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“I shall leave, then. But you’ll both come round to my way of thinking, sooner or later. It’s inevitable, really.”

Anna glanced at her mother, waiting for her to give him a sharp retort, to say something cutting or perhaps throw something at him, but she only stood there with her arms folded.

The Earl took his sweet time. He strolled down the dark hallway, his whistling drifting back up to them, echoing in an unsettling way. Anna hurried to the banister, watching him collect his hat, cane, and gloves from a hidden spot behind the door. He paused, turning to glance up at her, and flashed her a quick smile, lifting his hat.

Then he was gone, leaving the front door swinging.

Shuddering, Anna hurried back into the drawing room. Octavia was now sitting on her usual armchair, her face gray. She looked exhausted. Her hair was bound up in a braid, for sleep, but was fighting its way out.

“Mama,” Anna said, her voice tight, “what is going on? Why is he here?”

Octavia avoided looking her in the eye. “There were things we had to discuss.”

“He said that if he called in Father’s debt, we’d lose everything. The house. Our small allowance. Is that true?”

Octavia’s face twisted in misery. “Yes, it’s true.”

Anna let out a long, shaky breath and sat down heavily. “Oh.Oh.”

“I’m sorry, darling. I saw no need to worry you. Everything is fine.”

“I don’t believe you.”

The words were out before Anna could stop them. She flinched, but Octavia barely seemed to register them.

“You must marry, Anna,” she said tiredly. “Marriage is a protection. You’ll be safe if you marry.”

“Safe from what?”

Octavia didn’t answer, but Anna wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

They sat there in silence for a few long moments.

It seemed ridiculous to imagine that, only an hour ago, she left the opera in a bustle, with her two dearest friends, with only a hole in her glove to worry about. And now…

Well, Anna wasn’t entirely sure what she had to worry about now, only that it was more serious than she had imagined, and it was not likely to go away.

The silence stretched out. Anna noticed, for the first time, that a fire was crackling in the hearth, and felt a flare of pure fury at the Earl. They could rarely afford such a blaze and generally had to burrow under blankets and shawls in an attempt to get warm.

Tonight, it was so warm in the small drawing room that the Earl had loosened his cravat and stripped off his jacket. The heat prickled Anna’s skin, warm enough that sweat beaded on her brow and the back of her neck.

She got to her feet, smoothing down her skirts. “It’s alright, Mama. I’m going to fix this.”

Octavia smiled weakly.

Anna saw tears gathering in the corners of her mother’s eyes, and that hurt her more than she could ever have imagined.

“Oh, my sweet girl…”

“No,” she said, with all the strength she could muster. “I have a plan. I will get us out of this mess. I… I’m going to get married, Mama.”

Octavia jerked back, her eyes widening. “I… what? That’s not possible. You haven’t had any callers, you aren’t courting… who are you going to marry? You can’t possibly be betrothed!”

Anna bit her lip. That was the tiny,tinyhitch in her plan, but she was confident it could be smoothed out.

“Well, I’m notbetrothed. I haven’t asked him to marry me, yet.”

CHAPTER 2