It wasn’t until she reached her chamber that she fell on the bed and realized that she had not asked Percy if he was willing to marry her so soon.
Percy had no objection to leaving for Gretna Green, but he had also been rather shocked at Deborah’s reaction to Peter and her other siblings. He’d never heard her raise her voice before and she was the calmest of her siblings. She liked to sit and read, but she had just yelled at them.
Then again, could he really blame her. They all knew what had happened and the purpose of his being there, yet nobody had bothered to tell her. Such manipulation would make him angry as well, except he was quite happy about the intervention. Further, he was not deterred from wanting to marry her and the sooner the better. They had been forced to wait long enough, for which he accepted part of the blame. He should have ignored everyone and approached her last spring, then perhaps this would have already been behind them.
He also realized that he should probably pack but he did not think that Deborah would want to wait on him.
With a chuckle, he started for the door so that he could ask a footman to have his carriage brought around only to find Peter standing in the doorway.
“So, help me, if you strike me again, I will not hold back and return in kind what you delivered to my person the last summer I visited you.”
Peter chuckled and strolled forward.
“I do wish to apologize for the way I asked you to leave.”
Percy snorted. There was no asking. “Yes, well, had you allowed me to explain,” Percy reminded him.
“When I saw my sister on your lap, I lost all reason.”
“I had not noticed,” Percy offered dryly.
“It was the first occasion I had to be worried about one of my sisters or realize that there were men who might be interested in them.”
At one time Percy couldn’t imagine why anyone would want either one of his sisters, but that was also when he was younger.
“I told you that I loved her,” Percy argued.
“I assumed that it was because you did not want me to kill you.”
“As if I would lie about something so important.”
“Upon reflection, I know that I should have attempted further insight, but it took me days to get over my anger, and what I saw as betrayal of our friendship. By then, you were gone and when you showed no interest in Deborah the following Season, I knew that I was correct.”
“Because your bloody family would not allow it!” Percy yelled and was once again thankful that he and Deborah would be settling far away from her siblings and His Grace.
“I also came to realize that my sisters are fiercely independent and have minds of their own,” Peter continued. “Last winter I learned that Tabitha enjoyed morning walks in Hyde Park with only her maid as protection.” Peter pushed his fingers through his hair. “Anything could have happened to her and I had not known.”
“Sisters do have a tendency not to remain safely where we wish,” Percy grumbled. His own sister, Bethany, had decided to travel from London to Kent last winter, on her own, with only the driver and a couple of footmen, and had rescued the Duke of Claybrook who was trussed up and left in the middle of the road. After being forced to share a room at an inn for a few days, they had no choice but to wed, though Bethany did not seem to have any regrets.
“Then, this past Christmas I watched as Tabitha found more confidence in herself and fell in love with Viscount Straffen. I would have guarded her more closely, chaperoned, if I had realized, but then I stopped and observed. He made her happy. She made him happy so who was I to decide who she should court?”
“You are correct. It is not your decision, Peter,” Percy agreed.
“Just as I had no right to attack you without giving you a chance to explain.”
“You are correct.”
“I was going to speak with you on the matter this past spring, but then I needed to find a way to court Johanna, then rescue her…by then, you were gone from the Season.”
“Is this your way of apologizing to me?” he finally asked.
“Yes. Deborah was hurt after you were gone without saying goodbye. I tried to tell her that it was for the best and she only grew angry with me. It took her all summer to determine that it was for the best and since you had finally found the answer you sought there was no reason for you to remain.”
Percy closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I was wrong and I am sorry.”
“I will be honest, my forgiveness will not come easily,” Percy admitted. “You were my friend and should have known better and you hurt your sister in the process.”
