"Of course I did. Your sister has never been one to simply sit and accept anything. I thought that she might continue to protest, at least, but she has not. She has done exactly what I asked of her."
Henry folded his arms loosely.
"So you expected her to ignore you just enough to satisfy your conditions, but not enough to remove you from her day entirely. Is that it?"
"That is not right at all. I never intended for this to be a hostile marriage. In spite of what is said of her, I actually did not expect her to like me at all, which would mean us living separate lives which is undoubtedly for the best.
Henry was quiet for a moment.
"Did you notice how she spoke today?"
Julian did not need to ask what he meant. He had been trying to forget how she had been. She was not flirting, but there was something in the way she had spoken to the other gentlemen that made him most uncomfortable. She did not know them, and yet she spoke to them as though she did, and it was that familiarity that he didn't like.
"Yes. I did hear her."
"And what did you make of it?"
"She was at ease."
"With everyone?"
"Yes."
"But not with you?"
Julian’s silence answered the question more clearly than words. Henry exhaled slowly.
"That must be inconvenient for you."
Julian’s gaze sharpened slightly.
"If you intend to find humor in this–"
"I do not," Henry said, cutting him off. "I am trying to understand whether you realize what you have done."
Julian’s hand pressed more firmly against the desk.
"I have established clarity."
"You have removed yourself," Henry replied. "In turn, she will do the same. I know my sister."
Julian did not accept that immediately.
"She has not withdrawn from the house. She has not withdrawn from my sister."
"No," Henry said. "She has simply withdrawn from you, and that will either be the start or the full extent of it, and it is best that you prepare for either."
The words settled heavily, not raised, not forced, but impossible to dismiss. Julian looked away again, his thoughts returning to the sound of Eleanor’s voice earlier that day, to the way it had carried when entertained.
"She is unchanged with others," he said.
"Good." Henry gave a slight nod. "That is often the case when someone decides where to place their attention."
Julian’s expression hardened slightly.
"You speak as though this were a deliberate choice of hers."
"Do you honestly not think it is?"