April 1912

It was a turbulent day outside. The clouds frolicked up above, gently rumbling as they jostled each other. Rain seemed imminent. Kurt was hurrying back to Dalton at a brisk walking pace. He carried a bag with the contents of the shopping he had done in the town. There was stationery, in order for him to maintain correspondence with his father, and a few bars of scented soap that he had save up for.

As Kurt continued along the main road to the house he thought he heard some distant chatter carried on the wind. He continued walking forward to where that the trees fell away to reveal farmland. A branch off the main road lead to a small, slightly rundown house and he could see a few people standing on the front step. There was a man and woman in plain work clothes, wearing slightly muddied shoes, and also a younger gentleman standing with a bicycle, wearing a tweed travel suit with a cap and boots. Kurt thought to continue walking past, but now that he was closer, he could hear the voices a bit more distinctly and one of them sounded very familiar. He paused to squint at the people near the house and saw the woman gesture toward him. The young bicyclist turned and waved and Kurt realized that Mr. Blaine was the source of the familiar voice.

Mr. Blaine seemed to say a quick goodbye to the couple and cycled back to the main road. It was then that Kurt noticed the family's dog, Percy, bounding along as well. Blaine hopped off his bike when he reached Kurt and walked it along his side.

“Hello Kurt! What brings you out on this beautiful Sunday afternoon?”

Kurt glanced up to the cloudy sky again and raised his eyebrow. “Yes, beautiful day, Mr. Blaine. I was just shopping in town. And what brings you away from the house?”

Kurt had never met a gentleman who was so congenial to their servants. Even the kindest aristocrats he had served at Mckinley would have better things to do than converse with a footman. It was odd, to say the least. Or perhaps 'refreshing' was a more suitable word.

Mr. Blaine glanced back to the farm before answering. “I was just speaking with the Evans family. Their farm is part of the estate but the crop yield has been quite low lately. Father has fortunately agreed to relax their rent.” Kurt thought it admirable how genuine his concern was. He continued, “They were thinking of moving to the city if things don't improve by the summer. I was imploring them to consider staying, but they have three children, only one of whom is working age, and Mr. Evans wants to find a more reliable occupation with which to support his family.”

“I am sorry to hear that. I must say it is very kind of you to take such interest in their well-being.”

“Yes, well I imagine it is my family's responsibility to care for our tenants. We should wish to keep them happy, should we not?”

“Of course sir.”

They continued walking down the road to Dalton together. The clouds rumbled once more and a gentle patter of rain began to fall to the ground. Kurt had expected Mr. Blaine to take the cue to ride more quickly back to the house. Instead he opened an umbrella, retrieved from the back basket of his bicycle, and continued walking by Kurt's side, sheltering them both. The dog ran about ahead of them, occasionally snapping its mouth at the rain as it fell.

“Mr. Blaine? There is really no need for you to... keep me company.” Kurt wondered if he was speaking out of turn. It was rather presumptuous of him to assume Mr. Blaine was in fact walking for his benefit. Perhaps there was an issue with the bicycle.

Mr. Blaine, however, calmed Kurt's worries. “It is really no bother. I quite enjoy the rain. I expected it would fall when I set out this morning.”

“Well then, please allow me to at least hold the umbrella.”

“You are already carrying a bag of your own. I don't mind.”

“I insist, sir.”

Mr. Blaine sighed with a smile and finally handed it over.

“Besides, I am taller,” Kurt added quietly, “it only makes sense for me to carry it.”

Mr. Blaine laughed at that and nudged Kurt in the side with his elbow.

The two continued on their way in mostly silence. The tap tap of water hitting the canvas above their heads and the crunch of gravel beneath their feet provided a background rhythm as they walked. After a few more minutes along the road, they could see Dalton rising up in the distance.

“So, do you expect everyone downstairs will be ready for Lord St. James's visit?”

“Hm? Oh, yes sir. Her ladyship has already made the arrangements with Mrs. Beiste to have a grand feast displayed for his visit. We have all been making preparations and should be ready by the time of his arrival.”

“I am sorry if you are finding it too busy. Lady Rachel has just left after all and now we are hosting another guest.” Mr. Blaine sighed again. “But that is how country houses are, of course. Forever holding dinner parties and housing visitors. It will be even busier in the autumn, once hunting season is upon us.”

