“It depends on what it is,” Leo said cautiously.
“Of course he will,” said Felix, earning a glare from his husband.
“I want you to knight Thomas for his service to the crown in saving the Duke of Ravenport from an assassination attempt.”
“Oh, in that case, of course,” Leo said.
“What?” Thomas stared at the king. “You—I—what?”
“Good! We’ll arrange the ceremony for next week. Where would you like your estate, Sir Thomas?” Evan said brightly. This was going swimmingly.
Except, Thomas seemed less than thrilled at the idea. “Estate?” he asked faintly as he sat down heavily in the chair. “I—I can’t have an estate. I’m not qualified for an estate!”
“Of course you are. A knighthood comes with an estate, and a decent income besides. And this way, in case anybody cares—although I certainly don’t—a knight and a duke make a perfectly respectable pairing.” He paused. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been respectable before. Perhaps it’s time I tried it.”
Thomas’s throat convulsed as he swallowed and opened his mouth, but no words came out and he closed it again.
Evan hadn’t ever seen Thomas this shaken, even when he’d discovered Evan standing over a dead body that first time, and he felt a stab of unease.
Evan had never bothered to set up an estate of his own since he was always travelling, and he wasn’t inclined to make a claim now. And he doubted that Thomas had any desire to move into Evan’s rooms at the castle, any more than Evan wanted to move into the captain’s cottage. So to his mind, knighting Thomas and bestowing an estate where they could live in relative peace seemed like the perfect solution.
It just hadn’t occurred to Evan that Thomaswouldn’twant lands and a title.
But taking in his shocked expression, Evan was forced to admit that perhaps he should have broached the subject with a little more finesse.
He sighed and straddled Thomas’s lap and draped his arms around his neck. Thomas rested his head on Evan’s shoulder, his breaths shaky. “I really don’t care that you’re a guard,” Evan said quietly. “This isn’t about that. You’re an excellent captain, and I rather fancy you in uniform if I’m honest. But Iwouldvery much like to see you happy and settled, and I’d like to see me happy and settled with you. And I’m not moving into that bloody cottage. Just think, if you had an estate of your own, it would mean we’d have some privacy. So why not let the king reward you for saving my life?”
“But what would I even do with an estate?” Thomas asked, his voice muffled against Evan’s shoulder.
Evan smiled to himself. That wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no either. “I might raise chickens,” he said. “I’ve always wanted chickens.”
“It doesn’t have to be a big estate if that’s what’s worrying you,” Felix offered. “I know just the place. It’s a smaller holding with a lovely home that would be perfect for you two. It’s has a nice set of stables, and it’s not far from the castle either, so you’d be able to ride here every day.”
Thomas lifted his head at that. “And it’s riding distance?”
“Easily,” Felix said. “You could take a look and see if it’s to your liking. If it’s not, we’ll find somewhere else suitable for a knight and a duke.”
“A smaller estate sounds perfect,” Evan said encouragingly. “I could run it.”
Evan could see the moment Thomas made his decision. The tension drained from him, and he shrugged and gave Evan one of his wide, gorgeous smiles. “Well, if there are going to be chickens, how can I say no?”
Epilogue
Six months later
“It’s lucky I have no plans for tomorrow,” Evan said from where he was currently collapsed on top of Thomas, “because I’m not sure I shall be able to walk.” He kissed his way along Thomas’s collarbone and gave a contented sigh.
Thomas hummed and ran a hand down Evan’s bare back. “Are you complaining?”
“Not at all. It was my idea, after all. And I do love it when I get to ride you.”
“That makes two of us,” Thomas said. “Now, what do you want to ask me?”
Evan lifted his head and blinked at him with wide, innocent eyes. “What makes you think I want to ask you something?”
“Because you dragged me into bed as soon as I set foot in the door and let me do whatever I wanted,” Thomas said, “so you’re either about to suggest something that you need my cooperation with, you’ve already done it and you think I’ll disapprove, or you’re going to ask me something awkward and this is your way of softening me up first.”
Evan sighed and gave up all pretence. “Well, you’re just so much more agreeable when you’re freshly fucked.”
