‘Man’?Anna couldn’t imagine any man who would call on her. Except—
“Describe the guest, Lancaster.”
Her butler blinked. “Young, dark hair, smartly dressed in the latest fashion.”
A seed of hope sprouted. That sounded like—
Heart in her throat, Anna ordered, “Show him in.”
An eternity passed as Lancaster quit the room, presumably to fetch her guest from one of the other parlors.
She paced as she waited, sure her ribs wouldn’t stand the pounding of her heart.
The door opened, and she swung around.
A figure. Tall. Lean. Familiar.
Her hands flew to her mouth.
William!
The man stepped over the threshold and into the firelight, and Anna’s heart stopped.
Not William.
“Alexander,” she whispered, cold dread snaking down her spine.
Alexander smiled, his dark eyes on her face. “Hello, cousin.”
Anna gripped the back of the couch beside her, her nails scraping the fine embroidery of the cushion. “Why are you here?”
Her voice sounded thin even to her ears.
He heard it too. Satisfaction flashed in his eyes. “Can a man not visit his own family?” He arched a brow at the butler. “Without the help hovering like gray ghosts?”
Lancaster stood in the doorway, his normal stoic gaze sharp and rudely meeting her cousin’s. “Shall I remain, ma’am?”
Yes!
Alexander sent her a knowing look. “But we haveso muchto discuss.”
That tone. The cold glint in his eye.
Anna had been at the receiving end of that look too many times to not know its meaning:You don’t want an audience for what is coming.
Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she gave Lancaster a reassuring smile and said, “You may return to your duties. I will ring if we are in need of refreshments.”
“No need, ma’am. I will see a tray of biscuits and tea brought up.” Lancaster’s gaze cut to Alexander before returning. “It will not take ten minutes.”
Anna’s frozen limbs thawed at the servant’s audacity. The staff had been cordial but distant since her arrival—her lack of pedigree something even upper servants would find a mockery. But there was no mistaking the protective note in the butler’s gaze. Clearly, a disrespectful baronet brought out the loyalty in the Grandfellow household.
“Ten minutes.”
A verbal warning to her cousin that they would not be alone for long. The smile Anna gave the butler this time was filled with gratitude. “Thank you, Lancaster.”
Lancaster bowed his head and closed the door.
Leaving her to face the monster in cream breeches and a Scheele’s green waistcoat. The vibrant colors a perfect complement to the fevered glaze in his eyes.
