After their second wedding, Blaine re-emerged into English society a new man after spending many long years a hermit. He attacked the responsibilities of his title in a way that others rarely did, with an inspiring energy and enviable vigor. Blaine took his husband on a tour of his earldom, and introduced Kurt to their neighbors. He presented Kurt to other lords and ladies of note, people whose invitations Blaine had dodged consistently over the years, and to whom he offered personal apologies. Of course, everyone was ecstatic to receive a visit from the elusive Lord Anderson and his bewitching husband. During their short marriage, Kurt had become nearly as renowned as Blaine, which made the pair of them a highly sought-after couple.

They dined out almost every evening, attended balls all over England, and even hosted a handful of memorable ones themselves in Blaine’s London residence. They were seen out on the town at all of the expected places, had their picture printed in the paper, and had become, in a short period of time, the talk of the King’s court.

Ironically, Blaine had become everything his father had wanted in a successor; everything he had expected of his eldest son, Cooper. Had Earl Gustave known that it would be his youngest son who would wear the mantle, and wear it brilliantly, Blaine still wasn’t certain the man would be all that proud. Too often had Blaine’s father let his ego cloud his opinion. Too often had he turned those out whom he should have held dear.

But Blaine needed not care what his father would or would not think about him as earl, not when Blaine’s gorgeous husband looked at him as if he were god of the sea and sky. That was all Blaine needed.

It was all he had ever really wanted, title or no.

Though Blaine’s heart was willing to keep operating at this pace, his body was often not.

Kurt developed a seventh sense when it came to knowing his husband. He could read Lord Anderson without words. Kurt knew Blaine’s mind, his body, and his heart. There were many things that Kurt learned how best to interpret when his husband did them - a cough, a sigh, a roll of his eyes, the way his hand gripped tight to the handle of his cane, the twitch in his cheek when the strain on his leg became too much, they were all Kurt’s spies. But the one signal Kurt kept watch for with the greatest anticipation was the briefest and most secret of smiles curling the corners of Blaine’s lips, often so quick and so slight that no one even saw it but Kurt.

But that was because, for the most part, it was meant for Kurt and Kurt alone.

Unfortunately, those were the rarest.

It was when fall started to set in, and the ache in Blaine’s leg increased, that this new skill became the most useful. So much was asked and expected of Lord Anderson that having Kurt by his side became a blessing. Lord Anderson was the picture of a proper English gentlemen, but Kurt could see when the veneer cracked and he became tired, when his balance slipped and he clutched onto his cane for more assistance than he would usually require. It was on these occasions when Kurt would swoop in – his husband’s guardian and protector – and save him from any unnecessary embarrassment.

“Oh, forgive me! I am terribly sorry, lords and ladies,” Kurt would announce to the benefit of all, “but I am afraid that I find myself out of sorts and in need of an escort home. It’s my shoulder, you see,” he would add, rolling the joint while those gathered became solemn with concern, since everyone knew why Count Anderson’s shoulder would pain him. “What say you, husband?” he’d finish with a smile, bright and fetching. “If it would not be too much of an imposition, would you do me the honor of escorting me back to our manor?”

Kurt had a talent for making his excuses so charming in their execution that no one could deny him. Once, as a jest, Blaine tested that theory by pouting a touch at Kurt’s request, and then asking his young husband if he could not bear the twinge for just a little longer so that he could finish his brandy, only to be scolded so soundly by Lady Jean Grey that Blaine backed away slowly, and with a deep, repentant bow, which Kurt and Blaine laughed over on the carriage ride home.

No one ever suspected that it was actually Lord Anderson who needed the escort, and not his graceful husband.

Once home, Kurt would help Blaine to their bedroom and disrobe him. He’d lay him down on their bed and massage his twisted muscles while they recounted the soirée, how they found dinner and dessert, where so-and-so mentioned they would vacation summer next, who had made a poor showing (as there was always some uncouth person who drank too much or scarfed their meal), and shared other gossip that one had heard that the other had not. Sometimes they would stay up past midnight talking, not even slipping into bed until the night sky had begun to lighten into day.

Wasting the night away in this fashion had once been a favorite past time of Blaine and his brother, and many a night Blaine had listen to Kurt and his maid Marley indulge in the same. It, too, was something Blaine had always wanted to share with Kurt, and now that he had it, he would not trade it for all of the balls and fancy dinner invitations in all of England.

But their favorite way of easing Blaine’s tense muscles by far was by having a bath together.

While Kurt was convalescing, Blaine had ordered a large tub made – one that could accommodate them both so that Blaine could help his husband sit more comfortably while he soaked – upright, without putting weight on his wounded back. In this way, Blaine helped tend to his husband’s intimate needs, and did not need to call on the services of a nurse, though Marley did help with transporting Kurt here and there at times. Even Sebastian lent a hand every now and again, though Blaine was not all that pleased about it. But a modest Kurt remained fully clothed when he did, and Sebastian’s help was such a boon that Blaine could not complain.

But even with help, it was Blaine who took on the role of Kurt’s primary caretaker. It was not only a gesture of his love and devotion, but an apology for injuries Blaine felt he should never be forgiven for. Blaine feared, at first, that it might be humiliating for Kurt to be looked after so by his husband. But Kurt accepted Blaine’s ministrations in the spirit in which they were offered. And besides, they were in love. Kurt’s body had been entrusted to Blaine when the two were married, along with his heart. The care and feeding of it were the least Blaine could offer.

Blaine employed himself ardently to the task. Not only did he keep Kurt clean and comfortable, he imprinted silent messages of love on every scar, over zigzag marks where needle and thread had mended Kurt’s skin as if he were a doll, or one of his own inspired designs, and not a man of flesh and blood.

But the tub was as selfish a gift as it was generous, for it had the added benefit of making relations easier for the pair. When Blaine’s hips felt sore, and Kurt’s shoulder equally pained, they called for heated water from below stairs, enough to fill the tub completely, and then they retired to it – Blaine first, climbing over the lip and settling inside, then helping his husband crawl in to sit carefully in his lap.

They ignored the fleeting, side-eye glances from the servants, pretending they did not notice, but they knew the servants knew. And they did not mind. What better assurance of their health and well-being could they give to those closest than the knowledge that the men they served so diligently were happily ensconced in love? Their servants were like family, and like a family, they only wanted what was best for the Lords Anderson. The entire household, lords included, cared for one another, looked out for one another, contributed aid whenever it was required. Lord Anderson had always participated personally in the joy and sorrows of his servants – birthdays, wedding, anniversaries, deaths, were all recognized and celebrated in the manor.

It was a legacy that Blaine hoped he could pass down to his daughter, that she would treat the servants that she would inherit with the same compassion and courtesy.