A upcoming snippet from my story. I want to share, because Matthew is such a fun character to write.
When the coughing fit subsided, there was a fresh speckling of red staining the inner folds of the cape fabric. Uther grimaced at the evidence, and fished out his handkerchief to blot some of the blood out. The last thing he needed was it transferring to his nice clothes and spreading the stain.
It was less blood than he’d been coughing up before. Which was progress. He would take it.
“Ahem,” someone cleared their throat beside him.
Uther didn’t even look up as he continued blotting at the blood on his cape. “Hello Matthew.”
The little thief tugged on his Lord’s cape until Uther spared him a glance. When he paused to look, a cup was shoved toward the Marquess’ nose.
Uther raised a curious brow, the contents of the cup didn’t smell like any alcohol he recognized.
Matthew hopped up to sit on the balustrade, still holding the cup out to his master. “Your…love potion,” he said carefully.
Uther’s brow dropped and his mouth pulled into a thin line.
“Potion made with love,” Matthew tried again as he wiggled the cup around, swishing the thick draught inside. “Devoted elixir of breathy sighs.”
Uther cast about making certain there wasn’t anyone within earshot from the party before he hissed, “To avoid keen ears overhearing ‘medicine,’ you choose instead to imply I take an aphrodisiac?”
“Isn’t that more flattering than the alternative?” Matthew smiled his fox-like grin and shrugged his shoulders. “Besides, it might as well be. The drugs certainly make you dopey for her. Is that why you’ve avoided her so deliberately this past week?”
Excerpt from my fic, We Danced Anyway.
