And as for daphne well besides the fact that she was a girl the horror she’d known father a full eight years less than he had and he liked to remind himself always would edmund bridgeton was quite simply the very center of anthony’s world he was tall his shoulders were broad and he could ride a horse as if he’d been born in the saddle he always knew the answers to arithmetic questions even when the tutor didn’t he saw no reason why his sons should not have a treehouse and then he went and built it himself and his laugh was the sword that warmed a body from the inside out edmund taught anthony how to ride he taught anthony how to shoot he taught him to swim he took him off to eaton himself rather than sending him in a carriage with servants as most of anthony’s future friends arrived and when he saw anthony glancing nervously about the school that would become his new home he had a heart-to-heart talk with his eldest son assuring him that everything would be all right and it was anthony knew it would be his father after all never lied anthony loved his mother hell he’d probably bite off his own arm if it meant keeping her safe and well but growing up everything he did every accomplishment every goal every single hope and dream it was all for his father and then one day everything changed it was funny he reflected later how one’s life could alter in an instant how one minute everything could be a certain way and the next it’s simply not it happened when anthony was 18 home for the summer and preparing for his first year at oxford he was to belong to all seoul’s college as his father had before him and his life was as bright and dazzling as any 18 year old had a right to enjoy he had discovered women and perhaps more splendidly they had discovered him his parents were still happily reproducing having added eloise francesca and gregory to the family and anthony did his best not to roll his eyes when he passed his mother in the hall pregnant with her eighth child it was all a bit unseemly in anthony’s opinion having children at their age but he kept his opinions to himself who was he to doubt edmund’s wisdom maybe he too would want more children at the advanced age of 38.

When anthony found out it was late afternoon he was returning from a long and bruising ride with benedict and had just pushed through the front door of aubry hall the ancestral home of the bridgetons when he saw his ten-year-old sister sitting on the floor benedict was still in the stables having lost some silly bet with anthony the terms of which required him to rub down both horses anthony stopped short when he saw daphne it was odd enough that his sister was sitting in the middle of the floor in the main hall it was even more odd that she was crying daphne never cried duff he said hesitantly too young to know what to do with a crying female and wondering if he’d ever learn what but before he could finish his question daphne lifted her head and the shattering heartbreak in her large brown eyes cut through him like a knife he stumbled back a step knowing something was wrong terribly wrong he’s dead daphne whispered papaya is dead for a moment anthony was sure he’d misheard his father couldn’t be dead other people died young like uncle hugo but uncle hugo had been small and frail well at least smaller and frailer than edmund you’re wrong he told daphne he must be wrong she shook her head told me he was it was anthony knew he shouldn’t shake his sister while she sobbed but he couldn’t help himself it was what daphne a bee she whispered he was stung by a bee for a moment anthony could do nothing but stare at her finally his voice hoarse and barely recognizable he said a man doesn’t die from a bee sting daphne she said nothing just sat there on the floor her throat working convulsively as she tried to control her tears he’s been stung before anthony added his voice rising in volume i was with him

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