The Merchant's Love

by Antonia Aquilante

  Chapter Four

  The day after Tristan’s wedding, Maxen went to the university to meet Valentin for lunch. He probably should have stayed at the offices as he’d been left in charge while Tristan was on his wedding trip, but the shipping company wouldn’t fall to ruin without him for a couple of hours. It was unlikely anything would happen in a slightly longer time, but Maxen took the responsibility seriously. He wouldn’t let Tristan down. After Father died, Tristan kept tight control of the business and a close eye on the family, taking too much on himself until Maxen finally convinced him to share the burden and the work. Tristan was the firstborn, but Maxen wanted to help in the business, and at least one of their younger brothers saw a future there. He’d retrieve Renaud from his tutor after lunch and bring him to the office for a while.

  The gray clouds spit down chilly drizzle on and off all morning, and part of Maxen would have rather remained in the office instead of going out in it again. He wouldn’t have minded staying in his cozy bed that morning, between the weather and the late night out—he imagined lazing in bed would have been even better with Faelen cuddled up beside him. He’d dreamed of it last night, or early that morning, depending on how he looked at it.

  He wasn’t sure if he should be thinking of Faelen that way, but he couldn’t seem to help it either. Faelen was beautiful, and smart and witty and interesting. Their conversation at the wedding had been the most enjoyable he could remember having in a long time, and he wanted to do it again. He’d like to do more than talk, if he was being honest. To know what it would be like to kiss Faelen, to hold him close, to do far more than that. But while Faelen had seemed as engaged in their conversation as Maxen was, he hadn’t seen any sign that Faelen was interested in anything more. Was Faelen even interested in seeing him again? Perhaps in a friendship?

  Maxen tried to let the thoughts go as he wound through the university grounds. Despite the gray weather, they bustled with activity. They always seemed to, no matter the weather. He wanted to say it was strange, but he and Valentin had spent their share of time out on the lawns, sitting on steps or the edges of fountains, doing their reading in the fresh air or talking or watching what trouble the sorcery students got themselves into.

  He’d met Valentin his first day at university and had remained close to him, though their paths had diverged quite wildly. Maxen had completed his basic coursework and left to work in his family’s business, while Valentin had come to university to further train his healing Talent and stayed on to apprentice with Healer Ravello, a powerful healer specializing in how use of Talents affected the body.

  He jogged up the steps to the old stone building where Valentin could almost always be found. Maxen had learned to meet Valentin there—otherwise, it was entirely possible Val would get caught up in his work or studies and forget about their plans. Maxen didn’t know why it didn’t annoy him more than it did, except perhaps that he liked seeing Valentin so passionate about his work.

  The door to the small suite of rooms Healer Ravello used for his offices was ajar when Maxen arrived, so he only rapped lightly on the doorframe as he stepped inside. Valentin was nearly buried in books at the table he used as a workspace. His dark eyes were hazy, and he raked fingers through his already mussed hair, his handsome face pulling into a frown. “Are you early?”

  Maxen laughed and shook his head. “Right on time. You got caught up again.”

  Valentin’s lips curved in an abashed smile. “I must have. Sorry.”

  Maxen waved the apology away. “It’s all right. Are you ready to go, or do you need to finish?”

  “Don’t ever ask Valentin that question, Maxen,” Ravello said as he strode in through the door leading to his workroom beyond, his healer’s robes flowing around him. Around forty years old, he was a hair shorter than average height for a man, his skin several shades darker than Valentin’s light brown. He had a twinkle in his eyes. “He’ll only tell you he has to stay and work some more.”

  Valentin smiled cheekily. “And don’t I?”

  “I should say yes just to spite you, ridiculous boy. No, not now. Go to lunch with your friend and come back ready to work after.” Ravello said the words almost affectionately. Valentin had been learning from and working with him for almost a year, and it seemed clear to Maxen that Ravello felt somewhat fatherly toward Valentin.

  “You’re certain you don’t need me?” Valentin asked as he stood.

