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“I think that you should reconsider marriage,” Michael said.
In a flurry, Harper felt a surge of anger fill her. It was not Michael. It was the matter that they had all broken through his positive exterior to recommend such a thing. They’d had it all figured out on the balcony, but these people broke him with their eyes and whispers.
Brian flashed before her thoughts once more. She felt the urge to go find him. She couldn’t understand why. He couldn’t help. He could barely help himself. But there she was, wishing to be in his presence. Maybe it was because he didn’t care what anyone thought of him. That was a trait she needed at that moment for sure.
“I…” Harper had trouble finding a response for Michael. “I don’t know. There must be another way. These people cannot get the best of us.”
“Your reputation, Harper,” Michael explained. “It will never recover.”
“He’s right.” Marianne intervened. “I know what I saw. But I also want to believe what Michael told me in that it was innocent. Either way, these people and the town do not know you as we do. They will believe whatever story is presented to them.”
“So that means I must live a life just to appease their assumptions?” Harper replied. “What about my happiness? What about my future?” When she looked at Michael, she was unsure if he felt slighted by her comment. She had been essentially saying that she didn’t want to marry Michael.
“Harper…” Marianne started. “I understand all that. But what man is going to want to marry you after this…after knowing that you had a moment with another man? You will only complicate things for whoever that man is.”
Harper ignored both Marianne and Michael at that moment to scan the room for Brian. She didn’t ask herself why she did that. It didn’t matter. She just needed to see his face. It would make her feel better.
It was just the opposite though, as her eyes passed over the whispering guests, over the food, past the musicians, and finally on Brian. He was surrounded by a pack of women. They laughed at whatever he was saying. He was courting them all. His eyes did not even notice Harper looking his way. In other words, he was not thinking of her. He had moved on just as she had expected. Despite expecting it, the pain sat in her chest. It hurt her to see him not care. After all that had happened that night, seeing that was the thing that made her want to cry.
But she didn’t. She held it all back. The guests would have thought that it was about Michael or something anyway. They didn’t deserve to see her tears, not after their gossiping.
Harper turned to Marianne and Michael and said, “I am not marrying you, Michael. Let these stupid people think what they want to think.” She made for the door after that and never looked back.
