question about where Mr Scales is.”
Evan suspected the crocodile’s name wasn’t going to be the strangest thing. He concentrated on the dashing figure Clive cut in his eveningwear as he led Evan out of the great hall. He didn’t know Crofton Hall well enough to ask questions about specific rooms but from his previous visit, he had a reasonable grasp of its layout and should be able to narrow down the crocodile’s location with a couple of general but useful guesses. “Would Mr Scales be enjoying a view of the lawn and be able to see the lake?”
Clive chuckled. “Yes.”
Evan was pleased with himself as the answer meant a room on the west side at the rear and if someone wanted to see the lake they would need to be above ground level so he would need to go up a floor. He took the stairs and headed across the long gallery, coming to a halt at the start of the west wing. Clive had said there would be clues, and the questions were extra andEvan wondered what a clue relating to finding a stuffed crocodile might look like.
The walls were wood-panelled and there were more paintings and antiques than in some London museums. A green vase sitting on a plinth caught his eye and it appeared on closer inspection to be decorated with scales. It stood in front of an archway and he took it as a sign to head in that direction and into another corridor where a large painting of a crocodile stared him in the face. “Is that Mr Scales?”
“No, you’re after a real stuffed crocodile, but that fellow is giving you a bit of a hint.”
The snout pointed towards a door and it seemed as good an option as anything else. He charged through and there sitting in the middle of the bed was a slightly charred, three-foot-long crocodile. “Mr Scales, I presume.”
“The one and only, or at least I hope there’s not another one because no house, not even one as big as Crofton Hall, needs two stuffed crocodiles.”
Evan smiled, although Clive wouldn’t have been able to see it. “I am still in need of a bowtie.”
Clive beckoned him closer with a finger. “You can have mine, but you’re going to have to remove it yourself. No hands though.”
He laughed but was happy to play along. “I’m going to have to remove my mask.”
“You’re a lovely-looking chap, there’s no hardship for me there either.”
He took off his mask and moved closer. Clive’s cologne was rich and spicy and Evan’s nostrils flared. After tonight he might seek Clive out to explore their chemistry further. He was one of Jeremiah’s lovers but didn’t appear to have any compunction about spending time with others. Evan nuzzled closer and grasped the tip of Clive’s bowtie between his teeth and pulled.The tie unravelled and he felt a thrill race through him, his cock stiffening.
With a huge amount of willpower, Evan stepped away and held the thin strip of material aloft. “Thank you.”
“I think Mr Scales would look very dapper if he were to wear that.”
He laughed as he tied the bowtie around the crocodile’s neck. “Never has there been such a well-dressed reptile.”
Clive held out a piece of paper. “You haven’t time to hang around. On to the second clue.”
Evan had wondered where he would be heading next and should have known Jeremiah would have had everything planned out. He took the piece of paper:
There is a noble knight who protects Crofton Hall. Give him a hand, and later I might give you one as a reward.
J