the art of loving ; lord tewksbury

twenty-eight

"Well, we aren't going to come up with anything if you keep shooting down my ideas."

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Grant didn't take the news very well.

  In fact, he went absolutely ballistic.

  He paced back and forth. He walked around in circles. He paused, ran his fingers through his hair, then continued going round and round and round the same spot.

  He pointed out how stupid the idea was. Faking their own death? No one would believe that.

  He pointed out how they couldn't just leave. People would recognise them after the ball, wouldn't they?

  He pointed out how they had nowhere to go if they ran. Aside from a few belongings, some money, and food, they would be empty-handed and homeless.

  He was upset his sister would keep this from him. Daisy told him to not take it personally. She had good reason not to tell him, not until she and Tewksbury had solidified their plan. She told him they didn't want to be unprepared, but now, they didn't have much of a choice.

  "I was afraid of how you'd react," she said. "And with the way you're currently acting, I was right. But you have every right to be this way."

  She let him pace for a while more. She sat with Tewksbury at the base of a large tree, allowing it to tower over them and shade them from the bright sun.

  Grant paced.

  And paced.

  And paced.

  Until his legs gave up on him. He stopped. He turned to the pair, his features conveying a look of doubt. He stared at them for a very long time, unblinking, so long to the point Daisy felt as if they were in the middle of a staring competition and were battling out it for the top prize, not backing down until someone finally gave in.

  Eventually, Grant did. He gave in.

  "I'm still not in full support of this," he said. "But I'm not letting my sister go alone. If it gives her a better life, then... we'll try."

  "Thank you," Daisy smiled.

  Grant folded his arms across his chest. "But we need one hell of a plan if we're going to pull this off. We aren't going to get far with what you have now."

  ***

  The three decided to spend the rest of the afternoon coming up with plausible ideas in hopes of devising a foolproof plan. They were left undisturbed, which worked in their favour. They needed as much privacy and time they could get. Even if someone had come looking for them, Daisy wouldn't have wanted to go back.

  They sat in a small circle on the forest floor, agreeing to follow a system where each person would take turns voicing out their opinions. It is fair like this, they told each other. Everyone would get the opportunity to speak.

  Ten minutes into the discussion, their agreement fell apart.

  "You aren't thinking of the loopholes," Grant argued. "There is so much that could go wrong with that idea. It's too risky to even be considered."