Approval, Fraternal and Regal
Gideon took Isabelle's suggestion to heart, and that evening he made a point of calling Mitch before he headed home. He told him what she had suggested, and then waited for his reaction. "She might well have a point. We can use your brother as an indication of how your parents might react. If he can't get his head around it, then I guess that we will just have to keep things on the down low, and not come clean until the age difference does not seem as huge anymore. You are still in your teens, though only just, and I am the wrong side of my 30th birthday. If we said nothing until you are in your mid or even late twenties…"
"I don't want to do that though. I don't want to spend every holiday away from the man I love just so that I can keep my mother happy. I want to be with you, Mitch. When I am with you, all of my troubles and worries just melt away, and I feel so loved; it all feels so right. I think that you might even be my soulmate, as I feel complete when I am with you."
"I feel the same about you, Gideon. The night I met you I knew that you were going to be so special to me. You make me feel things that I have never ever felt with anyone else I have ever been with. I believe that our love is true, and worthwhile, but what I will never do is take you away from your family. If that means that I have to let you go off on your own every holiday, then I will; we will just have to celebrate our own holiday together before or after you go. We could even compromise, and say that if you go to your folks for Thanksgiving, then we find some excuse as to why you stay with me for Christmas, or vice versa. We can tell them that you have to work, or you can't get a ticket or a lift home. It is what happens once you are in school for most folks anyway. An old friend of mine spent both of the holidays in New York the first year after he left high school; you can ask Isabelle to confirm that, because his name was Kurt Hummel. It was hard for him to do, and at the last minute his dad changed his plans and spent Christmas with him in New York, but deep down, Burt Hummel knew that life meant that his son might not always be at the holiday table. We could do this, we could make it work. I will not let you lose your family for my sake, because in the long run that could destroy what we have. If our relationship is to work, then we both have to be happy with our choices. I am prepared to be with you in secret or in public; after all, as long as I am with you at the end of the day, then nothing else really matters."
Gideon knew that Mitch was right, but he had been brought up to always tell the truth, especially to his elders. If they asked if he was seeing someone, then his ingrained instincts would not allow him to deny it… If his brother had his back, then at least he could keep him if the whole situation exploded. There would also be a witness to the fact that Mitch was not a predatory older man taking advantage of a naive boy, but someone that loved and cared for him deeply…
To that end, he asked his brother if they could have lunch together on Saturday, as he had something that he needed to tell him. His brother agreed, but did not ask what was going to be discussed. Thus it was only with lunch in the oven that Gideon finally told his brother that there would be three of them for the meal, as his boyfriend was joining them. His brother was a little surprised, but none the less pleased for him. It was at that point that Gideon decided to drop the bombshell. "So, anyway, his name is Mitch, he lives in Boston, so we can be together much more once I go to college in the fall, and he is 30 years old…."
Matthew Hannaford fell silent, his mouth open. As his little brother watched, all kinds of thought were going through his head, not all of them pleasant. However, he trusted his brother's judgement, so he decided to ignore the bad ones. "He's 30... There is a little bit of an age gap there, little bro… Okay, so the most important question; do you love each other? Does he respect you at all times, and does he treat you as an equal in the decision making process?"
"Yes, he does, Matthew. Mitch is a complete gentleman."
"Well, I will be the judge of that, and don't look at me like that, it is what I am programmed to do as your big bro. However, if he genuinely loves you, and he is good enough to be with you in my opinion, then as long as you are happy, it is fine by me."
At the appointed time there came a knock on the front door; Gideon got up to go and answer it, but was stopped by his brother. "No, I will go and get it. We will see just how well behaved he is when he is confronted with me rather than you. Don't worry though, I won't tell him he has got the wrong place or anything like that."
"That would be rather pointless Matthew as he knows that this is where I live; he had walked me home after a date on more than one occasion now," replied Gideon. "Now go and let him in."
Matthew headed to the door and opened it. His first impression was very good; the man facing him was well turned out, in a suit and tie with his hair done absolutely perfectly. He was holding a bag in one hand, which from a brief inspection seemed to contain a bottle of good quality wine, and a box of his brother's favorite brand of chocolate. "Oh, hello, you must be Matthew. I am Mitch; Gideon invited me over for lunch."
