Poppy began to speak and Atticus pulled one of the scones in front of him, taking a bite as she blurted out words he hadn’t expected. He nearly choked on the bite but managed to swallow around it. Why in the hell hadn’t Basil mentioned that tidbit when he’d be home last weekend? His eyebrows furrowed together but he would deal with that little tidbit later. Atticus then honed in on a name he hadn’t heard in a decade, and a professor nonetheless. Augustus Lissington couldn’t teach his way out of a paper bag and he could only imagine some of the iditoic things that came out of his mouth. Of course he couldn’t tell Poppy that, not when she seemed to believe he’d done something well in terms of protecting her. If he was a part of it there was no doubt in the eldest Foxwood’s mind that he was the cause of it.
Memories of a freshly graduated Basil forced his way into his mind. Holding him, running his fingers through his hair, shushing him as he tried to coax the details out of him; Atticus could never get the entire truth but he wasn’t daft. He’d seen the way Lissington had looked at Basil and it was a way no man should ever look at another. And from the way his brother had been torn up about it, he could only assume the sentiments, to a degree, had been returned. But he wasn’t here to focus on that right now. He’d deal with Lissington later, instead choosing to turn his attention back toward his dear cousin.
“I’d certainly like to hit him with a spell right now,” he found himself murmuring as he turned his attention back toward her. Tears pricked against the corner of her eyes and Atticus stood before he could think better of it and moved toward her. He couldn’t place blame on her for feeling guilty for hurting anyone; Poppy, for all her flaws, always tried to do the right thing. His hand settled against her back before he was squatting next to her to pull her into an awkward hug.
Atticus hated to see his cousin cry. “Hey now. It’s ok.” Atticus cooed softly at her. His fingers brushed through her hair before he pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. “When I saw him he was as chipper as ever. He’s fine Poppy.” Even if he’d noticed something a bit off about his brother that weekend he surely wasn’t going to mention it to her. “Besides, who could forget about you?” No one. Poppy Dashwood was a gem and while excited to see her debut, he wasn’t excited to help deal with the riffraff of those who wished to court her.
Memories of a freshly graduated Basil forced his way into his mind. Holding him, running his fingers through his hair, shushing him as he tried to coax the details out of him; Atticus could never get the entire truth but he wasn’t daft. He’d seen the way Lissington had looked at Basil and it was a way no man should ever look at another. And from the way his brother had been torn up about it, he could only assume the sentiments, to a degree, had been returned. But he wasn’t here to focus on that right now. He’d deal with Lissington later, instead choosing to turn his attention back toward his dear cousin.
“I’d certainly like to hit him with a spell right now,” he found himself murmuring as he turned his attention back toward her. Tears pricked against the corner of her eyes and Atticus stood before he could think better of it and moved toward her. He couldn’t place blame on her for feeling guilty for hurting anyone; Poppy, for all her flaws, always tried to do the right thing. His hand settled against her back before he was squatting next to her to pull her into an awkward hug.
Atticus hated to see his cousin cry. “Hey now. It’s ok.” Atticus cooed softly at her. His fingers brushed through her hair before he pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. “When I saw him he was as chipper as ever. He’s fine Poppy.” Even if he’d noticed something a bit off about his brother that weekend he surely wasn’t going to mention it to her. “Besides, who could forget about you?” No one. Poppy Dashwood was a gem and while excited to see her debut, he wasn’t excited to help deal with the riffraff of those who wished to court her.
![[Image: cBAJGlb.png]](https://i.imgur.com/cBAJGlb.png)