I was enough of an embarrassment already.
“Kit!” Another man around our age approached with a flute of champagne in each hand.
“Pip,” Kit said, accepting both glasses and passing one to me. “How surprising to see you here.”
“Surprising to see me?” Pip—which was another stupid name—asked. “Surprising to seeyou. Back from America, I take it. And I see you’ve brought a souvenir,” he said, finally looking at me.
“Andy is a person, actually,” Kit said, reaching out with his free hand to take mine.
“Ah, well.” Pip sniffed. “Still umm. Still, uh... you know, then?”
“Gay?” Kit asked. “Yes, that sort’ve thing is usually permanent.”
I squeezed Kit’s hand in support.
“Right, of course,” Pip said, clapping his hands together. “Well, won’t keep you any longer, lovely to see you in the country again.”
“Pip?” I asked as he walked away.
“Short for Philip,” Kit said.
“I don’t like him,” I said.
“I’m not about to argue with you, I don’t like him either,” Kit said. “Haven’t liked him since he stole my school jumper and I spent a week freezing without it before I could get my hands on a replacement.”
“How old were you?” I asked.
“Eleven, I think.”
“Hmm.” I wrinkled my nose. “Probably too long ago for me to kick his ass for it now.”
“You’d kick his arse for me?” Kit asked, pausing with his champagne halfway to his mouth.
“I’d kick his ass anyway,” I admitted. “But you’re my boyfriend, so I’d extra kick his ass for you.”
Kit hummed, shrugged, and then sipped his champagne. “My boyfriend would kick someone’s arse for me,” he said with a smug little smile.
The door opened, and our host reappeared. “Sorry about that, something going on in the kitchens I think.”
“One of the girls fainted,” I said. I was still worried about her. I felt like I should’ve beendoingsomething, but I wasn’t sure what.
“Really?” Will asked, frowning.
“Ah, I ought to introduce you,” Kit interrupted. “This is Will, which is short for—”
“William, I know, I’m not an idiot.” I wrinkled my nose. At leastthatnickname made sense.
“Fitzwilliam, actually,” Will said, holding out the hand that wasn’t occupied with a champagne flute. “Traditionally you'd call me Your Grace. But any friend of Kit’s is a friend of mine, and so you must call me Will.”
“Thank you,” I said as though I’d ever planned on doing anything else, shaking his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Uh, everyone calls me Andy. It’s short for Andrew.”
Will laughed, but I couldn’t tell whether he was being sincere or not.
I wasn’t letting a man namedFitzwilliammake me feel embarrassed.
“How charming you are,” he said. “Where on Earth did Kit find you? Oh, and anything he’s said about me, it’s probably all true.” Will winked theatrically.
I glanced at Kit, not sure how to respond to that. “Actually, I’m not... sure Kit ever got around to mentioning you.”
Will’s eyes widened, and I wasn’t sure whetherthatwas sincere or not, either.
“He hasn’t told you about the man he’s going to marry?”
