Vander, who had busied himself at the sideboard, turned around, three snifters of brandy in his hands. He passed them around, then raised his own glass. “To the things that get better with age—wine and friendship.”
“Hear, hear,” Lucian said.
“I’ll drink to that,” David added.
“So,” Lucian said as they settled into some leather wing chairs arrayed before the fireplace, “what have I missed these past two years?”
“We’ve both married,” David said. “I stood for Parliament, and?—”
“Wait, wait,” Lucian said, holding up a hand. He turned toward Vander. “Youmarried?” At Vander’s nod, he snorted. “What poor woman did you dupe into marrying you?”
David wagged his eyebrows. “That would be my sister.”
Lucian gaped at him. “Letty?”
David nodded. “The very one.”
Lucian looked back and forth between the two men. “And yet, it seems you’re still on speaking terms.”
Vander grinned, not looking insulted. “I know it comes as a shock. But when you find the right woman, you no longer feel the desire to sow all those wild oats.” He sat back in his chair. “I’m even a father now, if you can countenance it.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Lucian raised his glass. “This calls for another toast. To baby, er…”
“Evangeline,” Vander supplied. “She’s two months old.”
“To Evangeline Beauclerk!” Lucian said, and they drank again.
Vander was smiling softly as they set their glasses down. “This is actually the first time I’ve attended a large gathering since she was born. Letty insisted that I come, as she knows we’re friends. She didn’t feel up to it, but she sends her love.”
Lucian inclined his head. “Please offer her my very best wishes.” He frowned. “Although… how did you know I would be here tonight?”
Vander grinned as he leaned back in his chair. “I have my ways.”
Lucian snorted. “You sound like the villain in a melodrama.”
Vander laughed. “Nothing so exciting. My office overlooks the harbor—yes, I have an office now. I work in my father’s insurance business.”
“He’s bloody good at it, too,” David noted. “If you thought he was rich before, you should see him now.”
Vander’s lip twitched. “Working in my father’s business is surprisingly tolerable. And imagine my surprise when I glanced out the window yesterday afternoon, and who should I see strolling down the wharf but my old school friend, Lucian.” He laughed. “And within twenty-four hours of arriving home, you managed to get yourself featured in theRake Review.”
Lucian blinked. “The what?”
“TheRake Review.” David stared at him expectantly, as if by repeating Vander’s words he had actually explained something.
Lucian shook his head. “Never heard of it.”
A cat-who-got-the-cream grin spread over David’s face. “Where have you been that you haven’t heard of theRake Review? Outer Mongolia? Timbuktu?”
“Most recently, the Kingdom of Croatia,” Lucian observed blandly. “It’s startlingly beautiful.” And cheap. Cheap had been an important consideration at the time.
“Hmm.” David took a sip of his drink. “Perhaps I’ll let Vander explain about theRake Review, as he’s something of an expert on that particular publication.”
“Fuck you,” Vander said, but his tone was fond.
Lucian leaned back in his chair, sipping his brandy. Damn, but that was delicious. After spending two years scraping by, he intended to enjoy the finer things in life. French brandy. Cuban cheroots. Spanish horses.
And English roses. He had a particular one in mind.
