Free An Unusual Courtship by Katherine Marlowe Page A

Everett suggested. “You shall share my bed. And,” he added, with a teasing glint in his eye, “you have my word that your honour shall survive entirely intact. We may, indeed, sleep with a sword betwixt us if it would comfort you.”
    Percival blushed and grinned at the teasing, accepting Mr. Everett’s hand to pull him to his feet. “I trust your behaviour is above reproach, Mr. Everett.”
    Once he was standing, Mr. Everett kept hold of his hand, and Percival thought, once again, that Mr. Everett might intend to kiss him.
    A servant nearby made a small clatter with a dish and they were reminded of where they were. Mr. Everett released Percival’s hand.
    “You will stay, then, Mr. Valentine?”
    “I will,” Percival said. “If you are certain it is no imposition.”
    Mr. Everett demurred politely that it was no imposition whatsoever, and to be sure he would be glad to know that Percival was safe abed and not at risk of turning his ankle on the country lane on his way home. This set Percival to discoursing on the nature of country lanes, particularly Linston’s country lanes, which Mr. Everett attended patiently while he steered Percival upstairs to bed.

5
    London
    B y the time Percival reached London, he was feeling quite thoroughly rattled, and had much remembered why he so despised travelling by carriage.
    The streets in London were certainly an improvement than the potholed and muddy country roads, although Percival thought it scarcely possible that anything could be in much worse repair than the rural roads of England.
    His thoughts, when he could manage to keep any thought in his head other than frustration at the rattling of the carriage, returned constantly to Mr. Everett. When they had shared Mr. Everett’s bed, perfectly chastely, Percival had expected himself to be sleepless due to distraction, but he found instead that he slept at once, and quite pleasantly. Mr. Everett made no improper move, which made Percival doubt as to whether he had ever thought or intended such a thing.
    He wished very much to discuss this with Mr. Everett, and thought he might actually make an attempt to broach the subject at some time in the near future.
    It would have to wait until he returned from London. He wanted the plans for the expansion of Linston to be put immediately into action, which would require architects and skilled builders, particularly those with experience expanding country villages without any damage to the industry and livelihood of its inhabitants.
    Feeling entirely dizzy and ill by the time the carriage arrived in front of his cousin Agatha’s residence in London, Percival descended from the carriage and gulped air, which only made him feel a bit more ill. Agatha’s town house was in a perfectly respectable part of the Town, but the scent of London and the Thames remained pervasive.
    Within the house, Agatha and her husband would be lurking. Percival considered packing back into the carriage and setting out for Linston forthwith.
    Steeling his nerves, he climbed the steps and rang the bell.
    A butler opened the door and let him in, and showed him into the front parlour to wait. He settled into a chair by the front window, nervously wringing at his gloves as he awaited his cousin.
    He had not long to wait, though it was Agatha’s husband, Colonel James Willworth, who appeared first. The Colonel burst noisily through the door and paused upon the threshold to peer at Percival through his spying-glass. Being of ample girth and high self-importance, Colonel Willworth tended to puff out his chest as he strode. Unfortunately for the Colonel, he had rather less chest than belly, which made him appear as though he was going everywhere belly-first. “Percival! Dear lad, here you are.”
    Making an effort not to prickle at the use of his first name, which Percival had always thought to be very familiar and unpleasantly patronising when it came from his cousin’s husband, Percival rose to his feet and pasted