[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

and yes, he'd been drunk both during the fight and the
Spoken from the Heart - 239
recounting, but he hadn't lied when he'd said he'd
acquitted himself well.
Of course, he'd only been drunk, not exhausted and
lightheaded from relief and hunger. Lately, sleep and
meals had been luxuries, not necessities. He'd been
roused from sleep over and again by a restless Alex, and
the effort of eating had made it a burden he'd willingly
shrugged off.
Another blow, this time to his face. Unlike Sampton,
Julian fell, measuring his length on the floor, the force
of the blow leaving him breathless with shock, not pain,
though that came quickly on shock's heels.
A kick to his side rolled him to his belly and once
there he was helpless, struggling like a beetle in honey,
every attempt to get up thwarted by a kick until he
thought his ribs must resemble an eggshell tapped by a
spoon. The indignity pained him more than the kicks,
but rising to confront his assailant was beyond him. Part
of him welcomed the pain. It sluiced away the guilt he
was feeling. The toe of Richard's boot dug into his flesh
cruelly; the sideways kicks left a swathe of skin aching
fiercely. He tried to curl into a ball, a turtle retreating
into its shell, but he was vulnerable in so many places&
"Enough." Duncan, his voice harsh, uncompromising,
ended Julian's ordeal just as his vision had begun to
darken, unconsciousness offering an escape from the
agony of his brutalized, beaten body. "We were once
friends. I ll not stand by and let you murder him before
my eyes."
Richard spat on the floor, narrowly missing Julian's
face. He could see the spittle, a slimy blob of it,
quivering and foul, and even suffering as he was, he
made an effort and moved a few inches away from it. If
Spoken from the Heart - 240
it'd touched him, he would've risen to his feet and
punched Richard if it cost him his life.
"Take him out of here then. Throw him out."
"Since when do you give orders in my theater?"
Sampton demanded, rounding on Richard. It hurt his
face, but Julian smiled. Allies and equals for a moment,
no more than that, hmm, Richard?
"I meant no disrespect." Richard sounded surly
enough that it only seemed to inflame Sampton more.
Cheated of one victim -- and Julian was doing his best to
appear unconscious now -- Sampton chose another, and
under cover of the argument that broke out, Duncan
dragged Julian out of sight.
Being dragged hurt and was doubtless ruining his
clothes, but Julian endured the most ignominious exit of
his career stoically. In a way, he deserved it. The theater
had dozens of small traditions that had hardened over
time into rules. Julian would always misquote a line
deliberately on his birthday for luck, would never wear
green on opening night, turned three times clockwise if
he heard anyone whistling backstage& but they were
slender cords binding theater folk together. Numerous,
but thin. What anchored them securely was the belief
that nothing mattered but the performance.
Nothing.
He'd broken faith. He'd done it for love's sake, but
that made no difference.
Once they were out of sight, Duncan crouched beside
him. "Can you walk?"
"No, but if you help me up, I'll try."
Duncan was a strong man. He raised Julian with a
clean, smooth jerk and held him steady when the agony
of what was surely a broken rib or two grinding against
each other made Julian's head swim sickeningly. A flask
Spoken from the Heart - 241
was pressed against his mouth, the fumes of cheap
brandy wafting up to sting his nose. He drank,
swallowing as painful as every other action, even
blinking, and the pungent liquid clawed at his gullet.
The world ceased to waver like a reflection in water.
He took another gulp for good measure, then nodded at
Duncan. Duncan didn't look particularly friendly, but
that came as no surprise. The theater had saved Duncan's
sanity after his wife's death; he would have taken
Julian's refusal to perform hard. What was surprising
was his intervention and assistance.
Their gazes met.
"I will not thank you because you don't want
anything from me, not even that, unless I miss my guess,
but you -- ah, Lady that hurts! -- you have put me in
your debt."
"I've saved your life," Duncan said bluntly. He led
Julian away, half-carrying him. "You fool, why did you
come here?"
"I didn't know it would be too late." Talking was
difficult, but it helped to take very shallow breaths and
whisper. "Thought I'd be a hero, saving the day."
Duncan snorted. "I can see how the idea would
appeal."
Once outside, it was easier to breathe, but Julian
wasn't sure he could reach the haven of his home
unaided. "Might I impose on your kindness a little
more?"
"No. I've done all that I can." Duncan propped Julian
up against a wall, the stone cool against his hands as he
braced himself. "Go home. Don't come here again,
Julian. Not after this."
"I never realized I was so hated."
Spoken from the Heart - 242
Something that might have been pity shone in
Duncan's eyes. "They don't hate you. They're angry,
upset. You're the perfect scapegoat. If you'd stayed away,
maybe it would've been Patrick, but you offered yourself
up, you fool."
"Stupid," Julian agreed.
"And all for that boy." Duncan shook his head. "Have
you lost your mind? You've known him a month or two,
and from what he told me when he was drunk one night,
you told him you didn't love him. How did you come to
care deeply enough to do this?"
"By coming close to losing him." Julian tilted his
chin up defiantly. "Would you have given up your last
hours with Mary? Would you?"
Duncan flinched visibly, his face twisted in
remembered grief. "You have no right," he said, his
voice thick. "No right. She was my wife. My baby died
with her. Your boy is a passing fancy, a hole to fuck."
"He's never been that," Julian said, and knew it to be
the truth. "I rescued him as I would have saved a stray
dog from his tormentors. I fed him, clothed him, gave
him the chance to make something of his new life. And I
fell in love with him the moment I saw him, though I
didn't know it then. He is mine and I am his." He
straightened, pushing away from the wall and swaying
uncertainly, drunk on pain. "I will leave now. Good
night, Duncan. My thanks once again."
That was a better exit. Much better.
Spoken from the Heart - 243
Chapter Nineteen
Alex woke and was conscious of hunger so intense
that his gut cramped with it. He moaned in protest, taken
back to the days of his journey and his time alone in the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]