Boots for the Gentleman (15 page)

“You said and did the strangest things,” Frolic said. “You wanted to dance. We had to hold you down on the bed.”

“I’m sorry I missed that,” he replied. Both Frolic and Reg smiled at him, and then, looking at one another, they smiled more, their eyes crinkling shut.

“Just what’s going on here?” Querry asked.

Reg cleared his throat. “The fever seems to have broken. You seem much more lucid now. How are you feeling?”

“Stiff. And hungry. Like the luckiest man in the world. Thank you. Both of you.”

“Of course, Querry,” said Frolic enthusiastically. “I love you.”

Reg said nothing, but expressed volumes in his sad little smile. “You’ll want a bath,” he said. “You’ve been sweating buckets. Frolic, won’t you take some cold chicken from the ice box and fry it up with some carrots and onions? It’ll make a nice, healthy soup for Querry here.”

“Of course!” Frolic spun on the ball of his foot and hurried out of the room.

“Quite the little cook,” Reg said, looking fondly after him.

“You two seem to be getting on rather well,” Querry said as he removed his blanket, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and tested his strength. He managed to stand, but had to grip the arm of Reg’s chair for balance.

“He’s completely devoted to you,” Reg answered, standing up himself to offer Querry his arm. “He wouldn’t let me rest until we found you, and then he never left your side. Poor fellow. I thought he’d fall apart when you were at your worst.”

They made their way slowly down the hall. Querry, weak with lack of food, swooned several times and had to stop. Finally they reached the bathroom. It contained a huge, cast-iron tub with clawed feet, a porcelain sink beneath a gilt-framed mirror, and one of those fancy new latrines. Thick, brass pipes lined the walls. Everything was clean and white, spotted with royal blue drapery and linens. After lowering Querry to a brocade bench, Reg stopped the drain and turned the brass spigot. The plumbing pinged as it heated. Hot water splashed into the tub, and Reg added some citrus-scented salts. “I’ve never seen such a sensitive and compassionate soul,” he said, still referring to Frolic. “Really, it’s impossible not to want to protect him. It’s impossible to dislike him, for he’s nothing but goodness.”

“I could have told you that,” Querry said, getting to his feet. He caught a glimpse of his reflection: he’d lost about fifteen pounds, and his skin looked loose and gray. Beneath almost a month of whiskers, his cheeks appeared sunken. Puffy purple ringed his blue eyes. Holding Reg’s shoulder, he stepped into the bath and lowered his body into the steaming, fragrant water. It felt just as heavenly as he’d always imagined it would, and he sighed with contentment and rested his head against the ledge. Reg removed his cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves. He dipped a cloth in the water, wrung it out, and wiped Querry’s face.

“I comforted him, Querry,” Reg said guiltily. “We comforted each other.”

“How?”

“He wanted to be held. He was devastated and afraid. I couldn’t say no. He didn’t want to be alone at night. I let him sleep with me after we didn’t feel we needed to sit up with you. And—”

“And?”

“I enjoyed it too. I was worried. I mean, it was you. The one person I suppose I never thought could come to any harm. I never thought anything could touch you. It terrified me, this proof that you’re mortal.”

Querry laughed, and it led to a brief spell of coughing. Reg soaped up his cloth and continued to wash Querry’s neck and arms. The pressure felt good against Querry’s muscles. It felt good to get the grime off his skin. “I was glad to have somebody to hold. To hold me back. And one night, he was in my arms, crying, and he wanted to kiss….”

“And?”

“It was lovely. He was enthusiastic yet innocent. I can’t really describe it. There was nothing sordid. It felt so proper and good.” He’d stopped washing Querry, and held the rag in front of Querry’s heart.

“How far did this go, Reg?”

“We touched one another.” Reg sank down and sat on his heels by the tub. He let go of the cloth, and his hand moved up Querry’s wet neck and over his ear. Taking hold of Querry’s hair, Reg brought Querry’s face to his chest, where it darkened his pale green shirt. He wriggled his other arm beneath Querry’s chin and drew him very close. Querry let his eyes close and savored the wonderful moment. Reg’s nose burrowed into his locks, and Reg spoke into his hair. “Remember that first night in the workhouse, when our group had just been brought in? You offered to let me put my mat next to yours? Said we could look out for one another?”

“’Course I remember, Reg. I remember the first time I saw you.”
Still dirty from the fields, eyes wide, hair askew, a combination of awkwardness and grace that made me want you right away.

“Remember how we used to touch?”

“’Course, Reg.” Querry would never forget those moments of discovery and delight: the first time he reached for Reg’s hand in the dark, heart racing, terrified Reg would flinch, triumphant when he didn’t, the first time he’d dared let his hand infiltrate Reg’s shirt, his pants. The perfection of their first kiss returned to Querry as his eyes closed. They’d been lying in the dark, talking, fantasizing about freedom,
when they’d rolled to face one another. Querry felt out Reg’s face and explored his brow, lashes, cheeks, jaw line, and mouth. Then, holding his chin, trembling with nerves and anticipation, he’d moved closer. Their noses touched, and Reg didn’t pull away. Still apprehensive, afraid to drive away his only friend but burning with desire, Querry closed the space. Their lips only just touched. Then Reg increased the pressure. His body curved against Querry, and his arm encircled Querry’s waist. Of the many kisses Querry experienced over the following years, none approached that glorious moment. He’d felt victory and relief, his feelings vindicated and reciprocated when he’d feared their violent rejection. His dripping hand squeezed Reg’s forearm.

Still clutching Querry’s head tightly, Reg said, “I touched him like that. Like we touched, at first. Just with my hands. And he did the same to me. It was all very gentle and natural.”

“Reg,” Querry said, an unpleasant thought coming unbidden to his mind, “has there been anyone else?”

“What do you mean?”

“Besides me. Have you… have you let anyone—”

“No.”

“All those ladies you see?”

“I kiss their fingertips when I tell them good night.” Reg began to pet Querry’s hair. “You know, after I left the factory I spent a lot of time thinking about what you and I did while we were there, and why we did it. I tried to figure out if it was just desperation that drove us into each other’s arms. We were so young. We both still craved nurturing, care. Would all of that have happened under other circumstances? Did things progress as far as they did just because we were each other’s only comfort?”

“I never even considered it!”

“Querry. Of course not. You’re all passion and the moment. You let your heart take the reins while your brain runs along behind the cart.”

“And what conclusions did you and your brain reach?”

“None. I can’t say why I fell in love with you, or if I would have done at another place or time. But I can tell you that I didn’t want to hurt Frolic. I didn’t want to use him to comfort myself or assuage my worries. Before I could permit myself to enjoy him, I needed to know it wasn’t just desperation.”

“And?”

“I’m quite fond of him.”

Elated, Querry bolted up, splashing water over the rim of the tub. He seized  Reg’s shocked face and smashed his lips against Reg’s mouth. “Then, the three of us! We’ll go somewhere!”

“Now I didn’t say that.”

“What? But—”

Just then Frolic flung open the dark, wooden door to announce that chicken soup, croissants from the bakery, and a kettle of strong tea waited in the dining room. With Mrs. Spaulding still away, Reg offered to help set out the dishes, and they left Querry alone. Hungry and eager to resume his conversation with Reg, Querry quickly shaved and washed. Seeing nothing else, he slipped into a red silk robe that hung on the back of the door and joined his friends at the table.

“Feeling better?” Frolic asked as he passed Querry a steaming bowl of golden broth.

The famished thief drank deeply, not bothering with the spoon. The soup warmed his insides and bolstered his strength right away. Frolic ladled him another helping, and he dipped a bit of bread before saying, “I think it’s time a few things get resolved.”

“Namely?” Reg asked.

“Namely our relationship. The three of us. We love each other. What are we going to do about it?”

“I think your current predicament needs discussing first,” Reg said coolly. “Mrs. Spaulding will be back in three days.”

“What happened while I was sick? Anything? Anything from Thimbleroy?”

“He actually seems in high spirits,” Reg said. “It’s perplexing. Apparently his restoration of the clock tower could be complete as early as spring. He’s even let up a bit on the faeries.”

“Haha!” Querry said, clapping his hands. “He’s given up! Decided he doesn’t need Frolic after all!”

“I’m not so sure. Constables emptied out the boarding house. Searched every room. Patrolmen and detectives have been questioning your neighbors in Rushport, and your, um,
friends
around Lickwhistle Circle.”

“About what?” Querry asked, looking down guiltily. He’d never thought Reg knew of his occasional trysts in the public houses.

