"Indeed, poor girl hopefully forgot those memories," he teased, though his own voice sounded strangely hollow to his own ears.
He didn't trust himself to be in the room with her broken heart, over another man, let alone witness her tears. He didn't trust himself to not react brashly.
Like try to kiss away the pain from her heart.
Replacing it with adoration from his own.
"Please, Cross?" His sister changed tactics.
Damn it all.
"Anna…" He drew out her name as only an older brother can.
"Cross," she mimicked, a small smile teasing her lips.
"No. You will not attempt to manipulate me with those blue eyes. I'm immune to your charm, sister." He turned to leave. Determined in his mission of escape, but as fate—cruel beast that it was—would have it, Reginald, their family's butler, stepped into the room, effectively blocking the exit.
"Miss Esther Flanguard to see you." His expression was unreadable, his tone dry.
And like a summer breeze after a scorching day, Essie entered the room. Her blond hair gently twisted at the nape of her neck, a few tendrils loose and tempting him to test their softness.
Cross swallowed and glanced away from the siren call of temptation. But, unable to resist the opportunity to watch her, memorize her further, he turned his attention to her once more.
"Anna! I'm so happy to see you!" Essie cried as she approached her friend in a flurry of pale blue. Immediately grasping his sister's hand, he watched as her shoulders slumped ever so slightly, as if bearing a heavy burden. She tilted her head to the side, offering him a tantalizing view of her neck's graceful arch. Not for the first time, he wondered just how her butter-colored locks would appear when unbound, flowing through his fingers.
Look but don't touch.
So was the story of his life in regards to Essie. It was enough to drive a man mad, yet he soldiered on, stuck in purgatory. Heaven a breath away yet never within his grasp.
"Essie, my heart was broken for you when I heard the news!" His sister's voice was laced with concern. Gently she released her friend's hand and gestured for them to sit on the nearby settee.
"I was heartbroken, but no longer," Essie replied, as she sat. Then straightening her posture, she appeared a woman determined.
Cross grinned. How like Essie! It was endearing, that stubborn determination. Because while other women would feel defeated, Essie would simply rise to the challenge. While other women giggled flirtatiously, she'd laugh delightedly. When other women would shift their opinions to accommodate the latest trend, Essie held fast to her own convictions. She was refreshing, candid and charismatic. In the colorless world of the ton, she was a vibrant shade of crimson, one you couldn't help but notice.
"And to think, he asked you to cry off!" Anna was speaking.
Cross turned his attention back to the chattering women. They hadn't even noticed his presence. Rather, his sister had forgotten about him and Essie hadn't noticed, but wasn't that always the case? Anna was much like Essie, a splash of color that called attention.
While he was more like… Actually he wasn't quite sure. But he didn't possess the charismatic qualities that drew the eye. Oh, he was charming and well liked; however, he wasn't vibrant.
But he wanted to be.
It wasn't as if he were an utter fop. Rather even he was aware of his desired position as bachelor on the Marriage Mart. Yet Essie didn't seem to notice him like all the other ladies her age seemed to. He attributed that to his sister's earlier observation. Essie had simply grown up with him and never shifted her perspective of him from boy to man.
It was bloody devastating. Especially when he readily had made the shift from noticing her as his little sister's playmate to a potential companion of his own.
Though for entirely different reasons.
He turned his attention back to their conversation.
"I was shocked myself, but as I've had a day or two to cool off, I understand that it really was for the best." She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "Better to find out now what a nodcock he is, than to deal with him for the rest of my life!"
Cross chuckled, entirely enchanted and utterly agreeing with her assessment.
Essie and Anna both turned slightly startled gazes towards him. "Oh, Cross! I had quite forgotten you were there!" Anna replied, shaking her head and then dismissing him, turning once again to Essie.
"Cross! You should have let me know you were standing there!" Essie scolded in a teasing manner. "No doubt your sister has told you the whole sordid tale."
"Indeed, though to hear it from your lips is far more entertaining," Cross replied, striding towards them and taking a seat across from the settee.
"Indeed…" She rolled her bright blue eyes.