Chapter Nineteen

He'd been here for far too long. Austin was all but ready to tear his hair out in frustration. To make matters worse, the energetic tailor didn't seem to be running out of steam any time soon. He always found something else to do, from taking measurements to choosing fabrics to talking about layers.

Austin finally found a break in the entire ordeal after a couple of hours. Mr. Young left him be—though gave him explicit instructions not to leave the shop—while he sorted through design styles with Lavender. They were in a deep discussion about today's fashion, a conversation that Austin was happy they didn't attempt to involve him in. He found a corner of the shop to stew in, to wait until he was dragged back to the center of the room to be primped and prodded all over again.

"It is quite a tedious affair, isn't it?"

Austin grunted in agreement at Vincent's observation. The merchant came to stand next to him, staring at his sister and the tailor.

"Every time Lavender visits Mr. Young, she spends all day and a small fortune," he went on. "I do not know how she has the patience for it."

"Women often love such things," Austin said. "It does not surprise me that she is as thorough with choosing her clothing as she is with everything else."

"Oh? That is quite an observation there, my lord. You seem to have gotten to know Lavender quite well."

"I had no say in the matter. She does make it difficult to hide how headstrong and determined she can be. Otherwise, I never would have set foot in this place in the first place."

Vincent laughed. "I cannot help but agree. My stubborn sister has quite a way of convincing you to do something before you know what you are agreeing to."

"Is that why you came to find me that night?" Austin couldn't help but ask .

"Partially. The truth was that I knew that Lavender needed to be married soon. And as her brother, as her guardian, I was in charge of making that happen. She only exacerbated the urgency by reminding me of her wish to attend this London Season."

"She must be quite pleased with herself then," Austin assumed. Lavender laughed at something Mr. Young said. The sound carried across the room and shaved away some of Austin's ire at being here.

"I'm sure that she is." Vincent paused, shifting from one leg to the other. "But are you, my lord?"

Austin tore his gaze away from Lavender to look at his brother. "Pardon me?"

"I know this is not what you planned for yourself. You only agreed to this for the money. Because of that, I cannot help but think I made a mistake by asking you to do this in the first place."

"I made my decision."

"Yes, you did," Vincent agreed easily. "I shall come right out and say it then. Someone else has asked for Lavender's hand in marriage. Someone who tells me how deeply in love he is with her."

Austin straightened. Without thinking, his gaze fell back on Lavender, who was bent over what looked like a book. A tuft of hair had fallen from its hold and Austin was struck with the urge to cross the shop to tuck it away from her face.

"You are surprised, aren't you?" Vincent went on. "As was I when he approached me. But I began thinking if perhaps coming to you that night might have been a mistake. You do not love my sister. But this man does. Perhaps it would be best for her if she chose him instead."

"Who is this man?" Austin asked, his tone oddly calm despite the unusual sensation coursing through his body.

"Does it matter?" Vincent asked.

Austin paused before he nodded. "Yes."

Vincent frowned at him. Whatever he saw on Austin's face made him sigh and say, "If you must know, it was her friend, Mr. Colin Asher."

He should have known. It had been obvious from the start. Colin Asher had ripped his heart out of his chest and placed it on his sleeve the moment he chased after Lavender at that tea party. Austin was foolish to realize it only now.

He didn't like the black emotion that curled in the pit of his stomach. When he looked back at Lavender, he imagined Colin here instead. Standing next to her, hand on her back, tucking that tuft of hair behind her ear. The thought made him sick.

"You needn't think any further on it," Austin stated coldly. "I have no intention of ending this betrothal."

"If it is the money you want, my lord, I am more than willing to continue to help you adjust your investments and manage your properties so that you will able to take care of it yourself. It is the least I can do for what you have done for Lavender and me so far. You seemed to have made her a little happy in the last few days."

"There isn't any need to. I made a commitment and I shall stick by it."

"Is that the only reason, my lord?" Vincent inquired. "Your commitment?"

Austin did not want to respond to that so he didn't. He stalked away from the corner and approached the two, stating that he wanted to try on a few more items. Mr. Young jumped at the chance and Lavender only raised her brows in surprise. He couldn't understand why he did it either. All he knew was that he didn't like the thought of Colin Asher doing a better job at this than he was.