  “Quite certain. I’m going out myself.” A knock on the doorframe interrupted him, and he smiled.

  Jadis, head of the royal healers, stood in the doorway. Maxen had only met Jadis once, when he’d examined his sister and niece after they’d been rescued from their kidnapping and pronounced them well, to everyone’s relief. It was a time Maxen didn’t like to think about, but it was etched into his memory nevertheless. The royal healer looked much the same as he had then, though without the robes that marked him as a healer. Jadis gave them all a polite nod and a greeting, his expression warming into affection when he spoke to Ravello.

  “Jadis, you’re right on time.” Ravello took off his robe and hung it on a hook on the wall next to one that was likely Valentin’s. He turned his attention to Maxen and Valentin. “Go, Valentin. I’ll see you later.”

  After Ravello and Jadis left the room, already deep in discussion, Maxen turned to Valentin. “Shall we?”

  “Yes, let’s.”

  A few moments later, they were leaving the building, Valentin frowning up at the gray sky and grumbling about the drizzle. Maxen fought a smile at the customary complaints—Valentin was far happier in the summer sunshine than in the chill of autumn or winter. They retraced Maxen’s path through the university grounds and out the gates into the twisting streets of the university quarter.

  The quarter was filled with lodging for students and scholars and the eating houses and other businesses that catered to them. Maxen had never lived there. During his time at the university, he’d remained at home with his family. Many students who were from Jumelle continued to live at home, though others struck out on their own, joining those from far-flung places living in the quarter.

  “Maxen?”

  “Hmm?” He focused once more on Valentin. “Yes?”

  Valentin frowned, but he only said, “Here all right?”

  Maxen glanced over at the small eating house they were approaching. The food was good and affordable, so it would be crowded at this time of day, but most other places would be too. “Yes, fine.”

  Valentin sent him another dubious look and led the way inside. As Maxen had predicted, it was crowded, but they squeezed in at the end of a long table in the back of the room. The lunch menu was set each day and written on a board on the wall. Once they were seated, Maxen gave it a glance to see what was on offer. He’d yet to have a bad meal there, though, so it hardly mattered.

  “How was the wedding?” Valentin asked as he settled into his chair.

  “It was…” How could he explain it? Or, really, how could he explain his feelings about it, which had been so unexpected? “It was a beautiful wedding.”

  “I would think, based on the location and the family your brother married into.”

  Maxen joined Valentin in his laughter. “Well, yes.” He described the room and the decorations and the crowd of guests in their finery. “But it was more than just the way everything looked.”

  “What was it, then?” Valentin smiled and leaned back as a young man delivered bowls of stew and a plate of warm, crusty bread. He flashed them both a flirty grin and disappeared back to his duties.

  “Making a conquest?”

  “Hush, you. I only smiled at him.” Valentin broke off a piece of bread and looked as if he was resisting throwing it at Maxen’s head with a sheer force of will. “Tell me more about the wedding. What made it so beautiful?”

  “It was…” Maxen paused with his spoon in hand, hovering over his bowl, as he thought. “Tristan and Etan were just so happy. I know it sounds silly, but they
had this glow. As if the happiness, the rightness of them together, wanted to burst from them for all to see. And yet, it was as if it was just them—surrounded by people, yes, but them in their own little world. And everyone there seemed…a bit awed by it, perhaps.”

  He had been.

  Valentin was watching him with raised eyebrows.

  “I sound ridiculous, I know.” Maxen ducked down, going back to his lunch.

  “Not at all. I just expected to hear about the royal family and all the nobility and posturing at court, not such a romantic story.”

  Maxen laughed. “Well, there was some of that. Though I didn’t notice as much blatant politicking or posturing as I thought there’d be at a court event. But Tristan said they tried to be careful with the guest list and keep it as small as possible.”

  “Was it small?”

