LADY WHISTLEDOWN SOCIETY PAPERS, 1813

Dearest gentle reader,

I must send felicitations to the new Duke and Duchess of Hastings. Congratulations and stamina as they embark on the most exhilarating time in a young couple's life. I am, of course, talking of the honeymoon. Is there a more romantic notion? To retreat from society together, finally leaving watchful eyes behind. While this author, along with the rest of the ton, will certainly miss its most-remarked-upon couple back in London, perhaps we might find solace in the promise of the duke and duchess returning to us bearing a surprise.

With the diamond of the season off and married, this author believes we should set our eyes upon Miss Winnie Sheffield to marry next. I am not the only one who believes so, as our dearest queen and I shall finally agree on something or rather, someone. Of course, we might be thwarted by the lovely debutante herself, as I have it on good authority that Miss Sheffield does not intend to marry any time soon. The reason, dear readers, is unclear, but you know that I shall figure it out soon enough.

It had been quite some time since Winnie last found herself alone. If it was not Daphne by her side, it was another Bridgerton. If it was not a Bridgerton, it was George. If it was not George, it was Anna. At the moment she was truly alone and the peace that came with it was unexpectedly favorable. It was just her and her trusty horse, Zayan, and the faint, but sweet sounds of the birds chirping in the trees around them.

As soon as Winnie finished reading Lady Whistledown that morning, she took off for a ride. The whole Ton now knew that she wished to remain unmarried. It was not as though it was a big secret, as most of the people in her close circle knew, but others did not. The queen did not, the suitors did not, Lady Danbury did not. She was lucky, she supposed, that she did have that row with her father, otherwise he would have found out in the gossip sheet and then all hell would break loose.

She should be glad, even grateful toward Lady Whistledown for telling everyone. Now that the eligible men of the Ton knew she was not interested, they may not decide to grace her with their presence. She was glad for that, but there was a part of herself that was afraid. Despite Lady Whistledown's reveal, her father would not let her stop looking for a husband, and frankly, she knew Lady Danbury would agree with him. What if, when she was forced to take a husband, all the good suitors were gone, chased away by her ideals and disinterest, and she was left with the men like Nigel Berbrooke? She could not think of a worse fate, forced to take a barbarian as a husband, who would force her to have baby after baby until she had nothing left.

The thought made her sick.

Was that what life would be like, she wondered, if I do not marry soon?

Perhaps she should propose to Sloane? He, too, did not wish to marry, but if he liked men opposed to women, like she thought he did, his potential relationships would have to live in the shadows anyway. If they wed, no one would suspect a thing about him, and she would have the freedom of a married woman. The only potential obstacle was that she did not know if Sloane wanted an heir and if he did, she could not be the one to give it to him.

"Let us head home, Zayan," she looked around, maintaining her bearings, and tugged on her horse's reins. Within seconds they had turned around and were on their way back to Mayfair.

She would have to leave George either way. At least married to Sloane, she would have the freedom to come and go to him as she pleased. Newton liked him, too, much better than he liked Lord Bridgerton.

Lord Bridgerton...

"What should Lord Bridgerton have to do with anything?" she grumbled to herself and dug her heels into Zayan's flesh, urging him into a run. She wanted to get back quicker as she was starting to believe that she thought too much whilst she was alone.

Winnie was an excellent rider and had been blessed with an even better horse, so it was not long before they arrived back at Sheffield House. She brushed Zayan down until his coat shined, gave him a couple treats, and then gave his nose a goodbye kiss before she left him with the groom. She was going to try to sneak past the staff, but she knew it was no use. They had known she was gone and most of them would not care.

Vincent gave her a disapproving look as she walked into the house and gave a smile of gratitude to the doorman.

"Do not give me that look," Winnie sighed and started tugging off her riding gloves. "I am fine."

"What should happen if someone saw you with no chaperone?"

"I did not see anyone," She avoided his question. He gave her another displeased look and she sighed. "I am sure Father has much to scold me about, so you may leave now to tattle on me."

"I do not tattle, Miss," Vincent bowed his head lightly, sounding somewhat contrite. "Lord Bridgerton is here."

Winnie, who had been in the process of removing her muddy riding boots with Beatrice's help, nearly fell over at the news. She steadied herself, again with Beatrice's help, and returned to removing her boots so she did not track mud all throughout the house.

