Winter's Bees Read Online Free

For most of his childhood, he'd gone without a replacement arm, but as an adult he enjoyed commissioning prosthetics as accessories for his outfits.
    This one was porcelain, completely useless functionally but a beautiful piece of art. It was sculpted to look like a perfect human arm and hand out of fine white china, and it was painted with a dark blue cascade of flower blossoms that fell from his shoulder all the way to the tips of his fingers. His only regret about the piece was that it was cold enough outside that he was forced to cover most of it underneath a matching blue silk shirt and storm-grey jacket.
    "It's beautiful." Gilbert reached out to touch the hand lightly, and when Marcel nodded approval, he took it between both of his own hands.
    "One of my new ones." Marcel watched Gilbert inspect it with mild amusement. "I have several you've never seen."
    "I can't wait to see them, then, although I do have a hard time understanding why you choose to wear ones that you can't manipulate in some way."
    "Vanity."
    Gilbert laughed out loud at that, and oh, but Marcel wanted this to be flirting. He wanted to kiss Gilbert, sink the fingers of his good hand into Gilbert's hair, make them both tremble...
    A servant pushed the door open carrying a tray that he then set on the low table in front of them. The arrival of tea and cake distracted Gilbert enough that Marcel was able to shift discreetly on the couch.
    "Here." Gilbert put a small plate with a piece of fruitcake in front of Marcel, licking crumbles of cake off his fingers, and Marcel avoided looking at him.
    Gilbert poured them both tea and then sat back, tipping his face towards the ceiling. "What a mess it has all been over the last few months. Although," he seemed to brighten slightly and looked over at Marcel, "you should see the new college buildings. They're coming along splendidly. It won't be long now before we can open."
    "Yes, I hope to see it soon." And search out the rest of the little new sciences scholars. He had some questions that needed answering, Marcel thought, watching Gilbert become withdrawn again. If anyone knew what was going on with Gilbert, it would be one of them. Probably Gregory, who had the uncanny knack of knowing about gossip-worthy things almost before they happened. He also was quite close with Gilbert, not as close as Marcel, of course, but if something had happened while Marcel had been away, Gregory would know.
    Marcel sipped his tea. He needed to unpack and get his affairs in order, but then after that he was going to pay the Marquis de la Marche a visit.
    *~*~*
    "I am going to be officially engaged." Only in his shirtsleeves, Marcel knelt on the floor unpacking books he'd been storing at his sister's country house while he'd been away.
    "What?" Julian turned from where he'd been gazing out of the window. "You're what?"
    "Going to be engaged." Marcel smirked up at him. He felt incredibly pleased with himself to be able to say it out loud to someone. "To Gilbert." He watched Julian's eyes widen almost comically in his too-pretty face and struggled not to laugh. The whole engagement might be a mess, but it felt good to be able to say that and have it be true and not just another wishful fantasy.  
    "What!" Julian came to kneel beside Marcel. "Don't tell me you've finally convinced him to accept your feelings? Not after all these years of pining."
    "I … well, no." Marcel's smile dropped, his good mood vanishing. He looked down at the book in his hands, rubbing his finger along its leather bound spine. "The emperor summoned me to the palace and told me we were to be engaged, Gilbert and I."
    "Well." Julian's squeezed Marcel's shoulder. "Best of luck with that, although isn't it going to be hard? Being married to him, feeling the way you do but knowing he does not feel the same?"
    Marcel leaned into the touch, letting his head rest against Julian's shoulder for a moment. Julian's arm slid around his shoulders, holding Marcel close.