55. A Sister And Her Brother

I was sitting outside on the swing, gently swaying back and forth. It had been a quiet night so far, coming on eleven o'clock. I wasn't too concerned with the time since I already finished all my packing this evening. I just… wanted some time to sit and reflect, I guess. And I didn't feel as if I was alone.

I don't believe in ghosts, but I can still his essence all around me sometimes.

But the stillness of the night air didn't last. A soft, warm voice broke the silence a few moments later. "What are you still doing up, baby sis? You're getting married tomorrow, and flying to Amsterdam," Anthony came out the back door. He was carrying a jacket over his arm. I smiled at him as he put it over my shoulders in a caring fashion. "Oh, I was just talking to Daddy…." "Ah. And is he in a very talkative mood tonight?" "Not so much," I replied, patting the swing seat beside me.

Wearing a tender smile himself, my brother came to join me. We used to sit all the time out here just the two of us like this; it was where we secluded ourselves after Daddy died. I'd just sit on the swing and cry for hours on end. Anthony wouldn't say a word, just rub my back as comfortingly as he could be. He rubbed my back now in the way he used to, and I grinned over at him. It took me a minute however, to finally say anything. After a while my lips parts on their own accord, which my brother noticed.

"Anthony, do you think Daddy would have liked Simon?" "Of course he would have! What's not to like?" He said this, earning another sincere smile. He truly loved Simon too; I could tell. They had been best friends for so long for a reason…. Anthony saw the good in Simon just like I did. But I wasn't so sure about Daddy just yet…. Simon was so different than anyone I'd ever pictured myself marrying before, and the complete opposite of Daddy's character. Not that I'm insulting Daddy! It's just that…. My eyes lowered a tiny bit. "I don't know if he's the kind of man Daddy had in mind for me….." I admitted somewhat reluctantly. My brother watched me for a second, then stopped rubbing my back to reach down to take my hand in his. He gave it a squeeze, making me look at him again. And he smiled at me….

"Daphne, all Dad would care about is that you're happy. You're going to become a duchess- that's more than enough to elevate the family status. But even more than that, you love Simon, and he loves you. That's all that matters now….. Yes, Dad would be so happy to see you with Simon. I know he would be, baby sis. There's no doubt in my mind whatsoever."

I simply looked back at Anthony, squeezing his hand tightly in return. I don't think he knew… how much hearing him say that meant to me. "Thank you, Anthony… I needed to hear that." "I know," he told me, running his thumb along the back of my hand. Taking in a deep breath, we unclasped our hands and I took hold of the swing ropes. My gaze drifted up toward the sky. You couldn't see many stars here in London, but I always held out hope some would sparkle high above me.

"I wish he was here," I sighed to myself. "Me too," my beloved brother agreed, also glancing up to the dark night sky. A quiet moment passed by before he peered my way once more. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" "No, I don't think so. I think…. Well, I guess how I'm feeling is….. I don't know. I've just loved Daddy for so long, but now that I'm getting married, my husband should be my favourite man in life, huh?" Anthony thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I think that's right." "You were my favourite man up until tonight," I looked over at him. Anthony blinked at me like this surprised him, but then his face quickly softened. "Yeah, I know…. Since Dad died, I've been the closest man in your life." "Yes, and I'm so grateful to have had you, big bro. I don't know how I could survived those first few years…. without you," my eyes lowered lovingly. He nodded. "Same. We needed each other, all of us. That's something good Dad for us…. He gave us each other, so we were never alone. Not really…." Anthony gazed forward, his eyes lowering a tad. Anthony, my lips parted a sliver. "Five generations of only male-born Bridgertons down the drain….. He should have stopped with Anthony." But Daddy didn't stop with just Anthony…. Yes, he did give us one another, didn't he? Daddy wanted a daughter, but he also wanted Anthony to have what he never did- siblings. My hand rose up to my heart. Daddy…. Anthony turned his head back in my direction, grinning reassuring. "And you'll still have me, Daphne. No matter what happens, you'll always have me." And him…. How did I get so lucky with three out of the four major men in my life? My smile mirrored his genuinely. "Same, Anthony. You'll always be my big brother and closest living connection to Daddy….." "Heh, it's the same with you and Uncle Arthur. You're the closest link we have to him now." "Really?" My eyes widened a bit; happily, of course. No one had ever said that to me before and it was super nice to hear. Speaking of Great Uncle Arthur….

I swayed lightly in my swing. "I want Simon to meet Uncle someday. I know Uncle would have liked him." "You want to take Simon to Salzburg?" Anthony's eyebrow raised. I nodded without hesitation. "Yes, very much so. I want to go everywhere with Simon. There's so much I want him to see….." "Don't you mean "see with him"?" My brother offered a correction, but I shook my head. "No, I mean so much I want him to see. While he's looking at all these wonderful things, I'll be too busy looking at him….." "Baby sis," Anthony sighed wistfully, and I grinned at him. He matched my expression.

"Are you going to tell him….?" "About my medication? Oh, I think he already knows it's available. But I'm still afraid if I tell him, he'll start making me take it," a sigh left my lips as I peered out at the grass in front of us. Anthony's head shook a little. "You want to watch him do all these great things, and you want a PhD. But you can only do those things if you're healthy enough to….." "I know, big bro. I am healthy- healthy enough I don't need to start taking it yet." He frowned for the first time that night. "You fainted that day in the park. Fainting is a reality for you now….. Don't forget, Dad has his accident because he fainted in the wrong place at the wrong time. You need to tell Simon, and start taking it for god's sake." "I will tell him… when the time is right. It's not like he and I will have any kids to worry about in the future; Daddy and I are in completely different situations. And before you say anything, I do plan on graduating from PhD and perhaps pursuing another, so I do have a vested interest in my health." Anthony gave me a firm look. "You need to take care of yourself… for all our sakes, baby sis. Let him take care of you too…" "But I don't want to cause Simon unnecessary worry, like he's marrying a such needy person." Then my brother finally gave me another grin, reaching out to rub my back again. "He won't think that. He'll think you're his wife…..

And he wants to keep you around as long as humanly possible."