Simon left his family farm years ago to avoid being forced into marriage. Lord Claudius Calhern hired him on as his family’s live-in artist, and not only was he fine with Simon’s attraction to men, he revealed he has the same predilections. At last Simon had a life he could be satisfied with, making money from his art, having a fine roof over his head, and maintaining a secret courtship with Claudius.
However, Claudius reveals he no longer wants their courtship to be a secret, and the first step towards making it public is to receive approval from both their families. That means returning to the home Simon both misses yet dreads setting foot in again. He hopes his family will care more that he is happy than that he will never take a wife, but he has his doubts. Still, for Claudius’s sake, he is willing to find out for certain. After all, how disastrous could a meeting between his highly traditional parents and his eccentric male suitor truly be?
Claudius, as always, was thrilled by the novelty of it. He twirled the parasol from time to time as he admired the view around them. He took a deep inhale of crisp autumn air. “Ah! I do love the scent of autumn. I know it’s the smell of decay and oncoming winter, but I always associate it with color and change.”
“It’s as beautiful as you said. The river in my village has a few lakes along it, but none like this.” Simon peered over the side of the boat at his rippled reflection. His fair skin had darkened a shade or two from spending so much time outside these past few days, and he wondering if, below its reflective surface, the bottom of the lake shared the same dark murky brown color of his hair, or if it was the same rich tan as the sand on its banks, which was more similar to Claudius’s short curls.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming here, but this time everything feels more ... special.” Claudius smiled at Simon with a tenderness that still made Simon blush. “Everything in my life has felt more special since you entered it.”
Simon blushed harder. “Certainly you must have brought guests here before ...”
Claudius shrugged, his smile turning nostalgic. “Ah, well, we have done a fair amount of entertaining here over the years. The former count’s wife’s family stayed here once! My grandmother was in such a fuss preparing for them.” He chuckled and sighed. “But no, I have never ...” He twirled the parasol handle more self-consciously. “I have invited some ladies here, as part of standard courtship, but that was to keep up appearances. I always ceded them to suitors with true interest in them. And we have had visitors that I fancied, but I -- well I simply hadn’t found anyone else I wished to court in earnest. Until I met you.”
A cool and aromatic breeze blew across the surface of the lake, bringing the rich musk of earth and fallen leaves. Simon paused his rowing to take a deep breath of it. There was so much he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure he should say any of it. Claudius knew about his past lovers, or rather the men whose beds he shared in exchange for food or money or the chance to sleep somewhere other than in the dirt. There hadn’t been many, and certainly none that stirred Simon’s heart the way Claudius did. Not even Jac, his childhood best friend and first love, could compare. Simon felt uncomfortable discussing his life before Claudius hired him; all that was best left behind him, rusting away in privacy where it couldn’t tarnish his current life.
And so, Simon merely said, “I consider myself blessed with untold good fortune for that.”
Claudius laughed. “I feel the same way. I do hope that even if I had not met you in that café, perhaps I would have been drawn to your lovely face in passing and paused long enough to see your work, and we would have found ourselves here in the end regardless.” The mirth in his countenance receded enough for Simon to notice the conflict hiding behind it.
Simon continued to row, but he was concerned what could be on Claudius’s mind. The last time Claudius had that fretting dimple in his chin, it was from worrying that Simon was sneaking men into the townhouse to pose for him -- and possibly more -- in a way that might shame the whole household. Simon gripped the oars tighter. The boat picked up a bit of speed as he channeled the urge to blurt apologies for his past indiscretions into fighting harder against the resistance of the water.
Fortunately, Claudius saved Simon from his anxieties by saying, “I confess there’s something that has bothered me about our courtship. Nothing to do with you at all, rest assured, but there’s one thing that -- that I --” He spun the parasol, eyes cast bashfully down to the whirl of lace-patterned light and shadow on the floor of the boat. “The thing is ... traditionally before one enters a courtship, one is supposed to receive permission from both sets of parents. Of course that is not always the case, and several successful weddings I have attended began as secret affairs such as ours, but ... I do think it would be proper for me to at least meet your parents and attempt to endear myself to them.”
The boat rocked as Simon stopped rowing abruptly and the water rushing against the stilled oars created small waves. “M-My family?” he stammered. “Y-Y-You want to m-meet them?”