He clung to that thought for the next hour it took for this to be over. By the end of it, Austin was leaving with two new waistcoats and a new pair of breeches. Not to mention a promise for more clothes to arrive over the next few days. He had to admit that when the Latrices spent, they did so without holding back.

Lavender looked rather pleased with herself as they made their way back to the carriage. Austin pictured Colin rushing forward to open the door for her and he found himself doing exactly that without thinking. She frowned at him but said nothing as she climbed in.

"I must say, Austin," she said once they were settled in. "I did not expect you to become so eager by the end of it."

"I was not eager," he explained. "I figured it would end quicker if I was a little less reluctant, that's all."

"A wise thought. But thank you all the same. "

"You needn't thank me. I was not the one who spent their money in there."

"Goodness, why don't you accept my gratitude and be done with it?" she said, rolling her eyes.

Did she know how charming she was when she spoke so bossily? Her confidence was one of the most endearing things about her, Austin realized. That and the way her eyes grew smaller as her smile became wider.

"Very well," he mumbled, turning his attention to the window. If he stared at her for too long, he was sure just where his mind would take him.

Despite that, it wasn't long before he was stealing glances. At first, it was because she'd said something and he'd thought she was addressing him. When he realized that she was talking to her brother, Austin turned his eyes out the window. Then it came darting back when she laughed, when she gasped when she spoke with annoyance, and when he thought he might catch her rolling her eyes. She didn't try to engage him in the conversation—probably because he had been so miserable all day—and at first he preferred it that way.

Then he thought of how easily Colin would have been able to integrate himself into the conversation and he didn't like it anymore.

Still, he stayed quiet all the way to their home. He managed to hold his tongue as they all alighted. Vincent was the first to say goodbye. Just as Lavender was about to do the same, Austin stopped her.

"I would like to speak with you for a moment, Lavender," he said earning the surprise of both brother and sister.

Lavender looked back at Vincent and nodded, silently telling him to give them some privacy. Vincent's curiosity kept him lingering for a moment before he turned and walked off.

"What is it?" Lavender asked.

Austin scratched the back of his head. He hadn't thought this all the way through. All he knew was that he didn't want to part ways just yet and had acted on that.

Lavender's frown deepened, eyes tinging with concern. "Is something wrong? "

"No, nothing's wrong," he answered. "I just…don't think I thanked you."

"Thanked me? For what?"

"For doing what you're doing for me." The words were hard to say, even though Austin meant every word of them.

Lavender's expression softened. "You needn't thank me, Austin. I am selfishly thinking about my own needs in all of this, remember?"

"You only want me to believe that."

"And yet it is never truly far from my mind," she said with a laugh. "Well, if there is nothing else…"

"Will you accept me when I come to call you tomorrow?" Austin blurted out.

Lavender blinked. "You…what?"

"It is a simple question," he mumbled, looking away. "I'm sure I needn't repeat myself."

"Yes, you're right. I heard you just fine. I am simply reeling a bit, that's all. Allow me to process it for a moment." Lavender dramatically walked away then began pacing back and forth. She stopped in front of him again after a few seconds, a smile playing around her lips. "What if I say no?"

"Forget I said anything then."

"The answer is yes then," she said quickly before he could turn away. "A surprised and wary yes. But a yes, all the same."

"Are you certain?" he asked. "Are you sure you won't be too busy plotting and scheming?"

Lavender laughed heartily, the sound lifting his spirits. "I shall make some room in my busy schedule for you, Austin."

"Good. Goodbye then."

"Goodbye."

But they didn't part ways right away. They lingered, staring at each other.

Lavender tilted her head to the side and raised her brows, a teasing smile tugging at her lips. Austin felt heat wash over him. Was it…embarrassment? He didn't know and he didn't plan on staying long enough for either one of them to find out. So he gave her a curt nod and climbed back into his carriage. He didn't look out the window until the carriage began to move .

Only then did he allow himself to look back. And she stood there staring after the retreating carriage with that smile on her face. Austin returned it though she was too far to see it.