After a final mischievous smile, Conrad spun on his heel, darted toward the dock, and jumped, gripping his knees as he splashed into the water.Silas and Keelan were next, holding hands as they went, followed by a very enthusiastic Harriet and her much more reluctant admirers.Roger and Wyndham took a far more civilized approach to entering the water as they stepped in from the bank, Wyndham keeping a supportive hand on Roger’s upper back the entire time.Emrys held his arms up for Torquil and did a terrible job of catching them when they finally hopped off the edge of the dock into the water.
Sage was left standing alone in the sea of abandoned waistcoats, stockings, and a couple pairs of trousers being collected and neatly folded.One of the servants offered him something to sit on—a towel, he now understood, not a blanket—and he allowed them to spread it out on the dock for him.Nobody seemed to notice that he had not joined in until Torquil swam over, pulled themself up out of the water, and plopped wetly onto the edge of the dock.
“You do not care for swimming?”they asked, dark curls dripping.
“I do not,” Sage confirmed.
Torquil waved off the towel offered to them and settled with their back against one of the sturdy posts, one knee bent to their chest and the other leg hanging down into the water.The sopping white linen of their shirt and drawers left nothing to the imagination.
“It brings back fond memories of my childhood,” Torquil mused.They both watched as Emrys emerged noisily onto the bank a short distance away, followed by Silas and Keelan, Conrad, and Harriet.
Emrys cupped his hand against his mouth and called out his brother’s name, followed by, “Come and give your darling husband something to fantasize about!”
Wyndham rolled his eyes but placed a kiss on Roger's temple and began a lazy backstroke toward the shore.“Roger has no need for fantasizing,” he called back.“He knows he can have anything he wants, if he hasn’t had it already.”
Roger’s eyes went wide as he kicked his legs and arms to propel himself nearer to the dock.When he brought one hand up to hold onto the edge, water flung from his fingertips onto Sage’s towel, nearly onto his trousers.Sage’s lip curled slightly but he said nothing, as Roger hadn’t even noticed it happen.
“I know he says such things only to rattle me,” Roger muttered abashedly.He’d taken off his spectacles before getting into the water.It was odd to see him without them.
Torquil chuckled.“Yes, but we also know it’s the truth.”
Roger and Sage exchanged a passing glance at that.Blooming friendship or not, there was nothing to change the fact that they both knew Wyndham in a deeply intimate way—Sage formerly and Roger forever more.As badly as he did not want to think about it, there was a level of curiosity, of course.But Sage found it difficult to imagine an appropriate time or manner in which to inquire about any of it.What would he say?I know you’ve only ever been with one man, but isn’t he the most fabulous shag?Never set your eyes on a more winning prick, have you?Neither have I.Does he still?—
Suddenly, there was a scream.It came from the boat, which had only been paddled a short distance away from the dock.The Ladies Fitzhugh were nearly cowering on their wooden-slat seats, Imogen evidently shielding Anthea’s eyes from something terrible.Collectively, everyone else looked to see what had frightened them so.
Emrys had climbed onto a thick branch of a tree overhanging the water.Hands on his hips, he stood as steadily as he could on his precarious perch, smiling widely.Every stitch of clothing had been peeled from his body.
“Oh, good heavens,” Roger squeaked as he hid his face against his arm that was still holding the dock, but not before he went entirely red.
Emrys put one hand flat over his mouth and blew a kiss to Torquil before he bent his knees and pitched himself off the branch into the water below with a mighty splash.Fern, who seemed to be the only one entertained by his antics, clapped loudly.Cyril looked nearly as appalled as Roger, though he had not turned away.
“Ugh,” Sage groaned.“Do you never grow tired of him?”
“Never,” Torquil said affectionately.As Emrys broke the surface, Torquil gave him a wink, and his grin grew even wider.
Two new figures had appeared in the tree, also entirely free of their lake-soaked clothing.Silas wasted no time making his jump, but the resulting movement of the branch sent Keelan’s arms flailing as he lost balance and practically fell into the water with a cry.He came up laughing, if not a little breathless.Silas collected him into his arms for a rescuing kiss.
“Harriet!”It was Cyril’s turn to scream as they all looked up to find her as naked as the others, hair long and wild with a most gleeful expression as she carefully stepped her way out onto the branch and jumped in.Cyril was paddling his way over to her before she hit the water.
“Roger,” Torquil said in a sing-song way a moment later.“Your turn.”
“I already know what he looks like,” Roger said miserably into the crook of his elbow.He was gripping the dock with both hands.
Torquil hummed appreciatively.“As do we all, now.”A smirk curved the corner of their lips.“I can certainly see the family resemblance.”
“Oh hush, you,” Roger grumbled, but when he lifted his face, he was fighting hard to hide his grin.
Wyndham looked exactly as Sage remembered.He had always been slender, especially when he kept growing taller after the rest of the boys their age had stopped, but his fae blood kept him from ever looking anything less than willowy and irresistible.His wavy hair was sleek and tucked behind the points of his ears.Sage had just enough time to let his eyes linger in all the right places before, naturally, Wyndham made the most graceful dive into the water.
Emrys had stroked his way over to the dock in the meantime.After placing several scandalous kisses on the thigh Torquil still had dangling toward the water, he angled a pleading look up at them, a slight pout on his mouth.
“I might be half-fae,” Torquil began, cupping Emrys’ cheek, “but I amwhollycertain that I will not take off my clothes no matter how much you beg.”
“But even Harriet?—”
“The answer is no,” Torquil said softly, leaning down far enough that they were able to press a kiss to Emrys’ lips.“You will just have to use your imagination until tonight.”They tilted their head back theatrically, exposing the stretch of their throat as they splayed the leg bent up to their chest, wet fabric of their drawers keeping no secrets.“You can do that, can’t you?”
With an impatient groan, Emrys pounced up out of the water and wrapped both arms tight around Torquil, hauling them off the dock and into the lake with a yelp.They resurfaced in the middle of a deep kiss.
Sage grimaced and brought his focus back to the tree.There was still one member of the party who had yet to reappear.“Where is Conrad?”
Wyndham glanced over his shoulder as he glided through the water into Roger’s waiting arms.“He was right behind me,” he said, with only a hint of concern in his voice.Everyone’s focus narrowed on the branch the rest of them had jumped from, but it was empty.Then there was a gasp from Keelan.
“Look!”he said, pointing up.
Conrad had climbed twice as high as anyone else.His stance on his chosen branch was sure and relaxed, as though he’d done this countless times before.The entire party watched—even the Ladies Fitzhugh—as Conrad turned around to give everyone a perfect view of his broad shoulders and firm backside before he tucked in on himself and pushed off the branch, somersaulting backwards into the water below.
Anthea and Imogen clapped from their boat like they’d just watched a gymnast perform at one of the great theaters in London.Harriet let out a whistle.When Sage was finally able to tear his attention away from where Conrad had landed, he felt the weight of eyes on him instantly.Roger and Torquil were both gaping up at him from the water.His face went warm and his magic swirled uneasily in his chest as he tried to think of how to respond.
In the end, all he could do was sigh defenselessly and say, “Iknow.”
