Valerian returned her smile, though it was not as genuine or warm as he intended. His eyes were on her hands, and his mind was on his mother's words from the day in the greenhouse. Mother knew Tatiana better than any of them; she had raised her as a daughter and had treated her as such, even showing her preference over her own sons at time. Why would she not know what Tatiana wanted? But then - it could just as easily be a case of wishful thinking.
"If I paid a sickle for each thought I asked of you, I'm afraid I'd be out a week's worth of pay by the end of our conversation," he responded, his smile deepening ever so slightly. He did not wait for her response before continuing, as the banter might distract from the point he wished to make.
"Mr. Macmillan," he began, the name leaving him slowly, cautiously, "has not yet expressed his intentions to father yet." That was a fact; mother had said as much, and there was no way Eustace Macnair could get away with hiding such a detail from his wife. "But I am curious as to whether he's expressed them to you."
"If I paid a sickle for each thought I asked of you, I'm afraid I'd be out a week's worth of pay by the end of our conversation," he responded, his smile deepening ever so slightly. He did not wait for her response before continuing, as the banter might distract from the point he wished to make.
"Mr. Macmillan," he began, the name leaving him slowly, cautiously, "has not yet expressed his intentions to father yet." That was a fact; mother had said as much, and there was no way Eustace Macnair could get away with hiding such a detail from his wife. "But I am curious as to whether he's expressed them to you."
