The Trouble with Anna

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

I T WAS HUSHED INSIDE THE carriage as Julian escorted Lady Anna back to Chatham later that night. Hushed and dark, though not so dark he couldn’t see her. When there was a break in the trees, moonlight flooded in and kissed her face silver. She had telltale skin, the kind that blushed badly and offered up her secrets. Even in the half-light, he could see how fierce and mistrustful her eyes were. How they seemed to say, You will wrong me, but I am ready for you.

His future Countess was an unusual little thing. At least that much was true.

“I don’t need an escort,” Anna said, just as he was about to speak. “It was very kind of the Dowager to insist I stay for dinner, but your coachman could have seen me home.”

It wasn’t a promising opening, but he knew by now it was the only one he was likely to get.

“And deprive you of my company? I could never be so ungenerous.”

She flushed again and turned toward the window.

Ah. He shouldn’t tease then, not when she was nervous as a cat, although it intrigued him, how quickly she went from brave to timid. Still, he didn’t like her wariness.

Especially when he caused it.

Julian tried another tactic. “First tea, then dinner. I can’t remember the last time I saw my grandmother so taken with someone. Certainly you’re the first person she’s ever allowed to use her as a pillow.”

Lady Anna whipped her gaze down to her lap and fidgeted with her fingers. “I can’t think what came over me! I dribbled my troubles out like a teapot and all of a sudden I was so tired. I cringe to think of it.”

Finally, a genuine response. An opening he could use.

“And yet you barely say a word to me, Lady Anna. You’ll make me jealous.” He let the word linger in the darkness of the carriage.

Her busy fingers stilled and she frowned at him. “ You are one of my troubles, my lord. And I can’t imagine you’ve ever been jealous in your life.”

“It’s true! I’ve extended myself greatly only to have my pride maimed. My grandmother exerts herself for two minutes and she gets all your secrets. Where did I go wrong?”

Her odd little eyebrows knit together. “Are you teasing me? I wish you wouldn’t. I don’t know how to respond.”

He leaned forward. The memory of her creamy legs kicked its way into his mind and he grinned. “I am not teasing you, Lady Anna. I am flirting with you.”

Quite purposefully.

“Oh!” She pushed back into her seat. “Is that what you do with all the women you know? Is that why you have such a reputation?”

He couldn’t help but laugh.

“You are teasing me,” she said with relief and turned to stare out the window.

Her profile, outlined in silver, was just as sharp as the rest of her. High cheekbones, a thin nose, a chin that came down to a point, as if her features were a series of spikes she used to jab people away. He’d thought her plain, but he wasn’t sure that was correct. On closer inspection she had an interesting face to match the interesting mind that ticked behind it.

She shifted, wary again. Because of him.

His amusement faded. “What were you planning to do, when you inherited Chatham?”

She sneaked a look at him, hesitating. “Do you really want to know?”

The question seemed to hang, solemn in the air between them.

“Yes, I really do.”

“I wanted to modernize. My grandfather was a brilliant horseman, but he hated anything new. He’s trained the string the exact same way since—” She fell abruptly silent. “I talk too much about these things. No one’s interested.”

“I am.” Julian was startled to find that it was true.

She took a sharp intake of breath as he drew closer, her eyes huge, black, and fathomless, her little mouth parted in surprise.

The air between them began to dance and flicker.

Interesting , thought Julian.

Anna’s eyes had never been so wide, nor her head so thoroughly befuddled. The carriage seemed to grow smaller with every passing moment, and warmer too, until Anna felt quite flushed. Was it because Lord Ramsay was impressively large and took up more than his share of space?

His shoulders filled up her vision so she couldn’t see anything else. She certainly couldn’t think straight.

Why was he being so attentive?

It seemed an important question, if only she could hold on to it.

“Lady Anna?” His voice was impossibly deep. She had the strangest urge to lean her cheek against his chest and listen to it rumble.

“Yes?” she squeaked.

“If I call on you tomorrow, will you go walking with me?”

Anna had to remind herself to blink. “Because you insist that you’re my guardian?”

He smiled. “That, and other reasons.”

The harnesses jingled outside, the carriage rocked and swayed. Night air slipped in through a chink in the window and brushed against her collarbone, waking up her skin. “I suppose I have no objection to a walk.”

He leaned closer still, and all her senses stirred and shivered.

“Such progress,” he said softly. “It might go to my head.”

His words teased, but his eyes didn’t. Even as Anna watched they grew darker, more intent.

Her heart began to thrum, as if her blood was running too fast. She was in a carriage, making her way home at a sedate pace, so why did it feel like she was racing?

Julian held her gaze and lowered his head toward her. Slowly, so slowly.

“Lord Ramsay?” she breathed.

He was so close that she could almost feel his lips curve when he smiled.

“Yes, Lady Anna?”

“What are you doing?”

Those impossible eyes of his glittered. “I’d better show you, don’t you think?”

His mouth hovered just above hers and then he—

The carriage jounced to a stop.

“Oh, thank goodness!” cried Anna, flinging herself back in her seat. “We’re here at last!” The footman opened the carriage door, and Anna rushed to gather up her skirts and launch herself out.

“Lady Anna?”

She had one foot on the step, but his voice stopped her.

“Yes?”

“Earlier you asked if I was teasing you.”

“Yes?” she asked again.

“I wasn’t teasing, and I wasn’t flirting either. Not half as much as I intend to.”

Anna felt her face go scarlet and she shot a mortified glance at the footman. “Oh?”

He waited until she raised her eyes to his. “I am courting you. Relentlessly. I’m going to ask you to marry me again, quite soon. Next time, I expect a different answer.”

He handed her down into the care of the footman and rapped the carriage ceiling to signal the coachman to drive on.