Julian grinned, reigning in his horse with care and shrugging.
“Perhaps,” he said. “Or perhaps old age is catching up with me.”
Thomas pretended to look shocked.
“You think you are old?” he asked. “Cousin, we shall live forever. And even if you were getting old, you’d be the most handsome and charming elderly gentleman in all of London.”
Julian shook his head, giving his cousin a bemused smirk.
“Flattery will get you everywhere, it seems,” he said with another smile. He looked out towards the horizon, his usually aloof demeanor dissolving as he relished the time with his cousin. “I cherish our rides, Thomas. They are a most welcome escape from life and responsibility.”
Thomas seemed to sense the underlying currents in Julian’s words. He shifted his horse closer to Julian’s, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder.
“You’ve always been a source of great strength for me, Cousin,” he said. “Even when society wrote you off as cold and uncaring, I always felt the warmth coming from within.”
Julian’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
“Dear Thomas,” he said. “Your parents would be so proud of the man you’ve become.”
For a moment, a slew of memories hung between the two men.
The death of Thomas’s parents had brought him to live with Julian and his family. And Thomas had been Julian’s lifeline after the death of the duchess of Thornmire. The shared tragedies made the bond they shared, having spent many of their years growing up together, unbreakable. And yet, in some ways, those tragedies had broken the men. Julian, especially.
“I miss them,” Thomas whispered, the playful glint from earlier replaced by a melancholic shadow.
Julian reached over, taking his turn in placing a comforting hand on Thomas’s shoulder.
“They live on in you,” he said. “And you’ll never truly be without them. Remember that.” He understood the irony as he spoke the words. But he pushed aside his own thoughts and pain. His cousin needed his support. And he gave it happily.
Thomas’s eyes welled up, but he nodded.
“Thank you, Julian,” he said.
The two sat in silence for a while, absorbing the serenity of the meadow. Even with the ground and trees coated with snow, it was a picture of peace and calm. Julian hadn’t realized how long they had been riding until he noticed how low the sun was sitting in the sky. He looked at his cousin, whose eyes were now dry and his earlier easy smile was returning.
“We best return before Father sends a search party for two rogue gentlemen,” he said.
Thomas chuckled, his spirits seeming to lift immediately.
“Lead the way, dashing elder,” he said.
As they approached the sprawling estate, Julian thought about the circumstances that formed his bond with Thomas. They were good friends as children when Thomas’s parents came to visit the duke and duchess. But after Julian’s father adopted Thomas, he became Julian’s best friend. Even though he was, regarding his station, merely a very wealthy wine businessman, he was still closer to Julian than any of the gentlemen with whom Julian attended Eton.
He was also, in Julian’s opinion, far more deserving of a spot within ton society than most of the noblemen. He was sure that he and Thomas would have grown close, even if tragedy hadn’t stricken their family. And even though their closeness was borne from that tragedy, he couldn’t help being grateful for having a friend who was more like a brother to him. Julian loved his elder sister, Elizabeth. They had also been close growing up, and he adored her. He saw little of her since she married her husband and heir to an earldom, Stephen Farley, and less still since she had her children, Sarah and Edward, whom he adored just as much as he did his sister. But there was nothing quite like the brotherly bond between Thomas and him. Despite the constant ache in his heart over the loss of his mother, Julian could take a moment to appreciate his cousin, and the time he got to spend alone with him.
Dismounting, Julian looked to Thomas, a soft smile playing on his lips.
“Thank you for today, my dearest brother in all but name,” he said.
Thomas returned the smile, his heart full.
“And thank you for letting me win the race today,” he said.
Julian laughed as they walked together toward the mansion.
“I look forward to our next one,” he said.
Thomas laughed and clapped him on the back.
