Love's about
finding the one person who makes your heart complete. Who makes you a better
person than you ever dreamed you could be. Its about looking in the eyes of
your wife and knowing all the way to your bones that she's simply the best
person you've ever known.
Suddenly it was too hard to be in his presence, too painful to know that he would belong to someone else.
Before she knew what she was about, she was jumping about like a crazy woman, yelling, "Yes! Yes! I win!"
"You don't win," Anthony snapped.
"Oh, it feels like I've won," she reveled.
Anthony Bridgerton leaned back in his leather chair,and then announced, "I'm thinking about getting married."
Benedict Bridgerton, who had been indulging in a habit his mother detested, tipping his chair drunkenly on the back two legs, fell over.
Colin Bridgerton started to choke.
Luckily for Colin, Benedict regained his seat with enough time to smack him soundly on the back, sending a green olive sailing across the table.
It narrowly missed Anthony's ear.
"My mother is convinced that yellow is a happy color and that a happy girl would get a husband."
A man with charm is an entertaining thing, and a man with looks is, of course, a sight to behold, but a man with honor - ah, he is the one, dear reader, to which young ladies should flock.
"This has to be the most self-centered thing I've ever said, but no, I think you just wanted to vex me.
The ranks of society are once again filled with Ambitious Mamas, whose only aim is to
see their Darling Daughters married off to Determined Bachelors.
It was funny, he reflected later, how one's life could alter in an instant, how one minute everything could be a certain way, and the next it's simply ... not.
"Do you miss a parent you never knew?" he whispered.
Kate considered his question for some time. His voice had held a hoarse urgency that told her there was
something critical about her reply. Why, she couldn't imagine, but something about her childhood clearly
rang a chord within his heart.
"Yes," she finally answered, "but not in the way you would think. You can't really miss her, because you didn't know her, but there's still a hole in your life, a big empty spot, and you know who was supposed
to fit there, but you can't remember her, and you don't know what she was like, and so you don't know
how she would have filled that hole." Her lips curved into a sad sort of smile. "Does this make any sense?"
Anthony nodded. "It makes a great deal of sense sometimes there are reasons for our fears that we can't
quite explain. Sometimes it's just something we feel in our bones, something we know to be true, but
would sound foolish to anyone else."
Something she knew she did not have the right to ask him about. But she wished, oh, how she
wished, that when he was ready to face his fears, she could be the one to help him.
Be careful what you wish for, her mind thundered.
He was no fool; he knew that love existed. But he also believed in the power of the mind, and perhaps even more importantly, the power of the will. Frankly, he saw no reason why love should be an involuntary thing.
If he didn't want to fall in love, then by damn, he wasn't going to. It was as simple as that.It had to be as
simple as that.
By the following morning, Anthony was drunk. By afternoon, he was hungover.
His head was pounding, his ears were ringing, and his brothers, who had been surprised to discover him
in such a state at their club, were talking far too loudly.
Anthony put his hands over his ears and groaned. Everyone was talking far too loudly.
"Kate boot you out of the house?" Colin asked, grabbing a walnut from a large pewter dish in the middle
their table and splitting it open with a viciously loud crack.
Anthony lifted his head just far enough to glare at him.
Benedict watched his brother with raised brows and the vaguest hint of a smirk. "She definitely booted
him out," he said to Colin. "Hand me one of those walnuts, will you?"
Colin tossed one across the table. "Do you want the crackers as well?"
Benedict shook his head and grinned as he held up a fat, leather-bound book. "Much more satisfying to
smash them."
"Don't," Anthony bit out, his hand shooting out to grab the book, "even think about it."
"Ears a bit sensitive this afternoon, are they?"
If Anthony had had a pistol, he would have shot them both, hang the noise.
"If I might offer you a piece of advice?" Colin said, munching on his walnut.
"You might not," Anthony replied. He looked up. Colin was chewing with his mouth open. As this had
been strictly forbidden while growing up in their household, Anthony could only deduce that Colin was
displaying such poor manners only to make more noise. "Close your damned mouth," he muttered.
Colin swallowed, smacked his lips, and took a sip of his tea to wash it all down. "Whatever you did,
apologize for it. I know you, and I'm getting to know Kate, and knowing what I know-"
"What the hell is he talking about?" Anthony grumbled.
"I think," Benedict said, leaning back in his chair, "that he's telling you you're an ass."
"Just so!" Colin exclaimed.
Anthony just shook his head wearily. "It's more complicated than you think."
"It always is," Benedict said, with sincerity so false it almost managed to sound sincere.
"When you two idiots find women gullible enough to actually marry you," Anthony snapped, "then you
may presume to offer me advice. But until then ...shut up."
Colin looked at Benedict. "Think he's angry?"
Benedict quirked a brow. "That or drunk."
Colin shook his head. "No, not drunk. Not anymore, at least. He's clearly hungover."
"Which would explain," Benedict said with a philosophical nod, "why he's so angry."
Anthony spread one hand over his face and pressed hard against his temples with his thumb and middle
finger. "God above," he muttered. "What would it take to get you two to leave me alone?"
"Go home, Anthony," Benedict said, his voice surprisingly gentle.
Suddenly it was too hard to be in his presence, too painful to know that he would belong to someone else.
Before she knew what she was about, she was jumping about like a crazy woman, yelling, "Yes! Yes! I win!"
"You don't win," Anthony snapped.
"Oh, it feels like I've won," she reveled.
Anthony Bridgerton leaned back in his leather chair,and then announced, "I'm thinking about getting married."
Benedict Bridgerton, who had been indulging in a habit his mother detested, tipping his chair drunkenly on the back two legs, fell over.
Colin Bridgerton started to choke.
Luckily for Colin, Benedict regained his seat with enough time to smack him soundly on the back, sending a green olive sailing across the table.
It narrowly missed Anthony's ear.
"My mother is convinced that yellow is a happy color and that a happy girl would get a husband."
A man with charm is an entertaining thing, and a man with looks is, of course, a sight to behold, but a man with honor - ah, he is the one, dear reader, to which young ladies should flock.
"This has to be the most self-centered thing I've ever said, but no, I think you just wanted to vex me.
The ranks of society are once again filled with Ambitious Mamas, whose only aim is to
see their Darling Daughters married off to Determined Bachelors.
It was funny, he reflected later, how one's life could alter in an instant, how one minute everything could be a certain way, and the next it's simply ... not.
"Do you miss a parent you never knew?" he whispered.
Kate considered his question for some time. His voice had held a hoarse urgency that told her there was
something critical about her reply. Why, she couldn't imagine, but something about her childhood clearly
rang a chord within his heart.
"Yes," she finally answered, "but not in the way you would think. You can't really miss her, because you didn't know her, but there's still a hole in your life, a big empty spot, and you know who was supposed
to fit there, but you can't remember her, and you don't know what she was like, and so you don't know
how she would have filled that hole." Her lips curved into a sad sort of smile. "Does this make any sense?"
Anthony nodded. "It makes a great deal of sense sometimes there are reasons for our fears that we can't
quite explain. Sometimes it's just something we feel in our bones, something we know to be true, but
would sound foolish to anyone else."
Something she knew she did not have the right to ask him about. But she wished, oh, how she
wished, that when he was ready to face his fears, she could be the one to help him.
Be careful what you wish for, her mind thundered.
He was no fool; he knew that love existed. But he also believed in the power of the mind, and perhaps even more importantly, the power of the will. Frankly, he saw no reason why love should be an involuntary thing.
If he didn't want to fall in love, then by damn, he wasn't going to. It was as simple as that.It had to be as
simple as that.
By the following morning, Anthony was drunk. By afternoon, he was hungover.
His head was pounding, his ears were ringing, and his brothers, who had been surprised to discover him
in such a state at their club, were talking far too loudly.
Anthony put his hands over his ears and groaned. Everyone was talking far too loudly.
"Kate boot you out of the house?" Colin asked, grabbing a walnut from a large pewter dish in the middle
their table and splitting it open with a viciously loud crack.
Anthony lifted his head just far enough to glare at him.
Benedict watched his brother with raised brows and the vaguest hint of a smirk. "She definitely booted
him out," he said to Colin. "Hand me one of those walnuts, will you?"
Colin tossed one across the table. "Do you want the crackers as well?"
Benedict shook his head and grinned as he held up a fat, leather-bound book. "Much more satisfying to
smash them."
"Don't," Anthony bit out, his hand shooting out to grab the book, "even think about it."
"Ears a bit sensitive this afternoon, are they?"
If Anthony had had a pistol, he would have shot them both, hang the noise.
"If I might offer you a piece of advice?" Colin said, munching on his walnut.
"You might not," Anthony replied. He looked up. Colin was chewing with his mouth open. As this had
been strictly forbidden while growing up in their household, Anthony could only deduce that Colin was
displaying such poor manners only to make more noise. "Close your damned mouth," he muttered.
Colin swallowed, smacked his lips, and took a sip of his tea to wash it all down. "Whatever you did,
apologize for it. I know you, and I'm getting to know Kate, and knowing what I know-"
"What the hell is he talking about?" Anthony grumbled.
"I think," Benedict said, leaning back in his chair, "that he's telling you you're an ass."
"Just so!" Colin exclaimed.
Anthony just shook his head wearily. "It's more complicated than you think."
"It always is," Benedict said, with sincerity so false it almost managed to sound sincere.
"When you two idiots find women gullible enough to actually marry you," Anthony snapped, "then you
may presume to offer me advice. But until then ...shut up."
Colin looked at Benedict. "Think he's angry?"
Benedict quirked a brow. "That or drunk."
Colin shook his head. "No, not drunk. Not anymore, at least. He's clearly hungover."
"Which would explain," Benedict said with a philosophical nod, "why he's so angry."
Anthony spread one hand over his face and pressed hard against his temples with his thumb and middle
finger. "God above," he muttered. "What would it take to get you two to leave me alone?"
"Go home, Anthony," Benedict said, his voice surprisingly gentle.
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