Maxime Alexandre - a witty libertine

“These will be your quarters, sir Alexandre” said the burly black man when the two of them entered the room. “Your belongings will be brought here shortly.”

“And when will I meet my benefactor?” the young Frenchman asked.

“My lord will return in the late evening - I apologize on his behalf - and he wishes that all guests make themselves at home. Anything you wish and this house can provide is yours to take, sir Alexandre. Simply ring the bell at your bed for room service.”

Maxime smiled when he heard the statement. For a moment his thoughts gathered around the more… indecent interpretations of what he just heard.

“Thank you, master Sefu. I’m sure my stay here will be a pleasant one” he answered and bowed his head to the castellan.

“I am certain of it. Rest well, baron.” The dark haired nobleman didn’t notice the sarcastic smile that crept over Sefu’s face as he bowed and left the room.

When the door closed behind the Negro, he could no longer suppress his joy. With a wide grin he examined the luxurious apartment he was given. Finally his efforts were bearing fruit. Finally he was becoming a part of what he could only dream of so far.

His real name was Claude Valery and he was the son of a Parisian shoemaker. Claude was, without a doubt, an intelligent and industrious (not to mention a handsome) person but nonetheless doomed to poverty because of his social standing. That’s why he became baron Maxime Alexandre. It was surprisingly easy for the young man to cheat the lesser nobles into believing he was one of them once he looked and talked the part. Finding someone to sponsor his education, though, proved more difficult. Still, the young man soon discovered that some of the rich ladies are more than willing to share their wealth if only given proper attention.

Before his twentieth birthday, baron Maxime had finished his studies and, speaking fluent Spanish, German and Italian, was now ready to head out into the world. He traveled all over Europe: to Rome, Prague, Madrid, London, and Vienna. The young man worked as a teacher, diplomat, advisor and made many new acquaintances. Among them was the beautiful and immodest duchess Magdalena Weiss – the first woman whose lover Maxime became in less than two hours of their first meeting and the first woman whose desires were nearly too much for Maxime to handle. She was the one who brought him along to this castle and, although they occupied separate quarters (the duchess was married, after all, and didn’t want a scandal), the young bachelor was sure the older woman would not let him rest for long.

Anyway, he was here surrounded by luxury and servants ready to provide him with anything he wanted. The dark haired libertine sighed happily and fell on the bed. He felt a bit tired by the long voyage from Vienna but then again he didn’t want to miss a moment in this paradise. “A man can sleep anywhere but only on rare occasions can one enjoy such splendor” he thought and got up again.

It was still early afternoon. He could call for room service and order something good to drink, then maybe say hello to lady Magdalena. He could also go for a walk and explore the castle a bit (Magdalena would find him sooner or later anyway). There were certainly other interesting guests here and, certainly, many interesting things to do.