“Good.” I shook my head to clear it. I wouldn’t repeat the words the men had spoken about Anne, but I needed to ensure she knew the sort of company she was in. “The environment Lady Tottenham has created seems to have given the men leave to behave like swine. I had to defend you.”
Anne twisted her fingers together. “Did you tell them we’re engaged?”
“No, only that I plan to propose to you.” I leaned forward to see her face more fully. “Now you must convince them that you plan to say yes.”
She looked down at her hands with a nervous smile. “How do you suggest I do that?”
“A look is all it takes.” I nudged her chin up with my finger until her eyes met mine again, hesitant and curious. “Look at me like you adore me,” I said with a teasing smile. “Like you trust every word I say, and that you would wait for me, patiently, for years, even if I took that long to propose.” I paused. “Pretend I’m Miles.”
Her brows drew together, the resolve in her eyes faltering. Her gaze dropped. “I could never do that. You and Miles are far too different.” She adjusted her gloves again, staring down at the floor.
I sat back, crossing my legs in front of me. “I will take that as a compliment.”
CHAPTER 14
ANNE
Two knocks sounded on my door. I waited a few seconds before crossing the creaking floorboards and opening the door slowly. The corridor was empty. I had fully expected to find Alexander waiting to help me solve my latest clue. I frowned, taking one step outside the threshold. I gasped in surprise when my calf collided with something solid.
A vase of roses teetered on the floor. I crouched down to steady it, plucking up the note that was nestled amongst the blossoms.
DearAnne,
I’m sorry you had to eat twenty-three crickets. I wanted to properly congratulate you for your accomplishment. I stole these from the parlor after our chess game. Don’t tell Lady Tottenham.
Your counterfeit lover,
Alexander
I read the note again. A laugh rattled in my throat. He was ridiculous. I picked up the bouquet of red roses. Most of them were in full bloom, but a few had wilted already on the edges. Alexander had, evidently, stolen the vase too. The water was running low. I would have to remedy that straight away. I walked back to my room and set the vase on the edge of my window, opening the curtains to allow for more light. The sun had barely finished rising.
With my clue tucked inside my shoe, I made my way out to the corridor, still half-expecting Alexander to be waiting around the corner. How had he escaped to the second floor so quickly? I found the staircase leading up to the study, careful to keep my feet light. With nine other guests still occupying the rooms on the first floor, any creak or stumble from above could wake one of them.
I reached the landing at the top of the stairs, turning right toward the study. The left led to the hexagon room, and the corridor straight ahead would take me to what Lady Tottenham called her ‘exercise hall.’ The wide and long passage led to a window at one end with cushioned seats and a bookshelf. Portraits hung on nearly every inch of the walls leading up to the lofty ceiling, which was painted with a mural. Statues lurked in every corner, and rugs made of various animal skins flanked the walkway that Lady Tottenham used for exercise.
When I reached the study, I found the door partially open. I gave it a push, stepping tentatively inside. The room was much larger than any study I had ever seen. If I had been the one to name it, I would have called it ‘the blue library.’ Nearly all the furnishings were the same color. The walls were covered in cream and blue wallpaper, the ceiling was a cornflower blue, and the velvet sofas were a deep navy. The wooden bookshelves, tan book spines, and rosewood desk brought warmth to the space.
Alexander stood by the window. He smiled as I approached. The early morning light softened his features. “Good morning.”
I stopped a few feet away from him. “Thank you for the roses…even if they were stolen.”
His smile grew. “What is a courtship without flowers?” he asked with one raised eyebrow.
“A fake one?”
He laughed, looking down at the floor as he took a step closer. He interlocked his hands behind his back, his jacket straining over his broad shoulders. “Well, in that case, since Ididgive you flowers, that must mean our courtship is real.”
I backed up a step, wagging a finger at him. “That is the sort of logic I refuse to entertain. I made the list of rules for a reason.” I could no longer take him seriously, so a laugh burst out of me. He was a relentless tease, that was all. I couldn’t allow my thoughts to support the idea that he might mean anything he said. Like the night before, when he told the other men he hoped to marry me. It had been part of the ruse.
He had said it to defend me. My heart skipped.
Alexander was laughing, but I hardly heard him. The emotions in my chest had been sporadic. I couldn’t trust them at all. My insides toppled over when his eyes found mine again, a smile still lingering in them. “You do seem to love rules.”
I walked to one of the bookshelves as a distraction, running my finger over an old, weathered spine. “And you seem to love breaking them.”
His voice came from behind me. “As I said before, only the ones I disagree with.”
I sensed his movement across the room. I whirled around before he could reach me. “I’d wager you disagree with most rules.”
