Beginning, Section II, Next Section
Anne lay awake long after she had blown out the candle, still in turmoil over the Earl of Denby's return to London.
Why had she been so foolish three years ago?
She knew the answer. Anne had feared never being allowed to be out in real society. She had thought that her mother would live forever--it had certainly seemed as though she would until she had died so unexpectedly. Her mother would have kept Anne at her side forever, never allowing her to do something on her own. Lady Catherine had worried so much over Anne's health that she had refused to let her attend the ball, saying that she was surely much too delicate to attend.
Had Anne been asked, she would have risked death itself to see the ball. Perhaps, in dressing up as a boy, that was what she had done, for her mother would have killed her if she had known. Still, it had been a daring experience, and a freeing one as well. Had she not run into Robin Hamilton, she would have dared even more.
Anne sat up, rearranged her pillow for the fifteenth time and lay back on it. She would wish it otherwise all she wanted, but the truth remained that she had run into Lord Robin, and somehow he had recognized that she was a woman. Thankfully, he had not recognized her that night, and she had kept enough wits about her not to give him her rightful name.
Even after he had kissed her.
Forget that kiss, you lackwit. Had he known it was you, he would never have done it.
Anne turned to her side and thought about the previous evening's dinner. He had not recognized her at all, it seemed. She would rather die than admit her disappointment that nothing in her reminded him of the girl he had kissed three years ago. Granted, it had been dark out that night, and she could not but wonder whether or not he had been drinking. But she had hoped...foolishly, it seemed...that if they ever met again, Robin would know her at once, step forward to declare that he loved her above all other women, and...
There was a soft knock at her door. Anne slid out of bed and stumbled to the door.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Cordelia and Georgiana. Let us in."
Anne opened the door eagerly, hoping her cousins would be able to settle her mind, or at the very least exhaust her until she could sleep without thinking of her situation.
What situation? Were you not just thinking it was just as well Robin did not recognize you?
Cordelia and Georgiana swept past her into the room, carrying with them a platter of sliced bread and cheese along with a bottle of claret.
"We noticed that you ate very little, so Georgie swiped this from the kitchen." Cordelia set the food on Anne's writing table, then made her way about the room, lighting the candles and dispelling the room's gloominess.
Anne was not feeling particularly hungry, but felt she could not upset either of them by not eating.
"Are you all right, Annie?" Georgiana asked.
"Tolerably well, thank you."
Georgiana's smile turned into a frown as she looked about the room. "Del, we forgot glasses."
"Father has some in his library. I shall return." Cordelia took a candle and walked out the door, heading downstairs.
"Del is so excited about Lord Robin's return," Georgiana said.
"Why is that?" Anne asked, hoping she only sounded vaguely interested in knowing the answer.
"I believe she is in love with him."
"In love?" Anne's voice quivered.
Georgiana, busy arranging the food, did not notice. "She has not said as much, but did you see the way she talked with him at supper? Very eager and interested in his new business venture, asking whether or not he risked money on the 'Change. Speaking of this new business venture, did you know that my sister is an investor?"
"Really?"
"Yes. Fitzwilliam says she has put the money she inherited from Lady Grace Hamilton into the scheme. I thought it most generous of her, though I wonder if it will make things awkward." Georgiana hesitated. "Likely not, if Del is correct and Lord Robin is interested in her. Even less likely as his interest seems to have been of some duration."
Anne did not reply, having taken a bite of cheese and bread.
"I also heard him speak of having two more investors, one of whom might interest you to know, I think."
"Surely not Lord Cassel," Anne said after swallowing.
"No, no. A gentleman by the name of Lysander Overton and Lord Rupert Halliday. Del said you knew them." Georgiana looked closely at her cousin to see if the latter name made any sort of impression upon her.
"Lord Rupert! I know him quite well, he is a good friend of mine, Viscount Axelby. Sir Lysander I know less of, except as Lord Rupert's friend."
Cordelia had opened the door, managing to keep hold of her candle and three glasses. Anne set her food down and went to help her cousin.
"Thank you," Cordelia said. "I heard what the two of you spoke of when I came in. Lord Robin said he has been friends with Sir Lysander and Viscount Axelby since they were at Cambridge together. I think it is nice to have friends to rely upon when you are in need. From what my mother said after they left, poor Lord Robin is certainly in need."