"Yes, I am his brother. To be honest, he hasn't told me all that much about you, apart from the big thing…"
"That I am a decade older than he is?"
"Matthew, will you please let Mitch into the apartment rather than keeping him standing at the front door. The draught I am getting through here is terrible," came Gideon's voice, which made the two men at the door smile for a moment, before Matthew stepped aside and allowed Mitch in.
"Listen, I care more about your little brother than anyone else I have ever met, and so, if I ever hurt him, then I give you my full permission to beat the living daylights out of me," Mitch said quietly as Matthew took his coat. "Furthermore, even given how much I love him, if my being with him is a problem for you or your folks, then I will leave him so that he can keep his family."
"Then I would have to beat you up as it would break his heart," replied Matthew.
"I know; it is the classic Catch 22 situation. It would hurt him, but so would losing his family. Whatever we did would lead to massive amounts of pain."
"For my part, all that matters to me is that he is happy, loved and respected by a man worthy of him, and my first impressions are good. How about we go and have a little talk, just the two of us, and you can tell me all about yourself, starting with what connects you to Isabelle Wright…"
Gideon had been worried how the meal would go, but by the time that he left the room to fetch the dessert, his nerves were jangling much less. His brother and his boyfriend had bonded over a shared love of baseball, and talked non-stop throughout lunch about the merits of the Yankees, the Mets and the Red Sox. Matthew had also been fascinated by the whole Dalton story, more than a little taken by the idea of a bond formed between a disparate group of young men, forged by their love of music and by being one of, or closely tied to, Wes' boys.
As Gideon came in with the apple pie, Mitch decided that the time had come to name drop just a little. "So yes, Kurt Hummel, one of your brother's predecessors, is my link to Isabelle. As for the others, well Sebastian Smythe made his name on Broadway; Jeff is an artist who has work on display at the Met; Nick, his husband, works for the UN; Trent works in the Oval Office for Kennedy, and his husband works for Burt Hummel, leader of the house. Then of course, there is David Thompson, who just happens to be married to Kurt's old friend, Mercedes Jones…"
"The Mercedes Jones!?" said Matthew. "She is brilliant…"
"I have actually met her," said Gideon, in a matter of fact tone. "She sang at the wedding that I was sent to by Isabelle on assignment by Vogue."
"That was the day that we met actually; it was the wedding of the man that had been my roommate for a number of years, another former Dalton man, Gabriel."
Matthew shook his head, and said, "Do you know, I couldn't even tell you where half of my classmates were intending to go after graduation, let alone where most of them are now. I am jealous of what you seem to have."
"It's good, but it did come at a price; the death of three of our number in just under a year was the thing that threw us all back together. We grieved together, and now we stick close to each other; as someone jokingly put it…"
"Birds of a feather flock together," interjected Matthew with a smile.
"That is exactly it. We are a band of brothers, happy for each other's successes, sharing each other's pain and loss. That is how half of us ended up on a Broadway stage one night, to get Sebastian his big break. Our proudest moment recently was when Sebastian and Jeff met Queen Elizabeth at a reception at Buckingham Palace, something which pleased our former Principal no end too. That our Jeff also seems to have become a close friend of the Duchess of Cambridge is also no shocker once you meet him."
"He is friends with a Duchess?" exclaimed Matthew.
"And then there is the fact that we are all friends of a woman that calls herself Sebastian's Auntie Bette; a certain Ms Midler."
Matthew laughed, still shaking his head. "Well, all that I can say is that you are very well connected, Mitch. You are polite and dapper, as a prep school man should be, but you can hold an intelligent conversation with me on baseball as well. That latter fact will make you a big hit with dad, whereas mom will love your manners. All I would say is that you maybe shouldn't go in with the whole age thing right away; you don't look 30 for a start."
"I considered that, but then I thought; what if they don't appreciate the deception afterwards," remarked Gideon.
"Unless they come out and ask you and you lie about it, it isn't a deception. In any case, you guys are clearly head over heels in love. The way you look at each other and treat each other shows me that in spades. None of the rest of it should matter when that much is evident."
When Mitch headed off that afternoon, after a very chaste kiss, Gideon went back to his brother in the lounge. "Okay Matthew, be totally honest with me; what did you really think of him?"
"He's a good man, not the creep I had to admit I feared he might be; my first thought honestly was that a guy his age had to be a bit creepy… However, he is the exact opposite. You can tell that he went to a prep school right off, and a good college; it is there in the way that he behaves, in his mannerisms, and in how he dresses. That will endear him to mom, and to grandma. The fact that he seems to be a sports fan is an unexpected bonus; the fact that he and dad will be able to sit down and talk baseball will be a good start. My only fear is that he knows as much about football, because then the two of us will be knocked right down on the favorite son list…"
Gideon chuckled, then said, "I am not sure, but I do know that his friend Sebastian happens to be married to Dave Karofsky, who plays for the New York Giants; as Sebastian is also Isabelle's brother-in-law, I have actually met him briefly too."
Matthew rolled his eyes a little, then said, "Karofsky is a good player and if Mitch can count him as a friend, then wow, dad will love him, especially if he has some sort of access to discounted game tickets…"
"That I am not sure about, although Isabelle might have access to those too," replied his brother with a grin.
"Tell dad that they were a gift from Mitch, and he will welcome him with open arms. So my advice is that you go in, do all of that for dad, have him wow mom with his manners, and then casually drop the age difference in later; though, if I am being honest, they might actually be able to work it out when you tell him who he is friends with. If they like him for his attitude and the way he treats you, then I think that they could live with the 10 year age gap. If it was more than that, then they might have an issue. So when are you planning on taking him up to see them?"
"We had thought about next weekend, but maybe it is still too soon."
"No point in putting it off, little bro. As it happens, I am free next weekend, so I could come with the two of you. If things do get bad, then I can help deflect the flak. I don't think that they will though; I think that as long as you are happy, they'll accept it."
As Gideon fretted about his trip to his parents with Mitch at his side, life in London had resumed its usual tenor for Nick and Jeff. Every weekday saw Nick get up first and prepare breakfast as he got ready for his working day; some mornings he would prepare pancakes for his husband and son, other days would see him whip up a batch of small cakes or cookies. He even had time one morning to make a batch of his latest culinary experiment, Yorkshire Parkin, a gingerbread made with oatmeal, which made it just a little healthier. Most mornings he would prepare scrambled eggs and toast for his little family, who rose a little later than him; as for himself, he usually just grabbed a bowl of cereal and some fruit. Mornings were a lot simpler now that Wes could dress himself to his parent's satisfaction more or less, which gave them more time…
Nick had also begun to realise that he now preferred a cup of tea with his breakfast rather than the coffee he had drunk back home, a sign that the country was rubbing off on him. Indeed, they all partook of one at breakfast, although the one that Wes drank contained much more milk than his parents. Making just one pot in the morning and sharing it was another reason why coffee had taken a back seat.
Nick would leave the house at about the same time each morning, and take the short walk to the tube, passing the same people most days, to join the usual crowd on the tube. He knew to check the indicators before he headed in; he had become used to the system, and he knew that if the Piccadilly Line had an issue, then he could jump on the District Line train instead, and connect to the Northern Line at Embankment for a trip to Tottenham Court Road, a slightly longer walk from his office; or he could take a Circle Line train to Notting Hill Gate, and change to the Central Line there to either of the two central London stations he could use.
