Lessons in Discovery (23 page)

he’d wanted to see this sort of thing since he was a lad and wasn’t going to be deprived of the opportunity now he’d got so close.

The look of delight on his face was enough to soothe the savage

beast that was arising in Mrs. Stewart’s soul and getting ready to maul her youngest son, despite his pleas that he hadn’t technically broken the injunction about too much dancing, that they all

deserved a bit of fun having had a quiet Christmas and no hunt to enjoy and that he’d not seen father so happy for years. All of these www.lindenbayromance.com 161

Charlie Cochrane

arguments were undeniable, but the youngest Stewart still counted himself lucky not to be sent to his bed again.

When the snake charmer had departed, cobra and all, Jonty

took Orlando by the arm, finding a seat where they could admire

the fine armorial bearings and weaponry that graced the walls of the hall in which they danced.

“Do you ever wish—” Jonty indicated the swords and

shields that shone like great bronze stars against a wooden sky,

“—that you’d lived at a time when you could have wielded one of

these? I do sometimes regret that I never got to swing a

claidheamh mòr
.”

“I’ve no inclination to swipe one of those filthy great things

around—if I could have been a warrior, I’d have elected to sail on one of those ships they had in Nelson’s day like that Admiral,

what was his name? Exeter? Exmouth?”

“Exbury.”

“Him. The one who had the mad theory about the Ward. I

think I’d have been happy to serve under him, striding about a

deck, wind in my hair…”

“I knew you’d be ideal for a game of pirates—” Jonty

grinned, fanning himself with a convenient gauntlet, “—but I’d no idea you harboured such an ambition. Not sure it was as romantic on board as you make it out to be though. Damned dangerous for

one thing and probably boring much of the time. A strange

mixture of ennui and peril.”

“I’ve no doubt it wasn’t all that it’s cracked up to be in the

books I read as a child, but I’d have liked to have had my chance.

With you at my side as my lieutenant of course.”

“You’d be captain then, would you?”

“Indeed. As you said yourself, I made up the game so I get

the best part.” Orlando felt as if he was about to explode with joy.

However had he survived in the days before this extraordinary

162

www.lindenbayromance.com

Lessons in Discovery

man came into his life? How could life have ever held any

satisfaction or colour?

Jonty reached up and ruffled his unruly curls, ones that no

amount of macassar oil could tame. “Come on, just two more

dances then it’ll be ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and we’ll be allowed to slip away once you’ve first-footed. Unless you’ve forgotten your

promise?”

Orlando shook his head. “I have not. I would never disoblige

your mother in anything, unlike her youngest son…”

They sat on the stone windowsill of Jonty’s room, just as

they’d done the night the snow came. It wasn’t so cold on this

occasion and they were fully dressed, having come straight from

saying goodnight to the guests. The night had drawn to a

premature close for a Stewart Hogmanay ball but the delicate

medical state of the host and his youngest son—rather

exaggerated in the telling by the hostess—ensured that everyone

had complied by arriving betimes and departing ditto.

Their fingers idly played with one another’s, drawing lines

on backs of hands, caressing fingertips, touching and moving

apart, finding each other again. They had neither lain nor slept together for days, Jonty having felt the aftereffects of the flu keenly once more and needing several good nights’ rest or else his mama would have banned him, like Cinderella, from the ball. He

was determined that tonight wouldn’t be spent alone.

“Staying, Orlando?” He indicated the four-poster bed, its red

velvet covers voluptuous and inviting.

“Are you up to it?”

“I am indeed. Much refreshed these last few nights and keen

to make the most of my renewed vigour.” He leaned forward,

resting his brow on his lover’s. “There’ll be no double beds back in college, might as well make the most of the facilities to hand.”

www.lindenbayromance.com 163

Charlie Cochrane

He rose from his seat, began to disrobe. “Are you going to sit

there all night?”

“Jonty, I’ve a request to make of you.”

