by Amy Crook
She chuckled and sipped her coffee. "I want another box of these at least, and you have to tell me about all your dates," she said, but he could tell she was enjoying the idea of it.
"Done!" he said, relaxing enough to eat one of his own macarons, enjoying the sticky-fluffy texture and light, creamy filling almost as much as she did. At least, the ones that didn't taste like flowers.
They stayed hidden in her office long enough for three cookies apiece, and then both boxes went back into Alex's big overcoat as they headed out, not to the glittering uptown shops he'd gone to with his family but to a quaint little artsy district full of handmade boutiques, galleries, and antique shops. There was even a frilly, doily-covered tea shop that served a high tea with all the cliches. Alex couldn't decide if Lapointe would love it or hate it there, so he refrained from commenting; she could surprise him with the places her tough cop exterior cracked to show her secret girly side.
"So, what do you know about this guy so far?" asked Lapointe as they found a place to park near one end of the little district.
Alex sat back for a moment and tried to think. "Well, I know he likes to be outdoors, to help in the orchards and pick mushrooms. So, I guess trees, specifically," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out when she did.
She made sure everything was locked and they started down the first side of the street, sauntering and looking in windows but not stopping anywhere just yet. "Well, hiking and camping stuff are pretty much out, right?"
Alex chuckled. "People of his station generally consider a night in a hotel with no spa to be roughing it," he said, though that wasn't precisely true. Still, he didn't think that Julian had any 'man of adventure' type ambitions, his love seemed to be more for the land he lived on than the idea of nights spent out in the forest.
"Wouldn't that be your station, too?" she pointed out wryly.
"And you wouldn't catch me camping for the world," he assured her, pausing to look into one of the little galleries. Instead of huge wall pieces -- which would be totally inappropriate unless he could manage to both discover and acquire some favourite piece of Julian's by an old master, and then justify spending his entire inheritance on one gift -- there were dozens of tiny paintings, each on their own wooden easel.
"You could almost carry one around in your pocket," said Lapointe, pointing to a stretched canvas only a few inches square, painted with a scene of cheerful wildflowers with fat bees buzzing around them.
Alex grinned. "Let's look inside," he said, an idea forming in his head.
Inside the gallery, long shelves at eye level showcased dozens of the miniature works of art, with subjects ranging from sea life to more flowers, landscapes to fruit. Alex found one that showed a cluster of edible mushrooms at the base of a tree, and another of a ripening apple still up on its branch, the surrounding leaves a blur of paint smudges as though they were moving in some invisible wind.
"This one's got a bit of you in it, doesn't it?" said Lapointe, just when Alex was starting to despair for a third.
When he saw the painting he laughed, and knew he'd come to the right place. A black cat was curled up, glaring balefully out at the viewer while a small blue butterfly sat peacefully right in the middle of his forehead.
Fortunately this gallery expected to sell pieces to people who wanted to take them home immediately, and soon enough the three paintings were attractively gift-wrapped and Alex was a few hundred pounds poorer.
"Not making your brother pick up the bill?" asked Lapointe, when they'd made it back out to the street.
Alex shrugged. "It seems gauche to have him pay for things I can readily afford," he said, unable to explain the urge he'd had to be sure that these, like the heart's ease potion, came from him rather than his family name.
"Only you would use 'gauche' so naturally in a sentence," she said with a laugh. "Let's go in here?"
They were in front of the horrible tea shop, and Alex sighed. "Only if you promise it's not just to torment me."
She laughed. "It's not, I need a new tea cosy, mine's a disgrace."
Alex sighed again, but he opened the door for her like a proper gentleman anyway.
~ ~ ~
They didn't find anything else that afternoon, and she made him eat lunch at the tea shop, but it was worth it all the same. When he got home, Alex snuck another look at the three small, homey little paintings and he just knew that Julian would appreciate them.
He was just hiding the bag away on top of his wardrobe when he heard the door open. He was really going to have to redo those wards.
