I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping; Daddy always advised against it. Nothing good ever came of snooping, he insisted; people didn’t always mean what they said in front of others, and besides, others’ opinions of me were neither my business nor my problem.

But perhaps if I’d snooped a little more in England, I wouldn’t have been caught so off guard.

“Okay, okay,” Aleksei said. “Something easier. Do you think she’s attractive?”

“Of course,” said Torden. “Don’t you?”

Breathe normally.

“We aren’t talking about me. On a scale of one to ten, how attractive?” Aleksei prodded. “Do you think she’s as good- looking as Ida or Janne?”

Torden’s voice came out in a growl. “What is wrong with you?”

“I’m sorry.” Aleksei’s tone was placating. “I am trying to help you sort this out.”

“Ida is gorgeous, but she is such a gossip. It’s boring.” Torden sighed. “And I don’t care if Janne is pretty. She flirted with me for weeks before I realized she was just trying to get closer to Fredrik.”

“So?” Aleksei asked.

“Selah is very pretty,” said Torden. “Her eyes. Her freckles. Very . . . sweet.”

“Too sweet,” Aleksei said acidly.

Torden didn’t acknowledge this. “I don’t know what to do around her. I’m afraid I’m going to ruin her with my clumsy hands.”

There was a long moment of silence between them.

I wanted to reach out to Torden and tell him his hands were just fine. That I didn’t believe he’d hurt me, on purpose or through carelessness.

“I didn’t even notice she had freckles,” Aleksei said absently.

“I can’t stop noticing,” said Torden, and something flickered inside me. “On her nose.”

“Too wide, in my opinion. And so is her waist.”

I flinched.

“I like her waist just fine.” The tiny spark in my chest flared. Torden sounded lazy, sleepy.

“Ah. Speaking of,” Aleksei asked, “has anything . . . happened?”

“No!”

“You haven’t even kissed her?” Aleksei demanded.

“When?” Torden answered, now sounding annoyed. “In front of everyone at the ball? In the lake, with everyone around?”

“You’re the one who keeps telling her not to worry about who’s watching,” said Aleksei. “You walked her back last night. Could have done it then.”

“Anya and Skop beat me there.”

Aleksei’s tone shifted. “Really?”

“Just talking,” said Torden quickly. “Anya knows better. Knows what is expected of her.” He sighed again. “She’ll be married off and gone sooner than we would like, I am afraid.”

My heart sank at his words. Poor Skop.

Aleksei snickered. “Anyway, you’d better get moving before she falls for Fredrik and he swipes her, too.”

“He wouldn’t.” But Torden sounded suspicious.

“Well, he might if you don’t do something,” retorted Aleksei. “Or she might, if she thinks you are not interested.” I thought of Fredrik turning green over breakfast and almost laughed aloud.