After the crystal goblets had descended onto empty surfaces in the ballroom; after all shoes had tip-toed off the ornate tiles; long after the moon had surpassed the height of the night sky; after the front door had been left ajar and the stairs had been conquered with a slight drunken stumble; after the carriage had been ascended and the driver had cracked the whip, in those most primitive moments of dawn, only then did Riff comment to his master, "Lord Cain, forgive me for saying so, but you are quite terrible at practicing monogamy." There was a playful glimmer in Riff's blue eyes as Cain frowned at him from across the carriage.
"But, Riff, you say that as if I enjoy carrying on with girls in the particularly shady regions of gardens. It's not for my own pleasure that I dance with every silly flirt who asks me." They both smiled slightly as the carriage journeyed on to the Hargreaves estate. "And anyway, it's nearly morning. Could we have truly not received an invitation to stay the night?" Cain asked, flippant of Riff's initial accusation. "Neither of us has slept."
"And one of us will not at all today." Riff, of course, meant himself, though he scarcely showed his fatigue. Cain, on the other hand, yawned throughout the ride, uncharacteristically silent. He let the carriage rock him to sleep until the jolts of uneven cobblestone threw him out of his half-slumber. Riff's eyes were locked on Cain's face, with interruptions only to blink. As usual, Cain was slightly intoxicated, meaning he could at anytime be quite harmful to himself, and so he needed the watch of his half-guardian angel, half-valet.
One particularly large bump forced Cain back into reality too quickly. "Why do you always insist on sitting on the opposite side as me, Riff?" Cain asked. His frustration was more the result of exhaustion and alcohol than Riff's seat. Quickly, Cain stood up with his head down to avoid the ceiling of the carriage, and sat next to Riff. His warm hands seized Riff's large ones, and he leaned his head back into his servant's chest, allowing himself to be taken over by Riff's arms. "All the night dancing," Cain paused to yawn, "when I could have been with you." He was not even able to slip away for a few minutes, as he sometimes found himself doing during a long night, when Riff would follow him and in a dark corner whisper kisses into his hair. Riff found himself completing that unfulfilled action now in the carriage, for he did not yet feel the consequences of his sleepless night. "And now, you are to go work for me while I sleep all day." Cain was sadly amused. "It's not at all fair to you, my darling Riff."
"Especially since I had no festivities to attend," he jested. Cain laughed with a tired sigh, his eyes opening to a deeper attentiveness as he pitied his servant.
"But, in earnest, Riff, I don't want to go to these parties all the time. I hope you realize that. Uncle Neil expects me to be someone important in society, when I could care less about appearances. Though I suppose I should give the illusion of enjoying myself around other people, that I'm able to function away from a poison cupboard. Soon, he will be asking me to select a bride from a long list of dopey noble women who are in love with my name and fortune."
Riff nodded. "You are still young Cain…" The statement resonated in the stuffy air, and while it contained truth, it was pointless. Women who were Cain's age were already married, and men often followed in a few years. Cain had even given it consideration with some, such as Miss Lauderdale, but of course, the whole thing had ended badly. It had not been about love that time, and likely never would be. Neither was prepared to think about what would happen if Cain were actually married. "I don't think your uncle means to harm you." Cain took Riff's hand to his face and kissed it softly.
"I know that, but, what if I were married?" Neither had anything to say to eliminate the uncomfortable silence which followed. "Many years from now, or even tomorrow? Would you stay with me?" Riff looked out the cracks in the curtain to see daylight peeking through. They were nearly home, he judged, by the length of the ride thus far. "Seeing as it's inevitable, there are reasons to discuss this. And I would want to know. I would need to. Not just for the house." Riff's eyes had followed the stream of light cast on the opposite wall of the carriage cabin until this moment, when he had to give an answer to a question he had never seriously considered. Cain couldn't have noticed his tightening grip on Riff's hand. "Could we really stay this way forever?"
"If it is your desire, I will stay with you until this world rips us away from each other. For, that is what I truly want." Cain loosened Riff's hand and allowed his eyes to finally slip closed. His mind was instantly relieved by Riff's pledge. He took many long, soft breaths before Riff bent down to whisper into his ear, "I will endure seeing you married, having children, living a long life with someone else. Even if I could never kiss you again, I would still refuse to leave you. My heart is yours." These last sentences didn't make a difference; Cain was already asleep.