Why was Lord Bridgerton here? Did he know that she had been thinking about him? He could not have, surely...Nevertheless, she needed to figure out what to do. She was not very presentable in her riding habit, long hair in a messy braid, and presently wearing no shoes.

"How long has he been waiting?"

"A half-hour, Miss."

She could not make him wait any longer, either. Lord Bridgerton was an impatient man and time was very valuable to him. If he was not already irritated with her, he surely would be if she took the time to change...

"In the drawing room?"

"Yes, Miss."

Winnie thanked Beatrice for her help and wandered over to the drawing room. Lord Bridgerton was pacing by the fireplace and was muttering under his breath as he walked back and forth. It was somewhat amusing to see him when he thought no one was looking but also somewhat sad. Even when he thought he was alone he could not relax.

"Lord Bridgerton, good morning." she announced her presence, happy to be the one to startle him for once.

He did startle, though not as violently as she always did. "Miss Sheffield..." he turned to greet her and hesitated for a second, his eyes slightly widening at the sight of her. "Good morning."

"Please excuse my appearance," Winnie apologized awkwardly as she made her way toward him. She knew her rumpled presentation gave the wrong impression. "I was on a ride."

"Ah," Anthony nodded. "Well, please do not apologize on my behalf. I am sorry for visiting you without warning, but I very much wanted to see you."

Anthony Bridgerton wanted to see her? What was happening?

She could not stop the question from falling off her lips. "You wanted to see me? Rather unusual, is it not, Lord Bridgerton?"

"Less unusual as of late," Anthony mused with a small smile, crossing his arms behind his back. "But still rare, yes."

Winnie grinned. "I thought so." she stepped closer to him. "Well, with Daphne now the Duchess of Hastings and none of your other siblings on the marriage market, I suppose our little partnership has come to an end."

They stare at each other, eyes wandering only to take in the rest of the other's face.

"And that is precisely why I am here," Lord Bridgerton said suddenly. Winnie immediately stopped staring at his stupidly gorgeous face. "I wanted to properly thank you for all that you have done for me this season."

He walked around her to one of the tables she had not noticed was occupied, picked up three items, and turned right back to face her. His eyes were lit up with excitement and it made her own thrum through her veins.

The first gift he gave her was a bouquet of yellow lilies. How he knew her favorite flower, she did not know, but she was ever so grateful. She had loved lilies since she was a girl and it did not matter what color they were, they were all beautiful and dear to her.

"These are beautiful!" she took the bouquet and delicately sniffed a flower, the familiar fragrance invading her senses for a moment. "Thank you, Anthony."

Anthony just smiled and handed her another gift. Slightly overwhelmed, Winnie carefully set the bouquet down on the nearest table and took the new gift. It was a sketchbook, an expensive one with her full name engraved on the leather cover. She would put only her favorite designs on the pages of such an amazing gift.

"This is so lovely, Anthony, truly," she beamed at him and saw him reach for another gift. "Please, I hope you did not–"

Anthony did not allow her to finish her sentence, as he had taken the sketchbook away and swiftly replaced it with another book. The title and illustration on the cover made her words die into a soft gasp. It was a La Belle Assemblee, the latest edition that she had been wanting since it came out at the start of the season. La Belle Assemblee was the women's magazine of her time. Not only were the latest fashion plates taking up most of the pages, but there were also essays and poetry written by women authors, articles on politics and science, and book and theatre reviews.

Winnie was not allowed to subscribe to La Belle Assemblee, even after a heated debate with her father, as he deemed that it was too radical and filled with nonsense. She had read some editions here and there when she was able to lay hands on one, which was mostly when Genevieve could afford a copy. She had fallen in love with everything about it, and now she had one of her own copies.

"Anthony..."

Quickly, so fast she did not even notice her actions, Winnie toggled the magazine so she could hold it with one hand and reached toward Lord Bridgerton, tightly gripping the place where his occupied hands rested on her sketchbook.

She could not believe that he had gifted her a La Belle Assemblee. Gifts from Anthony Bridgerton had not been experienced by her since she was old enough to lengthen her skirts and though she remembered always loving his gifts when she was a young girl, they had never meant so much to her as the gifts he had given her now.

Tears stung her eyes as she slowly pried her gaze from the cover of the magazine to Anthony's face. He was grinning so beautifully, obviously happy with her speechlessness–again, something new for them–and she could not help but gasp softly at the sight.

