“And she is completely right about my lack of interest in intellectual pursuits,” Cousin Harry continued. “But for you to say as much out loud puts her in an awkward position because it was an unkind thing for her to have told you. Most people would not have repeated it in my company. That you did, turned an unflattering light on my dear sister’s assessment of me.”
He balled up his napkin and threw it toward Hazel. Hazel amazingly snatched the napkin out of the air, balled it up again, and threw it back, which made Cousin Harry laugh all over again.
Duncan looked between them. “You are laughing because the things Hazel told me about you were meant to be private.” He looked directly at Hazel. “I broke your trust.”
“No,” Hazel said, smiling at him in that way that relieved him of worry. “You did not break my trust. It simply shows a negative side of my character quite brightly, and nothing pleases Cousin Harry more than putting me at a disadvantage.”
This set Cousin Harry laughing again, but Duncan tried to factor it all out. “He likes you to feel badly?” Duncan asked. “That is unkind.”
She cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows in Cousin Harry’s direction. “It is unkind, isn’t it?”
“This is glorious!” Cousin Harry said, still smiling. He did have a very nice smile, though Duncan preferred Hazel’s.
“I am afraid I do not understand all this,” Duncan said, placing his napkin over his now-empty pudding dish. This was the sort of thing Mr. Shopledge had meant when he said Duncan’s brain was broken. Hazel and Cousin Harry both understood the humor and the context of this conversation, while Duncan was confused and annoyed by his confusion. “Could we go into the parlor and talk more about the Picts? I have an excellent history of Scotland with a detailed map that shows the primitive placements of the leading clans prior to the Jacobite uprising of 1745.”
“I would love to stay,” Cousin Harry said as he looked at Hazel, who narrowed her eyes at her brother. Was she angry or teasing? Duncan usually found her much easier to read than other people, but she interacted with Cousin Harry differently than she interacted with anyone else. “But I should have left before now if I hope to get a room. I do thank you for the education. I have a variety of things to converse about with Mr. Fergis upon my return to Falconridge.”
“You are getting a room for the night?” Hazel asked.
“There is a decent inn outside of the village, Fox & Foundry on Belstead Road. I hope to stay there and finish my trip to London tomorrow.”
“Fox & Foundry is five miles to the north,” Duncan said. He had often walked the path that wound through the woods behind the stable at Fox & Foundry, referred to as Foundry Inn by the locals, though he did not do so much walking these days as he preferred to be home. “There is a high probability that their rooms are taken this time of night as they are located so near the road to London and is therefore popular among travelers.” He checked the time on his watch. It was almost nine o’clock. “It shall take you several minutes to have your horse saddled at the public stable as I imagine you did not leave it saddled for all the time you’ve been here, and then it will be some time before you arrive at Fox & Foundry, which increases the likelihood that they will have no available rooms.”
Cousin Harry shrugged. “If they are full, I shall keep going until I find another room.”
“That is idiotic,” Duncan said.
“Duncan,” Hazel said in a reprimanding tone. She put out her hand but did not touch him and instead let it drop to her side. He would not have minded if she had touched him as his experiment regarding touch with Hazel was going very well, but he knew she avoided initiating touch because of his early reactions and the reactions she had observed when other people touched him.
“You should stay here,” Duncan said, nodding. It was the sensible solution, though the house was small and did not have a guest room. His room, however, would be adequate, and Duncan did not mind sleeping on the sofa in the parlor. “That is the logical solution and both appropriate and expected in light of your familial relationship to Hazel. I shall be very comfortable in the—”
“Excellent suggestion!” Hazel all but shouted, causing both Duncan and Cousin Harry to startle. She smiled in a way that looked rather queer as she rose to her feet. Cousin Harry and Duncan rose, as was proper when a woman stood.
“I shall have Corinne ready the upstairs guest chamber.”
Duncan looked at her. “We have no—”
“Do you need to see to your horse?” Hazel interrupted in the same loud voice. She stared at Cousin Harry, who looked back at her from the opposite side of the table, his expression also queer.
The similar expressions showed more of their similarities of feature, but Duncan still could not determine which of them was the most attractive. Hazel, he thought, but then he was attracted to women in general, and so it was reasonable that gender alone would keep her the winner of the debate.
“You left your horse at Hanifords, I presume?” Hazel continued, eyebrows raised in what seemed like an exaggerated expression. “If he is to board overnight, you will want to make arrangements and perhaps fetch your bag, assuming you brought one as you were anticipating an overnight stay at the inn.”
“Uh, yes, I did pack a bag.” He pointed over his shoulder, and Duncan followed the directional indication but could see no bag. Perhaps he meant to point in the direction of the public stables, but if so, he was flat wrong. Hanifords was due west, and Cousin Harry was pointing north to northeast.
“I should like to see to the horse if you are sure it is no trouble for me to stay,” Cousin Harry said. “I did not mean to intrude.”
“No trouble at all,” Hazel said.
Duncan leaned toward her. “Are you angry?” he asked in a quiet voice, feeling nervous about her confusing and changing reactions over the last few minutes.
“Stop talking, Duncan,” she said, still smiling.
Cousin Harry looked between them as Duncan stopped talking.
“Well,” Hazel said, making a shooing motion to her brother with both hands, “you had best get to it, and I had best pass on the instructions to Corinne so the guest room is ready when you return.”
Duncan nearly reminded her, again, that they had no guest room, but she had told him to stop talking and she was acting strangely, so he did not dare act against her orders.
Cousin Harry seemed hesitant as he left the house, but he did as she’d instructed. He likely did not dare act against her orders either.
Hazel remained standing, which dictated that Duncan remain standing as well since, unlike Cousin Harry, his manners were not repulsive. When the front door closed, Hazel limped to the bellpull and gave it a tug so as to draw Corinne’s attention to the dining room.