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Did Lady Wentworth know? His gaze slid to the older woman. Impossible to say, but he’d wager no. Still. She did seem fond of Anna.

She gazed on her now, a slight, indulgent smile on her face. Yes, definitely fond. Whoever said the dowager duchess had a dour temperament had it at least half wrong.

“Ah. Here’s Lord and Lady Fenton now,” Anna offered, oblivious to their scrutiny.

“Whether to put us out of our misery, or bring on more suffering, we’ll soon find out,” Lady Wentworth muttered.

In the room’s center, their smiling host and hostess patted the air, shushing the crowd.

Caden shifted, inching closer to Anna, purportedly to get a better view of the Fentons.

He caught a faint whiff of her perfume and lowered his head, inhaling deeply. The elegant melange of cedar, rich botanicals and the essence of the woman herself had his mouth watering like he was a starving man and she a prime bit of mutton. In truth, he wanted to eat her alive .

Meanwhile, he suspected he could leave without her even noticing. He’d never found himself in such a lamentable position. Confounding.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we had intended a tournament of croquet for your entertainment this afternoon, but as you can see, Mother Nature decided otherwise. But never fear, we shall have great fun indoors playing a game devised by Lord Fenton and I. We call it House Party Hunt. ” Lady Fenton glanced around the room, eyes alight with anticipation.

“You’ll play in teams of two. One male, one female. ”

Caden stifled a groan. No doubt a random pairing would commence. An entire afternoon stuck with someone about whom he couldn’t care less, when he could spend the day trying to unravel Anna’s mysteries. Oh, all right, and make another attempt to kiss her senseless.

He couldn’t get that kiss out of his head. She'd tasted so sweet. And the way their bodies fit fully clothed, he could only imagine the perfection of…

“… and the first couple to return with a full card wins.”

Damnation. He’d missed the rules. “What did she say? Objects on a card?”

Anna sniffed. “Your partner will fill you in, no doubt.”

Was that petulance he heard in her tone? Not completely disinterested in him, after all. The thought cheered him.

She inclined her chin toward a side door and aimed a loud whisper at her employer. “Perhaps I should head out now, before—”

“A moment if you please, Anna.” Steel laced the older woman’s words.

Anna’s smile of acquiescence seemed forced. “Of course.”

Caden stretched his neck ’til it popped. He’d read her wrong. Again. She couldn’t rid herself of him fast enough. Fine by him .

A feminine voice rose from the crowd of bystanders. “How are the pairs to be chosen?”

Lady Fenton held up two woven baskets, filled with scraps of white parchment.

Here it came. The dreaded name-drawn-from-a-hat pairing.

Lady Fenton’s answer rang out. “The names of each person present have been written on a—”

Lady Wentworth’s booming voice cut her off. “Nonsense, Lady Claudine. Such a process is far too time-consuming.”

“Er…It is?” Lady Fenton asked, her exuberance dimmed.

“Of course. Instead, every lady shall turn to her right—” Lady Wentworth’s skirts swished as she angled her body toward Caden “—and touch the arm of the first man she sees.” She tapped his forearm. “That man will be her partner.”

After a moment of silence, the sounds of scuffling boots and slippers, feminine giggles and raucous male laughter filled the room as people shuffled hither and yon, seeking to accidentally-on-purpose sequester his or herself with a preferred partner.

Caden considered the elderly woman whose gloved fingertips rested lightly on his sleeve. He could fare worse, and damned if he didn’t like the old—how had Harrison phrased it?—she-dragon. He might learn a useful thing or two about her companion, to boot.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted Hardasher, heading straight for Anna. He gritted his teeth as everything in him railed against the notion of Anna paired with the man.

“And you, Mrs. Jones, shall stand in my stead.” Lady Wentworth, sounding decidedly pleased with herself, took Anna’s gloved hand and slapped it on Caden’s arm where hers had rested a moment before .

“But—” Anna began.

Hardasher stalled in his tracks, his response echoing hers. “But—”

Caden clapped his free hand over Anna’s so fast, he surprised even himself. “Sorry old chap. The lady has spoken.” He bared his teeth at Hardasher.

Hardasher’s lips compressed into a thin line. “See here,” he began, but a glance in Lady Wentworth’s direction, evidently, caused him to rethink his objection. He broke off, sent Anna and Lady Wentworth an ingratiating smile, then said, “At least grant me the favor of an introduction, Thurgood.”

“Yes, indeed, Mr. Thurgood, do introduce us to your game partner,” came a woman’s plaintiff voice.

Miss Applegate, Miss Egerton and Harrison had opted to join them.

