Page 38 of Apple Boy

“Was it something to do with the Dark Harvest?” I prodded.

Mr. Elliott paused outside white double doors. He turned and looked at me blankly as if I had been speaking to him in a foreign tongue.

“You must have heard of the Dark Harvest?” I said with incredulity.

“Lord Aeling, your accommodations are the Peacock suite,” Elliot replied, completely ignoring my question. I observed the blank, unreadable expression on his face and was unsure then if he had heard me and ignored me, or if he did not understand my question. I found this quite disturbing, and a chill of warning made my skin prickle. I did not ask my question again.

Mr. Elliott stepped forward and opened the doors to display a vast suite of clean, airy rooms decorated in a peacock style with swathes of lavish wallpapers and fabrics in shades of blue, purple, green, and gold with accents of ivory. The suite consisted of a large lounge leading onto a bedchamber with a huge feather down bed, and then onto a bathing room. Glass fronted double doors opened out onto a balcony. The doors were open and the sweet scent of post-rain petrichor whafted in on an autumn breeze. After the lowly accommodations I’d inhabited for the past three weeks I felt at once embarrassed by the opulence of what I saw before me. It felt quite obscene for one man to occupy all of this space alone.

“Sir, if you’d like to accompany me,” Elliot said gravely to Adam and continued down the hallway. Adam tossed my pack to me and shot me a shy smile, then turned to follow the butler, but I grabbed for his hand, and he paused.

“Mr. Elliot,” I called. “A second chamber will not be necessary. My companion will share the Peacock suite with me.” I informed decisively.

“But my Lord, a room has been readied—“ The butler said, sounding mildly outraged.

“That may be so. But this suite is large enough for us both. My companion will stay with me, do you hear.” I reprimanded, putting the man in his place. The butler fixed his expression and tightened his jaw.

“Very good, my Lord.” He nodded. I let go of Adam, and he sauntered into our chamber, dropping his bag on a chair in the lounge and then removing his traveling cloak.

“Now Mr. Elliot,” I said before he took his leave. “Is there indoor pipework or do I have to send for hot water to bathe?” I asked.

“My Lord, Serein enjoys a water and waste system like no other city in the whole of the Empire,” Elliott said incredulously, surprised I did not know this fact. “Water is on tap, hot or cold, and in plentiful supply, and there is a garderobe in each chamber. Do you require a valet to assist with bathing?”

“No, thank you. But I do require carafe of Climoiselle if you have it, and if not, any red wine will do. Oh, and a platter of fruits. And later, we too will take dinner in our chamber; so inform the cook if you please.”

Mr. Elliot nodded subserviently. I sensed he found it peculiar that I would choose to share my suite with Adam. I’d wager there would soon be whispering below stairs!

“These arrangements are to your liking, yes?” I ventured offering Adam a flirtatious smile as I pulled the double doors closed behind me.

“I mean if you would like your own room I can call Mr. Elliot back and ask which chamber has been readied—“

“I’m dog tired, so I am! I don’t care if I sleep on the damn floor, just as long as I can get outa these clothes, wash an’ lay down.” Adam sighed.

In all honesty, it was not only the size of the chamber that had given me pause. After two days of sharing a bed with Adam, the thought of sleeping alone was not one I welcomed.

“I like the sound of that!” I affirmed and removed my traveling cloak.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

SURRENDER

As requested, maids delivered platters of food to our chamber, along with fresh, clean nightshirts.

“Winter, I’ve been thinkin’—” Adam yelled from the bedroom.

“About?” I called back from the bathing room, where I sat on a bench removing my boots and stockings. Adam was silent for a beat, “The bathhouse—” I looked up to see he had appeared at the doorway and was leaning on the doorjamb. My plums twitched at the mention of it. Gods, the memories rushed to the forefront of my mind and washed away thoughts of magic, highway robbery and murder. These salacious thoughts were so much nicer. I remembered that first hungry kiss Adam and I shared in the bathhouse, and delighted in the memory of the moment Adam submitted to his desires, stripped, and joined me in the fragrant hot water of the fat-bellied tub. We’d been so close to making love. I’d wished we could have that intimacy again—that I could give Adam the pleasure that he so deserved and was afraid to ask for.

“Um…Yes—“ I replied innocently, trying and failing to keep my tone neutral. If anything was to happen between us, Adam must initiate it. Though I longed, more than anything, to be Adam’s first lover, I understood the fear he felt, not only at living in a society that saw our desire for one another as wrong but in surrendering himself for the first time.

Adam’s behavior in our chamber at The Cleaved Oak had taken me by surprise. It pleased me that he was becoming bolder in his actions and what he did to me in that room—pushing me against the door, then plundering my mouth—was just a sample of the passions he kept hidden. I sensed that once our desires were unleashed, Adam and I would be more than a match in our bed play. I held in a breath and prayed to whichever god was listening that Adam would ask me to be the one… just ask me!

Barefoot, I padded to the bath, twisted the water spigot and warm water flowed into the beautiful bathtub crafted from shiny beaten copper. An array of sweet-smelling soaps, rough sea sponges, washcloths, and oils were arranged on a shelf. My mind was alive with possibilities, I reached out and picked up a small vial of oil, opened it, and the scent of fresh apple filled the air. From behind me Adam’s hands snuck beneath my shirt and drew me back to press against his warm, solid form. He kissed the nape of my neck and, lost in the sensation of his wet lips upon my skin I stopped breathing, trying to hold the pleasure inside. Then Adam pressed closer and rubbed his crotch against my firm buttocks, and I let out a gasp of surprise.

“Ohhh, what is that? Do you have an apple stuffed in your britches?” I mocked. Adam snickered and held onto me tightly, his broad working man’s hands pressing against my flat belly as if he was afraid I would slip his grasp.

“Sorry I’ve been so quiet.” Adam said, “After all that happened today I just—“ I leaned away and returned the vial to its place on the shelf, then turned in Adam’s arms and silenced him with a kiss. It was not the time for talk. We both needed to unwind, and his actions were enough of a go-ahead signal for me.