He was teasing now, but he was also not-teasing. She should have felt little bad for him, for having caused him stress—but she did not. "No unmarried aunts that I know of," she teased back, "and this would be a dreadful piece of news to burden my younger sisters with. I'm afraid this secret will have to stay between us."

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— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

Gideon had never liked secrets in any capacity, but this secret was not his own and he knew that Miss Urquart bore a heavy burden; while he still believed telling someone would relieve her of some of it, there was always a chance that doing so would make her life more difficult.

He had to trust her. He wanted to trust her.

He would trust her, at least for now.

"I shall take it to the grave," he reassured gallantly. Hopefully his, and not Miss Urquart's untimely one.

  

My hero, she might have said aloud, except the situation was too solemn for that. She would have to take his word that he would not notify her family. At least she would know who to find if Papa cornered her one of these evenings.

"Thank you," she said instead, her voice soft and full of sincerity. "I promise to let you know if anything is out of the ordinary."

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The following 1 user Likes Delight Urquart's post:1 user Likes Delight Urquart's post
   Gideon Browne

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— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

"I will hold you to that, Miss Urquart," Gideon half reassured, half warned the witch, with much the same tone he would use to caution his younger sisters.

  

Managing a half-smile, Delight's gaze fell to her lap. The warning was not lost on her, nor was the severity of the consequences if she broke it.

"I have no doubt that you will."

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— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —