Read Online A Free Choice (Ganymede Quartet Book 4.5) by Darrah Glass - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Darrah Glass
Ads: Link
from the mess.
“I have to go, too,” Tom said, reaching for Martin’s hand. “I need to dress Mr. Caldwell for his dinner.”
Martin let himself be pulled into a one-armed hug and kissed Tom’s cheek. “Thank you for being here, Tommy. It really was a lovely surprise. And thank you for the present. It means a lot to me.”
“It means a lot to me, too,” Tom said, showing Martin a rueful, crooked smile. He returned Martin’s kiss, his landing rather close to the corner of Martin’s mouth, and turned for the door with a little backwards wave. “Goodnight, Mr. Blackwell, Sir.”
“Goodnight, Tom.” Henry watched Tom go with a sort of surly avidity, and Martin didn’t know what to make of Henry’s regard. If he wanted Tom, it didn’t seem as though he was happy about it.
Nearly everyone had left the mess. Mr. Tim stood talking with Dora, holding her hand in a very courtly manner; they were charming together, and seeing a well-established couple still so in love was inspirational. He tried not to think about where he and Henry would be in twenty years, because so much could change in that amount of time, but he hoped they’d always care for each other as they did now.
Mr. Tim let go Dora’s hand and smiled fondly at her back as she exited the room. “Martin,” he said, beckoning. “Martin, I have something for you.”
He turned to Henry. “I’ll just be a minute, Sir.”
Henry shrugged, smiling. “Take your time. I’ll be here.” He perched on the back of his chair, arms crossed, settling in to wait.
“You have something for me, Mr. Tim?” Martin crossed around the end of the table to stand before Mr. Tim.
“Mr. Blackwell would like to wish you a Happy Birthday,” Mr. Tim said. He reached into his jacket, pulled out an envelope with Martin scrawled on it in Mr. Blackwell’s sprawling hand, and held it out for Martin to take.
“Oh! Thank you!” Martin took it and looked at it. “Should I open it?”
Mr. Tim chuckled. “You may.”
It was a twenty-dollar bill.
Martin blinked at it, crisp between his fingers. “I-I don’t know what to say. It’s so kind of him!” It was excessive, to be honest.
“Well, you can think about what you might say,” Mr. Tim told him. “And then you can say it tonight after the Blackwells’ dinner. I think that would be appropriate.”
Henry came and peered over Martin’s shoulder. “What is it?”
Martin turned and smiled at him. Their faces were close together, perhaps too close. He leaned a little away, making distance. “Your father gave me twenty dollars, Sir.”
“Oh. That was generous.”
“Your father is a very generous man, Sir,” Mr. Tim said, his tone indicating his pride in Mr. Blackwell’s largesse.
“He’s setting a good example for me,” Henry remarked. He put his hand at the small of Martin’s back. “Are we done here?”
“Of course, Sir. Let’s get upstairs.”
They said their goodbyes to Mr. Tim and made their way down the hall to the back stairs. At the first floor landing, Henry said, “That’s quite a bit of money. You got more at Christmas, though, didn’t you?”
Martin laughed. “He gave me a hundred dollars at Christmas, Sir! I don’t know how I would ever spend that much money!”
As they climbed to the second floor, Henry asked, “Did he give that much to everyone?”
“No, Sir. Just Mr. Tim, Miss Pearl, and me. Everyone else got twenty dollars.”
“Even little Johnny?”
“I believe so, Sir. Mr. Tim told me as much.”
Henry thought about this as they made their way down the hall to his bedroom. “If you ever think of something you want to spend all your money on, I’ll be happy to go shopping with you.” He thought some more as Martin opened the bedroom door for him. “Or…you could go by yourself, if you wanted. If you promised to be very careful.”
Martin laughed and locked the door behind them. “You’re funny, Henry. You think some dastardly fiend is going to drag me off,
“I have to go, too,” Tom said, reaching for Martin’s hand. “I need to dress Mr. Caldwell for his dinner.”
Martin let himself be pulled into a one-armed hug and kissed Tom’s cheek. “Thank you for being here, Tommy. It really was a lovely surprise. And thank you for the present. It means a lot to me.”
“It means a lot to me, too,” Tom said, showing Martin a rueful, crooked smile. He returned Martin’s kiss, his landing rather close to the corner of Martin’s mouth, and turned for the door with a little backwards wave. “Goodnight, Mr. Blackwell, Sir.”
“Goodnight, Tom.” Henry watched Tom go with a sort of surly avidity, and Martin didn’t know what to make of Henry’s regard. If he wanted Tom, it didn’t seem as though he was happy about it.
Nearly everyone had left the mess. Mr. Tim stood talking with Dora, holding her hand in a very courtly manner; they were charming together, and seeing a well-established couple still so in love was inspirational. He tried not to think about where he and Henry would be in twenty years, because so much could change in that amount of time, but he hoped they’d always care for each other as they did now.
Mr. Tim let go Dora’s hand and smiled fondly at her back as she exited the room. “Martin,” he said, beckoning. “Martin, I have something for you.”
He turned to Henry. “I’ll just be a minute, Sir.”
Henry shrugged, smiling. “Take your time. I’ll be here.” He perched on the back of his chair, arms crossed, settling in to wait.
“You have something for me, Mr. Tim?” Martin crossed around the end of the table to stand before Mr. Tim.
“Mr. Blackwell would like to wish you a Happy Birthday,” Mr. Tim said. He reached into his jacket, pulled out an envelope with Martin scrawled on it in Mr. Blackwell’s sprawling hand, and held it out for Martin to take.
“Oh! Thank you!” Martin took it and looked at it. “Should I open it?”
Mr. Tim chuckled. “You may.”
It was a twenty-dollar bill.
Martin blinked at it, crisp between his fingers. “I-I don’t know what to say. It’s so kind of him!” It was excessive, to be honest.
“Well, you can think about what you might say,” Mr. Tim told him. “And then you can say it tonight after the Blackwells’ dinner. I think that would be appropriate.”
Henry came and peered over Martin’s shoulder. “What is it?”
Martin turned and smiled at him. Their faces were close together, perhaps too close. He leaned a little away, making distance. “Your father gave me twenty dollars, Sir.”
“Oh. That was generous.”
“Your father is a very generous man, Sir,” Mr. Tim said, his tone indicating his pride in Mr. Blackwell’s largesse.
“He’s setting a good example for me,” Henry remarked. He put his hand at the small of Martin’s back. “Are we done here?”
“Of course, Sir. Let’s get upstairs.”
They said their goodbyes to Mr. Tim and made their way down the hall to the back stairs. At the first floor landing, Henry said, “That’s quite a bit of money. You got more at Christmas, though, didn’t you?”
Martin laughed. “He gave me a hundred dollars at Christmas, Sir! I don’t know how I would ever spend that much money!”
As they climbed to the second floor, Henry asked, “Did he give that much to everyone?”
“No, Sir. Just Mr. Tim, Miss Pearl, and me. Everyone else got twenty dollars.”
“Even little Johnny?”
“I believe so, Sir. Mr. Tim told me as much.”
Henry thought about this as they made their way down the hall to his bedroom. “If you ever think of something you want to spend all your money on, I’ll be happy to go shopping with you.” He thought some more as Martin opened the bedroom door for him. “Or…you could go by yourself, if you wanted. If you promised to be very careful.”
Martin laughed and locked the door behind them. “You’re funny, Henry. You think some dastardly fiend is going to drag me off,
Similar Books
