He stared bleakly at himself in the mirror. He already knew how the dinner table seats had been laid out, and he was sitting directly next to Miss Bainbridge.
“It makes perfect sense,” he said aloud. “Perfect sense.”
***
Billiard balls scuttled across the green baize tabletop, skidding towards the pockets in the corner. The ball William had been aiming at missed the pocket, bouncing off the side and ricocheting back towards him. He bit back a curse and readjusted his position for a second shot.
“Goodness, you’re terrible at this time.”
William flinched, banging his knee on the underside of the table. He twisted around, squinting at his sister.
“Go away, Katherine. You’re meant to be sitting with the ladies in the drawing room.”
“Andyouare meant to be in the dining room still, drinking port with the gentlemen and laughing genteelly at unfunny jokes. Why are you in here, playing billiards by yourself?”
He bit his lip. “I have a migraine.”
She narrowed her eyes, leaning forward. “Lies. I can always tell when you’re lying, you know. And I can always tell when you have a migraine – your eyes become all misty and rimmed with crimson. You don’t have a migraine.”
A flash of bad temper rolled through William. He took up a position again, aiming for the same ball as before. He wasn’t exactly playing the game properly, just hitting balls almost at random, waiting for… well, he wasn’t sure what he was waiting for.
“I wanted a little time to myself. Is that too much to ask? My house is full of guests, none of which were invited by me, and I am expected to spend all day and half of the night entertaining them. It's overwhelming, Kat. It's nearly unbearable.”
There was a brief silence, and William wished he hadn’t spoken so loudly.
“Your house,” Katherine repeated, after a pause.
He sighed. “You know what I mean.”
“I know that you inherited everything, but I thought that we would all be united. Wasn’t that what we agreed? If one of us couldn’t get married, we’d take care of each other either way?”
He bit his lip, straightening slowly. The balls clipped and clacked their way across the table. He missed again.
“Yes,” he murmured, feeling oddly ashamed. “Yes, I remember that we agreed that. You know what I mean, though, Katherine.”
She folded her arms. “I’m not entirely sure that I do, you know. Lately, you’ve been acting stranger than ever.”
“What do you mean, stranger than ever? I am myself.”
Katherine snorted. “Well, Miss Bainbridge is stamping around in the drawing room, waiting for you to arrive. She’s been insufferable today. Have you said something to her?”
“Why do you assume it’s my fault?” William shot back. His temper was hanging by a thread, and he was determined not to have an outburst. He might possess a striking resemblance to their father, but he swore he would not comport himself in the same manner.
“William, when she arrived here, she was cool and calm and entirely at ease. She seemed secure of you. Now she’s… well, a little on edge. She’s snapping at her family, being disagreeable to the other guests, and seems to be trying to chase you around the house. Whatever has happened, she’s not quite as sure of you as she was before. If you’ve changed your mind about her, it would be better to put her out of her misery.”
He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. The billiard balls were scattered all over the table, but he didn’t feel much of a desire to finish his odd little game.
“I have not changed my mind. It’s just…”
Katherine waited patiently for him to collect his thoughts. William stared at the colourful billiard balls until his eyes blurred.
“I am engaged to Miss Bainbridge,” he blurted out.
Katherine’s eyes bulged. “What? You proposed to her?”
“She proposed to me, actually,” he mumbled, and launched into a description of their strange meeting together, although he omitted how he had met Miss Brookford directly afterwards. Katherine’s brows drew together as he spoke.
“It’s not an official engagement,” she said slowly. “One might argue that you weren’t reallybound.”