“Hullo,” Harrison said with a finger waggle. “The girls insisted we make our way over.” The apologetic look he gave Caden said he knew they weren’t exactly welcome.

Caden returned an affable grin, not the least bothered by their arrival for some odd reason.

“Harrison,” Lady Wentworth said with a nod of acknowledgment. The others, along with the requests for introductions, she ignored. “I need a word with the Lady Claudine before I retire to my chambers. Anna, I leave you in Mr. Thurgood’s capable hands.” Nose aloft, she swept away.

Anna stared after her, a look of longing in her eyes. Damn but the woman vexed him.

“Well, Mr. Thurgood?” one of the misses prodded.

Caden frowned, unsure of what she expected from him.

Harrison cleared-up the matter. “But the two of you met the infamous Mrs. Jones yesterday, if you’ll recall. The woman of the hour? She who rescued Thurgood at the lake? ”

Lady Applegate narrowed her eyes, studying Anna as if considering her for purchase at auction. “Oh, yes, Lady Wentworth’s companion.” She spoke the last word as if it left a sour taste in her mouth.

Irritation pricked him. What unspeakable rudeness.

For a split second he considered calling the woman out.

Gentlemanly restraint won out, however. Lambasting her would accomplish nothing other than to assuage his own temper.

He doubted Jones would thank him, in any case.

He opted to take a page from Lady Wentworth’s book. He ignored her.

“Lord Hardasher, may I introduce my game partner, Mrs. Anna Jones?”

Only then did he notice the regal, head thrown back Anna was gone. The downcast, face-hidden Anna took her place.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Jones.” Hardasher grasped her hand and bent over it.

“Lord Hardasher,” Anna murmured, tucking her chin even further and dipping an elegant curtsey.

Hardasher stooped as he attempted to peer beneath the rim of her bonnet.

Caden sympathized with the man. He hated the thing himself. Why on earth did she wield her bonnet like a shield? Did the upper-crust so intimidate her? The Gloriana from his childhood didn’t cow to anyone. What happened to change her so?

“Mrs. Jones, I never asked what inspired you to offer assistance to Mr. Thurgood?” Harrison asked.

Anna’s head jerked in his direction, as if taken aback by the question.

Caden too wondered at his friend’s odd turn-of-phrase..

“Anyone would have done the same,” she murmured.

Harrison smiled genially. “Anyone who felt they could do some good would, yes. For my part, I went in search of help. Yet you swooped in like an angel of mercy.”

“I don’t know about that. My father was a do—” She broke off.

Harrison arched his brows, gazing on her with polite interest. “You were saying?”

Her shoulders slumped. “A doctor of medicine,” she all but whispered. “I…assisted him in his practice from time to time.”

Ah. She hadn’t meant to reveal the small detail, probably hoping to keep Caden from discovering her identity. Too late, darling.

“And your mother?” Harrison prodded.

“My…mother?” she squeaked.

Caden eyed Harrison, his suspicions roused. Did every man present wish to throw his hat into the ring as a potential suitor to the chit?

“Mrs. Jones’ lineage is all very interesting, I’m sure, Mr. Randall.” Lady Egerton sounded anything but intrigued. She drew a breath as if she meant to go on, but Caden had his own interests to protect.

“Indeed. Ladies, Harrison, Lord Hardasher? If you’ll excuse us? There’s a game afoot.” Not waiting for a reply, Caden scooped Anna’s palm in his and pulled her toward the couples lined-up, awaiting game cards. Once in the queue, he tucked her hand snuggly into the crook of his elbow.

Her fingers squeezed his forearm lightly.

Caden glanced down as she turned her face upward.

She gazed at him, a small, seemingly genuine smile curving her rosy lips and softening her amber eyes.

What’s say we play Prince Charming rescues the stolen princess, Glory. That should stop your sulking. The memory slammed into him.

He suggested her favorite pastime, he claimed, because she seemed glum at the prospect of her imminent departure from Derby. He did not share his own, secret motive for doing so.

The handful of times she’d asked that summer, he’d refused.

She probably assumed he simply preferred more rough and tumble games—skipping stones, climbing trees, Robinhood and his band of merry men.

In previous summers that had been his stated reason for not wishing to play Prince Charming rescues the princess.

That summer, at fifteen going on sixteen, he wrestled with something else entirely. Something he couldn’t explain if he wanted to, even to himself—though he had not wanted to.

This time, though, he had asked—albeit with a belligerent air, as if he did her a favor.

No surprise, she accepted with girlish delight.

It was her last summer in Derby. He hadn’t known when her family’s coach departed for London it would be the last time he ever saw her. Even so, her leaving hurt like hell.

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