Chapter 8 9 страница

"I thought you were friends."

"We are friends. This is what friends do to one another."

"Men are mad."

"Generally speaking," he agreed.

She rolled her eyes. "I thought the primary rule of friendship was that one was not supposed to dally with one's friend's sister."

"Ah, but I'm not dallying. I'm merely pretending to dally."

Daphne nodded thoughtfully and glanced at Anthony. "And it's still killing him—even though he knows the truth of the matter."

"I know." Simon grinned. "Isn't it brilliant?"

Just then Violet came sailing across the deck. "Children!" she called out. "Children! Oh, pardon me, your grace," she added when she spied him. "It's certainly not fair for me to lump you with my children."

Simon just smiled and waved off her apology.

"The captain tells me we're nearly there," Violet explained. "We should gather up our things."

Simon rose to his feet and extended a helpful hand to Daphne, who took it gratefully, gobbling as she stood.

"I haven't my sea legs yet," she laughed, clutching his arm to steady herself.

"And here we're merely on the river," he murmured.

"Beast. You're not supposed to point out my lack of grace and balance."

As she spoke, she turned her face toward his, and in that instant, with the wind catching her hair and painting her cheeks pink, she looked so enchantingly lovely that Simon nearly forgot to breathe.

Her lush mouth was caught somewhere between a laugh and a smile, and the sun glinted almost red on her hair. Here on the water, away from stuffy ballrooms, with the fresh air swirling about them, she looked natural and beautiful and just being in her presence made Simon want to grin like an idiot.

If they hadn't been about to pull into dock, with her entire family running around them, he would have kissed her. He knew he couldn't dally with her, and he knew he would never marry her, and still he found himself leaning toward her. He didn't even realize what he was doing until he suddenly felt off-balance and lurched back upright.

Anthony, unfortunately, caught the entire episode, and he rather brusquely insinuated himself between Simon and Daphne, grasping her arm with far more strength than grace. "As your eldest brother," he growled, "I believe it is my honor to escort you ashore."

Simon just bowed and let Anthony have his way, too shaken and angered by his momentary loss of control to argue.

The boat settled next to the dock, and a gangplank was put into place. Simon watched as the entire Bridgerton family disembarked, then he brought up the rear, following them onto the grassy banks of the Thames.

At the top of the hill stood the Royal Observatory, a stately old building of rich red brick. Its towers were topped with gray domes, and Simon had the sense that he was, as Daphne had put it, at the very center of the world. Everything, he realized, was measured from this point.

After having crossed a good portion of the globe, the thought was rather humbling.

"Do we have everyone?" the viscountess called out. "Hold still, everyone, so I may be sure we are all present and accounted for." She started counting heads, finally ending on herself with a triumphant, 'Ten! Good, we're all here."

"Just be glad she doesn't make us line up by age any longer."

Simon looked to the left to see Colin grinning at him.

"As a method of keeping order, age worked when it still corresponded with height. But then Benedict gained an inch on Anthony, and then Gregory outgrew Francesca—" Colin shrugged. "Mother simply gave up."

Simon scanned the crowd and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I'm just trying to figure out where I'd fit in."

"Somewhere near Anthony, if I had to hazard a guess," Colin replied.

"God forbid," Simon muttered.

Colin glanced at him with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"Anthony!" Violet called out. "Where's Anthony?"

Anthony indicated his location with a rather ill-tempered grunt.

'Oh, there you are, Anthony. Come and escort me in."

Anthony reluctantly let go of Daphne's arm and walked to his mother's side.

"She's shameless, isn't she?" Colin whispered.

Simon thought it best not to comment.

"Well, don't disappoint her," Colin said. "After all her machinations, the least you can do is go and take Daphne's arm."

Simon turned to Colin with a quirked eyebrow. "You might be just as bad as your mother."

Colin just laughed. "Yes, except that at least I don't pretend to be subtle."

Daphne chose that moment to walk over. "I find myself without an escort," she said.

"Imagine that," Colin returned. "Now, if the two of you will excuse me, I'm off to find Hyacinth. If I'm forced to escort Eloise, I may have to swim back to London. She's been a wretch ever since she attained the age of fourteen."

Simon blinked in confusion. "Didn't you just return from the Continent last week?"

Colin nodded. "Yes, but Eloise's fourteenth birthday was a year and a half ago."

Daphne swatted him on the elbow. "If you're lucky, I won't tell her you said that."

Colin just rolled his eyes and disappeared into the small crowd, bellowing Hyacinth's name.

Daphne laid her hand in the crook of Simon's elbow as he offered her his arm, then asked, "Have we scared you off yet?"

"I beg your pardon?"

