“Why?” Anne asked simply. “What on earth has he ever done to you?”
Louisa’s lips clamped shut. Now, this looked promising!
“It cannot simply be because he calls you Lulu.”
Her cousin’s nostrils flared, but for once in her life, Louisa remained quiet. Very telling! Very telling, indeed.
“I agree,” Leonora threw in, earning herself a dark glare from her sister. “Even taking your effervescent character into account, I cannot imagine that anyone would be riled in such a way by a simple dislike to a nickname.”
“Indeed,” Anne chimed in, enjoying that it was finally Louisa’s turn to squirm. “Therefore, I assume that you do like him for your reaction is as telling as mine.” Anne swallowed hard when she realized what she’d just admitted to.
Of course, her slip of the tongue had not escaped Louisa, whose face instantly brightened. “I was right!” she declared triumphantly. “You do like him.”
“Perhaps,” Anne croaked.
“Would you stop saying that?” Louisa huffed, a hint of exhaustion coming to her features. “Why can’t you simply admit that you care for him? He clearly adores you. Why are you so afraid to kiss him?”
“Why are you so certain he’s the one for me?” Anne countered in a hushed voice, worried that someone might overhear as they were standing in the hall with new guests coming and going every now and then.
“Very well,” Louisa said after a long breath. “I admit I’m growing tired of this discussion. So, how about this? You kiss Tobias under some mistletoe, and if I’m right, if he actually is the one for you and you end up marrying him, then I promise I’ll kiss…that man.” Her jaw tightened, but she did not drop her gaze.
“You’ll kiss Phin?” Anne asked, staring at her cousin.
“Yes.”
“Under some mistletoe?”
Louisa shrugged. “I don’t care. Wherever you like.”
Anne felt her eyes go round before she looked at Leonora, who appeared equally shocked. “You heard her say it, too; didn’t you?”
Leonora nodded. “Are you serious?” she asked her sister. “Why would you agree to kiss someone you detest?”
“Because I want to see her happy,” Louisa told her sister with a sideways glance at Anne, “and I’m convinced she’ll never be happy with another. As I’m unable to convince her of it, I suppose this is the only way to get her to agree.” She turned to Anne, holding out her hand. “Do we have a deal?”
Swallowing, Anne stared at her cousin. “You’d do that for me?”
Louisa smiled at her. “Of course. I may not appear as the most compassionate person, but I do love you, dear cousin, and I want to see you matched with the man who holds your heart.” She sighed, “If you believe nothing else, can you at least believe that?”
Blinking back tears, Anne nodded. Then she grasped Louisa’s hand. “Deal.”
With rather unblinking eyes, Leonora looked back and forth between them. “I think we could all do with a bit of a distraction. Do you not agree?”
Both nodded before Louisa smiled that rather disconcerting smile of hers. “Perfect because I believe I just glimpsed Lord Gillingham enter the drawing room.”
Anne barely managed to stifle the groan that wanted to escape her lips. “Well, then, let’s have some tea. I admit I’m rather parched.”
Louisa snickered before she drew Anne’s arm through the crook of hers, and the three of them headed down the corridor to join the other guests as well as Grandma Edie in the drawing room.
Oh, dear, what had she just agreed to?
Chapter Five ~ Simply Kiss the Girl
The sound of laughter echoed up the stairs to the first floor as Tobias and his brother left their chambers and made to head downstairs to join the other guests. Was Anne among them? Tobias wondered. At the thought of seeing her, his heart skipped a beat. Had it always done that? Had he simply never noticed? Or had something changed over the course of the past year?
Ever since that ball when they’d hidden together behind that row of potted plants, something had been different.
Felt different.
“I’ve glimpsed at least three sprigs of mistletoe thus far,” Phineas remarked with a chuckle as they made their way downstairs. “Would I be wrong to assume that you do not have any immediate plans of collecting a few kisses? At least not by a variety of ladies?” His brows rose inquisitively as he looked at Tobias.
“Why would you assume that?” Admittedly, the thought of kissing Anne was overwhelmingly enchanting! Of course, beyond that, his brother was right.
Phineas chuckled, “Do you truly need me to say it, Brother?” They stepped off the last stair and turned toward the drawing room. Stopping in the doorway, Phineas leaned in conspiratorially. “A blind man could see how utterly besotted you are with our little Annie.”
Tobias cringed at his brother’s observation−not that he could fault it, for his gaze instantly found and settled upon the enchanting woman with the deep blue eyes who’d been nothing more than his dearest friend since the day they’d first met.
Now, however, he felt his palms grow moist with nervous excitement at the thought of addressing her. Not long ago, they’d conversed with such ease about every subject imaginable, and now? Now, it seemed a simple greeting might tie up his tongue.
“Ah!” Phineas exclaimed in a hushed tone. “The competitor!”
“What?” Frowning, Tobias looked at his brother before turning in the direction Phineas indicated with a subtle nod of his head. His eyes fell on Lord Gillingham as he greeted Anne and her cousins, bowing formally to all three ladies. His gaze, however, remained locked on Anne.
Tobias’s insides twisted painfully.
“He seems to have taken a special interest in our little Annie,” Phineas mumbled with a smirk on his face. “Would you say they’re suited to one another?” He turned to look at his brother.
Tobias wanted to kick him. “Why are you doing this?” he hissed under his breath.
Phineas shrugged. “I’m only trying to help you along, dear Brother. After all, there is no point in me pointing out charming ladies to you when your heart has already chosen. Would you not agree?” His brows rose in question.
Gritting his teeth, Tobias remained quiet, uncertain what to do or say. After all, Phineas tended to act without thinking, and the last thing Tobias wanted was for his brother to say something to anyone, least of all to Anne, that Tobias wasn’t yet ready to become known.
“Will you at least admit that you no longer see her as our little sister?” Phineas dared him. “You’ve been talking about little else these past few months. It’s always been ‘Anne here’ and ‘Anne there’. Quite frankly, if you don’t make up your mind soon and ask for her hand, I’ll do it for you.”
Tobias didn’t know if he wanted to sink into a hole in the ground or stride across the room, toss Anne over his shoulder and carry her off. “What if she doesn’t want me?” he whispered, shocking himself by discussing this with his brother of all people. “What if she wants…him?” He all but glared across the drawing room to where Anne was nodding to something Lord Gillingham had said.