His gaze lingered on her for a moment before finally putting his hands over his face. “Then tell me,” he said, muffled. “Tell me and get it over with.”
Addington watched him rub his hands over his face, wearily. “Do you know why Lista ran from you?” she asked.
“Why?”
“Because she thinks you are handsome and she further believes that she is far below your social station,” Addington said. “It’s pathetic, really. She’s much like you, Julian– she doesn’t believe she’s worthy of happiness. In her case, it’s because of her mother. She says no man would want her because of her mother.”
His hands came away from his face. “That is ridiculous.”
“Do you think so?”
“I do.”
“Do you think she’s pretty?”
“She’s marvelous.”
“She said the same thing about you.”
His head popped up. “She said… shewhat?”
Addington fought off a grin. “She said that she thought your eyes were marvelous, just like the rest of you.”
That caused him to sit up, looking at his sister quite incredulously. But there was also great suspicion there. “Addie, tell me that you did not say… anything about…me. Please.”
She knew what he meant and she wasn’t going to admit that she had indeed mentioned his eye color. That was something the entire family knew but never spoke of. For Julian’s sake, they’d learned not to. Therefore, she didn’t want to embarrass the man. In this case, her honesty only went so far.
“Why would I do that?” she said. “She did notice our eye color, however, and I told her that our father had the same eyes. I told her we all had similarly colored eyes. But that is all I said about it.”
Julian studied her for a moment as if trying to determine just how much truth she was telling him. “And?”
“And she said that she had seen your eyes and they were marvelous, like the rest of you.”
He didn’t say anything right away. He just stared at her, almost suspiciously. “Did she really say that?”
“I swear to you on Papa’s grave that she said it. I would not lie, Julian.”
He thought about it. The suspicion in his expression died away, replaced by disbelief and then a hint of delight. The corners of his mouth twitched as he lay back down and covered his face with his hands.
“Surprising,” he said.
Addington jumped to her feet and slapped him on the leg again.
“Is that all you have to say?” she demanded. “Julian, there is a woman who thinks you are marvelous within the walls of Berwick. What are you going to do about it?”
He didn’t answer fast enough and she spanked him again, causing him to finally grab her hands so she couldn’t hit him again.
“Whatever I do, I will not be pushed into it by you,” he said. “Stop hitting me or I’ll toss you into the wardrobe and lock the doors.”
Addington tussled with him. “I’m hitting you because you are an idiot,” she said. “You deserve to be hit if you do not do something about this. I am putting a woman in your hands and all you can say is ‘surprising’?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to say ‘marvelous’!”
“Marvelous!”
Addington yanked her hands from his grip. “Then get your shoes on and go to the hall,” she said. “If you are not there when I arrive with Lista, I will tell Mother what I have told you and let the winds blow where they may.”
