A second of silence passed before Bethany quietly asked, “Shall I relay that information to him?”
“Please do.”
Bethany stood, gave a weary sigh, and departed, leaving Ada with a much bigger void in her heart. If she’d thought slamming the proverbial door in Anthony’s face would help, she’d been sorely mistaken. She felt worse now than before. And while it was easy for her to blame the restless night that followed on the rain, nothing could be further from the truth.
It was Anthony. He’d come to see her and she’d lashed out, refusing him the chance to even explain himself. For someone who prided herself on being fair while he played the villain, she’d been extraordinarily unjust.
But it was too late for that now, wasn’t it? She’d told him to leave and her sister had not returned to tell her the man insisted on staying. Which meant he was gone. Out of her life forever.
It was for the best. She ought to be glad.
Instead she felt wretched.
And since the matter had now been dealt with to some degree and she had no wish to overstay her welcome, she probably ought to return home too. Uncle James would be relieved to learn that he’d not have to manage without her for longer.
Deciding she might as well rise and see about catching the next coach to London, she got up, washed and dressed, then headed downstairs. Only Mrs. Lewis, the maid of all works, was awake and busy preparing breakfast.
“Would you like a cup of tea to start?” she inquired. When Ada said she’d love one, the woman collected a cup and filled it, then handed it to Ada. “The food will be ready shortly.”
“Take your time,” Ada said as she wandered back into the hallway and headed toward the parlor.
She entered the room with every intention of simply relaxing in front of the fire, only to freeze when she looked out the window. What the..? She bent forward slightly and moved a bit closer in order to get a better view of the vehicle she’d spotted. And blinked when she saw the Westcliffe crest on the side. The black carriage was parked immediately in front of the Howard front door.
Ada narrowed her gaze. This was really too much.
She set her cup down, grabbed a shawl, and exited the house. The rain had ceased, allowing splashes of sunshine to spill between clouds. After crossing the damp pavement, she knocked on the carriage door, which swung open almost at once.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded of Anthony, who was staring back at her with a somewhat bleary expression. His hair was a mess and there was a rough bit of stubble along his jawline that made him look all the more handsome and…
No!
She would not contemplate such things!
So she knit her brow and sent him the most scathing look she could manage.
“Waiting for you,” he said while attempting to straighten his jacket and put his cravat back in order.
“I thought I expressly asked you not to.”
“Possibly, but I chose to ignore you.”
“What?” Did his arrogance have no bounds?
“We need to speak, Ada. Perhaps we should go for a walk?”
“No thank you.” She swept her gaze along the length of his carriage. “Where’s the driver?”
“I dropped him off at the inn last night together with my footman. Figured the pair deserved a decent night’s rest.”
She stared at him. Why did he have to seem so nice? And now he was struggling to climb from the carriage, reminding her of his sprained ankle. Pain and remorse on his behalf gripped her heart. She instantly wanted to wrap her arms around him and chase away all his troubles with soothing words of assurance. Which would not stand.
Deliberately backing up, she added distance for the sake of self-preservation. “I ought to return inside for breakfast.”
“Before you go, please hear me out.”
“Anthony.” She clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut while doing her utmost to stop the emotions she’d been experiencing for the past couple of days from unraveling. “Are you or are you not intending to marry?”
“I…” He cleared his throat. “There’s much for me to explain before we get to that.”
