She turned and descended the front steps on wobbly legs. Miss Starling hadn’t been lying. Anthony had. And Ada felt like weeping. Or possibly screaming.
How could she have been so stupid? He’d swept her off her feet with such incredible ease from the very first second they’d met. And because he’d been charming and nice, she’d fallen for him. But she ought to have known better. Men like Anthony did not court women like her. They certainly didn’t marry them.
She started walking, putting one heavy foot in front of the other, willing herself to move past the sharp pang of grief she felt in the moment. By offering what had appeared to be friendship, he’d lulled her into a vulnerable state. She’d opened her heart and allowed him to kiss her, drawing her deeper into his web.
Furious with herself and with him, she wondered what might have happened if he hadn’t sprained his ankle or if she hadn’t learned of his plan to wed Miss Starling. In time, he might have succeeded in his attempt to seduce her while she kept telling herself they might have a future.
Well yes, they might, but it would be a destructive one, the sort Miss Starling had described as though such arrangements were normal. And perhaps they were for men like Anthony Gibbs, Duke of Westcliffe, who’d been raised to believe they could have whatever they wanted.
She clenched her teeth and stormed along the pavement, suddenly eager to get as far away from him as possible. For if today’s encounter with his sister had taught her anything, it was that he was not Mr. Darcy. He was Wickham, and she’d fallen into his trap without any resistance.
16
The light was dimmer when Anthony woke from his afternoon nap. He glanced at the clock and tried to make sense of the time. It couldn’t possibly be five in the afternoon, could it? Had he truly slept four hours? Inconceivable.
Apparently spraining one’s ankle made one incredibly tired. He’d fallen asleep yesterday too while thinking of Ada. When he’d eventually woken, he’d learned that Athena had already gone to bed. She’d left him a note though, informing him that his message had been delivered.
He wanted to speak with her in person, however, but when he’d woken late in the morning, he’d learned that she had gone out.
He grabbed the pathetic bell he’d been given and gave it a ring. When no one answered, he shouted for someone to come and assist him at once.
The door opened and Mathis appeared with a vague look of panic about his eyes. “Yes, Your Grace?”
“Is Lady Athena home?”
“Yes.”
Finally. Anthony flung the covers to one side and reached for Mathis. “Help me, will you? I need to attend to my toilette, and then I must speak with my sister.”
By the time Athena arrived, Anthony had managed to wash and change his shirt. He’d also returned to his bed. He waved Athena closer and gestured toward a chair. “Did you receive a response to the letter you dropped off yesterday?”
“Not yet.” She approached the chair and prepared to sit when Penelope entered without knocking.
“Forgive the intrusion,” she said, “but I thought I’d join you so I don’t miss out on additional news. Athena tells me you’re to be married. I can’t believe you told her without one word of it to me.”
Anthony sighed and motioned for her to sit on the edge of his bed. “I’m sorry, Penny, but it’s all a bit new, and the only reason Athena was informed was because she happened to be awake when I got home from the ball. I asked her to deliver a message to the woman I plan on marrying. She and I had agreed to meet yesterday, but I was prevented from showing up. It’s strange that she hasn’t responded though.”
The fact that she hadn’t was disappointing. Could it be that the kiss hadn’t moved her in the same way? No. He was sure it must have. So why hadn’t she written to wish him well or to offer some hint of affection when he’d been injured? It didn’t make sense.
He glanced at Athena. “You said you made sure the letter I wrote to Miss Quinn was delivered.”
“Miss Quinn?” Penelope asked, her voice pitching a little. “Is that your intended’s name?”
“Yes.” Anthony frowned at his sister. “Why do you look so surprised?”
“Well, um... It might have been wise to inform Mathis so he would have known who she was when she stopped by earlier.” Penelope knit her brow. “She said she was an acquaintance of yours, not your fiancée.”
Anthony stared at his sister and blinked a few times. “I’ve not proposed to her yet but… She was here? Today?”
Penelope jutted her chin toward a side table near the door. “She brought you that.”
Anthony frowned at the parcel he saw there. “What is it?”
“The book you ordered.”
He hadn’t ordered additional books. Curious, he asked Penelope to hand it to him, then fought to suppress a chuckle when he read the title. Original Poems for Infant Minds by several young persons. Ada must have used it to explain her coming here.
“What did she say?” Anthony asked his sister.