"'Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for the loan oft loses both itself and friend,'" Anne said.
"Annie! That was uncharitable," Cordelia said.
"I apologize," Anne said quickly. Why did I say that? Do I want to upset Cordelia because of what Georgiana said? Or is it just in my nature to think ill of the world and everything in it? She tried not to think on it. If Cordelia had her heart set upon Lord Robin Hamilton, Anne was even more resolved not to think on the man--and her past with him--any more. "I am rather surprised that Lord Robin is a friend of Lord Rupert's. They would have very little in common on the surface."
"You above all others should know that appearances are deceiving," Georgiana said as she poured the claret into glasses, handing one to Anne and another to Cordelia. "For my part, I am relieved that he is not going to make mention of my...Unfortunate Incident."
"Why, were you afraid he would?" Anne asked.
Georgiana nodded. "I barely knew him when he was at Pemberley, and there was no telling what he might have done because my brother married his fiancee."
Cordelia frowned. "Lord Robin would do no such thing. He is a gentleman."
Anne decided to test Georgiana's theory about Cordelia's feelings for Lord Robin. "How would you know that? You have only met the man on two occasions."
Cordelia blushed. "I...I..."
"When did you meet him before?"
"At his engagement ball. We were invited. I was only sixteen, but I knew my own heart."
"Careful, Del. I thought I knew my heart at fifteen," Georgiana said softly.
An uncomfortable silence fell on the trio. Cordelia did not know what to say that would not offend Georgiana, but she knew that she had loved Lord Robin since the start.
"You must have made quite an impression from him to remember you," Anne said. "I listened to him before I came downstairs. He sounded as though he remembered you well."
"Yes. I thought that rather strange, since if I had been him I would not have remembered me at all. We only spoke for a minute in the receiving line. As I was not out, I could not dance with him. And then his mother died a few days later, and then his engagement to Elizabeth ended...you can understand why I was surprised that he remembered me."
"Perhaps he was as struck by you as you were by him," Georgiana said. "Elizabeth has told me that he was very calm when they ended the engagement. She thought it was because he was still in shock from his mother's death. She might have been wrong, at least in part."
"I have heard tell of a young woman he was courting while he was on the Continent," Anne said, taking a sip of her drink.
"So have I. Some Italian girl who would not have him, I think. What a fool." Cordelia sighed.
"We do not know all of the circumstances," Anne said. "Perhaps it was not the girl who objected to the match, but rather the girl's family."
"What family would not want an earl to marry their daughter? Although Papa was holding out for a duke or marquis, I know he would be more than content were I to marry an earl." Cordelia took a bite of her bread and cheese, thinking. When she swallowed, she said, "I suppose you are right. We do not know the particulars and should not speculate."
"Do you suppose he loved her?" Georgiana asked.
"To be sure, he did." Cordelia frowned in concentration. "But that would make his comment about remembering me all these years questionable. If I had been truly memorable, he would not have fallen in love with some Italian witch."
"It is expected, on such occasions as this evening, to say things we do not necessarily mean," Anne said.
"Oh, Annie!" Cordelia sighed and looked at her cousin. "I shall forgive you, because I owe you my deepest happiness at this moment."
"Why?"
"Because you refused to marry anyone last Season. Now I can win Lord Robin's heart, and after you return to Rosings, I can marry him. He is the only man I have ever wanted. I just never realized it until I met him again."
Anne shook her head in frustration. "It is a foolish sentiment, Del."
"Why do you think that? Have you something against Lord Robin?"
"No. I have no objections to the gentleman in particular."
"Then I must confess to some confusion about your opinion."
"I do not wish to hurt your feelings, but you hardly know him. You have spent but a couple pleasurable hours in his company this evening and based upon this, you have him fixed in your mind as the companion of your future life. Indeed, you proclaim you have loved him for three years, which is why you are glad you could accept no marriage proposals. Logically, it is all a bunch of nonsense."
"Love has no logic," Cordelia said stubbornly.
Anne shrugged. "I speak only the truth."
"I think you sound more like your mother right now," Georgiana dared to say. "For what do you think people should marry, if not love?"
"I do not think people should marry at all. With a few rare exceptions, it makes everyone miserable."
"'The world must be peopled.' Do you suggest that we let the population die out, or are you suggesting something far more scandalous?"
