“She’ll get over it.Once she realizes the attention is on her.”
“Then make sure of it.Should the occasion arise, direct attention to her, not yourself.”
“Of course.Easily done.”Edwin tilted his head.“You know a thing or two about gossip, right, Henley?I’m expecting a week, maybe two, before I find my countess.Care to wager?Or maybe fight over it?”
Henley’s shoulders tensed.He didn’t need to respond—Edwin knew exactly where to cut deepest.
Words were weapons.
And Edwin had just landed a blow.
Time didn’t erase mistakes.It only buried them until someone unearthed the memory.
And the one who would ruin Pere’s debut wouldn’t be Edwin.
It would be Henley.
Chapter Three
“Did you hear?”The Duchess of Kinfield breezed into the room with a flutter of muslin and a sharp tone.Anna’s chin angled upward as her focus lingered behind, finishing the last few strokes on the page before she finally gave her attention to her mother.
“Pardon?”Anna lowered the book and slipped a piece of lace into the page to hold her place.
The Duchess of Kinfield released a tight breath, her dark blue eyes darting upward in a pinched expression before spearing her daughter with a pointed gaze.“My dear, listen closely.”
Anna watched with slight trepidation as her mother took a seat near her on the brocade sofa, her expression fierce.
With a sinking feeling, Anna grasped her mother’s hands.“Did someone… did someone die?”
The duchess froze, then swatted her daughter lightly on the shoulder.“No!Something good.”
“Your expression is anything but joyful, Mother.”Anna bit her lip, then glanced down to her book.“I don’t suppose that will give me a few extra minutes to read?Since you seem reluctant to share,” she teased.
Whatever this news was, it likely didn’t hold the importance her mother had given it.However, such was life during the London season: gossip, whispering, and manipulations.It was simply the way of the world, or, at least, her world.
“I just returned from Bond Street and overheard Lady Devon speaking with her maid about her daughter’s come-out tonight,” the duchess began.“And she mentioned that the Earl of Devon—the earl, her eldest son, not the viscount, who holds his title from his mother’s family, an interesting business indeed, but I digress—the earl, he is finally searching for a wife.”The words came out in a squeak of a whisper.
Anna replayed the words in her mind, then grasped her mother’s hands.“Are you certain?You did not misunderstand at all?”
The duchess grinned wildly.“I thought I perhaps had, so I was forthright and told her I’d overheard and was sure she was thrilled with the prospect.”
“And?”Anna asked, her heart beating a furious pace.
The duchess squeezed Anna’s hand.“And she said yes, we’re very thrilled.Tonight will be a lovely time to begin the search.”
“No,” Anna replied, her grin widening.
“Yes.And as I bid her goodbye, she said that she’d see us tonight and was particularly looking forward to seeing you, my dear, since you’re such a lovely friend of their daughter.”
“So…” Anna waited for her mother to explain whatever undercurrent the words held.
“So, you nitwit, she is keeping an eye on you for her son!”
“You can’t be serious,” Anna stated, her eyes wide.
“Yes, I am, and I must say you would be his first choice.If he is as intelligent as he is handsome, the daughter of a duke would certainly be a boon to their family.”
“I need to start preparing for tonight.”Anna stood, and turned to the door, then back to her mother.“If she told you, then she wanted everyone to know, which means that by tonight, all the mamas will have their intentions set.”
