Page 14 of Vanquished By A Viscount
“Did I?” Charlie asked as bristly as possible. “More of a fool than a man openly discussing his foreign conquests with women present?”
Heat pulsed through Gray that had nothing to do with the exertion of his activities, though he picked up his pace as if he and Charlie were involved in a race. “At least I have foreign conquests,” he snapped, beginning to grow breathless.
“At least I have railway interests,” Charlie fired back.
Gray grimaced, pretending it was the strain of his jog. There had been a time when interest in the coming railroads and the advancement of the science behind it had been something the two of them shared. Granted, there had been a time when hedonistic pleasure was something they shared as well, but those times were long gone.
“Or perhaps it is the way I discussed such intricate subjects with my sister’s female friends that you object to,” Charlie went on when Gray failed to make a reply.
“I am not the sort of man to deny women knowledge of any sort,” Gray huffed in return. “I believe women should be included in important discussions more instead of less.”
“Important discussions of time spent in Spain and Italy?” Charlie asked as they took a side path that led away from the river and wound back toward the house.
“And why should ladies not be educated about foreign shores?” Gray demanded, his heart pounding for more reasons than exertion. He wondered where Charlie intended his line of questioning to go. There was something a bit too serious in his expression for his questions to be insults.
“I believe women should be educated about everything,” Charlie said, more than a little breathless as they had not slowed down, despite the path gradually going uphill. “Including railroads.”
“Will there truly be a spur line to Maidstone?” Gray asked with a bit too much sincerity before he could stop himself.
“There will, though it may be years before planning permission and the necessary land sales are completed to construct it,” Charlie answered with equal sincerity.
“A railway line to Maidstone would increase the fortunes of the town significantly,” Gray said, his thoughts turning to the welfare of the people who lived and worked around Hawthorne House. “Do you trust this South Eastern Railway company to deal fairly with landowners along the proposed line?”
“I trust them a good deal more than other people,” Charlie said sharply.
Gray balled his hands into fists, clenched his teeth, and picked up his pace. Leave it to Charlie to rebuff him the momenthe attempted to even hint at a truce. He most definitely would not make that mistake again.
“It is not as if you would care about something as mundane as railways,” Charlie said when Gray inched ahead of him by a few feet and remained quiet. “I dare say you will be headed back to the Continent and your brown-skinned boys in no time.”
“Oh, yes,” Gray said sarcastically, holding back a bit until they were jogging side by side again. “I intend to depart England at my earliest possible convenience to enjoy all the cocks of the world.”
His words dripped with acerbity, but underneath that, he was loath to tell Charlie that he had already booked passage to Australia. He suddenly felt uncertain about his grand adventure.
“I have been told mores and expectations are far more relaxed in Spain and Italy in particular than they are here in England,” Charlie said.
Gray frowned and peeked to the side. There was something startlingly serious about Charlie’s question. It lacked the derision Gray would have expected.
“It’s true,” he said, looking straight forward as they drew nearer to the house, anxious to avoid Charlie’s eyes as he went on. “What we do is not illegal, as such, in those warmer climes. One can find any number of willing partners to explore and enjoy without fear of imprisonment or worse.”
“Guilt-free?” Charlie asked.
Gray had to fight not to look at the man to puzzle out why he was asking. Charlie would not have been the first man like them to let guilt and shame prevent him from enjoying himself and gaining harmless experience.
“There are entire quarters in many cities that are designated for our sort,” Gray said, his tone fair and informative rather than bitter. “Restaurants and inns cater to us. To be honest, more than a few of the village lads earn a fair bit from those ofus with titles and reputations who wish to indulge away from home. They are freer than we are on this stodgy island. I knew some young men with sweethearts and wives at home who had no qualms about earning their daily bread with their mouths or more.”
Gray risked a peek at Charlie. His expression was surprised and intrigued, and just a bit overwhelmed and innocent.
As soon as Charlie realized Gray was watching him, however, that softer expression vanished, replaced by malice.
“Of course you would debase yourself by paying for entertainments,” he huffed.
They were closer to the house and the outbuildings surrounding it than Gray wanted to be if he and Charlie were to have the argument that hung in the air between them, so he came to a stop, panting and resting his hands on his hips again.
“At what point did I say that I myself paid for anything?” he asked as he caught his breath.
Charlie slowed to a stop, then jogged back to rest close to Gray, bending forward with his hands braced on his knees for a moment. “Is that not who you are now?” he panted as he glanced up at Gray, sweat dripping from his face. “A shameless hedonist who would offer his arse to any attractive man with a cock big enough to fill it?”
Gray wasn’t only furious at the tasteless comment, he was hurt. “Is that truly what you think of me?” he hissed. “That I am no better than one of those penniless young men attempting to fill their families’ bellies in whatever way they can?”
