Evander fought the instinct to roll his eyes when Alfred agreed to explain and then made no effort to without first hearing a question, when of course Evander had only said ‘can I ask’ to be polite about it! It wasn’t as though he wanted to ask for all the gossip in its gory detail; but when this young woman had his brother’s life in her hands he ought to be able to understand the full picture, he thought.
(Also she worked for the Ministry, and Evander needed to have a strategy of how to proceed should they ever cross paths in the atrium, or somewhere. To glare at her disapprovingly, or not to glare?)
But if he had hoped Alfred would do him a favour and unravel the mystery, his brother had not taken the bait. Probably he could guess that this was not Evander’s natural comfort zone.
“You said - at the hospital, you said that you tried to marry her,” Evander began, although he was aware that this was not a question. Still, it had come as a shock, and however distant they were as brothers, the idea that Alfred had been that close to marrying anyone was probably not supposed to be that much of a surprise. So - it hadn’t been public, then. Much as he ignored local gossipmongering, he was certain he’d have heard something about that. “When was that?”
Alfred had also said that it hadn’t worked out. And yet, when Evander had walked in on them her head had been on Alfred’s shoulder, so. How did that make sense. “And, er, you - but the two of you still seem - close?”
(Also she worked for the Ministry, and Evander needed to have a strategy of how to proceed should they ever cross paths in the atrium, or somewhere. To glare at her disapprovingly, or not to glare?)
But if he had hoped Alfred would do him a favour and unravel the mystery, his brother had not taken the bait. Probably he could guess that this was not Evander’s natural comfort zone.
“You said - at the hospital, you said that you tried to marry her,” Evander began, although he was aware that this was not a question. Still, it had come as a shock, and however distant they were as brothers, the idea that Alfred had been that close to marrying anyone was probably not supposed to be that much of a surprise. So - it hadn’t been public, then. Much as he ignored local gossipmongering, he was certain he’d have heard something about that. “When was that?”
Alfred had also said that it hadn’t worked out. And yet, when Evander had walked in on them her head had been on Alfred’s shoulder, so. How did that make sense. “And, er, you - but the two of you still seem - close?”
