Page 17 of Mr Winterbourne's Christmas
DINNER WAS LONG—VERYlong—and Lysander was seated nowhere near Adam. Adam had been placed at one end of the table on Althea’s right with Mrs. Griffiths on his other side, while Lysander was at the other between Mrs. Thewlis and Mrs. Gould.
Happily, both of his table companions liked to talk, so Lysander didn’t have to do much, only issue occasional conversational prompts and react appropriately. Mrs. Thewlis liked to talk about her many accomplishments, her fiancé and her upcoming wedding, while Mrs. Gould preferred to wax lyrical about the awful manners of young people, the preponderance of ungrateful servants and her four cocker spaniels, Nero, Hadrian, Claudius and Caligula.
Everyone drank a great deal of wine.
At the start of dinner, his mother had started the company off with the practice of “taking wine”—catching the eye of another diner, raising one’s glass in invitation, then, when they raised their own glass in answer, simultaneously imbibing. Soon enough, everyone was drinking far too much. Bella in particular was looking decidedly foxed. Lysander was relieved to note that, when the time came for the ladies to retire to the drawing room, Althea took Bella’s arm and steered her carefully through the door. Otherwise, she might well have fallen over.
After the ladies’ departure, the gentlemen conversed over their port, but even now, Lysander could get no nearer to Adam. They were still at opposite ends of the table. Lysander’s nearest neighbours were Perry and the major, while Adam was being monopolised by Sir Edmund.
Again.
Realising he was staring at them, Lysander quickly glanced away, forcing himself to listen to Perry rhapsodising about the chestnut gelding he’d just bought.
When, some time later, Simon caught Lysander’s eye and raised his brows queryingly, it took Lysander several long, blank moments before he realised what that look meant. In the absence of the earl, or one of his older brothers, it fell to Lysander to direct the gentlemen to join the ladies in the drawing room again.
Hastily, Lysander got to his feet.
“Gentlemen? Shall we join the ladies? I understand Miss Greenhill will be playing the pianoforte and there will be card tables of course.”
There was some good-natured grumbling over having to leave the port behind, but gradually the gentlemen rose from the table and began to slowly file from the dining room, Simon leading the way.
Lysander hung back, letting all the guests precede him from the room. The polite gesture allowed him to wait for Adam—who had been sitting at the end of the table furthest from the door—to reach him.
He saw the moment that Adam understood his intentions, the gleam in his eyes, and the slow curve of his mouth. Adam dropped back a little, letting his companions pull ahead of him, slowing his pace.
Lysander tried to bite his smile back, but it tugged insistently at the corners of his mouth, wanting to be free. He had to duck his head down to hide it from the other guests.
Soon enough, all of the gentlemen had left the dining room and were strolling away down the corridor, their voices gradually dying away as they turned the corner.
Softly Lysander said, “Alone at last, Mr. Freeman.”
“Finally,” Adam replied, his eyes gleaming. He leaned past Lysander to push the door closed, moving into Lysander’s space at the same time.
Lysander tipped his head back, meeting his lover’s warm gaze. “Not for long, though,” he said ruefully. “The footmen will be here to clear the table any minute.”
“Kiss me now then, while we have a chance,” Adam breathed.
Lysander stepped closer, pressing the full length of his body against Adam and brushed his lips softly over Adam’s. “Like this?” he teased.
“No, likethis,” Adam whispered, cupping the back of his head and pressing his tongue into Lysander’s mouth with a sigh of pleasure.
Lysander’s hands fisted in Adam’s waistcoat, pulling him even closer, their clothed cocks brushing, making them both hiss and moan.
“It’s torture, not being able to touch you,” Adam muttered, pulling back.
“I know,” Lysander groaned. “I told you it’d be like this.”
Adam smiled. “Still worth it,” he said. “To be here with you, instead of apart.”
Lysander’s chest ached with the sweetness of that. At times like these, he felt sure that Adam’s feelings ran as deep as his own.
He opened his mouth to speak but before he could utter a word, he heard the click of footsteps coming down the corridor and the low murmuring voices of the approaching servants.
Sighing, he let his arms drop to his sides. “We’d better join the others.”
Adam nodded but when Lysander began turn away, he set a hand on his shoulder, detaining him. “Let’s slip away tomorrow after breakfast. You can show me your favourite childhood haunts and hopefully we can finally steal some time alone.”
His gaze was serious and fond at once, intent as a hawk yet oddly warm with affection.