With Everything I Have by R. Cooper Page A

groomed.
    Peter was always clean shaven, Sebastian
suspected more due to convenience than Smythe’s skill with a razor.
Not that he blamed Smythe, the man was a butler not a valet,
although in Peter’s unusual household the servants all seemed to do
a little bit of everything.
    Perhaps Peter was thinking of his staff, long
since retired for the night, when he frowned in Sebastian’s
direction and then out at the hallway leading to his
bedchamber.
    “What are you doing here?” Peter had shadows
under his eyes and grease along the beds of his fingernails. How
he’d kept his shirt clean was a mystery.
    Sebastian put a hand out and leaned against
the doorjamb, just shy of standing too close to Peter. “That’s what
I was planning on asking you. You were supposed to be somewhere
tonight, remember?” He had no doubt that Peter remembered. Peter
had even dressed for the occasion. “You’re fortunate Harold is one
of the few men in London who is familiar with your habits.”
    “I had planned to go,” Peter immediately
excused himself, looking more than a little like a fox during a
hunt. Sebastian imagined that was how Peter felt too, hunted. Even
a harmless gathering of friends seemed instill in Peter a fear that
was hard to explain. He followed through on only a third of the
invitations he dared to accept and was generally a wreck
afterward.
    “At least you aren’t pretending that your
work kept you.” If he hadn’t been carrying a heavy basket,
Sebastian would have crossed his arms. As it was he attempted a
stern look that Peter didn’t seem to notice.
    That was a deception; Peter noticed
everything. It was the reason he claimed to find the company of
others so wearying. He said he saw and heard too much and felt as
though felt he had to be on guard for everything. After years of
knowing him and seeing his exhaustion in the days following such
events, Sebastian no longer questioned it.
    He did, however, hate the cause of Peter’s
fears with every shred of his being and remained resolved to
counter it with all of his strength. So he dropped his teasing
manner and lowered his voice.
    “They missed seeing you,” he offered. He had
also missed seeing Peter, but that went without saying. The words
he did finally speak were only a fraction of what he could have
said but he took his time, considering precisely what he wanted to
convey, weighing out compliments that wouldn’t put that wary
expression back on Peter’s face. “But I see you got as far as
getting dressed. You look good.”
    Peter gave the smallest negative shake of his
head and swept his gaze down, most likely noticing the basket of
food or possibly reconsidering Sebastian’s extravagant colour and
fabric choices. Whichever it was, he finally pursed his lips and
pulled a watch from his pocket to check the time.
    “It’s after midnight!” Peter seemed
astonished. “How did you get in? Is Smythe still awake?” He pushed
out a breath that stirred his loose lock of hair. “The man works
too hard.”
    Sebastian let a smile emerge at Peter’s
concern for the old man but shook his head. “Smythe gave me a key
to the servant’s entrance a long time ago, Peter. How else did you
think I was getting in here yet keeping up with your odd hours?”
There was a bar across the front door to Peter’s townhouse at night
or Smythe probably would have given Sebastian a key to that door as
well.
    Peter’s eyebrows went up. Sebastian had
surprised him again. That was twice in one night. It was almost
worth celebrating, though he did wonder how Peter had assumed
Sebastian had been walking into his house morning, noon, and night
for all these years. He’d thought Peter had known. Peter’s
household was most unusual for many reasons, not the least of which
was the freedoms his servants granted Sebastian. But then, the
servants had known Sebastian practically since he’d been in short
pants.
    “I could give it back.” Sebastian started to
dig around in his coat