Married, then. Just like that, married. It ought not take much to process it - it had been certainly coming for long enough - but all the same Evander felt he didn’t have enough time to dwell on it, before the flurry began again. Noise and movement and being ushered back to his house, and then they were thrown out into the reception at the Delaney house, and there were an abundance of people - and this had not been entirely Evander’s choice, for he found even Uncle Hamish’s extended family a great deal to comprehend on any occasion, and this felt decidedly louder and busier. (Perhaps it was the Delaney relatives; perhaps Americans were not so much used to regulating their tone of voice, because they seemed, more than anything, loud.)
At least he had adequate time to meet Caroline’s family already, or he thought, amongst all the greetings and congratulations they were being issued here, he might have blacked out from taking it all in. Maybe it was merely the strong flowery smell of the house today. Or maybe the sensation was worse while he had gotten drawn away from her, because even in scanning the room Caroline was scarcely in view, always entertaining some guest or another, a little too far to reach; and someone had set a drink in his hand and Evander, supposing it would settle the sudden reappearance of nerves and the buzzing of the room in his ears, swallowed it down without much tasting it.
Thankfully, he was sat down at last, and his wife - his wife, Merlin, how strange - was sitting down beside him, and the nerves were a little more subdued. “Mrs. Darrow,” he said quietly, and his mouth quirked again in a smile though in truth it was a little terrifying to say, as if he had just somehow yoked her to his cursed existence, was going to drag her down with him to misery and loneliness, but... But no, that was the thing: she was beside him, they’d made it here, they were married, everything was going to be different now. Entirely different, entirely new. “Is it all going - well, do you think?” he murmured to her, nodding out at the rest of the room as if he cared about the day’s plans; but at the same time eyeing her sidelong, hoping to read her face and see - a little contentment there, at least.
(And hopefully no glaring regret.)
At least he had adequate time to meet Caroline’s family already, or he thought, amongst all the greetings and congratulations they were being issued here, he might have blacked out from taking it all in. Maybe it was merely the strong flowery smell of the house today. Or maybe the sensation was worse while he had gotten drawn away from her, because even in scanning the room Caroline was scarcely in view, always entertaining some guest or another, a little too far to reach; and someone had set a drink in his hand and Evander, supposing it would settle the sudden reappearance of nerves and the buzzing of the room in his ears, swallowed it down without much tasting it.
Thankfully, he was sat down at last, and his wife - his wife, Merlin, how strange - was sitting down beside him, and the nerves were a little more subdued. “Mrs. Darrow,” he said quietly, and his mouth quirked again in a smile though in truth it was a little terrifying to say, as if he had just somehow yoked her to his cursed existence, was going to drag her down with him to misery and loneliness, but... But no, that was the thing: she was beside him, they’d made it here, they were married, everything was going to be different now. Entirely different, entirely new. “Is it all going - well, do you think?” he murmured to her, nodding out at the rest of the room as if he cared about the day’s plans; but at the same time eyeing her sidelong, hoping to read her face and see - a little contentment there, at least.
(And hopefully no glaring regret.)
