“I must admit, I was surprised you didn’t give him an answer right away,” Anthony murmured as he moved to the end of the sofa. Only a few minutes ago, he had paid witness to Clarinda Brotherton Fitzwilliam, Countess of Norwick, engaged in a lively conversation about Danielle and Andrew with the other matrons of theton. For them, the union seemed inevitable. “Andrew was under the impression you had already agreed to marry him.” He took a seat but left a good deal of space between them.
“Mayhap when I was ten years old,” Danielle responded. After a pause, she sighed and added, “I adore him. I do, Breckinridge. We’ve always been the best of friends.”
Frowning, Anthony regarded her a moment before he asked, “Is that not a good enough basis upon which to marry?”
Danielle allowed a wan smile. “A week ago, I would have said yes to his proposal,” she said. “Without hesitation.”
Anthony gave a start and then frowned. “What happened to change your good opinion of him?” Even as he put voice to the query, the reminder that they had been expelled from university crossed his mind, and he had to swallow a curse.
She shook her head. “It was nothinghedid, I assure you.”
Staring at her in confusion, Anthony gave his head a shake. “So... his being expelled—?”
“Had nothing to do with me leaving him in the park yesterday,” she finished for him.
Instead of prompting her, Anthony waited. When she huffed in dismay, he asked, “What? What is it?”
“My sister showed me a book she found in our father’s library.” She rolled her eyes. “Uncle’s library, I suppose I should say.”
Anthony’s expression made his confusion apparent. “I wasn’t aware you had an uncle here in London.”
Once again wincing, Danielle glanced toward the library table. A copy ofdeBrett’slay open, and she quickly stood and retrieved the book and returned to the sofa, almost before Anthony had a chance to stand.
“You may not be aware, but the current Earl of Norwick is actually my uncle. My father...” She paused and glanced about the library, wondering if invoking his name would have his ghost making an appearance. “My father died in a traffic accident before my sister and I were born, and Mother married his twin brother.” When Anthony lifted a finger, as if to put voice to a protest, she quickly added, “Yes, it was entirely improper and probably even illegal for them to marry, but Lord Torrington—he was my mother’s godfather—he made it possible somehow.”
Anthony seemed to take this bit of news in stride. “Well, there is certainly historical precedence for such a situation,” he commented, watching as she opened the book,deBrett’s Peerage & Barontage. She flipped through the pages as he spoke and now presented the Norwick page for him to review.
Anthony looked as if he might be on the verge of a headache as he studied the latest entries. “So... your brothers are really your half-brothers,andyour... your nephews?” he asked in a whisper.
Danielle blinked. “Oh, my. I never thought of them like that.” When he arched a brow, she added, “I’ve only just been reminded of this a few days ago. I’ve grown up thinking of Daniel as if he were my father.”
Anthony’s finger moved to the listings for her and her sister. “Dahlia Davida and... who is Diana Dorothea?” he asked in alarm.
“Oh, that’s me,” Danielle said.
He looked up, once again confused.
“I asked people to call me Danielle because Dahlia used to go by Davida in honor of our real father—”
“Danny and Davy,” he interrupted. “I remember. We teased you about having boys’ names.”
Danielle grinned. “After all this time, Danielle seems to have stuck, but Davida, not so much.”
“My mother’s name is Diana,” Anthony said in a quiet voice.
“I know.”
Anthony studied her a moment. “So... this is the book your sister showed you?” he asked, motioning to the copy ofdeBrett’s.
Straightening on the sofa, Danielle shook her head. “Oh, I wish,” she replied. “Although there might be some scandalous situations hidden indeBrett’s, it’s not about to have one rethinking their entire future.”
He angled his head to one side. “What book had you rethinking yourfuture?”
Danielle grimaced as she felt her face heat with her embarrassment.
Why did one have to blush when blending into the background would be preferential?
“It was a book about...sexual congress.” She whispered the last two words as her face flushed in a bright pink. “Which wouldn’t have been so alarming, except that it had... it hadillustrations. Color plates. With quite vivid drawings.”