“Want me to be your valet again?” Jonty grinned. “More

than happy to oblige.”

Orlando rose too, took his friend’s hand. “I want you to—

I’ve no idea of the term I should use—couple with me? Make one

flesh? Something about sharing favours, I think you said.
That.
”

He blushed to the roots of his hair.

Jonty gently caressed his lover’s face. He’d been longing for

this moment for what seemed an age but he couldn’t just, in his

enthusiasm, assume that it was the right time. “Are you quite sure that you’re ready, Orlando? It’s an awfully big step—well, I feel so, even when both parties are willing participants.”

Orlando drew his lover close, like a hen sweeping its chick

under its wings for love and protection. “I do wish I could

somehow erase all the pain and sorrow of your past. Or strangle

the people involved, which would be equally satisfying. But I

can’t, so we’ll stick to us.” He clasped Jonty’s fingers tightly.

“Did I like it, before? You know.
It
.”

“You adored it, Orlando. You used to say it was even better

than calculus.”

“Then I can see no logical reason why we shouldn’t

proceed.”

Jonty didn’t laugh at the ridiculous words. Orlando no doubt

thought he was being romantic and it would be niggardly to make

fun of his meagre offerings, not least because, when it came to

matters of the bed, none of his contributions proved in any way

insignificant.

Jonty had wondered what would happen if Orlando ever

gained the slightest idea of how spectacular a lover he really was, whether he might embark on some great spree of seduction or

164

www.lindenbayromance.com

Lessons in Discovery

whether he would content himself with perfecting the art with him alone. He was assuming the latter, but you couldn’t be too careful.

“Come on then, this starts as it always does, but the

ending—the ending will be wonderful, Orlando. The pair of us

united, bodies and souls.” They moved over to the soft, luxurious bed, sliding back the covers and removing the highly unromantic

warming pan. “Could do without that, eh?” Jonty made a start on

his lover’s shirt buttons.

A great shivering sigh seemed to course along Orlando’s

body as he was undressed and as he returned the compliment. He

ranged himself next to Jonty, eager skin on eager skin, kissing and stroking, preparing for what had been promised.

Jonty remembered the first time they’d done this, in a hotel

bed on an idyllic island, and how they’d collapsed into giggles at the sheer, outlandish nature of what they were about to do. For all that sex was a wonderful thing to share, it had its ridiculous

aspects, which it didn’t do to dwell on or nothing would end up

happening in anyone’s bed.

Jonty was consideration itself, mixing gentleness with

searing passion, tender caresses with strong, rough embraces and kisses. Taking and giving pleasure were doled out in equal

measure, a constant check being made that Orlando was

comfortable with what was happening. Strange to be experiencing

the first time
when it was in reality the umpteenth, but Jonty worked it to his advantage. He knew what Orlando liked, what

made the man moan or squirm, plead or lose control. And if his

lover didn’t quite have that sophistication of knowledge to apply yet, it was still exhilarating to be touched by someone whom you knew intimately well but had that first congress to relive once

more.

“Please.” Orlando’s voice was deep and earthy, his usual

refinement of tone lost in desire and excitement. “Now, please.”

www.lindenbayromance.com 165

Charlie Cochrane

How could Jonty ever refuse him at such a time? “Of course.

Now, just…” With gentle movements and indications, he showed

Orlando what to do, guiding and encouraging until physical union was achieved At which point they both lost the inclination to do anything except savour anew, experience again. Saving this new

memory, to replace the lost ones.

Orlando lay awake, unable and unwilling to succumb to

sleep. Jonty lay contentedly at his side, even breathing indicating his deep slumber. Whatever Orlando had expected becoming one

flesh to be, it hadn’t been anything equal parts unsettling and

wonderful as this had proved. He wasn’t sure what Lavinia’s

problem was, but had she a husband as sensitive as Jonty Stewart, she’d have no lingering fears of the marriage bed. This hadn’t

been some act of gratification, indulged in for no other reason

than the physical pleasure it gave. It had been a true joining

together of hearts and souls.

