If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed it.
Even more remarkable was Miss Finch’s reaction. Despite the fact that she dripped from head to toe, she did not look angrily upon Aaron. Her expression was one of disappointment. Her words looked softly spoken. And when she was done, Aaron meekly walked away, sulking to himself, no longer running about and screaming and shouting with chaotic intent.
“Sorry you had to see that,” Miss Finch said when she noticed Evander standing nearby. “Not my proudest moment.”
He looked at her with bewilderment. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make Aaron listen to you?”
“Oh.” She shrugged. “It is no secret. Shouting and punishing someone like Aaron isn’t the way to make him listen. If anything, it only makes it worse. You must make it clear to him that such acts are not something to be upset over, but that they are nothing to be proud of either…” Her cheeks flushed as Evandercontinued to stare. “He does not mean to misbehave, Your Grace. He is just excitable.”
She has been here for less than a week, and she already knows my son better than I do. Thalia and Caspian are right… she is different.
Suddenly, Miss Finch shuddered.
Her body was soaking wet. Her clothes were drenched through. Although the day was warm, there was a soft breeze, and it attacked her viciously so that she shook as if she felt the chill right to her bones.
Evander’s eyes widened. “Oh! Come here…” Without thinking, he shrugged off his coat and swept toward her.
“What are you –”
“You are freezing.” He did not ask permission. Nor did he let her deny him. In this, Evander would not argue with, and he stepped into Miss Finch and forced his coat over her shoulders. “Here, hold it close…” He wrapped her in his coat and then started to rub her arms.
She said nothing. Standing perfectly still, her cheeks flushed pink, all she could do was stare ahead, almost as if she was embarrassed by his help. Likely, she was just surprised.
“Thank you,” she said finally, her voice low. “You did not have to…”
“For once, Miss Finch, can you not argue with me? Would that be so hard,” he sighed.
She smiled and then laughed. “You are right. In this instance, perhaps it is not so bad that I let you have a small victory.”
“Is that what it was?”
Finally, she looked at him, and in her eyes, he saw her gratitude, just as he felt it pierce his chest. “Thank you again. You are too kind.”
“Do not get used to it,” he said jokingly.
“Shall we return home?” Caspian called out. He and Thalia stood a few feet away, and they watched the scene with that same knowing look in their eyes. “Get you someplace warm, perhaps?”
This time, Evander did not shy away from the look on their faces. This time, he was not ashamed or embarrassed. It felt good to do the right thing, to show an awareness of how others felt, just as he was able to prove that he cared. Such a small moment, but for someone like Evander, it was huge.
“Yes,” he said. “Let us return.”
When they walked home this time, it was Evander who stayed by Miss Finch’s side. They spoke little. He was careful not to get too close. But he was there, he was showing her that he cared and was capable of change, and for now, that needed to be enough.
Chapter Fourteen
“Master Aaron, count off your troops,” Octavia instructed Aaron.
“Fifty thousand!” Aaron cried excitedly.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “I did not tell you to scream the answer at me. I told you to count them off – and show me as you do. Knowing an answer is one thing, but how you come to it is just as important.”
Aaron literally shook with excitement, and Octavia knew that it took all the self-control that he possessed to contain it and not explode. But just as she knew that about him, she knew how desperate he was to show her that he could, as instructed.
He wants to prove that he can do it. And not just to me, but to himself, also. Attention given for doing the right thing, rather than misbehaving.