Evander leaned back in his chair, his grin lingering. “You used to be far more mischievous.”
“I am still mischievous,” she bantered.
“Are you?” he teased. “I recall a time when you and I concocted the most dreadful mixtures out of mud and berries in the gardens.”
“We were children,” Olivia remarked.
“Perhaps, but you did once believe that drinking the potion would grant you the power to fly.”
A wry smile touched Olivia’s lips. “I remember. I also remember breaking my arm attempting to prove my point.”
Lady Wilton interjected with a fond sigh. “Poor Olivia was confined to her bed for weeks while her arm mended.”
“And yet,” his mother added with a chuckle, “she was back to climbing trees the moment she was able. We should have tied bells around the two of you. At least then we might have known where you were at any given moment.”
Lady Wilton nodded. “Indeed, we could scarcely keep them apart whenever we were at our country estates.”
His mother’s eyes softened as she looked at him. “When Evander left for Eton, I feared he might attempt to smuggle Olivia away in one of his trunks.”
Olivia perked up. “I would have gladly gone! It would have been far preferable to being left in the care of my governess, Miss Laverton.”
“She was highly recommended,” Lady Wilton attempted.
“Highly dull, more like it,” Olivia replied. “I would often sit by the window, counting how many steps it would take to reach freedom.”
Lady Wilton shook her head. “You exaggerate, as always. Miss Laverton was an excellent governess.”
“Was she?” Olivia asked. “I distinctly remember seeing her skip away after our final lesson—as if she had been released from captivity.”
Lady Wilton huffed. “Perhaps she was driven to it by your questions. I seem to recall you asked her to explain… certain matters concerning animal mating.”
Olivia looked wholly unrepentant. “She claimed to have been raised on a farm. I wished to test the breadth of her knowledge.”
Lady Wilton frowned. “Genteel young ladies do not speak of such things.”
“Whyever not?” Olivia countered. “It is a part of life. An essential one.”
“Let us choose another topic before we scandalize Diana,” Lady Wilton said firmly.
His mother laughed, a warm sound that seemed to lighten the room. “You forget that I have known Olivia since the day she was born. There is nothing she might say that could shock me.”
“You are most kind, my lady,” Olivia replied, casting a triumphant glance at her mother.
Evander chuckled softly. “That does not mean you should test the limits.”
Abruptly, Olivia rose and met his gaze. “Shall we take a turn about the room?”
He rose at once. “I would be honored.”
They began a slow circuit of the parlor, their voices lowered.
“When do you intend to tell your mother about Bryon?” Olivia asked.
His chest tightened. “I suppose now is as good a time as any.”
“I am sorry,” she said gently. “How can I help?”
He glanced at her, gratitude flickering in his eyes. “Just stay with me. That will be enough.”
