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The spark in her eyes told Philip she already knew the answer and was merely waiting for him to admit it so that she could say something mightily mischievous.
“I … I do believe that it is too early to say that it is love,” Philip responded, though his hesitation was enough for his sister to take it upon herself to guess exactly what was going on.
“Oh, Philip, don’t be such a scaredy cat!” Petunia said, slamming her free hand playfully on the bed. “You never could admit your feelings. Don’t you know that you may very well miss your chance at our age if you do not admit these things?”
Feeling his hackles rise as if he were a cornered animal, Philip blurted out, “Who is to say that I have not admitted my feelings?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Philip regretted them. He saw the excitement bubbling up in his sister as if she were as childish as her children currently being scolded by their nanny for running up and down the hall outside their grandfather’s bedroom while he was attempting to recover.
Philip could hear her and also the faint chuckling of the two youngest boys as if they were not really taking in a word of what she said.Perhaps I ought to go out there and warn them to listen to her better,Philip thought, knowing that it was truly only an excuse to get away from this conversation with his father and sister.
The nanny was perfectly capable of scolding the boys. She had that very same voice that his own nanny had shared all those years ago, the kind of voice that could put fear into the heart of even the most mischievous child.
“Then are we to be expecting a wedding invitation shortly?” Petunia asked, but before Philip could respond, their father started to question him.
“Am I to understand that the lucky woman is Lady Daisy Lockhart?”
Again, Philip was stunned. He might have even fallen over had he not been reclining in the cushioned armchair beside his father’s bed, where he had been sitting most of the day during his father’s illness.
“Lady Daisy? The duke’s daughter you have been tutoring?” Petunia looked almost as shocked as Philip was feeling.
“I … umm … yes. Lady Daisy and I have grown quite close these last few months,” Philip admitted, knowing it was best to get it over with. He could see the playful and mischievous look growing upon his sister’s face and knew that he would most likely never hear the end of it.
Petunia rose from the bed then, and before Philip knew it, she was pulling him up from the chair by his hand, pulling him into a tight sisterly embrace. “I never thought I’d see the day when my brother finally found love!” she exclaimed, and Philip’s chest tightened, his cheeks growing hot as he heard their father chuckling and could not bring himself to look him in the eye.
“I think it is too early to consider it love,” Philip said hesitantly. Yet even as he said the words, he realised they couldn’t be more wrong. He did indeed love Lady Daisy. The sense of it filled his entire being, tingling throughout his body whenever he thought of her. Yet he could not bring himself to admit so to his family, not before he had secured her hand.What would happen if I admitted it and then her father denied me?he thought grimly, unable to bear the thought for too long. He pushed it away quickly and held his sister at arm’s length. “Don’t you go mocking me for it.”
“Me?” Petunia gasped, feigning innocence. “Would I ever do such a thing?”
“Yes,” both Philip and their father responded at just the same moment, though the earl’s answer was ended with a barely suppressed cough.
During their conversation, the room had begun to feel smaller and smaller, and Philip knew he could not stay there much longer. Hearing his father coughing, he quickly came up with an excuse, “I think we have given Papa enough excitement for one day. Perhaps we should leave so that he may rest?”
“Nonsense,” Lord Elgin responded, though Petunia was already nodding.
“You ought to go and rest yourself,” Petunia insisted, and Philip suddenly realised she was right when he was unable to stop a yawn from erupting from his lips. “Go. I shall stay with Papa a little while longer.”
“Thank you, Pet,” Philip said, kissing her on the cheek as he had so often when they were children. “As always, you are as bright and beautiful as the flower you are named after.”
“Oh, go on with you,” Petunia insisted, gesturing him from the room. It wasn’t until he had exited, offering a good night wish to his father, that he realised his sister had followed him. “Pip, one more thing.”
Philip turned back to see his sister standing in the doorway with the door half closed behind her. The hallway was much more well-lit than their father’s bedroom had been due to the earl’s having sensitive eyes because of his illness, and Philip found he could see the concern written plainly on his sister’s face.
“What is the matter, Pet?” Philip asked, half-expecting her to share some concern about their father. Yet when she answered him, the subject couldn’t have been more different.
“If you are serious about Lady Daisy, then you ought not to wait around,” Petunia advised, pursing her lips for a moment and seeming to think something over before she added, “you ought to return to Oxford immediately.”
“But Papa is still not entirely recovered,” Philip protested, feeling guilty that he automatically wanted to take her advice even though he knew he should remain.
Petunia shook her head and sighed. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “I am here now, and Papa appears to be over the worst of it. Besides, with any luck, our brother shall return from his trip in France shortly.”
Philip sighed, knowing she was right. Yet still, he did not feel entirely right about leaving her alone while their father was still unwell. He had after all, been suffering from a serious case of fever, yet Philip was reassured by his medical knowledge that all the signs were pointing towards recovery.
“Go and rest and get your things packed,” Petunia insisted when he said nothing. “From the moment I arrived, I saw that you were unsettled here, and your anticipation will not aid Papa’s recovery.”
“You’re right.” Philip sighed and nodded. Taking hold of his sister’s hand, he kissed her knuckles and added, “We shall share dinner this evening, and you and the boys can tell me everything you have all been up too. Then I shall depart first thing in the morning.”
“I would like that.” Petunia nodded, and with that, the two siblings parted, Petunia returning to their father while Philip retired to his chambers to rest and pack up his things.
