“Yes, the entire day,” Mr. Young reiterated. “Now stand still so that I may take your measurements.”
Austin looked just about ready to punch something. Lavender might have been amused by the sight if she wasn’t a little afraid that he actually would. She would hate for poor Mr. Young to get caught in the crossfire.
She approached him, grateful that her brother had wandered off to take in one of Mr. Young’s bespoke options of waistcoats. “You are scowling,” she whispered to Austin.
“How odd. One would think that I do not want to be here.”
“Need I remind you that you agreed to this yourself?” Lavender told him. “I did not force you to be here.”
He paused for a moment before pushing through gritted teeth, “I am well aware.”
“Then I suggest you act like it.” He looked sharply at her and Lavender gave him a sweet smile. “You should shave more often. I like it.”
Surprise softened his expression. He regarded her for a moment before asking, “How did it go yesterday? I hope you were not in too much trouble with your brother?”
“Vincent cannot stay angry at me for too long, even though he tries his hardest. He was far too preoccupied in a meeting with Colin to scold me much further.”
“Colin?” Austin’s scowl was back with full force. “Asher?”
“Yes, you met him at the tea party,” Lavender reminded him. “When I arrived home, Alice and he were there waiting for me. Apparently, Vincent was so worried that he went to Alice’s home to ask her if I had been there and she followed him back to our house to wait for me. Colin was already there to meet with my brother, I believe.”
“How convenient,” Austin grunted.
Lavender waved it off dismissively. “I’m sure it was about business matters, in which I have no interest. I do not even know when he left. I was too preoccupied talking with Alice about—"
She broke off before she could go any further. Embarrassment washed over her, warming her cheeks, so shepretended to be interested in something else and walked off, leaving Austin in the hands of Mr. Young and his measuring tape.
She approached her brother, looking back at Austin and his uncomfortable stiffness. “Won’t you tell me who this mysterious man who claims to be in love with me is?” Lavender asked him.
“I shall not,” Vincent answered easily. “But you have very few friends, Lavender. Surely you should be able to figure out who it is.”
“None of my friends would ever make such a confession,” she said. “You are only saying that to throw me off the scent. It is likely someone I do not know very well.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not.”
Lavender sighed. She knew it was foolish hope to try to get that information. But she was only curious. She had no intention of ending this engagement with Austin.
But what would happen if she did? The thought of marrying someone she could care for sounded appealing, even if her quest for revenge had put that thought out of her mind a long time ago. What would happen to Austin if she did? She knew he depended on her family’s money to do the repairs of his homes. Would the well run dry if she turned her back on him?
It was none of her concern, she told herself, watching as he reluctantly followed Mr. Youngs’s instructions to turn this way and that. He was a grown man, an earl. She was but a young woman who truly did want to start a family after she’d gotten her revenge on Lady Lively. It may be in her best interest to consider what her brother was suggesting.
The thought of doing that left a hole in her chest. The more she thought of it, the bigger the hole grew. Her gaze trailed after Austin as he was led to the changing room with some new waistcoats and breeches given to him by Mr. Young. He was a handsome man, she thought. Even with his reputation, he would fare far better at finding a new match than she did. After all, Lavender knew she was neither pretty nor funny. She was only smart and no man cared to stay long enough to admire such a thing. If there truly was a man out there who loved her, it would be a good idea to give it a chance, wouldn’t it?
She’d nearly convinced herself of it, despite how badly it made her feel, when Austin reemerged from the changing room. The moment he did, she forgot about her fears and confusion. She could only see him.
“What do you think?” Mr. Young exclaimed. “Dashing, isn’t he? Oh, he could be the Prince Regent himself! It is one of my best works, I assure you.”
Lavender said nothing as she studied Austin. He went to a nearby full-length mirror to look at himself. Even she could see that he was a little impressed by what he saw.
“Is this it?” he asked. “Are we done here?”
“Oh, wouldn’t you like that?” Mr. Young laughed, clearly unperturbed by Austin’s demeanor. “Come now. I have a few more for you to try on and then we are on to picking fabrics!”
“Oh dear God,” Austin groaned and it finally broke Lavender out of her haze. She laughed a little louder than she’d planned to, earning the attention of the males in the shop.
“You find this funny, do you?” Austin growled.
She met his eyes unflinchingly, not bothering to grace his words with a response. She only grinned broadly and gestured to the changing room. Mr. Young caught the hint and got into action, ushering Austin inside and telling him to wait there while he fetched a few more things for him to try on.
