Octavia laughed and punched her brother lightly in the arm. “Do not call me that in public!”
“I shall call you whatever I please,” Hugo insisted with a grin. “Now, come, let us see if we cannot find a pleasant gown to fit all eight of your tentacles.”
Covering her mouth with her hand, Evelyn hid a chuckle, marveling at the ease and warmth that existed between brother and sister. She could not, in a million years, imagine her own brothers behaving so playfully with her. Then again, the last time Matthew had attempted to be ‘playful’ with her, he had conjured up a fear of toads so formidable that even the sound of one could break her out into a cold sweat and other, similarly slimy creatures sent a chill down her spine.
A moment later, Evelyn found herself soundly left behind as Hugo and Octavia pressed on toward the nearest modiste, with Selina hurrying after them. The sight elicited a pinch of pity in the center of Evelyn’s chest, for it was not like Selina to be so eager, running after a man like a dejected hound.
Why are you so desperate to win his favor now? Why could you not have done this sooner, when he was more obliging, andwhen I did not… when I had not…She did not know how that thought ended and was too afraid to try and conclude it.
With an anxious breath, wondering if she should have stayed behind at the manor, she put her head down and followed the trio that were already entering the pink-painted door ofLa Jolie Rose.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Wherever Hugo turned, Selina was right there, practically peering over his shoulder. He tried to get her to look at fabrics and ribbons and bonnets and jewelry of her own accord, even going so far as to walk away from her, but she seemed determined to remain at his side.
He was not avoiding her to be cruel or dismissive, it was simply that he had nothing much to say to her, and she did not have much to say to him either beyond,“What do you think of this? What do you think of that?”It was the most peculiar thing, though he had not forgotten Evelyn’s advice. The trouble was, he was not intentionally heeding that advice.
“Did you attend the university here?” Selina asked, once again appearing at his side as he was perusing jewelry he thought Octavia might like.
Hugo gave her his vague attention. “I did. With Laurence and Dominic.”
“That must have been a marvelous thing,” she cooed, her fingertips tracing across a necklace that he thought to be rather garish. “Did you live together?”
“Close to one another,” he replied. “I confess, I was not particularly dedicated to my studies.Youare fond of reading, Lady Evelyn, are you not?”
Evelyn, who was standing a short distance away, hesitantly feeling the edge of a bolt of silk, jumped as if she had been stung. “Pardon?”
“All those books you read to broaden your knowledge of everything and anything. I imagine the Siren call of the libraries here are rather intense,” he replied with a smile. “I daresay I did not make the most of them when I was here. I would show them to you if the custodians would not chase us out.”
Ever since their arrival, he had had the thought in the back of his mind, trying to come up with a way of sneaking Evelyn—and, indeed, Octavia—into the Bodleian. Itwasimpressive to behold, even if the scent of so many dusty old books made his eyes water and he could not personally see the appeal.
Evelyn blinked as if she did not understand what he had just said.
“You could probably tell us more about the university than any of the custodians,” he added, for he had seen the way that her gaze drifted toward the windows, how her face lit up as she took in the scenery.
Maybe he was mistaken, and did not know her well enough to be sure, but he sensed a sort of bubbling below the surface. An excitement about her surroundings that radiated from her, barely suppressed.
“Iam fond of reading,” Selina said. “Perhaps you could show me the Bodleian library after we have taken tea together.”
He frowned. “We are due to have tea back at the manor, once all of our exploits in the shops are over.”
She seemed frustrated by his reply, though he could not understand why. He had not promised to take her to one of the charming tea shops that Oxford had to offer, and if he was going to take her to tea, he would have to take Octavia and Evelyn too. Otherwise, what were they supposed to do in the interim?
Does she think this outing is one of our five?It had not been stated explicitly, but he could see how she might have misunderstood. And if it took one of the tallies off the list, that could not be a bad thing.
“Wecouldhave tea, I suppose,” Hugo offered. “Would you like that, Octavia? Lady Evelyn?”
Selina bristled again. Apparently, that was definitely not what she had imagined.
“Tea would be lovely,” Octavia replied, as she summoned the modiste over, her hand resting on a remarkable, and probably very expensive, bolt of delicate muslin.
Evelyn hesitated, retreating into herself once more. She stared at the ground, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the floorboard. “I shall do whatever everyone else wishes to do.”
“We could leave Evelyn and your sister to shop while we take tea?” Selina suggested outright.
“Oh no, I could not do that,” Hugo replied, putting a note of apology into his voice. “Perhaps itisbetter if we all just have tea at the manor when we return.”
Selina puffed out a breath that blew a lock of hair out of her face. “Do you think this blue or this red would become me better?” she asked, gesturing to two bolts of satin that were rolled side-by-side. “My complexion is suited to bold colors, but I am never much good at choosing.”
