Ophelia rubbed her leg. “Only because he reminds you of your mother.”
Justine laughed despite herself. “He’d be a terrible mama.”
“Yes, so thank goodness no one will let him,” Ophelia agreed. “Now what did he say? I can ask Tristan to set him straight.”
Justine fell back onto the bed. She might as well tell Ophelia—she did see her sneak out last night, after all. “Francis knows something is going on with Karl and called me a harlot because he’s mad that I am an actual human person.”
Ophelia nodded. “Then he is more perceptive than I would have thought him to be.”
“How could you say that?” Justine demanded, sitting back up.
“I only mean that I am surprised Francis is able to discern that something is decidedly happening with you and Karl.”
Justine flopped back down, grunting out her disgust. “I hate your logic. Just be on my side, no matter what.”
“I am absolutely always on your side. However, your brother, in this one very particular case, is correct in describingthe action, not the person. But the attraction between you and Mr. Vogel is palpable.”
“Palpable?”
“Almost as if it had a smell,” Ophelia said.
Justine took her pillow and whacked Ophelia in the face with it. Being the good sport she was, Ophelia laughed and let herself be pulled down onto her back as well. They both stared up at the ceiling.
“I tried not being attracted to him, not speaking to him. But that made us both miserable.”
Ophelia hummed her agreement.
“So last night we talked about it, and we decided we get to be friends and attracted to one another, and after the Matterhorn, we will be physical.”
Ophelia sat bolt upright. “As in . . .?”
Justine turned on her side, surprised at the sudden wave of contentment that flowed through her thinking about their time together last night. It was as if her emotions couldn’t figure themselves out this morning. “As in, I’m not sure?”
Ophelia’s face grew very serious. “Then there is time to prepare.”
“Prepare for what?”
“For all possible outcomes. You will want some kind of anti-pregnancy precaution. We can ask Eleanor what they have been using. She may be able to procure something, given that she’s a married woman.”
“Procure?”
“And then, of course, we will have to figure out privacy for you, so that we can keep it secret.”
“Wait, Fee, this isn’t—”
“Our departure dates aren’t set, given how our expedition is weather-dependent. But we had planned on leaving shortly after our accomplishment. Perhaps you could persuadePrudence or Eleanor to stay after. I can’t, of course, be a chaperone, and my mother would be appalled if this happened on her watch.”
“Ophelia.” Justine touched her friend’s arm, often the only way to get her to stop her excessive catastrophizing. When she stopped speaking, Justine retrieved the empty water glass and filled it again from the ewer and gave it to Ophelia.
The gesture was not lost on her friend, who gave a wry smile and drank it down.
“Hearing you plan for intimacy between me and anyone takes the joy out of it. You are your own anti-pregnancy device.”
Ophelia snorted a very unladylike snort. They were silent for a moment. “What was the trouble with Francis again, if it was not the situation with Mr. Vogel?”
Right. That. She’d almost forgotten. “He called me a harlot.”
Ophelia was on her feet. “That will not stand.”
