Epilogue
“Cheers,” Matty offered a touch of his glass as Thesan came up beside him. He’d been standing at the edge of the party, watching people, while Claudio had been pulled into a conversation on his way back with his own drink. “Oh, and Claudio mentioned it’s your anniversary? Many happy more, I hope.”
She smiled back at him. “Thank you. We did, in fact, get married during the most complex week for social gatherings in Albion on purpose. Most years, it gives us a good excuse to skip a party and do something quietly for an evening. Not this year, as it falls on a Saturday. Isembard has something planned for the twenty-seventh he’s not telling me about. ”
Matty had got more used to both of them in social contexts at least. He didn’t feel nervous anymore. He frankly didn’t feel terribly nervous even being at the party, though admittedly that was because his senses were still a bit overwhelmed by last night.
That had been his first time at the Council rites, and being quite public about how he and Claudio were.
Decorous, mind, they’d done nothing in public that would have offended a Victorian-era grandmother.
Claudio had done the Council dances with Thesan.
Interestingly enough, Silvia had asked Isembard to partner her after apparently some deliberation and even consultation on that point.
Thesan gave him a moment, then asked, “How are you doing? I remember how much everything was the first time I went around to all the parties with Isembard. Though at the time we were not actually dating. And you don’t have the worries about Garin and Livia being specifically and personally difficult. ”
“No, just everyone else.” But he saw the difference.
They’d certainly had bouts of people being awful, but it had settled down into a lack of invitations they didn’t want anyway.
And nastiness in the gossip columns’ blind items that was averaging out to less than once a month if he kept the first month as an outlier.
The fact that Silvia and the rest of the Council had refused to make any sort of unpleasant public comment had absolutely helped. The demonstration to the Council of just how competent Claudio was had been tremendous lever there. “We had a pleasant afternoon, actually, that helped.”
“Oh? And you’re mostly moved now, haven’t you?” Thesan shifted her weight slightly.
“I am.” His lamp, his cushions, and his rug were all firmly installed at Auctoritas in the room across from what was now their bedroom.
They were still figuring out where to spend time together, and Claudio still had plenty of work that needed to be kept confidential.
But he loved looking up and finding Claudio settled, book open, or reading the paper.
“We spent the afternoon out with Minerva and Electra. The concert at the Opera House.”
“Ah,” Thesan’s voice softened. “How was that? Both the concert and the company.”
It made Matty chuckle, honestly. “You didn’t know Claudio when he was quite that age, but near enough. Was he that serious?”
“Oh, yes. Very much so. He lets a lot more of his sense of humour show now, thankfully. Though I think Minerva has an edge in intensity.” Thesan seemed amused. “It went well?”
“We all had an excellent time.” Matty considered.
“Claudio was asking all sorts of questions during the intermission, and at tea after, about the performance, the specifics of it. I think Minerva very much enjoyed telling her father things she knows more about.” Intensity was the correct word, really.
Matty had been clear that the outing was partly to please Minerva, which it had.
But it was also to make Electra’s approval of Matty quite visible.
Tiberius had needed to be somewhere else, but he’d be about at other gatherings.
Matty had enjoyed the music, the discussion at tea of some of how Electra handled her various philanthropic tasks, and just watching Claudio and Minerva together. All in all, a fine afternoon.
Before he could say anything else, he saw Cammie prowling nearby. She was definitely on the hunt for something, though given the surroundings, more likely amusement than rabbit. He lifted his glass to catch her eye, and she came over, beaming at Thesan. “Have you seen Orion recently?”
“Not since we got here.” Thesan said, then asked straight out. “Why?”
“Oh, he and Alexander— never mind, there they are.” Matty could see them coming over now, bringing Claudio with them. That was by virtue of Orion having looped an elbow through Claudio’s, dragging him away from the other conversation, and then nudging him with one hand toward Thesan and Matty.
“Party. Time for a conversation about something that is not your work.” Orion had a little growl to it.
“The entire scope of Albion is more or less my work, you.” Claudio took it in good humour, though. “Yours too.”
“And the question of— what was it?— will keep until after the holidays.” Orion said.
“You drag me away, and you don’t even know what I was talking about?” Claudio said. “Alexander, surely you have an opinion.”
Now, it was taking Matty a tad longer to get comfortable with Alexander.
He had a terrifying reputation, and he was certainly all sorts of challenging to have a conversation with.
The sort that Matty enjoyed, of course, but it kept him on his toes.
And in good company, since not only Claudio agreed, but Thesan and Isembard, for all their fondness.
Now Alexander lifted his wineglass. “I am retired and thus can focus on a far smaller set of problems. Or projects.”
“Is that what we’re calling them now?” Thesan was teasing. “What was the topic of conversation, Claudio? I can arbitrate if it can wait or not.”
Claudio made a slight bow towards her, though he was grinning. “I had a thought about that article you were frustrated by last week. Where you’re fairly sure something’s off in the measurements, but you couldn’t figure out what.”
“I yield, I yield. If you have a solution to that, whatever it is, go to.” She eyed Matty. “Just don’t neglect Matty for it.”
“Never,” Claudio said amiably. “Besides, I was coming to collect him. Some of it has to do with sympathetic resonance. I’m fairly sure someone misplaced a digit. Or Orion, do you know where Hypatia is? She’ll want in on this.”
Orion sighed dramatically, but in good humour. “I’ll go find her and meet you there.” Claudio glanced at Matty, who fell in beside him.
Partway back to where Claudio had been chatting, Claudio paused. “All good?”
“Grand. Thesan was checking in I was all right.” Matty considered. “Could we throw a party sometime? Equinox break, maybe? Is that a thing to do?”
“We could. Summer’s a little easier. We don’t have the exceptionally spacious public rooms they have here. But we could do something in the spring, beyond the usual sort of dinner invitation, and something larger in the summer out in the grounds. You really want to?”
Matty shrugged. “I’d like to give it a try. If it’s horrible and no one comes and the people who do are nasty, we don’t have to do it again.”
“I don’t think that will be a particular problem.
” Claudio leaned over to bump shoulders with Matty.
“And once we get past Christmas, we’ll have a few days of quiet.
” Christmas was going to be a bit tense.
Matty and Claudio were making an appearance in London with Matty’s parents.
But only for an hour or two, before a later Christmas supper at Auctoritas with Electra, Tiberius, Minerva, and of course, Silvia.
But they’d keep taking steps forward and making things work out, bit by bit.
“Yes,” Matty took a breath. “Right. What were you arguing, and how are you going to convince me you’re right about it?” Claudio laughed and launched into an explanation as he got back to the woman he’d been speaking with.