part 8

The only thing Lowe didn't like about being essentially Alex's kept man was that Alex was very good at telling him no. No, Lowe, I can't go with you to look at teasets in the silversmiths' quarter. No, Lowe, I can't stay in bed and listen to you read your latest poems, I have to go into the shop and work on a binding. No, Lowe, I don't have the time to take for a picnic lunch, even if you were kind enough to bring it to me. No, Lowe, we can't afford a hand-knotted rug - it's bigger than the floor. No, Lowe, we are not going to wear skirts to watch the fireworks over the river.

( It was, Lowe thought, almost like he'd never left the royal nursery. )

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total words: 14,336