I hadn’t expected those words exactly, but they struck me squarely in the chest. I laughed. “I suppose I am.”
She kept her voice low, but her eyes were ripe with mischief. “Did you enjoy your game of chess?”
“Very much.”
“I am glad to hear it.” She opened a small blue fan, fluttering it toward her face. “Lady Daventry’s heart is not easily won. She is reluctant to marry again given the circumstances with her first husband. You have a great task ahead of you, winning her trust, but I don’t doubt your ability. You are quite charming, you know.”
I wanted to ask about Anne’s marriage to the baron, but I kept my mouth closed. It wasn’t Lady Tottenham’s story to tell. I still didn’t understand why Anne married someone else if she claimed to have been so in love with Miles. He had never proposed to her. Had she simply grown impatient? If she had, why was she awaiting his return so patiently now? It didn’t make sense.
The drawing room door opened. Anne walked through it.
I sat up straighter. She wore a silver gown with a square neckline, her dark curls piled high atop her head. A simple pendant rested at the hollow of her throat. Her eyes met mine, pausing there for long enough to make my stomach flop like a stranded fish.
“I won’t prevent her from sitting beside you,” Lady Tottenham whispered before rising shakily to her feet. She groaned with the effort, stepping aside with a wink.
Anne crossed the room toward me, taking the cushion Lady Tottenham had just vacated. Had she only sat beside me because of our ruse? Or had she sat beside me because she wanted to? My sudden insecurities were unprecedented. I took a deep breath, scolding my heart for behaving so erratically.
“Anne,” I greeted.
“Alexander.” She gave a soft smile before her gaze drifted to the other guests in the room. She tugged at one glove, which was a habit I had picked up on. It meant she was nervous. “Everyone is looking at us,” she whispered.
“In that case, you ought to sit closer.”
She glanced at me, her lips suppressing a grin. “No unnecessary proximity, don’t you recall?”
I shook my head. “It’s necessary.”
She laughed before reluctantly shifting closer to me on the settee. Her leg rested against mine, and her hands were tucked together in her lap. The shy side of Anne was just as endearing as the headstrong side. I couldn’t help my smile as she glanced at me for approval. “Is this close enough?”
“I’ll have to leave that up to you, because I would never object to unnecessary proximity.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“We’re in public,” I said, leaning close to her ear. “I’m allowed to flirt, and you’re not allowed to glare at me at the risk of revealing the ruse.”
Her lips twisted into a frustrated smirk. When she finally looked at my face, a genuine smile broke through her expression. She laughed, shaking her head. “I never should have agreed to this.”
“I still think it was a brilliant idea,” I said in a quiet voice. “Lord Kirkham hasn’t bothered you, Octavia is not hanging on my arm, and I am permitted to spend more time with you.”
Her eyes connected with mine. She blinked fast, dropping her gaze to her skirts. “I found another clue,” she said, changing the subject.
“Already?”
She gave an eager nod. “It was inside my glove when I dressed for dinner.”
I frowned. “Is it not concerning how these cluesappearin your bedchamber?”
“I suspect it’s my maid, Jane, who delivers them for Lady Tottenham.” Her eyes shifted to our hostess, who had joined a conversation with Mrs. Pike and her two nieces. “At any rate, I may need your help to decipher it.”
I chuckled. “I thought you had a way with riddles?”
She exhaled sharply through her nose. “This one is proving to be more difficult.”
“Surely I won’t be any cleverer than you are,” I said in a dismissive voice.
“Please.” She begged with her eyes. “You’re the only one here I can trust.”
Lady Tottenham’s words about winning Anne’s trust echoed through my mind. I wanted her to trust me, but I didn’t believe that she actually did. She had disregarded what I had said about Miles, but I doubted she had fully disregarded the things he had said about me. She couldn’t trust one of us without distrusting the other. I was still in second place at the moment.
