Anne stared at her cousin in utter confusion. “Of course not. Why would you think that? He’s my dearest friend. Of course, he means something to me.”
Louisa crossed her arms over her chest and regarded Anne in that way of hers that said she didn’t believe a word Anne was saying.
“Truly,” Anne insisted. “He’s my friend and nothing more. To me, he’ll always be Little Toby, the boy who pulled on my braids and hid frogs in my bed.” Still, she could not help but smile at the memory, for she’d gotten back at him by hiding his homework, which had gotten him in trouble with his tutor. Toby had been furious when he’d realized it had been her, and he hadn’t simply misplaced it.
“Well, he’s not Little Toby any longer,” Louisa remarked with a sideways glance at Tobias’s tall stature, “and neither are you Little Annie.” Her green eyes became thoughtful for a moment before she took a step toward Anne. “I dare you, dear cousin, to look at Tobias not as the boy you knew but as the man you could marry.”
Anne’s heart stumbled in her chest. “Marry?” she exclaimed, not certain if in horror or something other; something she couldn’t quite name. “I could never marry him!”
“Why not?” Leonora interjected curiously, her watchful eyes going back and forth between Anne and her sister. “I must admit that he, too, possesses most amiable qualities. Judging from both your characters, I’d say the two of you would suit.”
Louisa rolled her eyes at her sister yet again. “Marriage is not a science experiment, Leo,” she snapped, then sighed before a slow smile spread over her face. “It should be about passion. You should choose someone who sets your blood on fire and steals your breath away.” Her smile deepened as she looked at her sister. “Have you learned nothing from Mother and Father?”
Indeed, Anne’s aunt and uncle had gone against convention, against their parents’ wishes and gotten married because they’d been in love. And even today, after thirty years of marriage and six children, they still looked at one another like love-sick youths.
It was…inspiring?
“Lou, I don’t disagree with your notion of passion in marriage,” Anne stated, “however, Toby is my friend. He’s like a brother to me. I could never marry him.”
Louisa laughed, “A brother?” Her gaze moved to her sister and then back to Anne. “Well, considering you don’t have a brother, I can understand that you have no frame of reference. Still−”
“You’re beginning to sound like Leo,” Anne pointed out with no small measure of enjoyment.
Louisa rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Don’t try to distract me, for it will not work. I love you dearly, and I will not see you married to a man who will no doubt make you miserable. You need to follow your heart in all truly important endeavors, or you’ll come to regret it.”
“But my heart tells me that−”
“Does it?” Louisa challenged. “Truly? Or have you simply never looked at Tobias in any other way but through the eyes of the little girl you once were?” Her eyes lit up. “In fact, I dare you to look at him right here, right now, and see him as a man grown, not as a boy.” She came to stand at Anne’s side, her gaze pointed across the ballroom to where Toby and his brother were conversing with a group of gentlemen. “Look at him,” she whispered in Anne’s ear, “and ask yourself if you truly see him as Little Toby still.”
Anne drew in a shuddering breath, reluctant to do as her cousin bid her. Still, her gaze moved over her childhood friend, and she knew that she loved him. She loved that teasing spark in his dark brown eyes. She loved the way his gaze strayed to hers every so often. She loved the confidence that existed between them. Always had she known his secrets. Always had he confided in her as she had confided in him. His smile warmed her heart and made her feel special as though it was for her alone.
She loved him.
But did that mean she was in love with him?
Clearing her throat, Anne turned to look at her cousin. “I don’t know what you hope to accomplish, Lou, but Toby is my friend. He’s always been my friend, and−”
“He could be your friend and your husband,” Louisa pointed out. “One does not exclude the other.” Her gaze narrowed. “Have you ever kissed him?”
Anne’s eyes flew open. “Of course not!” The thought alone was ludicrous…wasn’t it?
“Well, then I think you should,” Louisa stated, “to…” she paused and cast a somewhat annoyed look at her sister, “to test your theory.”
Leonora’s face brightened at the thought of an experiment. “Indeed, a kiss would prove quite telling in determining how you feel about him. It will certainly tell you whether or not you love him as a brother.” Again, her fingers moved as though they longed to grasp that elusive pencil and jot down the parameters of Louisa’s proposed experiment.
Panic welled up in Anne’s heart, and she shook her head vehemently. “You’re mad!” she exclaimed in a hushed voice, looking from one cousin to the other. “You cannot truly suggest I walk up to him and kiss him? I’d be ruined!” More than that, it would forever alter the friendship between them. If she kissed him, they could never be Little Toby and Little Annie again. What if she lost him?
The thought was too terrifying to bear!
“You’re right on that account,” Leonora pointed out reasonably, the tip of her forefinger tapping against her lips as she thought. “We need some kind of pretext.”
“How about a mistletoe kiss?” Louisa suggested, wiggling her brows as she looked at Anne.
Anne huffed out an annoyed breath. “It’s not Christmas.”
“It will be soon,” the two sisters said as one. Why was it that the second her cousins finally found some common ground, it was to her disadvantage?
“The Archibald Christmas house party is not far off,” Leo pointed out, her eyes slightly squinted as she no doubt counted out the days.
Louisa’s face brightened. “I like how you think, Sister.” Now, that was a first!
“You cannot be serious,” Anne stated feebly, getting the disquieting feeling that no matter what she said she could not win this.
Smiling gently, Louisa reached out to tuck another stray curl behind Anne’s ear. “Listen, you know that I’m right even if you cannot admit it right now. You care for him, and you need to know how much before you make a decision to marry anyone.” Her green eyes were soft and kind, and Anne knew that despite Louisa’s tendency to push people into something they did not want to do, her actions sprang from a deep sense of concern. She cared, deeply, and Anne loved her for it.
“What if…?” Anne began, not certain what it was she wanted to ask.
“If the kiss makes you think of Little Toby hiding frogs in your bed,” Louisa said with a smirk, “then you laugh it off and continue your friendship as before. If, however,” her cousin’s gaze grew imploring, “it makes you want to swoon into his arms and never let go, then I think it’s fair to say that you do not see him as a brother.”
“I agree with that assessment,” Leonora threw in, an equally sympathetic smile on her face as she stood shoulder to shoulder with her sister, her clear blue eyes looking into Anne’s.