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S ilas made his solitary way home. He did not know if Ezra would take him up on his offer to share his room. It was small, after all, without any of the modern conveniences of the house in Hackney. He had to share a backyard privy with a dozen other tenants, while Ezra and Rebecca had running water and a new kind of indoor toilet. From what he understood, on the ground floor Rebecca had a salon, a dining room and a kitchen, much like Magnus and Toby had, and there were three bedrooms upstairs: one for Rebecca, one for Ezra, and a third for guests.

Rebecca cooked for herself and Ezra, and a maid came in every day to clean. It was altogether a much higher lifestyle than that which Silas could afford.

What if Ezra could no longer box? What would he do for the next twenty or thirty years of his life? Even if he went to France to box, his body would only hold out for so long. Ezra had admitted he was not much of a scholar, though he did seem to have some head for business, investing his proceeds in funds. How long would that last him?

His room was empty when he returned to it. He sat on his bed, and the colored scarves above it, which had once seemed so joyous, now were pitiful and somewhat tattered. He was lost in his own misery when he heard a loud rapping at the door.

He rose to answer it, and Ezra swooped in, and grabbed him in an embrace. Ezra’s kiss was so happy that Silas had no choice but to respond in kind. When they finally came apart, he was almost dizzy.

“What has caused this change in your manner?” he asked.

“When I arrived at the house in Hackney I discovered a note Rebecca left me. She cannot bear the humiliation I have caused her. She has taken herself off to her father’s house in Paris. She will make no claim against the house or my assets if I do not reveal the circumstances of our breakup to her family, or mine.”

“Will you be able to keep that a secret?”

“If I remain in London and keep my profile low,” he said. “It is possible that people here will relay the information to others in Paris, but it will only be hearsay if neither of us address it. The other condition is that I appear before a panel of rabbis and grant her a religious divorce.”

“And will you do that?”

“Of course!” He picked Silas up by the waist and swung him around. “It means I am free to live my life.”

He pressed his groin against Silas’s. Silas felt his stiffness and responded in kind, and Ezra let him down. They kissed and rubbed against each other until Silas said, “I don’t want to waste your spend inside your trousers.” He backed away and began to undo Ezra’s belt. Ezra leaned down and kissed the top of his head, and Silas felt ready to burst with joy.

As soon as he had Ezra’s trousers open, he reached into his drawers and grabbed his cock, bringing it out. Ezra groaned in pleasure as Silas dropped to his knees and took the long shaft in his mouth, feeling again the unfamiliar sensation of a lack of foreskin.

He took that opportunity to swipe his tongue up and down Ezra’s shaft, then swallowed the tip and began stroking the length of it. It didn’t take Ezra long to spend, and Silas did his best to swallow all of it.

Then he backed off, and caught his breath.

“I did not come here for sex,” Ezra said, when he had finished. “Though of course that is pleasant.”

Silas sat on the bed. “Why, then?”

“To take you to your new home, in Hackney,” Ezra said. “That is, if you will join me there. You can still walk to the Inns of Court, or take a carriage if the weather is foul. And we have the house to ourselves, so we need not worry about prying eyes or the ears of nosy neighbors.”

Silas was astonished. “What about your fights in France?” he asked.

“Those will have to be postponed, until I know better what my reception will be. At some point I must return to Paris to face the Bet Din, the panel of rabbis, and grant Rebecca her divorce, but it does not have to happen immediately, since neither of us will want to remarry.”

“What if the rabbis say no?”

“They don’t. They simply authorize a scribe to write a document dissolving the marriage. I sign it and hand it to Rebecca, and it’s done.”

“And in the meantime? Will you box?”

Ezra shook his head. “I have already been told that I am not welcome at New Cross,” he said. “That was based on the murder charge, of course, but I will not press things. Give them some time to forget.”

“And eventually the bettors will want the chance once again to put their money on the Hammering Hebrew,” Silas said.

“It is to be hoped.” Ezra looked around. “Now, what do you need to take with you in the carriage this evening? We can come back another day with a cart if necessary.”

“The furniture belongs to the house,” Silas said. “Only my clothing and personal belongings.”

“We will start with these,” Ezra said, touching one of the scarves that hung over the bed. “They will be hung again in Hackney.”

Silas smiled. Ezra did seem to understand him.

Silas had a single suitcase which he filled with clothing, and then the rest of his belongings went into several bags. When they were finished, and the scarves had been taken down from over the bed and packed, he looked around.

The room was spare and dismal. He had never been inside Ezra’s home, but it had to be better. And he would have Ezra by his side.

They dragged case and bags down to the street, and while Ezra hailed a carriage, Silas took a moment to catch his breath. Everything was moving so quickly and he had the sense that he was riding a horse that had gone out of his control.

He had experienced several upheavals in his life so far. Being discovered by his father and thrust out of the house. Starting over again in his first barrister’s office, as little more than an errand boy. Then gaining his first clerkship with another, and finally feeling like he had his footing again.

There had been another fresh start in London, and then yet another when he joined Pemberton’s office. Since then things had moved even faster, meeting Ezra and falling in love with him, taking on Cyril’s position, then organizing Ezra’s defense.

Ezra turned a corner ahead of him, still seeking a carriage. What a fine figure of a man he was. None of the athletes or sportsmen on Silas’s walls could compare to him. And for some reason, he loved Silas as Silas loved him. What a wonder the world was!

But there were still more obstacles to overcome, more choices to make. Ezra must be cleared of his charges, and find a way to move forward with his life. In the time since Cyril’s death, Silas had come to understand how much more he had to learn to fully occupy the position of Pemberton’s chief clerk.

Ahead of him a carriage rounded the corner, and Ezra leaned out the window and waved, and Silas’s heart leapt like a fish on the line.