Holding Back {Anthony Bridgerton}

The Prince

The next morning, Katherine worked on her laptop while her parents were waiting for suitors to call. Not only was she working on the Trowbridge ball but she was also working with the company lawyers to sue Nigel Berbrooke for defamation. The man really had been so dumb as to appear on an American news station and to tell all. They were not only working for a case against Nigel himself but against his estate, just in case Nigel wound up in the Hudson River.

Beside her, she had a plate filled with various pastries that had been brought into feed potential suitors. Even after LW's latest post, she highly doubted anyone would come calling. So she nibbled as she worked, doing her best to avoid her father's judgmental stare. It seemed harsher than usual and she honestly had no idea what she had done to warrant it especially since she figured out the Bridgerton Berbrooke problem all on her own. Then again she never could make her father happy.

At the sound of her mother's gasp, Katherine looked up from her laptop to see who had come calling. The moment she realized that it was Simon, her brows furrowed. "What the hell are you doing here?" She was quite certain he should be promenading with Daphne at the park or having coffee at one of the local coffee shops.

"Katherine Marie!" Her father chided.

She motioned to him as she clicked save on what she was working on. "I think with how long he's known me, I'm just fine." She then closed her laptop and looked over at Simon, holding out her plate. "Orange scone?"

Simon chuckled as he picked up the scone from her plate. "I knew you would be here." He said before taking a bite and soon he hummed in approval at the taste causing Katherine to smile. "I was actually hoping to talk in private. I need some of your friendly advice."

"Let's go to the garden then," Katherine said as she stood, motioning for him to start walking that way and grabbed a scone for herself.

"But what about any potential callers, Kitty?" Her mother asked.

She looked up at the ceiling suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. "Then they can wait. A friend of mine needs my help. That trumps everything else in my book." She then nudged Simon further out the door so they could hurry and get out of there before her father could say something or her mother could reply.

Once they made it outside the house, Katherine let out a sigh of relief. "I cannot wait until this is all over."

Chuckling, he offered his arm, which she easily took as she took a bite of her scone. "You and me both. There seems to be a little bit of a hiccup in this ruse you helped create."

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about Simon?"

He looked around to make sure no one had followed them or there weren't any gardeners around. When he noticed they were truly alone, he took the last bite of his scone to keep his confession back a little longer. "I seem to be developing feelings for Daphne."

"Are you not sure?"

"The only woman I have truly friended has been you, Kitty. The others I've either dated or taken to bed. Yet this friendship with her seems different."

"It's obviously going to be different. We're not alike. But how is it different?"

He looked down at his feet as he thought about it. After all, the thought of Katherine also excited him but it was more so because of what they would be doing. They always got into something and he always forgot the pressures to be perfect while with her. He got excited about seeing Daphne because he would get to spend time with her. He wanted to be perfect for her because that's what she deserved. "I get excited just to be in her presence. She makes me want to be a better man, not that you don't, of course. It's just a little different of a push."