  “Not by any definition I have of small.” Maxen had grown up in a wealthy merchant family, but Tristan and Etan’s wedding was more extravagant than anything he’d ever experienced. But when he remembered how Tristan and Etan had been together, it seemed utterly emotional and intimate too. How had it managed to be all those things at once?

  Valentin hadn’t grown up poor, but his family wasn’t as wealthy as Maxen’s either. His father owned a busy inn in northern Tournai, and he’d been sponsored partially at the university because of his strong healing Talent. A royal wedding would be even further outside his experience than it was Maxen’s.

  “So tell me about the royal family and the nobility,” Valentin said after taking another bite of his stew.

  “Want all the gossip, do you?”

  Valentin laughed. “I do! I’ve never met any of them, or seen the princes at less than a distance. I lined up out on the street to watch their carriage go by when they married, you know.”

  “You never told me that.” A large part of the city had done the same, gathering in the square outside the palace and filling the streets to get a glimpse of Philip and Amory as their carriage passed.

  “It was important, wasn’t it?” Valentin shifted in his seat and glanced down. “A joyful day for Tournai, of course. And…it was interesting too. Prince Philip was breaking with tradition. I don’t remember if there was another time a ruling prince did.”

  Maxen didn’t either. Marrying a commoner was unheard of, and with the requirements for a blood heir, marrying a man was not done. But everything had turned out fine for Philip, and Amory and their son, Julien, were beloved by Tournai’s people.

  “I went and watched too. I took my little brothers.” They’d stood on the street eating sugared roasted nuts from a street cart while they waited. “Tristan was Amory’s witness then.”

  “Half the time, I forget you grew up together. I guess it seems strange, thinking of someone marrying into the royal family. You know they grew up in the city, but they’re living in the palace now.”

  Maxen had to keep reminding himself that Tristan lived there now. “It’s easy to forget.”

  Valentin nodded and spent a few moments quietly eating before he grinned again. “You still haven’t told me the gossip.”

  A laugh burst from Maxen. “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything. Were they all there? Did you meet everyone?”

  “I suppose. Etan’s aunt—Princess Edine, whose husband is the ambassador to Teilo—even came with her sons.” Though he’d only really spoken with one of them. “I’d met the prince and Etan’s brothers before the wedding. I was introduced to more of the family there.”

  Valentin put his spoon down and narrowed his eyes as he stared at Maxen.

  Maxen sat back. “What? Why are you looking at me so strangely?”

  A knowing smile pulled at the corners of Valentin’s mouth. “You met someone.”

  “I met a lot of people. I sat at the head table with Etan and Tristan and the princes. And Princess Elodie and Etan’s oldest brother and his husband. I think everyone came to talk to them.”

  Valentin shook his head. “You know what I mean. You met someone, and the fact that you’re giving me excuses just proves I’m right.”

  Maxen made a face. “How do you know me so well?”

  “We’ve known each other a long time. Talked a lot. Gotten into and out of trouble together. Saw each other naked once.”

  Maxen rolled his eyes. They’d been tipsy and had decided to experiment a little. It had been a massive mistake, but thankfully, they’d only ended up laughing about it after. “We don’t talk about that.”

  Valentin shrugged easily. “It happened. Now tell me what happened at the wedding. Who is this mystery person you met?”

  “He’s…he’s one of the prince’s cousins. One of the ones who came from Teilo for the wedding.” What should he say about Faelen?

  Valentin’s expression melted into sympathy. “And he’s going back? That has to be hard. Our little mistake notwithstanding, you don’t spend a night with someone lightly, and if you did after one meeting, you must have liked him.”

  “It wasn’t like that.” Maxen shook his head quickly on the thought that maybe it could have been. But had he even wanted it to? He was attracted to Faelen at first sight, but he’d like to know him too. He wouldn’t trade their time talking for anything. “And, no, he isn’t going back. His mother is, but he and his brothers are staying.”

  “That’s good, then.” Valentin tilted his head to the side, and Maxen began to feel as if he was a specimen being studied. “So what happened? You said you didn’t spend the night with him.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “But you wanted to?”

