Elinor smirked at the thought and peered up at him. “And what sort of branch were you?”

He shrugged. “Roughly in the middle, but certainly the top half. I’ll never be Francis, but I’m not exactly one of the relations to avoid.”

“Is Francis the pinnacle, then?” she asked, wondering for possibly the first time about the nature of things between the brothers. Francis, Lord Sterling, was on her list of close to perfect men, and he had proven himself to be a good friend to the Spinsters.

Hugh was nothing like him.

Or so she’d thought.

Hugh gave her a humorless smile. “Isn’t he always?”

She was honest enough to admit the truth there and smiled in return. “The lot of a younger sibling, is it not? I am always being compared to Emma, even before she was married. And now…”

“What?” he asked when she did not finish. “Now that she is no longer a spinster, you must follow the same path?”

“More or less, yes.” She shook her head and clasped her hands before her, slouching a little. “The matrimonial part wasn’t mentioned for quite a while, for obvious reasons. Now that she has married and borne children, I am suddenly to be found wanting.” She rolled her eyes, laughing slightly. “Emma was never to be found wanting at my age, but there it is.”

Hugh stared at her, his expression just as inscrutable as before. “What could be found wanting in a young woman enjoying herself in a healthy, proper manner? Or have you really sworn off men entirely, as they say?”

Elinor bit her lip, her laugh now not quite as forced. “I have not, though I was close at times. I am not quite as violent in my spinsterly passion as I was before. I am sure that gives relief to some.”

Wisely, Hugh did not respond except to shrug. “I couldn’t say. I haven’t had association with any in London for some time now.”

“Were you not headed to London?” she found herself asking, truly curious.

He shook his head. “Oxfordshire, actually. Francis and Janet are at the family house this Christmas and invited me to join them. I thought to refuse, but then I had a letter from Alice…” He smiled almost wistfully. “I find that I have reached the point where my shame is dwarfed by my desire to see them, and I found myself in a carriage before I fully comprehended what that would mean.”

Elinor grinned at that. “Traveling in the winter does tend to require some preparation.”

“Now you tell me,” he replied, flashing a quick smile in her direction before he sobered again. “I’m not entirely sure how I will be received, but if I cannot come home repentant at Christmas, I may never be able to.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Elinor commented, rubbing her hands together absently. “They wouldn’t have invited you if they wanted you away, not if I know Francis. And Alice seems a rather genuine girl, I doubt she would pretend to want you back if she felt otherwise. I’d say you could return repentant at any time and be well received.”