Being Mrs. Thorne

“Have we met before?”

Lucien asked the question calmly. It did not sound like he was just making small talk.

Evelyn did not react right away. She looked him in the eye without blinking. She acted like the answer was simple and did not require any extra thought.

“No,” she said.

Lucien watched her for a few seconds. Something in his face tightened for a moment. Then his expression went back to being smooth and cold.

“Then it does not matter,” he said.

He turned away from her just like that.

Evelyn let out a quiet breath. She felt the tension in her shoulders start to fade. This was exactly what she wanted. She did not want him to ask questions or try to dig into her past. It was better if there were no connections between them.

Lucien walked further into the room. He took off his jacket and placed it neatly over the back of a chair. His movements were very precise. He acted like nothing about this situation bothered him at all.

“Dinner is at eight o’clock,” he told her.

“Alright,” Evelyn replied.

A long silence followed his words. It was not an awkward silence, but it felt very cold. They were two strangers in the same room.

Lucien adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. “You will follow the house schedule while you are here.”

“I am already doing that,” Evelyn said.

He paused for a second and then gave a short nod. “Good.”

Evelyn shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Is there anything else you need?”

Lucien closed the wardrobe door. “We will stay out of each other’s way.”

“Fine with me,” she answered.

Their eyes met again. For a split second, something flickered in the air between them. It was hard to tell what it was. Lucien studied her like he was waiting for her to do something. He seemed to want a reaction or some kind of resistance.

Evelyn stayed perfectly still. She did not give him anything. His jaw tightened just a little bit.

“You are not bothered by any of this,” he said.

Evelyn tilted her head. “Should I be?”

“Most people would be upset,” Lucien replied.

“I am not most people.”

That answer hung in the air. Lucien’s eyes grew sharper as he looked at her.

“No,” he said quietly. “You are definitely not.”

Evelyn was the first one to look away. She walked toward the other side of the room to create some space.

“Then there will not be a problem,” she said.

“There will not be,” Lucien agreed. However, his tone of voice made it sound like he did not believe her.

The silence returned. Evelyn adjusted her bag just to give her hands something to do. She wanted to look busy and normal. Behind her, Lucien did not leave the room. That made her feel uneasy.

“You are adapting to this house very quickly,” he said.

“I do not have a choice,” Evelyn replied.

“People usually try to argue or negotiate first,” he pointed out.

“There is nothing to negotiate here.”

The answer came out too fast. It was too clean and too perfect. Lucien noticed it immediately. Evelyn could feel his gaze on her back even though she was not looking at him.

“You are very certain about that,” he said.

“I am.”

Another pause followed. Then, Evelyn heard his footsteps. Lucien took a step toward her. Then he took another one. He moved slowly and carefully.

Evelyn felt the air in the room change. The tension was back and it felt tighter than before. Her fingers curled into her palms, but she forced herself to relax. He stopped a short distance away. He was not too close, but he was close enough that she could feel his presence.

“You do not ask any questions,” he said.

Evelyn turned around to face him. “Would you actually answer them if I did?”

Lucien did not say anything. His silence was the only answer she needed.

“Exactly,” she said.

That should have been the end of the conversation. It was not. Lucien looked her over again. This time, he was much more deliberate. He was trying to figure her out.

“You are very calm,” he said.

“I do not see the point in being anything else.”

“Most people in your position would disagree with you.”

“Most people are not me,” she repeated.

Lucien studied her. He looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Something about her answers did not feel right to him. She was too controlled and too calm. It was not what he expected from a woman in her situation.

He stepped closer again. Now, the space between them felt very small.

Evelyn felt a sharp memory from her past try to surface. It was a memory she had worked hard to bury. She forced it down deep before it could show on her face.

Lucien stopped. He was close enough now that it felt like he was testing her.

“You are not nervous at all,” he said.

Evelyn did not move an inch. “Should I be nervous around my husband?”

The word husband felt heavy in the room. Lucien’s jaw tightened.

“That is not what this is,” he said sternly.

“I know that.”

Her voice was flat. She did not sound upset or sad. This seemed to bother him more than anything else she had said.

“You are very sure of yourself,” he remarked.

“I have no reason not to be.”

The room went quiet and still. Lucien did not step back. He kept looking at her with a sharp gaze. He felt like something about her did not line up correctly.

Evelyn held her ground. She did not give him a reaction. She did not make a single mistake.

“You have never been here before,” he said. It sounded more like a statement than a question.

Evelyn looked him right in the eye. “No.”

Lucien watched her for a long time. Finally, he spoke.

“Fine.”

He stepped back and the tension broke. The distance between them returned to normal.

“Get settled in,” he said. His voice was much colder now. “Dinner is at eight.”

“I will be there,” Evelyn replied.