“You came,” she said brightly, noticing the bouquet of flowers in his hand. “I know you said you would, but I did not know when. I thought I might have to stay here for weeks before you could return.”
The butler smiled at her. “I wouldn’t let you face your cousin alone, Your Grace.” He closed the parlor door. “Together, we’ll find a way to ensure that he gives Pembroke House to you. You’ll be in your rightful place, surrounded by only those who are loyal to you. Now, come away from the window; it’s dangerous.”
Anna sighed, relieved that she didn’t have to be alone in these noisy apartments anymore. Relieved to have a friend with her, though she wondered why Katherine was not with him. He had promised he would bring her as soon as possible.
“Even if my cousin just allows me some rooms, I will be content,” she replied, as Mr. Miller began to approach. “Where is Katherine?”
“Coming soon,” he replied. “She is gathering your belongings, and then she’ll be here. I would have helped, but it didn’t feel right for me to assist with your... personal things.”
Anna laughed softly. “No. Quite right.” She turned her gaze toward the window once more. “I suppose this is it. I am starting afresh again.”
“It shall all turn out well, Your Grace,” Mr. Miller said. “I promise. Now, tell me, how are you?”
Her brow furrowed as she watched a young lady and a gentleman stroll the pavement opposite, dressed in their finery, smiling at one another while a chaperone followed at a polite distance. A couple who clearly had affection for one another, in the midst of a courtship.
I never had that.Her heart twinged. First, she had been thrown into a marriage she didn’t want, to a cruel wretch who had died before she could experience the true extent of his wickedness. Then, she had found a man she desired, a man she could love if he would let her, but theirs hadn’t been an ordinary courtship either.
“Your Grace?” Mr. Miller prompted, making her jump. He was far closer than she had realized and didn’t appear to be stopping. “How are you?” he repeated.
Curious as to why he felt the need to be so near to her, she shrugged. “Sad. Very… very sad.”
“Stonebridge Manor never deserved you,” he told her in earnest. “No one in that manor deserves you. But don’t be sad about what you feel you’ve lost. Instead, look forward to what you will gain. No matter what, Anna, you shall always have me.”
Anna faltered at the sound of her name from his lips. Shocked by it, in truth, because he had never spoken to her so informally before. Nor, she realized, had he ever come so close to her without her permission first. Even then, it was for a purpose, like taking her arm to help her or kneeling at her side to assist with gardening. He had never been near her likethisbefore, with a strange look on his face.
“May I have some tea, Mr. Miller?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly. “I would have done it myself, but I cannot find anything in these apartments, and I am so very parched.”
He stopped just in front of her, a smirk pulling at his lips. “I’m not your servant anymore, Anna. Not inthatway.” He lifted his hand to her face, an unpleasant shudder running through her as he brushed his thumb against her cheek. “You can have your tea later. First, I need you to answer a question, and I need you to be honest… Do you love the Duke?”
“What are we doing here?” Jeremy asked Katherine, as he looked up at the rather dilapidated apartments. “This can’t be the townhouse.”
“It’s not,” Katherine replied, her head bowed. “But this is where my brother asked the driver to take her.”
Jeremy looked to the driver himself. “Is that true? Is this where ye brought the Duchess?”
“It is, Your Grace,” the man replied. “The butler gave me the address. I knew it from before.”
“Before? What do ye mean?” Jeremy demanded to know, his discomfort shredding the last of his patience.
He had rested some on the journey to the city, but the jostle of the carriage and the racing thoughts in his mind hadn’t made for a particularly successful slumber.
The driver nodded up to the apartments. “The other duke, the one before you... He used to come here sometimes. He’d bring women here. All sorts of women, if you understand my meaning—women he wouldn’t want to be seen with in Mayfair.”
Jeremy didn’t recall seeing any mention of these apartments in the folder given to him by the solicitor, but if this was a secret hideout of some kind, used for conducting impropriety, then it made sense that it wouldn’t be included. He narrowed his eyes, disliking the idea that Anna was inside that former den of iniquity.
And, apparently, not by her choice.
“Very well.” Puffing out a breath, he marched up the steps and raised his fist to bang on the door… only to notice that it was already open, standing a little ajar.
He pushed on through as Katherine caught up to him, the woman leading the way up a winding stairwell to the upper floor. The door was again partially open, as if Anna had known he might come to fetch her. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that, but it was a comforting thought that strengthened his hope for a reunion as he stepped into the apartments.
Inside, he paused in the open space of a small foyer that extended into a long hallway. There were voices, both familiar, but one was high and frightened, while the other was low and commanding, heavy with threat.
“Get away from me!” Anna urged.
It was all Jeremy needed to hear to creep up the hallway until he came to a closed door. The voices were coming from inside.
“I’ll never be apart from you again, Anna,” came the butler’s reply. “This is what I’ve been waiting for, and though things haven’t turned out the way I planned, we can still be together.”
