The Debutante (Season Series #2)

Bonus Chapter 3.5: The Royal Siblings

A/N: Hello readers! I tried out a little third-person writing exercise and I decided to share it all with you here since this is where it fits into the story. Third-person writing is my weak spot, so it might read a little clunky...

I had also once included the ages of the debutantes, but it caused a bit of a sensation since they were "so young to be married." Most were around 16 years old, which in that time, was not unheard of. Nowadays I agree with you all, it would be way too young!

Happy reading!

*******

"What do you think you're doing?" Anne demanded, glaring daggers at Thomas as the doors closed behind him, shutting out the noise of the debutantes milling outside the dining room. She could feel Andrew's anger radiating throughout the empty old palace hallway as Thomas sauntered up to them, amazingly self-assured as always.

"She needed an escort, I was only being helpful," he said, but there was nothing innocent about his grin as he looked at Andrew, "If you'd wanted to talk to her so badly you should have escorted her yourself."

"Don't be daft!" Anne snapped, swatting Thomas' arm, "The minute Andrew pays any special attention to Libby is the minute she'll become a target for all the other debutantes!"

"She seems resilient enough, I think she can handle it," Thomas shrugged, "She's chasing the crown prince, she should be expecting a little resistance from the others."

Andrew was seething as he glared at his brother.

"Stay away from her," he managed through gritted teeth. A grin exploded on Thomas' face at his brother's words.

"I'll stay away from her when you start publicly pursuing her," Thomas said, smirking at his brother, "Besides, she's already considering my invitation for the opera."

Anne placed a restraining hand on Andrew's arm as he took a menacing step towards Thomas.

"Which you should've given to Adelaide," Anne snapped, glaring at Thomas before turning to placate Andrew, "But he does have a point. She's a debutante now, so if you aren't going to pursue her openly, then others will."

Andrew's jaw was clenched as he controlled his temper, a ghost of a smirk on Thomas' face as he dug his hands into his pockets. Riling up his older brother was far too much fun, especially now that he'd discovered a new soft spot in the form of Libby Marks-Whelan.

"You agreed to help me," Andrew managed, forcing down his anger so he could think straight. But thinking straight was impossible, not after the longing he'd seen in Libby's eyes when they'd found his after dinner.

"And I am helping you! If they all think I'm pursuing her, someone like Horsey Pendleton won't come close," Thomas shrugged, unable to keep the grin from curving the corners of his mouth.

"We hadn't really considered that, had we?" Anne asked Andrew, cutting the thick tension between the brothers. Andrew's glare had deteriorated into a pensive frown.

"I can't help it if I find her fascinating," Thomas protested, watching for Andrew's reaction at the jab. But the crown prince was lost in thought, working something out in his head.

"I wasn't talking about you, Thomas," Anne said, shaking her head in annoyance, "I meant Libby being chased by someone else."

"I should've thought of it," Andrew said, clearly annoyed with himself as he looked at Thomas.

"And this is why I should have been included in your little plot from the beginning," Thomas said, gesturing for Anne to precede him down the hall, "I am a mastermind at pointing out every possible outcome."