or five times,
nearly got lost in enemy territory, and raced past the sentries without giving
the password and was nearly shot by my own side for my trouble. What a night.”
“I’m sorry you had to kill your friend.” Harry’s voice was
soft but not drowsy at all anymore. He sounded soul weary and sad. Like Daniel
felt.
“The most unreal moment of the evening was searching his
pockets after I killed him and finding the very information he was supposed to
be selling. Why on earth would he have the information on his person if he was
going to betray me?” Daniel shook his head. “There are times I do not
understand the vanity of men.”
“Vanity?” Harry asked. He was playing with Daniel’s fingers,
tracing the shape of them and nibbling on the tips. It distracted him.
Daniel nuzzled Harry’s neck. He loved the way he smelled of
sweat and leather and horse and wine, not particularly in that order. Pipe
smoke clung to his jacket. “Yes, vanity. He thought he had me, thought he could
carry those dispatches to our meeting with impunity. And it was a futile
gesture. He died and I now have possession of them. Well, I did. I gave them to
James already.” And what a meeting that had been. James berating him for his
poor performance at the same time hinting he knew exactly what Daniel needed
and could provide the service if Daniel liked. Daniel did not like. He’d wanted
Harry. He bit Harry, barely closing his teeth around that sweet tendon in his
neck that drove him mad.
“Ow,” Harry said without rancor. “What was that for?”
“For giving me what I needed.”
“Well now I need something.” Harry sighed and with obvious
reluctance rolled out of Daniel’s arms.
“What’s that?” Daniel asked with a grin as he leaned back on
his elbows and watched Harry awkwardly stand with his pants still around his
ankles. Harry made a face and pulled a handkerchief out of his breast pocket
and began to clean up.
“A bath,” Harry said with disgust.
Daniel laughed and rolled lightly to his feet. “Do you need
me to wash away your sins?”
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” Harry intoned
somberly.
“I’m a Jew, not a Papist,” Daniel told him. “I can only part
the Red Sea.”
Harry laughed. “You’ve never really talked about that,” he
said, glancing at him curiously. “I’ve met other Jews in the army, heard them
talk. I’ve not known you to attend services with them.”
“I’m a Jew by birth, not by practice,” Daniel said. He was
struck again by how bizarre this night was. He went for months without any
mention of being a Jew, and yet tonight he’d identified himself as such twice.
What did that mean? He shook it off. Clearly it was a product of the
philosophical questioning he’d been doing ever since he met Harry.
“Are you from London?” Harry asked.
“Good God,” Daniel said, shock turning him immobile for a
moment. “Do we really know so little about one another?”
“You’ve never wanted to talk much,” Harry said with a heavy
dose of sarcasm in his voice.
Daniel laughed. “Yes, I’m from London. I come from a family
of silk merchants. Not very exciting.”
“I think you’re exciting,” Harry told him with a grin. “So
how did a nice Jewish son from a good family end up here?”
“I keep asking myself that every day,” Daniel mused. “The
best I can figure is I took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. What about
you? Are you from London?”
They were both dressed now and walking slowly back to camp.
Though Daniel would dearly love to spend the whole night out here with Harry,
it didn’t pay to attract attention.
Harry seemed reluctant to answer his question. “Yes and no,”
he finally replied. “I’ve spent a great deal of time there, but I was born in
Northumberland.”
“Northumberland?” Daniel was a little surprised. Harry
didn’t sound as if he came from that far north. “I never would have guessed.”
“Like I said, I spent a
nearly got lost in enemy territory, and raced past the sentries without giving
the password and was nearly shot by my own side for my trouble. What a night.”
“I’m sorry you had to kill your friend.” Harry’s voice was
soft but not drowsy at all anymore. He sounded soul weary and sad. Like Daniel
felt.
“The most unreal moment of the evening was searching his
pockets after I killed him and finding the very information he was supposed to
be selling. Why on earth would he have the information on his person if he was
going to betray me?” Daniel shook his head. “There are times I do not
understand the vanity of men.”
“Vanity?” Harry asked. He was playing with Daniel’s fingers,
tracing the shape of them and nibbling on the tips. It distracted him.
Daniel nuzzled Harry’s neck. He loved the way he smelled of
sweat and leather and horse and wine, not particularly in that order. Pipe
smoke clung to his jacket. “Yes, vanity. He thought he had me, thought he could
carry those dispatches to our meeting with impunity. And it was a futile
gesture. He died and I now have possession of them. Well, I did. I gave them to
James already.” And what a meeting that had been. James berating him for his
poor performance at the same time hinting he knew exactly what Daniel needed
and could provide the service if Daniel liked. Daniel did not like. He’d wanted
Harry. He bit Harry, barely closing his teeth around that sweet tendon in his
neck that drove him mad.
“Ow,” Harry said without rancor. “What was that for?”
“For giving me what I needed.”
“Well now I need something.” Harry sighed and with obvious
reluctance rolled out of Daniel’s arms.
“What’s that?” Daniel asked with a grin as he leaned back on
his elbows and watched Harry awkwardly stand with his pants still around his
ankles. Harry made a face and pulled a handkerchief out of his breast pocket
and began to clean up.
“A bath,” Harry said with disgust.
Daniel laughed and rolled lightly to his feet. “Do you need
me to wash away your sins?”
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” Harry intoned
somberly.
“I’m a Jew, not a Papist,” Daniel told him. “I can only part
the Red Sea.”
Harry laughed. “You’ve never really talked about that,” he
said, glancing at him curiously. “I’ve met other Jews in the army, heard them
talk. I’ve not known you to attend services with them.”
“I’m a Jew by birth, not by practice,” Daniel said. He was
struck again by how bizarre this night was. He went for months without any
mention of being a Jew, and yet tonight he’d identified himself as such twice.
What did that mean? He shook it off. Clearly it was a product of the
philosophical questioning he’d been doing ever since he met Harry.
“Are you from London?” Harry asked.
“Good God,” Daniel said, shock turning him immobile for a
moment. “Do we really know so little about one another?”
“You’ve never wanted to talk much,” Harry said with a heavy
dose of sarcasm in his voice.
Daniel laughed. “Yes, I’m from London. I come from a family
of silk merchants. Not very exciting.”
“I think you’re exciting,” Harry told him with a grin. “So
how did a nice Jewish son from a good family end up here?”
“I keep asking myself that every day,” Daniel mused. “The
best I can figure is I took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. What about
you? Are you from London?”
They were both dressed now and walking slowly back to camp.
Though Daniel would dearly love to spend the whole night out here with Harry,
it didn’t pay to attract attention.
Harry seemed reluctant to answer his question. “Yes and no,”
he finally replied. “I’ve spent a great deal of time there, but I was born in
Northumberland.”
“Northumberland?” Daniel was a little surprised. Harry
didn’t sound as if he came from that far north. “I never would have guessed.”
“Like I said, I spent a
Similar Books