Anne was puzzled. "I...well, I had not thought of it in such terms."
"Then your thoughts are as flawed logically as the idea of love," Cordelia said smugly.
"I think she speaks from a disappointment," Georgiana said slyly.
Anne looked at her cousin. "All right. I shall confess. I am deeply disappointed that I have not a dozen suitors clamoring for my hand, and must make do with that horrid Lord Cassel."
The three laughed. Cordelia said, "You are impossible, Annie, but I do not think that is it. After all, you have had a disappointment, Georgie, and you do not speak so deplorably of love as she does."
"I do not think of what happened to me in terms like 'disappointment.' It was more of a debacle," Georgiana muttered. "And while I do not think of love so badly as Anne, in this case I agree with her. I do not think love is sudden anymore. I think love takes time. Look at my brother and Elizabeth. They hated each other for years."
"Hate is not far removed from love," Cordelia said.
"I am certain Elizabeth would not agree," Anne retorted.
"It was not until they got to know each other that they realized how well-suited they were."
"Well-suited? I have seen Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth together. There is more than that between them."
"Love grew from getting to know each other. Love is not merely being introduced to someone and knowing you love them instantly. Matches made on instant attraction tend to confuse love with passion. I fear they seldom end as happily as you would like to think." Georgiana's eyes filled with the memory of personal experience. "And that, Del, is something I do know for certain."
"Not all men are George Wickham," Cordelia said quietly. "There are good men in this world. Your mother is one. Robert Hamilton is another. He was very gracious about Elizabeth crying off their engagement, was he not?"
"True," Anne said. "But what if you succeed, marry him, then find out he is not perfect?"
"I do not seek perfection in any man," Cordelia objected. "No man is perfect. All I hope for is a man who right for me. I think it might be Lord Robin."
Anne sighed. "I sincerely wish it so--to make you happy. Just take care not to wear your heart where the world may see it, should something go wrong."
Cordelia smiled brilliantly. "Anne, you may have heard his words, but you did not see his face when he saw me. I have no fear of anything going wrong."
The following afternoon, promptly at four o'clock, the Earl of Denby appeared at the front door of the Earl of Matlock carrying a bouquet of wildflowers. Wilberforce, the butler, had been expecting Evan Brixton and had put on his worst face, which immediately froze as he recognized the gentleman who had been at supper the evening before.
"G-good afternoon, my lord," he said.
"Good afternoon, my good man. Would it be possible for me to gain an audience with the Earl of Matlock at this time?"
"Y-yes, he is in. Shall I announce you?"
"Yes, please."
"This way." Wilberforce led Lord Robin into Matlock's library, and a minute later Robin was seated across the desk from the earl with a glass of brandy in his hand.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Matlock asked, beaming. He knew quite well that Robin was here to pay court to his daughter, and despite his desire for Cordelia to marry higher than an earl and Robin's own tenuous financial situation, Matlock recognized that there were few finer men in all of England than Robert Hamilton.
"I come, sir, to ask for your permission to court--"
"I have never known you to stand on ceremony, Denby. By all means, you have my permission to court her. However, I must warn you that I have made it known--"
"Yes, I am well aware of that. In this case, though, it should not matter."
"How so? All due respect, Lord Robin, but I turned down a duke, a marquis, any number of earls and barons...all because that stubborn girl would not choose a husband."
"I realize that you are frustrated with her, Matlock, but I hope I shall be able to fix that problem."
"Have you a suitor in mind for Anne, then? If you can find someone she would be willing to consider--"
Robin realized that in his excitement to begin courting Ophelia--Anne, for heaven's sake, he must remember that her name was Anne--he had not mentioned her name.
"I fear that we are at cross purposes."
"She has left me no choice, you understand. I would love to be able to tell you that you were free to court--"
"I have not come to ask your permission to pay court to Lady Cordelia."
Matlock blinked. "You haven't?"
"No. I have to come to ask permission to court her cousin, Miss Anne de Bourgh."
The earl laughed for a minute until he realized that the younger man was serious. His laughter faded. "You are in earnest?"
"Most sincere earnest, sir."
"You will excuse me, but I thought last night that you were enthralled by my daughter." Matlock tried recalling the night before, when Lord Robin had been seated next to Cordelia. The two had had pleasant conversation, but now that he thought about it, the man had given Anne several looks. Anne had not noticed, being in conversation with Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam. She had been pointedly ignoring Denby.
