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It was beyond silly, really. The fantasy of a woman—no, agirl—who didn’t understand the way the world worked and what she had gotten herself into.

It might be funny if it wasn’t so tragic.

The tears spilled over at last, hot and sticky, and she wiped them away angrily, climbing the stairs two at a time.

I don’t need him.He said that I’m a duchess and nothing can change that. Well, good! I’ll act like one. I’ll do what I want and will not think twice about any of it, or about what it might do to others.

Bursting into her room, she tore a piece of paper out of her writing desk, a note that Timmins could send and have delivered within the hour.

Dear Mama,she began.I am coming to see you…

CHAPTER 24

Theo went out into the hall. He felt sick, whether from lack of food or for… for some other reason, he wasn’t sure. Breakfast was still laid out on the table, the food congealing in its dishes. The fire still blazed, the papers he’d wanted so badly to destroy long gone. The heat prickled along one side of him, uncomfortably warm.

He had stood there after Anna stormed out, almost frozen in place. The disappointment and hurt in her eyes lingered in his mind. He wasn’t sure he’d ever forget it.

It was necessary, though, wasn’t it? The harshness. It was the best for them both, especially for Anna.

“Wait,” he’d said, his mouth oddly dry. “Anna.”

She didn’t hear him. Her footsteps didn’t slow down. After a moment, he heard the soft padding of her steps ascending the stairs. When he finally got out into the hall, it was empty.Nobody was there. He thought he might have heard the sounds of Anna stomping around upstairs, slamming doors and raging.

She deserves to know. Doesn’t she?

“Your Grace?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin, and he spun around to see Martha standing there, white-faced, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head.

“Oh, it’s you, Martha. Is Kitty alright?”

She nodded vigorously. “Yes, Your Grace. I’m sorry to interrupt you, it’s just… it’s just that I heard it all, Your Grace. What you read in the scandal sheets and such. About… about Lady Katherine.”

Theo stiffened. “I made it clear, Martha, that the subject is not to be discussed. What if she were to hear?”

Martha bowed her head. Of course, Martha had been part of the household for decades, and she knew just about everything. Just like Timmins and Mrs. Haunt knew. Sometimes, Theo felt that if nobody had known, he might have pushed down the knowledge and pretended it did not exist.

Stupid, of course. If nobody else,heknew. That wretched man.

“It’s not my place to say, Your Grace,” Martha began, clearly determined to plow on with what she meant to say. “But…”

“But you’re going to say it anyway?” Theo said, smiling wryly. “Go ahead, then.”

Martha drew in a breath. “I… I was a little concerned, Your Grace, when you announced that you were getting married. Not for myself, you understand, but for Lady Katherine. Stepmothers can be… well, I had one myself, and you see a great deal of that in Society. They can be cruel to children who aren’t theirs.”

Theo blinked, a little taken aback by the woman’s bluntness. Martha had never spoken to him this way, and no servant with a string of sense would air their opinions about their employer’sspouse.

Martha continued doggedly. “But… but Her Grace is nothing like I expected. She’s kind and clever, and she loves Lady Katherine. The little girl adores her, like a real mother. All of us below stairs love Her Grace, just like we love Lady Katherine.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Theo said, adding a little austerity to her voice. “What are you saying, Martha?”

Martha wilted, just a little, but met his gaze squarely. “I’m saying that it would be a great pity for Lady Katherine if Her Grace wasn’t here. If she left, for some reason, Your Grace.”

She added the last part almost like an afterthought, then stepped back. From the set of her shoulders and the flicker of unease in her eyes, she seemed well aware that her little speech could quite easily get her dismissed.

“Thank you for speaking your mind,” Theo said, at last. “That will be all, Martha.”

Martha bobbed a relieved curtsey and scurried away.