Cassian pursed his lips for a moment.
“I forgive you, Ethel,” he said. “And I hope that you don’t feel as though our engagement was some sort of a ruse on my part. I really do care about you. Furthermore, I like women in the manner that men are expected to like them in our society, and I firmly believe we would have both been content in our future marriage.” He raised his eyebrows pointedly. “Notice I said content. Not happy.Jamesmakes me happy.” Cassian lifted his shoulders, shrugging in a somewhat boyish manner. “And I wish that I could explain to you what happened exactly with regard to that, but I can’t. I never intended to fall in love with someone else, much less a man. But I fell in love with James all the same. Although...” His face flushed, but he otherwise seemed so impressively unrattled by everything. “Admittedly, Ethel, Ihavefound men attractive before, but that had been the extent of it. Until I met James.”
Face reddening even more than Cassian’s, Ethel smiled a sweet, though somewhat uncertain smile in return.
“Oh. Goodness. I see. Thank you for telling me,” she said. “It’s brave of you to speak so candidly about your... well, you know.”
Cassian nodded sagely, and Ethel let out a long breath.
“Well, now I know the truth about it all, I suppose,” she said. “And I have to say, I’m relieved to know that your intentions, Cassian, with regard to marrying me, were pure.”
Cassian huffed a fast laugh. “I’m not sure ifthat’sthe word I’d use, personally.”
Gasping, Ethel covered her mouth with her hand, but then she began to laugh, too. James rolled his eyes and forcefully poked Cassian’s shin with his foot as a form of playful chastisement. Poor John Quinn, though, looked both offended by the remark and somewhat worried.
Cassian must have noticed the man’s facial expression, too.
“John, I stuffed thirty years’ worth of your salary into your pocket and secured you a spot in a lifeboat,” he said. “You’ll have to forgive me for that bit of suggestive humor.”
James was unsurprised by Cassian’s bluntness. Or his slightly haughty tone. Conceited bastard, that Cassian Penn Livingston. James couldn’t help but love him for it.
Cassian smiled a warm but maybe slightly pitying smile and continued.
“Believe it or not, I’m not a threat to you,” he said to a still-concerned-looking John. “Even that kiss that Ethel and I shared in the lounge was barely a kiss at all. More importantly, though, I’m positive that it meant nothing, orcloseto nothing, to either of us. Ethel was too busy being embarrassed and stunned, and I was in the middle of realizing that the whole concept of romantic love wasn’t a bunch of fantastical nonsense.” Balancing the food-filled plate in his left hand, Cassian walked over to John and clapped him on the back. “I promise, I’mcompletelyharmless. But if it will keep you from making that horrible face, I’ll refrain from making Ethel-related remarks like that one in the future.”
John huffed a half-laugh, cringing, and then noticeably relaxed a bit.
“Thank you, Cassian. Sorry.”
“Apology not necessary,” Cassian said. He held out the plate of food. “All right, well, before James and I inhale this, which I’m sure we will, would either of you like some of the beef or roasted potatoes that I was able to find from the kitchen?”
John replied, “I can’t speak for Ethel, but I’m plenty satiated from the many bowls of potato and carrot soup I had.”
“I am as well,” Ethel said. “Thank you for offering, though.”
Cassian nodded. He came over and sat next to James. James set the half-finished soup aside as Cassian plucked a potato off of the plate. Balancing the spud between his fingertips, Cassian held it out for James. Mind still foggy from the medication, James couldn’t bring himself to protest. He leaned forward and took the potato piece with his teeth, eating it from Cassian’s hand.
Cassian let out a loud laugh as James pulled away.
“I thought you’d take it with your hand, not your mouth,” he said. “Not that I’m complaining.”
Ethel and John chuckled softly from the bed.
“Oh. Sorry.” James cringed. “It’s the medication. I can’t think properly. All I want to do is sleep.”
“I’d like it if you had some food first,” Cassian said. He picked up another piece of potato and smiled wryly as he held it out for James to eat. “You can have it like this since it seems to be your preferred way of eating right now.”
Groaning in embarrassment, James scrunched up his face.
“You’re not being very nice to me,” he complained.
“I’m feeding you out of the palm of my hand. I’m being plenty nice to you.”
“You’re humiliating me.”
Cassian rolled his eyes. “I’m being playful.”
“Where’s your sense of propriety? Ethel and John are watching this, you know.”
