“Surely, you don’t mean to hide in here until everyone is gone?”
“Why not? That is the only way that I can thwart His Grace’s plan. I will not be the eligible dowager, paraded in front of a coterie of gentlemen for their assessment.” Anna shook her head effusively. “I did that when I debuted, and I hated it then. I was never meant for society; I was meant to plant flowers and read books and raise goats.”
Katherine chuckled. “That’s not so bad a life.”
“Not bad at all.” Anna flashed her friend a grin. “That is why I have been considering the house by the coast. It is not this manor that I love so dearly, but at least I would be left alone. I have no doubt that Jerem—His Grace would give it to me, just to be free of me.”
She had been thinking about it ever since Jeremy told her he would never marry her and had no plans to marry anyone. A bachelor with a huge fortune, a sprawling estate, and society’s rapt curiosity? Of course, he would not want what the previous duke left behind. The scraps. He probably intended to enjoy his new status to his carnal advantage first before settling down.
“But it will need months of restoration,” Katherine reminded her. “Paul accompanied the… other duke there once. Said it was practically a ruin.”
Anna shrugged. “Then, I shall continue as I have been until the restorations can be completed. I will keep to this room, and when I am not here, I shall go about my day as I always have.”
Living by the sea in a drafty manor that wasn’t her home was the last thing she wanted, but Jeremy had made his position clear. And she hoped that she had made hers clear in return.
Besides, now that he had informed her that he never planned to marry, the risk ofthathouse being taken from her one day was far less. Even if he changed his mind and found a wife—a wife who was not her—she figured that having at least two decades to prepare for losing her home was better than staying here, where temptation might get her into far worse trouble.
“What is the matter, Your Grace?” Katherine asked, her voice heavy with sorrow. “You’ve always told me everything, but… I know you’re not telling me something. You haven’t been yourself for a few days. And yes, I know I shouldn’t pry, but I am worried about you.”
Anna had been too ashamed and heartbroken to tell her friend what had occurred in the dressing room.
“Did he… hurt you in some way?” Katherine said, the color leaving her face. “Is he like the old duke?”
Anna’s heart broke afresh, in a different way. She turned and took hold of her friend’s hands, squeezing them gently. “He did not hurt me, and he is nothing like Robert.” She sighed, a bitter laugh in her throat. “In truth, he is the very opposite. He… bringsdelight instead of fear, he treats everyone well, he is fair and reasonable, and he does not want to marry me. So, yes, the very opposite.”
A frown furrowed Katherine’s brow. “He delights you?”
“It is of no importance,” Anna hurried to reply, her throat thick. “I thought that… he might have some sort of… um… feelings for me and that I might have found a way to stay here. But I was wrong. He told me outright that he would not marry me, so I am back where I began, and feeling all the more foolish for it.”
She bristled as she recalled his audacity, telling her that just because he wouldn’t marry her, it didn’t mean she could belong to someone else.
Indeed, she was almost tempted to put on a lovely gown and head down to the opening soiree of the event just to prove him wrong, to show him that she could belong to whomever she pleased.
“I thought I saw something blossoming between you,” Katherine said quietly, her eyes filled with sudden sadness. “I was sure of it.”
Anna shrugged. “You cannot trust these gentlemen, Katherine. I think we both know that.”
“If I didn’t care so much about staying at your side, Your Grace, I’d punch him in the nose,” the maid grumbled, her hands curling into fists. “Only a wretch toys with a woman’s feelings.”
“I agree entirely.”
But then, I knew he was no gentleman.Anna’s heart twinged, wondering what it was about her that made her unsuitable for a wife. She already knew how to be a duchess; she was already in his home, and he had made it clear there was an attraction… so what was the reason?
Katherine crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, I think youshouldattend the party. I think you should put on a fine gown, head downstairs, and try to snare yourself another duke.” She gave her own idea a nod of approval. “You deserve to be happy, Your Grace, and you won’t be if you’re stuck in this manor with a man who won’t give you what you deserve.”
“But I do not want to be married again. I mean, I do not want to leave this place, to have to begin again elsewhere,” Anna said haltingly, her gaze drawn to the night world once more, a shudder running down her spine as another burst of girlish laughter rose up from the gardens.
Not to a stranger. Not to someone who cannot make me feel the way Jeremy did. Certainly not to another Robert.That would be far worse than simply enduring the torture of existing beneath the same roof as a man who wanted her, but also didn’t want her. A duke who only wanted her as long as it didn’t inconvenience him.
“His Grace doesn’t need to know that,” Katherine said slyly. “Make him jealous. Be so desirable, so sought after, that he cannot stand it.”
Anna considered the idea as she listened to the sound of her cherished gardens being overrun with strangers. Maybe to save her flowerbeds and her home, she needed to create a distraction. At the very least, she would go to bed satisfied if she could see Jeremy losing his mind, even just for a moment.
No, it wasn’t a bad idea at all.
“How quickly can you turn me into an untouchable temptress?” Anna asked with a wicked grin.
Katherine grinned back, her eyes alight with excitement. “Just long enough that you will make the grandest entrance of them all.”
