Erik watched as Evangeline disappeared into the dark, quiet house.
A husband that has no need of a wife. Her words came back to him more clearly now. She'd told him the truth, before, without really telling him anything at all.
The strange glances between the brother and the Baron. The way they constantly sought out each other's company. The Baron's distinct antipathy towards Evangeline's straying during their tentative betrothal. Her abrupt dropping of the hunt for a legal solution to her marriage woes.
A husband that has no need of a wife.
Everything clicked into place with sudden, painful clarity.
He'd put Freddie's and the Barons familiarity with each other down to the result of a longstanding friendship. And hadn't the man been some sort of teacher at the boy's school? Erik found the stone garden bench and sank onto it, lost in thought. He'd heard of such proclivities, in an abstract way, but he'd never known such a man personally.
The Baron's sister didn't know, as he understood it. But Evangeline had not been surprised or horrified. In fact, she seemed to be protecting that secret rather fiercely. It certainly explained why she'd been so eager to keep Georgiana occupied with needlepoint and long walks.
Freddie was her brother, and her twin at that. Erik supposed that it made sense that she'd both know, and not care, and would do anything to help him. But would she go so far as to marry a man who would never want to touch her? She was not a woman who spurned romantic interest, even if she was difficult to ensnare like she claimed.
He looked at the empty doorway of the dark house.
But of course she would. She'd said just as much to him, hadn't she? Twice, in fact, if he recalled correctly. A husband who has no need of a wife.
Erik decided that he didn't care either way, really. Freddie was a free man and he and the Baron were both adults who could make their own decisions. They seemed fond of each other. And who was Erik to judge them? He'd done far worse things in his lifetime than love someone regardless of their sex.
The Baron's complete and utter disregard for Evangeline's past and current transgressions made sense now. But… did that change things? Surely a man who could never hold affection for a woman would not begrudge another man for stepping in to ease that loneliness.
He stared at the open door to the dark house for quite some time until he decided that it was probably best just to go to bed. There was no screaming or wailing coming from inside the house. That meant that either Georgiana had changed her course or Evangeline had stopped her in time.
And Erik realized that they had a busy day tomorrow and he still needed to pack his things.
The garden was quiet and peaceful as Erik took one last look at the moonlit beach then rose from the bench and made his way inside as he shut the door softly behind him.
The morning of their departure was a blur of near constant activity as maids and valets packed luggage and footmen loaded up the carriages. Evangeline's fearsome maid had been given her head to corral the entire effort. The result was an endless stream of French obscenities. The slip of a woman seemed to be enjoying herself immensely as she bossed the other servants around. But he had to hand it to her, she got a job done well when she put her mind to it. The three carriages were loaded up and then the maid was directing them all inside. Thankfully Erik was placed into the carriage with Evangeline and Freddie. The Baron and his sister took the second, and the servants who were coming with them made up the third. The maid looked a little put out at being shuffled into the third carriage with the other servants, but a quick whisper from Evangeline sent her off dutifully with just one strange look over her shoulder in his direction. Erik wondered what Evangeline had told the woman to warrant a look like that.
Erik settled onto the bench next to Freddie after helping Evangeline climb inside. And then they were rolling away from the seaside house and headed back to reality.
There were only four weeks left, now. How had the time passed so quickly?
"The cellar, really, Freddie?" Evangeline chastised her brother with a rude look once they gained speed on the empty roads.
Freddie stiffened next to Erik on the bench.
"Oh don't give me that look, he knows," she added scathingly. "I had to tell him last night."
"Eva," Freddie whispered warningly.
"It was either tell Erik or let Georgiana figure it out. Which would you have preferred?" she defended herself with narrowed eyes.
"What?" Freddie asked, alarmed.
"Georgiana slipped away from me. To go to the cellar, I might add. Probably to find out what was taking her brother so long to get a bottle or two of wine. She'd have found more than a wine bottle getting popped, I imagine."
Freddie crossed his arms and huffed, then slouched on the bench and sprawled his legs out into the carriage. "And how did she manage to slip away? Were you… distracted... perhaps?" he jabbed verbally.
Evangeline's eyes narrowed as she kicked Freddie's shin. Freddie yelped and withdrew his offending legs until he was sitting upright again.
"That's rather poor thanks for what I've gone through to keep that annoying little girl out of your hair these last few weeks. You're welcome for that, by the way. And don't you think I'd have rather been doing other things instead? But no, I did it for you, because I love you, you ungrateful little shit," she seethed.
Erik was rather impressed by the depth of fury in her glittering eyes and swore to himself that he'd never do anything to earn her anger like that. It was a fearsome sight to behold.
"I think you meant to say you'd rather have been doing someone else," Freddie muttered quietly (digging his own grave deeper).
Apparently the boy had zero sense of self preservation. Erik was not surprised when Evangeline's rage slipped into a cold mask of indifference. This was the look that she retreated to when she was pissed off beyond all reasoning. If her previous expression had been awesome (in the same way that a lion hunting a gazelle inspire awe) then this one was downright terrifying.
Evangeline was completely silent and still as she stared at Freddie across the carriage. And the more that she was still and cold and calm, the more that he grew restless, fidgety, and agitated.
Freddie sat upright on the bench and folded his hands in his lap, suddenly serious. "You're right, of course. I've put you in an awful position. You've done more for me than I should have ever asked you to do. And I am grateful for it."
Evangeline stared at him with glittering eyes, then nodded and shifted her gaze so that she was looking out the window.
"You can return the favor," Evangeline said evenly, "by distracting mother."
Freddie groaned again and slid back into his slumped position position. Evangeline merely nudged his foot away from her before she returned to ignoring the both of them in favor of looking out the window at the passing scenery.
Erik considered saying something to break the tension of the carriage, but then thought better of it. He had no desire to be glared at by either one of them.
He settled on a sigh, instead. It was going to be a very long journey back.