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Anna sighed and nodded, waiting for the valet to walk away before facing Prudence again. The irritation bubbling beneath her skin must have been clearly visible because Prudence gave her a look of sympathy.

“I am willing to wager that she just wishes to introduce me to yet another illegible bachelor.”

“Maybe this one might meet your expectations,” Prudence tried to uplift her spirits. “You should go with an open mind. You never know, perhaps this time you’ll meet your husband-to-be.”

Anna laughed humorlessly. “I sincerely doubt that, but thank you. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Miss Cabot.”

Prudence smiled at her and nodded, “And you as well, Miss Munro.”

Now alone, Anna began to make her way to the conservatory – but not before she gave one last lingering look at the ballroom.

There was a time when she was truly excited to attend events such as this one when her heart held so much hope to find a man who would love her and ask for his love in return. A man who would shower her with his respect consideration and affection. One who would see her for who she really was.

But with her mother’s antics, it had become a tasking affair, promenading or attending such events.

Men gazed upon her with disapproval, and women thought her a sycophant.

She had been relieved when she managed to slip away from her mother soon after they had arrived and had managed to stay away from her line of sight for a while.

But now, it was time to return to her harsh reality.

The conservatory was located on the west wing of the manor in which the ball was being held, and during the walk there, Anna kept trying to tell herself to stand her ground and stop her mother from interfering with her meetings with potential suitors.

“This needs to stop,” she muttered quietly to herself as she peered down a hall, sighing thankfully when she spotted the door to the conservatory at the end of the hall.

“This is my life and she cannot continue to manipulate things to work for her benefit when it is I who must live with the consequences.”

Finally, she arrived at the conservatory. With her hand on the knob, she took in a deep breath and opened it, frowning at the darkness that greeted her.

“Mother?” Anna called out quietly, trying to look around the room.

Unable to see much, she stepped inside, deciding to locate some candles to aid her sight.

Perhaps Mother is in a corner somewhere, she reasoned as she searched around, gently and carefully running her fingers over surfaces in hopes of finding a candle.

A small gust of wind blew, and Anna heard something creak behind her. She realized too late that it was the door closing and by the time she turned around, it had fallen short, stealing whatever little light was in the room and leaving her in total darkness.

Quickly, she ran to the door and twisted the knob, trying to open it, horrified when the knob remained stiff in her hands.

“What –” she huffed, breathing heavily as she pulled at the door handle.

It wouldn’t budge and the door stayed closed. Just as Anna raised a fist to bang against it, a sigh cut through the air.

“The door is broken. Don’t bother trying to open it – it can only be opened from the outside.

Banging against it won’t help either – the party is still ongoing, so not many people are likely to hear us over Beethoven.

Especially with the conservatory so far from the other parts of the manor where people are gathered.

” A voice informed blatantly, the tone almost bored.

Anna’s body stiffened immediately.

Not only was she in the company of another, but the voice that had spoken unmistakably belonged to a man.

She was trapped in a dark room, with a man.

Thankfully, some rays of moonlight were streaming into the room through the windows and soon, her eyes adjusted to the dark room well enough for her to note the shape of a person standing by the window.

“G-Good evening, sir. I’m sorry if I interrupted your… quest for solitude. It’s just –”

“Oh, yes. Because it is quite common for men to seek out solitude in dim rooms with faulty doors.” He snorted, his tone mocking.

Anna ignored the ridicule and asked,

“Might I ask how long you’ve been here? Surely, someone is searching for you, by now.”

“I am sure you would know that better than I, Miss. After all, it would seem you thought it wise to wait for a moment before coming in here, in hopes I wouldn’t suspect a thing.”

He took a few steps in her direction and for a moment, she was distracted by his sharp features; a dark gaze that seemed to bore into her soul, a face many women would trip over themselves to get a closer look at.

He was tall, his body framed by strong-looking shoulders that only added to her curiosity about who this man could be.

“I’ve only just arrived, sir. I do not know what you mean but I think we ought to work together to resolve this issue.” She proposed, resuming her search for a source of light.

“Funny how you should say that, as though this predicament was not your doing.” His voice was clearly telling her to focus on herself, the unfriendly tone grating at her already frayed nerves.

But she was far too worried about all that had transpired not to lean on the company she found herself with.

“I do not understand what you mean. How could I have trapped you in here, when I’ve only just arrived myself?” she reasoned, facing him fully.

The man scoffed and it annoyed her immensely, how easily he dismissed and undermined her, as though she was beneath him. Although his expression was blank, it did nothing to conceal his looks and she might have found him handsome if he wasn’t so vexing.

“Do not play coy. This was a plot you envisioned, was it not? To make yourself up to be the maiden in trouble who just so happened to find herself alone with a gentleman in a locked room? I suppose you expect that I would take responsibility for what follows if we are found together like this?”

Anna stared at him, confused.

A plot? What could he possibly mean –

“Wait… you don’t think I somehow lured you here to trap you in a scandal. Do you?” she questioned, horrified.

“Are you saying that was not what you hoped to accomplish?” he challenged.

“It was not. And how dare you to think I would stoop so low! You do not know me, sir. Making such assumptions about a stranger could lead to dangerous consequences.” She stated, unable to keep herself from snapping.

“Only if I am wrong – which is unlikely. This is not the first time I have been put in a situation such as this. Ladies are quite desperate these days, and more often than not, desperation leads to trouble when steps like this are taken. While it might seem like a smart plan, it is nothing more than the pathetic struggle of an undesirable woman destined to live out the rest of her days alone.” He told her in a low voice, leaning slightly towards her.

Anger flooded her veins and before she realized what was happening, she had raised her hand to strike him.

Before her palm could land on its target, his hand closed around her wrist. Anna had barely managed to gather her bearings before she was pulled closer towards him, a gasp leaving her lips as she noticed just how close they had gotten.

His gaze bore down heavily on her, as though he was trying to read each detail of her expression. The heat of his grip sent flames spreading through her insides, filling her with a strange discomfort.

“Or,” he began in a low murmur. “Perhaps you intend to take a different route. Perhaps you thought you had better chances trying to seduce me instead.”

Anna’s cheeks grew hot and she pulled against him, flustered and panicked when she realized she couldn’t get out of his grip.

“That is not true —”

He cut her off as he pulled her even closer, their faces a mere breath away now.

“How did you intend to approach me, now that you have me all to yourself? Strip yourself off your clothes, perhaps? Better still — get on your knees and service me?” He whispered in her ear.

His warm breath against her skin sent shivers down her spine and her mind grew foggy.

His gaze dropped and she felt helpless to resist the pull of following it, her stomach tightening as she realized what a precarious situation this was.

His eyes rose back up to her and she felt pinned by his stare, the heat of his touch burning every ounce of common sense from her mind.

It was strange, how weak she felt in his grasp, how unclear her thoughts had become. Anna couldn’t deny it, couldn’t defend herself from his claims.

“That’s not —” she attempted feebly, her heart skipping a beat as she heard shuffling from behind her.

Anna turned, shocked to meet the stares of a group of people who looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see them.

It was then she realized that due to the strange conversation with the stranger, she had failed to notice the room was now brighter and they were no longer alone.

Anna’s heart dropped as the people, who appeared to be on a tour of the manor, began to whisper and point at her. The man had released her, mumbling under his breath,

“Confound it.”

She wanted to tell them that no, this wasn’t what it looked like, but once more, her tongue felt like lead in her mouth.

Then, her mother stumbled onto the scene, looking almost breathless as she took in the situation. When Anna’s eyes met hers, Anna realized that this was her worst fear come to life.

She had been caught in a scandal.

And it was all her mother’s doing.