As Nick headed into work, Jeff would be tidying up the kitchen, then he would head out to walk Wes to the kindergarten, before coming back to do his work, heading to the shops he needed to on the way home. Some days he was able to head into the city himself to visit one of the various galleries, and browse through the collections; it still amazed him that it was all free to enter, although he always left a generous donation. His visits were frequent enough that he was now on first name terms with some of the guards at the National Gallery, and of course, the fact that he was a respected artist himself worked in his favour at times…
On the Friday of the week after the Duchess had surprised Jeff by arriving at his front door, he had headed to the supermarket after dropping Wes off. Nick had left him a list of stuff they needed, and he had added a few items of his own that were less vital. It made more sense for him to go alone rather than wait and go after school with Wes, as it meant the store was much quieter; that day it was even quieter than normal, and he was able to go round with his cart and collect everything he needed in record time. He was even able to add a couple of packets of Red Vines to the shopping; he saw them as he passed the display of imported foods, and although Nick would roll his eyes, he knew he loved them just as much…
He headed home with his three heavy bags on the bus, standing downstairs rather than heading up for a seat, then strolled back to the square. He arrived at the front door just as the postman did, and he was glad of that; there was a letter that he had to sign for. It was only once he was inside that he actually wondered who had written to him that was so important he had been made to sign for it. Just then the telephone began to ring, and he had to drop the mail and the shopping on the floor as he raced to answer it, in case it was important. It turned out of course to be a telemarketer, so Jeff did what he often did, and pretended that he knew little English, and talked a gibberish that sounded like Chinese… With the call ended, he picked the shopping back up and headed down to the kitchen to unpack it, putting on the kettle to boil so he could make some tea. With it made, the shopping put away, and a cup poured, he sat down to look at the mail, and promptly froze. After all, the vellum envelope with the royal crest on it was an immediate giveaway as to who had written to him…
When Nick returned home that evening, he found himself being greeted in the hallway by his son. "I am glad that you are home now daddy. Papa is acting a little bit funny. He was very quiet on the way home from school, just saying yes or no or hmmm really. I think that it might be because of the letter that is lying on the table in the kitchen."
Nick nodded, concern written on his face. "Where is your papa just now?"
"He is in the kitchen, making sure that dinner is ready as usual, although he hasn't cooked any of the vegetables, so you will have to help him with that." Nick was even more worried now, and taking his son's hand, headed down the stairs to the kitchen. The sight that met him had him worried at once; his husband was standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly into space. He did not even notice as Nick walked right up to him, so when he placed a hand gently on his arm, Jeff nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Oh, it is you, Nicky; sorry, I never heard you come in. I have had a very strange day, and I am afraid that I can't seem to concentrate on anything for more than a minute at a time…"
"Wes was telling me that; he was worried about you. He also mentioned something about a letter," replied Nick.
"He is very clever for his age; he takes after his dad I think… Yes, there is a letter, but we can worry about that later. I am pleased to see that I did remember to put the dinner into the oven; beef stew with dumplings."
"Well that is a good choice, given that it already has a lot of vegetables in it…"
Jeff looked at him curiously, then it dawned on him what he had not done. "I am so sorry Nicky! I meant to do them, but it slipped my mind altogether. Yes, there are vegetables in the stew, but there are no potatoes, and they will take much too long to cook…"
"Not a problem; we can result to my cook's cheat, as approved by a lot of celebrity chefs; the frozen mashed ones that I use when making a cottage pie. They can be done in the microwave, so there is no harm done." Nick headed to the freezer, pulled out the potatoes, and placed them in a dish to microwave. He started them, then headed off to wash his hands. As he did so, he noticed that his husband had once more slipped away into whatever was inside his head. Whatever the letter was about, it was having quiet an affect. It would have to wait though until they had finished their evening meal.
That meal was different from normal, their being much less chatter, as Jeff was more or less silent, and even had to be gently reminded to eat from time to time. Wes did look a little concerned at his papa's state, but as his dad was not panicking, he didn't either. Instead he engaged his father with his usual talk of what he had done at school that day; Nick then told him what he had planned for them to do at the weekend, always assuming that Jeff was not still in a strange mood. His biggest worry was that having read the letter, he might also slip into the same state as his husband. The stew finished, they moved on to dessert, chocolate mousse. This was Wes' favourite, and was usually devoured by his papa with as much relish, but tonight he refused it, and that had Nick concerned at once. Jeff refusing dessert was unheard of…
As Wes ate, Nick said, "Okay, show me the letter. I need to see it now, because the fact that you are refusing chocolate has me wanting to call a doctor."
Jeff smiled at that, then said, "It's not that it is anything bad, Nicky, just a big shock. I guess I should have anticipated that this might happen when I did what I did." With those words he handed the envelope over to his husband. Nick immediately felt the quality of the paper, and then saw the royal crest; at once he felt a shiver run down his own spine. The name and address were handwritten, with a fountain pen by the look of it. He turned it over, and discovered that it was actually still sealed…
"You haven't opened it… How can you be so worried about getting a letter when you don't even know what it says?"
