Page 83 of Infamous

‘I amsleeping,’ said Eddie.

‘Good Christ, you are. You missed Valentine doing quite an uncanny impression of Shelley’s sister-in-law, the poor dear. Move over – I shall bring the party to you.’

‘I am not in need of a party. You may have gathered this from the fact that it is bedtime, I am dressed for bed, and I am – what’s this? – oh yes,in bed.’

‘There is no need to take such a tone with me,’ Nash said, ignoring her and climbing on top of the blankets as Eddie shuffled out of his way. He settled himself down on the other pillow and crossed his legs, uncorking the wine with his teeth and spitting the cork onto the floor. ‘I have been very helpful today.’

‘I suppose you have,’ said Eddie. ‘Youseem in very good spirits.’

‘In good wine, actually,’ Nash said, before laughing heartily at his own, terrible joke. Eddie hadn’t realised quite how drunk he was; it made her feel very sober, and very tired. ‘Come on, take a swig. It’s a nightcap.’

‘It’s a nuisance,’ she said, but she took the bottle just to shut him up. He winked at her and then lay back and closed his eyes. ‘You cannot just fall asleep in here, Nash.’

‘Am not sleeping. Doing some very great thinking, in fact.’

‘Oh. About what?’

‘Mmm? Many things. Although, right now, mostly .?.?. that this bed is inordinately comfortable,’ Nash said, stretching languorously so that at least half his limbs came into contact with Eddie. ‘No wonder Dayo was such a fastidious worker, getting eight hours on this mattress every night. Here – stop inching away from me, I am hardly going to maul you.’

‘Would it kill you to maintainsomedecorum?’

‘Yes, actually, I think it might.’

‘Well .?.?. what if I do not want you in my bed?’

‘Goodness, hark at you – speaking as if you have never had my tongue in your mouth, which I know for a fact youhave, as I was attached to the other end of it.’

Eddie made a startled sound between a squeak and a splutter, and Nash laughed, reaching out to pat her on what he probably presumed was her arm, but was in fact somewhere around her ribs.

‘One could discern from these hysterics that you find speaking of the act to be far more incriminating than actually doing it.’

‘Oh, I think it was exceedingly incriminating,’ Eddie said dourly. ‘I have been mortified ever since.’

Nash rolled over onto his side to look at her.

‘No, no, Edie, that is simply not on.Mortified?I am wounded. I am adrift.’

‘You are drunk as a wheelbarrow.’

‘I burn, I pine, I perish.’

‘You stole that.’

‘Shakespeare bade me borrow it, to impress upon you how glad I am to have you. Do you know, there is only one thing that could improve this situation .?.?.’

During this exchange he had somehow managed to get much closer to Eddie; one arm was now flung over her, the other tucked beneath his head as he gazed at her, boyish and hopeful.

‘Sleep?’

‘Wrong,’ said Nash.

He took Eddie firmly by the chin and kissed her; Eddie leaned in for just a moment before pulling away.

‘There. I have kissed you goodnight, and now you must go.’

Nash let his head fall forwards until his brow was resting against hers and sighed.

‘Are you really so cruel as to send me back to my empty bed, on a night as cold as this?’