Page 100 of Corrupting his Duchess

He didn’t stop to take his hat or coat. He just made his way through the side corridor and pushed open one of the tall garden doors.

The air outside hit him like a slap. Cool, sharp, quiet.

He exhaled hard.

Still the ache hadn't left.

She’d known he would be there.

CHAPTER 19

Of course he would be at the ball. It was Lady Vexley’s ball. Every titled name in London would attend. Including the one she’d spent a week trying not to think about.

Anna stood near the edge of the ballroom, one hand lightly on Matthew’s arm, smiling when expected, nodding at the right people. The room was loud, too many candles, too much perfume, heat pressing in like hands. She didn't feel it, she just wanted it to be over.

Only the ache in her spine from standing too straight for too long. And the weight of her earrings.

Julia stepped in beside her, all soft rose and tight curls.

“You look stunning,” she whispered, tucking her hand around Anna’s elbow. “I knew that dress would suit you, “I told you that color would make the rest of us look like ghosts.”

“You exaggerate,” Anna said. Her voice was soft.

“Rarely,” Julia’s eyes flicked to Matthew, then back. “And he’s being very attentive tonight, isn’t he?”

Anna didn’t respond.

Julia hesitated, then added, “Is it awful that I expected him to be less charming?”

“He likes an audience,” Anna said. It came out drier than she meant it to.

Julia studied her a moment longer. “You’re holding yourself too stiff. Is your corset cutting in, or do you just want to disappear?”

Anna turned toward the crowd. “Does it matter?”

Julia squeezed her arm gently. “Only if you think it does.”

Then Julia’s gaze caught on something across the room. “Lady Carrow is headed this way with questions about the cotillion. I’ve no intention of being dragged into her theories on eligible baronets, so– ”

She kissed Anna’s cheek lightly.

“I’ll circle back. Try to survive in the meantime, won’t you?”

Anna nodded, managing a small smile. “No promises.”

Julia gave her a wink and disappeared into the crowd, skirts brushing marble, scent of gardenia trailing behind her.

Anna turned back to Matthew and tried to pay attention to him but her eyes kept roving.

She could feel Matthew’s presence beside her, his warmth, the slight pressure of his hand where her arm touched his sleeve.

And she wanted, with a force that startled her, for it to be someone else.

She wanted Henry.

She wanted the weight of his gaze across the room. The way his voice dropped when they spoke alone. The way he looked at her, like she was something rare and necessary.

But he had pushed her away.