Hothouse Bloom by Hannah Morse

Author:Hannah Morse
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, gay, lgbt, historical, coming out
Publisher: Evernight

Chapter Eleven

Noah winced as he sat in a chair at the breakfast table. It was raining, the pounding on his window had woken him and made him feel lonelier than it should have. The emptiness of his bed had yawned like a maw, threatening to swallow him whole. Tossing the covers aside, Noah had gotten up as quick as he could with his leg aching from the damp.

Between the stabs of pain and the unreasonable amount of surliness he felt over James not returning with Noah to his room after dinner the night before, he’d worked himself into a full-on sulk that the promise of warm toast could do nothing to soothe. He couldn’t even fault James for spending the night in his quarters. Noah was playing with fire when it came to James because while Noah was fairly certain the staff wouldn’t run off to town to rat out him and James, it was always a possibility. The staff weren’t his bosom mates he could rely on to walk through hell for him.

The one person who’d been that had died. In the mud, like the roads would be full of today. Noah could taste it between his teeth, hear the screams of dying horses.

“Morning, darling,” James rumbled as he entered the room.

Noah almost fell out of his chair as the table with its plain cloth and white plates swam back into focus. He gasped in a breath and set his palms on the table to rasp the fabric. He was here, in jolly ol’ rainy England, no need to pay attention to ghosts.

James went to one knee beside him, his warm hands bringing comfort to Noah’s arm and knee. “Is everything all right?” His spectacles were sliding down his nose, but he didn’t remove a hand to push them back into place.

Noah nodded. He didn’t dare speak or even look at James, in case his heart gave in and he started bawling like a tot. James was far too handsome and … nice, to be real. With an effort, Noah swallowed past the dryness of his throat. “Sorry, mate, bit of a—” He broke off, not sure what to say.

“Rough day,” James supplied.

Darkness descended as Noah closed his eyes. “I can’t stop any of it. Not the memories, the pain, not anything. “I’m no fit companion today, I’m afraid.”

James leaned in, resting his forehead against Noah’s arm. It was a heavy, comfortable anchor, a solid reminder that he sat in the breakfast room of his childhood home.

“I’m not so fickle as to need you always to smile,” James said, voice low and careful.

“Well, that’s good, or I’d have chased you back to town the first day you were here.” Noah’s middle unclenched, just the tiniest amount, but it made it easier to breathe.

“I’m made of sterner stuff.” James straightened up. He used a finger to push his specs back into place. “Real question is if I’m intruding. I never can replace what you lost. Do you need to be

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