She offered him a rueful smile. "There is nothing quite as exhausting as a Bridgerton family outing."

"Oh, that." Simon stepped quickly to the right to avoid Gregory, who was racing after Hyacinth, yelling something about mud and revenge. "It's, ah, a new experience."

"Very politely put, your grace," Daphne said admiringly. "I'm impressed."

"Yes, well—" He jumped back as Hyacinth barreled by, squealing at such a pitch that Simon was certain that dogs would start howling from there to London. "I have no siblings, after all."

Daphne let out a dreamy sigh. "No siblings," she mused. "Right now it sounds like heaven." The faraway look remained in her eyes for a few more seconds, then she straightened and shook off her reverie. "Be that as it may, however—" Her hand shot out just as Gregory ran past, catching the boy firmly by the upper arm. "Gregory Bridgerton," she scolded, "you should know better than to run thus through a crowd. You're liable to knock someone over."

"How did you do that?" Simon asked.

"What, catch him?"

"Yes."

She shrugged. "I have years of practice."

"Daphne!" Gregory whined. His arm, after all, was still attached to her hand.

She let go. "Now, slow down."

He took two exaggerated steps then broke into a trot.

"No scolding for Hyacinth?" Simon asked.

Daphne motioned over her shoulder. "It appears my mother has Hyacinth in hand."

Simon saw that Violet was shaking her finger quite vehemently at Hyacinth. He turned back to Daphne. "What were you about to say before Gregory appeared on the scene?"

She blinked. "I have no idea."

"I believe you were about to go into raptures at the thought of having no siblings."

"Oh, of course." She let out a little laugh as they followed the rest of the Bridgertons up the hill toward the observatory. "Actually, believe it or not, I was going to say that while the concept of eternal solitude is, at times, tempting, I think I would be quite lonely without family." Simon said nothing. "I cannot imagine having only one child myself," she added.

"Sometimes," Simon said in a dry voice, "one has little choice in the matter."

Daphne's cheeks turned an immediate red. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she stammered, her feet absolutely refusing to take a step. "I'd forgotten. Your mother..."

Simon paused beside her. "I didn't know her," he said with a shrug. "I didn't mourn her."

But his blue eyes were strangely hollow and shuttered, and Daphne somehow knew that his words were false.

And at the same time, she knew that he believed them one hundred percent.

And she wondered—what could have happened to this man to make him lie to himself for so many years?

She studied his face, her head tilting slightly as she took in his features. The wind had brought color to his cheeks and ruffled his dark hair. He looked rather uncomfortable under her scrutiny, and finally he just grunted, and said, "We're falling behind."

Daphne looked up the hill. Her family was a good distance ahead of them. "Yes, of course," she said, straightening her shoulders. "We should get going."

But as she trudged up the hill, she wasn't thinking of her family, or of the observatory, or even of longitude. Instead, she was wondering why she had the most bizarre urge to throw her arms around the duke and never let go.

* * *

Several hours later, they were all back on the grassy banks of the Thames, enjoying the last bites of an elegant yet simple luncheon that had been prepared by the Bridgertons' cook. As he had the night before, Simon spoke little, instead observing the often boisterous interactions of Daphne's family.

But Hyacinth apparently had other ideas.

"Good day, your grace," she said, seating herself next to him on the blanket one of the footmen had laid out for their picnic. "Did you enjoy your tour of the observatory?"

Simon couldn't quite suppress a smile as he answered, "Indeed I did, Miss Hyacinth. And you?"

"Oh, very much so. I especially appreciated your lecture on longitude and latitude."

"Well, I don't know that I'd call it a lecture," Simon said, the word making him feel just the slightest bit old and stodgy. Across the blanket, Daphne was grinning at his distress.

Hyacinth just smiled flirtatiously—flirtatiously?—and said, "Did you know that Greenwich also has a most romantic history?"

Daphne started to shake with laughter, the little traitor.

"Really?" Simon managed to get out.

"Indeed," Hyacinth replied, using such cultured tones that Simon briefly wondered if there were actually a forty-year-old matron inside her ten-year-old body. "It was here that Sir Walter Raleigh laid his cloak upon the ground so that Queen Elizabeth would not have to dirty her slippers in a puddle."

"Is that so?" Simon stood and scanned the area.

"Your grace!" Hyacinth's face reverted to ten-year-old impatience as she jumped to her feet. "What are you doing?"

"Examining the terrain," he replied. He cast a secret glance at Daphne. She was looking up at him with mirth and humor and something else that made him feel about ten feet tall.

"But what are you looking for?" Hyacinth persisted.

"Puddles."

"Puddles?" Her face slowly transformed into one of utter delight as she grasped his meaning. "Puddles?"

"Indeed. If I'm going to have to ruin a cloak to save your slippers, Miss Hyacinth, I'd like to know about it in advance."

"But you're not wearing a cloak."

"Heavens above," Simon replied, in such a voice that Daphne burst into laughter below him. "You do not mean that I will be forced to remove my shirt?"

"No!" Hyacinth squealed. "You don't have to remove anything! There aren't any puddles."

"Thank heavens," Simon breathed, clasping one hand to his chest for added effect. He was having far more fun with this than he would have ever dreamed possible. "You Bridgerton ladies are very demanding, did you know that?"

Hyacinth viewed him with a mixture of suspicion and glee. Suspicion finally won out. Her hands found their way to her little hips as she narrowed her eyes and asked, "Are you funning me?"

He smiled right at her. "What do you think?"

"I think you are."

"I think I'm lucky there aren't any puddles about."

Hyacinth pondered that for a moment. "If you decide to marry my sister—" she said. Daphne choked on a biscuit. "—then you have my approval."

Simon choked on air.

"But if you don't," Hyacinth continued, smiling shyly, "then I'd be much obliged if you'd wait for me."

Luckily for Simon, who had little experience with young girls and not a clue how to respond, Gregory came dashing by
and yanked on Hyacinth's hair. She immediately took off after him, her eyes narrowed with the single-minded determination to get even.

"I never thought I'd say this," Daphne said, laughter in her voice, "but I believe you have just been saved by my younger brother."

"How old is your sister?" Simon asked.

"Ten, why?"

He shook his head in bewilderment. "Because for a moment, I could have sworn she was forty."

Daphne smiled. "Sometimes she is so like my mother it's frightening."

At that moment, the woman in question stood and began to summon her children back to the boat. "Come along!" Violet called out. "It's growing late!"

Simon looked at his pocket watch. "It's three."

Daphne shrugged as she rose to her feet. "To her that's late. According to Mother, a lady should always be home at five o'clock."

"Why?"

She reached down to pick up the blanket. "I have no idea. To get ready for the evening, I suppose. It's one of those rules
I've grown up with and deemed best not to question." She straightened, holding the soft blue blanket to her chest, and smiled. "Are we ready to go?"

Simon held out his arm. ""Certainly."

They took a few steps toward the boat, and then Daphne said, "You were very good with Hyacinth. You must have spent a great deal of time with children."

"None," he said tersely.

"Oh," she said, a puzzled frown decorating her face. "I knew you had no siblings, but I had assumed you must have met
some children on your travels,"

"No."

Daphne held silent for a moment, wondering if she should pursue the conversation. Simon's voice had grown hard and forbidding, and his face...

He didn't look like the same man who had teased Hyacinth mere minutes earlier.

But for some reason—maybe because it had been such a lovely afternoon, maybe it was just because the weather was fine—she faked a sunny smile and said, "Well, experience or no, you clearly have the touch. Some adults don't know
how to talk to children, you know."

He said nothing.

She patted his arm. "You'll make some lucky child an excellent father someday."

His head whipped around to face her, and the look in his eyes nearly froze her heart. "I believe I told you I have no intention of marrying," he bit off. "Ever."

"But surely you—"

"Therefore it is unlikely that I shall ever have children."

"I...I see." Daphne swallowed and attempted a shaky smile, but she had a feeling she didn't manage anything more than a slight quivering of her lips. And even though she knew that their courtship was nothing more than a charade, she felt a vague sense of disappointment.

They reached the edge of the dock, where most of the rest of the Bridgertons were milling about. A few had already
boarded, and Gregory was dancing on the gangplank.

"Gregory!" Violet called out, her voice sharp. "Stop that at once!"

He stilled, but didn't move from his position.

"Either get on the boat or come back to the dock."

Simon slipped his arm from Daphne's, muttering,

"That gangplank looks wet." He started moving forward.

"You heard Mother!" Hyacinth called out.

"Oh, Hyacinth," Daphne sighed to herself. "Can't you just keep out of it?"

Gregory stuck out his tongue.

Daphne groaned, then noticed that Simon was still walking toward the gangplank. She hurried to his side, whispering,
"Simon, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Not if he slips and gets caught in the ropes." He motioned with his chin to a tangled mess of ropes that were hanging off the boat.

Simon reached the end of the gangplank, walking casually, as if he hadn't a worry in the world. "Are you going to get
moving?" he called out, stepping out onto the narrow piece of wood. "So that I might cross?"

Gregory blinked. "Don't you have to escort Daphne?"

Simon groaned and moved forward, but just then, Anthony, who had already boarded the small yacht, appeared at the top of the gangplank.

"Gregory!" he called out sharply. "Get on this boat at once!"

From down on the dock, Daphne watched with horror as Gregory spun around in surprise, losing his footing on the slippery wood. Anthony leapt forward, making a frantic grab with his arms, but Gregory had already slid to his bottom, and Anthony caught only air.

Anthony fought for balance as Gregory slid down the gangplank, clipping Simon rather neatly in the shins.

"Simon!" Daphne croaked, running forward.

Simon went tumbling into the murky water of the Thames, just as Gregory wailed a heartfelt, "I'm sorry!" He scooted up the gangplank backwards on his behind— rather like a crab, actually—not at all looking where he was going.

Which probably explained why he had no idea that Anthony—who had almost managed to regain his balance—was only a
few short feet behind him.

Gregory rammed into Anthony with a thud on his part and a grunt on Anthony's, and before anyone knew it, Anthony was sputtering in the water, right next to Simon.

Daphne clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers.

Violet yanked on her arm. "I highly suggest you don't laugh."

Daphne pinched her lips together in an effort to comply, but it was difficult. "You're laughing," she pointed out.

"I'm not," Violet lied. Her entire neck was quivering with the exertion required to keep her laughter inside. "And besides, I'm a mother. They wouldn't dare do anything to me."

Anthony and Simon came stalking out of the water, dripping and glaring at each other.

Gregory crawled the rest of the way up the gangplank and disappeared over the edge.

"Maybe you should intercede," Violet suggested.

"Me?" Daphne squeaked.

"It looks as if they might come to blows."

"But why? It was all Gregory's fault."

"Of course," Violet said impatiently, "but they're men, and they're both furious and embarrassed, and they can't very well take it out on a boy of twelve."

Sure enough, Anthony was muttering, "I could have taken care of him," just as Simon growled, "If you hadn't surprised him..."

Violet rolled her eyes, and said to Daphne, "Any man, you'll soon learn, has an insurmountable need to blame someone else when he is made to look a fool."

Daphne rushed forward, fully intending to attempt to reason with the two men, but one close look at their faces told her that nothing she could possibly say could imbue them with as much intelligence and sensibility as a woman would have in such a situation, so she simply pasted on a bright smile, grabbed Simon's arm, and said, "Escort me up?"

Simon glared at Anthony.

Anthony glared at Simon.

Daphne yanked.

'This isn't over, Hastings," Anthony hissed.

"Far from it," Simon hissed back.

Daphne realized that they were simply looking for an excuse to come to blows. She yanked harder, prepared to dislocate Simon's shoulder if need be.

After one last burning glare, he acquiesced and followed her up into the boat.

It was a very long trip home.

* * *

Later that night, as Daphne prepared for bed, she found herself oddly restless. Sleep, she could already tell, would prove impossible, so she pulled on a robe and wandered downstairs in search of warm milk and some company. With so many siblings, she thought wryly, surely someone had to be up and about.

On her way to the kitchen, however, she heard rustlings in Anthony's study, so she poked her head in. Her eldest brother was hunched over his desk, ink spots on his fingers from the correspondence he was answering. It was uncommon to find him here so late into the evening. He'd preferred to keep his study at Bridgerton House even after he'd moved into his bachelor's lodgings, but he usually took care of his business matters during the day.

"Don't you have a secretary to do that?" Daphne asked with a smile.

Anthony looked up. "Damned fool got married and moved to Bristol," he muttered.

"Ah." She walked into the room and perched on a chair opposite the desk. "That would explain your presence here in the wee hours of the morning."

Anthony glanced up at the clock. "Midnight is hardly wee. And besides, it took me all afternoon just to get the Thames
out of my hair."

Daphne tried not to smile.

"But you're right," Anthony said with a sigh, setting down his quill. "It's late, and there's nothing here that won't keep until the morning." He leaned back and stretched out his neck. "What are you doing up and about?"

"Couldn't sleep," Daphne explained with a shrug. "I came downstairs for some hot milk and heard you cursing."

Anthony let out a grunt. "It's this bloody quill. I swear I—" He smiled sheepishly. "I suppose 'I swear' pretty much takes care of it, eh?"

Daphne smiled in return. Her brothers had never minded their language around her. "So you'll be heading home soon, then?"

He nodded. "Although that warm milk you mentioned sounds rather nice. Why don't you ring for it?"

Daphne stood. "I've a better idea. Why don't we get it ourselves? We're not complete idiots. We should be able to warm
some milk. And besides, the servants are probably in bed."

Anthony followed her out the door. "Very well, but you shall have to do all the work. I haven't the faintest idea how to
boil milk."

"I don't think one is supposed to let it boil," Daphne said with a frown. She rounded the last corner on the way to the kitchen and pushed open the door. The room was dark, save for moonlight glowing through the windows. "Find a lamp while I find some milk," she said to Anthony. Her face took on a slight smirk. "You can light a lamp, can't you?"

"Oh, I believe I can manage that," he said good-naturedly.

Daphne smiled to herself as she fumbled about in the dark, pulling a small pot from the hanging rack above her. She and Anthony usually had an easy, joking relationship, and it was nice to see him back to his normal self again. He'd been in such a beastly mood for the past week, with most of his sour temper directed squarely at her.

And Simon, of course, but Simon was rarely present to receive Anthony's scowls.

A light flickered to life behind her, and Daphne turned to see Anthony smiling triumphantly. "Have you found the milk," he asked, "or must I venture out in search of a cow?"

She laughed and held up a bottle. "Found it!" She wandered over to the enclosed range, a rather modern-looking contraption that Cook had purchased earlier in the year. "Do you know how to work this?" she asked.

"No idea. You?"

Daphne shook her head. "None." She reached forward and gingerly touched the surface of the stove top. "It's not hot."

"Not even a little bit?"

She shook her head. "It's rather cold, actually."

Brother and sister were silent for a few seconds.

"You know," Anthony finally said, "cold milk might be quite refreshing."

"I was just thinking that very thing!"

Anthony grinned and found two mugs. "Here, you pour."

Daphne did, and soon they were seated on stools, gulping down the fresh milk. Anthony drained his mug in short order,
and poured another. "You need some more?" he asked, wiping off his milk mustache.

"No, I'm barely halfway to the bottom," Daphne said, taking another sip. She licked at her lips, fidgeting in her chair. Now that she was alone with Anthony, and he seemed like he was back in his usual good humor, it seemed like a good time to...Well, the truth was...Oh, blast, she thought to herself, just go ahead and ask him.

"Anthony?" she said, a touch hesitantly. "Could I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"It's about the duke."

Anthony's mug hit the table with a loud thunk. "What about the duke?"

"I know you don't like him..." she began, her words trailing off.

"It's not that I don't like him," Anthony said with a weary sigh. "He's one of my closest friends."

Daphne's brows rose. "One would be hard-pressed to deduce that based on your recent behavior."

"I just don't trust him around women. Around you in particular."

"Anthony, you must know that that is one of the silliest things you have ever said. The duke might have been a rake—I
suppose he might still be a rake for all I know—but he would never seduce me, if only because I'm your sister."

Anthony looked unconvinced.

"Even if there weren't some male code of honor about such things," Daphne persisted, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes, "he knows you'd kill him if he touched me. The man isn't stupid."

Anthony refrained from commenting, instead saying, "What was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Actually," Daphne said slowly, "I was wondering if you knew why the duke was so opposed to marriage."

Anthony spit his milk halfway across the table. "For Christ's sake, Daphne! I thought we agreed that this was just a charade! Why are you even thinking about marrying him?"

"I'm not!" she insisted, thinking that she might be lying but unwilling to examine her feelings closely enough to be sure. "I'm just curious," she muttered defensively.

"You had better not be thinking about trying to get him to marry you," Anthony said with a grunt, "because I'll tell you right now he'll never do it. Never. Do you understand me, Daphne? He won't marry you."

"I would have to be a half-wit not to understand you," she grumbled.

"Good. Then that's the end of it."

"No, it's not!" she returned. "You still haven't answered my question."

Anthony leveled a stony stare at her across the table.

"About why he won't get married," she prodded.

"Why are you so interested?" he asked wearily.

The truth, Daphne feared, lay a little too close to Anthony's accusations, but she just said, "I'm curious, and besides, I think I have a right to know, since, if I don't find an acceptable suitor soon, I may become a pariah after the duke drops me."

"I thought you were supposed to jilt him," Anthony said suspiciously.

Daphne snorted. "Who is going to believe that?"

Anthony didn't immediately jump to her defense, which Daphne found vaguely annoying. But he did say, "I don't know why Hastings refuses to marry. All I know is that he has maintained this opinion for as long as I've known him." Daphne opened her mouth to speak, but Anthony cut her off by adding, "And he's stated it in such a way so that I do not believe his is the weak vow of the beleaguered bachelor."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that unlike most men, when he says he will never marry, he means it."

"I see."

Anthony let out a long, tired breath, and Daphne noticed tiny lines of concern around his eyes that she'd never seen before. "Choose a man from your new crowd of suitors," he said, "and forget Hastings. He's a good man, but he's not for you."

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