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To say that Orion Hong was in love with Rosalind Lang would be a severe understatement. He was absolutely besotted. Despite the fact that they had been married for a year, that feeling never seemed to fade. If she wasn't in the room with him, something was missing.
She was sitting by the window, looking out over the street below which bustled with the many residents of Shanghai. He would be sorry to leave it, if only for the weekend, but he wasn’t going to turn down a nice countryside holiday.
‘Celia just told me that we’d better be there by lunchtime tomorrow or we’re going to be skinned. I gather there’s something they want to tell us.’
It would probably have been safe to use Rome and Juliette’s names, but one could never be too careful, especially when one was a Nationalist agent. It was probably just as dangerous to be receiving phone calls from Communists, but at least they had the excuse that it was family business. Sometimes those lines got a little blurred, and it wasn’t as though their respective headquarters were going to ditch them on such flimsy evidence either way.
‘Who’s coming.’
‘Most of us, I think. I haven’t talked to Phoebe or Silas yet, but I can’t imagine they won’t be there, unless they’ve been otherwise assigned.’
Rosalind stood up and crossed the room, sitting down on the couch beside Orion and leaning against him.
‘What’s this for?’
'Isn't the fact that I love you a good enough excuse?’
‘While that would usually be entirely satisfactory, I’m afraid I can read you far too well to let you get away with it today.’
‘I’m only nervous that something might be wrong. Juliette summoning all of us seems a little dangerous.’
‘The real threat is mostly over, at least for now, I’m sure it'll be fine.’
He cupped her face with his hand and leaned in to kiss her. Rosalind had never been strong enough to resist this, from the first moment she’d met him she was doomed. It was a damnation she was more than happy to accept, she thought, before her brain ceased to function.
The next morning, Orion drove them out of the city. She had offered to drive, but Orion had politely turned her down. He’d been teaching her a bit, so she probably wouldn't run them into a lamp post this time, but he was prone to unnecessary chivalry, something which she found unfortunately attractive. She generally found him unfortunately attractive. His handsomeness was even more apparent when he was sitting across from her, holding her hand as he leant back against the seat. The windows were wound down to let the breeze in rather than shoot out of, and today he could have been any man—a Nationalist, a Communist, or neither. Whichever political alignment he held dear, he was Rosalind’s husband first and foremost.
They spoke little on the drive to Zhouzhuang, they had forever to say their piece now. Occasionally they observed something about the weather, about how the sun was bright in the sky and shone down upon the little towns as though they were all blessed, and civil and international war would never rip though them again, or perhaps mention something they'd been meaning to get for their house to liven it up. They were under no illusions that this peace would last forever, but they would stay in their city for as long as possible, then hide like Roma and Juliette or flee to Europe like Benedikt and Marshall.There was no limit upon what they could do, really, not with Orion in the driver’s seat and Rosalind riding shotgun (she was carrying a pistol, that was fairly standard).
When they arrived at Roma and Juliette’s, it became clear that they were not the first to arrive. Phoebe was already in the dining room, arguing with Silas about the napkin arrangements, ann argument Silas was sure to lose, since saying no to Phoebe Hong was his most notoriously known weakness. His second weakness was Priest, which was certainly not disadvantageous to Phoebe.
‘You cannot possibly make eleven swans in five minutes, and Jules wanted us back in the kitchen in five minutes to help with something else.’
‘I can if you help me.’
‘I haven’t the foggiest idea how to—'
‘I do,’ Orion said, picking up one of the napkins. Rosalind would usually be embarrassed to find herself sitting on a chair and staring at his nimble fingers, but in the warm Spring light, it didn’t really seem all that bad.
‘In that case, why don’t we leave Orion to do that and Rosalind to goggle while we help Juliette.’
‘Oi!’ Rosalind started, but she was interrupted by Orion’s hand coming to rest gently over her mouth. She could have pushed it away, but she took the chance to bite it lightly.
‘That wasn’t very pleasant, I was just trying to stop you saying something mean to my younger sister, I’m quite protective of her, you know.’
‘She can hold her own.’
‘Still, it would hardly be nice of me to leave her to her own devices when I could so easily come to her aid.’
‘There were much more polite ways of doing it.’
‘Like what,’ Orion raised an eyebrow.
He must have known what she was about to do, but he didn’t move as she grabbed him arm, pulled him closer, and kissed him there. They did this rather too often for polite society, but the swans would just have to wait for them to have their fill of one another, which, judging on the previous year, was likely to be no time soon.
‘I seem to always find you two making out, which can lead me to only two conclusions,’ Benedikt Motagov said, announcing his, and almost certainly Marshall's, presence. ‘The first is that I have terrible timing, which is certainly a possibility. The second, which I think is even more probable, is that you make out an awful lot.’
‘It’s lovely to see you too, Benedikt,’ Orion said, getting off Rosalind’s lap to shake his hand. ‘How’s your boyfriend going? I suppose from your pronouncement you have had no physical contact for the entire journey and you’re incredibly jealous.’
Mars through his arms over Ben’s shoulders in response.
‘They’re terribly mean to you, Benny. I’d offer to defend your honour but I think that fighting Fortune and Huntsman might be a little above my pay grade. I am willing to try if you'd like though.’
‘I’ll settle for a kiss instead.’
Mars pecked him on the cheek.
‘Good enough, for now.’
Before the situation could deteriorate further, Roma walked into the room, seeing all four of them for the first time that day. He hugged Ben and Mars, then Orion, and finally Ros, who was still sitting on her chair.
‘I’m so happy to see all of you, it’s been forever. Make yourselves at home, not that you seem to have had much trouble doing that,’ he glanced over at Orion and Ros, ‘and we’ll bring out some snacks soon.’
‘Do you need any help in the kitchen,’ Mars offered.
‘We’re almost ready, and it’s sure to be full in there already with Phoebe and Silas helping.’
He went into the kitchen, leaving the four of them. Orion picked up another napkin and finished folding it.
The lunch was delightful. Celia and Oliver had turned up just as they were starting on the snacks that Phoebe had brought through, and there was much joyous hugging from all sides. They saw each other frequently, but not as often as they'd like. Enemmies agents probably shouldn't be seen at too many dinner parties. No one was quite sure when exactly Alisa turned up, but she filled the last seat at their table before the food was served.
It wasn’t until Juliette came in with dessert, a rather fabulous cake, that Rosalind discovered why they were there.
‘Thank you all for coming today, it’s been lovely to see you all. The true intention of this gathering has, of course, been hidden from two of our number. Whist they’re secret agents, and should probably have been able to work it out, we’ll forgive them in this case. Happy birthday, Rosalind and Celia!’
Rosalind stared in shock as they sung Happy Birthday. It was quite a mess, with at least two languages and four names being used, and none of them being terribly good singers. If Rosalind hadn’t been so pleased, she would have laughed.
She’d stopped taking note of the day of her birthday a while ago, it had meant little when she was so bent on revenge. The fact that her family, both old and new, cared so much for her and her sister that they would arrange this warmed her heart, and she wished she could bask in that moment forever, holding Orion’s hand under the table and blowing out candles in tandem with her sister.