“Might I be so bold as to give an opinion, sir?” Mr. Blaine nodded. “I quite enjoyed the Duke and Lady Rachel's visit. I happened to overhear the two of you singing while we cleared the dining room. Your voices sounded most beautiful together.” Kurt turned to Mr. Blaine and was worried to see a look of surprise on his face. “That is, if you'll pardon my saying so. Mr. Blaine. Sir.”

Mr. Blaine laughed again. “There's no need to be so nervous around me, Kurt. I realize my father and Wes are much more strict about formalities and heirarchy. But I have never found myself caring so much about such trivial matters.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “But don't ever let my father find out.”

Kurt wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that. “Uh, no sir, I won't.”

“Anyways, I am glad you like Rachel. She is a dear friend of mine.” Mr. Blaine paused, watching the dog run playfully back to his feet and then ahead of them once more. “I expect I shall marry her one day.”

“Oh?” Kurt felt an odd constriction in his chest.

“Not likely any time soon, of course. But we share many interests, and I believe we get along well enough.”

“Well, I am glad to hear that.” Kurt took a deep breath and smiled. “I will be sure to congratulate you should the time arrive.”

Mr. Blaine hmm'd in acknowledgement. A comfortable quiet fell on the two men as they passed through the gate and finally up the road to the house. Mr. Blaine refused to let Kurt put away his bicycle and brought it himself to the shed on the side of the house where it was kept. When they reached the front door, Kurt then attempted to return the umbrella to Mr. Blaine, but that too was unsuccessful.

“No, please, you still have further to walk. You may return it to me later.”

Kurt opened his mouth but thought it better than to argue. “Thank you for your kindness sir. I will be sure to have it dried off promptly.” Mr. Blaine smiled again and walked inside, greeted by William who was on door duty. Kurt turned away and headed to a trail on the right which lead to the servants' door in the back. He made sure to shake off Mr. Blaine's umbrella as well as he could before stepping inside, and set out to find a clean towel with which to dry it.

~

Lord St. James had arrived on the Tuesday with his party. His horses had been sent to Dalton ahead of time, along with his groom, so as to be sure that the animals would be ready for his arrival. He brought along with him a personal valet who seemed only too eager to nod along and agree with everything Lord St. James said.

At the moment, everyone was sitting atop their rides, waiting to set off. There would be no hunting at this time of year, but St. James had hoped to at least take a scenic trot around Dalton's land. Blaine and Cooper were both in attendance, but father did not much enjoy riding anymore and chose to stay inside.

Blaine could never find much he had in common with Lord St. James. Any time he had attempted to converse with him in the past had usually ended uncomfortably. And so Blaine contented himself to just listen to Cooper speak with their guest.

“Anderson! It's been some time since I've spoken with you.” Lord St. James had always seemed to get along much better with Cooper anyway. Blaine wasn't sure if the man even knew his name.

“Yes it has been, my lord. How is your family faring?”

“Oh quite well, I imagine. I've been rather bored of home lately and travelling all abouts in search of something to pique my interest. I was thinking of visiting Spain soon. I don't believe I've been there yet.”

“Spain can be very lovely in the summertime.” Cooper turned to Blaine and made his usual attempts to try and include his little brother in the discussion. “It's been a while since Blaine and I were last there, but they have marvellously exotic flora, would you not say so Blaine?”

The gesture was not unappreciated, but Blaine didn't always feel comfortable speaking with St. James. “Oh, yes. Spain is lovely. Delicious chocolate.”

Lord St. James looked at Blaine as if he were an annoying cat mewing at his side and promptly returned to speaking with Cooper. “I have not yet given my congratulations on your engagement. I hear you are set to travel to America tomorrow.”

“Thank you. Yes, Katherine's parents live in New York, so we were planning to stay for a few weeks and then bring them back to London with us for the wedding. Unfortunately it means that I will not be able to join you for dinner. We will be departing for a hotel in the city after tea, so that we may catch our ship first thing in the morning.”

“That is unfortunate. I had my valet pack my new suit and everything.” St. James took care to enunciate quite clearly. Blaine saw him tilt his nose into the air.

His bait appeared to have snared Cooper. “You have your own valet now? I had only heard that your brother had one.”

