For a moment, he could only stare at her in utter incomprehension.
“Oh, for the love of Merlin,” Evander moaned, when it finally sank in. Gritting his teeth, he looked more closely at the fabric, finding some of the thread and pulling cautiously at it to snap a few of the stitches by hand. “It’s fine,” he assured her, though he huffed slightly as he battled with the seams. This was hardly the best way to go about it – a severing charm would no doubt have been more efficient, or better yet, a maid to help her – but every other method involved stepping away or waiting an age or rummaging about for his wand in the jacket he had already disposed of, and Evander simply didn’t dare, in case it went the way of their interrupted carriage activities and he froze up again and ruined it. They had already come too far to turn back now.
...And it was not as though she would have much use for this dress now that they were married, Evander considered, as he ripped open another section of it rather less neatly. (There was an obvious tear in the lace now, and a button or two hanging off uselessly – damned buttons – but hopefully Caroline was too preoccupied to pay this much mind.)
He was soon too preoccupied to pay it any notice at all, because he had finally tugged the dress off her, letting it pool out around her feet. Ha! There was still her corset and chemise to contend with but, keen not to lose momentum, Evander toed off his shoes, nudging them aside without looking, and began to guide them both towards the bed, heart thudding in his chest – at which point he met Caroline’s gaze and suddenly faltered. Maybe he had been doing this all wrong, and maybe she hadn’t protested yet because he hadn’t simply given her time to. “Is this – are you – do you – ?” he started, fumbling over the words and finding no elegant way to ask it; but what he meant was is this alright?
“Oh, for the love of Merlin,” Evander moaned, when it finally sank in. Gritting his teeth, he looked more closely at the fabric, finding some of the thread and pulling cautiously at it to snap a few of the stitches by hand. “It’s fine,” he assured her, though he huffed slightly as he battled with the seams. This was hardly the best way to go about it – a severing charm would no doubt have been more efficient, or better yet, a maid to help her – but every other method involved stepping away or waiting an age or rummaging about for his wand in the jacket he had already disposed of, and Evander simply didn’t dare, in case it went the way of their interrupted carriage activities and he froze up again and ruined it. They had already come too far to turn back now.
...And it was not as though she would have much use for this dress now that they were married, Evander considered, as he ripped open another section of it rather less neatly. (There was an obvious tear in the lace now, and a button or two hanging off uselessly – damned buttons – but hopefully Caroline was too preoccupied to pay this much mind.)
He was soon too preoccupied to pay it any notice at all, because he had finally tugged the dress off her, letting it pool out around her feet. Ha! There was still her corset and chemise to contend with but, keen not to lose momentum, Evander toed off his shoes, nudging them aside without looking, and began to guide them both towards the bed, heart thudding in his chest – at which point he met Caroline’s gaze and suddenly faltered. Maybe he had been doing this all wrong, and maybe she hadn’t protested yet because he hadn’t simply given her time to. “Is this – are you – do you – ?” he started, fumbling over the words and finding no elegant way to ask it; but what he meant was is this alright?
