“Of course,” Evelyn said, her hand following Thalia’s gaze to the top of her head, where she belatedly realized she had haphazardly piled her hair, her quill pen sticking out of it.
“When you didn’t appear at breakfast, Asher was concerned. I told him I would check on you, as he seemed hesitant to do so himself,” Thalia said, biting her lip, her eyes straying past Evelyn through the crack in the door. Evelyn understood, for she was sure it made her appear to be hiding something.
“Goodness, my apologies. I became caught up in a few things. I will be down in a moment, once I tidy everything.”
“I can wait for you.”
“No, it’s fine, I…” Evelyn started, then trailed off, realizing how this must appear. She had taken dinner in her room last night, too uncertain about facing Asher after that kiss. The carriage ride home after their incident had been tense, with desire and uncertainty hanging in the air, as though each of them wanted to say something but neither knew what or how.
Then Evelyn had even sent her maid away this morning.
“Very well,” she said with a sigh, opening the door and allowing Thalia to enter while she walked toward the mirror tocheck her appearance, startled when she saw herself. No wonder Thalia had worn that expression.
She knew Asher was downstairs, had heard the water in the washbasin through the wall that joined their rooms together, had felt the thump of his footsteps through the floor, and had heard the door close behind him.
He was obviously an early riser, keeping to a precise schedule, everything orderly and routine.
Whereas she… Evelyn turned around, looking at her bed again, finding Thalia’s eyes were wide as she took it all in.
“Are you… working on something?” Thalia asked, obviously trying to keep her opinion hidden.
Evelyn twisted her fingers together as she attempted a small smile.
“I’m always working on something,” she said. “My mind… It’s always active, solving puzzles. I see how various pieces fit together. I subscribe to all the magazines and periodicals that post daily puzzles to keep my mind busy, or else…”
Or else it would make up problems that didn’t exist, making her feel like all the world’s issues were on her shoulders, and she didn’t have the capacity to solve them.
“That’s admirable,” Thalia said, walking over and picking up one of the periodicals that was lying open on her bed. “Asher told me you were quite intelligent.”
“He did?”
Unlike most gentlemen of her acquaintance, he had not seemed repelled—but she could not be sure it was something he would truly admire.
“He did,” Thalia said with a smile. “We’d better go down to breakfast, however. My mother is waiting.”
Evelyn winced before she could stop herself.
Thalia obviously noted as she softly laughed. “I know. My mother can be difficult, but she’ll come around. I promise.”
Evelyn wasn’t so sure about that, but she wasn’t going to argue with Thalia about it.
Instead, she prepared her mask of calm as she followed Thalia down to see Asher again. He was just a man, she reminded herself.
A man who just happened to be her husband.
Asher wasuncertain if his rising agitation at Evelyn’s disappearance was of his own doing or if it stemmed from his mother.
“At what hour does she rise?”
“I’m not certain,” Asher said, although he had heard Evelyn pacing her room as he lay in bed last night, their kiss replaying in his mind again and again. “She will be here when she is ready. We never discussed breakfast plans.”
“As a duchess?—”
“Mother,” he stopped her, raising his hand, but as he did so, Evelyn and Thalia filled the doorway. Evelyn’s hair was slightly undone, a satchel at her side with sketches spilling out.
“Your grace,” he said, standing and inclining his head toward her.
“Your grace,” she replied, first to him and then his mother.