Without a second thought, she was leaning toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. Immediately he reacted and leaned back into her, his warm, heavy arms wrapping over her shoulders and around her whole back. Her stomach fluttered at the feel of his chest against her own and a feeling that she could not describe started growing in her chest. She was almost suffocating between the unknown feeling, Anthony's warm, amber scent, and the overwhelming need to be closer to him, to kiss him.

She wanted to kiss him.

Winnie had fallen for Anthony Bridgerton and she had not even realized it until that moment.

Another gasp escaped her lips from the revelation and when she felt the tips of the viscount's fingers glide over her back to play with the end of her braid, she had to physically stop herself from moaning, biting harshly down on her lower lip.

This was a disaster, a complete and utter disaster.

Winnie fixed a smile on her face and started to pull away from the hug. Anthony let her go easily, and when they were no longer touching, she felt ice cold.

In her mind, it had felt like they had been hugging for hours, but in reality it had only been a few seconds. She saw Beatrice holding back her giggles in the back corner of the room and thanked the Lord above that it was not Vincent who had slipped into the room to chaperone them.

"This is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me, Lord Bridgerton," Winnie was not lying, she had never loved a gift more. "Thank you so much."

He understood her. He understood that she loved fashion and saw it not as a hobby, but as something that could turn into something amazing for her. He supported her and trusted her, and damn it all, she very much liked him.

"Thank you, Winnifred, for the help you have given me. These gifts are but a small token of my gratitude and only a percentage of what I am sure I, and my family, owe you."

"You owe me nothing, Anthony," Winnie picked up her flowers and inhaled their scent once again. "Oh, they smell heavenly."

Anthony laughed once, for a reason that was unknown to her. "Yes, they do."

Winnie's face warmed as she smiled at him and suddenly remembered her manners. "My apologies for not asking earlier, Lord Bridgerton, but would you like some tea?" she turned, flowers in hand, to Beatrice before he could answer. "Beatrice could you get a vase for these, please? One from my father's travels to India, perhaps?"

"Yes, Miss. Shall I bring the tea?"

They both turned to Anthony, who blinked quickly when he realized they were waiting on a response from him.

"No, uh, I...I thank you for the offer, Winnifred, but I have an abundance of things that I need to attend to," he grimaced apologetically at her, but she waved him off, almost happy to see him go. "Thank you for having me, Miss Sheffield, I shall see you soon."

He bowed his head and then walked out of the drawing room, only to come back within a few seconds. Winnie arched an eyebrow at him in a silent question and he gave her an annoyed look in return.

"Mother wishes for you to attend the Walsh picnic with us this afternoon."

Well, if Violet Bridgerton insisted, who was Winnie to refuse?

"That sounds lovely. You should tell Lady Bridgerton that I will accept her invitation only if her eldest son is absent."

He narrowed his eyes at her while she laughed at her own jibe. "Funny," he gave her a sarcastic smile and she laughed again. "The carriage will leave at noon. Benedict shall fetch you."

With that, he turned and walked away again.

"Fetch me," Winnie grumbled, offended. "I am not a stick that Newton should play with."

"I do not think he meant it as such, Miss," Beatrice attempted to comfort her, taking the bouquet of lilies from her hands. "I think he cares for you, more than a friend, I dare say."

"I do not know about that," Winnie murmured and picked up the magazine and sketchbook so she could take them to her room. "Nor do I want to think about it."

She thanked Beatrice and left the drawing room to head upstairs.

If she were sixteen and she had discovered she had feelings for Lord Bridgerton, she would be over the moon with happiness. At that age, she had wanted a love just as true as her mama and papa, with a happy family to match. Now, at two-and-twenty, there was no such excitement. She still believed in love, that was true. A part of her wanted a man to love her so passionately and fully that he would not even care if they weren't to have a child. She wanted to love him wholly in return, to promise to cherish and support him for the rest of their lives.

A part of her did want it, but if it were to ever happen, it would not be with Anthony. She cared for Anthony, perhaps she even loved him, but she could not get married and she would not have children.

He did not want a wife and children now, but he would change his mind. She knew him, far more than she ever thought she would, and she knew that his sense of duty to his family and the Bridgerton name would overcome any fear or doubt he had currently. He would look for a wife, he would sire an heir to continue the family line, and because he was a Bridgerton, he would more than likely want a few spares for good measure. If Winnie knew she could provide that, that she could make him happy, perhaps she would give in to loving him, but she could not.

