THE APOTHECARY'S GARDEN by Julie Bozza

Author:Julie Bozza [Bozza, Julie]
Format: epub
Publisher: Manifold Press

"Thank you, Sir James," said Hilary.

"If you need to come back to get through all this, just organise it with Mrs Carew."

"Oh! Thank you very much."

The squire was out the door – but came back in before Tom and Hilary could do more than exchange looks both appalled and astonished. "No hurry, but ask for the car when you're ready to leave," Sir James added. "It'll be dark soon. I've asked Leonard to run you home."

"Thank you, Sir James, that's really very good of you."

"Quite, quite," the man was absently muttering as he left, closing the door behind him.

Hilary and Tom each sank down to their chairs, shared their astonishment for a moment – and then settled on being appalled.

"Why the fuck is he so fixated on Thaddeus being gay…?" Tom asked in a disbelieving whisper.

"Do we know that he was?"

"No! Well, not that we know for sure he wasn't, either. We hardly know anything about him, really, and that sort of thing is notoriously difficult to pin down, historically speaking. The different cultural contexts, the different perspectives …" Tom mimed a one–handed zigzag that flew off into the unknown. "We're talking centuries ago."

"He would have been very discreet," Hilary ventured. "The act carried the death penalty in those days."

"Exactly!" Tom nodded at him significantly. "And you know how things have changed just within your lifetime, let alone since Thaddeus was sowing his wild oats." Tom sketched a grin. "I just don't get why his lordship is so fussed about whether the old priest's seed fell on barren ground or not."

"Well," said Hilary. "Perhaps we'd better look through a few more books before we outstay our welcome."

"Of course." Tom winked at him. "We can gossip tonight during the ad breaks."

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