Jasper smiled to Christabel's greeting, then caught Victor's severe expression and awkwardly looked away. It was unacceptable to show up late like that, that was true, but when Victor took his school friend's hand to lead their company to the dining room, he felt something like annoyance towards his brother too. Christabel had been his friend throughout Hogwarts and here was Victor, out of the blue, courting her and inviting her family over for dinner. This didn't sit right with Jasper. It wasn't that he didn't want his brother's happiness, he just found this match... odd. He imagined Victor would marry someone more like... him, whatever that meant. And what did Christabel find in Victor? Not that Jasper thought his brother a terrible choice of a husband — Victor and Christabel just didn't feel right, that was all.
And if Victor had been interested in Miss Dempsey all this time, why did he wait to tell him about her just hours before the dinner party? Not that his friendship with Christabel had been public, exactly. With their age gap, it wasn't like Victor and Jasper had had the same friend groups at school. If Victor had had any female friends at Hogwarts, Jasper wouldn't know them. Come think of it, he didn't know all of the friends Victor kept, so there was no reason why his brother might know he'd been friends with Christabel when they were at school.
He just felt possessive of his relationship with Christabel. She had been his friend first, he had known her as his friend since they were eleven and now she was a contender for the Mrs. Daphnel title. He didn't want to think of her as anything other than his school friend. If she married some other man, it would be irrelevant to their past but if she married his brother, her status as his sister-in-law would outweigh that of his school friend.
Silently, he entered the dining room and took his seat next to Miss Dempsey. Mrs. Christabel Daphnel would be such a moutful once she and Victor got married.
And if Victor had been interested in Miss Dempsey all this time, why did he wait to tell him about her just hours before the dinner party? Not that his friendship with Christabel had been public, exactly. With their age gap, it wasn't like Victor and Jasper had had the same friend groups at school. If Victor had had any female friends at Hogwarts, Jasper wouldn't know them. Come think of it, he didn't know all of the friends Victor kept, so there was no reason why his brother might know he'd been friends with Christabel when they were at school.
He just felt possessive of his relationship with Christabel. She had been his friend first, he had known her as his friend since they were eleven and now she was a contender for the Mrs. Daphnel title. He didn't want to think of her as anything other than his school friend. If she married some other man, it would be irrelevant to their past but if she married his brother, her status as his sister-in-law would outweigh that of his school friend.
Silently, he entered the dining room and took his seat next to Miss Dempsey. Mrs. Christabel Daphnel would be such a moutful once she and Victor got married.