“I wondered too,” Reg said. “So, I spread some coins around the place. Honestly, Querry, those taverns are ghastly! They asked about a young man who looked like a faerie. Who he’d been seen with and where. They know your name, Querry.”

Querry swore. “What could they want with him?”

With a shrug, Reg said, “Not sure. Thimbleroy doesn’t seem in a great hurry, though. He’s much too involved in the renovation. Could be that he just wants Frolic because he’s rare. Probably thinks only an aristocrat worthy of owning something like him.”

“That’s why Thimbleroy can’t get him,” Querry said angrily. “He’ll think of him like chattel.”

“I’m more worried about you,” the doll said to Querry. “What will they do if they find you? The newspapers are saying you stole property from that cellar. They’ll put you in prison. Maybe worse.”

“Property?” Querry mused. “Unspecified property? Then Thimbleroy doesn’t want the public to know about Frolic. Why?”

“Could someone else try to claim me?”

“What about the doll maker’s mysterious son?”

“You’re mine!” Querry said, hitting the tabletop with his fists, jiggling the flames of the candles. “Mine.”

“But, Querry,” Frolic said, “The doll maker’s son might know why I was made!”

“I’ve told you it doesn’t matter. None of this matters. It’s time we put it all behind us.”

“What do you mean?” Frolic asked.

“It’s obvious that the time has come for us to say our farewells to this land. Time to set off. I have some gold hidden away just for a rainy day. Where will we go first? East to Prysia? Xiana? To the Spice Islands? The Caribique?”

“Querry—”

“You choose then, Reg! It doesn’t matter to me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Come off it, Reg! You’ve admitted how you feel, finally. How else can we be together?”

“We can’t.”

“So getting at it with Frolic was just to pass the time?”

“It just happened,” Reg said.

“The hell it did,” Querry spat. “Reg, you enjoy the company of men. Do you deny it?”

“No, but I can’t indulge it. I’ve chosen a wife, Querry. In six months time I’m to wed Emily Malvern, only daughter of Sir William Malvern, Earl of Ravenshire. It’s better than Mum could’ve hoped. An Earl.”

“I can’t believe you’re still on about this, Reg! When are you going to admit that it won’t work?”

“It will work. The girl is plain, but not unpleasant to look at. She’s quiet and well mannered. She visits the Archives regularly for Medieval Romances, and is apparently quite taken with me. Her father dotes on her, and that’s why she’s allowed to marry below her station. He’s giving us a country house.”

“But you and me and Frolic!”

“Damn it! This is fortune beyond my wildest dreams! Why can’t you be happy for me?”

“Because you’re supposed to be mine! You want to, and you know it.”

“You promised me, Querry.”

“You honestly expect me to just give up? Well I won’t, Reg! I never will. You and me, the three of us, belong together, and the rest of the world can just go rot if they don’t like it!”

“No!” Reg stood and balled his fists. “You made me a promise, and you’ll honor it! You’ll get dressed and you and Frolic will leave this house and go far, far away if you’ve got any sense. I’ll give you something of mine to wear, and I’ll give you some money if you need it. I’ll even take care of your cats. But that’s the most I can do.”

“I’m going to miss you, Reg,” Frolic said softly, causing the archivist to soften and sit back down. “There’s a lot about this I don’t understand, but I understand about purpose.”

“Thank you,” Reg said. “I wish things could be otherwise. But going to battle against the entire world can only fail. I’m sorry, but I think it would be best if the two of you left tonight. Excuse me.” He got up and left the dining room, returning in a few minutes with clothes for Querry. He turned to leave again, reached the oak double doors that separated the room from the foyer and his stairs, and stopped. He stood in still silence for many moments. Only the crackle of the fireplace could be heard. Querry wished he could’ve seen Reg’s face, intuited his thoughts. When he finally turned, tears sparkled on his cheeks. For the first time Querry felt ashamed; maybe he was hurting Reg. He also felt confused. Should he take Reg in his arms and comfort him, or would doing so cause the archivist more pain?

“I hope—” Reg began, but his voice broke, and he bit his knuckles, taking a few more minutes to compose himself. “I hope that one day you’ll be able to understand, Querry. I hope you can calm your rage at everything. And I hope, truly hope, with all my heart, that everything will work out for you, both of you, one day. I wish you all the happiness in the world. Frolic, I’m glad to have met you. Take care of yourselves.”