Read Online My Fair Captain by J.L. Langley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: J.L. Langley
Tags: gay romance
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regardless, our laws do not permit designer babies other than a few minor things. In a case of male mates, the couple is allowed to specify if they want a male or female child. But other than that, and being predisposed to sexually prefer men, in the landed gentry our laws prohibit designer offspring.”
Interesting. Nate took a sip of his scotch. Most planets that utilized the artificial procreation and incubation procedure used the all-or-nothing philosophy. They eradicated all undesirable traits and diseases and did not allow natural conception. “You allow natural gestation?”
“Oh yes. Actually, the ratio of natural-born children to synthetically created children is about eighty to one outside of the aristocracy. The procedure is very expensive. We are a patriarchal society, therefore, among the titled it is nearly one hundred percent. Occasionally, a lord will be born without having been altered to prefer men and…” Raleigh shrugged. “It’s very rare though.”
Nate liked how they did things here. It made sense to him. If everyone were perfect and lived into their hundreds, then the population would be outlandish. Not only that…how boring would it be if everyone were ideal specimens? And same-sex partners were not only accepted, among the landed gentry they were the norm. Too bad his own home planet didn’t have similar values. If it had, he’d have never been forced into that duel… A duel that made him lose his family. Nate shook himself out of
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My Fair Captain
his ponderings, it was irrelevant. He was here to investigate a crime.
“You said the children shut off Jeffers?”
Sighing, Raleigh picked up a drink coaster from the big mahogany desk, toying with it. “Yes. And I know what you are thinking, Nate, but they’re innocent. They do not even know of my involvement with the IN, much less about the weapons stash we harbor for them.”
He believed Raleigh, but something didn’t add up. Nate needed to understand to eliminate the princes from suspicion. “I have no reason to doubt you. You say they aren’t involved, fine. But why would they need to shut off the computer?”
“They wanted freedom away from the castle,” Steven said.
“What do you mean? They appear to have plenty of freedom.” Shit.
That didn’t come out right, but he wasn’t going to take it back—it was the truth.
Steven chuckled. “Yes they do, more than most young lords I would say. We rarely deny them a request as long as it’s reasonable and they take an acceptable chaperone with them. But that is the crux of the situation. They didn’t want to be bothered with a chaperone.”
“Why must they be chaperoned? They are all adults, are they not?”
Steven looked at Nate like he’d lost his mind.
Tossing the coaster aside, Raleigh pushed himself off the desk. He crossed to Steven and began kneading his shoulders. “On Nate’s planet, it is a young lady’s virtue that is guarded not the young lords.”
Steven nodded and dropped his head slightly forward. “I see.”
It impressed Nate that Raleigh had bothered to research Nate’s origins.
Raleigh caught Nate’s gaze. “Here it’s the young gentlemen of the ton who are highly sought after. Until a lord reaches his twenty-fifth year, or is contracted into a consort ceremony, he must remain chaste. It is essentially like our fore-society, the nineteenth century, in Earth’s England. Nevertheless, we are a male-dominated society, hence it is our young lords not our young ladies.” The consort’s dark head cocked.
“Englor is exactly like our fore society, is it not?”
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J.L. Langley
“It is.” Nate took a drink of his scotch. “But I don’t understand the rationale. In our society it’s to insure a man’s heir is his own, but here…
Why would you need the young lords to be virginal?”
“We don’t necessarily, that’s just how we’ve always done things,”
Steven said.
Raleigh nodded his agreement. “Military and
Interesting. Nate took a sip of his scotch. Most planets that utilized the artificial procreation and incubation procedure used the all-or-nothing philosophy. They eradicated all undesirable traits and diseases and did not allow natural conception. “You allow natural gestation?”
“Oh yes. Actually, the ratio of natural-born children to synthetically created children is about eighty to one outside of the aristocracy. The procedure is very expensive. We are a patriarchal society, therefore, among the titled it is nearly one hundred percent. Occasionally, a lord will be born without having been altered to prefer men and…” Raleigh shrugged. “It’s very rare though.”
Nate liked how they did things here. It made sense to him. If everyone were perfect and lived into their hundreds, then the population would be outlandish. Not only that…how boring would it be if everyone were ideal specimens? And same-sex partners were not only accepted, among the landed gentry they were the norm. Too bad his own home planet didn’t have similar values. If it had, he’d have never been forced into that duel… A duel that made him lose his family. Nate shook himself out of
-54-
My Fair Captain
his ponderings, it was irrelevant. He was here to investigate a crime.
“You said the children shut off Jeffers?”
Sighing, Raleigh picked up a drink coaster from the big mahogany desk, toying with it. “Yes. And I know what you are thinking, Nate, but they’re innocent. They do not even know of my involvement with the IN, much less about the weapons stash we harbor for them.”
He believed Raleigh, but something didn’t add up. Nate needed to understand to eliminate the princes from suspicion. “I have no reason to doubt you. You say they aren’t involved, fine. But why would they need to shut off the computer?”
“They wanted freedom away from the castle,” Steven said.
“What do you mean? They appear to have plenty of freedom.” Shit.
That didn’t come out right, but he wasn’t going to take it back—it was the truth.
Steven chuckled. “Yes they do, more than most young lords I would say. We rarely deny them a request as long as it’s reasonable and they take an acceptable chaperone with them. But that is the crux of the situation. They didn’t want to be bothered with a chaperone.”
“Why must they be chaperoned? They are all adults, are they not?”
Steven looked at Nate like he’d lost his mind.
Tossing the coaster aside, Raleigh pushed himself off the desk. He crossed to Steven and began kneading his shoulders. “On Nate’s planet, it is a young lady’s virtue that is guarded not the young lords.”
Steven nodded and dropped his head slightly forward. “I see.”
It impressed Nate that Raleigh had bothered to research Nate’s origins.
Raleigh caught Nate’s gaze. “Here it’s the young gentlemen of the ton who are highly sought after. Until a lord reaches his twenty-fifth year, or is contracted into a consort ceremony, he must remain chaste. It is essentially like our fore-society, the nineteenth century, in Earth’s England. Nevertheless, we are a male-dominated society, hence it is our young lords not our young ladies.” The consort’s dark head cocked.
“Englor is exactly like our fore society, is it not?”
-55-
J.L. Langley
“It is.” Nate took a drink of his scotch. “But I don’t understand the rationale. In our society it’s to insure a man’s heir is his own, but here…
Why would you need the young lords to be virginal?”
“We don’t necessarily, that’s just how we’ve always done things,”
Steven said.
Raleigh nodded his agreement. “Military and
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