Charon waved a hand to the tunnel, and Yves wriggled in. After a few seconds of that, Charon gently nudged Yves’ leg with a boot. “You’re showing off.”
“What? No! I’m so modest it’s painful.” Yves finally climbed all the way in, and Charon waited a few seconds to follow.
“I think I hear her,” Yves said, standing on his tiptoes as Charon squeezed free on the other side. “Hoist me up, will you?”
Charon held out a hand, and Yves scrambled up him like a tree. Charon wrapped an arm around Yves’ waist, and Yves braced himself on Charon’s shoulder to peer out over the hedges.
“There he is!” someone shouted.
“Shit!” Yves tried to duck down again. “Set me down! Set me down! She’s this way!”
Yves took off down the path, turned back to Charon, and started hopping anxiously in place.
Charon knew he should have been practical. Yves should have been paying attention to his suitors, not dragging Charon around to find his cousin. But as he watched Yves, Harriet’s words stayed with him. Yves had never had any time to himself before he left home. How much had his parents really raised him, and how likely was it that Yves had raisedhimselfwhile looking after his siblings? Neither of them had truly had a childhood. Was it so wrong, then, to indulge in something impractical?
Charon strode after Yves, and Yves took off again. They narrowly missed Lord Marteau, who slammed into a truly horrifying statue of a jester blocking the path between them, and Yves had to hide behind Charon to avoid the swan pond. They almost ran straight into Harriet, who saw Yves and screamed.
Yves screamed back.
“You little ass!” Harriet shouted, and drew Yves into a crushing embrace. Yves hugged her back just as tightly.
“When did you start wearing a veil?” he asked. “I thought you hated that.”
“Ma insisted. She thinks people won’t notice that I’m too much likeyouif I wear my hair up.”
“Fat chance. How many doms have you been seeing on the side, you incorrigible whore?”
“Like knows like, Yves.”
Yves beamed at her. “Oh, Imissedyou. You’ve met Charon?”
“Did you hear screaming?” someone called. Yves went pink, and Harriet barked out a laugh.
“Your mother brought the troops with her,” she said. “But I bet I can get out tonight, if you want to treat me to dinner.”
“Treatyou?”
“You’re the rich boy,” Harriet said. “Is that one of your men?”
Charon turned to find Lord Marteau a few feet away, red-faced and panting.
“Nice seeing you again, Harriet,” Yves said, and he bolted like a rabbit into the maze. Charon took a step to follow him, but Harriet moved in front of Lord Marteau instead, cocking her hip.
“Well,” she said, “don’t you look like a dom in need of a challenge? Your collar’s loose.”
“What…” Lord Marteau stared at her. “What are you? You aren’t a courtesan.”
“No, honey,” Harriet said, “courtesans are expensive. Have you ever gotten on your knees for another dom before?”
“Harriet!” Yves appeared from around the corner again. “Stop stealing my suitors!”
“I’m only borrowing!” Harriet called back, and Lord Marteau pushed past her to reach Yves. Yves made a squawking sound, laughed, then Lord Marteau emerged with a triumphant smile and a ribbon wrapped around his fingers.
“No,” he said sharply to Harriet, who just smiled at him. “No.”
“I could have fun with that one,” she said as he fled. She shook out her skirts. “But let’s leave Yves to his challenge.I’dlike to borrowyou. You can let me in on what Yves hasn’t been telling me in his letters.”
“Reveal nothing!” Yves shouted, and went running off past the fork in the path, followed by a beet-red Raul.
