the—” Was that a shudder? “The ape requires nappies?”
Taking the considerably deflated manservant by the arm, Aidan managed to turn him back down the hall. “Nappies, Wilberforce. Lots and lots of nappies. A veritable mountain of them. The laundry will never be the same.”
Wilberforce began to move down the hall, somewhat shaky and the worse for wear. Just as Aidan hoped he would turn the corner and disappear, the man turned back to him with a faint trace of plaintiveness in his frozen expression. “Do you know, my lord . . .”
Aidan twitched with impatience. There were definite sounds of childish rebellion behind him. “What is it, Wilberforce?”
Wilberforce twitched as well. “My lord, is it . . . is it a very large monkey, do you think?”
Aidan’s lips shivered slightly, but he kept the grin easily in check. From behind him, he heard Colin’s helpless snort of laughter. “It is, I’m afraid to say, a perfectly enormous monkey. The very biggest one of all.”
Wilberforce nodded and turned somewhat blindly to make his way back down the hall, his crisp tread rather slowed. “Thank you, my lord. That’s . . . excellent news. Have a good evening, my lord.”
Aidan watched him go out of sight, then swiftly turned back to Colin and the girl. She was bright-eyed and pink-cheeked and had Colin’s fine gold pocket watch stuffed in her mouth. She waved at him happily. Aidan blinked. “Is that sanitary?”
“Probably not, but it worked.” Colin was gazing at him worriedly. “You’re a bit on the evil side, aren’t you? The poor bloke might never recover.”
Aidan snorted. “Knowing Wilberforce, he’ll have prepared the world’s finest indoor monkey environment by the time the supper gong sounds.”
Colin grimaced. “True.”
With that, Colin and Aidan calmly walked their own little monkey up the back stairs to the fourth storey.
Colin complained, of course. “Too many bloody stairs,” he gasped.
“Don’t be theatrical,” Aidan grunted. “You’re not carrying anything but that little satchel.” He liked the fact that his room was high and isolated. Most of the members had gravitated to the lower floors because of their age. Their preference had defined Aidan’s.
“Why your room? Why not mine? It’s closer.”
“The only man sharing my floor is old Aldrich. He won’t hear a thing. In addition, Jack’s room is just below mine, so no need to be careful of noise.”
Colin only grunted, but ceased his argument nonetheless.
Brown’s Club for Distinguished Gentlemen was once a prime establishment, a grand refuge for the fathers and scions of the finest families in England—a refined place of stately grace, sedate cards, and fine tobacco.
The tobacco was still quite good, but the place itself had slipped somewhat off the fashionable palate.
Respectable had become stuffy, refined had become monastic. While still grand in a previous-century manner, with high majestic ceilings and dark-paneled walls, the dining rooms and card rooms were silent with disuse.
Altogether, it was comfortable and masculine and if it was a bit aged about the edges, there were no women present to go on about it, so no one seemed to mind.
The clientele had aged along with the establishment until most members were naught but portraits on the walls of the club room. The few who remained tottered painfully about, then seated themselves in front of the fire while servants very nearly as elderly as they hovered in a leisurely, semi-retired fashion.
Aidan only frequented the club because of Jack. Not highly ranked enough to belong to the best of the clubs, Jack had cheerfully invited Aidan and Colin to join him at Brown’s. “We’ll have the run of the place,” he’d assured them. “Those fossils won’t be in our way.”
Jack had been correct about that. The three younger men had great freedom to come and go without comment.
It was quiet, convenient to Westminster, and
Taking the considerably deflated manservant by the arm, Aidan managed to turn him back down the hall. “Nappies, Wilberforce. Lots and lots of nappies. A veritable mountain of them. The laundry will never be the same.”
Wilberforce began to move down the hall, somewhat shaky and the worse for wear. Just as Aidan hoped he would turn the corner and disappear, the man turned back to him with a faint trace of plaintiveness in his frozen expression. “Do you know, my lord . . .”
Aidan twitched with impatience. There were definite sounds of childish rebellion behind him. “What is it, Wilberforce?”
Wilberforce twitched as well. “My lord, is it . . . is it a very large monkey, do you think?”
Aidan’s lips shivered slightly, but he kept the grin easily in check. From behind him, he heard Colin’s helpless snort of laughter. “It is, I’m afraid to say, a perfectly enormous monkey. The very biggest one of all.”
Wilberforce nodded and turned somewhat blindly to make his way back down the hall, his crisp tread rather slowed. “Thank you, my lord. That’s . . . excellent news. Have a good evening, my lord.”
Aidan watched him go out of sight, then swiftly turned back to Colin and the girl. She was bright-eyed and pink-cheeked and had Colin’s fine gold pocket watch stuffed in her mouth. She waved at him happily. Aidan blinked. “Is that sanitary?”
“Probably not, but it worked.” Colin was gazing at him worriedly. “You’re a bit on the evil side, aren’t you? The poor bloke might never recover.”
Aidan snorted. “Knowing Wilberforce, he’ll have prepared the world’s finest indoor monkey environment by the time the supper gong sounds.”
Colin grimaced. “True.”
With that, Colin and Aidan calmly walked their own little monkey up the back stairs to the fourth storey.
Colin complained, of course. “Too many bloody stairs,” he gasped.
“Don’t be theatrical,” Aidan grunted. “You’re not carrying anything but that little satchel.” He liked the fact that his room was high and isolated. Most of the members had gravitated to the lower floors because of their age. Their preference had defined Aidan’s.
“Why your room? Why not mine? It’s closer.”
“The only man sharing my floor is old Aldrich. He won’t hear a thing. In addition, Jack’s room is just below mine, so no need to be careful of noise.”
Colin only grunted, but ceased his argument nonetheless.
Brown’s Club for Distinguished Gentlemen was once a prime establishment, a grand refuge for the fathers and scions of the finest families in England—a refined place of stately grace, sedate cards, and fine tobacco.
The tobacco was still quite good, but the place itself had slipped somewhat off the fashionable palate.
Respectable had become stuffy, refined had become monastic. While still grand in a previous-century manner, with high majestic ceilings and dark-paneled walls, the dining rooms and card rooms were silent with disuse.
Altogether, it was comfortable and masculine and if it was a bit aged about the edges, there were no women present to go on about it, so no one seemed to mind.
The clientele had aged along with the establishment until most members were naught but portraits on the walls of the club room. The few who remained tottered painfully about, then seated themselves in front of the fire while servants very nearly as elderly as they hovered in a leisurely, semi-retired fashion.
Aidan only frequented the club because of Jack. Not highly ranked enough to belong to the best of the clubs, Jack had cheerfully invited Aidan and Colin to join him at Brown’s. “We’ll have the run of the place,” he’d assured them. “Those fossils won’t be in our way.”
Jack had been correct about that. The three younger men had great freedom to come and go without comment.
It was quiet, convenient to Westminster, and