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The gentlemen were definitely older, and British, but seemed remarkably spry. No one knew quite what to make of them as they passed under a plaque describing the park as the happiest place on earth. The taller, sterner looking one, glanced at the three crying children as they passed. The children quieted instantly. The other, a slender man who seemed very preoccupied with the contents of the ticket book, ambled along, heedless of the way the other shielded him from the crowd.
“House of the future, Jeeves? That sounds rummy. How would they know?”
“I am sure it is a suggestion, only.”
They drew some attention at the carousel when the taller man addressed the other as ‘my lord.’ A park official met them at the exit and offered to show the slender man, a Lord Yaxley, and his valet, Reginald Jeeves a new club. They agreed, Lord Yaxley looking back at his valet from time to time. Inside the club, a corporate magnate recognized Lord Yaxley and invited him for drinks. Jeeves turned to go, but his master caught his arm.
“You will ooze over and evaluate that Tiki Room, Jeeves?” The man stiffened. “It’s no use looking like that. The tiki bar was rather entertaining. The Drones would have loved it. Angela has been nattering about it and someone has to buy her a tiki.” The official heard the exchange and offered to show Mr. Jeeves the inner workings of the new attractions.
The corporate magnate brought Lord Yaxley to have an early supper in a restaurant made to look like it was in a bayou. Neither of them said anything when Jeeves floated by in a boat, looking vaguely disapproving, while an official explained the workings of the attraction.
Lord Yaxley seemed very taken with the small dolls that danced about in scenes from around the world. No one else noticed Jeeves’s lips quirk as his master tried not to jump out of the boat when the ride became stuck.
Late that night, Lord Yaxley, dressed in a shirt featuring a cheerful looking mouse, sat in his bed rubbing his aching feet. Jeeves shimmered about the suite in a dressing gown, smiling and humming the song from one of the attractions, a pair of mouse ears embroidered to read “Reginald” perched on his head.
“I hope you are satisfied, Reggie,” said Bertie, wincing as he found a blister. “The feet are massed with blisters and corns.”
“I will bring the salve immediately, my dear,” said Jeeves. He climbed into the bed and began to rub one of Bertie’s slender feet. “Thank-you so very much for accompanying me. I do enjoy these attractions. And the mechanics are quite fascinating, even if the pirate ride is somewhat distasteful.”
Bertie smiled warmly. “I know, Reggie. I hope you did not mind awfully when I sloped off to that club?”
Jeeves looked up and a hint of sadness flashed on his face. “No, of course not. You do dislike these popular amusements. I only wish we could be more open…”
“They’ll pass that law in Old Blighty soon, Jeeves, but for now we have Paris.”
Jeeves nodded. “Shall I keep to the other bed until we return?”
Tears welled up in Bertie’s eyes. “I’d rather you didn’t. It’s so hard to get to sleep without you.”
“I’ll stay with you until you doze off, then,” Bertie leaned against his lover. Jeeves smiled at the sound of his contented sigh. “We’ll be back at the flat tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait to be open about you at our real flat,” said Bertie, drifting off to sleep. Jeeves kissed his graying hair and settled him under the covers.
“Nor I, my darling,” he said. He thought back to the first morning he had knocked on the door at Berkeley Mansions, knowing that he had found a kind, generous master. How foolish of him not to have realized for years afterward that he had also found the love of his life.
Jeeves tidied away their things and settled himself into his own bed, admiring his new tiki-printed pajamas. Before he fell asleep, he carefully placed his mouse ears on the night table, then set down his new pocket watch, which featured an angry duck. It had been a marvelous trip, but he was ready to return home.