Atticus Egerton was a reader, just not as much as one of his two sisters. This morning, he woke up to notice that he had fallen asleep whilst reading again. With a yawn and a stretch, he moved the book to his bedside table, pushed back the covers and got dressed for the day ahead. Once presentable, he headed downstairs to the dining room. 

"Atticus, where is Miss Alexandria?", the Egerton's head servant's voice rang out from another room. 

He sat at the table in contemplation, waiting. "She is probably still in her room."

"Well, go ahead and fetch her, will you? Breakfast will be served soon and the Egerton's will be down," the servant rang again. She was speaking about his parents, of course. 

Without another word, he stood from the table and headed back upstairs. Nothing bothered Atticus, an easy-going man who didn't find fetching his sister or running an errand as chore, even if their family were fortunate enough to have people do it for them. None of that bothered him.

There at the top, he knocked on the door to Alexandria's room. "Alexandria, are you awake?"

He heard her call back, "Yes, Atticus, I am. I am just reading, you may come in." 

Touching the knob and pushing open the door, he found his younger sister looking back at him, dressed in one of her simple dresses. Most of her dresses were simple. Alexandria did not care for getting dressed up, unlike himself, who never missed an opportunity to dress formally. She was laying on her stomach on her window seat and had been reading her book in the morning sunlight while kicking her legs up behind her. 

I supposed we are siblings, after all, he realised when he saw her reading. Though they looked quite different from one another. Alexandria resembled their mother. She had a petite figure with a small, round face, and long ginger hair that shone in the sunlight. Atticus, however, resembled their father, with a tall and stoic structure. A composed face with a pointed jaw, and short, dark brown hair. Then there was Alexandria's twin, Natalia, who was mix of them both with a touch more their father's genes. 

"Breakfast is about to be served. Would you care to join me downstairs?", Atticus asked, holding out his arm for her to take. He was a gentleman, though could be very anti-social due to a lack of companions in his younger years, with his only social interactions being with family and tutors. That is why he and Alexandria were so close, with much in common, he thought of her as his best friend.

Atticus watched his sister's face light up at his chivalry. She propped herself up onto her knees, still holding her book, and made her way over. "Of course, darling brother." She took his arm and they exited the room.

He talked with her as he led them down to the dining room. "The Beausants are coming today. We should be ready for their arrival," he paused, choosing his words. He'd only overheard this news last night, when their father was reciting it back to their mother. As this was only between them, he assumed they would mention it at breakfast this morning. "Then we will attend a ball they're hosting tomorrow evening as well. Do not forget you must be ready for it."

"What an opportunity you will have to show the Beauseants the gentleman that you are," she exclaimed excitedly, as she sat down in the chair he had just pulled out for her. "Atticus, we all know that father is looking to you to honour our family name. I need not worry about the ball."

"Maybe not, but they will still be looking at our family, Alexandria," he reasoned as he began to eat the breakfast that had appeared since returning from upstairs.

She let out a worried sigh and spoke to her breakfast plate, "Yes, no need to remind me. I hear it every day from mother."

"I am sorry. Our Mother and Father have been on my case for a lot longer, especially more recently. I suppose I forgot that they might be pestering you as well."

"Yes, well, you still have it worse. Father does not speak to me. He thinks that a man is the only one who can fight for an estate," she remarked. Without breaking eye contact with her breakfast, she picked up her fork and started playing with her food. "Though for you, I will try to be on best behaviour." She put on a wary smile.

"Well, thank you... I appreciate it, Alexandria." He gave her a thankful nod even if she didn't see it.

"You are welcome, Atticus," he heard her mutter as he watched her seem so entranced with her food. "Alexandria, is something the matter?"

Alexandria looked up, almost as if she had just realised she had been lost in her thoughts. "Nothing. Nothing a walk cannot fix," she said as she stood up to retrieve her coat. Her book sat in the corner of the table. "Fancy a walk?"

"Of course." Atticus stood and went to retrieve his coat too, before meeting his sister by the door. Holding Colonel Jack, by Daniel Defoe, in front of her eyes, which he'd grabbed from the table. "Forgotten something?"

Returning his smile, she thanked him and he opened the door for her. Following her out into the morning sun, Atticus held his arm out for to his little sister. "Shall we be going?" 

Alexandria looped her arm through his, smiling. "We shall."

***

Walking around their house, though the garden, Atticus watched as his sister breathed in the fresh air. He began to lead down the garden and around flower beds for a few unspoken minutes before saying, "Dear sister, what is on your mind?"

