Isa left him to his musings and took a quick turn around the room, picking up two tomes she did not recognize from the extensive Bielsa family library at home. She followed her sister out of the study, not bothering to disturb the old man with a goodbye.
“Why the rush to go home?” she asked Livia as they wound around the overgrown plants in the open courtyard. “I thought you could not wait to get out this morning?”
“No reason in particular,” Livia responded, keeping her eyes straight ahead.
“You can’t fool me.” Isa poked her sister’s shoulder. “What are you hiding?”
“You’re not my tutor anymore.” Livia leaned away from her. “I don’t have to do what you say.”
“I’m still your older sister!” After finishing her own studies, Isa had tutored Livia. It had quickly become clear that not enough learning was happening between all their arguments, and they had ended that experiment as quickly as possible. Isa poked Livia again as they left the open courtyard and stepped onto the busy street.
“Ladies,” a smooth voice called out to them, “how excellent to run into you.”
Isa kept walking, pretending she had not heard the voice.
Livia had stopped, though, and turned to face the young man quickly approaching them.
Forcing a smile on her face, Isa turned as well. “You are back from your trip so early?”
The young man faltered for a moment. “No, today was... were you not expecting me?”
“Of course we were.” Livia smiled at the young man, throwing a small glare toward her sister. “Isa has only just returned from Iseldis herself and has not been paying attention to these things.”
“How did you find Iseldis?” The young man, Macklin Surrell, turned to Isa. “I am sure none of the uncouth warriors could compare to our more learned society?”
Isa lifted her head to nod, trying to decide if she actually agreed with him or if she was merely too tired to engage in a prolonged discussion.
“She has told me nothing about the prince’s ball,” Livia said, inserting herself back into the conversation. “So, I’m sure it was nothing worth noting. How did you do on the exams?”
“I passed them,” he responded, his smile wide with news of his achievement as he glanced between them, “with highest honors, of course.”
Isa tried to ignore the way his shoulders were so close to his chin, as though he were puffing up his chest or trying to appear taller. She reminded herself that he had every right to be proud for passing his exams. They were the mark of a true scholar, like her father, and it was not Macklin’s fault that women had never been invited to participate in the exam process.
“So you can continue to be my tutor, Professor Surrell?” Livia asked, also smiling wide.
“Yes,” Macklin responded to Livia, but his eyes were on Isa. “If your father will have me.”
Isa’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. The way Macklin was smiling at her... it felt as though he wasn’t even seeing her. His smile was entirely for himself. He seemed to be looking forward to an award he deserved. Isa would argue with her dying breath that the reward on his mind had nothing to do with securing his position as Livia’s tutor.
She reached for her sister’s elbow. “Were you not anxious to be getting home, Livia? We really should go.”
“What?” Livia replied innocently. “Why would I need to rush home?”
Isa’s jaw clenched. Her sister was no longer a child, but she was indeed acting like one.
“That is precisely where I was headed.” Macklin seemed to have missed the non-verbal interaction between the sisters. “I will accompany you.”
Livia smiled up at him.
Isa quickly turned and took out her anger by setting the pace as quickly as she could for home. Her home. Her home, which was once again about to be the home of Livia’s returning tutor. Not for the first time, Isa bitterly regretted going to the ball in Iseldis. She would have stayed home had her mother not insisted that she accept the invitation. If she had declined it, she could have enjoyed a blissful three weeks of life at home without Macklin Surrell’s presence. The same Macklin Surrell who had picked up his pace to catch up with her.
Just as he reached her side, Isa rounded a corner and nearly ran into a young woman coming from the opposite direction. Recognizing her childhood best friend, Isa instinctively smiled at Marlena.
For the smallest fraction of a second, Marlena returned her smile. But then her eyes landed on the young man at Isa’s side, and her smile disappeared. With a sharp inhale, Marlena looked away and stepped around them.
“Pardon us,” Macklin said, stepping aside to let her pass.
Isa’s eyes burned. She tried to inhale, but her lungs constricted tightly instead of expanding as they should have done. She and Marlena had always been best friends. But every time Marlena fell for a boy, he would inevitably overlook her and shower his attention on Isa instead. Isa had done everything in her power to discourage this, but Macklin Surrell’s obvious preference had finally been too much for Marlena, and their friendship had not survived.
