A/N: Hello readers! I tried out a little third-person writing exercise and I decided to share it all with you here since this is where it fits into the story. Third-person writing is my weak spot, so it might read a little clunky...

I had also once included the ages of the debutantes, but it caused a bit of a sensation since they were "so young to be married." Most were around 16 years old, which in that time, was not unheard of. Nowadays I agree with you all, it would be way too young!

Happy reading!

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"What do you think you're doing?" Anne demanded, glaring daggers at Thomas as the doors closed behind him, shutting out the noise of the debutantes milling outside the dining room. She could feel Andrew's anger radiating throughout the empty old palace hallway as Thomas sauntered up to them, amazingly self-assured as always.

"She needed an escort, I was only being helpful," he said, but there was nothing innocent about his grin as he looked at Andrew, "If you'd wanted to talk to her so badly you should have escorted her yourself."

"Don't be daft!" Anne snapped, swatting Thomas' arm, "The minute Andrew pays any special attention to Libby is the minute she'll become a target for all the other debutantes!"

"She seems resilient enough, I think she can handle it," Thomas shrugged, "She's chasing the crown prince, she should be expecting a little resistance from the others."

Andrew was seething as he glared at his brother.

"Stay away from her," he managed through gritted teeth. A grin exploded on Thomas' face at his brother's words.

"I'll stay away from her when you start publicly pursuing her," Thomas said, smirking at his brother, "Besides, she's already considering my invitation for the opera."

Anne placed a restraining hand on Andrew's arm as he took a menacing step towards Thomas.

"Which you should've given to Adelaide," Anne snapped, glaring at Thomas before turning to placate Andrew, "But he does have a point. She's a debutante now, so if you aren't going to pursue her openly, then others will."

Andrew's jaw was clenched as he controlled his temper, a ghost of a smirk on Thomas' face as he dug his hands into his pockets. Riling up his older brother was far too much fun, especially now that he'd discovered a new soft spot in the form of Libby Marks-Whelan.

"You agreed to help me," Andrew managed, forcing down his anger so he could think straight. But thinking straight was impossible, not after the longing he'd seen in Libby's eyes when they'd found his after dinner.

"And I am helping you! If they all think I'm pursuing her, someone like Horsey Pendleton won't come close," Thomas shrugged, unable to keep the grin from curving the corners of his mouth.

"We hadn't really considered that, had we?" Anne asked Andrew, cutting the thick tension between the brothers. Andrew's glare had deteriorated into a pensive frown.

"I can't help it if I find her fascinating," Thomas protested, watching for Andrew's reaction at the jab. But the crown prince was lost in thought, working something out in his head.

"I wasn't talking about you, Thomas," Anne said, shaking her head in annoyance, "I meant Libby being chased by someone else."

"I should've thought of it," Andrew said, clearly annoyed with himself as he looked at Thomas.

"And this is why I should have been included in your little plot from the beginning," Thomas said, gesturing for Anne to precede him down the hall, "I am a mastermind at pointing out every possible outcome."

Anne sighed, chewing her cheek as the three of them walked back towards their rooms in the royal quarters of the old palace.

"We could always ask James?" she offered, ignoring Thomas. Andrew shook his head.

"He's courting her cousin. Ella would cause trouble for us if James spent too much time with Libby," he replied.

"Or you could just ask me to continue helping," Thomas cut in, "You both know I'd do it."

"All too willingly, I suspect," Anne said, sighing as she looked to Andrew, "I think he may be our only option."

"I'm standing right here, you know," Thomas said, crossing his arms with a smirk, "I can't promise I won't flirt with her, but-"

Andrew paused at the door to the royal quarters, turning to face his brother.

"I love her, Thomas," Andrew said, cutting his brother off. Thomas' eyebrows shot skyward at the confession.

"Well that was certainly quick," the younger prince said, looking between his two siblings. Anne didn't seem nearly as shocked at Andrew's confession as Thomas was, instead offering her older brother a small, encouraging smile.

"I'll start courting her openly when she's ready," Andrew said, "She barely said a word at dinner, so clearly she's having trouble adjusting. I won't subject her to the scrutiny she'll be bound to face until she's better settled in."

"Sometimes it irks me how thoughtful you are," Thomas grumbled.

"Perhaps she should accept Thomas' invitation to the opera then?" Anne said, chewing her cheek again, "That way she'll at least be sitting with us in the royal box, no matter who mother forces you to bring."

Andrew sighed, still frowning as he ran a hand over his forehead in frustration.

The little library...the little library...

The words kept repeating in his head, barging their way to the forefront of his thoughts at the most inopportune moments. He'd hurried there after tea, waiting for nearly an hour for Libby to come, leaving only at the last possible moment before he had to dress for dinner. When he'd entered the dining room later that evening, it had taken all of his willpower to keep from touching her, staring at her, speaking to her. But he couldn't, not until he was sure she'd be able to handle the consequences of being the debutante the prince was openly pursuing. She'd been through enough last Season.

"I'll think on it," he said, shooting Thomas a look. As much as using his brother to keep the other inductees away from Libby seemed like the most viable option, he couldn't shake the image of Thomas kissing Libby's hand after dinner. The tension in his chest threatened to strangle him, his capacity for rational thought drowned out by the invisible pull towards the little library.

"You don't have much time to think," Anne pointed out.

"Then we'll discuss it again in the morning," Andrew said, turning on his heel and stalking back the way they'd come. Let his brother and sister think what they would, he had somewhere he needed to be.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Thomas called after him, "They won't let you up to the debutantes' wing even if you are the crown prince!"

Andrew ignored him, ducking into the service door at the end of the hallway.

"You somehow got up to the debutantes' wing earlier today," Anne muttered, as Thomas opened the doors to the royal quarters for her.

"Yes, but that was in broad daylight with plenty of maids and butlers milling about as chaperones," he grinned, "I'd love to see the look on mummy's face if she knew where her darling son was off to."

"If you dare, then I'll tell her exactly how Adelaide Winters saw the gallery paintings at dawn," Anne fired back. Thomas grinned at her, draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh I do so love sparring with you," he grinned, giving her shoulders a squeeze, "But please don't make me tell Andy about your little secret."

"What of it?" Anne shrugged, her scarlet face undermining her nonchalance. Thomas laughed, planting a kiss on her head.

"Don't worry, it was an empty threat. Your secret's safe with me until you're ready to tell him," Thomas said, "Although I'd urge you to hurry or there won't be much Andrew can do to help you."

The princess was still blushing crimson, but she wrapped her arm around Thomas' waist in a hug.

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A/N: There you have it! I'd love to know what you thought of this little bonus chapter (and don't be afraid to be honest if you don't like it!). Does it interrupt the story too much? Or do you like reading from a different POV? Please let me know in the comments! :)