“Mm.” Caspian hummed, unconvinced. “Of course,” Caspian said, his grin only growing wider.
The amusement in Caspian's eyes was deeply irritating. Damien abruptly turned away before the man could continue. He immediately regretted it.
Because his gaze landed upon Seraphine. Again. She remained seated upon the blanket with Rosaline and little Annie. The child appeared to be attempting to crown herself with wildflowers. Seraphine was helping her. The sight was absurdly wholesome. Damien hated how much he enjoyed watching it.
Then Lord Everend sat down beside her.
His mood soured instantly. Everend leaned towards Seraphine, saying something that made her laugh. Damien could not hear the words from this distance. Unfortunately, he could see her smile perfectly well. The gentleman then selected a piece of fruit from a nearby basket and offered it to her.
Seraphine accepted the offered fruit with a gracious smile.
Everend smiled in return, appearing entirely pleased with himself.
Damien felt something unpleasant tighten in his chest as he watched the exchange. The sensation arrived swiftly and without invitation. It settled somewhere beneath his ribs like a stone. For a moment he simply stared across the lawn, trying to convince himself that there was nothing remarkable about what he had just witnessed.
What nonsense. Absolute nonsense.
The man was doing precisely what Damien himself had encouraged. Had he not spent days reminding himself that Seraphine deserved a suitable husband? Had he not repeatedly insisted that he had no intention of pursuing her himself? Everend represented everything a sensible woman ought to seek in a husband.
He was respectable. Stable. Well-mannered. A gentleman with a good reputation, a comfortable fortune, and no troublesome scandals attached to his name. The sort of man mothers approved of, and fathers welcomed into their drawing rooms. Exactly the sort of husband Seraphine required.
Damien should have been pleased. Instead, his jaw tightened. His grip around his glass increased until the crystal protested with a faint creak. He immediately loosened his hold before he shattered it in front of half the county. The last thing he needed was to explain why the sight of another man offering Seraphine a piece of fruit had nearly resulted in property damage.
Across the lawn, Annie appeared to say something that made Seraphine laugh. The sound did not reach him from this distance, yet he could see the brightness of her expression clearly enough. Everend laughed as well, leaning slightly towards her as though they shared some private amusement.
Damien disliked that far more than he cared to admit.
Nearby, Caspian followed his gaze. “Oh.”
The single syllable carried entirely too much understanding. Damien instantly disliked that word.
Slowly, he turned his head towards his brother-in-law. “Oh?” he repeated coldly.
Caspian folded his arms and regarded him with infuriating amusement. “Now I understand.”
“You understand nothing,” Damien said coldly.
“I understand quite a lot,” Caspian smirked.
Damien looked away from the blanket before he was tempted to say something regrettable. Unfortunately, that did not help.
Because even while speaking to Caspian, he remained painfully aware of Everend's presence besideher. His attention kept drifting back despite every effort to focus elsewhere. He noticed when Everend spoke. He noticed when Seraphine smiled. He noticed when she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear while listening.
Most irritatingly of all, he noticed how comfortable they appeared together.
The ease of their conversation suggested familiarity already beginning to form. There was no awkwardness between them, no strained politeness. They looked exactly as two unmarried people ought to look when becoming acquainted.
Ridiculous. Entirely ridiculous.
And yet when Everend leaned slightly closer to her, Damien found his fist clenching so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
I only have to endure a few more days then I will never see her again.
Thalia suddenly appeared beside Seraphine's blanket with the look of a woman who was about to unleash chaos upon unsuspecting guests. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she clasped her hands together.
“Pay attention, everyone,” she announced, barely containing her delight as she looked around at the gathering. “You are going to love this.”
Seraphine lowered the strawberry she had been about to eat and exchanged a puzzled look with Rosaline. Around them, conversations began to die away as guests turned towards the Duchess of Amberhall. Nothing good ever came from that particular expression on Thalia's face. It was the same look she wore before convincing respectable ladies to participate in ridiculous games involving flour and humiliation.
