Conrad winked at him after taking a sip of wine.“Indeed.”
* * *
The party lasted for hours,as expected.Roger and Torquil took turns introducing Conrad to everyone, which meant that Sage also made several new acquaintances, for they did not spend a single moment apart.Sage noted the way both took care in how they presented them by name—Mr.Ravenwing and Mr.Moore—rather than by any sort of connection between the two of them.However, a couple of knowing looks and telling smiles were evidence enough that most came to their own conclusions on the matter.Sage was sure that the way he’d wrapped himself around Conrad’s arm only aided in the process.
In truth, he found himself wishing for the others to see Conrad as his beau, or even as his suitor.If it had been anyone else making the introductions, perhaps the words would have come more freely, but Roger and Torquil were nothing if not discreet in the moments when it mattered most.
He knew he should be grateful for it.The brief lapse in reality he and Conrad shared over the previous several weeks did nothing to erase what awaited them in London.They had spoken at length about continuing to work together, especially since learning that Conrad had secured his position on the Council.Sage had also appointed himself as being responsible for showing Conrad around the city.But what of their connection beyond all of those things?
Just as he began to lose himself in his thoughts, the first dance was announced.Sage prepared to let Conrad go, as he recognized it as one that the other man was likely unfamiliar with, but he would still be expected to join.Instead, Conrad placed his hand over Sage’s on his arm to hold it there and escorted him to the dance floor.
“Do you know this one?”Sage asked, trying not to sound too doubtful.
“Only a little,” Conrad confessed.When they separated, he gave Sage a neat bow.“But I would like to share it with you regardless, if you’ll allow it.”
Sage was certain that his heart was melting in his chest faster than the ice cream Roger had been so worried about.He answered with a small nod and allowed himself to be swept up into what was the most wonderful dance he’d ever been a part of.
By the time supper was served, everyone was relieved to rest their feet for a while.The meal was a grand affair in its own right.Serving dishes overflowed with what turned out to be all of Wyndham’s favorite foods, plus a few other items to fill in the gaps.
Across the table, Lady Anthea scoffed.“Harriet, whatareyou doing?”
She was shifting around in her chair with a disgruntled expression.
“I am attempting to remove my shoes,” Harriet explained.“This bloody dress makes everything so difficult.”
“Perhaps you should try trousers?”This was Lady Imogen’s suggestion.
Harriet stilled.“That would be incredible.”
Lady Anthea tutted.“Your poor mother would simply expire.”
“First order of business when we return to London,” Harriet announced, “we are all going shopping!”
Cyril gave her a long, assessing look and then returned to his meal.“You and Conrad are about the same size.It would do well for you both to find a tailor who can work with such petite measurements.”
Harriet’s eyes lit up.“Conrad, might I try some of yours on before we go?”
Lady Anthea nearly spit out her drink.It gained the attention of some of the other guests sitting nearby.
Conrad laughed and gave an indifferent shrug.“I wouldn’t mind it.”
Lady Anthea shrilled.“You cannot simply go around trying on someone else’s clothes!Besides, I would hardly recognize you without a dress.”
Unexpectedly, Emrys leaned his way into the conversation.
“And who gave you the authority to determine who is allowed to change their appearance to suit their fancy?”It was perhaps the most serious thing Sage had ever heard him say.On Emrys’ other side, Torquil was speaking with someone else, a beautiful comb glinting in their dark curls and a most innocent sweep of rouge sitting on their high cheekbones.Vastly different from the dull print shop garb they’d worn not six months earlier.
Lady Anthea swallowed her words.
Emrys turned his attention on Conrad, expression softening.
“But she is correct,” he said, signature smirk returning to his lips.“You’ll have to find someone else’s clothes to borrow.The only one getting into Conrad’s trousers is Sage.”
The end of their supper was marked with the reveal of a most sumptuous dessert table.Sage had seen what Roger spent on the display, but to see the entire contents of a patisserie uprooted and laid out for this simple garden party in the country was something else entirely.If there was one part of the planning Roger had been selfish with, it was this, and they were all the more fortunate for it.Tiers of pastries, tarts, and small cakes surrounded a larger cake decorated with icing and a few flowers that looked similar to the ones from the garden.
Organized chaos ensued as everyone scrabbled for a place in line.Wyndham and Roger stood beside the table and took turns forking mouthfuls off a shared slice of the lemon cake, pausing in between to thank everyone for coming and wishing them a safe journey back to wherever they’d arrived from.Somewhere behind the trees, the sky had started to lighten along the horizon.
After carefully filling a single plate between them, Sage and Conrad decided to take their spoils to the garden so that they might find some solitude.They exchanged a grin as they passed by the rickety bench beneath the willow and instead settled on one near some fragrant rose bushes.The light pink blooms watched as they took bites of each confection, both of them slowly coming to the conclusion that it would be impossible to pick a clear favorite.
