Ardently |h.s|

twenty four

Standing anxiously by the door, I wait for Jack to come up with my letter. As I pace the room, a small smile starts to grow on my lips, thinking of what Harry could have possibly said. I know I shall be expecting one tonight.

It is so silly of me, waiting for a little letter, but his letters have been the highlight of my day. Seeing his handwriting and reading his compliments. I blush nearly the entire time, and laugh too.

Harry. Who would have imagined that this man he is now was hiding under that rough exterior? All those rude remarks and indecent comments, obviously just a front put on by him to avoid emotions.

These letters have only been the tip of the iceberg. Our first few promenades were a bit awkward and we were trying our best to find an easy way to converse, but once we found our rhythm our relationship just blossomed.

Yes, I still have my worries about who he may be with when I am not around or if this is all an intricate scheme. But when I am around him all those doubts go away and we are just ourselves. There is no pressure when it comes to him and I.

We've had a few missteps here and there, but it has only been less than a month since we began courting and he is still Harry. He is arrogant and lets his status get to his head at times, but I believe the letter writing has helped him relax a lot faster than he would have.

He wore green for our promenade yesterday. A rich, lush green vest. It brought out the green in his eyes even more. I was completely captivated by him, barely able to keep my eyes off of him. I wore blue, a color I have been wearing a lot of as of late. He always gets the biggest smile when he sees my blue dresses, a smile he has been improving at.

He has dimples. Deep, glorious dimples that soften up his face. His teeth are so beautiful too, the front top ones reminding me of those of a little bunny. When I told him of his bunny teeth, he rolled his eyes and accused me, lightheartedly, of offending him.

Every time I see him, it is as if he gets more and more handsome. I feel so idiotic for catching feelings, but it is so hard when a charming man lavishes me with attention.

I only wish I could share this with Liam. I have no other friends, besides Gemma but though she is my friend, I will not tell her of my feelings for Harry. He is her brother and she would obviously tell. And if he does not feel the same, which I am most certain of, it would just end up embarrassing me.

Liam was my friend. He was the one I could go to for advice and to talk out my problems. And yet he avoids me still. No meaningful conversations have been shared between us, as he remains utterly betrayed by my relationship with Harry. He avoids us at balls, refuses to acknowledge that we are courting. I wouldn't be surprised if he began spreading lies in hopes to end our courtship.

The sound of the door opening downstairs brings me out of my thoughts and my grin widens. Quickly, I open the door to my room, hurrying through the hall and down the stairs to meet Jack, unable to wait any longer.

When I enter the foyer, my feet stop in their track, nearly knocking me to the ground. Liam is standing in front of the doorman, my letter in his hands, being read. My heart races and tears fill my eyes, a feeling of violation overcoming me.

He looks at me, anger evident in his eyes. "What are you doing receiving letters from Lord Styles at this time of night?"

I reach forward to grab it from his hands but he lifts the paper up, out of my reach. "Answer me, Charlotte."

"That is mine! I never read your letters!" I try my hardest to grab the letter back from him, but it is a futile effort.

"I never receive letters in the dead of night! And by the looks of it, you have been, on multiple occasions! You are keeping secret correspondence with Lord Styles? For how long?" he asks, demanding answers.