“I’d hardly classify having a husband as the mark of greatness.” In fact, she’d never even had a suitor. Beyond Lord Exmoor, whom her mother insisted on pushing into her path.

A sad little sigh escaped Caroline. “A lady has no mark of greatness in society beyond her worth to some gentleman.”

Egad, her sister had become…even worse than she’d feared or had ever expected. “You cannot possibly believe that.”

“I do,” her sister said with entirely too much conviction. “Because that is the way of our society. A young lady is invariably looked after by a male, and the best one might hope for is to find someone who will respect and honor you.”

“Well, I disagree with you strenuously on that score,” she said. “I believe the best one can hope to find is a man who will respect one, who will treat one as an equal and partner, and who will love one most ardently and—”

“When you find this paragon, do let me know,” Caroline muttered.

“Hmph.” Though, she understood the reason for her sister’s cynicism, Lettie believed such a man existed. He had to. Her brothers treated their wives as partners in life and loved them, and as such, she’d proof that such men existed. Men who smiled and laughed and teased, and she found her gaze drifting once more to Anthony.

Aloof as she never recalled him, he stood with his arms folded at his chest and a frown on his lips.

That slight downward tilt to his hard mouth lent a further air of interest and mystery to him, an even greater handsomeness—if that were possible—and yet, even as her heart tripped in a peculiar way, it was not his male beauty that held her focus, but rather, that frown. And for altogether different reasons.

Anthony never frowned.

Well, that was, he’d never frowned unless he’d been playing the fox to her pig while pretending to huff and puff and blow her house down in a game of Three Little Pigs that she’d enlisted him to play with her and Rosalind and Caroline.

Lettie found herself frowning.

“Why is he frowning?” she wondered aloud.

Her sister gave her a quizzical look, and Lettie gestured discreetly in Anthony’s direction.

“On that, I agree. Isn’t it enough that there are two dozen gentlemen pursuing his sister he should crack at least a grin?” Caroline scrunched up her nose. “Unless he’s waiting for a grander title than the ones possessed by the men surrounding them.”

“Oh, come, Anthony was never obsequious and ostentatious.” Several years younger than Rhys, he’d been best friends with their second-born brother after all.