Her chest hurt and her breathing slowly picked up the higher she went up the stairs. By the time she was in her bedroom, the door shut firmly behind her, tears had blurred her vision and were running down her face. Sadness, a type she had never felt before, overwhelmed her, and she did not know what to do.

She set her books down on her nightside table and was pleasantly surprised when her bed moved and Newton came running over to her. A sob escaped her throat as she ran her fingers through his fur.

"It hurts, Newton," she managed to get out between her cries. "Why does it hurt?"

Newton could not answer but he was there to help her in other ways. He nudged her arm with his head, prompting her to move it and allow him to cuddle up to her side. She laughed through her tears and shifted until she was fully on her bed, Newton snuggled up right beside her. She was still in her riding habit, but she did not care.

More tears slipped down her cheeks as a new wave of sadness fell over her. She buried her face into the fur of Newton's neck and just cried, knowing that Newton would bear her sadness and secrets better than any human could.

-

Anna clicked her tongue disapprovingly as she studied her face. Had Winnie been in a good mood, she would have made a sarcastic remark, but she was not in a good mood and was rather offended by the look Anna was giving her.

"Your eyes are still red," Anna sighed. "He will take one look at you and know you have been upset."

By the time Anna came to help her get ready for the day, her tears had long dried but her grip on Newton had not faded any less. Anna took one look at her, asked her what happened, and she burst into tears again, telling Anna about everything that had occurred during the viscount's visit.

Anna did not have much to say about the matter, and if she did, she certainly held back from telling Winnie. Winnie was grateful. For the time being, she wanted to pretend this had never happened. She had to, if she were to be around him and his family for the next two hours.

"He shall not know," Winnie disputed.

Anna shook her head. "The man knew you were ill within seconds of laying eyes on you, and that was when you still loathed one another. Now that you two are friends–friends who exchange gifts, no less–he will surely know. And he will pry it out of you."

"He will not," Winnie stated defiantly. "I will not let him. We can argue until the sun sets and the moon rises into the sky, and I will still not give in. Not about this."

She simply had to forget about her feelings for Anthony and it was most prudent to ignore them while she was in his company. She would not think about him. She would not talk to him. She would not look at him. Today, as far as she was concerned, there was no Anthony Bridgerton.

Her plan went straight out the window when Benedict practically pushed her into the same carriage as the three eldest brothers. Squished against Colin on one side, Anthony was right across from her. Had she been taller and had longer legs, she was sure their knees would be touching.

How discreet would it be if I were to put my fan in front of my face?

Anna advised her to bring it as a way to cover her face from Lord Bridgerton while they were outside in the sun, but it was not proper and rather obvious to make the maneuver inside of a carriage.

She could feel the heat of his brown-eyed stare on her, but she did not dare look away from the window. He cleared his throat, as though trying to get someone's attention, but she continued to stare at the people on the sidewalks of the road they traveled.

Anthony cleared his throat again.

"Are you well, Brother?" Benedict spoke up, an amused twinge in his voice.

"Yes, quite." came Anthony's firm answer, yet she did not look away from the view outside the window.

Because she was so diligent about staring out the window, she was first to notice when they arrived. Colin hastily fled the carriage, almost jumping out of it in his rush to leave, and then Benedict and Anthony exited. This caused a problem for Winnie, for she knew Anthony would offer his hand to help her down and then escort her over to his family.

Benedict, bless his beautiful heart, saved her. Before Anthony could even flinch, Benedict was there, helping her out of the carriage. Arm-in-arm, Benedict quickly escorted her to where his mother and sisters stood, already enjoying their refreshments.

"I shall keep him busy," Benedict leaned in her good ear. "You are welcome."

Well, he definitely knew that she was avoiding Lord Bridgerton. She hoped he did not know why.

"Winnie!" Hyacinth cheered and raced forward to wrap her arms around her. Benedict took the chance to excuse himself and kept his promise, dragging his brother over to the refreshment table before he had the chance to linger.

"Hello, Hyacinth," Winnie hugged her back. "You look beautiful."

Hyacinth beamed.

"Lady Bridgerton, Eloise, I hope you are doing well," she greeted the other women with a kind smile. Eloise smiled slightly, though it looked more like a wince, while Violet quickly hugged her around Hyacinth, who clinged to her. "Thank you for inviting me, Lady Bridgerton."