"So which one of you..." Alex began, then stopped to stare at his very unexpected visitor.
Julian shifted and blushed. "It was unlocked," he said defensively.
"You're welcome, of course, I just didn't expect you," said Alex, glancing around to be sure his flat was in order, though he'd been keeping things neater than usual in case of family. "Please, have a seat, I'll make some tea. I have some macarons left, too, I think," he said, grabbing the box out of his coat -- Lapointe had of course taken hers home with her, but even Alex couldn't generally manage a full dozen of the rich treats at once.
"Oh, thank you," said Julian, taking a seat gingerly in Alex's living room as though he was worried he'd be kicked out at any moment. "I know I shouldn't be here, but after I heard about yesterday I just couldn't wait."
"I won't tell if you won't," said Alex. He busied himself making up a tray with all the proper accessories while the water boiled, trying to remember if there was anything important missing. He had the cups and saucers, spoons and sugar and creamer, napkins and even a little strainer for the tea leaves. He added the plate of cookies, and there was just enough room left for the teapot, which he filled just as soon as the kettle boiled.
Julian was smiling when Alex brought the tray over and set it on his coffee table. "I'm glad, I was worried, well, when I heard..."
"Just what did you hear?" asked Alex, feeling self-conscious in his well-worn, comfortable clothing, no match at all to Julian's impeccable style.
"I heard you were naked with that doctor!" blurted Julian, and then he blushed.
"Julian," said Alex, getting a sense of deja vu at the vehemence of Julian's jealousy, "was I the first eligible man you saw after Cecil's death?"
Julian laughed bitterly. "I don't know, Godfrey's probably still single."
"I don't think he counts," said Alex with a chuckle, "unless you've been harbouring a secret crush."
Julian shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that."
"Well, I assure you that Dr. Tamlinson took no liberties," said Alex. He pulled out his watch fob and idly toyed with it, trying to hear that familiar buzzing in Julian without the risk of letting it back into himself. "But I'm worried, because the item that knocked me out and tried to contaminate my mind with its spell was something from Cecil's desk."
Julian shook his head harder this time, denial written on his face "No, that's impossible! Cecil would never!"
"I don't think he did," assured Alex. "I think it was a gift, intended to help keep him in love with you, though I can't for the life of me think why."
Julian blinked. "Then... He never loved me?" he asked, voice small and sad and Alex cursed his own social ineptitude.
"Of course he loved you," said Alex, "that's why I don't understand the spell, it's like it took what's there and made it stronger, faster than it would have been naturally." Alex deemed the tea ready and poured them both cups, using the strainer since he had no intention of reading anyone's tea leaves today, with so much magical interference in the room. "How do you take it?" he asked.
Julian blushed bright red, which made Alex blush and add, "Your tea."
That got a wan laugh. "Just a bit of milk, please," said Julian, then accepting the cup with thanks. "Sorry, I guess my mind's just in the gutter today."
Alex could very much sympathise. "Is there anything you got as a gift right around the time you met Cecil?" he asked, hoping Juli
an would understand the reason for his prying, or at least answer him truthfully.
"It was right after my birthday," said Julian with a sigh, "so I had a ton of gifts, you know, I'd just come of age and my parents threw a big party with a bunch of strangers and schoolmates I didn't really know, it was all absurd, but I got some great stuff out of it."
"The perfect time to hide something carrying an enchantment it's not supposed to have," said Alex glumly.
"Do you think you'll find whatever it is?" asked Julian, worriedly toying with his teacup. "Will I stop... Will I feel differently when it's gone?"
Alex cocked his head. "I think you'll feel what you would normally have felt," he said, "but I'm not really sure. It's not my area of expertise by any means, compulsion spells are actually pretty uncommon."
"Why?" asked Julian, taking a sip of tea and making a little moue that showed he, too, disapproved of Alex's pedestrian tastes.
