Annie, her maid, who had been trailing behind at a respectful distance, stepped forward, concern creasing her brow. “Would you like me to carry him for you, my lady?”
Olivia shook her head with a wry smile. “No need, Annie. I can manage.”
Annie bobbed a curtsy and retreated once more as Olivia bent to scoop up the small, fluffy burden.
Finnegan nestled contentedly in her arms, utterly unrepentant.
“Well, who is walking whom, I wonder?” she murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before continuing her stroll.
As she turned down a more secluded path that curved gently towards the Serpentine River, her gaze fell upon a solitary figure seated on a bench. Mr. Evander Addington sat motionless, his gaze fixed on the water, his expression distant and drawn. A black armband adorned his sleeve.
Olivia slowed, concern blooming in her chest. Something was most definitely wrong.
She veered from the path and approached him quietly. He didn’t glance up as she neared, and even when she lowered herself onto the bench beside him, his eyes remained fixed on the rippling water.
Her voice was soft. “May I ask… who passed?”
He answered without hesitation. “Bryon.”
The name struck her like a blow. Her breath caught. “No,” she whispered. “How?”
“He passed away from illness while traveling to India. He was traveling with Lord Harwood,” he revealed. “They both did not make it.”
She sat back, arms tightening around the puppy now squirming in her lap. There had been a time, not so long ago, when she had fancied herself in love with Lord Harwood. But that future had been stolen when he had married another.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said quietly, because it was all she could say.
Evander finally turned to look at her. His eyes were glassy, and it made her heart ache. “And I am sorry for yours. I know what Harwood once meant to you.”
“He did mean something,” she admitted. “But not anymore. Not in the way he once did.”
He nodded faintly, emotion flickering across his face. “Society will know soon enough about my brother. Word always travels quickly when there’s a title involved.”
Olivia glanced at the armband. “Is that why you’re in Town and not at Oxford?”
“My father summoned me home,” he said, bitterness creeping into his tone. “Now that Bryon is gone, I’m the heir to the earldom.”
“But… what of your fellowship?”
Evander let out a short, humorless laugh. “It no longer matters. I’ll have to resign. My future has already been decided for me.”
She reached out instinctively, resting her hand on his arm. “But you fought so hard for that position.”
“And for what?” he asked, turning away. “It’s over. Everything I built… all for nothing. Now I have a new path.”
Silence stretched between them. Olivia gently lowered Finnegan to the ground, giving the wriggling puppy space to explore the grass.
“Do you want to resign?” she asked.
Evander’s shoulders tensed. “Want?” He gave a bitter shake of his head. “What I want is irrelevant. My brother is dead, and duty waits.”
She rose as he did, instinctively matching his movement. “Evander?—”
He held up a hand. “Forgive me. I know I’m dreadful company.”
“You’ve no reason to apologize. We’ve known each other since my hair was in braids and we climbed trees in our pantaloons.”
That won a faint smile from him. “Those were simpler days.”
