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“And yet here we all are, surviving this terrible trouble alongside them, so surely we are as mad they.” He laughed, as did I, shaking my head.
I would rather answer her questions than suffer from the lack of her.
“Verity,” Damon said with seriousness, “had terrors most nights. Once we realized this, we sought to get her care in any way possible, even calling for Dr. Darrington to speak with her. It seemed to be of little help. I believe Verity in the end grew tired of pretending she was well, and she wished to return here.”
I knew it. She must have forced herself to stay all this time for my sake. “Thank you for escorting her.”
“Of course. As I said, we are family. I hope you both shall learn to lean on us from time to time,” he replied. All I could do was nod, for he was exactly like his sister, requesting I do something so simple yet utterly antithetical to everything I had been taught.
26
Aphrodite
“Are you in need of anything else?” I asked from the door of the guest bedroom.
“No. You have been a most gracious host,” Silva replied. “You are a fine mistress.”
I smiled. “Once more, you hold me in too high regard, but I am pleased you feel at ease here. I wish you would extend your stay another day or two.”
“We could not possibly. You are still a new bride.” She leaned in to whisper that part to me. “Though one may argue that I am fairly new myself.”
“When does the novelty wear off?” I asked.
She placed her hand on her stomach. “I am unsure, but I do believe this might be a very good sign.”
I giggled and nodded. “Agreed. But if you or my brother wish to stay, it would be no hardship.”
She carefully examined me. “Do you mean to use us as a barrier?”
“To what?”
“Forgive me if I am overstepping, but”—she took my hand—“is all well with you and the duke?”
After Emeline had spoken in the drawing room, Silva, my brother, and Verity took to watching Evander very carefully. I had lied and said the reason I had taken to sleeping in Emeline’s room was to bond with her, as she had lost her nanny. It was difficult to maintain that lie when Evander and I had barely spoken to each other for the rest of the day.
“It is nothing— That is a lie.” I exhaled, holding her hand tightly. “It is not a grand thing. We had a disagreement, though our argument was about more than the issue at hand. I find it frustrating when he does not share his thoughts. I hear so much of Everely from other people, but never from him. He does not speak freely, even when I see something has unsettled him. But now I wonder if I was wrong to push him.”
“From my experience, Aphrodite, men are not always adept at speaking their feelings aloud. Even your brother has things he does not wish to share with me.”
“Really? Damon has never been able to stop himself from expressing his frustrations, at least to us.”
“Yes, very true. He cannot hold that to himself. But you might be surprised that there are times when he grows still and quiet. When possible, he will sit in one place in nature with an apple and watch the sky. What he is looking at, I have no idea. When I ask, he simply tells me he was thinking. Of what? He does not say. At least not at first. And so, I join him and sit and also stare, maybe even read. After some time, he’ll share a thought or a memory. All cannot be spilled in a day, but is that bad, since marriage is for a lifetime?”
Was that my problem? I had been so eager to know everything of him all at once. One of the things I enjoyed most about books was getting a full story, beginning, middle, and end. Life so far with Evander felt as though I had gotten most of the beginning, barely any of the middle, and a slice of the end. I wanted more, but that was not very practical to ask of a person, was it?
“Thank you,” I said.
Before she could reply, Damon came into the doorway beside me. He glanced between us both. “Oh dear, what are you two plotting?”
“Your sister is merely asking that we stay one more day,” Silva answered.
“I have half a mind to do so. But then also do not wish to. I think it shall be the latter.”
“How do I convince you otherwise?” I asked.
“You cannot. As you have your home, sister, we have ours, and I would like to get to it. Besides, I will not allow either of us to be used as shields for your little marital disputes.” He gently pushed me out of the room. “Solve them without us. Good night!”
Just like that, the door was closed in my face.
