Never been this calm, sure, he could manage pretending that for about a heartbeat... but when the knocking came from the front door, Tybalt extricated himself from Elsie’s side and dashed down the stairs at breakneck pace. He gave himself only a split-second to smooth the expression on his face from ‘utterly alarmed’ to ‘sensibly concerned’, and then pulled open the door for Sebastian. After all, it was the early hours of the morning and the midwife wasn’t on her way yet – so who else would it be?
In any case – if it hadn’t all dissipated already – any of Tyb’s residual begrudging feeling towards Elsie’s cousin would be gone tonight, given the situation: he pulled him in from the rain with both hands, clutching at his arm in relief. “Thank Merlin you’re here,” Tyb exclaimed, while the door was open and the sound of the rain would almost certainly disguise anything he said from upstairs. Beauregard may look a little disoriented and bedraggled and bewildered, but in Tybalt’s eyes tonight, he was something nearer a saviour or a saint.
And, much as he would have liked to linger in the fresh air on the front doorstep for a moment longer, there wasn’t time for that, or the niceties of sorry, did we wake you?; and Sebastian would, naturally, understand. “Come on,” he declared, gesturing up the stairs and leading the way up them with a bounding step, though he lowered his voice to ask, nervously: “Tell me you’ve – done this before?”
In any case – if it hadn’t all dissipated already – any of Tyb’s residual begrudging feeling towards Elsie’s cousin would be gone tonight, given the situation: he pulled him in from the rain with both hands, clutching at his arm in relief. “Thank Merlin you’re here,” Tyb exclaimed, while the door was open and the sound of the rain would almost certainly disguise anything he said from upstairs. Beauregard may look a little disoriented and bedraggled and bewildered, but in Tybalt’s eyes tonight, he was something nearer a saviour or a saint.
And, much as he would have liked to linger in the fresh air on the front doorstep for a moment longer, there wasn’t time for that, or the niceties of sorry, did we wake you?; and Sebastian would, naturally, understand. “Come on,” he declared, gesturing up the stairs and leading the way up them with a bounding step, though he lowered his voice to ask, nervously: “Tell me you’ve – done this before?”
