[ No right thing to do. No. None. To have taken her with him - it would have looked beyond disreputable. It would have ruined her reputation beyond all repair - two Vorrutyer children doing what Vorrutyer children had scandalously done for generations, to the delighted horror of generations of Vor. To stay - to have her sent away, far from him, removed from school and sent into isolation, where she'd be tormented by who-knew-what and he wouldn't be with her to protect her. To take his own life over the dishonor - that was a thought that had occurred to him, more than once, but that too would have seemed an implicit admission of guilt. He was trapped in a web spun by a single sly sniggering spider, a nasty-minded little rumor-monger with too much time on his hands and a desire for mischief.
Four years ago, young Lydia Vordarian had been smeared by some anonymous wag who had said that she was taking pay for her time. Quietly, subtly, the work had been done to uncover the source of the gossip. Her old flame, Eugene Vorinnis. No one remembered the rumors about Lydia once the work was through, not with good Eugene's reputation scorched to high heaven. If only, though - if only there had been people like that, back then - if only someone had looked out for him...
Was it cowardice, then? Like Louis' cowardice? At the end of the day, he left her to the wolves. By the grace of her inner strength and ferocity, she fought them off - emerged alive - but he still left her to that. ]
Yes.
[ By answers rather absently, hardly even attending to the question, too lost in his reverie. ] Three older brothers. Count Oleg, Alexander, and Ges.
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Four years ago, young Lydia Vordarian had been smeared by some anonymous wag who had said that she was taking pay for her time. Quietly, subtly, the work had been done to uncover the source of the gossip. Her old flame, Eugene Vorinnis. No one remembered the rumors about Lydia once the work was through, not with good Eugene's reputation scorched to high heaven. If only, though - if only there had been people like that, back then - if only someone had looked out for him...
Was it cowardice, then? Like Louis' cowardice? At the end of the day, he left her to the wolves. By the grace of her inner strength and ferocity, she fought them off - emerged alive - but he still left her to that. ]
Yes.
[ By answers rather absently, hardly even attending to the question, too lost in his reverie. ] Three older brothers. Count Oleg, Alexander, and Ges.