Ewan held Storm's hand, but his mouth was a firm line as he was keeping bottled inside all that he had to say while they walked home through the cold. The cold was doing him some good in truth, to keep the first words from flying out of his mouth.
The evening spent at the end at the inn had turned to pleasant to awkward within moments. Once Hudson had joined her, Ewan, and Sylvia, Ewan?s behavior instantly changed. While both Sylvia and Ewan offered Hudson different people to take to the opera with him, Storm offered Sylvia. That seemed to be the last straw for Ewan. She was now having a difficult time between being concerned, confused, and amused. "Been home for but a day and I have already upset you, that must be the quickest yet." Her eyes narrowed up on him, her stride purposely falling just short of his, "What in all creation is the matter?"
"What is the matter?" he spoke low to counter the want to shout. "What are you thinking sending the Baroness off with him to the theatre?"
"I am not sending her off any where, she certainly is capable of making her own decisions." Baffled, she continued to look at him with mild disapproval, "And what if I would like my friend to enjoy a nice evening out with a friend she clearly enjoys instead of staying home and watching the children?"
"And how would you like it going out with someone not yet a year after I have died?" Perhaps that was his point, he truly did not even know himself. All he knew was that he was going to be careful with whomever got close to Sylvia. "Friends are fine, but I will not have him getting the idea of something more with her, so don't you encourage it."
Now he was upsetting her, "I can encourage anything I choose to. I can make choices for myself, if that is not apparent with you. And since we are on that topic," she chilled her voice as they turned onto the street of their home. "I cannot say what you feel, Ewan. But, I know that if I pass away right now, that I would want you to be happy. There is no allotted time frame of mourning, but if there is someone else that you could love, then I would want you to. Let someone else love Avery the way I do. Not to mention that you are making up a situation that does not exist, yet."
He growled low in his throat. "Happiness does not demand that I have someone with me. That you are my happiness, does not mean there will be another nor that I or Avery will need another." He shook his head. "What matters is, he has lost someone and she has lost someone, and I will not have them trying to recapture what they have lost. They can't find what they once had. They need time." Like he knows, but he is sure acting like he does.
"It does not mean that there is another, Ewan. Stop being so bloody stubborn. You are neither he nor she, what do you know of their mourning? Do not insult the situation by belittling it with your inexperience." She released his hand as they approached the house, not yet making her way inside just yet.
"No, I am not either of them, but I have known her for more years than he or you. Do not presume to tell me how to do my job in protecting my liege, Storm, from whatever may do her harm." He was not pacing, nor was he yelling. The words came out as smooth as if he were asking for her to pass the juice. To him, it was fact and it was his job to protect Sylvia.
Hands to her hips, she did not hide her irritated look. "You do not have the better judgment of the rest of us, Ewan. Or do you forgot those moments? If everything was up to you, then you would have possibly never allow me back into your life." She hated thinking upon that, but he had upset her enough to have the words slip out with more to come, "You can protect her from physical harm, but it is her choice if she gives her heart to another or not."
He was rather certain his heart stopped when she said those words. The time was not forgotten to him. The reasons, the hurt he caused her, and the stern words of his mother. There was nothing more to say. He disagreed, but arguing was fruitless. Without another word, he turned for the house and opened the door a look to her to see if she would like to enter first.
The evening spent at the end at the inn had turned to pleasant to awkward within moments. Once Hudson had joined her, Ewan, and Sylvia, Ewan?s behavior instantly changed. While both Sylvia and Ewan offered Hudson different people to take to the opera with him, Storm offered Sylvia. That seemed to be the last straw for Ewan. She was now having a difficult time between being concerned, confused, and amused. "Been home for but a day and I have already upset you, that must be the quickest yet." Her eyes narrowed up on him, her stride purposely falling just short of his, "What in all creation is the matter?"
"What is the matter?" he spoke low to counter the want to shout. "What are you thinking sending the Baroness off with him to the theatre?"
"I am not sending her off any where, she certainly is capable of making her own decisions." Baffled, she continued to look at him with mild disapproval, "And what if I would like my friend to enjoy a nice evening out with a friend she clearly enjoys instead of staying home and watching the children?"
"And how would you like it going out with someone not yet a year after I have died?" Perhaps that was his point, he truly did not even know himself. All he knew was that he was going to be careful with whomever got close to Sylvia. "Friends are fine, but I will not have him getting the idea of something more with her, so don't you encourage it."
Now he was upsetting her, "I can encourage anything I choose to. I can make choices for myself, if that is not apparent with you. And since we are on that topic," she chilled her voice as they turned onto the street of their home. "I cannot say what you feel, Ewan. But, I know that if I pass away right now, that I would want you to be happy. There is no allotted time frame of mourning, but if there is someone else that you could love, then I would want you to. Let someone else love Avery the way I do. Not to mention that you are making up a situation that does not exist, yet."
He growled low in his throat. "Happiness does not demand that I have someone with me. That you are my happiness, does not mean there will be another nor that I or Avery will need another." He shook his head. "What matters is, he has lost someone and she has lost someone, and I will not have them trying to recapture what they have lost. They can't find what they once had. They need time." Like he knows, but he is sure acting like he does.
"It does not mean that there is another, Ewan. Stop being so bloody stubborn. You are neither he nor she, what do you know of their mourning? Do not insult the situation by belittling it with your inexperience." She released his hand as they approached the house, not yet making her way inside just yet.
"No, I am not either of them, but I have known her for more years than he or you. Do not presume to tell me how to do my job in protecting my liege, Storm, from whatever may do her harm." He was not pacing, nor was he yelling. The words came out as smooth as if he were asking for her to pass the juice. To him, it was fact and it was his job to protect Sylvia.
Hands to her hips, she did not hide her irritated look. "You do not have the better judgment of the rest of us, Ewan. Or do you forgot those moments? If everything was up to you, then you would have possibly never allow me back into your life." She hated thinking upon that, but he had upset her enough to have the words slip out with more to come, "You can protect her from physical harm, but it is her choice if she gives her heart to another or not."
He was rather certain his heart stopped when she said those words. The time was not forgotten to him. The reasons, the hurt he caused her, and the stern words of his mother. There was nothing more to say. He disagreed, but arguing was fruitless. Without another word, he turned for the house and opened the door a look to her to see if she would like to enter first.