Falling from Grace - Bridgerton

Chapter Twenty

~Epsiode Three~

To say how furious Anthony was with letting Grace become part of their lives was an understatement. In the past months since Simon had returned not only had she spoken to him, or more so looked at him for the first time in years but she was now living in his house, drinking his tea, sitting on his couch, and reading his book. Well, in all honesty, it was not his book but Eloise's and it was not his tea either but that was beside the point. 

Memories he didn't want to remember came to the surface as well as feelings he had pushed far down below. If only his mother didn't persist in him disassociating himself with Siena he might be able to bear being around Grace, knowing that both of them were in relationships and therefore will never share a moment full of joy together again. 

And yet he knew things about her that no one else did. How when his mother tried to convince Grace to come and do needlepoint with her she refused and he knew why, or how she hated the tart Colin practically forced into her mouth to try because the raspberries were from heaven itself.

And the memory flashed before his eyes of them lying on the grass, as he whispered into her ear how he would make raspberries taste wonderful to her once more. He remembered the way the lemonade stung their tongues in the early morning and how he was able to sweep the bee off of the blanket without being terrified of meeting the same fate of his father. 

He remembered how the rain pounded against the windows of the carriage as he rode away not knowing if he would ever return for the next summer, if he would ever see Grace again, if his lips would ever touch hers again ,if she would keep his promise to visit him, if she would return his words. 

If she would say she loved him in return and then he would ask her to marry him and she would say yes.

"Anthony?"

It was only then that Anthony realized that he was still standing at the entrance of the drawing-room staring forwards, the sound of Gregory's voice snapping him out of the trance he was in. 

Grace's eyes snapped to his, her expression unreadable and his gaze ran away from where he was staring at her. Her hands delicately holding a book, her feet crossed at the ankles with the boots he had gifted her. 

She had proved his judgment wrong, for he believed that she would not be able to walk in them. Grace would a fool of herself and he would fill with pride to be above her, but broken hearts alter minds and he was wrong.

Grace hadn't taken off the shoes since he had given them to her, leaving him displeased for reasons he did not know why.

"Anthony, what are you doing?" Gregory looked at him with curious eyes, Anthony cleared his throat before answering and stalking into the room taking a seat on the couch across from Grace and his brother as it seemed she was reading to him.

"I was just looking at the portrait," Anthony replied with a tight smile on his face looking at his youngest brother, "Of Father." His gaze met Graces once more before they both quickly looked away tension filling the room with only the young child wedged between them to ease the air.

Grace took a deep breath "Ah where were we?" Gregory pointed to the paragraph they had stopped at and Anthony heard her delicately turn the page and continued reading,

"And, it happened every so often that the father would go to the fair," 

Anthony blinked for a moment his eyes leaving painting and looking towards his brother who was leaning onto the girl as she read for him. He was surprised as her voice did not sound like her own, it was not playful and full of laughter for when she talked to Simon or his other siblings.