A Countess for Christmas by Grace Hartwell

Author:Grace Hartwell [Hartwell, Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

The next morning found Anthony breaking his fast with Marcus in the private dining room, Marcus eyeing him over his coffee.

“What gives?”

Anthony paused in his toast buttering. “I beg your pardon?”

“You look different somehow. Did something happen last night?”

“No.” Anthony shrugged. “Well, not in the way you are thinking.”

Marcus plunked his coffee down on the table and eagerly leaned forward on his forearms. “Pray tell. I am all ears.”

Anthony slathered jam on his toast, hesitating. Marcus was not going to be pleased. “Meg came to talk to me last night. I was finally able to tell her the whole story. She seemed to accept that I was backed into an impossible decision and had to make an ugly choice.”

Marcus waited. “That’s it?”

Anthony shrugged again and bit off too large a piece of gooey toast. Marcus’s eyes widened.

“Oh, hell. You kissed her, didn’t you?” Anthony just blinked and tried to swallow his toast. Marcus reared back and slapped his hand on the table. “Weston! Do you have sawdust for brains? I thought we agreed you were going to stay away from her!”

“I couldn’t help myself, Marcus. I still love her.”

“Ah!” Marcus clapped his hands over his ears. “No, no, no, do not let me hear you say that! Weston, this is going to end in heartbreak, you know that. What is your obsession with this girl?”

“Clearly, you’ve never loved anyone, Marcus,” Anthony snapped. “You can’t possibly understand what it is like to live and breathe for someone else.”

“I live and breathe for you, my friend. I saw you through the darkest days of your life. I do not wish to repeat them. I’ve always adored Meggie, but she is not for you.”

“How can you say that?”

Marcus braced his hands on the table. “Anthony. We were all friends when we were children, and I’ll admit, you and Meggie had something special. Marrying the stable master’s daughter was all fine and dandy when you had nothing, and no responsibilities. But you are an earl now. You have a place in society you never had before, and she does not. There are certain expectations of a man of your station which she does not meet.”

“Ariella was not born into the aristocracy either, and she was easily accepted.”

“That was an entirely different situation. She was from a wealthy family and already moved in the lower circles of society. There is an enormous gap between upper middle class and working class. Earls don’t marry tavern maids. It just isn’t done.”

Anthony tossed his fork onto the table in disgust. “That is exactly what she said.”

“And she’s right. She knows things have changed for you both. I know you love her, but do you really want to put her through hell? Especially since she is inclined to stay here?”

Anthony rubbed his eyes. “I wish we had never stopped here.”

“I can see why you would say that.” Marcus picked up his coffee once again. “But on the other hand, you now know she is safe and well, and you finally have been able to apologize to her and make amends.

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