Page 51 of Dick Stone, Regency Stud
“Precisely my feeling this very morning while exercising Tencendor in the park,” said Edward, hoping to divert the conversation to something less confusing. “I thought to myself, ‘why must my horse go through life alone? He’s been a good sort of fellow, and I think he deserves a companion.’”
“But Tencendor is a male horse,” said Tobias, as if explaining the matter to a small child. “He can’t have a companion.”
Edward paused. Explaining why things were different for horses might take some artistry if he didn’t want his ears to burn with shame.
“Well, when two horses love each other very much—”
“I’ve been grown since we met, Dick Stone!” exclaimed Tobias between hoots of laughter. “There’s no need to soften bawdy talk. You know where I’ve lived.”
That he did, and it gave Edward periodic heart palpitations to think of his friend going about his dubious business on those streets.
“You claim to be an adult, but you’re certainly not adult height,” said Edward, sizing him up. In their years of acquaintance, Tobias had grown a little, but never reached higher than Edward’s chest. It made it easy to treat him as a lad.
“That again,” groaned Tobias. “These things happen when your da drinks the bread money away.”
“He still around?” asked Edward, wondering if he should pay a call on Tobias’s old man, and by pay a call, he meant—
“Nah, drowned in a cesspit just before I encountered you.”
They both winced at the idea of drowning to death in shite.
“Encounteredis a rather lofty way to say you tried to pick my pocket,” said Edward.
“What can I say? I’ve been improving myself since becoming a not-companion to a toff,” said Tobias.
“Clearly,” said Edward, not bothering to conceal the wry note in his voice. “As I was saying, when two horses spend time together, sometimes there’s a happy result.”
“Are you trying to breed horses, too?” asked Tobias, struck by the idea.
“I thought it might become a new appendage for my business, yes, in time. At some point, I’ll have to retire.”
“Retire?”
“Stop working. When my parts no longer perform the same. Or I run out of ladies to service.”
“Are you at risk of that? Either thing?” asked Tobias.
“Not particularly,” said Edward. “Not today, at least. Just thinking about the future. One where I don’t need to be at the beck and call of the worst, silliest people on earth.”
“Is it so bad?”
“Beats a lot of ways to keep myself and my not-companion in meat pies,” said Edward, giving the kid a rough rub on his dirty head. “Besides, if I earn enough money to get Tencendor a lady companion, he might feel better about what he saw during the war and try to throw me from the saddle less.”
“Does it work that way?”
“I certainly feel less jumpy when I’ve been with a lady,” said Edward, making a rare bawdy comment before Tobias.
The lad carefully unwrapped a small piece of cheese. “Take half?”
“Couldn’t possibly,” said Edward, patting his trim stomach. “Late lunch. Meat pie adulterated with a side of sawdust, I fear. Won’t need to eat again for days.”
Tobias grimaced and tossed back the entire block in one go.
“Any prospects?” asked Tobias, nodding to the gazettes.
“Slow season for lonely hearts ads,” said Edward, sitting back in his chair. It creaked as if to echo his claim. “At least the ones from obviously rich ladies. Everyone is in the countryside until Parliament is back in session.”
“I’m still here,” said Tobias stoutly between sips from his flask.
