“Evander!” Caspian greeted. “I do hope we are not disturbing.”
“It is good to see you,” Thalia added. “Evander, it has been too long.”
Caspian stood closely with his wife, one arm around her waist, the other rested on her swollen belly. And she stood with one arm around him also, attached at the hip as it was, a married couple happily in love and desperate to remind everybody of the fact.
“What are you doing here?” Evander asked rather rudely. He did not mean to, but he had been caught by surprise, and Evander never did like surprises.
Caspian laughed. “I told you he would be mad.”
“Oh, he is not mad,” Thalia said. “He is just…” Her eyes moved past Evander and widened when they fell upon Miss Finch, who was just now walking down the steps and onto the street. “Octavia! Look who it is!”
Miss Finch balked in surprise. “Lady Amberall… of course!” She laughed and rushed forward. “I knew I recognized that name.”
The two women met and embraced, laughing all the while.
“You know each other?” Evander looked between them. “How is this possible?”
“I know Octavia from the bookstore,” Thalia explained. “I’m a regular there… or I was. I was told how they fired you.”
Miss Finch scoffed. “Unjustly, might I say.”
“I have no doubt,” Thalia laughed.
“I was telling Thalia of your new governess…” Caspian walked forward and slapped Evander on the shoulder. “Wouldn’t youknow it, she recognized the name immediately. Why do you think we’re here?”
Evander’s brow furrowed in discernment. While this was not anything to be upset by, it was rather random and unexpected, and it left a bad taste in Evander’s mouth.
“Oh!” Miss Finch held Thalia by her hands. “We are just about to go for a walk. Would you like to join us?”
“Caspian?” Thalia looked at her husband.
“Are you up for it?” He eyed her pregnant belly.
“I will be fine.” She waved him down. “We have so much to catch up on.” She took Miss Finch’s hands again. “Unless this baby falls out of me right now, I will not be stopped.” The two women laughed, Caspian joined in, and Evander glowered.
He should not have cared that his friend and wife wanted to join their walk. It was a perfectly natural thing, and such moments as these should be coveted and enjoyed for what they were.
However, just as Evander knew it was wrong to be upset, he was that… upset, that is. Despite his self-assurances, despite his forced apathy, the truth of the matter is that he had been looking forward to this walk. A chance to better understand Miss Finch, a chance to be closer to his son without judgment. And now…
Perhaps I should turn around and go inside. I doubt anyone would even notice.
“Is something the matter, Evander?” Caspian asked as the two men walked side by side through the park.
“No,” Evander said. “Why would you say that?”
“Oh, no reason…” Caspian eyed him. “While some might find it hard not to, I am not some. You seem to be in an even worse mood than usual.”
“I am not,” Evander said simply.
Caspian continued to eye him skeptically. “You are not upset that Thalia and I are interrupting your walk, are you?”
“Do not be absurd.”
Caspian said nothing, raising his eyebrows, no doubt at how abrupt and sharp Evander’s rebuke was.
“Why would I be upset?” Evander added.
“No reason…” Caspian looked away, even as he wore a knowing smirk. “No reason at all.”
