“Yes,” he said. “Home.”
Chapter Eleven
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
That was Eve in demotic French, valet-clad with hair in a neat queue, walking into Nico’s bedroom at an ungodly hour. Or possibly a civilised hour if one hadn’t had an unreasonable amount of difficulty in getting to sleep because one had been fuming over people one should have punched in the face.
That, and half dreaming of other comforts he might have offered Titus.
Nico wasn’t used to self-restraint in these matters; it had never previously been required. People approached him, rarely with subtlety, and if he liked them, they went to bed. That was the advantage of a milieu of theatre and gambling hells: People weren’t fussy.
Titus was—not fussy, Nico didn’t think that, but flinching. He was undeniably reserved and diffident by nature, but there was something else there, something holding him back. Perhaps he wasn’t a man’s man usually, or had never acted on his desires? Not that he’d ever voiced desires to Nico, but he didn’t have to. Nico had a lifetime’s experience of being founddesirable, and knew it when he saw it written all over an open, yearning face.
He didn’t think inexperience was the problem. Rather, Titus seemed wary, almost fearful. A run-in with the brutal, overbearing laws of this country? Something bad in his past? Nico hoped it was no more than a concern that he might be rejected. Titus clearly had no idea how appealing he was, how his shy smile could turn wicked, the big eyes intent, tantalizing Nico with the thought of how he would look when he fucked.
Maybe Titus needed a clear invitation. Maybe Nico should give him one.
No, he should not. He was living on Titus’s money while lying to him, which was bad enough; bedding him in the knowledge of how badly he was going to let him down would be the act of a scoundrel and a shit. Nico was unavoidably the former; he didn’t want to be more of the latter than he could avoid. And hecouldavoid it, he was sure, if he could just get the money elsewhere…
“Oi,” Eve said. “Are you awake? Isaid—”
“I heard. And I’m not doing anything,” Nico pointed out. “I’m still asleep. Are you bringing me tea?”
“Fuck off.”
“I hope you’re a better valet to the man who pays your wages.”
“Fuck off.”
“I doubt you’re being a valet at all. You’re too busy whispering in corners with the pretty maid.”
“Fuck off,” Eve said again, though this time with a grin. “She is beautiful, isn’t she? And clever with it, and so funny—”
Nico dropped his arm over his face. “Oh God, you’re in love again.”
“Really fuck off. She’s gorgeous, but it’s more than that. I cantalkto her, Nic.”
“Not too frankly, I hope.”
Eve glowered. “I’m not a fool. We’re just—you know when you can rattle on for hours about nothing at all, and it feels like it was five minutes and every word mattered?”
Nico bit back thoughts of recent rambling conversations of his own. “Yes, yes, fine, she’s marvellous, you’re smitten, she’s the one. Noted. Just remember you’re a valet and she’s the butler’s daughter, all right? At least till we’ve paid off this debt.”
“I’m not the one hanging about on that.” Eve sat on the bed. “Seriously, what are you doing? Because it looks like you’re lolling about having fun with your new friend, but we only have a month, and it’s been more than a week already! What’s going on? Are you working on him buying the goods?”
They were speaking the tongue of the Paris back streets at a rapid pace, and Nico was quite sure nobody in the household could understand a word. He still felt an urge to say,Keep your voice down. “No,” he said. “I’m talking to those collectors you found, Sir James Roud and George Rankin. I’ve written to Roud, and I had a talk with Rankin last night, at the Farjeons’ rout.” He’d been applying flattery, hints, and cozenage with a lavish hand, thinking of nothing but selling the painting, while Titus, unprotected, had been robbed at the dice table. He was unhappy about that. “I’m doing my best, but people don’t like to be rushed into spending stupid money. I have to give them time.”
“So in the meantime you might as well have fun?”
“Look, Titus is giving us room and board. I need to earn my keep. And I have to dosomethingwhile I’m waiting.”
“Yeah, I know.” Eve sagged suddenly. “Sorry. I’m being an arse.”
“A bit.”
“I hate leaving it all to you like this. I’d rather be doing something. And I wish I wasn’t lying to Alma because she really is special, Nic. I wish you could talk to her.”
“I’d like to,” Nico said, not bothering to point out that Titus’s house guest could absolutely not seek out Titus’s housemaid for private conversation. Eve already knew that. “When this is over.”