Elizabeth blushed and said, “Thank you. It was a gift from my brother.”
“He has impeccable taste,” Miss Henrietta said. “Those sapphires are a near perfect match for your eyes.”
“I am afraid I can take little credit. While I gifted the bauble to my sister, I did not select the piece.” He grinned at Lady Ann. “The credit belongs to Lady Ann. She happened to be at the jeweler’s shop when I bought it and lent me her expertise.”
“Well then, I thank you for guiding his selection,” Elizabeth said to Lady Ann.
“I am glad to see that it suits you so well. It is all the thanks I require, my lady.” Lady Ann gave him a warm smile, one that reached her eyes and caused them to soften. Evan delighted in her reaction—delighted because she was seeing past his reputation. And he fell a little more in love with her.
Annie feigned an after dinner headache and escaped to her room rather than joining the ladies in the drawing room. She sighed as she stared out her window at the night sky.
Her headache may have been a fabrication, but she most definitely was not fit for company. Thoughts of the duke kept her mind spinning as she tried to reconcile what she’d heard about him with what she now knew to be true.
He rescued her this morning. When she kissed him, he did not take additional liberties. And in the parlor, she had seen firsthand that he spoke true about the necklace. It really had been for his sister.
She was a terrible person to have misjudged him so. Worse, she had ignored the feelings he stirred to life in her and pushed him away at every opportunity. It was a wonder he still treated her with kindness.
Maybe the quartz was trying to tell her something. She reached up and wrapped her fingers around the pink stone at her neck. Was the duke her true love?
A knock sounded at her door, followed by Lilli saying, “May I come in?”
Annie turned from the window and replied, “Yes.”
Lilli stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. “Are you alright?” She asked, her gaze sweeping over Annie. “Has someone sent for a tonic?”
Annie waved her off. “I do not need a tonic.”
“But your headache?” Lilli moved further into the room.
Annie’s cheeks warmed, for she detested fabrications and could not help but be ashamed of herself. “I do not have a headache. I simply wished for some time alone.”
“Well, I cannot fault you for that. The party is rather…” Lilli looked to the ceiling as if gathering her thoughts, “… stifling.”
“Indeed, it is,” Annie agreed. She turned her attention back to the night sky.
Lilli approached and rested her hand on Annie’s shoulder. “Is something else bothering you?”
Annie pulled in a breath as she debated what to say. Desperate for answers, she asked, “How well do you know the duke?”
“Quite well, I would say. His family has been acquainted with mine for all my life. It truly is a wonder the two of you did not meet sooner.”
“Do you believe the rumors about him?”
Lilli clucked her tongue. “Most certainly not.”
Annie reached out and trailed her finger over the window glass, tracing a line between the stars.
Lilli said, “He is a man, and as such, is most certainly not perfect. However, he has been nothing other than honorable in my presence.” She came to stand beside Annie. “What’s more, I have yet to see a farthing of evidence that lends credence to his supposed rakehell ways. Have you?”
Annie gasped at the unexpected question, her gaze flying to Lilli’s. “I…” Her mind went back to the kiss they had shared, but she could hardly claim that as evidence—not when she’d been the mad kisser. She shrugged her shoulders. “No, I cannot claim that I have.”
Lilli’s lips turned up in a smile. “Well then, there you have it.”
“I suppose you are right. I have been positively beastly to the duke, and he did not deserve it.”
Lilli reached out and captured the rose quartz. “Fear not. You have magic on your side.” Her gin grew larger. “I can see that the duke is enamored with you. And you have feelings for him as well. Leastwise you would not be stashed away in your room struggling with your thoughts.”
“I am not so sure.” Annie strode to an overstuffed chair and sank into it. “Perhaps he only sees me as a challenge?”
