But she was not. She needed her husband. She needed Spencer to come home and be the Duke that he always needed to be, but he had never cared for his role, and he had never cared for her, which meant she would be left in need.
Unless, of course, she could force his hand.
“Actually,” she said quickly, “might you assist me with something?”
“Certainly. What did you have in mind?”
She was uncertain, but once they sat at her desk, the plan formed in her mind. She did not know where Spencer was, and so she could not write tohim, but she did know the addresses of most people in theton.
Please join us for a celebration of the life of His Grace, Sir Spencer Madden, the Duke of Wutherton.
Her maid’s eyes widened, and Anna could hardly blame her for that.
“You cannot say that!” she gasped.
“He has left me no choice. Something has to bring him home, Mrs. Phillips. If news of his death is not enough, nothing ever will be. Will you help me write more?”
Her maid sat by her side and wrote more of them without question, and Anna was grateful for that.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“I do not know,” Anna replied. “I have never had to plan a funeral, but I shall have to find out quickly.”
Planning a funeral in three days had not been what Anna had in mind when she had her wedding band placed on her finger, but she had done it. It was easier to plan for the funeral celebrationthe day after. Her guests arrived, greeted her solemnly, then went on their way. It was better that they did that, she considered, than them asking too many questions.
“Hunting lions?” Theodora asked. “In Africa? What were you thinking?”
She had asked in a hushed voice. Anna still found it rather humorous, and she wondered why so many guests had attended without questioning her. It was a completely bizarre way for him to have died, and she had chosen it deliberately.
The more absurd it was, the more likely Spencer was to hear of it.
“I know what I am doing,” she reasoned. “Besides, nobody has thought anything of it. Perhaps my dear husband had more of a reputation than I was aware of.”
“Perhaps,” Theodora replied, though it was clear that she did not quite believe her.
Anna looked around at all of her guests, and part of her wished that she had thought up such a scheme before. She had gone out of her way to host events, making each one more scandalous than the last, but nobody had said a word to her. It was an enjoyable evening, though of course she could not show that on her face.
As far as her guests knew, she was a devastated widow, dressed in black and mourning immensely. She played the role well, as far as she was concerned, and when nobody questioned her, she assumed that it had gone off without a hitch.
“I should like to take some air,” she said to Evelina, and the two of them stepped outside.
“I still do not like this,” her friend noted.
“You do not need to. All that matters is that this works, and I believe it will.”
Suddenly, a rustling came from nearby, and Anna silenced herself.
“Can you believe all of this?” a gentleman asked, nearby enough that they could be heard, but not seen. “Her Grace has made a mockery of her husband.”
“Indeed. I only came to see if it was true, but did you see her? She has planned all of this to make a spectacle of herself, and you can tell that she is enjoying it.”
“Why, I would go as far as to suggest that this scandalous behavior of hers is precisely why the Duke left in the first place.”
“I tend to agree with you. One can only stomach such a willful bride for so long before they are driven mad. The poor gentleman probably feels some relief at last.”
Anna turned to confront them, but Evelina took her wrist and pulled her back. She could feel the heat of her skin and the fury in her chest. It simply was not fair that she was spoken of in such a manner when Spencer had been the one to leave of his own accord.
“Do not let them make you reactive. It will not make you look any better.”
