Harred held his arm out to her. “May I escort you, my lady?”
As she placed her hand on his, she murmured her thanks. Perhaps the words wouldn’t be so elusive to her now that Fredrick had joined them. She truly hoped so. Even she couldn’t stand the thought of speaking about mutton again.
Chapter Seventeen
Harred was sitting next to Octavia at the dinner table as he ate the mutton. She had been right. It was delicious, but that is not why he had accepted the dinner invitation. He had wanted to spend more time with Octavia. He cherished every moment he spent with her.
He glanced at her and admired her beautiful face. He didn’t think he would ever tire of looking at her.
Fredrick’s voice broke through his musings. “Don’t you agree, Harred?”
Harred shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he realized that he had been caught staring by his friend. “I apologize, but my attention was elsewhere.”
Octavia looked over at him. “Are you thinking about how delicious the mutton is?” she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
He chuckled. “I am not, but you were right. It is rather delicious.”
“I am often right about a lot of things,” Octavia joked. “I just wish that Fredrick would listen to me more.”
Fredrick smirked. “Harred is just being nice. You are no more right than Freddy is a beloved pet.”
Octavia waved her fork in the air. “How dare you!” she exclaimed with a dramatic flair. “I would have you know that lots of people tell me how right I am.”
“Please do not make up people again in an attempt to prove your point,” Fredrick said.
Lowering her fork, Octavia responded, “I did not make anyone up, but the recollection of the events could vary.”
“That is a polite way of saying that you are wrong,” Fredrick teased.
Octavia smiled. “I guess we will never know.”
“We do know,” Fredrick pressed. “You live in a fictitious world and you are the only one that has access to it.”
“It is a glorious world,” Octavia acknowledged.
Fredrick shifted his amused gaze towards Harred and addressed him. “I feel as if I must apologize for my sister… again.”
“There is no need to apologize,” Harred said. “I still believe that your sister is a delight.”
Octavia perked up. “Did you hear that, Brother?”
“I have ears, do I not?” Fredrick asked. “But I must wonder if Harred is drunk.”
Harred held up his glass. “I assure you that is not the case since I have only drunk lemonade this evening.”
“Someone might have laced the lemonade,” Fredrick mused.
Octavia laughed. “You are just upset that Harred isn’t agreeing with you. But your point is flawed.”
Fredrick put his hand up. “I can see that I am outnumbered, but I stand by my original argument.”
“My brother can never admit that he is wrong,” Octavia said.
“That is a family trait,” Fredrick countered.
Harred sat back in his seat as he listened to the siblings bantering back and forth. How he enjoyed listening to them.Their words were laced with love, leaving little doubt how much they cared for one another.
What had gone wrong in his life that he didn’t share a close relationship with his brother? They were so different and had always been at odds with one another. Perhaps if he had made a more valiant effort they wouldn’t be where they were now.
