Read Online Hyacinth (Suitors of Seattle) by Kirsten Osbourne - Free Book Online
Authors: Kirsten Osbourne
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sisters wanted her around while they were courting, but she knew that Violet knew she was welcome.
She poured the chocolate into three cups and carried them to the table. "Now, I hope this came out right." She bit her lip, worried, as Lawrence took a sip.
His face lit up, and he nodded. "It's good. Really good!"
Hyacinth breathed a sigh of relief as she took a spot between Violet and Lawrence at the round table. She took a careful sip and smiled. "It is good!"
"Did you think I'd lie to you?" He looked offended at the very thought.
"I never know what you'll do. You were just singing outside my window at an hour when most people are in their nightclothes." Hyacinth shook her head at him, obviously not sure what he was up to.
He blushed slightly. "I wanted you to know I was willing to be embarrassed for you." He liked it that she found him unpredictable though, because he'd always been the one who did exactly what was expected of him.
Hyacinth reached over and covered his hand with hers where it rested on the table. She'd never touched him with other people watching before, but she knew he needed it. "You don't ever have to embarrass yourself for me."
He brought her fingers to his mouth, brushing them softly with his lips. "Thank you."
Violet watched them with wide eyes. "Does Amaryllis know you and Lawrence are courting?"
Lawrence looked at Violet with surprise. "Amaryllis is married. Why would she care that I'm courting Hyacinth?"
"Well, she did see you first."
"What does that have to do with anything? My mother saw me before anyone else did, and she has no romantic claims over me." He drank the last of his hot chocolate in one long gulp and stood up. "Will you walk me to the door?" he asked Hyacinth.
She nodded and got to her feet. "Please put the dishes in the sink, Vi. I cooked so you can clean up."
Lawrence took her hand and pulled her toward the front door. When they got to the entryway, which was empty of people, he turned to her. Apparently no one else had been woken by his caterwauling. "You don't worry about how Amaryllis will feel about us courting, do you?"
Hyacinth shrugged. "A little sometimes. I need to talk to her about it, but she's always so busy at the library, and she hasn't been around much." Not that she'd ever had a great rapport with Amaryllis. She liked her, of course, but she was enough older that they'd never been excessively close.
"You should go talk to her and put your mind at ease. She won't care at all. I honestly think she'd like me for a brother, because she's never thought of me as anything but a brother ly-type."
"I'l l try." Honestly, she was half-afraid to broach the subject with her older sister. Amaryllis intimidated her a lot and always had. Amaryllis had always seemed so much older, smarter, and more confident than she felt. Deep down Hyacinth knew that Amaryllis loved her as much as all of her other sisters, but she really didn't feel like she was as good as the others most of the time.
Lawrence smiled at her with a brief nod. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers. "Good night, sweetheart. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Hyacinth leaned against the door and touched her fingers to her lips after he'd left. He hadn't taken to kissing her every time he saw her, so it was still a pleasant surprise every time the tingling sensation spread through her belly.
Violet stepped into the foyer with a wide smile. "He kissed you, didn't he?"
Hyacinth blushed but didn't respond to her sister. She stood up straight and started up the stairs. "You need to get to bed. You have school tomorrow."
Violet sighed. "Who cares about school? I'm going to spend my life painting, so I don't really need school."
"I disagree. I think you need an education to be able to do anything well. Yes, art school would have been more helpful for you, but you need to
She poured the chocolate into three cups and carried them to the table. "Now, I hope this came out right." She bit her lip, worried, as Lawrence took a sip.
His face lit up, and he nodded. "It's good. Really good!"
Hyacinth breathed a sigh of relief as she took a spot between Violet and Lawrence at the round table. She took a careful sip and smiled. "It is good!"
"Did you think I'd lie to you?" He looked offended at the very thought.
"I never know what you'll do. You were just singing outside my window at an hour when most people are in their nightclothes." Hyacinth shook her head at him, obviously not sure what he was up to.
He blushed slightly. "I wanted you to know I was willing to be embarrassed for you." He liked it that she found him unpredictable though, because he'd always been the one who did exactly what was expected of him.
Hyacinth reached over and covered his hand with hers where it rested on the table. She'd never touched him with other people watching before, but she knew he needed it. "You don't ever have to embarrass yourself for me."
He brought her fingers to his mouth, brushing them softly with his lips. "Thank you."
Violet watched them with wide eyes. "Does Amaryllis know you and Lawrence are courting?"
Lawrence looked at Violet with surprise. "Amaryllis is married. Why would she care that I'm courting Hyacinth?"
"Well, she did see you first."
"What does that have to do with anything? My mother saw me before anyone else did, and she has no romantic claims over me." He drank the last of his hot chocolate in one long gulp and stood up. "Will you walk me to the door?" he asked Hyacinth.
She nodded and got to her feet. "Please put the dishes in the sink, Vi. I cooked so you can clean up."
Lawrence took her hand and pulled her toward the front door. When they got to the entryway, which was empty of people, he turned to her. Apparently no one else had been woken by his caterwauling. "You don't worry about how Amaryllis will feel about us courting, do you?"
Hyacinth shrugged. "A little sometimes. I need to talk to her about it, but she's always so busy at the library, and she hasn't been around much." Not that she'd ever had a great rapport with Amaryllis. She liked her, of course, but she was enough older that they'd never been excessively close.
"You should go talk to her and put your mind at ease. She won't care at all. I honestly think she'd like me for a brother, because she's never thought of me as anything but a brother ly-type."
"I'l l try." Honestly, she was half-afraid to broach the subject with her older sister. Amaryllis intimidated her a lot and always had. Amaryllis had always seemed so much older, smarter, and more confident than she felt. Deep down Hyacinth knew that Amaryllis loved her as much as all of her other sisters, but she really didn't feel like she was as good as the others most of the time.
Lawrence smiled at her with a brief nod. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers. "Good night, sweetheart. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Hyacinth leaned against the door and touched her fingers to her lips after he'd left. He hadn't taken to kissing her every time he saw her, so it was still a pleasant surprise every time the tingling sensation spread through her belly.
Violet stepped into the foyer with a wide smile. "He kissed you, didn't he?"
Hyacinth blushed but didn't respond to her sister. She stood up straight and started up the stairs. "You need to get to bed. You have school tomorrow."
Violet sighed. "Who cares about school? I'm going to spend my life painting, so I don't really need school."
"I disagree. I think you need an education to be able to do anything well. Yes, art school would have been more helpful for you, but you need to
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