I sit straight up on the bench, my heart stopping altogether for a moment. When I turn around, I find that my ears have not deceived me.
Oliver is standing there, hands behind his back, that dastardly red mask fitted over his face, and his lips curved in a small smile.
I shoot up from my seat, and then I don’t quite know what to do.
“I am afraid I’m making a habit of surprising you, my lord. I hope it’s not an unwelcome surprise, though.”
“Of course not!”
His smile gets a little wider. “They told me downstairs that you’ve been having a breakfast tray in your room, my lord. That’s not what we agreed, is it?”
I walk closer to him, wondering if I have simply conjured him from my own imagination. But no. This is Oliver. He even looks a little smug and self-satisfied.
“Am I to take it that this…was planned with Niklaus?”
“I’d hardly be here without his permission. But it’s not exactlyplanned. I called him up late last night and suggested a way I could spend a little more time in the household, stay with you until the masquerade ball, until your time here in Los Angeles comes to an end—withsome caveats,” he adds, his tone almost severe. “Without those caveats, I won’t be able to stay.”
“I see. And may one enquire as to the nature of these caveats?”
If anything, he grins wider. “One may. I’ve told Nik that I can be here only when I’m not already scheduled on at work. My work shiftshaveto be my priority. He agreed. He also agreed to my other caveat.”
“Which is?”
“Thatyouhave to agree to my first caveat.”
I take a good long look at him. His hands are no longer behind his back, but in front of him now, one hand loosely holding the other wrist, but there is no defensiveness in the gesture. If anything, he reminds me of those American Secret Service agents who seek to appear relaxed but are, in fact, highly alert for any dangers around the perimeter.
I hope he doesn’t think of me as a danger.
“May I be frank?”
“You said yourself, my lord, that you prefer honesty.”
I give a faint scoff. “My own words used against me, as always. Very well, I’ll be honest with you. The truth is, Oliver, if I could be granted even another five minutes with you, I would agree to any and all conditions you cared to name.”
This timeIseem to be the one who has surprised Oliver, rather than the other way around.
“Well…great,” he says at last, his hands letting go of each other. “Then I’ll stay until the masquerade.”
I’m not sure yet that I can really trust this. “What about your prior engagement?” I ask suspiciously.
“My prior engagement kind of…bailed on me.”
I want to demand full details, but it’s none of my business. I should be grateful Oliver has come back at all. “You’ll give me your word?” I say. “That you’ll stay until the masquerade?”
“I give you my word, my lord.”
“I may have one or two caveats myself,” I warn.
His head tilts slightly to one side, and his smile turns curious. “Go on.”
“First—I want to be certain why you’re here, Oliver. Is it simply because you found my training so superlative that you wanted to learn as much as you could from me before I depart these shores?”
He chuckles. “No, my lord. Well, notonlythat.” I smile myself as he goes on. “I wanted to come back because I enjoyed spending time with you. And because…I missed you.”
I badly want to ask him to expand, but I won’t push my luck. “I see.”
“Your second caveat, my lord?”
