“Stop it,” she said, but there was a hint of a smile as she swatted his arm. The sound, small as it was, made his chest loosen.
He sat beside her, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from her body, to catch the familiar scent of jasmine and something uniquely her.
“Tell me what happened.”
She hesitated, then pulled a blanket over her knees. “I went to the Royal Menagerie with Lottie, Marianne, and Aunt Eugenia. Afterwards, we went to that little café—the one meant for ladies. You know the one.”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“Well, people were whispering. Staring. I went outside for air, and—” Her voice caught. “Three women were standing just around the corner, talking about me. Awful things. Cruel things.”
His fists clenched. The urge to demand names, to seek out these women and make them answer for their cruelty, was overwhelming. “Do not tell me you ran away crying. That is not the Evelyn I know.”
“Of course not. I rang a right peel over their heads,” she said defiantly. “Gave them a severe censure and reminded them I am above them in station, and I will tolerate no such behavior. Then I left… and then I cried.”
He smiled, the corners of his mouth tugging upward despite himself. Of course, she had. Evelyn would never suffer an insult in silence. He moved a little closer.
“And now?” he asked.
She looked at him, and he saw something vulnerable in her eyes that made his breath catch. “Now I’m exhausted.”
Without thinking, he put an arm around her. She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest, and the simple contact sent warmth spreading through his entire body. She fit against him perfectly, as if she’d been made to rest just there.
“These rumors,” she whispered. “At first, they were amusing. But now… I see you were right.”
He blinked. “Did you just say I was right? I should record this moment.”
“Hush.”
“No, truly. Pigs must be ice-skating. Has hell frozen over? Shall I summon a clergyman?”
She laughed, and it lit her face like sunlight breaking through fog. The sound vibrated through his chest, and he wanted to capture it, to keep it safe forever.
“I hate that they say these things,” she said. “About your uncle. About me. I never wanted—” She stopped, and her voice faltered again. “I never wanted this.”
His breath caught. The way she was looking at him—soft, unguarded, almost tender—made his heart race. When had she stopped being the sharp-tongued woman who challenged his every word and become this? When had she become the person he thought of first upon waking and last before sleep?
“We can’t let this continue,” she said. “You ought to write to the scandal sheets.”
He stiffened. “That would be like pouring oil on fire.”
“Then what?”
The answer came to him with painful clarity
Instead, he said what he knew he should, “You need to court someone.”
She pulled back, eyes narrowing. “Do you think there’s anyone left? Anyone who still wants to court me?”
The way she said it—it wasn’t just curiosity. It was a question pointed at him. A challenge. A plea. Did she mean him?
His hand found her cheek without conscious thought, his thumb tracing the delicate line of her cheekbone. Her skin was silk-soft and still slightly damp from her tears. “We’ll find someone,” he whispered, hating himself for the lie. “We’ll host a ball. I’ll make the invitations myself. If I ask them, they’ll come to a ball at least. And if you stop pushing them into ponds, telling them tales, and otherwise mortifying them, they will be captivated and one will be everything you want in a husband and more.”
Because how could they not be? How could anyone meet Evelyn—fierce, brilliant, beautiful Evelyn—and not fall completely under her spell?
She sniffed and placed her hand on his, her fingers cool against his skin. “I am so tired, Nathaniel,” she murmured. Her head dropped once again to his chest, and he felt the precise moment she surrendered her weight to him completely.
He held her close, breathing in the scent of her hair, feeling the steady rhythm of her breathing against his chest. His hand moved of its own accord to stroke her hair, the dark silk sliding through his fingers like water.
