Heidi Cullinan A Private Gentleman

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. Yes.Within a week they had retired to the family estate, Daventry and his wifeand Edwin at the main house, Michael and Wes in the dowager cottage.Rodgerhad found them a small cache of servants who wouldn t blink at two mensharing a bed together, and that had been that.Edwin, once the doctors Penny had sent him declared him well, was almostalways in their house.If he wasn t reading with Michael, he was out in thegarden with Wes.The boy was still skittish, and he wasn t exactly the same as he294 www.samhainpublishing.comA Private Gentlemanhad been before, but his nightmares had stopped.And, as Penny had pointedout, he was living his life. He isn t hiding, and he isn t dwelling on it. They watched from a distanceas Edwin played with a paper boat in a pond.Wes shook his head. I h-hate that it had to happen at all.Penny shrugged. We all have pain, Wes.It isn t life without it.What mattersin life isn t that we escape pain.What matters is that we overcome it. She smiledand took his hand. Come.Let s go help him with his boat.Wes rose to do so, but as Penny set out across the grass, he heard his nameechoing from back at the main house, and when he turned toward the sound hesaw Michael beckoning to him.He made his apologies to Penny and hurried hisstrides across the lawn to his lover, who was beaming.When he asked Michael what he wanted, all he did was smile, hold out hishand, and say, Come with me.Michael led him back toward their cottage, to the greenhouse in the back.The stovehouse smelled of new wood, and a month past its introduction, itwas still a delight to Wes.It had more apparatus for heating and watering thanwhat he had at Regent s Park, for as Penny no longer wanted for money for herhouse by the docks, neither did the marquess ever let Wes want for a botanist sluxury.He hadn t yet asked for exotic plants to be delivered, but he suspectedhis brother wouldn t hesitate to procure them.It was August, and there were as many blooms around the house as therewere inside it, but the most exotic and precious plants still remained within. I just noticed it this morning, Michael said, sounding very excited. It musthave happened overnight.Michael led Wes around the corner past a great potted palm, behind fourexotic ferns, and there in the back where his orchids were, he saw it.www.samhainpublishing.com 295Heidi CullinanThe leafless orchid was blooming.It was just a small bloom.The petals were thin and white and open againstthe long green stem it was the most amazing bloom Wes had ever seen.The toppart was like a star, each petal a thin and delicate arm, but the bottom produceda lip that extended out like a slipper and then from that, as if it had not doneenough, two slender arms snaked from each side.Pale, delicate and lovely and healthy.He didn t know how long he sat there.Michael brought him his notebookand pencil, and later a spot of tea, but eventually he took away both and led Wesback out into the sunshine, declaring he d been a botanist long enough. To celebrate the blooming, Michael declared, linking their arms, we willtake the train back to London and spend the night at Dove Street. He ran hishand seductively down Wes s arm. And you shall take me to the ballroom, andwe will go dancing.Wes had been smiling, his blood humming at the thought of all that theywould and could do in a room at Dove Street, but when he heard dancing, hisface fell. I c-can t dance, he reminded Michael.Michael gave him an impatient look. It isn t terribly difficult to dance, dearAlbert.I can teach you in a trifle. M-many have t-tried, Wes said, sensing disaster and wishing to avoid it. All have f-f-failed. Half an hour, Michael declared. Give me half an hour to teach you, and ifI can t, then I shall believe you that you are in fact unteachable, and I will neverbring up the subject again.Wes rubbed at his forehead, hating this with a fiery passion, but not seeingany way out, either.He sighed. Very w-well.296 www.samhainpublishing.comA Private GentlemanThey ended up in their parlor, all the couches and chairs pushed back andrugs rolled up.Michael stood in the center of the room, held his arms up, andgestured with his wrist. Come here, please.I can t dance with you from fifteenfeet away.Wes came forward, lifting his hands into dancing position.Michael noddedin approval and slipped into his embrace.This made Wes s body hum.He dnever danced with a man before.He found he was more relaxed already.Thiswas so much better.Though he knew it would still end in disaster. All dances are patterns, Michael explained. The trick is to find the basicpattern and teach it to your feet.As the leader, you ll also need to guide thedance steps of your partner, who in this case is me.Even then, however, youstick to the same pattern.When you re ready, you move a bit about the room.You must look out for furniture and, if there are others dancing with you, othercouples.But essentially, Albert darling, that is all there is to dancing.Wes s eyebrows lifted briefly.Put like that, it didn t sound difficult at all.He had to give Michael credit Wes did better with him than he d ever done.While they were dancing side by side, Wes mimicking Michael, he did quite,quite well indeed.When Michael stood before him, mirroring his steps, he alsodid fairly well.And then Michael stepped into his embrace, Wes tried to lead, and it fell topieces.Every single time. Sorry, Wes murmured, blushing furiously. I t-told you Michael lifted a hand and waved him into silence.He stared thoughtfully atWes for several seconds. Hmm.Do you know, it never occurred to me before,but yes.Why not? His smile became wicked. Again, my lord.Wes raised his arms, swallowing a weary sigh.Michael kept grinning, andhe shook his head.www.samhainpublishing.com 297Heidi Cullinan No, darling. He shifted Wes s hands, placing one on Michael s rightshoulder and clasped his other hand with his left. This time, it s you who willfollow me. When Wes blinked, Michael continued grinning. The same steps,but this time beginning with the other foot.I ll lead the way.You only have to letyour body move in the direction I tell it to go.Wes felt a bit strange, he had to admit, as if he had been unmannedsomehow.And yet well, hadn t that been Michael, only moments before? Hadhe thought him unmanly?A bit, he admitted to himself.No longer.For Michael moved Wes with strength and grace about the floor,and when Wes tripped, he recovered them so smoothly that anyone watchingthem wouldn t even have known.For what felt like hours, they simply turnedabout the room, Michael humming a tune softly under his breath to give themtime and rhythm.They danced, and they danced, and they danced.Lord George Albert Westin was dancing.All these years.All these years, an entire lifetime of years of parties, of homedances, dances at school his sainted mother even had been frustrated with himfor not being able to dance.The tutors.The daughters of mothers who hoped towin favor with the marquess by helping him with his socially awkward son. Teach him to dance, that was the excuse.What everyone meant, of course, wasTeach him how to be in the world.How to get out of the house.How to be able to bear aparty without passing out.How to not disgrace the family.How to dance, not just in thearms of a woman, but in life.Michael s mouth brushed Wes s ear, and Wes could hear the smile inMichael s voice as he said, It didn t even take me fifteen minutes.Wes wanted to laugh laugh, cry, shout, leap through the air [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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