Alex snagged a macaron and nibbled delicately at it while he tried to think of how to explain. "It's a little bit like karma, I guess," he said, "and the rule of threefold, except it doesn't really come back to you in such a straightforward way as all that. It's more that doing really evil magic like that opens you up to other things, bad things, that most mages wouldn't want to risk."
"I guess I was... am a good enough prize to be worth the risk," said Julian, sounding quite depressed indeed.
"Shouldn't that be a compliment?" said Alex, cocking his head and giving Julian a teasing wink.
Julian laughed, but it was a little bit forced. "I'm having a hard time looking at it that way," he said with a sigh.
"Will it help if I swear to you on my own magic that I have not bespelled any of my gifts to you, except to help you?" said Alex, very serious now.
Julian looked at him and asked, "You'd do that?"
"I would," said Alex, "and I'll even give you an early present that I think will help." He stood up and took the box down from the bookshelf where he'd hidden it, passing it to Julian.
Julian opened it up and read the card inside, and his eyes took on a suspicious shine. "You made this for me?" he asked, voice tight.
Alex nodded. "I still remember you as the heartbroken boy in his lover's chambers, trying to find sense in a world full of loss," he said, giving one of Julian's hands a squeeze. "I know you have to be more than that, now, but I also know that boy's still in you."
Julian picked up the little phial, watching the potion swirl inside like jade clouds. "Should I take it now?" he asked.
"You should take it tonight before bed," said Alex, closing the phial back into its case. "It'll do you the most good if you can sleep under its effects."
"Thank you," said Julian, leaning forward to brush a soft kiss over Alex's cheek. This one warmed him to his toes, because it conveyed no status at all beyond his status in Julian's affections.
Alex smiled softly. "You're welcome. I just wish it wasn't needed."
There didn't seem much to say after that, and soon enough Julian had taken his leave, and Alex decided that maybe today was the sort of day he could finish a dozen macarons on his own after all.
CHAPTER 11
In Which We Have Tea, Followed by a Murder
The next few days were much less eventful. Alex received and accepted his formal invitation to tea with Julian, the enclosed personal note assuring him it would be a picnic in the orchard, just as he'd suggested, and thanking him for the early gift. It seemed less awkward than the previous notes, or perhaps Alex was just getting used to Julian's writing style.
Alex picked up the suit, fully tailored, and hoped he really did look fashionable and not like a purple git. He didn't dare show up at the Agency to ask Lapointe for her opinion; men there rarely wore anything brighter than navy or charcoal with their crisp white shirts, and he could only imagine the comments.
There were no less than four separate calls from his family the day of his first proper date, all with advice that ranged from insulting to absurd. He dressed carefully, amused that he'd even been provided with matching boxers and socks. He felt awkward arriving without a gift, so he had Victor's driver stop at the bakery for a bow-bedecked box of sweets. He also picked up another box of Lapointe's macaroons, figuring he could use them to lure her away from her office after tea.
Godfrey was waiting at the door with his usual expression of very proper disdain, and Alex checked his watch as he walked up to the door. "Am I late?" he asked pointedly; it was a very proper three minutes to the hour.
"No, sir, of course not," said Godfrey with a sniff. "Master Julian is waiting for you in the salon, if you'll just come this way."
They walked a short, winding way through the house, and Alex found himself in the same room they'd used for the start of the dinner gathering. This time Julian was sitting alone, facing the fire, and he turned and rose with a smile on his face that made Alex's heart skip a beat.
"Alexander, so good of you to come," he said, offering Alex his hand, which Alex politely kissed. "That will be all for now, Godfrey."
"Sir," said Godfrey, voice dripping displeasure as he took his leave.
Alex chuckled. "He doesn't like me at all," said Alex, letting Julian's hand drop. "Here, I brought these just so it wouldn't look like I hadn't given you anything at all," he said, handing over the pastry box.
Julian smiled and set it aside, then stretched up to kiss Alex's cheek. "Thank you for the early gift, it's made all the difference in the world," he said, and Alex had to admit he did look better.
