Chapter 16 #2
“I would like to speak about other names,” Sibyl hurriedly said, not wanting her feelings for Gabriel to be displayed so openly.
Gabriel gave her a soft look, while she blushed, but his expression quickly shifted when he realized why she had not stopped asking about his nickname.
“Oh no,” he muttered under his breath as the footmen began to serve the first course.
Sibyl’s eyes widened in appreciation.
Stonehelm Hall hosted fine banquets, even just for the two of them, but this was a feast indeed, and she always appreciated good food.
“It seems my wife has outsmarted me,” Gabriel scoffed. “She has kept her usual questions to herself until this very moment, likely knowing you will have a fine time tormenting me with explaining why I am known as The Helm.”
“I will have a most fine time,” Nicholas agreed, picking up his spoon and dipping it into his soup bowl.
Sibyl did the same, ready to listen.
“See, Gabriel is a boxer,” Nicholas began. “And—”
“I have already told Sibyl about that,” Gabriel sighed. “Go on.”
Nicholas’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “The first time he entered the ring, he grabbed his opponent and swung him around every which way in a maneuver that, still to this day, baffles me. He had him stretched out, face down, angled towards the floor as if he were guiding the helm of a ship. That, paired with his title, anointed him The Helm, for he promptly dropped his opponent right on his head.”
“Also assuming the reference to a helmet,” Sibyl pointed out. “Or lack thereof.”
Gabriel sniggered under his breath. “Indeed. It was not my fault that the poor soul had no coordination; I could easily pick him up like a sack of flour.”
“I am certain your wife aches to be picked up like that, minus the slamming and dropping part. Or perhaps she wants to be dropped on—”
“That is more than enough,” Gabriel said loudly.
Sibyl thought that if her cheeks grew any hotter, she could light a fire in the grate. She coughed, poking at her soup.
“This is very tasty,” she commented, eager to change the subject, while Nicholas sniggered to himself.
“I apologize if I ever overstep, though,” he offered. “I have not been able to tease Gabriel about a lady, so it’s rather exciting for me to see him open up and acknowledge his feelings.”
“I have acknowledged nothing,” Gabriel muttered.
Sibyl found herself boldly leaning into the teasing. “He has acknowledged plenty enough.”
Gabriel shot her a playful scowl before rolling his eyes. “I knew I would regret letting you two in the same room. I do believe it is time to cut this evening short.”
“Oh, come now.” Nicholas waved him off. “You would be lost without my mischief.”
“I would be more at peace,” Gabriel grumbled under his breath.
As they finished the first course, Sibyl decided to give her husband a respite. “How did you two meet?”
At that, the atmosphere of the room shifted.
“University?” she suggested, hoping to clear the tension. “Business, perhaps?”
“Letitia,” Gabriel finally answered, his voice tight. “We met through Letitia.”
Sibyl was not prepared for the shift in Nicholas’s tone, from endlessly jovial to serious. “I was one of the suitors Gabriel presented to Letitia when she debuted. He had heard of my prominent businesses across London and beyond, and thought I would be a good choice.”
“Heaven knows why,” Gabriel drawled, as if trying to lighten the mood.
“You are right.” Nicholas sighed. “For in the end, I could not catch her eye. Although she was very beautiful. Very much, indeed. She would have made for a lovely marchioness.”
“I-I am sorry to have brought it up,” Sibyl murmured.
To her surprise, Gabriel shook her head.
“No, I am glad you asked,” he said. “It is good to speak about her, and to acknowledge that I never would have gotten to know Nicholas had he not been there for me throughout… everything.”
The two of them shared a somber look, and Sibyl nodded, letting him know she would not push any further, not tonight.
“I never would have done anything otherwise,” Nicholas declared. “You are my closest friend, and what you went through was the worst ordeal anybody could imagine—having to watch their dear sibling struggle with addiction.”
He looked at Sibyl, his smile fond. “Letitia was very much a Persephone, dancing between worlds. She loved everything lovely and spring-like, but she possessed a darker part that ached for more, if Gabriel does not mind my saying so. That part ached for the danger she put herself in. In the end, it consumed her, but she was loved, despite it. Very, very loved, and it can be hard to love somebody while they ruin themselves, but Gabriel did. How could he ever not?”
He gave an acknowledging nod to Gabriel, who just tightened his fingers around his glass before nodding as well.
“However,” Nicholas continued, “I remain on the hunt for the perfect woman. Not that Letitia was not perfect, but she was clearly not interested in me, regardless of anything else. I accompanied her on a few outings and got to know her a little, but overall, we were not well-matched.”
“She did like your sense of humor, though,” Gabriel revealed with a soft laugh. “She said it was refreshing.”
“Of course it is,” Nicholas snorted. “Many women do not expect my boldness. It is what keeps me on their minds.”
“What sort of lady are you looking for?” Sibyl asked, curious.
Nicholas tilted his head as more food was served, and Sibyl’s stomach rumbled when the scent of glazed meat rose from her plate.
“A woman who is not a simpering fool. A bold woman who can keep up with me. I think… I think she would not have to be afraid of what she says.”
“You have not mentioned looks,” she noted, surprised.
Nicholas chortled. “Oh, I am not so shallow. A woman will catch my eye based on her principles and manner, not on her looks. Although I am partial to brunettes.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Do not believe him, Sibyl, for his head will be turned by any pretty lady.”
“If she has a mouth on her that snags my attention,” Nicholas countered. “I want a woman who is loud. Loud about herself, her beliefs. There are too many wallflowers in the ton. I mean no disrespect by that, for I believe you once were one.”
“I was,” Sibyl acknowledged. “But it seems I am coming more and more into myself with every passing day.”
Gabriel caught her eye, and his hand lowered onto her thigh beneath the table. Not to grab or touch her, but to offer his palm up to her.
She laced her fingers through his, happy at the silent agreement.
“Why?” Nicholas asked, bringing her focus back. “Do you have a lady in mind?”
Sibyl actually did.
She bit her cheek to hold back a smile. “Perhaps, but she is… most broad.”
“Broad?”
“Very outspoken,” she clarified. “And she is the eye of a storm, unable to be pinned down.”
“I can pin down any lady if she asks me nicely enough.” Nicholas grinned at her.
Sibyl thought of her youngest sister, picturing her and Nicholas courting. Of course, the age gap between them would elicit gossip, but Alicia acted older, and Nicholas’s jovial nature made him look younger at times, so they might make a successful match.
“She would certainly challenge you at every turn,” Sibyl warned. “But I can always introduce you.”
Gabriel groaned. “Oh, heavens, I know exactly who you mean.”
Sibyl giggled and dug into her meal. “Nicholas, I believe this is the start of a most fascinating friendship.”
Nicholas only stared at her as though he knew something was going on, but that something was not a thing he understood, so he just shook his head and let out a confused chuckle.