Free Web NovelChapter 195: Among Gentlemen
Chapter 194: Among Gentlemen
Evander’s smile appeared almost immediately after Julian’s question.
It was not particularly apologetic.
If anything, it carried the unmistakable look of a man who had been entirely aware of the distress he had caused and found it faintly amusing.
"I was thinking," he replied simply.
Julian looked at him over the rim of his spectacles.
"You were thinking," he repeated.
"Yes."
"You were thinking," Lucian said, "for more than half of the competition?"
Evander’s expression remained perfectly composed.
"I do prefer to think thoroughly."
"That," Lucian replied, "is not a proper explanation."
Benedict, meanwhile, seemed far more sympathetic to the matter. He cleared his throat.
"To be fair," he said, "the topic was not a simple one. I thought on it considerably myself before I could commit anything to the parchment."
Evander smiled at him.
"There," he said. "You see."
"That is not the same thing," Lucian said. "Benedict thought and then wrote. You stood and regarded the parchment as though it had personally offended you."
"I was gathering my thoughts."
"For twenty minutes."
"They had wandered some distance."
"Evidently."
Alistair chuckled at that. He seemed to be enjoying the discussion a bit too much. freёwebnovel.com
Julian exhaled tiredly. How he had ended up with this group as acquaintances, he would never know. He adjusted his spectacles with one hand and reached for a wine glass with the other, taking a measured sip.
Evander looked around at the four of them and then sighed dramatically.
"I must apologise," he said pleasantly, "for the tension I caused you all."
Alistair looked at him, a smile on his face.
"You do not mean that," he said.
A brief pause followed his words.
"No," Evander agreed with complete composure. "I truly do not."
Benedict blinked at him.
Lucian reached toward the refreshment table without further comment and selected a small pastry from the upper tier. He examined it briefly and then looked at Evander.
"There is something genuinely wrong with you," he said.
"Several people have raised that observation," Evander replied. "I have yet to find it particularly troubling."
"That," Lucian said, "is the very thing that makes it a problem."
"I shall give that the consideration it deserves."
"You will give it none whatsoever."
"Very likely," Evander agreed pleasantly.
Julian set his wine glass down.
He adjusted his spectacles once more, and when he spoke, his tone was measured and direct.
"I must confess, Evander, your poem," he said to Evander, "was unexpectedly well executed."
Evander glanced toward him.
"I was genuinely surprised," Julian continued, "given the circumstances."
"Given," Alistair added, his gaze on Evander, "that you did not appear to be writing for the greater portion of the allotted time."
"Quite so," Julian said.
Benedict nodded alongside them both.
Then he looked at Evander curiously.
"Did you perhaps mislead us?" he asked. "When you told us you were not good at poetry?"
"I did not mislead you," Evander said.
"You told us you were spectacularly bad at it," Benedict said. "Those were your precise words."
"I believed that to be true at the time."
"And now?"
Evander considered this for a moment.
"I simply put my all into the writing," he said. "Perhaps I may be better than I believed."
Benedict appeared to find this satisfactory, or at least sufficient, and nodded once.
Lucian took a bite of his pastry.
He chewed thoughtfully, his gaze directed at some neutral point between the refreshment table and the middle distance.
Then he exhaled once through his nose.
"As much as it pains me to say so," he began.
Evander looked at him.
The look Lucian returned was not particularly warm.
"I must acknowledge," Lucian continued, with considerable effort, "that your poem was among the finest presented today."
Julian inclined his head in quiet agreement.
"Furthermore," Lucian said, as though compelled by an internal standard of accuracy he could not in good conscience ignore, "it did resonate with the candidates."
Another nod from Julian followed.
A brief silence settled over the five of them.
Then Evander said, "It did not resonate with both of them."
Lucian turned to look at him.
"Pardon?" he asked.
Evander shrugged.
"One candidate received it as it was intended. The other did not appear particularly moved," he said.
"I am aware of what you are stating," Lucian replied.
"Then we are in agreement regarding the facts of the matter."
"I would advise you not to speak of such things so plainly," Lucian said.
"And as always, I shall only take your advice when it proves beneficial to me," Evander replied with a smile.
Lucian exhaled and shook his head, choosing instead to return to his pastry.
Alistair smiled then.
"You know, Evander, I must say Lucian is quite right. Your poem was the finest among all of ours. I shall say so plainly, since it appears no one else intends to."
Evander looked at him.
Then he gave a small, deliberate bow, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"You are most gracious," he said.
"You are most humble," Alistair returned dryly.
"I have my moments."
Alistair paused.
"I cannot deny that," he said with a laugh.
Evander smiled at that.
Lucian took another measured bite of his pastry and said nothing, which was itself a form of agreement he had no intention of making explicit.
Benedict had reached toward the refreshment display while they spoke, selecting a small iced cake. He was in the process of examining it when he looked up.
"Alistair," he said.
Alistair glanced toward him. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"Why did you go to speak with the Marquess?"
Benedict had watched the exchange from where he stood earlier and had not been able to determine its nature from a distance. Alistair had yet to explain further.
Alistair’s smile widened.
"I merely had a small conversation with him," he said.
"It did not appear to be a small one."
"Most conversations appear larger from the outside than they are in practice."
Benedict considered this.
"What was it regarding?"
Alistair reached toward the refreshment table himself and selected a dark chocolate.
"A matter of mutual understanding," he said.
Lucian had stilled slightly beside him.
He did not look up from the pastry in his hand.
"I had considered," he said after a moment, "having a conversation with the Marquess myself."
He paused.
"It would appear there is no longer any pressing need."
Alistair looked at him then with an expression of mild curiosity.
"Do you know what was discussed?" he asked.
Lucian said nothing.
He simply looked at his pastry.
Julian reached for his wine glass and took a quiet sip. Then he adjusted his spectacles and looked at no one in particular.
"I believe," he said evenly, "that we all know."
Benedict looked between all of them.
No one said anything. Evander was drinking a glass of water. Lucian and Alistair continued eating.
"Wait," Benedict said, and they all turned to him. "Could you perhaps enlighten me? I do not know what the contents of the discussion were."
There was a brief pause.
And then all four of them, save Benedict, chuckled just as the bell rang.
It was time to announce the results.
