Page 56 of Thomas
“I won’t bite him, for God’s sake,” Rachelle added.
Cameron groaned, but then allowed himself to be dragged from the study and down the hall toward the boys’ adjoining rooms.
Chapter Nineteen
It seemed as if Cameron was worried about Thomas being left alone with Rachelle, but Thomas was too busy being worried about dried snot and tear stains crusted on his face. He wiped the corners of his eyes one more time for good measure and stood straighter, then tucked Cameron’s handkerchief into his pants pocket.
“Lady Rachelle,” he said, “you wished to speak with me in private?”
“Yes. Will you walk with me?”
“Of course.” As he stepped up beside her, she held out her arm. Understanding the gesture, he tucked it comfortably within his own and guided her out of the room.
When they were in the lantern-lit hallway, she spoke quietly. “As I said earlier, you look very well, but I wanted to ask you if everything is going alright? Are you comfortable in the Ashford estate?”
“I am exceptionally comfortable,” he said. “To be completely candid with you, Cameron has been a kind of godsend to my otherwise dismal existence.” She took the lead, guiding them down the corridor and around a corner.
“Well, I’m very glad for that,” she said, strolling casually. “He made the decision to request your hand so abruptly—he didn’t even discuss it with Lennon.”
Thomas found this surprising. “He didn’t?”
Rachelle shook her head. “According to Lennon, Cameron attended an unremarkable party a month and a half ago, saw you, then had the formal request papers drawn up the very next morning. Lennon wasstressedabout it. Cameron had never made such an important decision so hastily and without him. It was uncharacteristic of him, to say the least.”
They stepped up to a closed door and Rachelle pulled away from him to open it. “My office,” she said, gesturing for him to follow. Similarly to the small guest study they’d just left, the space was dark, but cast in more silver moonlight because there were twice as many windows facing the barren woods outside.
“But Lennon assured me that Cameron has been attentive toward you. That not only does henotavoid nor ignore you, he spends time with you every day in the upper library, and the two of you often take meals together?”
She posed it as a question, so Thomas nodded as he followed her toward a pine-wood desk at the far corner of the room. “Yes, we do.” They often played chess (lately, backgammon and checkers as well) and went for walks outdoors when the weather permitted (and even when it didn’t, sometimes). In the near future, they’d likely be enjoying cigars together as well.
“Fascinating,” Rachelle said, pausing to regard him in the blue-hued darkness. “We’ve never seen him be this obliging toward someone new. It is obvious to both Lennon and me that he harbors strong affections for you. And you favor him? Despite his… eccentric quirks?”
“I adore his unique character and the whole, complex man that he is,” Thomas said unflinchingly. “I am very fond of him—you need not worry.”
Truthfully, what Thomas felt for Cameron with each passing day within his heart and nature was something much stronger than favor or fondness. But he kept the blossoming feeling at bay, for both his sake and Cameron’s.
It was becoming more challenging, though, to pretend as if the truth of it wasn’t staring him in the face. The lovely, gingery-sweet scent of Cameron, his unyielding kindness, admirable sense of responsibility and the way he made laughter spontaneously burst from Thomas’s chest. His delicious blood and his verdant eyes when they alighted for Thomas. Because of Thomas. And now, the heady warmth and power of his embrace.
Thomas knew what love felt like, and the ancient, enchanted being within his deeper self wanted it with Cameron. Whether Cameron wanted that fromhimwas another issue.
Rachelle smiled softly and her shoulders dropped. “Good. The two of you seem well matched, then. Here, I got you both something.” She slid an upper drawer out from the desk, grabbed an envelope and closed it again. She handed it to him.
The paper was a fanciful silk style that was marbled in texture and soft to his fingertips. Thomas flipped it over and saw that it was tied closed with a golden satin ribbon. “May I open it? Or should I wait for Cameron?”
“No, open it now. I’m giving it to you without him because I didn’t want to deal with his hysterical and embarrassed reaction.” She rolled her eyes.
Embarrassed?Thomas pulled the ribbon loose and unhooked it from the small holes, and to his surprise, the envelope itself was an invitation. He read it over and his eyes widened. “Oh.”
“I’m positive he’s never mentioned this to you, but there’s a Roman-style bathhouse in the lower hills, not too far from the Ashford estate. Henry and I go there for our date nights sometimes, and it isterriblyromantic. The property andfacilities are breathtaking. I booked a specific date for the end of next month so that you’ll have the entire men’s baths to yourselves, because I know my brother would never, ever go to a place like this if other vampires were anywhere within range.”
Rachelle tilted her head in assessment, a sly smile gracing her full lips. “He might be willing to go with you, though? If you desired it.”
Thomas took a deep breath, wishing he could suppress the full flush of heat climbing up his neck and to his cheeks. “I will try. Thank you for the generous gift.” And thankful mercies the date was a month from now and not, say, a week. He wanted to experience this—he’d love to do it with Cameron but, undoubtedly, they needed time.
As he refolded the invitation and tucked it into his jacket, Rachelle met him at his side. “Thank you for talking with me,” she said. “I’d better return you before he gets too distressed. May I ask a delicate question?”
“You may.”
“Can he sense you?” she asked, re-hooking their arms. “Your vampiric essence, I mean.”