  “Maybe. He’s beautiful. Just beautiful. But…I didn’t want to jump into bed with him. I wouldn’t mind ending up there someday, but I’d like to know him first. See if we like each other.” Maxen thought they would, maybe already did. He murmured, “I wouldn’t have minded a kiss.”

  “What did you do? You aren’t the type to just stare at him all night.” Valentin waved a hand before Maxen could speak. “You aren’t the type to have these instant attractions either, not often, but you’re far more direct than most of us. You wouldn’t just pine.”

  Maxen huffed. “Pine?”

  Valentin shrugged again. “Some of us pine.”

  He laughed a little and shook his head. “I introduced myself to him. Which probably broke all sorts of rules of behavior, but I don’t think he minded.”

  “So far so good.”

  “We talked. For a long time. Which, again, probably broke all sorts of rules since we basically ignored everyone else. Him more than me. He’s the one who’s a royal relative and newly returned to Tournai.”

  “But he talked to you all night anyway.” A slow smile spread across Valentin’s face. “This sounds promising. Are you worried because he’s royalty and you’re not?”

  “I…maybe? My brother just married into the royal family. Not that I’m thinking about marriage,” he hastened to add. He and Faelen had had one conversation—one delightful, engrossing, didn’t-want-it-to-end conversation—and no one would think about marriage after that. “I don’t think the difference in our stations would be a problem to the royal family.”

  “Does he?”

  “I have no idea. We didn’t exactly talk about it. I’m not sure how I feel about it.” Maxen couldn’t believe Faelen would care about something like positions of birth, but he only had instinct to go on, a feeling about Faelen. Maxen didn’t so much care that Faelen was royalty, though he was intimidated still by all that went with it.

  “What did you talk about?”

  The sharp, quick impulse to not say, to keep what had been said to himself as something precious, shared only between him and Faelen, surprised Maxen. “Normal things, I suppose. Teilo and his life there. What he thought of Jumelle now that he’s returned as an adult.”

  “All about him?”

  “No. He asked me things too.” And he’d seemed interested in Maxen’s answers and stories. “It felt as if we were all alone,
even in the middle of the party.”

  “But you didn’t kiss him at the end of it?” Valentin smiled, not unkindly. Maxen had expected more teasing when telling him of his sudden almost-infatuation with a royal cousin.

  “I wanted to, but…I’m not sure he did.”

  “You’ve asked.”

  “And I would have. But I’m not even sure he saw me that way. Maybe he just enjoyed the time talking. I did. I’d love to do it again.” For longer, and maybe alone. Or not. It really didn’t matter.

  Valentin was quiet for a few moments as he watched Maxen. His expression gave no clue to his thoughts. “Then you should.”

  “Easier said than done, I think.” Maxen continued eating.

  “Why? Because he’s cousin to the prince? Because he lives in the palace? I assume he lives in the palace.”

  “I think he does.”

  Valentin waved Maxen’s comment away. “I don’t see how you think any of that would be a major obstacle, given your brother is now part of the family.”

  “We’re not talking about marriage,” Maxen said with a glare. Why did Valentin keep bringing up marriage?

  “I know, I know. But it’s obvious you like him. So what are we talking about? What are you looking for?”

  “I…” Maxen sat back, at a loss for a moment. “I’d just like to get to know him better, to see if there might be something between us. I am attracted to him, so, yes, I’d like that ‘something’ to include acting on it. But if we become friends and nothing more, I think I would be perfectly happy.”

  Valentin still had an unfathomable look on his face. “Then you should find a way to talk to him again.”

  Maxen thought that over as they walked back to the university, as they said their goodbyes outside and Valentin climbed the stone steps, going back to the work waiting for him. Maxen kept thinking as he retrieved his horse and fetched Renaud and rode back to the company offices with him.

  He could wait until Tristan returned from his wedding trip and go up to the palace to visit. Perhaps he could see Faelen then.