Page 21 of Centerpiece

“Poor lad,” she cooed.It felt a little mean.Agreeable shivered for that too and found it was something else he didn’t mind.Not at all.She was welcome to be a vixen to him as much as she liked.She understood his situation, even if she teased him for it now; Holburn had ensnared her too.“Entirely at his mercy, aren’t you?You aren’t bothered?”Her gaze said she already knew his answer.

But Holburn must not have.He removed his hand from Agreeable’s shoulder, for good this time.

Agreeable twisted to look up at him, his stomach quivering until Holburn curled a knuckle beneath Agreeable’s chin to tip his head back that much more.

Agreeable wet his bottom lip and stared into the red-brown warmth of Holburn’s eyes.“I’m always at the mercy of the powerful.Of everyone, really.But I like it.Being at his, I mean.I like it so far.”He didn’t risk touching Holburn in return and grabbed the ends of his scarf for something to hold to.“He thinks it’s his extortion, but it’s not.I’m alight all the way through.And I want to help him.He needs help, I think, or he wouldn’t have come to a thief with questions.”

“The little, powerless Duke of Dharmin?”the Duchess asked, directing some of her mean cooing at her husband, or so Agreeable thought until she murmured, “He needs more people he can trust.”

“He’s like you,” Agreeable answered her, watching pleasure cross Holburn’s face that meant something Agreeable had done had made him happy.“Powerful enough, but avoiding the work to be done as long as you can, because it scares you.It’s a lot, isn’t it?Taking over when someone dies.Knowing all their work is yours now and not feeling ready.”Agreeable hadn’t been ready, but even if he had been, the Count and the priests had thought otherwise, so it hardly mattered.

Holburn pulled in a breath.The Duchess made not a sound, so Agreeable looked over to find her.“Parties in the capital must be fun, but now you have things to do, important work, proper justice and compassion as lords are meant to do...or so Holburn hinted.And except for some servants who knew him as a boy, there’s no one to help you.This Hilde person, maybe.And me, if you want me.I can serve you both like that, even if you don’t want....”He stopped, uncertain over what to say there.“I can get a tumble in other places.”He settled on that.“Even if I liked it with Holburn.And I can keep you out of trees, Your Grace.Or at least try to.Better than this Hilde did.”

“Picking a fight with Hilde already,” Holburn remarked lightly.

“Holburn,” the Duchess said again.“Not an angel.A saint.”

“And they haven’t the brains to want him here,” Holburn returned.Neither of them made a lick of sense.

“Maybe they appreciate the danger of associating with saints,” his wife sang back to him, but then tossed her head.“And don’t you dare remind me of the danger of falling out of trees in this moment, Remi.It hurt enough when I landed.”

“Are you bruised?”Agreeable wondered.“There’s herbs that can help with that.”

The Duchess drew her brows together as though she were cross, but her tone was warm.“All right,” she declared, and put her hands on her hips.“Let’s get a look at him.If he’s to be a page, he should be able to look the part.”

Agreeable turned to Holburn, who smiled down at him.“To your feet now, Remi.Stand straight.”

Agreeable stood, staring at Holburn until a flash of color made him turn.

The Duchess was directly before him, only a step or two away.

“You think I could be one?”Agreeable wondered with real surprise.“That is, you think I could be a page, Your Grace?”

“‘Your Grace’ in public.”She sighed it.“You must at least remember that if we are to get you, ‘Agreeable the accused thief,’ out of the village as our long-time page.I assume that is the plan?”

“He said you had a keen eye.”Agreeable ducked his head when she looked surprised.“Your Grace.”

“Villagers won’t know the difference.”She clucked her tongue.“But we’ll have to teach him better than that if we don’t want the Count’s household to know, either.”

“Only his mother, who works there for now.”Holburn slid an arm around Agreeable’s chest, urging Agreeable back and to the side until he was against Holburn’s chest.Agreeable sucked in a breath but went, his eyes wide on the Duchess.“It’s not a terribly long journey to the Count’s from here, but in the carriage, we should have time.He’s smart.He’ll learn enough.”

“His clothes are not correct either.”The Duchess tipped her head to one side to consider Agreeable.“He’ll need a waistcoat, if not a coat.We can say his coat was destroyed on the journey.He used it to keep me from stepping in a puddle or something.Though I doubt anyone will ask.”

“Servants might,” Agreeable pointed out.“Though they’ll ask me, not you.”

“He should mostly keep to our rooms anyway.”Holburn wrapped his other arm around Agreeable over the first, setting Agreeable’s heart to racing.“The servants will assume his true purpose and though they might snicker, they shouldn’t bother with wondering why he doesn’t fulfill the actual duties of a page.We can work on those once we get home.”

“I’m to be your centerpiece while I’m there?”Agreeable’s voice grew husky.The Duchess could see him trembling, almost certainly.She had gone foxlike again and that only made him tremble harder.Oh, she was so pretty and clever.Agreeable didn’t know what to do about it except shiver.“Everyone will know.I’ll be Agreeable again.Only...only....”He stopped as he realized.“Only I’ll beyourAgreeable.”

“You’ll be Remi, who wants and does not merely agree.”Holburn was warm at his back.“And mine, yes.”

If Holburn hadn’t been holding him, Agreeable’s legs would have given way.He pressed his thighs together, for they might as well have been water, and panted, “I won’t be able to listen for you that way.Not if I’m kept in your bed—in your room.”

There was something in his voice he had no name for, a match to the pressure in his chest that he’d called longing a while ago.It felt stronger than mere longing now.Stronger than the itch, even.It reminded him of the gnawing of hunger in his belly, except that he knew he would be fed if he only waited.If he was good.

“That can come later,” Holburn assured him, holding him tight.“You’ve no other complaints about where you’ll be, do you?”

Agreeable shook his head in a daze, then darted a look to the Duchess, alive with that feeling again to know she would tease him for it.He wanted her to and yet he wanted to please her.But maybe teasing was what pleased her and that’s why he liked it.He didn’t know, so a whined slipped out.Holburn gently settled him with a tendershush.

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