*Matilda*
At least with him sitting beside me, I can't erroneously imagine his gaze is focused on me. When I look at him out of the corner of my eye, I see his attention is directed forward, away from me. Still, being this close to him makes me all the more aware of him.
His kindness in the hallway after my encounter with Wickham nearly brought me to tears. It has been so very long since anyone besides Gina has shown me true concern. If I were honest, I couldn’t claim Downie would threaten to break fingers on my behalf. He’s never been the jealous sort. I'm not even sure he was jealous of my encounter with the servant. Furious, yes. Embarrassed beyond reason, yes. Mortified, certainly. His pride has taken a blow. But his heart bruised? I doubt it.
I can’t ascertain why Rexton has made t
