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Given that he and Steven had left immediately after midnight and the party had still
been going strong at that point, they almost certainly had been in bed before the last of
the visitors had left. Even with you being up in the night, we were probably the first up
this morning.
Steven smirked at him without saying anything.
Yes, first up that way as well, though it wasn t what I meant. You ve got a filthy
mind sometimes. It was good to see Steven looking more cheerful. Are we ready?
I think so. Let s go and get packed.
* * * * *
One minor disadvantage of not having hangovers was being put to work as soon as
they arrived. Steven was assigned to help his father carry crockery and glassware through
to the kitchen and then take the empty bottles and other rubbish to the bin. Mark got
dishwasher-loading duty.
I m glad you two are in a fit state to help, Mrs Frost said as he filled the last slot in
the dishwasher rack and closed it. Everyone except Nikki has been up, but mostly to get
some orange juice and aspirin and crawl back to bed.
I didn t think they d got all that drunk. It s a bit unfair, you being left with the
clearing up.
They weren t all that drunk last night, but mostly because they d been drinking
slowly but steadily all evening. It s caught up with them this morning. Mrs Frost
shrugged. We didn t drink that much, so we re all right. I noticed you and Steven didn t,
either.
I was driving, so I had to be good.
And Steven& Mrs Frost turned away and put the kettle on. Then she closed the
kitchen door and sat down. Might as well put your feet up while we wait for the kettle to
boil.
Mark sat down across the table from her, feeling nervous. This wasn t a casual chat.
I love my son, Mark, but I m not blind to his faults. When we first met you, his
father and I were worried about him taking up with someone so young. Not just because
of the obvious problems with such a large difference in age. Steven needs someone who
will set boundaries and make him respect them. And with someone young enough to be
his son and used to obeying his orders at work&
You were worried I wouldn t be able to stand up to him when he needed me to. It
was obvious in hindsight why Steven s parents had reacted to him the way they had. He
may be a lot older than me, but I know that sometimes I have to be the adult in the
relationship.
Mrs Frost smiled at him. That was clear yesterday. And he lets you manage him.
He s a good man, and I m proud of him, but he has a domineering personality, and he s too
used to getting his own way. I m glad to see him with someone who can keep him in
check without fighting with him for dominance.
This was why they d had Mr Frost s support at dinner last night. The way he d
handled Steven s mood swing had convinced Steven s parents that he understood that
both compassion and firm boundaries were needed. I won t let you down.
No, I don t think you will. I know it s going to be difficult when you re living with
him, but you understand that. The kettle clicked off. Time to make the tea and coffee.
The others will probably emerge soon.
* * * * *
People drifted in and out of the kitchen for the next hour, looking for food or
bringing back their used plates. Mark moved out to the living room, but found he d been
followed.
Leonard was either just grumpy with a hangover or had decided that the truce was
now over. Are you going to keep up with that line about not being interested in Steven s
money?
I certainly don t object to him being rich. But that s not what I m interested in.
What, then? You ve got some sort of father fixation?
He stared at Leonard in astonishment. It was an obvious thing, now that Leonard
had said it, but nobody had ever said that to him before, not as a serious suggestion. And
Leonard was clearly serious, not just trying to annoy him. Of course not!
Then why do you chase older men?
Because when I started dating at university, the men my own age were only
interested in getting off as fast as possible and didn t have much in the way of
conversation afterwards. They were boring. The older men were really good in bed and
were interesting to talk to. I know I probably had a biased sample, but it gave me a thing
for older men.
But even so, you wouldn t be interested in Steven if he wasn t the boss, would you?
He s a powerful man, and you like that.
This was getting exasperating, but something gave him the feeling that Leonard was
genuinely trying to understand how he felt about Steven. He was willing to make the
effort to explain, in spite of his irritation. Yes, I do like that. Leonard, it s not that he s
rich. How could he explain the distinction? It s that he s the sort of man who could start
from scratch and make himself rich, honestly and without trampling other people to do it.
He s a leader. That s sexy. That s why I ll follow him anywhere.
I could lose the lot tomorrow and have to start over, and you d still follow me,
wouldn t you? Steven said quietly.
He hadn t noticed Steven come in. He turned to face him. I d follow you into hell
itself to bring you back if I had to.
I know. Steven held out his hand. Time to go and practice being domestic. The
good glassware needs to be washed by hand, and Mum doesn t trust anyone with a
hangover to do it.
He took Steven s hand. I ll wash. You dry.
Leonard didn t follow them.
* * * * *
As Steven had predicted, brunch was followed by an announcement of a late lunch.
What remained of the morning was taken up with people wandering around aimlessly,
talking quietly to each other, or nursing hangovers. They finally sat down to a salmon
salad some time after two o clock, when people felt like eating again.
The conversation over lunch was polite, even though everyone was in the same
room at the same time. But Mark could feel the underlying tension, noticed the occasional
looks at himself and Steven. At least Steven didn t seem to notice, or perhaps had simply
passed beyond caring now that he d got the worst of it over.
He focused on the food. It was excellent and worth his full attention. Then there
was dessert and then sitting around with tea or coffee.
Finally lunch was done altogether, and Pippa and Felix stood up from the dinner
table. It s time we left so we can get the first bit done in daylight. Good-byes all round,
including a polite handshake for Mark. They even managed to say, It was a pleasure to
meet you, with a straight face. Well, perhaps it would have been perfectly sincere if
Steven hadn t dropped his bombshell over dinner the night before. At least they were
trying, now they d had time to get over the shock, which was good.
Once they d gone, Mrs Frost said, Steven and Mark did most of the clearing up this
morning, so the rest of you can take your turn now. No, I know it s not fair that Pippa and
Felix have already gone, but they ve got further to drive.
Let s go for a stroll around the garden, Steven said. I could do with getting some
sun.
And perhaps some time away from everyone, but sun and exercise would be good
for him as well. Sounds good to me.
They went to the greenhouse first, to select the small plants for the kitchen
windowsill. Mark enjoyed the feeling that these were now their plants. They put them
into a tray, ready to go with them when they left. Then they went for a walk around the
garden.
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