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It had been difficult not to cross the room to touch Azriel, and even more so afterward, when they’d sat side by side on the bed as Azriel played Mr. Blackburn in a game of backgammon. He’d felt Azriel’s knee brush against his own, and he didn’t think it was by accident. When he’d applied his own pressure, Azriel had sighed, and Galen’s chest had ballooned with overwhelming affection.
He had a feeling Mr. Blackburn was very aware of the mounting tension between them because he always watched them closely during their encounters as well as after. Galen couldn’t help feeling there was a purpose to it all, but Mr. Blackburn only ever shared little scraps of his life, and never anything of significance.
His thoughts had been adrift since then, poking at his insides like the prickly thorns from the roses Madam Langley used in her tonics. He needed to rein in his growing fondness, and the story of Joseph and Cecil helped him remember why that was important.
Listening to Wren and Sparrow lock lips in the middle of the night certainly didn’t help, making him wish for things he couldn’t have. He was beginning to understand Edward’s frustration with the twins’ stolen moments, but it was hard to feel any ire toward them when they only had smiles and kind words for everyone.
“Would you like to accompany Wren and Sparrow to Enchantment?” Madam Langley asked, and he nearly flinched, thinking she’d somehow heard his thoughts about the twins and Azriel.
“I would be delighted,” he replied, spotting Wren and Sparrow over her shoulder.
It would also be his first opportunity to inquire in person about Agnes, and Madam Langley knew that. The twins loved to help with her errands in town, and he now knew they were her ears and eyes, bringing snippets of news back to Moon Flower that Oscar was only too eager to gobble up, dissect, and spread to the others.
“Our very own town crier,” Bellamy had called him, and Oscar’s eyes had lit up. Galen wholly expected to come across his name someday in the pages of a periodical.
“It’s a lovely day, and we would like to walk a little, if it suits you,” Wren said. “The carriage will be waiting to usher us back, since we’ll be returning with supplies.”
“Sounds perfect,” he said, though his stomach tightened. It was only his second outing since his return to Moon Flower, and he couldn’t help being all too aware of his surroundings. He didn’t think the man with the gray aura would dare call attention to himself when Galen was in the company of others, but he was still wary that someone might recognize him from the night he fled the gambling hall.
Madam Langley handed Wren what looked like personal stationery with a wax seal, and just as they were about to leave the apothecary, Azriel motioned to him near the door. “Could you inquire of Madam Fairborn whether she was able to procure more lavender and mint?”
“Of course.” He noticed the tense set of Azriel’s shoulders. “Does that mean your idea has been successful?”
“Yes, but there wasn’t enough for a second batch. Now that spring’s finally here, I’m hoping for more cuttings to use.” He glanced out the window. “I might have to travel beyond the covered bridge to find some myself.”
“Would you need an assistant for such a trip?” Galen asked, feeling daring. He could envision how gratifying it would be, not only to get some fresh air, but to spend more time with Azriel, as if on an adventure.
“Quite possibly,” Azriel replied, color high on his cheeks.
Their eyes connected, their grins widening, until Madam Langley cleared her throat and steered them out the door. “Best be on your way.”
The weather was indeed pleasant, and it felt good to stroll about town freely, with only a destination in mind. Sparrow paused in front of the milliner’s shop and convinced them they needed to try on the latest straw bowler hats for the coming warmer months, though he had plenty already. But Wren just grinned at his penchant for fashion.
When they arrived at Enchantment, the shop felt similar in size to Moon Flower, and they certainly overlapped in some of the items for sale. But whereas Madam Langley’s establishment concentrated on the healing aspect, with ingredients milled into tonics, potions, and ointments, Madam Fairborn’s shop seemed useful in supplying the components. There was a fair collection of live plants and flowers that made the store seem brighter and livelier, and he scanned a shelf of herbs used in cooking, then another of Venus flytraps, purported to help rid the home of insects. His eyes eventually landed on the moon flowers, but they were not flourishing, at least not yet.
They only bloom at night.
He leaned closer to examine one of the buds. He’d seen them up close before, since a perfect bloom adorned his ear some evenings, but he couldn’t stop himself from studying them nonetheless. How could something so precious also be deadly? He stared at them in abject wonder.
