“She seems different,” Anthony confessed.
“Or perhaps you are?” his friend suggested.
Jon wasn’t wrong. He’d been so different at twenty-four. His priorities back then had been frequenting popular clubs and fitting in with the other lords. Perhaps if he was honest with himself, it was because he wasn’t a duke or even a marquess but the spare.
Quite simply, Anthony had been a fool and selfish. Once Lillian had been declared the lady of the Season to wed, he’d set out to woo her, utterly blind to the fact that she’d already given her heart to Philip. He’d later discovered his brother wanted Lillian to have a Season before they became betrothed. It wasn’t shocking, Philip was always considerate.
Even when Anthony had sulked that he’d lost the lady of the Season, his brother tried to be understanding. He shook his head, horrified. He’d been such an ass. Quietly, he said, “You might be right.”
The guilt must have shown on his face because Jon smacked him on the back and said, “Even as a self-involved second son, you were charming and kinder than most.”
A bark of laughter escaped him. They grinned at each other. Their decision to leave England together had proven to be the smartest choice for both of them, but Anthony was most grateful for how close it had made them. They shared an unbreakable bond.
“My brother knows we are behind the King of Garnets' enterprise.”
Jon nodded. “My parents point-blank asked me, and I couldn’t lie to them. My father is still refusing to quit his job as a land steward.”
“It will come out soon,” Anthony stressed.
Jon snickered. “Then it will be more than two ladies hoping you will wed them.”
Anthony snorted. “Don’t delight in my troubles too much. You are now richer than most of the lords in England. They will be after you as well.”
Jon grimaced. “Things seemed so simple in Bohemia.”
They did, but Anthony surprisingly felt comfortable being back in England. He thought he would feel restless. He and Jon would always need to visit the Continent, but maybe he would reside in England for part of the year. Before coming home, he would never have considered that an option.
Anthony sighed. “Philip wanted us to join him in the billiards room. Let’s focus on next steps once we get through Christmas.”
Jon nodded. “Giving a Webster a good thrashing at billiards sounds great to me.”
***
Harriet watched Anthony and Jon laugh as they walked towards the billiards room. She smiled; something about their camaraderie reminded her of them all playing together as children. She should stop them so she could say hello to Jon, but she let them go.
They were already entering the billiards room and speaking with Philip. Her eyes narrowed in on a piece of paper in the hallway. Anthony or Jon must have dropped it. Harriet picked it up. It was a telegraph. She read the short message, and her eyes widened in shock.
Someone had found a pocket of garnets in a mine. She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. Anthony, the rake of the Webster family, must be the King of Garnets. He’d told no one. Of course, Anthony wouldn’t; every woman in London would be after him if they knew. They’d be after Jon, too. He had to be his partner.
Harriet had so many questions. Every paper she’d read only talked about his rakish lifestyle of cavorting on the Continent. How had they gotten it so wrong? She smiled, impressed. Harriet slid the paper into her pocket. Anthony may have left because of a broken heart, but he’d clearly grown in those years. He was both familiar and different in all the best ways.
She blushed because even though she wouldn’t say it aloud, Anthony fascinated her.No, he tempted her.The redness on her cheeks deepened, and she walked faster as if she could flee her thoughts. Before now, she’d only seen Anthony as a spoiled second son—a charming one but still entitled.
Harriet entered the drawing room to discover her sister, Lady Josephine, Lady Leonora, her mother, and all the other mothers engaged in a lively conversation. Lillian smiled at her. “Lady Josephine is telling us that she wishes she’d been blindfolded and picked Lord Webster.”
More giggles erupted from the group. Anthony’s mother beamed at the lady. “I’m hoping one of you wins his heart so he will stay here.”
Jealousy flared in Harriet’s chest, immensely disliking the way the dowager duchess was beaming at the twenty-something lady. Why was she experiencing all these intense feelings for Anthony? She didn’t want them. She pushed them away and smiled. Harriet hoped she looked as amused as everyone else.
Lady Leonora’s mother said, “He needs a lady’s firm guidance. Every young lord should enjoy themselves, but there is a time when that ends.”
Harriet frowned at her tone and words before glancing at Anthony’s mother. Shockingly, she was nodding in agreement. Annoyance flared in her for Anthony. If he were truly the Kingof Garnets, he was doing far more than living a life of self-indulgence.
“How do you know he isn’t being productive?”
All the ladies looked at her and then burst into another round of giggles—everyone except for Lillian, who stared at her curiously.
Anthony’s mother said, “That is very sweet of you, Harriet.”
