Miss Pendleton (Update to C.222 END) - Chapter 166

Ian did not falter here. His resolve to restrain expressions of affection to keep Laura’s love vibrant lasted until that evening.

After dinner, the couple sat together in front of the bedroom fireplace to spend the evening. Though it was the height of spring, the fickle English weather meant that as the sun set, the warm glow of the fireplace was necessary. They often spent their evenings like this, sitting by the fire, sharing time before heading to bed.

Laura brought a book—Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. It was the very novel Ian had once harshly criticized as “Jane Austen’s worst work,” yet it was Laura’s favorite among Austen’s novels.

Ordinarily, Ian might have teased her, asking how many times she’d read it or what about the novel captivated her so much. But this time, he pretended not to notice, leaning back in his armchair and opening his own book—John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

The only sound between them was the rustling of pages. Normally, they would sit by the fire, chatting about the day’s events, so the silence felt quite awkward.

After some time, Laura, sitting across from him, let out a soft chuckle. Ian stole a glance at her over his book. She was leaning one arm on the armrest, holding the book with her other hand, giggling quietly as she read.

By gauging the thickness of the pages on either side, Ian deduced the scene she was reading.

“Sir Bertram’s return from Antigua, where the play falls apart,” he thought.

Ian gave a faint smile.

“It is quite a funny scene.”

He turned his gaze back to Paradise Lost. On the page, Satan was seducing Eve with florid rhetoric.

“Utterly dull,” Ian thought. “I found it quite gripping in university, didn’t I?”

He wanted to toss Paradise Lost aside and ask Laura to read her passage aloud but held back.

He stole another glance at Laura’s expression over the book. Her face, tilted toward the pages, was quite serious. She let out a deep sigh, looking distinctly displeased.

“What happened after Sir Bertram returned from Antigua?” Ian mused.

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