Perhaps it was only the dark playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn her eyes were gleaming more brightly by the minute. Perhaps that was what happened the longer one looked.
But he had asked her a question, so could do little else but watch her sidelong as she spoke now, his gaze following the curve of her lips as her mouth moved, the helpless little hand gesture she made, the slightest touch of colour coming to her cheeks the longer she talked. He did not know exactly what to make of all this, but he could at least try to make an attentive study, and he felt - oddly - that she had come strangely more alive with this answer. There must be a great deal of truth in it, then, truth or feeling or something terribly sincere caught up in it all.
Which he supposed made sense, for talk had turned back to family. Merlin knew family was not always so easy to deal with - and Evander sometimes struggled to find gratification in it, particularly these days - but he was quite of the opinion that it was not something to be neglected. One had a duty to one’s family, after all. And he and Miss Delaney knew well enough to appreciate that that they had, naturally, given their real or imagined losses.
(And to think that he had been expecting something much shallower from her.)
“I must disagree with you, Miss Delaney,” Evander said, in earnest. “I cannot find any foolishness in that at all. I think it very noble, and very good of you.” (And that she was so committed to her family as to feel so strongly on the matter, enough to upend her own life entirely to look out for her brother - well, who could say that would not be an excellent quality in a wife?)
Here might be a good moment, then, to mention his very recent acquisition of a niece to his own household. Then they would see if she was quite so dedicated to supporting a family as she said... But that was too much, certainly, for tonight - especially as her chaperon seemed to recognise a building up ahead, and he didn’t dare leave the evening on a revelation like that. Evander was surprised to find he did not much wish to leave the evening at all just yet, but there was little enough to be done for that.
“And knowing how difficult anyone’s family can upon occasion be,” he added, instead, smiling at her more lightly, “I do admire you for all you’ve done.”
But he had asked her a question, so could do little else but watch her sidelong as she spoke now, his gaze following the curve of her lips as her mouth moved, the helpless little hand gesture she made, the slightest touch of colour coming to her cheeks the longer she talked. He did not know exactly what to make of all this, but he could at least try to make an attentive study, and he felt - oddly - that she had come strangely more alive with this answer. There must be a great deal of truth in it, then, truth or feeling or something terribly sincere caught up in it all.
Which he supposed made sense, for talk had turned back to family. Merlin knew family was not always so easy to deal with - and Evander sometimes struggled to find gratification in it, particularly these days - but he was quite of the opinion that it was not something to be neglected. One had a duty to one’s family, after all. And he and Miss Delaney knew well enough to appreciate that that they had, naturally, given their real or imagined losses.
(And to think that he had been expecting something much shallower from her.)
“I must disagree with you, Miss Delaney,” Evander said, in earnest. “I cannot find any foolishness in that at all. I think it very noble, and very good of you.” (And that she was so committed to her family as to feel so strongly on the matter, enough to upend her own life entirely to look out for her brother - well, who could say that would not be an excellent quality in a wife?)
Here might be a good moment, then, to mention his very recent acquisition of a niece to his own household. Then they would see if she was quite so dedicated to supporting a family as she said... But that was too much, certainly, for tonight - especially as her chaperon seemed to recognise a building up ahead, and he didn’t dare leave the evening on a revelation like that. Evander was surprised to find he did not much wish to leave the evening at all just yet, but there was little enough to be done for that.
“And knowing how difficult anyone’s family can upon occasion be,” he added, instead, smiling at her more lightly, “I do admire you for all you’ve done.”