For a moment, Lady Bridgerton looked puzzled, but her expression changed almost instantly. "Of course, Winnie. You are family. I wish I had thought to tell you to bring George."

"I will bring him to the next family event," Winnie decided, knowing her brother needed to get out of the house more. He was a people person, even at five years old, and socializing gave him a new gust of life. She could not understand how he did it. "Father has him cooped up with his reading tutor at the moment."

"Oh dear," Violet sighed. "Well, in any case, I am very glad you are here."

"Thank you," Winnie nodded gratefully. "How was the first night without Daphne?"

The absence of Daphne and even the duke made the picnic seem empty. While she and Daphne had not spent much time together during events this season, she had always been there with the duke somewhere, turning heads and catching eyes.

"To be quite honest, I was so tired last night I fell right asleep and had no time to miss her," Violet laughed lightly, which turned into a sigh. "This morning was significantly harder."

Winnie could imagine. She placed a sympathetic hand on Violet's arm for a moment before pulling it back to rest on Hyacinth's shoulder. The girl was still hanging onto her and she was sure it was because she, too, was missing Daphne.

"Hyacinth, would you join me at the refreshment table? I am sure you know what tastes best and I would love your opinion." Winnie offered, hoping to cheer her up.

"Of course!" Hyacinth finally let go of the hug and grabbed her hand instead, swinging their arms between them as they walked over to the refreshment table. "The pudding is quite good. There is a meatball of some sort that I enjoyed, but I am unsure as to what exact meat it is."

Winnie hummed as Hycinth prattled on, making her plate and taking one of each item that she suggested. The mysterious meatball was minced lamb and it was delicious. The pudding was not her favorite but it would do well to soothe her sweet tooth. She did not like the pickled beets, however, and she knew that Hyacinth had only suggested it as a prank when she laughed at the face Winnie made as she ate it.

"That was ghastly," Winnie could not help but laugh, poking Hyacinth in the cheek. "You are spending too much time with Gregory."

"Gregory did it to me, that is how I got the idea!" Hyacinth said brightly.

"What are you two laughing about?" Lord Bridgerton interjected, looking between the two with a small smile.

To her credit, Winnie did not startle, as she had seen him coming this time, and she was all set to ignore him, but it would be incredibly rude, especially in front of his sister. Impropriety aside, he did not deserve her rudeness. Her feelings were no fault of his own.

"Winnie tried a pickled beet," Hyacinth told him joyfully.

Anthony made an overdramatic wince in sympathy. "Greg just got me with that one," he told Winnie and then winked at Hyacinth. "Nothing else misleading on her plate, is there?"

"I hope not." Winnie grimaced.

"There is not!" Hyacinth reassured her. "Other than the beets, everything else was quite good."

Winnie giggled and popped a bite-sized sausage and cheddar scone in her mouth. It was, indeed, very good. She held out her plate toward Hyacinth and the little girl busied herself with picking up a strawberry.

"Winnifred, you do not have a drink," Lord Bridgerton said suddenly and loudly, causing Winnie and Hyacinth to turn to him with wide eyes. "I shall get you one, excuse me."

"He has been so odd today," Hyacinth shook her head. "Ooh, did you try the sourdough?"

Winnie and Hyacinth finished eating off her plate long before Lord Bridgerton returned with a drink for her. She was rather glad, as it allowed them to join Violet and Eloise again. Lady Bridgerton and Eloise offered a buffer, especially Eloise, who was giving off an irritated aura as she searched around the picnic, presumably for Lady Whistledown.

Suddenly, Lord Bridgerton appeared in front of her, a drink in each hand. She could not hear his voice as he said her name, he said it so softly, but she quite liked the way his lips moved when he said it. She could watch him say it over and over again for a century.

No, no, no!

Winnie put a polite smile on her face and took the drink from him. "Thank you, Lord Bridgerton."

The viscount nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but his mother spoke to Winnie before he could. Winnie answered her with rapt engagement, and was grateful to see Lord Bridgerton walk away for a lively conversation with Benedict. Unfortunately, his happiness caught her attention and made her stare. His laugh was so cute and she was sure it was one of her favorite sounds he made with that irritating mouth of his.

Winnie pried her gaze away from Lord Bridgerton and focused back on what Violet was saying.

