It's short, but...

[calic0cat]

...here's a little more of that untitled Regency Christmas fic. Title suggestions are more than welcome, BTW.



***

Quatre sent a servant off to retrieve Lady Relena's bonnet and gave her a tight smile as she apologized prettily for the incident. For some reason, her apparent remorse didn't quite ring true.

And Quatre couldn't help but be a bit concerned. Duo was a damn fine horseman, and he'd appeared to be bringing his mount back under control, but Scythe was unpredictable and headstrong. Most likely, Duo would let the horse run himself out before turning back. Since Scythe had the power and endurance of a good hunter, that could take a while. And the chill, rainy weather over the past week had left the ground muddy and slippery, ideal conditions for a bad spill, no matter how good the horse and rider. Giving one last, anxious look in the direction that the pair had taken, Quatre decided that, if they hadn't returned within a few hours, guests or no guests, he would go out looking for them.

In the meantime, he had guests to attend to, even if he did already wish one of them to Jericho.

As, apparently, did the gentleman that had arrived with Trowa, since he gave her the cut direct. Striding towards Quatre, his ice-cold gaze slid right past her without acknowledging her breathless, "Why, Lord Yuy, what a surprise!"

Trowa inclined his head as he followed Yuy. "Lady Relena," he acknowledged politely before shifting his eyes to meet Quatre's. A faint hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Lord Winner. It's a pleasure to see you again."

Their hands met in a firm handshake and remained clasped as Quatre smiled brightly in return. "The pleasure is mine, Lord Barton. But please, my friend, do call me Quatre, as you did before."

The hint of a smile strengthened. "If you will once again call me Trowa."

Heero controlled the urge to smirk. Barton had it bad, and it appeared to be mutual. By the look of things, the two of them would happily stand there making sheep's eyes at one another all day. Meanwhile, a woman who, judging by the family resemblance, could be none other than one of Quatre's sisters, was busying herself with showing Lady Relena's party into the house. Heero coughed quietly, discreetly reminding Trowa that he had introductions to attend to.

Trowa started slightly at the sound, and reluctantly released Quatre's hand. "Quatre, may I introduce my friend, Lord Odin Heero Lowe, Earl of Yuy? We were in the same regiment, and fought together at Waterloo."

Recalled to his duties as host, Quatre extended his hand in greeting. "Lord Yuy. It's a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Trowa's is a friend of mine."

"Lord Winner, my thanks for your hospitality." Shaking Winner's hand, he leaned forward and, giving Trowa a sidelong glance, confided, "Trowa has talked of nothing but your party ever since the invitation arrived."

Embarrassed, Trowa gave Heero a rather heavy slap on the shoulder and interjected hastily, "Heero was intrigued by the fine display of horsemanship just now. I believe that he is very much looking forward to meeting the young man and telling him just how much he admired his... seat."

Breaking off the handshake, Heero gave Trowa an irritated glare. "Touche," he acknowledged wryly.

Catching the innuendo, Quatre shook his head slightly in amused disbelief. Even without actually inviting any potential matches for Duo, Iria had managed to end up with one. And a very suitable one, too. That Yuy was an Earl was neither here nor there, except that it meant there was no social advantage for him in pursuing Duo. But any friend of Trowa's was bound to be a good man, and the fact that Yuy's initial interest had been caught by Duo's riding skills spoke well for the odds that the two of them would have something in common. Eyes sparkling with laughter, Quatre assured him dryly, "I'm sure that my brother, Duo, will be pleased to meet you, too, my lord."

***

"Damn cork-brained nag," Duo muttered, one hand stroking Scythe's sweat-dampened neck affectionately even as he scolded the horse. "Of all the times to get a maggot in your head..." Attentive ears flicked back and forth at the sound of his voice. "Did you have to make a cake of me right in front of the man?" The man with the body of a Greek god and the very appreciative gaze...

Snorting, Scythe bobbed his head, flecks of foam flying from his mouth as he gave a powerful tug at the bit. Duo chuckled wryly and gave the muscular neck a final pat as they entered the stable yard. Even after a good blow, the big stud was still a handful. The bolting incident was his own fault. He knew better than to let himself get distracted when riding Scythe, and he had very definitely been distracted.

"Mr. Winner." Abdul emerged from the stables, a concerned look on his face. "You were gone a long time. Lady Iria and Lord Winner were concerned."

"Ran him till he wanted to stop, then made him run some more," Duo said with a shrug. Dismounting, he added, "He was glad to walk the last couple of miles back."

Abdul nodded, unsurprised, and stepped forward to take the reins. "Your duties await; I will attend to the horse."

Usually, Duo made a point of personally cooling down and brushing his mount after a ride. It was a good opportunity to bond with the animal. However, Abdul was correct. Today, he had other responsibilities. Surrendering the reins, he murmured, "Thank you, Abdul." Giving Scythe one last pat, he headed for the house. A quick change of clothes, and then it would be time to meet their guests.

One in particular.

***