And today, it did.
After serving the men, she took her seat beside her mother and joined the safe, if dull, conversation about the weather.
“Yes, the sunshine has been most welcome,” Anna offered.“Lord Highglen, I’ve heard your estate in Bath is quite near the sea?”
He gave a small smile.Handsome enough, with sandy blond hair nearly the same color as his fair skin, his eyebrows were practically invisible.His dark brown eyes, however, were kind.
“Yes, Overton overlooks the sea—hence the name.Not very original, but I suppose we English aren’t known for being poetic with our estates.”
Anna laughed gently.“Indeed.But a fitting name all the same.”
“It’s lovely this time of year.The sea is much calmer in the summer.”
“Is it stormy in the winter?”
He shrugged.“It can be.This year we had a storm that blew several ships off course.The beaches were littered with odd treasures—my nephews adored it.”
“A true adventure, then,” Anna replied.She turned to Lord Voxly.“And what adventures does Sussex provide?”
Lord Voxly leaned forward as if he’d been waiting.His thick, expressive eyebrows rose.“We’ve just acquired a new sire for our stables.Quite the beauty—and fast.”
His grin was wide, his teeth surprisingly small.
“I’ve heard exceptional things about your family’s stables, Lord Voxly,” Anna said politely, though her thoughts were already drifting back to Lord Devon.
She nodded along to Voxly’s enthusiastic words and, when the moment allowed, flicked her gaze toward Devon.
He was already watching her.
His mischievous grin tipped at the corners, as though he knew exactly what she’d been thinking.
He arched a brow and smoothly redirected the conversation.
“What bloodline did you say your sire came from?”he asked Voxly.
Anna’s brows knit slightly.Devon kept doing that—intercepting.Throughout the afternoon, more gentlemen arrived.Each time, she offered tea, made polite conversation, tried to steer something in Devon’s direction.But each time, he was one step ahead, turning the conversation elsewhere.
By the end of the afternoon, the callers had all taken their leave—except for one.
Lord Devon.
When the last remaining guest rose to go, Anna looked to Devon, expecting him to do the same.
“Ah,” he said, “and now I may speak to you without an audience—except your lovely mother, of course.”He nodded to the sofa.
Her mother waved a hand in dismissal, her cheeks pinking at the compliment.
“I do not like sharing, Lady Anna,” he said, leaning closer and lowering his voice.“And I hope you’ll forgive my immature tactics.I kept the others talking to avoid them talking to you.”
His eyes lit with boyish mischief.
“I suppose I can forgive you—if you’ll speak with me now,” she said, flirtatious.
“That was the plan all along.”His tone turned teasing.“Now, I’ve gathered you’re not much for small talk—no interest in weather or horses.You only perked up when Bath was mentioned.So, tell me, what do you find truly fascinating?”
He gestured for her to sit, then took the chair across from her.
The answer came too easily.You.
