She was on to him, clinging to the trail of the truth with the tenacity of a bulldog, but Ben wasn't going to allow himself to be deterred by her comments. "No, November, I'm not heartless," he agreed with a shake of his head. "But I was selfish, and acted very brashly in the past with no regard for how it might affect the — women I —" he hesitated here, not wanting to be too explicit with his baby sister but feeling that it might be most efficient to be blunt, so that he didn't have to repeat himself to clear up anything for her later in the conversation.

"— took my pleasure from," he concluded, cheeks flushing red. That was an over the top way of phrasing it, and it felt very unnatural to him, but maybe it would resonate with Nova; she liked dramatics, in the books she read. The more theatrical this confession was, perhaps the less likely she might be to question it. "I did spend a day alone in Mexico with Ellory Pendergast, and I did run about with Annabelle Scrimgeour, and I kissed her — amongst other things," he said vaguely, hoping Nova wouldn't press on that particular detail as he had no desire to elaborate. "And last Valentine's Day I — took Melody Finch's virtue in a closet at a ball, knowing that she was engaged to be married in less than two weeks. So you may be right in saying I had never seemed inclined to marry," he admitted, cheeks still flushed. "But it's certainly no less than I deserve."