30th April, 1892 — Darrow Dinner Party, Irvingly
Evander couldn’t quite believe that Caroline had actually invited her.
And to make matters worse, the woman wouldn’t leave Caroline’s bloody side! Evander would have liked to be Caroline’s mute shadow, standing quietly by her while she mingled with their guests for the evening – but no, Mrs. Warbeck had gotten there first. As if she was still playing the part of supportive husband! Merlin!
Evander ought to be grateful for all she had done, probably. He had gotten a letter of apology from her after the incident, which spoke to her integrity, and Caroline had told him some of what had occurred in those days he had been out of his own body and Delilah Warbeck had been inhabiting his clothes and house and life. On the whole, it could have been much, much worse. It even sounded as though Mrs. Warbeck had been almost – well, a good interim spouse. And she and his wife were apparently friends now, which was...
Well, not ideal. Evander wasn’t sure how to cope with the fact that someone had been intimately aware of what it was to be Evander Darrow; it was a blessing it had not come up as a topic too raucously at dinner (and Alfred had been the double of a vampire, which was as good a way as any to divert the topic when it arose); but eventually, dinner was over and they were back to mingling, and Evander could not actually avoid her forever.
It was only because he couldn’t bear to play cards, though, that he approached her now, Irvingly dark and still outside their parlour windows. “Mrs. Warbeck,” he said politely, all the awkwardness confined to the expression in his eyes as he glanced at her. “I hope you’ve been enjoying your evening here? Er, thank you for coming, I should say.” A safer opening than I don’t understand how you and my wife are like old friends, or thank you for being a half-decent husband to Caroline in my absence, or dear Merlin, I am so dreadfully sorry you had to be me for even a minute, at any rate. Perhaps they wouldn’t even need to bring it up at all?
And to make matters worse, the woman wouldn’t leave Caroline’s bloody side! Evander would have liked to be Caroline’s mute shadow, standing quietly by her while she mingled with their guests for the evening – but no, Mrs. Warbeck had gotten there first. As if she was still playing the part of supportive husband! Merlin!
Evander ought to be grateful for all she had done, probably. He had gotten a letter of apology from her after the incident, which spoke to her integrity, and Caroline had told him some of what had occurred in those days he had been out of his own body and Delilah Warbeck had been inhabiting his clothes and house and life. On the whole, it could have been much, much worse. It even sounded as though Mrs. Warbeck had been almost – well, a good interim spouse. And she and his wife were apparently friends now, which was...
Well, not ideal. Evander wasn’t sure how to cope with the fact that someone had been intimately aware of what it was to be Evander Darrow; it was a blessing it had not come up as a topic too raucously at dinner (and Alfred had been the double of a vampire, which was as good a way as any to divert the topic when it arose); but eventually, dinner was over and they were back to mingling, and Evander could not actually avoid her forever.
It was only because he couldn’t bear to play cards, though, that he approached her now, Irvingly dark and still outside their parlour windows. “Mrs. Warbeck,” he said politely, all the awkwardness confined to the expression in his eyes as he glanced at her. “I hope you’ve been enjoying your evening here? Er, thank you for coming, I should say.” A safer opening than I don’t understand how you and my wife are like old friends, or thank you for being a half-decent husband to Caroline in my absence, or dear Merlin, I am so dreadfully sorry you had to be me for even a minute, at any rate. Perhaps they wouldn’t even need to bring it up at all?
