The pup didn't know who he was dealing with. "I didn't bring you to Hampshire for you to ask me questions, but the other way around, my boy."
Oliver shook his head. "I'm not your boy. Aunt Lily begged you for years to visit me. A little late for you
to be interested now."
Simon had never had a twelve-year-old chastise him before. Obviously, the lad was in serious need of a strong male in his life. He leaned forward in his seat, leveling the young earl with a serious look. "You're still a boy, Oliver. It's not too late for anything. In fact, it's the perfect time. Now tell me what's been going on with you."
"Nothing. Certainly nothing that would warrant a summons from you," he grumbled.
Simon tried a different approach. There had to be some way to get a pleasant response from the young earl. "Did you know your father lived here for a while as a boy?"
Oliver shrugged. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
Simon rubbed his jaw, amazed Lily wanted to keep the brat. He hoped the boy's transformation was to blame and that he didn't act like an unruly scamp for Lily on a regular basis. For the time being, Simon was giving Oliver the benefit of the doubt, but his patience was quickly fading away. "Let me explain something to you, Oliver. I understand you are experiencing some changes. You don't feel the same. You don't feel like you're in control of yourself, not your thoughts nor your body. You feel different on many levels, and that has to be frightening."
For the first time in their conversation, Oliver looked vulnerable, like a child.
Simon breathed a sigh of relief. "What you're experiencing is normal. Well, normal for us. Me, my brothers, your father, you, and handful of others#p#分页标题#e#
out there."
Oliver frowned but didn't say a word.
"There are ways you can control these feelings, these urges you don't understand. I brought you here to help you, to train you."
"Train me?"
Simon nodded. "You can live a normal life, for the most part. A few days out of the month will be completely out of your control, but I can help you learn how to live with the rest of them."
"You make me sound like a monster."
How many times had Simon thought the very thing? "Not a monster, just different."
"But you said it was normal, and now you say it's different."
"Normal for us, Oliver. Other people aren't like us, and they can't understand the changes and turmoil. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you sooner. I should have been."
Oliver's expressions danced between relief and anxiety. "Aunt Lily said—"
"Your aunt doesn't know. It needs to stay that way." It was easier to focus on what should be done with Lily when she wasn't in the room, he realized. "In a few days, I'll send her back to Essex, but you'll stay here."
"No!" Oliver shot out of his seat. "If she goes, I do, too."
"You're not the one making decisions, my boy," Simon said calmly, hoping that when the time came, he could let Lily go. It was best for her, regardless of what he wanted for himself. "Your father left me as your guardian because he trusted my judgment. You'll have to do the same."
"I don't want to stay without Aunt Lily."
Neither did Simon.
Eleven
Lily found herself seated between Oliver and Simon at dinner. Her nephew was unusually quiet, and Lily was anxious to talk with him privately. Simon was also quiet, and Lily couldn't keep herself from wanting to see him privately as well. They needed to sort out what was going on between them.
Simon seemed to be clutching her to himself at the same time he was pushing her away. He was a dichotomy. Though she also was having a difficult time coming to terms with her own feelings.
Lily wasn't sure what had come over her in the last few days. Until now, she'd never considered the possibility that she'd find a man she could care for. There hadn't been a point in wishing for something that wasn't likely to happen. However, circumstances had brought her to Simon's door, and Lily had never felt so confused. Her heart seemed to beat only for him, but she wanted much more than he seemed willing to give.
She sent a sideways glance toward Simon, only to find him staring back at her with an intensity that stole her breath. He felt it, too, whatever this was, and she couldn't understand why he wanted to send her away.
Across the table, Will stabbed a carrot on his plate with a frown. "Irritating chit," he grumbled.
Lily furrowed her brow. "I do hope you're not speaking about me, Will."
He looked up from his plate. "Oh, I didn't realize that was aloud. Apologies, Lily."