“You actually sound a lot like Mr. Evergreen right now,” I said.
He smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment. You seem very fond of him.”
“He’s my friend,” I said.
“As far as I’m concerned, the four of us rode around the countryside this afternoon. If the Lord Commander learns of any ponds, it won’t be from me.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” he said. “Really.”
“I, I don’t know what to say. I feel indebted to you.”
“You’re not.” He pondered for a moment. “...Do you remember when my brothers and I came to stay in the summer one year?” he asked.
“Ah. I see you’ve been talking to Miss Jocelyn again,” I said.
“Miss Jocelyn?” he asked. “Not about you. Why? What do you mean? Have you been talking about me to her? Has she?”
“Oh, I, uh.”
“Like…” He leaned in. “In agoodway?”
“I, uh, well, I would definitely wager she has nothing bad to say about you, cousin,” I said.
“I see.”
“Youwere saying?” I asked.
“Sorry, yeah.” He still paused.
“Willoughby?”
“Sorry. I just meant to allude to the fact that, uh… Sorry.”
“When you and your brothers stayed…?” I led him.
“Right. I meant, I remember thinking how busy you must be not to have time for us. But now, and I do mean this with care, I think I realize maybe you just didn’t knowhowto spend time with us.”
“I think I was likely in lessons,” I replied.
“I don’t mean it rudely; I mean, I don’t think His Majesty let you be kid much, did he?” he asked. “It’s alright to have fun. It’s alright to like that you had fun. It’s alright to be friends with Mr. Evergreen. It’s not as though you wandered into the forest to well, you know, engage in poor decisions with him and be discovered in a cottage. You just swam with the lot of us. That’s all.”
“Nothing happened at the cottage,” I told him. “We had wine, just like today.”
“It’s really not about what did or didn’t happen,” he said. “It’s about what it looks like happened. Trust me, I’ve learned this as a Blade.”
“Well, you and Miss Josie are here now, so I cannot foresee any chance of misinterpretations from here on out,” I said. “You can lay off the scolding now.”
“I’m not scolding you,” he said. “I’m offering you my assistance.”
“Your assistance?” I asked.
“Yes. Let me help you maintain your image, Your Highness,” he said. “Let me protect it. Protect you.”
“Why would you want to do that? Why-Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked.
“You’re my cousin,” he said.
