I found Lanyon in the courtyard of his family’s home in Cavendish Square the following morning. The manor was big enough to fit three of Miss Laurie’s boardinghouses comfortably in its footprint. Lanyon had never been boastful about his circumstances, but I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had been.
“Gabriel?” he asked as he left his younger sisters to their tea party and met me at the front gate. “What are you doing here?”
“I don’t mean to impose,” I said.
“Of course not,” he said, opening the gate and ushering me inside. “Forgive me, Gabriel. I haven’t had a friend visit in quite some time.”
“Because you have no friends,” his youngest sister said with a giggle. She was nearly invisible in her tangle of ruffled skirts and perfectly pinned ringlets.
“Gabriel, this is Emma,” Lanyon said, pointing to the girl who looked to be about six. “And this is Audre.” The other girl’s feet dangled above the ground as she teetered on the edge of her chair. She couldn’t be older than four.
“Will you be joining us for tea?” Emma asked. “My brother is very rude for not inviting you.”
Lanyon laughed. “In my defense, you two sprung this impromptu gathering on me. If I’d have known, I would have avoided the garden altogether.”
Audre slid off her chair and slipped her little hand into mine.
“Is he very rude to you? I will tell Mother.” She patted my hand and returned to her seat as Lanyon threw his hands up in defeat.
“My own flesh and blood would throw me to the wolves?” He pretended to be wounded, shaking his head and clutching his chest. “Come, Gabriel. Let us leave these traitors to their tea.”
The girls giggled and clinked the rims of the cups together as Lanyon ushered me to a bench in a secluded part of the garden. Vines of lavender wisteria climbed an ivory latticework and shielded us from prying eyes.
“I’m glad you’ve come,” Lanyon said. “I’ve missed receiving your letters, but since you’re here in the flesh, well…” He trailed off.
Lanyon had written to me during my time away, expressing concern for me and for Henry. I had assured him there was nothing to be concerned about, but that wasn’t true anymore. Our letters had gone from curious concern to the friendliest of exchanges, and I counted him among my friends.
“I heard on campus you’re now working for Sir Carew? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s something I’d like to forget,” I said honestly.
Lanyon pursed his lips and ran his hand through his shock of chestnut-brown curls. “I see.”
“That’s what I’ve come to speak to you about.”
“Of course. What can I do?”
I sighed. “I’m not sure where to begin. You’ve heard the rumors about me, but have you heard what happened to Henry?”
Lanyon narrowed his eyes at me. “I have. Though the accounts are sure to have been … overembellished. They say he’s holed up in his father’s laboratory.”
“I think that’s true,” I said, nodding. “Have you seen him?”
“Recently?” Lanyon’s brows pushed together. “No. Why?”
“We kept up our correspondence over the summer, but his last letter—” I swallowed the sadness as it crept up my throat. “Things have been complicated between us. Now he refuses to see me. By chance, I saw him yesterday on campus. I called out to him and he acted as if I were invisible. I know he heard me calling to him. I stood in the road like some damned fool thinking he’d stop, but he nearly killed me with his cart.”
Lanyon’s jaw fell open. “Gabriel … you can’t be serious. I can’t imagine Henry ever doing something like that to you. Are you certain he saw you?”
I nodded and Lanyon sighed. “The two of you have always been very close,” he said.
I exchanged a knowing glance with him. “And now, there’s this other boy,” I continued.
“Who?” Lanyon asked.
“His name is Hyde. I’ve seen him coming and going from Henry’s house at all hours. I have only had a few encounters with him, but they’ve each been … strange.”
“What do you mean?” asked Lanyon.
I shrugged and leaned back against the bench. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s as if he is taunting me.”
“Why would he—” He stopped short. “Gabriel, if Henry has taken a liking to another student—”
“He’s not a student,” I said. “At least I don’t think he is, and I don’t think Henry and he are … well … I don’t know what they are, but regardless, why would he treat me this way? I’ve never done anything except—” I had to stop and gather myself. Tears threatened to overflow, and I tipped my head back. “I’ve never done anything except be there for him, and I thought he felt the same. I thought he would always be here for me when I needed him.”
Lanyon put his hand on my shoulder. “First loves are a fickle thing, my friend. After the sweet there is often the sour, and it leaves a bitter taste.”
I didn’t want to think of it that way, but Lanyon had a point. Is that what had become of us? We’d simply grown apart and this was the inevitable outcome of Henry moving on?
I stood, shoving my hands in my pockets. “No,” I said angrily. “No, that’s not it. I’d want him happy under any circumstance. This is not that. There’s some relationship there, yes. But the nature of it is still in question.”
“Okay, Gabriel,” Lanyon said, patting the air in front of him. “I believe you, but what can be done?”
I considered lying to him. My gut was telling me that something was terribly amiss, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to involve him more than I already had. I also considered how Lanyon might see me and what judgment he would hold—of my chasing around after Henry, after this boy Hyde.
Lanyon seemed to sense my hesitation to elaborate on my plan. He stood and came to my side, placing his hand on my shoulder again. “Trust me, my friend. Whatever you’re planning to do, please know that I enjoy all sorts of nearly nefarious activities.”
“Nearly nefarious?” I asked. “Do I even want to know what that means?”
He shook his head and laughed. “It’s nothing so serious as to warrant that look in your eyes. Horses, mostly. If my mother knew about my betting habit, she might lock up my register.”
I chuckled and gave Lanyon’s arm a squeeze. “I intend to find out who this Hyde character is, where he comes from, and what the nature of his relationship with Henry is.”
“And when you learn these things, what will you do?” Lanyon asked. “When you find that Henry has moved on, will you do the same?”
I didn’t have an answer for him. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. What I knew was that I needed answers, even if that meant learning that Henry and I would be parted for good.