"Stop torturing yourself," Gregory said. His expression was gentle but his voice was firm. "I can see you spiraling. Can practically hear the thoughts circling in your mind."
"You do not know what I am thinking," Anthea said stiffly.
"Do I not?" Gregory leaned forward slightly. "You are thinking this is your fault. That you should have seen it coming. That you are somehow inadequate because your grown sister made her own decision without consulting you."
The accuracy of his assessment should have been comforting. Instead, it made her feel exposed. Vulnerable.
"I do not wish to discuss this," Anthea said, turning back to the window.
"Anthea—"
"Please," she interrupted, her voice breaking slightly. "Just... please. Not now."
She felt rather than saw Gregory retreat. Felt the careful distance he put between them on the carriage bench. Felt his frustration and concern warring in the air between them.
But he said nothing more.
The carriage rolled on.
They stopped at the first posting inn to change horses and discovered Sybil and Hugo already waiting. Sybil took one look at Anthea's face and pulled her aside while the men conferred about routes and timing.
"What happened?" Sybil asked quietly. "Gregory sent word that Poppy eloped, but?—"
"I did not notice," Anthea said, her voice flat. "She was planning this for days, probably. Leaving hints. Acting strangely. And I was so wrapped up in my own life that I completely missed every sign."
"Anthea, you cannot blame yourself for?—"
"Who else should I blame?" Anthea demanded. "I am her guardian. Her protector. I promised to keep her safe and help her find a good match. And instead, she felt her only option was to run away to Scotland because I could not adequately shield her from Beatrice's machinations."
"That is not—" Sybil stopped, clearly choosing her words carefully. "Poppy made her own choice. For her own reasons. You cannot control every decision your sisters make."
"I should have seen it coming," Anthea insisted. "The way she has been acting. The distraction. If I had been paying proper attention instead of?—"
She stopped, unable to finish the sentence.
Instead of falling in love with Gregory. Instead of being happy. Instead of thinking about her own future rather than her responsibilities.
"You are allowed to be happy," Sybil said gently, as though reading her thoughts. "Being a good guardian does not mean sacrificing every moment of personal joy."
"Clearly it does," Anthea said bitterly. "Because the moment I let myself be distracted, everything fell apart."
Before Sybil could respond, Gregory appeared in the doorway.
"We have a lead," he said. "A couple matching their description stopped at an inn about three hours north. We should go."
They returned to the carriage. This time, Sybil and Hugo rode with them, which meant Anthea could not retreat entirely into her own thoughts. Had to maintain at least a veneer of composure.
But inside, her mind continued its relentless spiral.
What would she say when they found Poppy? How could she possibly explain that she had been so consumed with her own romantic happiness that she had completely abandoned her duty? How could she look her sister in the eye knowing she had driven her to this desperate act through sheer negligence?
And what would happen after? Even if they stopped the marriage, even if Gregory secured a proper license, the scandal would follow Poppy forever. Whispers about the girl who tried to elope to Gretna Green. Questions about what desperation had driven her to such an act.
All because Anthea had been too selfish to pay attention.
"She will be all right," Sybil said quietly, clearly misinterpreting Anthea's expression. "Poppy is resilient. And Henry loves her. Whatever happens, they will find a way through this."
Anthea nodded mechanically. But she barely heard the words past the roaring in her own head.