Interestingly, the buzz of magic seemed subdued as well, or at least Alex noticed it less, even when they touched.
"I'm glad," Alex said, and he realised it was true. No matter his reasons for joining the Courtship, he genuinely wanted his participation to make things better for Julian.
The relieved, cautious happiness on Julian's face was reward enough.
A servant came to the door and waited, not Godfrey but one of the many random maids that a place like this employed. "Your picnic is ready, sir," she said with a little curtsey.
"Thanks, Janice," said Julian, snagging his box and gesturing for Alex to join him. They meandered through parts of the house that Alex had never been in and out a back door into the warm autumn sunshine. "It's a bit of a walk, I hope that's all right."
"I'm a big, healthy boy," teased Alex, taking the box and then tucking Julian's arm in his own. "You're supposed to be the retiring, fragile one here."
Julian chuckled. "I suppose I can stand being a bit pampered," he said, giving Alex's arm a squeeze. "You're quite fashionable today, no black."
Alex blushed a little. "My sisters insisted," he said. "I feel like an aubergine."
Julian laughed. "You look quite handsome, the designer did a good job."
Alex blushed more, cursing his fair complexion. "Thank you," he said. "You look quite nice yourself," he added, letting his eyes sweep over Julian's body just once before putting them back on the path. Julian was wearing autumn colours that suited him well, warm gold and rich red-brown that brought out the texture of his hair.
Julian gave him an impish smile. "Are you just saying that because I did first?" he teased.
"Now you're just fishing," said Alex with a laugh. "I'm saying it because it suits you, you look more alive like this. I might look good in black, but it washed you out."
"I was also sleeping poorly, but I've had three good nights since your potion," said Julian sincerely, the teasing put aside for now.
Alex smiled over at him. "Good," he said. "Now, where are we... Oh, I see!" There was a rug laid out beneath one of the apple trees, with a table and two chairs set up, and servants hovering around to serve their tea.
It was Julian's turn to flush. "They wouldn't let me do a proper picnic, they said it wasn't seemly," he said shyly.
"We'll have time for real picnics once I've won your hand," said Alex, having no idea where the sentiment came from. He'd been careful up until now not to lead Julian on too much,
but the surreal romanticism of the setting was getting to him. He wasn't used to having sumptuous meals with lovely young men who supposedly adored him, murder or not.
"Perhaps we will at that," said Julian coyly.
The servants allowed Alex to pull out Julian's chair and place the gift to one side of Julian's place setting, and even to seat himself, but that was as far as their moment of privacy went before they descended. Napkins were placed, glasses poured with water and a crisp white wine that tasted of apples and sunlight to Alex, when he managed to take a sip. A salad was placed in front of each of them, more apples and greens with goat cheese and what proved to be an apple cider vinaigrette.
"I take it your chef was going for a theme?" said Alex teasingly, gesturing around them once they'd both had a chance to eat a few bites. "It is quite a lovely orchard, I can see why you like it out here. I bet the view is amazing from up in the trees."
Julian laughed delightedly. "It is, and I bet we could scandalise everyone by climbing them after pudding," he said.
Alex grinned. "That sounds like an excellent plan," he agreed. That started a conversation about things they'd gotten into trouble doing as children, which was a strange sort of nostalgia for Alex. He remembered loving those things, but the resentment of being constantly scolded for the things he liked best had built into a bitterness that didn't go well with the light wine or delicious food.
It helped when he concentrated on Julian's stories, on the note of longing for when his parents had been around still and the joy in his face when he talked about hiding out in the attic from his tutors. Alex had hidden from his siblings more than his tutors, but they both agreed that window seats were a must for happy childhood reading. That moved into a discussion of beloved books that lasted through the soup, main course, and all the way to the final course, which was sliced apples, cheese and crackers.
"Do you own a dairy, too?" asked Alex, thinking of the other ways he'd seen Alex's chef use cheese, mostly on the salads.
