7. Can You Be Friends?

I was lying flat on my stomach on my bed with my arms underneath my pillow and my head facing the wall. I had no clue what time it was and wasn't really bothered by that. There was this soft tapping at the door again. When I didn't say anything, my eldest brother opened it a crack.

"Baby sister?" Nothing. He opened it further, coming inside to sit on the edge of my bed; the door shut behind him. "Are you alright?" Still nothing from me. He let out a sigh. "Now, now, please don't be mad at your brother. He just….. lost his temper. Colin didn't mean it, I'm sure." "What? That I would have done well at Cambridge?" I muttered lowly; I was feeling quite tired at the moment. "You graduated the top of your class at King's University College. You did exceptionally well there, Daphne; don't downplay that accomplishment." I sighed heavily, not replying to this. Anthony waited a moment before continuing.

"The truth is… I didn't want you leave home so soon. You were so young and I wanted you close where I could keep an eye on you." "I know that, brother," that was no secret. "But… I don't want you to be unhappy either. I truly do love you, Daphne; I never want to hurt you, ever." "I know that too, big bro," my eyes lowered a bit. He let another long sigh. "I know…. you may not agree with my methods, but this is how we were raised. I can't stomach the idea of someone not being there for you if you need them. How could I not? You've always had me and Dad around before…." "Anthony….."

My eldest brother drew in a deep inhale. "It won't be like this forever. You'll get into a good PhD one day." "One day? Whenever that'll be…. and wherever," I spat under my breath. Anthony's hand reached out to rest on my upper back, just below the shoulder. "When you get married, you can go to any school you want for PhD." "You can't promise me that." "There are lots of good men out there; good men with titles. When the time is right, you and I will find one for you. I won't consider anyone who won't let you go into PhD. But we have time, Daphne; there's lots of time to find Mr. Perfect. So I don't want you to worry about that. For now, just focus on finishing up your Masters. The rest will be taken care of, I give you my word; just leave it to me."

I rolled onto my side so to face Anthony. He flashed me a kind, tender smile, still keeping his hand on my shoulder. "You really are in no hurry for me to get married, are you?" His head shook, still grinning. "No. I want to keep you around for as long as possible. I know that may be a bit selfish, but you are my favourite sibling… and life just seems easier, when you're nearby." "Thanks, big bro," I smiled. He patted my shoulder before placing his hand back onto his leg.

"But I still want you to apologize to the Duke. Things got out of control tonight and I was rather embarrassed. You owe him that much, baby sis." "Alright, I'll apologize," I sighed in defeat. "Good. I know you may not like him all that much, but I still want you to try and be friends with him," Anthony continued. This caused me to blink up at him in surprise. "Me….. be friends with Simon?" He nodded. "Simon is a very good friend whom I haven't seen in a while. He was really kind to me at Oxford when I didn't have my acquaintances. And he's a good person; he's never been loose with women or drank or partied too much. He's never had an interest in dating or getting married at all." "Mmmmm, you sure he's not gay?" I questioned, genuinely wondering for a moment.

Anthony looked appalled. "No, he's not gay! Not that there would be anything wrong if he was." "Course not," I agreed. "He just…. was never interested in any of that, which is perfectly fine. No one's forcing him to marry." "Must be nice," my eyes rolled off to the side. My brother sent me a disapproving look. "He's not an heiress who has a considerable condition to monitor." "The doctor says… well, at least I'm not full-on fainting," though it's true; it is getting worse with age and that's likely not going to stop anytime soon. And Anthony knew this. He was more aware of this than anyone, considering that he's the one who found our father after he fainted and cracked his head open on his desk. That was the start of Daddy's physical health rapidly declining.

Anthony's head shook again. "But you may one day, which is why….." "I know, I know. You don't need to say it," I flipped back onto my back so to stare at the ceiling. My hand lifted to rest on my forehead. A pregnant pause fell over us, which he broke a minute later. "Look, just for while you're here, try and get along with Simon. He's a dear friend of mine, and it would easier for me to see him more… if you two were at least on cordial terms. Can you do that for me?"

I looked at my brother, then my eyes wandered down to the empty glass cup on my nightstand. The glass Simon brought to me a couple of hours ago….. and all without Anthony having to ask him. As I continued to behold it, my lips parted on their own accord. Me? Friends with Simon? Well, I guess there've been crazier ideas. It's not like Anthony is trying to arrange something between us, and he does seem to genuinely care for Simon. And I bet Simon also wishes he could spend more time with my brother…. It would be cruel to not and at least try to get along…. for Anthony's sake. That, and… I don't think the Duke hates me. He's definitely not interested in me as a potential girlfriend, but what about as a friend? Could we be friends? Or even just like each other as people? Could I ever learn to like Simon for the man he is? Only one way to find out! I smiled back at Anthony, nodding my head a little.

"I think I can manage that."