Chapter Five
He wouldn’t dare.
Lady Anna’s gaze raked across the ballroom as the music for the final waltz of the evening began to fill the room.
The moment her eyes met Henley’s she knew she’d underestimated everything about this evening.
Yes, yes, he would dare. In fact, he was taking very decided steps in her direction, one dark eyebrow rising as if challenging her, questioning if she’d dare refuse him.
She wouldn’t, of course. To refuse him would create gossip, and she didn’t want to be in the society papers in the morning—unless it was regarding Edwin, which was another situation entirely.
How had the evening gone so awry? It had seemed so simple and now, it was rather maddening, actually.
She only wanted the attention of one brother, not both.
But she wasn’t one to lie to others, or herself, which required her to admit she’d felt …
something … during that kiss. The kiss with the wrong brother at the wrong time.
She swallowed against the odd feeling of anticipation and anxiety that rose in her throat as Henley bowed before her.
“I believe this is my waltz, Lady Anna.” His tone was subdued, but his expression was alight, as if savoring their delicious secret and willing to wield it as a weapon at first opportunity.
Good Lord, she hoped she was wrong. It would ruin everything.
Including her.
“Indeed, it is,” she answered, offering her hand as he led them into the swirling dancers.
His hand was warm on her waist, and she hazarded a glance toward his expression, curious what she would read.
Often, she’d thought this brother was the more difficult to understand of Pere’s siblings, but perhaps it was because she never actually looked deep enough.
His thoughts were read easily enough in his expression, if one cared to search.
Dark eyes smiled back at her, then darted away.
“I should apologize, but I ought also tell you that I’m not going to. I wouldn’t want you to have an expectation I will not realize,” he said with a smooth tone, then met her eyes once more.
Anna resisted the urge to scoff and settled for a tightening of her lips as she forced a smile that hopefully didn’t appear as forced as it felt.
“Odd that I should gather that already, but thank you for making it abundantly clear. But I assure you, I have no expectations of you at all, my lord,” she answered with the same tone he used.
His lips quirked to the side, as if he was suppressing a grin. “Ah, well, I wasn’t implying all that, rather the opposite, but you’ll find I’m not one to back away from challenge.”
“I didn’t realize I was involved in a competition, because I assure you, I will be no one’s prize. I consider myself with slightly more value than that.”
“As you should, and it pleases me to hear it.”
Anna frowned, confused by his words. Wasn’t he implying he was going try to win her affections? As if she were some unfeeling and arbitrary prize?
Confused, she asked, “So you mean to say…”
“I do appreciate the frank sort of conversation.” He nodded, then smiled down at her.
“As do I. Which is why I’m waiting for you to clarify,” she added, then pulled slightly away from his hold, noticing just how close they had moved during the conversation.
Without any resistance, he gave her the space her movements requested, adding to the dichotomy that was Henley Rosewood, Viscount of Allendale. He’d kiss her in a darkened hall but give her whatever space she required when she asked.
And honestly, she hadn’t exactly pushed him away when he kissed her.
But that was beside the point. She’d consider it later, when she wasn’t needing all her wits about her.
“Clarity, my lord,” she added again, meeting his eye.
Her hand shifted as he shrugged his shoulder, the movement so slight she felt rather than saw it. “You are more, far more, than others may make you. And I’m very … pleased … that you understand your value because too often people do not, and it’s to their detriment.”
“I assure you I am not in danger of such a thing,” she replied with slight exasperation.
“Aren’t you?” He raised an eyebrow just as the music ended. “I’ll take you to your parents.” He released her waist and started to lead her from the ballroom floor.
Still mulling over his cryptic remark, she gave a nod as he bowed to her parents, gave one last look in her direction then disappeared into the crowd.
“The carriage should be ready; I don’t want to linger. We have quite a day tomorrow,” Duchess Kinfield whispered lowly.
Anna nodded and followed her parents from the room.
As she stepped into the waiting carriage, her mother’s voice startled her with its enthusiasm.
“My dear! Didn’t I tell you it would work?
You certainly drew the viscount’s attention this evening.
That waltz was a statement enough. I’m certain it will be whispered about all evening and into tomorrow.