Alexandria stopped mid stride. She seemed to pull herself out of her thoughts and look back at the house, as if someone was watching. "Staying under father's watchful eye I see," she noted, pursing her lips. Not answering his question, instead, talking about how he had chosen to lead her around the estate, rather than down the road. "Well-" She stopped mid-step and seemed to be thinking about what to say. "-I guess I just do not understand the necessity of marriage. No, forget the necessity of it, I do not understand marriage." Worry and curiosity filled her eyes simultaneously.

Atticus merely shrugged to this. "Well, people usually get married for two reasons. One is for love. Should you fall in love some day, sister, and want to spend the rest of your life with them, you may end up getting married. Two is more probable, which is for gain. For example, you marry the Beausant son."

"I would not know what love is, I do not even know what it means when you say you fancy someone. How am I to marry when I do not understand the concept?" Her steps started again, but allowed Atticus to quickly take the lead from her as she looked off into the trees, watching the birds chirp and flutter.

"I wish I could answer that, but alas, I cannot." He sighed deeply. "I suppose it might be something that comes as we grow. However, as of right now, I am in the same boat as you are."

"Oh," she muttered. She was trying not to look disappointed, which was unsuccessful, as at the age of sixteen, she was still too young to know how to hide her emotions. Too naive to know she wasn't hiding them too. Atticus knew she looked up to him for advice. He was her older brother, after all, he should know these things. It was only thing he knew at this point; how to read his sister. Then she laughed, pulling him out of his thoughts. "We will have to learn together then. That, or you can learn it first and then tell me. That way I can decide if I want to or not."

He remained stony-faced while she laughed, then gave her an apologetic smile. "I am sorry I don't have all the answers. I do try to." Dropping his arm so it unlooped her arm from his, he wrapped that same arm around her shoulders. "We are in this together, I assure you." 

Alexandria stopped walking at his words and turned to face him. As Atticus' arm slid round her, eventually falling off as she stood face to face, she wrapped both her arms around him in a big hug. "Thank you, Atticus. I'm not sure what I would do without you." He felt his sister's face press into his chest. 'Was she possibly crying?', he thought. He was, by no means used to human contact, so he was surprised that Alexandria hugged him, even if she was his sister. Atticus reluctantly wrapped his arms around her and awkwardly patted her gently on the back. "You are quite welcome, Alexandria."

"I am sorry, I know I don't do this often, or practically ever, but I just needed to," she sobbed, her voice muffled by my shirt.

"It is alright," he reassured, holding her close. "Everything is going to be alright."

After a few minutes, Alexandria pushed herself away and wiped her eyes, careful to neither look at him nor anywhere but the gravel path beneath her feet. He watched her look down uncomfortably and knew that she felt guilty for hugging him. "Come," Atticus encouraged. "We still have the rest of our walk... or would you rather go back to the house?"

Slowly looking up at him, she smiled half-heartedly. "No, we can continue." Slipping her arm back through, Atticus bent his so she could, and they started walking again.

He lead her through the grounds of the Egerton's estate. It was reasonably vast, not as much as some, but it held the prestige their parents wanted. Half a dozen short paths intersecting through small hedged gardens and winding around the house. "Is there anything else, in particular, you would like to talk about?" 

"None that I can think of," Alexandria answered before pausing a moment to think. "Atticus, is there anything you would like to discuss?"

"Well, there is the whole Beausant ordeal," he sighed. "What are your thoughts on it?"

"I quite simply feel sorry for them. Not only are they practically on the market, but they are all being forced into marriage. Barbaric is what it is."

He nodded in agreement. "Not to mention all of us will be fighting for the same thing. This ball is going to be a mess."

"Speak for yourself, I won't be." She laughed. She was unaware of their parents wishing her to join the war for the Beausant's boy's courtship. "Yes, it will be disastrous. I am not looking forward to it one bit."

"That will make the two of us." Wanting to get onto a cherrier topic, Atticus inquired, "What will you doing this morning, have anything arranged? Reading, perhaps?"

"Well, morning is almost over, look at the sun." She gestured toward the sky. 

"Time has certainly passed us by. We should go indoors." 

***

Standing in the doorway to her bedroom, Alexandria smiled at her brother. "Thank you for our walk... and talk." Though she looked down as she uttered the word 'talk'. Atticus wasn't completely sure why but wouldn't push her on it. She does not need that. Not from him, not from anyone!