Kisses there had been in plenty, ample caresses and touches,

and a union which went beyond all expectation or hope. The

previous times they’d slept together had been lovely but this was dazzling beyond all compare. Orlando snuggled against his best

friend—colleague, lover, pole star, pearl beyond price—and tried hard to think of nothing, not to analyse, not to rationalise, just to enjoy. And as he desperately tried to clear his mind, the more it filled with thoughts—buzzing, whirling ideas—until he could

bear it no longer.

He rose, going in search of a glass of water. As he poured it,

the teeming thoughts dissipated and suddenly became a lucid

stream of memory. Out of the blue he could pin down all the

events of the last summer—his previous visit here, their holiday, what Mrs. Tattersall looked like, the incident with the honey

buzzards and a chap called Bentley, Ainslie, something like that.

He dropped the glass and dashed to the bed.

166

www.lindenbayromance.com

Lessons in Discovery

“Jonty, Jonty.” He shook his lover, with a bit more force

than usual. When the man slept it was like rousing Drake himself to beat his drum, a fact that Orlando could recall perfectly now.

“Please, Jonty, I’ve remembered.”

The key word seemed to reach deep into the man’s

subconscious. “Eh, what’s that, Orlando?”

“I can remember last summer. Our holiday, all sorts of

things that happened before and since.” Tears welled, overflowing down Orlando’s cheeks—Jonty gently wiped them dry with the

corner of the quilt.

“I always believed that you would. Must be as much of a

shock as losing them.”

“It is, but it’s such a pleasant shock. I just need to get things ordered in my mind once more.”

“Come and lie here and we’ll talk things through. I can help

you put it all in place and then you can sleep. Everything’s fine now, absolutely fine.”

The first day of 1907 may have heralded many a new

beginning, but for the occupants of the library, things carried on in much the same way as they had this last fortnight. Code words,

grids, pairings, patterns, pieces of paper covered with what

seemed to be hieroglyphics and a tense feeling in the air that time was running out.

“Orlando.” Jonty came over to where his friend sat, as

elbow-deep in scrawls and scribbles as any of them were at this

point. “Have you noticed anything odd about this letter?”

“What, apart from the fact that it’s totally indecipherable?”

As Orlando smiled, Jonty noticed how tired he suddenly

looked. He wasn’t sure whether it was the aftereffects of the

amorous night before, the shock of finding a whole stack of

memories returning, or the intense desire to get this last piece of www.lindenbayromance.com 167

Charlie Cochrane

code cracked before they departed bright and early on the

morrow. Back to Cambridge, to admit defeat and yield the day to

Owens.

Jonty shook his head, not unkindly. “There are no
j
’s.”

“Yes, we know that. It could make it likely to be Playfair.

Only we’ve been days trying to find the code word, working back

and forth and we’ve not had a sniff of luck.”

“There are no
v
’s either.”

“What?”

“No
v
’s, not one of them. I got bored trying to think of some outlandish word to plug in and try out so I began to do daft

things.”

“Like what?”

“Well I was counting the number of each letter. I drew a

blank for
j
as I guessed I would, but I didn’t expect to do the same for
v
.” The other two men had put down their work and were listening intently. “Could
v
double up with another letter, like
w
or
u
? Would that work?”

“No,” Ralph chipped in immediately. “You need twenty five

letters for a five-by-five grid and assuming that
i
and
j
have already doubled, then you’ve only got twenty-four.”

“Does it have to be a five-by-five grid?” Richard Stewart

hovered like a particularly hungry kestrel who thinks he’s spotted a mouse among the barley and seeks confirmation.

“For Playfair, yes.” Orlando seemed more excited than Jonty

had ever seen him, out of a bed, that was. “But it doesn’t have to be Playfair. A four-by-six grid would work as well.” He picked up yet another sheet of paper. “Look.” He began to set out an