Reuben was coming very quickly to the conclusion that he did not care at all for Mrs. Abercrombie. The fact that she had sent letters to both of his brothers seemed like both an overreaction to his letters (since, in Ben's mind, he'd made it pretty clear that he had no intention of continuing to try and see the princess) and a gross violation of decorum, given that he'd never even met this bitch. Before he could say anything about the evils of Mrs. Abercrombie, though, Aldous had reached into his pocket. Ben's breath caught in his throat, assuming he as about to be confronted with his own letter. He may have written it, and he may have thought it was for the best when he did, but he didn't want to see it again. He wasn't proud of how he'd treated Ellory--he just thought it would be better for her, in the end.

What Aldous actually ended up pulling out of his pocket, however, was much worse, and something Ben was in no way prepared for.

For a long moment he wasn't able to say anything at all, but simply stared at his oldest brother, mouth agape. When he did finally speak, his voice was small and half a tone lighter. "Perversions?" he said, in disbelief. "I... I was trying to bring her flowers..."