St. James smiled smugly. “Well he does. That is, he has the same valet. But father insisted that I bring the man along. He always preferred me to my other siblings, after all. Brother has his unfortunate laudanum addiction and my sister is destined to be a spinster. So naturally father insisted that I have an upper servant travel with me, as opposed to a mere footman.”

Cooper nodded.

There was a lull in the conversation and Blaine worried that perhaps he was being rude by not speaking up. He decided to amend that and searched for a topic of discussion. Current events were always a good go-to, right? “So, it is good to hear that the miners strike has ended, wouldn't you say?” The men had already discussed the subject with Rachel's father the other week, but the strike had come to an end since then and Blaine thought it might prove to be quite a matter of historical significance.

“Hm?” Lord St. James didn't make any eye contact, though he did briefly turn his head in Blaine's direction. “Oh, dreadful thing isn't it? First the miners demand more money, next thing you know the servants will be forming unions and demanding days off or something ludicrous. If you ask me this whole Socialist movement is an awful thing to be coming about now. People are born into their class for a reason. English society has functioned perfectly fine the way it is probably for eons now. It would just disrupt the natural order of things to try and change it.”

“But surely you agree that the people who work so hard to keep the modern world functioning deserve sufficient recompense for such work?” Blaine asked.

Lord St. James laughed and Blaine couldn't help but feel he was being mocked. His suspicions were confirmed when St. James turned back to Cooper. “Oh, Anderson, your little brother says the most charming things. Some days I regret not having a younger brother of my own. I am sure it must have been very amusing growing up.”

Blaine frowned. It was not that he had issue with a difference of opinions. He just didn't care for the way Lord St. James displayed his disagreement.

Blaine's horse whinnied with impatience and he patted the side of its neck. He looked up and saw that Lord St. James had wandered away to enjoy some of the refreshments being served by the footmen. Soon enough, the riding party was ready and they all set out at a leisurely pace. But once they neared the forest, Cooper and Lord St. James picked up speed, racing each other along the treeline. Blaine thought to catch up with them, but ended up just trailing behind. All in all, he decided that he wasn't having very much fun, watching everyone race ahead of him. Blaine knew that it would be impolite to leave the riding party early, but he also knew that no one would notice his absence. In a moment of rebellion, he turned around and headed back to Dalton.

~

Kurt's day was looking to be pretty darn busy. His current task was to pack up Cooper's things so they would be ready for his departure later today. Kurt would be accompanying Cooper on his three-week stay in America, and Miss Katherine would be bringing along her own lady's maid.

From the time he awoke, things had not been going as smoothly as he would have liked. Sebastian had not returned Kurt's travel shoes that morning and so he had only his thin-soled indoor shoes to wear. Their purpose however, was to be quiet and flimsy and not entirely practical for outdoor use. He would have to retrieve the other ones before his departure. After breakfast, the maids had required both footmen's assistance to finish tidying up the guest room where Lord St. James was to stay. He and William were asked to lift the furniture so that Tina and Mercy could sweep underneath it and, at one point, Kurt's hand slipped and dropped the foot of a dresser on his toe. So now he was forced to walk with a slight limp.

Kurt wrapped the last of Cooper's suits in linen to protect it from dust on the journey and folded it neatly into a travel case. Thankfully, William had offered to clear the dining room table himself after luncheon, which give Kurt time to pack. Now he hobbled downstairs to rummage through his own few belongings and decide what to bring along. Once the men were done riding, Cooper would undoubtedly wish to change for the journey so Kurt had to work quickly before being called up again.

He stopped on the last flight of stairs just to breathe for a moment. Kurt had never been outside of England before. He had always wished to travel one day, but work currently consumed his life and he expected it always would. If he were ever given the choice, he would love to see Paris. But even the chance to see America was not something he ever expected, and so Kurt was more than happy to push himself to prepare for this trip. Who knows when he'd have another opportunity to be on board a great ocean liner?

Kurt heard whistling drift towards him and saw that it was coming from the hallboy. Good thing too. He was needing to find him. “Sebastian, did you take my travel shoes this morning?”

Sebastian turned to him, wearing a wide, toothy smile. “Why, yes sir, Kurt. I was just making sure they were extra polished for your trip! They've been returned to your room now.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Oh. Well thank you, Sebastian.”