” Her mother patted her hand gently. “It’s exactly as we hoped. ”
“Indeed,” Anna replied, smiling at her mother.
“I spoke briefly with the earl, it does appear promising,” her father added.
“Of course it’s promising! He waltzed with her,” her mother added, smacking her husband with a fan lightly.
“His attention was quite definitive, was it not?” Anna added, her heart fluttering quickly at the knowledge of it.
She shoved all other intrusive thoughts to the side, focusing only on the viscount.
“Yes, very much so. And it was so kind of Henley to offer for the supper waltz,” her mother stated. “Very accommodating, one could possibly read that he was giving his brother a blessing.” She sighed wistfully.
Anna blinked in the darkness of the carriage, thankful her expression couldn’t be clearly seen. There was no schooling her features as she listened to her mother’s words.
“Perhaps,” she answered, nearly choking on the word.
No, she didn’t think it was approval Henley was giving.
A gauntlet thrown, maybe, but he wasn’t exactly throwing her in his brother’s direction.
No, he’d tried to do quite the opposite.
Which was ever so confusing. Her skin broke out in gooseflesh as she remembered his kiss.
Her lips burned with the memory, and she held back a shiver of something she couldn’t name.
But it was the wrong reaction to the wrong brother.
Sleep, she needed to have a solid night’s rest and then she would sort through the mess in the morning.
*
Lady Anna blinked as the words printed on the page of her book came back into focus.
She’d lingered on the same page for heaven knew how long, unable to make it through a single paragraph without the distraction of remembering last night’s events.
Especially one. Her lips tingled, and instinctively she licked them, bringing a myriad of emotions to the surface that she didn’t know how to sort through. It was remarkably confusing.
With a silent huff, she closed her book and belatedly remembered she’d forgotten to save the page.
Giving the book a slight toss onto the settee beside her, she rose and took a turn about the room.
Her gaze landed on the scene outside the window overlooking a corner of Mayfield near Hyde Park.
The carriages rolled by gracefully, and suddenly the room was too small, too confining for her and all her thoughts and emotions.
She needed air and maybe a distraction. No, certainly a distraction.
With the millions of times she’d replayed last night’s events, she hadn’t made heads or tails of anything, so she wasn’t going to start making sense of it now.
She would visit Pere. It wasn’t quite time for suitors, far too early, so it would give them time to themselves without the risk of her brothers being nearby.
Or at least one of them. No, Pere would be in her suite of rooms preparing for callers and giving them privacy to converse.
It was perfect. Decision made, she rang for a maid and made the needed arrangements for a short walk down Mayfair.
Quickly, she changed into a walking dress and met her maid at the door.
As soon as she left the confines of the house, her spirits lifted.
Perhaps she was making more of it all than was necessary.
Yet, as soon as she had the thought, she dismissed it.
Wasn’t a kiss meaningful? Intentional? And heaven help her if anyone knew!
She was quite certain it wasn’t known but any whisper of scandal would send her chances of securing Edwin’s affections into oblivion.
Even if it was his brother who had given said kiss.
Rather, kisses.
What had she been thinking? Allowing it?
Kissing him back? She didn’t even know how to kiss, yet somehow, she’d acted on intuition.
She’d never thought of a kiss as instinct.
Stepping around an errant stone, she resisted the urge to kick it in her aggravation.
Settling for a silent huff, she carried on toward the Allendale residence.
The rhythmic sound of the horses’ hooves and the carriage wheels on the cobbles unwound some of the tension in Anna’s shoulders.
By the time she and her maid arrived at the Allendale residence, she started to consider that she might have read into the situation more than needed.
The butler answered the door before she even reached the top step, greeting her warmly and ushering her into one of the various parlors where she’d wait on Pere.
It was common enough for her to visit that most of the staff were familiar with her presence, and it lent an additional peace to the situation.
The known was ever so much more preferable to the unknown.
Not five minutes had passed before Pere entered the room with a flourish of smiles. “I was just thinking of paying a visit to you!”
Lady Anna walked toward her friend. “Then we are of the same mind.” She grasped her friend’s hand and led them to a settee. “Now, tell me everything I don’t know!”