How wrong she’d been. She should have heeded Caroline’s warning. Should have paid more attention to the actual facts, for that matter, such as his notable disinclination to engage her in conversation.
When he’d disappeared inside the manse with Caroline, looking, for all the world, as if he intended to leave, as if he’d put in his obligatory appearance and had no wish to linger, she’d assumed he’d initiated a ploy to coax her to follow, in the hopes of sequestering her for a private conversation. As any normal would-be suitor might.
Naturally, she’d played along, entering the manse and allowing her ears to guide her to his exact location, which turned out to be the foyer.
Ducking into an alcove out of sight of the entrance hall, she listened, keen to hear any mention of her name, any clue of how this courtship might proceed.
She soon discovered Lord Randallwasleaving. And from the sound of things, his sister was no happier with his decision to do so than Annabelle.
“Sterling, you can’t just leave,” Caroline said, plaintively. “What will everyone think?”
“I can, and I am,” he insisted. “And as to the last, I don’t give a damn, and neither should you.”
Affront bubbled up inside of Annabelle. The infernal man had played her for a fool. He had led her in a merry dance in view of everyone and made a laughingstock of her.
Gaston would surely remark on her folly. Worse, he would tell Mother.
“But if it makes you feel better, most of your guests will think nothing of my departure. The few, discerning members of the crowd, however, already think the same thing I do, even if good manners prevent them from saying so.”
“Which is?”
“Which is, Caroline, my darling sister, that you’re dazzled by the man’s outward appearance, by the glitz of his angelic face and manly build, and his oh-so-public pursuit of you that has titillated thetonso that his exploits reached me as far as Derby.”
“That is most grossly unfair. Thetonis enthralled because Gaston loves me. Papa thinks Gaston a fine suitor for me.”
“Papa sees the best in everyone. Hewouldtry not to hold it against the man that he comes from a fairly newly ennobled, newly wealthy line—and if that were all, I wouldn’t care a fig, myself. But there’s more, so much more, some of which I can’t in good conscience discuss with you, and some of which you barely have to scratch the surface to see, my naive little sister.”
“What do you mean? What can’t you discuss with me? I insist you speak plainly.”
Annabelle agreed wholeheartedly. She wanted every detail.
“The point is, they’re a pretentious lot,” he replied with a condescending tone, “going so far as to name their son ‘Gaston’ to match their French-sounding, nascent title, no doubt. Here’s a French term for you, darling.Nouveau rich.”
“Sterling,” she’d admonished, clearly scandalized.
That made two of them.
But he wasn’t through besmirching Annabelle’s family. “The way they speak, and walk, and dress. The people they deemacceptable, and the ones they don’t—just look at the guest list, those who made the cut and those who didn’t. Mark me, there’s selfish ambition, even cruelty, behind their motives. Even in the case of the girl.”
Annabelle stiffened.The girl?He couldn’t mean her?
“Sterling, please. You go too far, surely? Annabelle is still young. Barely in her debut. You can’t blame her for her face.”
“How about her inflated view of herself, then? And I did take her youth into account, which is why I did my best to ignore her rather obvious attempts to throw herself at me for the entirety of this party. The one meant to celebrate you, I might add.”
“She has a crush,” she admonished, “and why wouldn’t she? You’re the most dashing man alive—if the most mule-headed.”
He snorted with derision. “No, thank you. She’s a Montrose, with the signature looks to prove it, and she’s used to men fawning over her. I’d wager it never occurred to her I might find her repellent.”
That stung, especially because he was right.
“Who’s being cruel, now?”
“You know how I feel about women like her,” he said in a low, embittered voice. “If you cared for the chit, you might’ve headed her off.”
“Who says I didn’t? I’m well aware that business with Dillon all those years ago left you scarred. You need to let that go, once and for all. Until you do, no woman alive will meet your exacting standards.”
“One has nothing to do with the other, Caroline. Although now you mention it, Dillon’s intended was remarkably like Lady Annabelle.”
