Page 52 of Courting Miss Lancaster
Athena’s mouth twitched ever so slightly, but she did not smile. “Artemis ever was the dramatic sister.” Where was the laughter in her tone?
It took every ounce of Harry’s self-control not to rush to her side and hold her to him, to coax a smile back to her face. He had to remind himself that he had not the right, nor would his attentions be welcomed. She was angry with him, after all.
Harry waited until Athena’s eyes were directed at the drawing in her hand and moved quickly past the doorway and down the hallway until he reached the book room.
Adam looked not only surprised but happy when Harry walked in. Harry was grateful for that, though he knew Adam would not appreciate knowing as much.
“Perfect. Now I don’t have to go to the Techneys’ ball tonight.”
“Yes, you do, Adam,” Persephone replied with a smile. They were standing only a few feet apart, Adam with a book in his hand, Persephone looking out the window, though she turned her face to look at Adam as she spoke.
“But Harry is here,” Adam pointed out, snapping his book shut.
“Harry is not Athena’s guardian,” Persephone said.
“She has a point, Adam,” Harry said. He had come back to London in order to redirect Adam’s grumpiness. There seemed little point in delaying the undertaking.
“Shut up, Harry.”
Immediate success. Hearing Adam grumble wasn’t nearly as satisfying as it had once been. Of late,nothingwas quite as satisfying as it had once been. It was not the most promisingvision of one’s future.
“Remind me again why I volunteered to be responsible for your enormous family.” Adam’s mutterings were definitely directed toward Persephone. Harry, apparently, hadn’t been as successful a diversion as he’d thought.
Persephone shrugged and turned back to look out the window. “Because you love your wife,” she suggested, and Harry thought he caught a smile in her tone.
“Is that why?” Adam replied, setting his book down as he crossed to where she stood. He wrapped his arms around Persephone’s waist. “And is that also the reason I am attending this infernal ball tonight?”
Only Adam could say the wordinfernaland still sound flirtatious. “Would you two like some privacy?” Harry asked.
“Yes,” Adam declared at the same moment Persephone said, “Not yet.”
“Apparently your marriage is not on the verge of collapse, as I was led to believe.” Harry eyed the rather telling embrace to which he was witness.
Persephone spun in Adam’s arms enough to look at Harry. “I only said Adam was grumpy.” She looked decidedly guilty, and suddenly Harry was feeling very suspicious.
“You also wrote that Artemis was ill,” Harry said.
“She has been ill, poor thing,” Persephone confirmed, though a smile was growing on her face.
Adam rolled his eyes. “That ‘poor thing’ has begun enacting overly dramatic death scenes on her bed, so I think she is going to recover.”
“And has Daphne returned from her state of abstraction?” Harry could hear the doubt in his voice. So much for coming to the rescue of a house in chaos.
“Actually, no,” Adam grumbled. “The one source of logical conversation in this entire household, and she has turnedmoody.”
“I am not sure if I am offended by that,” Persephone said, looking up at Adam. “Are you not impressed by my conversation?”
“At the moment, I am not particularly interested in yourconversation.”
Harry shook his head, feeling decidedly de trop. “You two really ought to get your own place.”
“Leave and we’ll have our own place.”
Harry made a theatrical bow and turned to go.
“Wait, Harry,” Persephone called as Harry was certain she would.
“Don’t stop him; he was actually leaving. Do you have any idea how often I have tried to get him to do that?”
