“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.”
“Is that the only reason, my lord?” Vincent inquired. “Your commitment?”
Austin did not want to respond to that so he didn’t. He stalked away from the corner and approached the two, stating that he wanted to try on a few more items. Mr. Young jumped at the chance and Lavender only raised her brows in surprise. He couldn’t understand why he did it either. All he knew was that he didn’t like the thought of Colin Asher doing a better job at this than he was.
He clung to that thought for the next hour it took for this to be over. By the end of it, Austin was leaving with two new waistcoats and a new pair of breeches. Not to mention a promise for more clothes to arrive over the next few days. He had to admit that when the Latrices spent, they did so without holding back.
Lavender looked rather pleased with herself as they made their way back to the carriage. Austin pictured Colin rushing forward to open the door for her and he found himself doing exactly that without thinking. She frowned at him but said nothing as she climbed in.
“I must say, Austin,” she said once they were settled in. “I did not expect you to become so eager by the end of it.”
“I was not eager,” he explained. “I figured it would end quicker if I was a little less reluctant, that’s all.”
“A wise thought. But thank you all the same.”
“You needn’t thank me. I was not the one who spent their money in there.”
“Goodness, why don’t you accept my gratitude and be done with it?” she said, rolling her eyes.
Did she know how charming she was when she spoke so bossily? Her confidence was one of the most endearing things about her, Austin realized. That and the way her eyes grew smaller as her smile became wider.
“Very well,” he mumbled, turning his attention to the window. If he stared at her for too long, he was sure just where his mind would take him.
Despite that, it wasn’t long before he was stealing glances. At first, it was because she’d said something and he’d thought she was addressing him. When he realized that she was talking to her brother, Austin turned his eyes out the window. Then it came darting back when she laughed, when she gasped when she spoke with annoyance, and when he thought he might catch her rolling her eyes. She didn’t try to engage him in the conversation—probably because he had been so miserable all day—and at first he preferred it that way.
Then he thought of how easily Colin would have been able to integrate himself into the conversation and he didn’t like it anymore.
Still, he stayed quiet all the way to their home. He managed to hold his tongue as they all alighted. Vincent was the first to say goodbye. Just as Lavender was about to do the same, Austin stopped her.
“I would like to speak with you for a moment, Lavender,” he said earning the surprise of both brother and sister.
Lavender looked back at Vincent and nodded, silently telling him to give them some privacy. Vincent’s curiosity kept him lingering for a moment before he turned and walked off.
“What is it?” Lavender asked.
Austin scratched the back of his head. He hadn’t thought this all the way through. All he knew was that he didn’t want to part ways just yet and had acted on that.
Lavender’s frown deepened, eyes tinging with concern. “Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong,” he answered. “I just…don’t think I thanked you.”
“Thanked me? For what?”
“For doing what you’re doing for me.” The words were hard to say, even though Austin meant every word of them.
Lavender’s expression softened. “You needn’t thank me, Austin. I am selfishly thinking about my own needs in all of this, remember?”
“You only want me to believe that.”
“And yet it is never truly far from my mind,” she said with a laugh. “Well, if there is nothing else…”
“Will you accept me when I come to call you tomorrow?” Austin blurted out.
Lavender blinked. “You…what?”
“It is a simple question,” he mumbled, looking away. “I’m sure I needn’t repeat myself.”
