Page 8 of The Labours of Lord Perry Cavendish

“You know I do,” Adam replied, turning to smile at him. “And the studio is all ready and waiting for you. Lysander’s organised everything.”

Jonny swallowed back against a sudden lump in his throat, touched beyond all measure. When he had himself back under control, he turned determinedly to smile at Perry. “Are you fond of art, Perry?”

“Me?” Perry replied, his tone all astonishment. “Good God, no, I’m a perfect dunce about all that sort of thing!”

Jonny frowned at that reaction. It was at least the third time Perry had referred to himself as intellectually deficient this evening.

Perry noticed his frown and promptly misinterpreted it. “Not that I wouldn't love to seeyourpaintings and whatnot. Bound to be first rate.” He smiled uncertainly. “Course, I wouldn’t know a good one from a bad one, probably…” He trailed off.

Jonny felt an odd ache in his chest.

“You can’t reallybea dunce about art,” he said gently. “You just… like it, or you don’t.”

“He’ll likeyourart,” Adam said confidently.

“Yes,” Lysander said. “Especially that painting of Adam as Jason.” He shot a hot look at Adam from under his lashes.

“Or you as Narcissus,” Adam replied slyly.

“I’ve not even been able to start on the Narcissus one yet,” Jonny complained. “I’ve done all those sketches so I do know exactly how I want it, but I need to begin painting. Lysander will have to sit for me again.”

“I will,” Lysander promised. “Once the harvest is in. It won’t be long now.”

“You’ve painted Adam and Zander then?” Perry asked. He was sitting awkwardly in a dainty armchair that didn’t look big enough to hold him.

“I’ve onlydrawnLysander actually,” Jonny said. “But yes, I’ve painted Adam. I often paint my friends.’’

“Is that so?” Adam said. “Who else have you painted besides us?”

“Do you recall Ambrose Brydon?”

“That poet friend of yours?”

“Yes,” Jonny replied. “I painted him as Zeus with his manservant, Michael, as Ganymede.”

“Michael is his manservant?” Adam echoed, raising a brow. As well he might.

“And Miranda Heatherington as Pallas Athene,” Jonny went on. “Oh, and when Sam and Jasper came back to England last year—”

“Don’t tell me,” Adam said, sitting forward and holding up a hand. “Let me guess.” He frowned, thinking about it, then said, “Achilles and Patroclus?”

“No, but that’s not a bad guess,” Jonny said. “Except, I don’t really see Jasper as a warrior, do you? I’d love to paint you and Lysander as those two, though.” He sighed happily, imagining that, then added, “No, I painted Jasper and Sam as Dionysus and Ampelos.”

“Oh, yes,” Adam said approvingly. “I do see that.”

Jonny glanced at Perry, interested to see his reaction to that provoking idea, but Perry just looked blank and, when he caught Jonny’s gaze upon him, vaguely panicked, as though he thought Jonny might bark some question at him, like a schoolmaster. Perry glanced at Lysander, who smiled at him reassuringly and then, turning to Jonny, said, “You’re going to have to take pity on Perry and me—we don’t know who all these Greek chaps are. Which ones are Dionysus and—what was it? Amp-someone?”

“Ampelos,” Jonny said, his heart warming at Lysander’s kindly tact. “Dionysus was the god of wine and fertility. Ampelos is far less well-known. He was a satyr youth and Dionysus’s lover. When he was gored by a bull and dying, Dionysus transformed him into a grapevine.”

“A grapevine?” Perry exclaimed. “What rotten luck!”

Everyone laughed at that, making Perry redden and say a little defensively, “I only mean that most of these chaps get turned into a bird or a stag or something, don’t they? So they can at least fly or run around after.”

“Quite so,” Jonny said kindly. “In Ampelos’s case, Dionysus made the first wine from his grapes, so at least he was useful. I’m certainly thankful for him.” He lifted his glass to the room and proposed a toast. “To Ampelos!”

The others laughed and lifted their glasses too, even Perry, though he still appeared a little embarrassed over his blunder.

Once they’d all drank again, and Adam had refilled their glasses, Lysander said, “So, Jonny, how do you see our Perry, then?”