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“Perhaps by the New Year, you will be a married man.”

Barnet shuddered, and Jasper was not sure he cared for the idea of marriage much himself.

CHAPTER14

Hollystone Hall,Buckinghamshire

23rd December, 1812

The hunt was a splendid affair, from what Anna heard. She never watched one; she could never see the appeal. How Emily had convinced her to come and spend time here, Anna could not be certain. She found herself looking everywhere for a certain someone.

“Looking for the Duke of Barnet?” a light-tenored voice asked from behind her in the hallway.

She whirled around, her heart beating fast and strong. “No, actually.”

Weasel Winderfield nodded with a smirk. He was prone to gossip, and Anna felt her cheeks flushing. She had encountered him in at various functions, and she did not like the man and did her best to avoid him.

“If you must know,” she said, slipping back a step, “I was looking for someone else entirely.”

“Has someone else finally caught your eye?”

She bristled. The last thing she needed was for rumors to fly about concerning her. Many spoke about the duke as it was. She would hate for Florentina, whom she did not know all that well, to become the source of gossip as well. If word were to leak out about her condition…

“I find it rather peculiar there was talk of Barnet having a quick marriage to his lady, but that has not happened yet, not to my knowledge.” Weasel puffed out his chest, and immediately the image of a peacock flashed in Anna’s mind. “Is the duke having second thoughts? Is he finally willing to glance in your direction long enough to wish for more than merely two dances with you?”

Anna managed to smile. “You would have to ask the duke that himself, but I can assure you of this. I will not deign to be second in the eyes of the one I…” She broke off.

“In the eyes of the one you… love?” Weasel grinned broadly. “And who is it you love?”

“I must confess he is not you. If you will excuse me.” Heart hammering, Anna all but dashed away. She ignored the onlookers and the questioning glances from other partygoers and hurried to her guest quarters.

Standing by her door was the one she had sought all along.

Anna smiled widely at him, her heart beating fiercely, and she suspected that was not solely due to her rushed flight to her door. “Lord Pershore. May I have a word with you?”

“A word. No. You may have three.”

Her cheeks warmed. Weasel had the right of it—she had been about to saylove,but surely that had only been a slip of the tongue. She did not know Lord Pershore well enough to love him.

Yet.

She glanced up and down the hallway. It was empty, and she grabbed his arm and yanked him inside an empty small sitting room and shut the door.

“Lady Anna, what are you doing?”

“I wish to talk to you about a personal matter, and there are more gossips here than there are… Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“I thought I heard… a meow.” Anna walked around the sofa and kneeled down. Sure enough, she held up a small kitten. “Oh, is not she just darling?”

Lord Pershore was staring at her. “Yes,” he murmured.

Anna snuggled the kitten to her and tried to keep her wits about her. What she would have to say to Lord Pershore would not be easy, but said it must be.

She might risk losing him, but it would be better, far better, for him to learn the truth now than to hope he would never learn it.

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