My frustration still lingered, but I nodded. Her loyalty to him would drive me mad. He had spun her into his web, and she was helpless to escape. She had just revealed the state of her finances to me. If she didn’t have money, Miles would never pursue her. It would break her heart if I told her that, but eventually her heart would be broken either way.
“Let us make it a rule not to speak of Miles ever again.” I extended my hand to her.
She eyed my hand with misgiving. “Why do I suspect that you have a habit of breaking rules?”
“Only if I disagree with them.” I grinned. “But this rule is important to our friendship.”
“Friendship?” Her brows shot up.
“We both need a friend in this household if we are to survive.”
She hesitated to take my hand. “I have friends here.”
“I saw the way Mrs. Fitzgibbon and her two cousins snubbed you. Mrs. Pike and the Colborne sisters don’t seem to be your first choice. Unless you would rather call Lord Kirkham your friend.”
She sighed, her lips fighting against a smile.
“Don’t forget, we are hiding partners,” I added. “Shake my hand, and we shall agree not to speak of Miles. You can make your decision later about the matter of our friendship.”
A genuine smile lit up her face, and she gave a quiet laugh. “Very well.” She took my outstretched hand.
I shook it, squeezing her fingers softly. Her eyes met mine, and she pulled her hand away fast, tucking it in a fold on the side of her skirts. “I ought to take my leave before Lady Tottenham finds us again. Let us hope she forgets what she saw.”
“Our romantic meeting?”
Anne gave an exasperated sigh, pivoting away from me in one swift motion. “Good day, Alexander.”
I didn’t look away until she was around the corner.
CHAPTER 8
ANNE
That evening, I could still smell the port on Lord Kirkham’s breath when I closed my bedchamber door behind me. I set down my candle, collapsing on my bed with a groan. He hadn’t left my side. He had been sitting far too close to me on the sofa, and his leg had been pressed against mine all night. Each time I moved away, he moved closer. When Octavia finished her fourth singing performance of the night, I retired for the evening, no longer caring what Lady Tottenham thought of my decision to leave the drawing room festivities before anyone else.
Octavia had been just as attached to Alexander all day as Lord Kirkham had been to me. There were few things more entertaining than watching his failed attempts at avoiding her. During each of Octavia’s performances, she had stared at Alexander’s face through every word of the songs. His discomfort was what had made the evening bearable.
I smiled to myself. Now that it was all over, I was eager to escape my tight stays. I had only been filling my lungs halfway all night.
My gaze caught on a piece of parchment that had been tied around my bedpost with a thin pink ribbon. My heart pounded. I rolled over on my bed and cautiously tugged one end of the ribbon, releasing the parchment. Was it another note or invitation? I read the short message.
Love is blind, and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit
Open your eyes and see straight through
Find the heart meant for you.
“What on earth?” I muttered. Who had sneaked into my room and tied that to my bed? I hurried to the door to slide the lock into place before returning to the note.
I recognized the first two lines from Shakespeare’sThe Merchant in Venice,but the other two seemed to have been added on. Whatreason could someone have to tie that message to my bed? Was the person still here, lurking in a dark corner of the room?
I picked up the candle and cast it toward each wall. Whoever had put the note in my room must have done it while I was at dinner. The hour was now past eleven o’clock, and the noise from the drawing room had died down. The guests would all be retiring for the evening soon, which meant a number of us would be invited to a midnight parlor game. I had managed to avoid the game the night before. Was this hidden message part of the game for tonight?
I pinched the parchment between two fingers, setting it on the table beside my bed. I tucked my knees to my chest, resting my back against the headboard. My mind was tired from the events of the day, and the worries that came with them.
Lady Tottenham had been watching me.