Sebastian passed by, continuing to whistle to himself. Kurt precariously shifted onto his injured foot and hissed as a sharp sting shot up his right leg. He took his weight off of it again and shot an angry glare toward his big toe. He was not going to let one stupid injury ruin this trip for him. He half hopped down the hallway to his bedroom, determined to just make it to the end of the day.

~

Blaine didn't return to the house immediately. He didn't want the servants to see him riding back too early. He decided to enjoy a bit of time alone, wandering over to a stream on the estate. The sound of it always calmed him, helped him clear his mind. And right now he could use some time to think. Cooper's wedding meant that life at Dalton was going to change, and Blaine couldn't decide if he should be excited or worried.

The two of them may never have been remarkably close. Cooper had spent his childhood at Dalton, but once Blaine was old enough to be tutored, he was sent off to the city. When Blaine was 8 and learning to speak Italian with his cousins, Cooper was 18 and drifting along the Grand Canal on a gondola. When Blaine was 10 and sneaking pastries from the kitchen maids, Cooper was 20 and dancing with debutantes in London. They had grown up almost entirely apart, and yet, whenever it was possible, Cooper would always try his best to relate to Blaine. And regardless of the distance, literal or figurative, Blaine always found himself looking up to Cooper.

When Blaine was 15, he and Cooper visited Spain together, without their parents, and it was the most enjoyable few weeks Blaine could remember. They had misbehaved atrociously; sneaking away in the night to attend a local festival, drinking ales instead of wine, singing and carousing with the locals. But Cooper had always remembered his responsibility. And even through his inebriation, Blaine could remember resting his head on the back of his big brother's warm shoulder as he was carried back to his room.

Blaine didn't know how much this change would affect his and Cooper's relationship. But he did know that he only hoped one day he could be as good a man as Cooper.

Blaine tugged on the horse's reigns and steered it back toward the house

~

Kurt had made his way back up to Cooper's room. After packing his own things, he wanted to take another look around to ensure he had not forgotten any necessities. And it was fortunate that he chose to do so, as he realized that he'd almost left behind some of Cooper's shaving supplies. Finally, Kurt had four travel cases all full and ready to be brought downstairs. He wiped the sweat-damp hair off his forehead and began manoeuvring everything. There was one travel case tucked into the crook of his right arm, another held up on his left shoulder, while the handles of the two other cases were clasped in each hand. He was already running slightly behind and wanted to get the cases firmly affixed to the back of the car before Cooper returned to change.

Kurt made his way toward the servants' stairwell at the end of the hall. It would be tricky, fitting through the doorway, but he wasn't permitted to use the family's stairs, which were wider and unblocked by doors. He trod carefully. His right foot still pained him, and the shoes Sebastian had returned to him felt odd. He must have stepped in something slick downstairs, as they had lost some of their traction.

Kurt staggered his way down the steps. Cooper's bedroom was on the third floor, and he would have to exit through the servants' entrance below stairs. The servants' stairwell was just a bit too narrow for Kurt's current task, and so he was having a bit of difficulty. Halfway down the steps to the first floor, he stopped to take a break.

Kurt finally set down his right foot, only to feel the heel of his shoe come loose. Wonderful! He angled the foot upwards to take a look and leaned an elbow on the railing. Unfortunately, he remembered too late that this railing was still in a state of disrepair. The bracket supporting it popped out under the weight of Kurt and all the travel cases and he lost his balance. He attempted to put his foot back down in front of him only for the slippery bottom of his shoe to slide forward. The next thing Kurt remembered was a loud crashing noise and the light turning off.

~

Even with the time he had spent pondering, Blaine was still the first rider to return to Dalton. Wes had greeted him at the front door with a questioning look. Blaine had answered that he was feeling too tired to keep riding. Wes then rushed off to call for William to prepare a bath. Blaine ran a hand through his curls. His hair was quite a mess right now and he had managed to smear dirt onto his face at some point.

Blaine wandered over to the reception room while he waited for William. There were cushioned chairs accompanied by side tables spread all about, vases standing upon ornamental cupboards that mother had acquired from various travels, and house plants and statues filling the empty spaces. Blaine didn't sit down, since he did not wish to get dirt on the furniture. As he stood in the quiet room, he was startled to hear a thump, like that of something soft hitting the ground, then a few banging sounds, like that of several harder objects landing. The swinging door to the servants' stairwell was pushed slightly ajar but did not open. Blaine rushed over to it.

