God, if anyone saw him now, prancing about the garden like some silly stage character, he’d never hear the end of it.
“I swear, James, I do not jest,” came Edward’s frustrated voice. “Harriet Manning loves our brother still, and has loved him, and will go on loving him, poor miserable creature that she is without the return of his affection.”
“Will she not tell him of her love?” James voice echoed round the curved hedge.
Garret weighed his options. He could do the honorable thing and head back up to the house. Or he could follow the conversation. His brothers’ footsteps were crunching along a path directly on the other side of a rather large pool complete with a tinkling fountain framed with towering, green hedges.
Garret glanced at the fountain. He’d have to walk along the stone edge to get to where the voices were now drifting.
Or he could behave with dignity.
He eyed the path back to the house, then turned back to the fountain.
No. No. There was no way in hell he was missing this. Besides, it was for Harriet’s good that he knew her true feelings. He could reframe his entire way of addressing the poor dear now that he knew she so tragically loved him.
Carefully, he trotted towards the fountain then stepped up onto the stones framing the pool. His arms out for balance, he quickly rushed round to the back of the tinkling fountain and the sound of James and Edward pontificating about him and Harry.
His brothers stopped just at the curve in the hedge, allowing Garret to perch on the edge of the fountain and listen through the greenery.
“She will not tell Garret,” Edward said flatly. “She swears to Emmaline it is impossible she do so.”
“Poor lady,” James sighed. “She is such a treasure and that she should be so misused.”
Misused ? Misused. Later, he’d show James misused. He’d misuse him six ways from Sunday.
“Shouldn’t we tell him?” prompted Edward, his voice impassioned. “Surely Garret should know she pines for him so dearly.”
“Absolutely not,” James snapped, his booted feet grating on the gravel as he, no doubt, made some sort of dramatic movement to bind Edward to secrecy.
Garret jerked to attention. Why absolutely not? The dratted woman was in love with him . Of course he deserved to know. If he didn’t, who else did?
“You’ve seen the way he derides her,” James continued. “He shall only make use of this knowledge. He shall hurt her and she has been hurt enough. No. I cannot condone passing this knowledge on to our brother.”
“I suppose it’s true,” Edward agreed, his own tone tragic. “He is ever cruel to her.”
Cruel? How he longed to jump through the damned hedge and proclaim that he was the epitome of kindness. It was she who was cruel. As they should know. They’d seen the woman at full sail ready for battle.
“Yes,” James agreed. “We shall just have to leave the lady to her unrequited love. It was clear long ago that he was done with her. And if we gave him this information now, it would merely be fresh meat for him to feed upon.”
James’ voice started circling back towards the open space Garret was in. Panicked, Garret looked right to left. Seeing green. Green up and down and in every direction but that of the damned fountain!
How was he to escape if they came into his enclosure?
“Well, I shall tell Emmaline that we must keep this to ourselves,” Edward said solemnly, his voice dangerously close to the entrance to the small, open area around the fountain.
Garret ground his teeth together, praying they’d just keep heading to the house.
A hand appeared on the arched entry.
Not good. Bloody not good.
“Besides, he is completely unworthy of the lady’s love,” James said woefully.
“Ha!” Garret clapped a hand over his mouth and froze.
“Did you hear something,” queried Edward.
“Sick animal, I think.”
Garret lowered his fingers from his mouth and glared at the hand perched on the hedge. Damn it,
“I swear, James, I do not jest,” came Edward’s frustrated voice. “Harriet Manning loves our brother still, and has loved him, and will go on loving him, poor miserable creature that she is without the return of his affection.”
“Will she not tell him of her love?” James voice echoed round the curved hedge.
Garret weighed his options. He could do the honorable thing and head back up to the house. Or he could follow the conversation. His brothers’ footsteps were crunching along a path directly on the other side of a rather large pool complete with a tinkling fountain framed with towering, green hedges.
Garret glanced at the fountain. He’d have to walk along the stone edge to get to where the voices were now drifting.
Or he could behave with dignity.
He eyed the path back to the house, then turned back to the fountain.
No. No. There was no way in hell he was missing this. Besides, it was for Harriet’s good that he knew her true feelings. He could reframe his entire way of addressing the poor dear now that he knew she so tragically loved him.
Carefully, he trotted towards the fountain then stepped up onto the stones framing the pool. His arms out for balance, he quickly rushed round to the back of the tinkling fountain and the sound of James and Edward pontificating about him and Harry.
His brothers stopped just at the curve in the hedge, allowing Garret to perch on the edge of the fountain and listen through the greenery.
“She will not tell Garret,” Edward said flatly. “She swears to Emmaline it is impossible she do so.”
“Poor lady,” James sighed. “She is such a treasure and that she should be so misused.”
Misused ? Misused. Later, he’d show James misused. He’d misuse him six ways from Sunday.
“Shouldn’t we tell him?” prompted Edward, his voice impassioned. “Surely Garret should know she pines for him so dearly.”
“Absolutely not,” James snapped, his booted feet grating on the gravel as he, no doubt, made some sort of dramatic movement to bind Edward to secrecy.
Garret jerked to attention. Why absolutely not? The dratted woman was in love with him . Of course he deserved to know. If he didn’t, who else did?
“You’ve seen the way he derides her,” James continued. “He shall only make use of this knowledge. He shall hurt her and she has been hurt enough. No. I cannot condone passing this knowledge on to our brother.”
“I suppose it’s true,” Edward agreed, his own tone tragic. “He is ever cruel to her.”
Cruel? How he longed to jump through the damned hedge and proclaim that he was the epitome of kindness. It was she who was cruel. As they should know. They’d seen the woman at full sail ready for battle.
“Yes,” James agreed. “We shall just have to leave the lady to her unrequited love. It was clear long ago that he was done with her. And if we gave him this information now, it would merely be fresh meat for him to feed upon.”
James’ voice started circling back towards the open space Garret was in. Panicked, Garret looked right to left. Seeing green. Green up and down and in every direction but that of the damned fountain!
How was he to escape if they came into his enclosure?
“Well, I shall tell Emmaline that we must keep this to ourselves,” Edward said solemnly, his voice dangerously close to the entrance to the small, open area around the fountain.
Garret ground his teeth together, praying they’d just keep heading to the house.
A hand appeared on the arched entry.
Not good. Bloody not good.
“Besides, he is completely unworthy of the lady’s love,” James said woefully.
“Ha!” Garret clapped a hand over his mouth and froze.
“Did you hear something,” queried Edward.
“Sick animal, I think.”
Garret lowered his fingers from his mouth and glared at the hand perched on the hedge. Damn it,
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