When supper was finished Oliver passed Daniel a glass of port. They sipped in silence. Supper had been conducted mainly in silence. It felt that now they had confessed the truth of their natures and the attraction that they felt they had nothing to say. They used to talk incessantly, about everything and anything but here they were, silent, and Oliver couldn’t think of a single thing to say to break the silence, except the obvious.
“If you have changed your mind about tonight it’s fine. You don’t have to…”
“Changed my mind?” Daniel looked aghast. Eyes wide and shocked he stared at him. “I haven’t changed my mind. Have…have you?”
“Not in the slightest, but you are so quiet I wondered if perhaps you had.”
“Where are the servants?”
“They have left for the evening.”
Daniel stood and held
