Page 65 of Measure of the Stars
They talked until Wes started nodding off, watching Duciel come to life beyond Ferrin’s rudimentary garden.Ferrin finally ordered him to bed, where Wes found Delauney already asleep, sprawled on his back.
Wes climbed onto the bed in his clothes, too exhausted to undress.Delauney moved as the bed dipped with Wes’ weight, eyes opening.He smiled lazily up at Wes.
“It went well?”
“Yes,” Wes said, kissing him fondly.“As well as it could have gone.”
“Good.I like them.”Delauney wrapped his arms around Wes, pulling him close.“I want them to likeyou.”
“They might.”Wes sank into Delauney’s hold.“What about Ned and Peter?”
“I don’t know.”Delauney sighed.“It’s all rather sad.I just don’t see why Peter cares so much for Lennox.”
“He’s his uncle,” Wes said, yawning.Delauney’s eyes went wide, and he sat up, dislodging Wes.
“What?The uncle who practically raised him wasLennox?” He ran a hand over his face.“No wonder Ned didn’t tell me about it.He must have felt caught between us when I first told him how much I despised the man.”
“Do you think he’ll come around?”Wes asked.
“Not without fighting with Peter, and Ned doesn’t fight.”Delauney’s expression went soft and sad, the sparkle in his eyes fading.“He simply retreats from people if they’re too much trouble.I’ve seen it before.There’s a chance that he may not speak to me again.”
“You can try,” Wes said.“Peter was an ignorant ass, but I won’t stop you from talking to Ned.”
Delauney flopped back onto the bed.“Things never are easy, are they?”
Wes gestured widely.“My estranged siblings are probably talking about me on the porch right now.Trust me, I understand.”
Delauney kissed him softly.“Maybe no longer estranged, one day.”
“Maybe,” Wes said.“And we’ll be in Gerakia soon.”
A weak smile tugged at Delauney’s mouth.“And we’ll never have to keep incendiary supplies in a ship cabin.”
“Or eat navy rations,” Wes said.
“Or try to balance a spectroscope on a swaying deck.”
“Or set fire to the roof by accident.”
Delauney grinned.“And we’ll never go to one of my parents’ balls again.”
Wes kissed him soundly.“Is that a promise?”
Delauney wrapped him in a tight embrace, rolling until Wes lay on his back beneath him, looking up into Delauney’s bright eyes.
“It is.”
***
DELAUNEY DID NOT RETURNto theManatee.
It was unsettling how quickly the world could move when a king wanted one’s silence.King Adrien arranged for an advance on Delauney and Wes’ pensions, a team of servants to remove their possessions from the ship, a basket of expensive cheese to be shipped in from Kallistos, and a small retirement party that Delauney graciously declined.He wasn’t certain that he could stomach another elaborate party after Leo’s disastrous engagement ball.
In the meantime, Delauney and Wes stayed in Delauney’s house in Duciel, planning for their journey to Gerakia.Louise wandered in and out regularly, dropping by with vague excuses and gifts of obscure books, and Ferrin had invited them to dine at his home twice.
Ned had sent nothing.No note, no word, not even a brief message when King Adrien arranged for the command of theManateeto officially be transferred to him.Delauney quietly resigned himself to the knowledge that, as delightful as his new life with Wes had become, he would need to leave a vital piece of his old life behind.
“He might come around,” Wes said two months later, as they walked home from a farewell dinner.It had been held at a small house that Leo had rented solely for the purpose.Delauney should have enjoyed himself.Silver had been a delight.Louise had even given them a first-edition copy of a book calledThe Chorus of the Planets,which had been banned for decades.Leo had insisted on giving a short, awkward speech that ended with him turning beet red and walking into the cloakroom to burst into tears.Delauney had left the event feeling singularly appreciated, but that had only made Ned’s absence hurt like an open wound.Of course, Wes had picked up on it immediately.