He heard Wes approaching him from behind with William but did not turn to them yet. When he opened the door fully, he saw a travel case had been holding the door ajar. There was another one behind it that had spilled open, contents littered on the landing, and one that had fallen down the next set of steps but remained shut. A pair of feet in shiny black shoes were propped on the last step. Blaine leaned forward and saw a head of brown hair, the face turned away and obscured by a fourth, smaller travel case, which was leaning on the man's head.

“Oh good heavens!” Blaine finally turned around to the men behind him. “Wes! Come quickly. There's been an accident!” Blaine pulled the travel case away from the door and stepped into the stairwell. He pushed the other case off the man's face and saw that it was the footman, Kurt. Kurt groaned quietly and began to move his arms very slowly. “Can you hear me, Kurt? You must have fallen.”

Kurt opened his eyes and tried to push himself off the floor with little success. Blaine grabbed his far shoulder and helped turn him over. He uttered a quiet “Ow,” and went quiet again. His eyes were clamped shut now, and his face grimaced. Blaine removed his own dirtied coat, turned it on to its clean side, and folded it under Kurt's head.

Wes leaned over Blaine's shoulder and spoke clearly. “Are you hurt?” Kurt opened his eyes to glance at Wes, then closed them again. Wes turned and stepped back out of the landing. Blaine could hear him speaking to William. “Go find the chauffeur and tell him to hurry into town to fetch the doctor. Use the front door. Then return here quickly.”

William's footsteps vacated the reception room quickly. Wes hurried past Blaine down to the next landing to retrieve the travel case that had fallen there. Kurt stirred again and Blaine leaned above his face to fret over him.

“I assure you, Mr. Blaine, I am quite alright.” Kurt's voice was quiet, but his face was no longer contorted. His eyes were still closed, but much more gently. He seemed to be in less pain now, or at least he was masking it better. He held a hand to the side of his head.

Wes returned with the closed travel case and proceeded to repack the items that had spilled from the opened one. Blaine thought it best to help him, despite Wes's refusal, since he was feeling quite useless sitting around worrying. It took a minute for him to realize these were Cooper's things they were packing. The set of night clothes and the towels were unremarkable. But what Blaine recognized was Cooper's silver snuffbox. The lid was sculpted with a wavy pattern of bars and musical notes, encircling a relief of a bird perched on a bulrush. It was empty, but Cooper always brought it with him on long trips. It hit Blaine, for the second time today, that Cooper was leaving him. Soon to be replaced by a mature gentleman with a family and no time to cater to the whims of little brothers. Blaine slipped the snuff box into his pocket.

It had been about 20 minutes now and the doctor had not yet arrived. Wes and Blaine had half-carried half-dragged Kurt out from the stairwell into the reception room. He was propped up against the wall now, talking occasionally. In the time they had been waiting around, the riding party had returned and William was delegated to help Cooper prepare for his trip. Wes had decided that William would also be accompanying Cooper to America, unless the doctor gave the okay. At one point, Lord Westerville passed by after greeting Lord St. James and noticed the commotion with the footman. He told Wes to inform him of the doctor's results before retiring to the library. Afterwards, Blaine permitted Wes to leave to load Cooper's belongings onto the back of the car and now Blaine sat alone with Kurt.

“I am so very sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Blaine,” the footman quietly muttered.

“Please, don't be. There is really no need for you to apologize.” He turned to see Kurt covering his face with one of his hands and shaking slightly. “Kurt, are you... are you alright?”

“Yes sir.” Kurt lifted his head and offered Blaine a watery smile. “I think it's mostly the headache.” He sniffled.

“Kurt...” Blaine stared him down, brows creased together with concern. Kurt heaved a deep sigh and responded.

“It's only... this was to be my first trip outside of England. And I was so looking forward to it.” He took a deep breath. “I'm just being foolish.”

“It's not foolish at all.” Blaine for one loved travelling. The fun of exploring another culture, of tasting exotic foods, of hearing music on instruments you never knew existed. It was heartbreaking to think some people would never know anywhere beyond the English countryside. “I am certain you will have other opportunities, Kurt. Our family, Cooper and myself especially, we're always travelling. We have cousins in Spain, an Aunt in Italy. The next time we visit them, you will have my express invitation, I promise.”

