“Justin?” Britney’s voice echoed loudly as she walked through the
stables. “Justin?” she called again.
Justin’s head popped up over the walls of one off the stalls. “Are you alone?”
he asked.
Britney observed him with amusement. “Yes, I am.” She watched him come
around the wall to stand next to her. “What are you doing in here?”
“Hiding,” he admitted, looking over his shoulder towards the open stable
door.
Britney saw a look of fear enter his eyes, then heard the sound of approaching
voices. She was startled as Justin dived back into the stall just as a group of
young girls came into view.
“Oh, Mademoiselle,” one of them asked, dropping a quick curtsey. “We are
looking for Justin du Lac. Have you seen him?” The other girls convulsed into
a series of giggles, falling onto each other for support.
“Justin?” Britney pondered, a smile creeping into her voice. Now she knew
why he was hiding. Since their arrival two days ago to Chasez’s house, these
girls had followed Justin relentlessly. Britney was vaguely aware of who they
were, daughters of some business associates of the Duc’s. Britney cast a quick
glance and spied Justin through the slats of the stall, hay in his hair and fear
in his eyes. “I just saw him at the gazebo, on the other side of the park,”
she lied.
The girls collapsed into another fit of giggles, then ran out of the stables.
“It’s safe to come out now,” Britney said, poking her head around the
wall. She laughed as Justin straightened up from the stall floor. “Where you
planning on going riding?” she asked. He nodded. “You might want to change,”
she continued, indicating a suspicious stain across his white shirt and fawn
colored riding pants.
Justin looked down, his shoulders slumping in sadness. “Damn, I can’t go
like this!” he said.
Again Britney laughed at her friend. “Hold on, let’s see what we can do.”
She walked over to one of the groomsmen and started talking to him. At first,
whatever she asked the groomsman seemed reluctant to do, shaking his head
vehemently. But Britney cast her most charming smile, and the poor man literally
melted in her hands. He disappeared into a room, but soon came out carrying a
bundle of clothes. Britney returned to Justin and handed the clothes to him.
“Here, put these on, go for a nice ride, and forget about those silly girls.”
Justin
relaxed against the tree trunk, enjoying the sunshine as it sparkled between the
canopy of leaves. He needed this, this time away from Paris, away from people.
And this week at the Duc’s house had been a respite from all that. Except it
had brought it’s own problems. But those, Justin was convinced, would be
solved as soon as he left.
He shook his head at the contradictions of his own thoughts. He was happy to be
here. He would be happy to leave. No wonder his mind was a jumble of emotions he
couldn’t begin to figure out. The only thing he did know for sure was that
needed to stay as far away from Joshua Chasez as possible. The gaggle of girls
was a minor annoyance.
Joshua was real trouble.
He closed his eyes, thinking of the older man, letting himself indulge for just
a moment. It would be so easy, Justin thought. So easy to surrender to what he
wanted, to do what he wanted, to take what he wanted…But doing that, giving in
to his needs, had cost him dearly once, and Justin wasn’t sure he was prepared
to take that risk again.
Justin’s eyes opened suddenly at the sound of approaching hooves. He sat up
quickly and saw a man approaching on a horse. The two seemed as if to be one
entity, horse and rider moving fluidly across the park. The horse suddenly
changed directions and headed directly for Justin’s spot under the tree.
Justin recognized Joshua to be the man on the horse. He approached Justin,
reigned in the animal, and lithely dismounted, dropping the reins over the
horse’s head. The stallion scampered off a bit, but soon stopped, nose dipping
to munch on tender blades of grass.
Justin watched as Joshua walked towards him. Joshua was dressed in his normal
fashion…black breeches and a loose white shirt. His hair seemed more unruly
than usual, with wisps of curls escaping the velvet ribbon tying it down. Justin
glanced quickly at his own borrowed clothing—black breeches and white shirt—and
realized immediately whose they were.
“May I join you?’ Joshua finally asked.
Justin nodded. “Please, sit down, your grace,” he said.
“I thought we’d gotten past titles, Justin,” Joshua said, somewhat
reproachfully.
“I’m sorry, yo...Joshua,” Justin said, watching as Joshua sat down with
grace and elegance. Damn, did the man do nothing that was awkward or
gangly?
“Thank you,” Joshua said. “So, how long did you plan on staying out here,
hiding from your young admirers?” he asked, humor tingeing his voice.
“You saw them?” Justin covered his face with his hands, rubbing wearily.
“They’re hard to miss, Justin.” Joshua reached up and pulled his hands
away from his face. “Why the protest?” he asked. “Most young men would be
ecstatic to have one beautiful girl chasing him, much less five!”
“Then I fear I am not like most men, Joshua,” Justin said, leaning back
against the tree again. “I find them silly and foolish, and cannot imagine why
you invited them here.” Justin was aghast at what he’d said. “I apologize,
your grace. This is your home, and as such, you may invite whomever you wish,
and I have no rights to complain.”
“Don’t be sorry, Justin.” Joshua laughed loudly, startling both horses a
bit. “I agree, they are a bit of a nuisance. But I’m doing business with
their fathers, and having them here seemed the politic thing to do.”
“Business, Joshua?” Justin was startled. As a peer of the realm, and one
with a substantial fortune, Joshua had no need to indulge in business. And most
of the nobility didn’t think much of merchants, or would bother indulging in
trade of any sort.
“You find that odd?” Joshua asked, his dark blue eyes searching Justin’s
face.
Justin nodded. “I’ve found that most of the nobility doesn’t think much of
the merchant class as a whole,” he explained.
“I find that after a while, the trappings of nobility can be more of a burden
than a blessing,” Joshua mused.
“Is that why you dress as you do?” Justin pondered, then blushed. “I mean,
your manner of dress is different, even from that of the king’s. Is it a
rebellion against your class?”
Joshua blinked, surprised and pleased at how smart the boy was. “I suppose you
could say that,” he agreed. “I do think it’s silly to strive to be the
brightest peacock at court. Besides,” he continued with a sparkle in his eyes.
“I look smashing in black!”
Justin laughed, but bit his tongue to keep himself from agreeing. He felt rather
than saw Joshua slide across the grass, getting closer to him. “Though when I
think on it, I must say my clothes have never looked better,” he mused,
reaching out a hand. He pulled at the black material covering Justin’s legs,
rubbing the material between his long fingers. “However did you get my clothes?”
“Your groomsman,” Justin squeaked. Squeaked! “I had a bit of a fall
in the stables, and my riding clothes were ruined, and he was kind enough to
find these for me so I wouldn’t have to go back to the house and I really
wanted to ride…”
Justin’s babbling stopped abruptly as Joshua placed a finger across his lips.
“I don’t mind, Justin,” he assured him. “But I was wonder if you looked
as good out of them as you do in them.”
Justin’s mouth opened in shock, just before Joshua’s lips covered it in a
searing kiss.