“Let?”
“Come now, we both know no one gets in that many jabs against you unless you allow it. Nevertheless, Dan”—his eyes narrowed to slits and it wouldn’t have surprised Daniel to see smoke coming from his ears—“that haughty air you cultivate to avoid others sometimes works to your detriment, if you would but see it! Everson thinks you do not like him.”
Startled by that, Daniel protested. “I like him fine. B-better than most.” Especially now.
“When are these blamed things going to wind down?” Penry gestured toward the rotating mechanisms abounding at the moment. Trying to come to grips with his recent revelation regarding his mistress—and his feelings toward said mistress, Daniel had paced his study, winding up and starting every orrery he owned; the functioning models that was, his prime machine still limped along sadly in the center of the room.
After getting them all going, he’d lounged in his chair to enjoy the show.
“Maggots, one and all!” Penry frowned at a sprightly, spinning tabletop unit as though it were responsible for every unwanted gentleman caller he’d suffered that week. “Distracting as hell!”
Daniel remained silent. Let Penry get it all out; he’d obviously stewed himself into a frenzy.
“Fine! Don’t answer me but I’ll not leave without telling you this—that boy you disillusioned—he near idolizes you. Has since the Dover match back in oh eight. He was eleven, Dan, eleven when he saw you then. Think, man! As far back as that, Tom wanted to make your acquaintance and his father put him off. I told Everson to bring him around Jackson’s more than once but you know what he said?”
Daniel opened his mouth to explain how he’d already taken care of things but Penry was on a roll that showed no signs of slowing. “Dammit! He said he respected you too much to spring Thomas on you and didn’t want to offend you by asking. Offend you, by God, by asking you to meet his boy!” Penry shoved Cyclops away when a clear line dribbled from the side of his smiling mouth, causing a dark spot to appear near Penry’s knee.
“I was wrong.”
Penry hadn’t heard him, was too caught up in his own ire. “Damn you, Dan. I know how they wronged you—I saw it, lived through watching it, which was deuced bad enough. I cannot imagine how it tore you to pieces. But they’re gone now, Robert and your father. They’re gone. And you’re turning into them!”
His blow delivered, Penry glared at him in the echo of the ticking orreries. Had Daniel been kindling, he knew he would’ve ignited.
Cy barked, filling in the silence.
“Now compose your thoughts.” Penry took a few agitated steps. “You’re not getting rid of me until I hear something sensible from you—and I’m not talking about how you talk, but what you say.”
“I know.” His murmur went unheard because Penry called for Cyclops and tossed a rag to the other side of the room.
Things must be dire indeed if Penry would stoop to playing with his dog. Daniel pushed back from his desk and went to them.
“I know,” he said again, louder. “Agree with everything you say. T-Tom—he’s worse off than I ever was, but in ways that count, he’s b-better. B-because of his family. Because of Everson. I’m jealous.”
“Then go tell him that.” Penry threw the toy again. Cy bounded after it (as much as his lazy hide could bound), thrilled with his new playmate. “If anyone would understand your need for privacy, it’s them.”
He started to tell his friend it was all taken care of, but as it was the first time Penry had ever laid into him—outside the ring—Daniel chose to keep silent. Let Penry think he’d changed Daniel’s mind, convinced him how to proceed.
Lord knew it was flattering to be taken to task by someone who cared. Someone who did it without cruelly cutting words or slashing canes. “I will. Soon.”
Yesterday, in fact, Daniel thought with a secret smile.
Satisfied, Penry nodded. Then he grinned like the devil. “And now to tell you why else I came round—I’ve arranged a little celebration tonight. It’s in your honor though no one else knows.”
“Celebration?” For today’s upcoming speech? “I haven’t d-done anything yet. Who knows if it will b-be successful?”
“As to that, who cares? This is Wylde’s cause. I’m just in on it to piss off Bolden.” Cy barked happily when Penry circled the rag over his head before flinging it to the side. “I swear he cheated that time he won my greys off me. For tonight, I’m celebrating you—this is the first time you’ve ventured putting yourself on any public stage, no matter how small, and I’m proud of you. It’s about damn time you quit hiding behind your desk or these planets.” Penry flicked a tiny turquoise Earth that had clicked to a standstill.
When Cy dropped the rag at his feet, Penry bent to toss it again. Straightening, he glanced at his pocket watch. “I really need to— Hell, Eliza’s buck can stew,” he said, coming over to take one of the seats flanking the desk.
Eyes lit with an unholy light, Penry imparted, “I saw fit to organize another shadow play. Know how much you like them. Donaldson found a new female—some chit over from Germany, I think. Must be, goes by the name Fräulein Wunderbar Oberschenkel, if you can believe it.”
Rather than correct his friend (it was Louise who’d favored that particular style of entertainment, not Daniel) and relieved the harangue was over, he walked back to his desk, settling in the companion chair. In front of the desk, not behind it, though he suspected Penry might still be too worked up to notice—only for altogether different reasons now.
Penry was grinning, almost daring Daniel to try and pronounce that mouthful. Wunderbar Oberschenkel? He knew better. “Which means…?”
“Best I can gather, it’s something like Miss Splendid Thighs.”
That brought a much-needed
