Surveying her for her reaction was just distraction enough from his aching bones and immediate enough that he couldn’t yet sink into sleep; besides, though she said little she didn’t seem too perturbed. There was no reason she would need to be, naturally, but - it was something they hadn’t talked about, and they known each other for so long now that there was not much that had happened in either of their lives that hadn’t come up, at some point or another.
Elsie had always been good at listening, easy to tell things to... but so too had Miss Delaney, Tyb remembered in slight horror, when Elsie made it sound as if she had been transparent. He could imagine Elsie being a little twitchy, but it was probably his fault if Caroline had already had a clue.
“She’s a peculiar girl,” Tyb remarked with a slight shake of his head, surprised that she had become friends with him after all; surprised that she seemed the consummate socialite and still had seemed almost at home tossing about a quaffle. With a wry grin to follow it, he made a little noise in the back of his throat. “But I, uh, don’t think that was all you. I might have already mentioned... someone to her. Well, you know. You.” He squinted in slight apology, more vexed at himself than anything. He had done so well at keeping this secret all these years, and had somehow let Miss Delaney come along and needle him into it, scarcely trying! Fortunately, thus far she had proved herself trustworthy. (And too observant by half.) “I don’t usually go around telling people, I swear,” he added. “It just came out.”
Elsie had always been good at listening, easy to tell things to... but so too had Miss Delaney, Tyb remembered in slight horror, when Elsie made it sound as if she had been transparent. He could imagine Elsie being a little twitchy, but it was probably his fault if Caroline had already had a clue.
“She’s a peculiar girl,” Tyb remarked with a slight shake of his head, surprised that she had become friends with him after all; surprised that she seemed the consummate socialite and still had seemed almost at home tossing about a quaffle. With a wry grin to follow it, he made a little noise in the back of his throat. “But I, uh, don’t think that was all you. I might have already mentioned... someone to her. Well, you know. You.” He squinted in slight apology, more vexed at himself than anything. He had done so well at keeping this secret all these years, and had somehow let Miss Delaney come along and needle him into it, scarcely trying! Fortunately, thus far she had proved herself trustworthy. (And too observant by half.) “I don’t usually go around telling people, I swear,” he added. “It just came out.”
