Page 18 of Corrupting his Duchess

“She’ll expect me to.” Anna’s voice dropped low. “And I… I’m not ready.”

Gretchen nodded slowly. “I see.”

Silence stretched between them as distant laughter floated from the other room.

“You’ll have to decide soon, Anna,” Gretchen said gently. “He won’t wait forever.”

“I know.”

“And your mother.”

“I know,” Anna interrupted, closing her eyes briefly. “But just for today, can we not speak of it anymore?”

Gretchen smiled faintly. “Of course.”

Anna leaned into her, grateful. “Thank you.”

“Now,” Gretchen said lightly, tugging her arm, “Come, let me take you to your room, you have a terrible headache.”

Anna let herself be led, her smile returning, but somewhere deep inside, the knot remained.

It was already well into the morning before Anna finally drifted back to the gathering. She had spent most of the day tucked away in her room, feigning headaches, grateful for the excuse toretreat. But in truth, rest had been impossible, her mind was a restless tide, pulling her from one worry to the next.

How was her sister faring without her, left to face their mother’s weakness alone? And then there was Matthew Grayson, with his cool, pressing words and carefully measured tone, their conversation still lingered on her skin like a faint chill. But most troubling of all was Henry. Ever since that near-kiss, she had hardly seen him. She wasn’t sure which unsettled her more: that she had been carefully avoiding him, or that, for reasons she couldn’t name, he had begun to keep his distance too. The air between them had shifted, but into what, she did not know.

Anna pulled in a long, steadying breath as she rejoined the small knot of friends gathered near the refreshment table. Gretchen immediately slipped her arm through Anna’s, her fingers giving a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“Feeling better?” Gretchen murmured softly, her eyes flicking over Anna’s face with quiet concern.

Anna managed a faint, grateful smile. “I’m fine.”

“Good,” Nathaniel cut in lightly, a teasing lilt in his voice as he appeared at Anna’s other side. “Because we were wagering whether you’d slipped off to elope or simply escape us.”

Anna let out a surprised laugh. “You think I’d leave you all to gossip unsupervised?”

“Please,” Gretchen said primly, shooting Nathaniel a slight frown, “you shouldn’t joke about such things.”

Julia gave her a devil-may-care grin. “Why ever not? It’s only fun if someone’s scandalized, Lady Gretchen.”

“Oh, stop it,” Sophia chimed in, laughing as she reached for another tart from the tray. “Anna! We were about to guess which of the Fairmonts would next attempt to charm half the room.”

Anna flushed slightly, brushing a loose curl behind her ear. “Please, don’t let me stop you.”

Natalie gave an exaggerated sigh, fanning herself with the folded morning paper as though the weight of the news was simply too much. “I swear, the Fairmont twins are at it again. Did you hear Charles tried to race Lady Catherine’s horse down the drive? Nearly sent her bonnet flying!”

Sophia laughed, her teacup trembling slightly in her hand. “And Christopher isn’t much better! I overheard him promising Miss Pembroke a ride out this morning, right after telling Miss Ellis he’d take her to see the foals.”

Natalie arched a brow. “The foals that haven’t even been born yet?”

“Precisely.” Sophia grinned, setting her cup down with a gentle clink. “He speaks with such confidence, you'd think he scheduled the births himself.”

Gretchen snorted. “Half the room’s under their spell, and they know it.”

Julia rolled her eyes fondly. “Honestly, I can’t tell if I envy them or pity them.”

Gretchen, ever the composed one, murmured, “It’s all harmless now, but it won’t always be. There are expectations, even for the Fairmonts.”

Julia shot her a grin. “You sound just like my aunt, Lady Gretchen.”