"...And Eloise shall be moving the rest of her things into Daphne's old room tomorrow afternoon," She shared with a smile. "Then it shall be her room henceforth."

That was exciting for Eloise. Daphne had the biggest room of the sisters at the Bridgerton House, while Eloise and Francesca shared theirs. She would enjoy the isolation and the many bookshelves around the room when she moved in. Winnie was sure it would be full of books within the day.

Hyacinth sighed at the mention of Daphne. "I wonder what Daphne is doing at this very moment?"

Winnie's first and only thought was that she was either sleeping or they were still traveling to Clyvedon Castle.

"I am sure she has many new duties to attend to as duchess," Lady Bridgerton answered swiftly and then turned to Eloise to add, "Things you should be learning yourself to prepare for your debut."

Eloise scoffed in disgust. "Making simpering conversation and pretending not to wince every time a man treads on my toes during a waltz?"

Winnie grinned in amusement and had to hold back a giggle as Gregory ran toward them.

"Hello, Winnie!" He grabbed Hyacinth and pulled her away. "Goodbye, Winnie!"

Winnie shook her head and turned back to the conversation to hear Eloise lament, "I am not good at those things, Mama. I'll only make a fool of myself."

"If you devoted as much time to your deportment lessons as you did to writing in your journal, you might feel rather better," Violet put a comforting hand on Eloise's back, though Winnie was sure it brought her none. "Oh, and on that subject, in preparation for your season, it is time we lowered your skirts to wear at home."

"I have no time for a visit to the modiste, I am busy." When Violet laughed in disbelief, she added matter-of-factly, "The queen herself has charged me with discovering Whistledown's identity. You would not have me cross Her Majesty, would you?"

Winnie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Did she really?"

Before Eloise could answer her, there was a clanging of glass somewhere to her left. She followed the noise and saw that it was Colin. He was standing with Miss Thompson, who wore one of Winnie's designs that flattered her greatly, and was calling for everyone's attention.

"I would like to make a small but important announcement. I have happy news to impart," Colin declared and smiled at Miss Thompson before continuing. "I have asked Miss Marina Thompson to be my wife and she has accepted!"

If they were not in public, Winnie's jaw would have dropped at the news. She knew Colin was courting Miss Thompson, but she did not think it was that serious. Colin was a year older than her, but with the way society deemed it, men would not mature and be ready for marriage until their late twenties. Essentially, Colin was marrying quite young.

It was almost frightening how young he was. If she was not yet ready for marriage and she was years more mature than Colin...Well, she did not know if he was making the right decision, even if he did love Miss Thompson.

Nevertheless, they were in public, so Winnie put a happy smile on her face. It was not hard for her to do so, as she was happy for Colin, his age aside. He must really love Miss Thompson if he asked her to marry him and Winnie was glad he would get to experience a love match just as his sister and his parents had.

"Did you know about this?!" Lord Bridgerton almost crashed into the space between Winnie and Violet as they stared at the crowd surrounding Colin and Miss Thompson to congratulate them.

"People are looking, dear," Violet said blankly, and forced a smile on her face. "Congratulate the happy couple."

Violet walked away toward Colin and Miss Thompson, Benedict following her, but Winnie stayed put. The crowd around the engaged couple was large enough and she was happy to congratulate them at another time. Additionally, she could see how tense Lord Bridgerton was and despite her pledge to stay away from him, she could not help but want to help him.

"Breathe, Anthony," She said quietly, but firmly.

It would not do for his temper to get the best of him in public. That was the way his anger worked. At first, there would be a huge crash of rage and if he was not very careful, he would react without thinking. If he could get past that stage without reacting, he could calm down and think. He had a rather good hold on his temper, Winnie believed, but sometimes things got the best of him.

Poor Gregory and Eloise were the only other Bridgerton children to receive such a temper. Thankfully, Eloise's was softer, yet on the meaner side, as she was very particular with words. Gregory, however, was still working on his outbursts.

Anthony spoke through clenched teeth. "He did not–"

"Take a breath, darling, please," She placed a calming hand on his arm, neither of them noticing what she had called him. Later on, before she went to bed, she would remember and scream, waking up George, Newton, and her father.

Anthony visibly inhaled, held his breath for a moment, and then exhaled. His initial reaction was thwarted but his temper was not yet soothed. He needed to talk to Colin as soon as they were home.