There was something about the way Austin rolled his eyes to the ceiling, as if calling on God for help, that made her smile widen and all thoughts of ending this engagement left her mind.
Chapter Nineteen
He’d been here for far too long. Austin was all but ready to tear his hair out in frustration. To make matters worse, the energetic tailor didn’t seem to be running out of steam any time soon. He always found something else to do, from taking measurements to choosing fabrics to talking about layers.
Austin finally found a break in the entire ordeal after a couple of hours. Mr. Young left him be—though gave him explicit instructions not to leave the shop—while he sorted through design styles with Lavender. They were in a deep discussion about today’s fashion, a conversation that Austin was happy they didn’t attempt to involve him in. He found a corner of the shop to stew in, to wait until he was dragged back to the center of the room to be primped and prodded all over again.
“It is quite a tedious affair, isn’t it?”
Austin grunted in agreement at Vincent’s observation. The merchant came to stand next to him, staring at his sister and the tailor.
“Every time Lavender visits Mr. Young, she spends all day and a small fortune,” he went on. “I do not know how she has the patience for it.”
“Women often love such things,” Austin said. “It does not surprise me that she is as thorough with choosing her clothing as she is with everything else.”
“Oh? That is quite an observation there, my lord. You seem to have gotten to know Lavender quite well.”
“I had no say in the matter. She does make it difficult to hide how headstrong and determined she can be. Otherwise, I never would have set foot in this place in the first place.”
Vincent laughed. “I cannot help but agree. My stubborn sister has quite a way of convincing you to do something before you know what you are agreeing to.”
“Is that why you came to find me that night?” Austin couldn’t help but ask.
“Partially. The truth was that I knew that Lavender needed to be married soon. And as her brother, as her guardian, I was in charge of making that happen. She only exacerbated the urgency by reminding me of her wish to attend this London Season.”
“She must be quite pleased with herself then,” Austin assumed. Lavender laughed at something Mr. Young said. The sound carried across the room and shaved away some of Austin’s ire at being here.
“I’m sure that she is.” Vincent paused, shifting from one leg to the other. “But are you, my lord?”
Austin tore his gaze away from Lavender to look at his brother. “Pardon me?”
“I know this is not what you planned for yourself. You only agreed to this for the money. Because of that, I cannot help but think I made a mistake by asking you to do this in the first place.”
“I made my decision.”
“Yes, you did,” Vincent agreed easily. “I shall come right out and say it then. Someone else has asked for Lavender’s hand in marriage. Someone who tells me how deeply in love he is with her.”
Austin straightened. Without thinking, his gaze fell back on Lavender, who was bent over what looked like a book. A tuft of hair had fallen from its hold and Austin was struck with the urge to cross the shop to tuck it away from her face.
“You are surprised, aren’t you?” Vincent went on. “As was I when he approached me. But I began thinking if perhaps coming to you that night might have been a mistake. You do not love my sister. But this man does. Perhaps it would be best for her if she chose him instead.”
“Who is this man?” Austin asked, his tone oddly calm despite the unusual sensation coursing through his body.
“Does it matter?” Vincent asked.
Austin paused before he nodded. “Yes.”
Vincent frowned at him. Whatever he saw on Austin’s face made him sigh and say, “If you must know, it was her friend, Mr. Colin Asher.”
He should have known. It had been obvious from the start. Colin Asher had ripped his heart out of his chest and placed it onhis sleeve the moment he chased after Lavender at that tea party. Austin was foolish to realize it only now.
He didn’t like the black emotion that curled in the pit of his stomach. When he looked back at Lavender, he imagined Colin here instead. Standing next to her, hand on her back, tucking that tuft of hair behind her ear. The thought made him sick.
“You needn’t think any further on it,” Austin stated coldly. “I have no intention of ending this betrothal.”
“If it is the money you want, my lord, I am more than willing to continue to help you adjust your investments and manage your properties so that you will able to take care of it yourself. It is the least I can do for what you have done for Lavender and me so far. You seemed to have made her a little happy in the last few days.”
“There isn’t any need to. I made a commitment and I shall stick by it.”
