He gave a light laugh. “No. She asked once if I wanted an… extended education. I declined. She didn’t pursue it after that. She still teases me relentlessly, but that’s it.” Then, with a note of curiosity in his voice, he asked: “What about you, with Jack or Ant or…”
“No,” I said before he named every other man in the estate. “Jack offered asteamybath once, but I said no and he left it at that. Ant… he’s different. He’s a gorgeous man, but he’s never approached me… in that way.”
“Jack came to me once,” Silence admitted. “Asked if I wanted to try something different.” He paused for long enough that I opened my sleep-heavy eyes and looked at him.
“And?” I asked.
Silence was in contemplation. “I think, if I didn’t have you, I might have… tried…something different.” He wore an odd grin.
I blinked, as the image of Silence and Jack, two slender and beautiful men pressed together, came into my mind. Suddenly I was getting quite hot. Curious about this, I said, “Oh?” And hoped he’d elaborate.
“When I was a thief, on the streets, for a while, I was taken in by two men, a couple. They loved each other dearly and, for most of my life, they were the only example of love I knew. I’ve always been… curious.”
That was very interesting indeed. Spurred by some strange thought, I asked, “And if I wanted to invite someone to be with the two of us, a man or a woman, what would you say?” That feeling I’d had, that one person just wasn’t enough, bubbled up within me.
His brows rose. “I… don’t know. I’d have to think about that.”
That wasn’t a flat no. Very interesting indeed. Somehow that thought helped me find the peace I needed to sleep warm and comforted in his arms that night.
The next morning, light flooded in through my windows, waking us early. Silence dressed and hurried back to his room to get ready for the mission.
When I left my room, I saw Amber waiting, leaning against the wall in the hall. “He’s always wanted you,” she said with a half-grin. “Don’t break his heart, Legs.” Then she left.
I gaped.
I let out a nervous laugh, not fully understanding that odd woman.
The group of us met, and a carriage had been readied. Maverick went with us as far as the coast. A strange device awaited us there, a large metal disk hung from a frame and able to be lowered into the water. Maverick moved the frame down the beach until a little less than half of the disk was in the water, then took a heavy, cloth-headed mallet and struck it three times. We waited a few minutes, then he struck it again, three times.
A few moments later, Fin appeared on the beach with us.
“You called?”
Maverick explained the mission.
“I know the perfect beach for us, scouted it many times,” Fin said, and we all — except Maverick, who would return to the House — took his hands.
A moment later we were on a different beach far away.
Our mission had begun.
Chapter 24
I knew from my studies,that the capital of Vauphan was on the ocean. I assumed Fin had brought us close, but all I could see was the expanse of beach before us, stretching away to the north and south. Inland, beyond the beach, were stark cliffs. To the south, there was a rise in the cliffs and a rocky prominence of land jutting out into the sea. The beach beneath that part of the cliff was a lot narrower and much rockier.
“The Vauphan capital is on the bay, just around that prominence there,” Fin said pointing south. “The Palace is atop these cliffs. You’ll see it above you once you’re on the other side of that peninsula. Even here, if you look you can see some lookout posts atop the cliff.” He pointed again. And now that he’d indicated them, I could see the small structures at the top of the cliff south of us.
“If there are lookout posts, should we be hiding?” Ant asked.
“Why? Mostly they’re looking out to sea for pirates or ships that might be a threat. We’re already on their shores. If they see us, they’d have no reason to think us anything other than Vauphan residents.” Fin had a point. After a moment with no more questions, he went on: “You’ll want to get to the top of the cliffs, which, given this group, should be easy. From there, infiltrate the palace and find what you need. I won’t be able to go with you, for… obvious reasons, but I’ll be here, on the beach, when you’re ready to leave.”
It took me a moment to figure out those “obvious reasons.” Fin was a large man, and his avatar was a whale. There would be no way for him to get up that cliff, but the rest of us, as he’d said, would find it much easier. Sparrow could ferry Ant and me, Amber could fly, and Silence…?
“How will you get up?” I asked him.
He smiled. “I’ll climb. Mice are excellent climbers.”
“Have you been practicing?” I asked, curious. There weren’t many places to climb around Hedgewild, except for some much smaller cliffs of our own by the sea.
