“Thanking you?” he repeated. “I think not, but I still have a duty that I must see to.”
“A duty? Is that what you think I am?” she repeated.
Whether he was a smart man, or a foolish man, he knew not by his next words. “Yes, something which you know nothing about.”
He knew his words had hit their mark by the hurt look on Anette’s face. She took a step back and said, “Good evening, my lord.”
The moment she uttered her words, she turned and headed towards her mother and brother who were standing at the rear of the ballroom.
“Stupid, stupid,” Roswell muttered under his breath. He exited the dance floor and decided that he should retire to the cards’ room. He had done what he had set out to do by searching Lord Chester’s study, but then he’d made a crucial mistake.
He had danced with the one person that could affect him deeply; the one person that had captivated his heart and soul.
ChapterTwo
With the morning sun streaming in through her window, Anette lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She’d had a restless night of sleep as she relived the dance with Roswell, over and over, in her head. It was because of him that she had no desire to marry. She loved him and refused to marry anyone else. But he didn’t love her in return.
And that was all right. She couldn’t force Roswell to love her. Besides, she could now focus on her own hopes and dreams without any distractions. It was for the best. At least, that is what she kept telling herself.
A knock came at the door before it was opened, revealing her petite, blonde-haired lady’s maid. “Good morning,” Violet greeted. “Your mother has requested your presence in the dining room.”
Anette tossed off the covers and placed her feet over the edge of the bed. “No doubt she wants to discuss my grand failure from last night.”
“Why was it a failure?”
“I only danced three sets, and one of those was with Lord Roswell,” Anette revealed.
Violet walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a pale green gown with a square neckline. “I would still call that a success.”
“I assure you that my mother won’t feel the same. I should have danced every set and had a line of admirers who had come to speak to me.”
Violet gave her an amused look. “I do not think you give yourself enough credit.”
“I just wish I didn’t have to pretend anymore.”
“Pretend, Miss?”
Anette rose and put her hands up. “I want more out of this life than just looking pretty and making polite conversation.”
“If you think I’ll feel sorry for you, you would be sorely mistaken,” Violet said. “I would gladly trade places with you.”
“I know I must sound so ungrateful for all the opportunities that I have been given, but I will never be able to live up to my parents’ impossible expectations for me.”
Violet draped the gown over the back of the settee. “Your parents love you and want what is best for you.”
“Or they want what is best for them,” she stated.
“I don’t understand.”
“No one wants a bluestocking for a daughter,” Anette said. “It is almost akin to an incurable disease.”
“That is hardly true.”
Anette sat down at the dressing table and removed the cap off the top of her head. “I just need to focus on the things that I can control.”
Violet retrieved the brush and started running it down Anette’s long brown tresses. “You sound as if you are trapped in a cage.”
“No matter how nice it may appear, a cage is still just a cage.”
