“Why did you come looking for me?”
“Why, he asks. Because I’m your superhero, silly. It’s my job to come running when you’re in trouble.”
“Don’t be like that. Tell me the real reason, Jeffrey.”
“That was the real reason… Nah, I’m just pulling your leg. It was an accident, actually. Today’s the first day of the holidays, remember? Term ended at my school before yours, so I wanted to swing by and surprise you. Boy, I sure got a surprise of my own when they told me up at your school you’d gone into town,” Jeffrey cheerfully remarked.
As a boy, Jeffrey had a fresh expression for every sentence he spoke. Some took this as a mark of extroversion, and others as one of untrustworthiness. No matter what was said about him, Jeffrey had room in his heart to accept all his varied reputations with a smile.
I’d had the misfortune to be born to a rather bohemian set of parents, and Jeffrey was kind enough to take me under his wing in recompense. To me, he was everything an older brother should be, and more.
I asked if he had come alone, and he had, much to my relief. It was a matter of necessity to me that neither the Earl nor my other elder cousin were to find out about this incident.
“You okay, Ricky?” Jeffrey asked.
“…Oh, please don’t be concerned. I was only thinking that your father and Henry aren’t here.”
“Dad’s in Cannes, I should think. Harry’s there, too. Now’s a busy time for hobnobbing in high society, I suppose.”
“I wouldn’t want to be them.”
“It’s not all bad. I would imagine they’re having some fun, too. Maybe not Harry, though. He’s too serious. He’s more interested in piano practice than casino gambling.”
“…I can sympathize.”
“Yeah? Well, one of these days, we’ll go to Cannes, just you and me. We’ll live it up big in the casinos.”
“What if I bleed my wallet dry buying books instead?”
“Then I’ll just pay your share. I’m planning on getting into finance. I’ll be able to lend you all the money you could ever want—but I’ll make you pay through the nose on interest.”
“See here, you—”
I shoved him with all the affection of a hug.
By the time we came out onto a major boulevard, the roads were long since deserted. I finally allowed myself a sigh of relief. It’d been quite the frightening ordeal for a boy with no experience being threatened—or at least not much. My schoolmates sometimes teased me for my looks or ran up to touch me, yelling, “I’m just picking up a piece of trash!”
Yes, I certainly did not lack for experience of that sort. I had my strategies to resist those playground bullies, but trouble outside of school was beyond the scope of my imagination. I shivered, remembering the feeling of being trapped between those two older boys.
At that moment, something—a Jeffrey’s-hand-shaped something—landed on my head with a pat. Jeffrey ruffled my hair and gave me a teasing grin. “First things first, you gotta learn how to navigate around here.”
“…Did you see me get lost?”
“Nah. Wish I had, though. I was running all over the place trying to find you. Heck, I should win an acting award for hiding how hard I was wheezing in front of those guys. Where’s my trophy?”
“Then how did you know I lost my way?”
“You wouldn’t have gone into a place like that on purpose, Ricky.”
I supposed he was right.
It occurred to me, then, that Jeffrey was no less a child than I. Someone ought to have been keeping him safe instead of letting him run around playing superhero. All the Claremonts maintained a substantial fund as insurance against kidnappings. What was I doing out without a bodyguard, even if I left school too infrequently to warrant one? Better yet, what was Jeffrey doing without several? The thought was not a little unsettling.
“Er, Jeff, is this quite all right?” I asked. “I’m so very sorry. Your bodyguards…”
“Oh, don’t keep harping on. Look, Ricky. Just admit you were scared and leave it at that. I gave my bodyguards the slip. I mean, it’s such a bore having them around! Dad will probably call to chew me out again, but what was I gonna do? Visit my dear baby bro with two chaps in suits hanging off my tail?”
Again, I supposed not. I realized this was probably a nice gesture on Jeffrey’s part, borne from my fear of bodyguards. That only worsened my guilt, but before I could wallow in feeling absolutely wretched, Jeffrey spotted a café—one that looked like just the ticket—and steered me into it. We found a quiet spot to take a seat and ordered two lemonades. Lemonade went splendidly with the Swiss summers, as Jeffrey commented offhand.
“Er…” I said.
“Yeah?”
“…What was all that earlier about an Edward something chap…?”
“Him? Oh, he’s nobody. Someone I made up.”
He did not need to articulate how very foolish it would have been to use my real name in front of those who might very well remember it. A frightening thought. I appreciated his tact in not saying it out loud.
I repeated the name in my head until it felt familiar on my tongue. After nursing my lemonade for a moment or two, I admitted, “I wish I’d given you a name like that.”
“Hm?”
“Like Edward.”
Jeffrey laughed. “What about Jay?”
“That was only me cutting myself off before I finished saying your name.”
“Mm,” he said, a response that meant nothing.
He slurped away at his lemonade straw. I could tell from the look on his face that he was concocting some amusement for me. I gave him a shy grin, and he returned a smile three times as wide.
“Give me another, then.”
“Pardon?”
“Give me a name like Edward. It’ll be a secret, just for you and me.”
“…You won’t even tell Henry?”
“Nope. Harry doesn’t need to know.”