one ball.
“Well, you have time to decide,” Jane said with a small smile. “After that, Anthony and I will be going to Oaklands.” His country seat. “You’re welcome to accompany us, of course. Or you can stay here, and we can have Mrs. Hammond act as your chaperone.” Mrs. Hammond was an old family friend who had occasionally performed chaperoning duties along with Anne’s godfather’s daughter, Deborah, Lady Burnhope.
“I noticed you didn’t suggest I go home,” Anne said drily.
Jane choked on a laugh. “I would never.”
“Good, because I won’t.” Anne plucked at a loose thread on the arm of her upholstered chair. “Do I really need a chaperone? Perhaps I’d like to declare myself a spinster. Or a spitfire.”
“I should find no quarrel with that, but you’re far younger than I was when I made that decision.” Jane paused to send her a meaningful look. “Once you do, you can’t go back.”
“Given the debacle of my wedding, I’m not sure it matters.”
“People don’t blame you. Chamberlain is being transported, for heaven’s sake.”
Anne had been delighted when she’d heard that. He’d extorted several people, including Anthony, threatening to expose their most dearly held secrets—truths that would ruin and destroy them. In Anthony’s case, he’d gone public with his in order to bring Gilbert down, to save Anne from marrying him. She could never thank him enough.
“Good riddance,” Anne muttered. She abruptly stood. “I’m going out to the garden.”
Jane also rose. “You know I’ll do anything you need? You have only to ask.”
“I do.” Anne gave her a reassuring smile. “Thank you for inviting me to stay with you.”
“Not stay with us, live with us. You don’t ever have to leave.”
Perhaps not, but Anne didn’t want to be the spinster sister who had no life of her own. Which meant she had to find a life of her own.
Anne left the sitting room and descended to the first floor. From there, she continued down the grand staircase to the ground floor. As she reached the staircase hall, she glimpsed a figure standing in the entry hall. At first, she thought it was Tabor, the butler, given the blond hair, but something about the man’s form made her stop.
Pivoting, she crept toward the entry hall in curiosity as the man turned to face her.
A gasp sprang from her lips, and her eyes widened. “Lord Bodyguard,” she breathed.
One of his blond brows arched as her shock was reflected back at her in his cobalt gaze. “Mrs. Dazzling.”
The sight of him made her chest constrict. He was almost unbearably handsome in a green coat and buff breeches, his pristine white cravat nestled beneath the strong, familiar line of his jaw.
“How did you find me?” She sounded quite breathless.
“I didn’t. Not on purpose anyway. I am here to see Lord Colton. He is your…?”
“Brother-in-law.”
His jaw actually dropped, or so she thought. It happened so quickly that she doubted what she’d seen.
“So you don’t know who I am?” she asked.
“I do now.”
“Then you are in a better position than I since I shall still have to call you Lord Bodyguard.”
“Mr. Bowles?” Tabor came into the hall behind Anne.
Mr. Bowles. Anne searched her brain for the name and came up wanting. Why was he here to see Anthony? She had so many questions, and none of them would be answered. Frustration churned in her gut.
“I do hope I’ll see you again, Mr. Bowles,” she said softly as he came toward her.
His gaze found hers with a dark intensity that infused her with heat. “The pleasure will be mine.”
Anne watched as he followed Tabor toward Anthony’s study. She longed to spy on them, but there was simply no way to do so. Overwhelmed with nervous energy, she stalked to the morning room and out to the garden. The day was bright and warm, but she had no appreciation for any of the flowers or birds or anything else. Her mind was wholly owned by Mr. Bowles and the fact that he was here.
Who was he to Anthony? And what had he meant when he’d said he knew who she was now? Something about the way he’d uttered the words had made her heart beat a tick faster.
Did he simply know her name, or was he also aware of her engagement and aborted wedding? She stalked around the path of the garden, growing angry again that Gilbert had turned out to be such a horrid person and that his behavior had unfairly blemished her.
Coming back to the start of her