Yet, Lord Blackthorne, in the two years since his arrival in the county, had not wed. Had not attended a ball. Had not, if rumors were to be believed, even courted a woman. Despite his dark skin, many women would be happy to be Lady Blackthorne.
“Harumph.”
That was all Henry said as we arrived at the carriage.
The footman assisted him in, and I took my place riding above.
The driver was a man of no words, so the trip passed in complete silence.
When we arrived, I again had nothing to do as Henry was assisted from the carriage.
A striking Black man stood near the door. His grin grew as he clearly laid eyes on Henry. He strode forward. “You are most welcome, sir, to Blackthorne Manor.”
“Yes, well.” Henry frowned.
Likely he, like myself, had not realized how young the lord was. A decade younger than Henry, if I had to guess.
Henry shook the man’s hand. “Lord Blackthorne.”
“Lord Hartridge.” John grinned. “I look forward to discussing many things with you. Would you like a glass of port? A tour of the house? Or straight to food?”
Does the lord not entertain often? Or is he merely excited to have someone so like himself?And not just in appearance—John was never supposed to inherit. Neither was Henry. Both had lost family members unexpectedly. Both were from the military—although navy and infantry were different. Perhaps a friendly—or not so friendly—rivalry? I had so little experience with these things.
The carriage departed, the gentlemen headed inside, and I stood like a landed trout without a single notion of what to do.
“You are the earl’s valet, are you not?” A soft-spoken man with weather-beaten features approached me. Easily in his forties, he had wrinkled skin, and his blond hair had liberal gray. He stood proud, though, although shorter than myself.
“Yes, I am.”
The man smiled. “My name is Phillip. I am Lord Blackthorne’s valet. If you wish to accompany me, I will be happy to find you somewhere quiet to wait. Perhaps you would like some food while our gentlemen speak?”
Our gentlemen.Notour masters.
A very subtle distinction, but as I caught a gleam in his eye, my curiosity was piqued.
And by the time the hour of midnight was upon us and Henry was finally ready to leave, I had become good friends with Phillip.
Henry’s grin as he took his leave also lightened my heart. As I dressed him for bed, he carried on about all the things he had discussed with John. A wide range of topics as, apparently, both men were well-read. John might have been just twelve when joining the navy, but his education before that had been exceptional, and he had continued his love of reading well into his time on ships.
Oh, and he ensured Phillip acquired a love of literature as well. When John first boarded the ship, Phillip had taken him under his wing. In turn, when John assumed the position of lord at Blackthorne, he had secured Phillip as his valet.
As I tucked a tipsy Henry into bed, I offered a smile. "You realize the two of them...?" I held my breath. At first, while speaking to Phillip, I had been reading between the lines. Eventually, however, we found a kinship and had shared our secrets.
“Well…” Henry scratched his nose. “Yes. I guess because they were sailors?” He squinted. “Are you coming to bed, or are you going to stand there gawping?”
“No, it is not because they are sailors. I am a sodomite, and I have never been a sailor or a soldier. I was born this way.” A radical statement to make, but this was something in which my conviction never wavered. Nothing in my past made me other than how I was. I preferred men. To me, this was very simple.
“You are not afraid of people knowing?”
“Of course I am.” I arched an eyebrow. “I would not be employed and potentially jailed. Sent to the gallows or to the Americas. But Phillip and John are careful. We can be careful too.”
He cleared his throat. Then smoothed the edge of his blanket with his hand. “Who said anything about us? I…”
“Yes?”What is he trying to say?“You are not still angry at me about the kiss, are you?”
He frowned. “The kiss?”
“When Mr. Bartley nearly caught us.” As if there could be any otherkiss.
