Lessons in Discovery by Charlie Cochrane Page B

Richard Marsters. We were very close.” He
    watched Orlando colour, begin to study his hands, but pressed on.
    “He didn’t love me like you used to.” Jonty saw his friend’s face lift, look into his eyes. He had the distinct impression that the man was going to say something— I still love you , hopefully—but the scene was interrupted by Miss Peters, who had arrived to scoop
    up the breakfast things.
    “I think you could do with another bed bath, young man.”
    She beamed at the fact that Jonty had managed so much to eat and drink and then positively smirked at his embarrassment. “Oh, it
    won’t be me doing the bathing. I’ll leave that to your very able nurse here. I’ll just go and get some warm water.” The two young men were left with a distinct cloud of awkwardness hanging over
    them.
    “You don’t have to bath me, not if it would make things
    embarrassing. I could submit to the iron fist of Miss Peters.”
    “No! No, it’s all right. I can manage.” Orlando studied his
    hands. “I’d like to. I didn’t mind at all looking after you.”
    “I know that. You tended me in the aftermath of the first set
    of murders and it was pretty gruesome at the end. I would very
    much like you to help me now as I trust no one in the world as I trust you, not even Mama, although you mustn’t tell her that or

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    Charlie Cochrane
    she’ll cuff me. I suspect that you’ve been worrying yourself sick these last few days and I don’t blame you. I would have done the same myself if the situation had been reversed. I’ll submit to you bathing me like a newborn infant, only I shan’t cry or be sick.”
    “You’d better not be.”
    The hot water arrived, Miss Peters departed and the
    operation began. Jonty tried hard to avoid Orlando’s gaze, simply enjoying the experience without wishing to discomfort his friend.
    Orlando had set to work in a brisk and efficient manner, mopping Jonty’s back and chest, drying as he went, getting not a drop on the bed. Legs, arms, face, neck were also tackled, although he was beginning to slow down once every area bar one was almost done.
    With a noticeable sigh, he reached for Jonty’s underwear, but was stopped by a hand. “I’ll do that myself, old chap. Not ready for it yet, are we, either of us? Bit different when I was out for the
    count. You go and get yourself spruced up in the little bathroom they keep for well-behaved inmates.”
    Orlando went off, with a nod of the head, to soak and
    luxuriate. It was the first bath he’d taken for days, not having dared to waste any time away from Jonty while the man was so
    unwell. He spent all his time thinking about that first kiss, until Ariadne Peter’s loud rap on the door and booming “If you stay in there any longer you’ll dissolve!” brought him back to the present.
    After drying and dressing hastily, he sped back to Jonty’s
    room to find the little blighter fast asleep so, once he’d kissed the man’s brow, he went off to check his post. At long last he felt that he could risk taking some time again for his college life.
    En route from his pigeonhole to his rooms, he stopped in at
    the chapel, found it mercifully empty and said a silent prayer. I know I don’t believe so I guess this doesn’t count, but he believes.
    Wanted to say I’m grateful.

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    Lessons in Discovery
    Two days later Nurse Hatfield, who had rightly reclaimed
    charge of the sick bay, allowed Jonty to be dismissed back to his own set of rooms. Orlando helped him pack his belongings,
    getting in the way and fussing far too much as usual, making sure that Jonty wore his coat and hat and scarf and gloves. He found an ally in the redoubtable college nurse, who insisted that Orlando was correct in his assertion that those who were recovering from the flu had to cover up every possible part of their bodies. Not an inch of skin should be exposed to the deadly East Anglian wind.
    As they entered