Robin sighed. He had known he would be forced to explain how he had met Anne originally. "I mistook your daughter for someone else, namely her cousin. You see, I met Anne at my engagement party three years ago and was intrigued. Circumstances, however, soon forced me to go abroad and it was not until recently that I was able to discover who she was."
"How did you not know her?"
"When she first caught my attention, she was dressed in a boy's clothes."
Matlock felt the beginnings of indigestion. Leave it to Anne to act improperly even when her mother had been alive.
"Do not fear for her reputation, sir, for I was the only person to see her. Unfortunately, she did not give me her true name and the light being as poor as it had been, I did not get a completely good look at her. That was why I thought your daughter was her. I realized my mistake the minute I saw Miss de Bourgh."
"Is my niece aware that you know who she is?"
"No, sir, and I would prefer to leave it that way. I got the distinct impression last night that the whole incident embarrassed her."
"She should be embarrassed."
"Perhaps, but all the same, I would hope you could avoid mentioning it."
Matlock nodded. "Denby, are you absolutely certain you wish to court Anne? It is almost a falsehood to call her merely difficult. She has rejected all suitors and I do not think you shall fare any better than the others."
"I am prepared to be persistent," Robin said. "I know the lady has a reputation, but I think I can get past that. I think I can win her."
Matlock saw the gleam in Lord Robin's eyes and nodded slowly. "Then I wish you every bit of luck I can. You shall need it."
"Thank you!" Robin rose to his feet and extended his hand to the earl, smiling. "Would it be possible for me to see her?"
"By all means. Hastings!" Matlock shouted. When the servant appeared, Matlock said, "Would you send someone to find Miss Anne and tell her she is wanted in the library?"
"Er...perhaps in the drawing room, Matlock?" Robin suggested, thinking that a library was hardly the place to make his first respectful and romantic gesture towards Anne.
Matlock thought on it a moment. "No, I do not think that would be a good idea. Anne...well, you have a good idea about her temperament. You would have more privacy in here."
Robin nodded, disappointed but not wishing to disagree with Matlock.
"Hastings, send for Miss Anne, please." Matlock smiled.
"Yes, milord." Hastings nodded his head, bowed respectfully, and left the room.
From her window on the second floor, Cordelia gave a small shriek and cried out for her maid to fetch Miss de Bourgh and Miss Darcy immediately.
"Whatever is the matter?" Anne asked, rushing into the room. "Bessie said you were in a panic by something you saw at the window."
"He is here!" she cried.
"Who is here?" Georgiana asked, yawning. Cordelia had a most annoying habit of interrupting her naps.
"Lord Robin! Who else would I be so excited to see?" Cordelia rushed to the window again, but Robin had already been ushered into the house. "He is here, he is here, and he had flowers in his hand!" Cordelia looked down at her gown. "Good heavens, why did no one tell me I looked a fright?"
"Because you do not," Anne said bluntly. "You look like an angel."
"No, no. I could not possibly wear this dress. It is not special enough for this occasion. Anne, come and advise me! Do you think the green muslin would do? Or perhaps the blue satin?"
"I think cream muslin suits you fine," Georgiana said.
"Cream muslin! Yes, where is that?" Cordelia scurried into her wardrobe, tearing it apart looking for the dress.
Anne and Georgiana collapsed onto Cordelia's bed, giggling fiercely.
"What is so amusing? The most important moment of my life is about to happen, and the two of you are laughing at me!"
Anne pointed at the mirror. Cordelia turned to see what was so funny.
She was wearing cream muslin.
"Most amusing," she said sternly, before laughing herself. "Whatever would I do without the two of you to keep me from being a right ninny?"
"We shudder to think," Georgiana giggled.
Cordelia clasped hands with her cousins. "I could not imagine this happening without you," she breathed solemnly. "You two have been so much to me..."
Anne smiled wistfully. Only for a moment did she wish that the wildflowers were for her before banishing the thought. Robin Hamilton was an annoying, embarrassing memory from the past.
"Does my hair look all right?" Cordelia asked, turning back to the mirror.
