Page 50 of The Labours of Lord Perry Cavendish

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” he said, turning back to Adam. “Jonny never actually got started on the final painting. We can pick up another time, I daresay. And as for Zander, I will gladly come back for another visit very soon, if you’ll have me?”

Adam’s gaze searched his face for a few moments. Then he sighed, sounding disappointed. “Very well. We shall you hold you to it, though, and expect to see you back here well before Christmas.”

Perry nodded, touched by Adam’s acceptance of him. “I would like that very much.”

“Well,” Zander said. “If Perry's leaving tomorrow, I think we should open some more wine, Adam. What do you say?”

Adam grinned at him. “What I always say, my dear. Your wish is my command.”

16

Jonny

When Perry first announced he was leaving, Jonny felt more numb than anything. It didn’t seem quite real. In fact, the whole evening seemed somehow unreal, with Perry acting as though Jonny was invisible.

But as the minutes and hours passed, the reality began to sink in. Perry intended to depart tomorrow, he said. He would be leaving as soon as he was packed.

Jonny might never see him again. He probably wouldn’t—judging by Perry’s conduct this evening, the man would probably prefer to visit Edgeley Park when Jonny was not in residence. And it was unlikely they would cross paths in town. They moved in entirely different circles.

Despite the obvious tension between Perry and Jonny—which both Zander and Adam were plainly very aware of, even as they feigned to ignore it—they managed to make a reasonable fist of the rest of the evening. They dispatched a good deal more wine and played Piquet and Faro, and if Zander and Adam carried nine-tenths of the conversation, no one was crass enough to point it out.

Perry was the first to go to bed, murmuring about packing his things and making an early start the next day. Zander followed soon after, yawning hugely, which left only Adam and Jonny in the drawing room playing a desultory game of Mariage as they finished the last of the wine.

For the last quarter hour, their conversation had centred on Jasper and Sam. So Jonny was quite unprepared when Adam said, quite out of the blue, “What happened in Reading?”

Jonny considered his cards intently. “What do you mean?”

Adam calmly repeated the question, adding, “It’s very obvious that something happened while you were away. One minute, you and Perry were getting on like a house on fire—no, please don’t feign to deny it; you’ll only make me cross—and the next, the two of you were behaving as though you’re entirely unaware of each other’s presence. I have to tell you, my dear, there were some exceedingly uncomfortable moments this evening.”

Jonny groaned and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s all my fault.”

The story spilled out then, every horrible, mortifying moment of it. When he was finished, Jonny met Adam’s gaze, expecting to see disapproval. But there was only compassion and a sort of exasperated confusion.

“Well, you have got yourself in quite a muddle, haven’t you?”

Jonny laughed weakly. “Ever the master of understatement.”

“Someone has to be, when you’re around,” Adam said, but his expression was fond. After a moment, he added gently, “I thought you liked him, Jonny.”

“I like him too much,” Jonny said flatly. “That’s the problem.”

“I don’t see why that’s a problem,” Adam replied, tossing his cards on the table and leaning forward to meet Jonny’s gaze squarely. “It’s far better than your usual problem.”

Jonny sat up. “What’s my usual problem?”

“Deciding you’ve found your prince, then discovering his feet of clay,” Adam said drily. “You must admit, you’ve always had a tendency to fall in love with falling in love. This is rather different.”

Jonny swallowed. “Is it? I only just met him, Adam.”

Adam’s gaze was pitying. “Yes, it’s different. This time you’ve found someone you could really, genuinely, fall in love with.” His mouth quirked in a half-smile. “Believe it or not, I do understand how terrifying that is.”

Jonny slumped in relief. “It’sawful! This has made me realise I was only playing at being heartbroken before. The mere thought of Perry waking up one day and deciding he’s fed up with me… I can’t put myself though that.”

Adam stared at him. “Listen to yourself, will you? WhywouldPerry think that? Has he ever given you reason to believe that’s how he views you? My God, Jonny, he looks at you like you hung the sun, moon, and stars!”

“Not anymore, he doesn’t,” Jonny said flatly. “He barely glanced at me at all tonight.”

“He’s hurt.”