"It will be bad, Nicky. I just know that it is. She will hate what I have done…"
"Now that is nonsense. If Kate and William loved it, and were so certain she would too, then why wouldn't she? Okay, enough stalling; would you like me to open it and read it first, or will you open it and face what it says inside yourself?"
Jeff looked at his husband, and realised that Nick was actually saying that he needed to be brave and open the envelope himself, and that he had no intention of doing it for him. He took the envelope back, took a deep breath, and very carefully opened it. Inside were two carefully folded sheets of paper, of the same quality as the envelope, and with the same neat writing upon them. Taking them out, he unfolded them and began to read. Nick meanwhile sat and watched his husband closely, looking for the telltale signs of despair and distress to appear in his eyes, praying that they would not come. They did not, but nor were there any signs of joy; in the end, Jeff just silently handed the letter to his husband after he had finished reading it. Nick nodded, and began to read himself…
My dear Mr Sterling-Duval, words I feel would be wholly inadequate to describe my feelings on the gift that you have created for me. I have to admit that even knowing as I did that my husband's life was drawing to its close, the pain that I felt when that moment came was great. He was the last of my contemporaries, and being the last of a generation is painful. Therefore to see the happiest moment of my entire life to date brought to life on a canvas by your talented hands was an immense joy. As you did in your angel, you have created a portrait that is full of life, vivid and realistic; when I look at it I feel as if he is still with me, still the handsome young man that I fell in love with all those decades ago. My children have also remarked on similar feelings when they saw the drawing. I was moved to tears myself on my first sight, and I still am when I look at it; tears of joy, not sadness. I feel that this drawing should be shared with the world, as your angel has been, and therefore I intend to officially unveil it to the world at the start of April at Windsor. I hope that it will be possible for yourself, and your family to join me at that event. I will be forever in your debt, and write to you with the deepest gratitude for your gift, Elizabeth R.
"Well, it would appear that all of your fears were groundless. Yes, you made her cry when she saw it, but not from anger, but because it moved her. You have created another masterpiece, and this time it is specifically for her. The fact that she now wants to unveil it to the public is a sign that she thinks that it is so spectacular that it needs to be on display for all of the world to enjoy as she does," said Nick as he put the letter down.
"I guess, but my real fear is that now I will be asked constantly to draw portraits now by the rich and famous, so that they can have a unique piece of my work in their home too," Jeff responded.
"Well, I am afraid that when we get back home you will have a President to draw for a start. Look, it might well be the case that they will ask you, but you do not have to agree to do them. You drew Lady Gaga as she asked you nicely, and you enjoyed doing that. I wouldn't rule out a very select few to add to your portfolio."
"Well, as long as it is just a few. Most of them will be paying me to draw them and that money can go straight into Wes' college funds… It's funny, once upon a time I avoided drawing the human form at all, and only started when I was forced by my tutors at art school to do so to complete my portfolio. Now it is what I am known for."
"That's true; of course, you were lucky in that you had a very obliging model to pose for those first drawings," said Nick with a wink, which made Jeff blush.
"That is true Nicky, and then one by one all of the other guys helped me out…" Jeff lowered his voice, conscious that there were young ears at the table, and carried on. "I have to confess that the Duchess might know all about that. I might have told her all about that whole portfolio of nude drawings…"
"She is a woman of the world, and their existence does not embarrass me in the least. I mean, I do like to think of myself as your muse after all. All of the best artists have a muse to inspire them, support them and love them too."
"And you do all three of those beautifully, my love. I can never tell you often enough that it is having you and Wes that keeps me sane and happy."
"It's exactly the same for me. Okay, we have our madcap moments, and we have had a few adventures, but we do all of it as a team. I know that you and I will be growing old and grey together."
"Always together, never to be parted. No Nick without Jeff, no Jeff without Nick…" mused Jeff thoughtfully. "Is there still some of that chocolate mousse left; my appetite is back all of a sudden."
Nick nodded, and with a kiss on his husband's cheek as he did so, he got up to fetch him a bowl of dessert.
