Josephine then shook her head at me before sticking her tongue out. I made a face and did the same, while Lauren completely lost it and started laughing.
                          
Mrs Hardinge's frown deepened, her eyebrows furrowing, and my mother's head snapped up from her work to glare at me.
                          
"You look like a frog," gasped Lauren between her laughs, to which Josephine snorted and responded with, "She's right. The resemblance is uncanny," before she too burst into fits of laughter. I joined in, unable to help myself.
                          
"(Y/N)!" my mother hissed sharply, "Stop it at once! Pulling faces at each other?! You're not children."
                          
"Josephine, Lauren, please try to conduct yourselves properly," chastised Mrs Hardinge, a dark edge to her words that ensured that this was their only warning.
                          
Father and Mr Hardinge had stopped their conversation and turned to the rest of us, both frowning, although my father looked angrier - Mr Hardinge simply looked more curious. My father's eyes landed on me before he folded his arms.
                          
"Act more like a gentleman, (Y/N)," he instructed, "There won't be any time for that sort of silliness when we return to London."
                          
My smile dimmed slightly at the thought. I was not looking forward to it, and really didn't want to be reminded. Not that I needed to be. It was almost as if my mind had set up it's own clock and was counting down the time I had left. Currently, it was 2 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days. After that... well. I'd basically resigned myself to my life being over.
                          
I didn't reply and instead stared at him for a couple of seconds before returning to my book, my smile now completely gone. It seemed to please him.
                          
"Benedict, Philip, why don't you two sit down and finish your tea? I think that's enough talk of pirates for one day," sighed my mother. She was clearly exasperated. Probably because that was the 8th time she'd told me off in the span of an hour and a half. What could I say? I liked to dance on her nerves every now and then. Maybe it'll convince her that I'm not ready to get married or take part in running a business. It was worth hoping.
                          
My father and Mr Hardinge took their seats, each next to their wives, while Mrs Hardinge poured each of them another cup of tea. A blanket of silence fell over us. I couldn't decide if it was comfortable or unnerving. I didn't dare look up from my book. If I caught either Josephine or Lauren's eye again I think I would break down into hysterics, and I'd already been on the receiving end of my parents' wrath in the past five days that we'd been here - I didn't want to feel it again.
                          
"What do you think of the pirates docking in Ringmore, (Y/N)? Awful business, no?" asked Mr Hardinge.
                          
I looked up from my book, my (E/C) eyes locking onto him. No wonder I'd felt uncomfortable - he was staring at me. Or rather, it looked like he was looking into me. Right into my mind and digging around. I sat up straight and closed my book.
                          
"You want my honest opinion, sir?"
                          
"Of course." He sat back in the chair, holding his teacup just below his chin. His eyes stayed fixed on me, like a hunter would fix their eyes on their prey.
                          
I could see my mother and father glaring a warning at me out of the corner of my eyes. I knew why. If I upset Mr Hardinge by arguing with him (which I often did - it was more fun than arguing with my father and came with none of the punishments), then he could very easily step out of the marriage offer that my parents had put forward 'on my behalf'. It wasn't. But that was what they'd said. I didn't want to marry my best friend any more than I wanted to be hanged. However, I hadn't been given much of a choice, and my parents would go ballistic if I single-handedly ruined their years of hard work.