Chapter Eight
Anthony stomped back to the hall, frustrated with how things went with Harriet. She told him to think on it as if he would somehow change his mind. The notion was absurd. He didn’t see Jon or Philip anywhere on the grounds and suspected they’d snuck away. He knew where they’d be.
He made his way inside and went straight to Philip’s study.
Anthony opened the door to find his brother and friend seated in the sitting area, enjoying brandy.
He plopped down in the wingback chair next to his brother and across from Jon.
His friend smirked. “What has you in a foul mood. Did Harriet refuse your request to fetch her more cider?”
His brother snickered, and Anthony glared at him. Philip shrugged. “Lillian told me you are going to court Harriet.”
Anthony sighed. “Harriet told me to think about it more. She seemed skeptical that I wanted to court her as if I didn’t know my own mind.”
Both his brother and Jon burst into loud laughter at that. He sighed, not amused. Finally, Philip said, “Did you expect her to just fall into your arms?”
“Cry for joy that a man had finally picked her,” Jon added.
Philip shook his head. “Harriet may be what some would consider a spinster, but it is by choice. Plenty of men have courted her.”
He sighed. Did he think she would immediately agree? He wasn’t sure, but he’d expected something more than her request that he think about it.
Jon added, “If you aren’t willing to pursue her, maybe you don’t care for her as much as you thought. I could—”
“Don’t say it,” he bit out.
Both Philip and Jon grinned. His brother said, “Honestly, I think we all assumed you’d end up with Harriet.”
His friend nodded in agreement. Anthony frowned. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Do you remember the time Mother had the tea when Harriet and Lillian were fifteen and sixteen. I think we were eighteen and nineteen. A boy had tried to make fun of Harriet, and you dumped punch on his head.”
“It was Lord Harrington’s son.”
Jon smiled. “I remember that. You told me and Philip that no one messes with our hellion but us.”
Philip smiled. “You were always so protective of her. Of course, right after that, the two of you started squabbling about something, but it was that moment.”
Anthony remembered the fury he’d felt when he’d seen the hurt on Harriet’s face.
He’d been furious. The type of anger where one would destroy the world to make something right.
Truthfully, he’d always been protective of her.
Yet, somehow, he’d refused to ever think of her as anything more than a friend or neighbor, well, until now.
Jon winked at him. “If it is meant to be, you will find a way.”
It was, and he would.
***
Harriet paced back and forth in Lillian’s bedchamber. “How could I ever possibly say yes? He was in love with you.”
Lillian snorted. “He was never in love with me. He was young and stupid. Men who didn’t even like me pursued me because the Queen called me the lady of the Season during my debut.”
“He left the country because you broke his heart.”
Her sister shook her head. “No, Anthony left the country because he felt foolish. He didn’t leave because of any torch he carried for me. He even told me so since his return.”
Hope flared in her heart. Their moment in the alcove flashed in her mind. “We kissed.”
Her sister gasped not with outrage but with excitement. Harriet rolled her eyes.
“Well?” Lillian prodded.
“It was wonderful,” she admitted.
“Then why not let him court you?”
She glanced at her beautiful sister, who was always so put together and didn’t cause catastrophes. “What if he discovers I’m a mess?”
Her sister hugged her. “Truthfully, Anthony already knows you are chaos.”
Harriet tried to shrug out of her sister’s embrace, but she held tight. Lillian added, “Men have courted you in the past. Ones that you didn’t even care for much. You’ve admitted that you and Anthony have shared a wonderful kiss. Why not let him woo you?”
Lillian had a point. Still, Harriet worried that what she felt for him was already too strong. What if she fell in love with him? Was she already? “What if he changes his mind?”
Harriet was shocked that she’d confessed her genuine fear to her sister, but it was what worried her the most.
“He would be a fool.”
She nodded, still not as confident as her sister, but one thing she did know was that she wanted Anthony to kiss her again. Harriet wanted to feel that warm feeling coursing through her body.