Read A Free Choice (Ganymede Quartet Book 4.5) for Free Online Page B

again.”
    “What was the problem, anyway?” asked Mr. Lovejoy.
    Mr. Briggs attempted to deflect the question entirely. “Oh, it was nothing. It was just stupid. We’re fine now, though.”
    Mr. Brand, who clearly thought he knew what the problem was, said, “Did you hear? Abigail DeWitt is going to marry some fellow called Calvert after she finishes school.”
    Mr. Briggs scowled. Henry shrugged and said, “Good for her.”
    Miles leaned over Mr. Brand and whispered in his ear; Mr. Brand said, “We’ve got to go, I guess. I’m expected at my grandmother’s for dinner, and she sits down to table early.”
    “Old people do that,” remarked Mr. Lovejoy.
    Mr. Spence asked, “Will your cousin be there? Whatsername…Julia?”
    Mr. Brand laughed as he stood up from the table. “No, it’s Juliette, but yes, she’ll be there.”
    The rest of the masters stood. Martin pushed in Henry’s chair and made brief eye contact with him; Henry smiled, his cheeks pinking. Martin felt soft and helpless, overflowing with affection. He needed to touch Henry, put his hands on him, and dared to briskly brush the shoulders of Henry’s jacket and smooth his lapels.
    “Henry always looks good,” Mr. Briggs said gruffly. “Stop fussing, will you?”
    “It’s fine, Louis,” Henry said. “He’s just doing his job.”
    Mr. Briggs snorted but said nothing more, and they all left the shop.
    On the omnibus back uptown, standing together in the aisle, Peter said to the others, “Oh, say, did you know? It’s Martin’s birthday.”
    Will grinned at Martin. “I didn’t know. Happy Birthday, Martin.”
    “Happy Birthday,” echoed Miles and Julian.
    “Will your house do anything special for you?” Will asked.
    “I’ll have a cake, and I got to pick the dinner menu,” Martin told them. He did not mention that Henry would be coming to his party.
    At the omnibus stop near the Blackwell house, Martin and Peter got off with Henry and Mr. Briggs. Miles, Julian and Will called out cheerful birthday wishes and waved out the omnibus windows as it pulled away from the curb.
    Mr. Briggs turned to Henry. “Say, did you get Martin a present?”
    Henry reddened. “Um, well…it’s private.”
    Mr. Briggs laughed and jabbed Henry with his elbow. “Oh, Henry,” he sighed, seeming very fond. “I think I get the gist.”
    They stopped at the Blackwell gate. “I’m glad we can be friends again,” Mr. Briggs said. “I’m sorry I was such a bastard. If Martin makes you happy, I want you to be happy with him.”
    “Thank you. He does make me happy.”
    “I’ve got to go home, because I promised Robbie and Teddy I’d let them look at my baseball cards before dinner.”
    “Oh, sure. I do still have those cards you sent over by accident, you know. Do you want them now?”
    “Nah, that’s all right. I’m already late. I’ll get them Saturday.” Mr. Briggs held out his hand and Henry took it. Mr. Briggs gave it a hard shake, then pulled Henry into a stiff embrace, thumping him on the back. “I’m glad to have my best friend again.”
    “Me, too.”
    Peter squeezed Martin’s hand and murmured, “See you Saturday,” in his ear.
    Billy opened the front door for Henry and Martin and took their hats. “Sir? Mrs. Blackwell would like to see you. She’s in the blue parlor with Mr. Phipps.”
    “Oh, sure,” Henry said. “Thanks, Billy.”
    As they brushed past, Billy grinned at Martin and nodded at Henry’s back, raising a questioning eyebrow. Martin returned an acknowledging smile and felt his cheeks grow hot; he expected he would be subject to some merciless teasing in the near future. However, it was worth putting up with any amount of teasing to be close with Henry again.
    Mrs. Blackwell was sitting on a settee in the blue parlor with elegant Mr. Phipps at her side. The decorator was blond, grey-eyed, tall and slender, and very well-dressed, with everything he wore being in fine taste. Martin had had occasion to spend time