"You look wonderful, Del," Anne replied. "You always do." Especially when compared to herself. Anne's hair was fashioned in a simple, unflattering knot at the base of her head. She wore a gray gown which made the least of her figure, and her restless night had taken a toll on her face.
A knock at the door interrupted Anne's thoughts on her appearance. Georgiana opened the door to find Bessie standing there. The look on the maid's face troubled her immediately.
"B-beggin' yer pardon, miss, but--"
"Tell my father I shall be down in a moment," Cordelia said.
"N-no, milady. 'Tisn't you what's sent for."
Cordelia's smile froze. Anne looked at the servant, whose eyes had turned to her.
"Y-yer uncle wishes t' see ye in the library, Miss Anne."
"Oh my God," Georgiana breathed.
Cordelia turned her eyes to Anne, her confusion soon giving way to understanding. Lord Robin was not here to see her.
He was here to see Anne.
"Del, I have no idea why...I thought that..." Even as she tried to explain herself to her cousin, Anne could see it was no use. Realization had given way to fury. "Excuse me."
"Annie..." Georgiana called after her, but Anne was gone, down the stairs to get away from Cordelia--even if it meant facing the person who had come between them so abruptly.
It was left to Georgiana, therefore, to comfort Cordelia when she fell upon her bed, sobbing forlornly.
Robin paced the length of the library, nervous as to what was about to happen. Would Anne be eager to see him? Reluctant? Would she continue to pretend that she was not Ophelia? Would he bother to mention it?
Matlock chuckled. "You seem like all of the pups that have come to call upon my Cordelia," he said. "I had never thought to see it."
"Nor did I," Robin replied.
"Nervous about what she shall say?"
Robin paused in his pacing. "Very much so."
There was a loud rap on the door, and before Robin could open it, it swung open and there she was. She was dressed in what was possibly the most hideous dress he had ever seen, her hairstyle was coming loose, and she looked as though she had had trouble sleeping the night before.
It did not matter to him. Nothing could disguise the lovely woman she was.
"I was informed that you wished to see me, Uncle," she said, not bothering to look at Robin. Her direct blue-green gaze focused only on her uncle.
"Yes. Anne, I know you will remember the Earl of Denby."
"I would hope my faculties have not been questioned. I am unlikely to forget a person who was a guest just yesterday." Anne made a rather quick and impertinent bow to Robin.
Robin smiled at her.
"Very well, then. I called you into my office to inform you that the earl has requested my permission to call upon you, and I have given him leave to do so."
Robin stared intently at her face, watching for some sort of reaction. He was disappointed that there was none.
"I see," she said.
Matlock was as startled by her reaction as Robin was. Anne had never accepted an announcement like this so--
"I am afraid I shall have to turn down your offer, however," she added.
Matlock put his hand to his chest, wondering if perhaps she was going to be the cause of his death after all. "Anne, I must insist on--"
Robin raised his hand to silence the earl. "I do not recall having made you an offer, Miss de Bourgh. Had I made an offer, you would have every right to refuse it as you are a rational human being."
Anne's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I must confess, Lord Denby, that I did not expect you to take discouragement so well."
"If you would let me finish, Miss de Bourgh, I would explain my point of view. I am not here as a besotted swain, asking for your hand in marriage simply because your beauty enchanted me. I am not here as a fortune hunter, though I have little to offer I am certain I can rebuild if given enough time."
"Which begs the question, why are you here?"
"Merely because I find you an interesting young woman and I would like to get to know you better. This normally implies some sort of courtship. If, at the end of this courtship, I find you agreeable, I would then ask you to marry me. If you found me agreeable as well, you would accept my offer."
Robin could see that she was unsettled by his way of advancing his suit, and he smiled inwardly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Matlock seemed more relaxed as well.
"I wonder at your rationality in choosing a wife," Anne said.
"Would you rather I come in with flowers and fall upon my knees and beg you to marry me? Would you rather I flatter you with false words and open myself up to your scorn? I cannot do that." Robin smiled.
"You feel nothing for me, then?"
"I did not say that. I said I feel a desire to get to know you better. I have a feeling that were you to get to know me, you might find that I have very little in common with most of the men you have come to know in Society."
"On the contrary, Lord Denby. I highly suspect you are more like them than you think. And whether you are or not, I am afraid that I cannot accept your proposal of courtship."
"For God's sake, Anne! What other alternative do you have?" