ββ three and a half hours ! oh , i dread to think . though , it would allow for prolonged visits as to justify the journey. i sufered a distance from you once , i won't be doing it again . ββ truthfully , she did weigh her potential options against their proximity to devika . she would not sacrifice a friendship like this for simply anyone. penhallow and his four-thousand and the clumsy babies that would come were a harrowing thought , but she would need to consider it. she's desperate enough .
it's ridiclous , the way she perks up at gossip . she likes being the person keeping her friend informed , particularly whe she feels quite powerless to do more for the other woman. she'd bring her the moon if it were within her power , or at the very least restore her fortunes so that she wouldn't have to suffer this . ββthere was, hm , an issue with the ledgers at the modiste . ββ camille huffs , ββ just something avery needed to take care of - - little twit took the silk i was admiring right out of my arms ! 'surely you won't mind, mrs. findlay,' she said , ' as you won't be using it today '. i don't care who her papa is , that just isn't done . as if the gown she makes out of my silk will distract from the fact that she's got as much guile as a rock. she and penhallow are perfectly suited , it seems . perhaps we should endeavor to match them, and leave wycliffe to you if you want him. ββ she knows that while the man ( no better than a boy ) isn't suited for devika, their options are limited. ββ though i've about as much interest to losing you to a library as you have in losing me to devonshire . all those great thoughts in your head , you'd never have time for me again . ββ camille leans forward, taps a finger to devika's temple as if to draw her point home.
"Long trips and a room made up for you." Though there was little that appealed to Devika about being the lady of a house, the ability to entertain her friend, to spoil her, even, certainly made the cut. Despite having little want for material extravagances in her own life, she found Camille's attachment to pretty things endlessly charming. "It would be one thing if he could make you happy." Like George, she doesn't say, but it hangs heavy in the air just the same. "Lord Penhallow only makes people happy when he relieves them of the burden of his company."
"Unbelievable. It's all insecurity, you know. She's jealous because you are more beguiling than a rock." From the mirth in Devika's eyes to the slight edge of a laugh in her voice, it's obvious that the extreme understatement is nothing more than a tease, a minor scheme to elicit an indignant huff from Camille, because Devika so enjoyed the sound. Though she sobers slightly with the next question. "Did Avery take care of it? The balance at the modiste."
It's rare for Devika's wit to falter, but her response is a couple beats too late, eyes lingering on slope of Camille's neck, the way her hair slides over her shoulder when she leans forward. "I would have more to read to you, is all. And I could actually select things I think you'd like, instead of being limited to my father and my grandfathers' taste."
