Page 7 of The Shadow of the Count
Tonight, he would sleep with it under his pillow and dream of Don.
Four
Donnie woke in a cold sweat, his heart racing. “Peter? Peter, is that you?”
No one answered him, and he blinked around at the dark room, trying to remember where he was.Dark furniture from decades ago loomed over him, the bed canopies rustling with his movements.
London. Lyle’s.
He would swear he had heard Peter calling to him.
He sat up, goose bumps covering his body where the damp air chilled him. His lover should be at the count’s grounds by now, settled into his job of cataloging the library, snug as a bug in a rug.
He rose, then threw on a dressing gown to go to the kitchen. Hopefully there would be cold meat and cheese he could toss together, because trying to go back to sleep was out of the question.
Maybe he should call Douglas. What time was it in…where was Douglas? Naples? He had a telephone at his villa, Donnie thought.
And his brother was a notorious night owl.
That was what he needed, to talk to someone who knew him better than anyone else in his life.
So he found some tidbits, including some cakes leftover from earlier in the day, and went to Lyle’s father’s study, where there was a telephone he could use and not wake the house.
He placed the call, hoping against hope, and sure enough, Douglas was on the line soon. “Donnie! How are you? I got your wire that you were in London. Are you well?”
“Lonely. Lonely and… Peter’s left, Douglas. He went to Romania.”
“Romania? Whatever for?” Douglas sounded as shocked as he’d felt.
“He says he’s cataloging a library. I told him I loved him, and he ran.” He was whining and he knew it, but it had hurt him, deeply. He’d been so sure Peter would declare his love in return. He’d show it to Donnie in so many ways.
“I’m sorry, brother. Is he, erm, planning to come back?”
So delicate. “When he’s made a name for himself. How long might that be, brother? I mean, for heaven’s sake.”
“If it takes too long, we’ll go fetch him up, yes.”
“We will?”
“Of course. True love is undeniable. If he thinks he must be good enough for you, he loves you.”
“Oh.” Donnie felt himself relax. “Thank you. I just—I feel tied in a thousand knots.”
“That’s also true love.” Douglas laughed, the sound wry. “Charles can do it to me in a heartbeat.”
“Yes? Well, it’s worth it. I do love him, more than anything. Even when I’m angry that he’s gone.”
“He’ll be back soon. How is Lyle, as I try to distract you from your misery.”
Donnie snorted. “Bored and lonely.”
“A dangerous combination.”
“Everything with Lyle seems dangerous. He is as bad as Clark, throwing himself wildly into situations,” Don said, referring to their friend and fellow adventurer Clark Chambers, who was a scholar and rich dilettante in his own right.
His brother’s soft laughter turned to a tsk. “Clark is smarter than your friend, alas. Well, keep him out of trouble and it will keep you busy.”
“And I can call you? If I get worried.”
