Beryl nudged Harper forward so she could start walking with Cassius.
It was good that Cassius chose to go for a walk, as this would allow the neighbours to see that Harper was doing well.
"Is there a garden?" Cassius asked.
"There is," Harper replied, leading the way toward it. "I want to apologise for my talk with your brother. You looked nervous when you saw us, and again, he was the one who bumped into me."
"Like I said, I didn’t think anything of it. Seeing you that day pushed me to come here so I could see you. I want to be able to walk with you and not worry about the town making you nervous," said Cassius.
"Then, I am happy that I was able to see you. Also, to see your brother. He is an interesting man, but you are the one who draws attention. It has been so long since I met a gentleman like you," Harper said, her chest feeling overwhelmed.
"Have you come across men who weren’t pleasant?" Cassius asked.
Harper nodded. "I did. It is quite normal here, but perhaps I struggled with them, only to be rewarded with your presence. You have shown me that good men still exist, and I thank you for it."
"Tell me more about yourself. Your dreams, your hobbies, what you dislike or about your family. I want to know more about you," Harper said.
Harper wanted to meet Cassius’ family.
Were the others warmer than Quinn?
Where did Cassius reside?
"There isn’t much to know. I want to be happy, I enjoy travelling around the town, and as for my family, I don’t have a big family. It has always been me, Quinn and my mother, but now it is only me and Quinn," Cassius shared.
"Oh. Have your parents passed away?" Harper asked, feeling sorry for Cassius.
"My father passed away when I was only a baby, and my mother a few years ago," said Cassius.
Cassius was bored by their talk. He wasn’t going to tell her the truth about his parents. About the father, he never knew his mother. Not even about Quinn’s father, whom their mother spoke of quite often.
"I do not mind that it is just Quinn and me. I am quite close to my brother, so I hope you two can get along. He is all I have," said Cassius.
Harper thought it was even more important to get Quinn to like her since the two brothers were so close.
"It must be wonderful to have a sibling. I am always jealous of my peers who have siblings. It would be nice to have a sister who understands what I face during the season. I only have cousins, and they are not pleasant. Especially now," Harper said.
Harper looked back after feeling her mother poke her back. She was only trying to be honest, but she understood her mother was worried that she might make Cassius run off.
Cassius noticed the interaction between the mother and daughter. He wanted to hold the finger Beryl poked Harper with and break it.
It was already a bore to be here, and now that he was getting to know more about the family, Beryl was ruining it.
One thing Cassius noticed with each family he ruined was how the mothers would be so quick to toss their daughters toward a man who appeared to be wealthy.
All Cassius had to do was display that he had money, and he was deemed a good man.
"You can be honest with me," said Cassius.
"Oh, I don’t want to bore you with talking about my family. It might be better to have a small family like you do, where there is someone you are close to," Harper said, moving on.
Harper wished her mother wouldn’t walk so close. Her mother had every right to be excited, but it was hard to speak with Cassius when her mother was right there and poking at her back.
"Why aren’t you in the palace with the other ladies? I expected a lady like yourself to be noticed by the queen," said Cassius.
"Thank you, but I don’t think I have done anything this season to get the queen’s attention. I am not upset by it since it makes me work harder to be noticed. I know that one day I will sit with the queen. It doesn’t matter if it will be the next queen," Harper said confidently.
"I do not like the way the royals decide how things are done in the palace. I am willing to bet my best horse that she chose ladies who came from families with status over ladies like you who deserve it," said Cassius.
While Harper liked that Cassius was standing up for her, she knew that what he said wasn’t true.
The queen invited young ladies from families of different statuses. It was something ladies like Amelia disliked. It was believed that not everyone should get the chance to sit with the queen, since what was the point of having money or status?
"Thank you for always speaking so highly of me. I shall do the same for you. What ball will you attend next? Plenty are coming up, but with the warnings sent out by the court and town guards, I do not know if they shall go on," Harper said, worried the season would not go well.
"I have not decided which ball I will attend, but I do not think you must be concerned. You are safe," Cassius promised.
"I believe the town guards will protect us, but others are afraid. Why did it need to be my season to be overshadowed by those deaths? Do not misunderstand," Harper quickly spoke, realising how wrong she sounded.
Harper continued to say, "I feel awful about those who lost their lives, but some of us ladies have been preparing all our lives for this moment. I hope we won’t hear of death anymore, and the focus will be back on us who are finding love."
"I hope it will be so too," Cassius said, looking ahead at the garden.
"Are you worried about your time in Lockwood? For a man, it might be safer," said Harper.
"No one is ever truly safe. Not even the queen or king. We must all be vigilant and protect ourselves. I always have a gun close by to keep myself protected. If anyone is foolish enough to try harming me, they will not succeed. I will also protect you," Cassius promised.
It felt wonderful to have a protector.