Kurt smiled then. His lips stayed pressed together, but they curved in such a beautiful way. Round crease lines formed around the corners of his mouth. He had the slightest dimple on the left cheek only. “Thank you, Mr. Blaine. You don't know how much that means to me.”

Wes returned to them then, the doctor in tow. Blaine stepped away to give space as the doctor asked Kurt various questions and waved his finger in front of Kurt's face. The doctor also removed Kurt's shoe to inspect his foot, which caused visible discomfort. Eventually, he seemed satisfied and returned to Blaine and Wes.

“He has a mild concussion from the fall. It would also seem that he has broken a toe on his right foot. I've wrapped it and it should heal in a few weeks. I would recommend he walk with a cane to keep weight off of it until he heals. As for the concussion, he should be kept awake for the next 12 hours, but after that bed rest would do him well. Also, I'd advise no spirits for a few days. At least until the dizziness has subsided.”

“Is he fit to travel though?” Blaine asked. “He's meant to leave with Cooper today.”

The doctor shook his head. “He will have some difficulty walking for the next few days. I don't recommend sending him away from home for an extended period of time. It would merely cause inconvenience to both him and to Lord Anderson. I suggest sending another servant if possible.”

Wes nodded and Blaine thanked the doctor. He began walking over to Kurt to help him to his feet but Wes stopped him.

“Mr. Blaine, please don't trouble yourself. I will call for someone else to assist,” Wes said. He gestured to one of the housemaids that was cleaning up after the riding party's boots. She hurried over and grasped Kurt from one side, while Wes showed the doctor to the front door. Blaine stood with his arms held out uselessly and watched as the maid helped Kurt down the servants' stairs.

~

Once afternoon tea was done, Cooper hurried off to get ready for his departure. Lord St. James requested a perusal of the library, explaining that, “I've been told that reading is beneficial to the mind.” After some polite conversation, Blaine left his father with Lord St. James, hoping they could keep each other mutually entertained while he hurried back to his room to retrieve something. Blaine then made his way to the front door. When he reached the bottom steps Cooper was already in the entrance hall with Miss Katherine and her lady's maid. William was there too, helping Cooper into a light coat.

“Blaine!” Miss Katherine said with surprise. “Have you come to see us off?” She smiled and patted his head with a gloved hand. Miss Katherine was only a few inches taller than Blaine in her shoes, but she always liked to make sure he was aware of it. She spoke with an American accent, but would often imitate an English one for fun. “A childhood of misinterpretation from my English grandparents had originally necessitated it,” she once explained. “I remember speaking to granny about visiting my aunts in the countryside. She was left utterly perplexed as to why I was so fascinated with a colony of insects.”

Blaine took Miss Katherine's hand and clasped it gently. She had yet to hold a firm grasp on the appropriate mannerisms of the upper class. It was quite charming. Blaine could remember Cooper waxing poetic about her behaviour following their first meeting at a dinner party. She had apparently called him a “pompous buffoon” before pouring her water into his lap over a small misunderstanding. Both still maintained that it was the other one's fault, but Cooper admitted to Blaine that he thought it the most exciting thing to ever happen to him.

Blaine smiled at Miss Katherine and addressed Cooper. “Coop. I, uh. I should return this to you.” He held out the silver snuff box. Wes had found it in his pocket after preparing a bath for him and asked about it. Blaine felt instantly guilty and knew that he should give it back.

“When did you get this?” Cooper took the small container from Blaine and turned it over in his hands. He didn't look angry. Just curious, maybe amused.

“It fell out of one of your travel cases during the incident earlier. I forgot to put it back.”

Cooper looked at Blaine with a scrutinizing gaze. “Do you know why I always bring this with me?”

“Because you have an addiction?” Blaine joked. The box was empty. All of Cooper's snuff boxes had been empty since their grandfather passed the collection down to him.

Cooper smiled. “Because it reminds me of home. More specifically, it reminds me of you, Blaine.”

Blaine's eyebrows lifted with surprise. Cooper had never told him that before.

“You used to steal this from me when you were a child, do you not recall?” They both watched the box as Cooper turned it over in his hands. “Often times when you were staying with our Aunt, I would come home to find it missing from my room. It was not until the end of the season, when you were deposited back at Dalton that I would see the box again, covertly returned to its display case.”

“I remember, yes. I always thought you wouldn't notice if just one went missing.” Blaine looked up to Cooper's face. “It reminded me of you. That was why I always took it. So I could hold onto something when we were apart.”

Cooper smiled. “Even when you were a baby you stole it from me. The first day after I had received Grandfather's collection, I had them all out in my room to look at and you came running in, grabbed this one and shoved it in your mouth. You can see the little bite marks here.” Cooper angled the bottom toward Blaine where two small, subtle dents were visible. “I don't remember when it was that you stopped borrowing it.”

“It was...” Blaine hesitated. But now was not the time to be feeling embarrassed. “After our trip to Spain. I stopped taking it then. After we returned from Spain I no longer worried that you were going to leave me behind somewhere. Or forget about me.”

“It's funny then, isn't it? This little trinket. It reminds me of you, and it reminds you of me.” Cooper clapped Blaine on the shoulder. “Just make sure you don't scratch it before I get back,” he said, and placed the snuff box back into Blaine's hand.

“Of course.”

William and the lady's maid walked Cooper and Miss Katherine to the car. Blaine stood at the door, watching as they were driven away.

~

“Good morning, Mr. Blaine.”

Blaine woke to a quiet singsong voice and the sound of curtains being pushed open. He opened his eyes and blinked at the sudden brightness. Sitting up, he saw Kurt shuffling around the bedroom, the cane at his side thudding along on the floor.

Blaine yawned widely and stretched his arms out. “Morning, Kurt. How are you feeling today?”

“I am fine, thank you sir. Is there anything you would like for me to do this morning?” Blaine shook his head. “Then I must go retrieve some fresh face towels for you. It seems the bathroom towels were not replaced yet.”

“Oh, no, there's no need for you to be running up and down the stairs.” Blaine rubbed his hand on his chin and ignored how scratchy it felt. “I'm sure I'll be fine without for another day.”

Kurt pressed his lips together. “Please sir, you do not need to worry yourself over me. It's been a few days already and I am coping quite well with the cane.”

Blaine opened his mouth and closed it again. “Of course. Sorry. Thank you.”

Kurt nodded before leaving. He returned in a few minutes with clean towels and began hanging them in the bathroom. Blaine had started dressing already and was currently buttoning up his vest. Kurt exited the bathroom to help pick out cufflinks for the day. Despite only valeting for Blaine for a few days, Kurt was very good at it.

“What do you think of these ones?” Blaine asked. “I quite like the colour of them.”

Kurt sighed. “Mr. Blaine, you are wearing a black jacket today.”

“Yes?” Blaine smiled. Here we go.

“I realize it may not be my place to give an opinion,” Kurt was always so opinionated. “But you cannot wear amber cufflinks with a black jacket.”

“But I've been told that amber matches my eyes.” Blaine wore his best pleading face.

“That may be so,” Kurt glanced to Blaine's eyes to verify and seemed to stare a little longer than necessary. His ears turned red. He turned away again. “But if you wished to wear the cufflinks, then you would have to wear a different vest. And then you would not be able to sport the new ascot that you were prattling on about yesterday.” Kurt smiled smugly, as if the argument were already concluded.

“Alas. I forgot about the ascot.” Rachel had mailed it to Blaine with a letter explaining that she forgot to bring it on her last visit. Blaine had gifted Rachel with a lovely star pendant during her stay. She was always fond of stars and already had them adorning most of her jewellery. He received her package only yesterday; it was silk, of a dark navy colour, embroidered with tiny, irregular spots of silver that made it resemble the night sky. It may be his new favourite ascot, and Blaine had many ascots.

He raised his hands in defeat. “Well then, which cuff links might you suggest?”

Kurt picked up a silver pair, inlaid with white ivory. Blaine held out his wrists and Kurt leaned in to fasten them to the sleeves. Kurt smelled faintly of violets today.

“I don't prattle,” Blaine muttered. Kurt smiled placatingly.

After dressing, Blaine went downstairs to join his father for breakfast. Mother usually ate in her bedroom in the mornings and he often didn't see her until luncheon. When he got to the breakfast table, he found his father standing very still, breathing deeply, a telegram in hand.

“Father? Is everything alright?”

It took a moment before Lord Westerville responded, still looking at the telegram. His voice was hoarse. “Your brother's ship--” He cleared his throat. “The Titanic. It sank.”