Kieran's hands were shaking where he was holding the paper. And maybe it was because of the lack of drink, but he rather thought it was sheer disbelief — that something good had happened for Britain, that people outside of their little gang of friends had voted for Jude, that he was going to spend the next few years more hopeful than he was afraid. Dempsey would be fine. Maybe he would get suffrage, maybe (more likely) he would not — but he wasn't evil, and Kieran had thought that so many of the other candidates that were evil.

"First last night," Kieran said; his eyes were crinkled up in the corners. "But second in the election, yes."

He reached out to grab Jude's hand, and squeezed it. Beyond the results, Dempsey winning, Jude in second — their lives would not have to change too significantly for Kieran to have him, to have this.