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Both men fell silent again.

Inhaling a long, deep breath, Edwin filled his nostrils with the smell of firewood and attempted to rein in his emotions, though the swell of love he felt for William was still stuck in his throat, making his eyes continue to tear. It took several more minutes before the damn overwhelm of gratitude and fondness finally receded.

Afterward, once Edwin had managed to return to a more neutral emotional state of being, he let his mind start to wander. And he found himself thinking about the Whitney Estate. Of the family he might soon officially be part of. And of the conservatory he’d been caring for.

His eyes flitted over to the orchid William had brought over, which was resting on one of the end tables. Contrary to what Agnes had said, it did not look half dead. Only dormant, as it was supposed to be.

Admiring the plant’s many spikes, Edwin imagined how magnificent it would look once it bloomed. Andrew was sure to be enthralled. It was the man’s favorite plant, after all. Edwin supposed it had become his favorite as well. Maybe it was even William’s favorite, too. Did he care about it as much as his parents supposedly did? Edwin had to assume so.

Edwin was still lost in thought about the plant when William spoke up.

“Do you think the orchid will make it?” he asked.

Edwin smiled. “It’ll be fine. It only looks so strange because it’s wintertime.”

“Good,” William said. “Because it wouldn’t have been very thoughtful of me to gift you a moribund plant.”

“What?!” Edwin spluttered. “You’re giving it to me?”

William shrugged. “Sure. Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because it’s your parents’ favorite orchid!”

“Yes, and I’m their favorite son,” William reasoned in a very matter-of-fact tone. “Who also happens to be in charge of the conservatory.”

“You can’t give me that plant, Will.”

“I can. And I have.”

“Your parents will kill you.”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about telling them the truth then, will you?” William jested.

Edwin rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous. Why are you even giving it to me?”

“I know how much you like it. I know how much Andrew likes it, too. And, well, I wanted to thank you. For saving me from a loveless marriage.”

Edwin couldn’t help but smile a bit. “It’s too much.”

“It’s not. It’ll look nice in your bedroom.”

“I’m not even sure there’s enough light in there for it to thrive.”

“It’ll look nice somewhere else, then. Like in Andrew’s studio.”

Edwin’s small smile widened, and his chest warmed.

“It would look nice in there, wouldn’t it?” Edwin thought for a moment. “Or . . . maybe I could even keep it in my future shop.”

William’s eyebrows shot up. “Your what?”

“I, uhm, I think I’d like to open my own tailoring business. Someday. Somewhere.”

“Really?!” William asked, and Edwin nodded, now smiling madly, which made William smile madly too. “That’s incredible!”

“Thank you. I’m not confident that I’ll find the funds, but I know it’s something I want now. I was even . . . well, I was even thinking about asking Andrew’s landlady if I could rent the space on her second floor. Depending on whether we can stay in the city, that is.”

“We can. Trust me.”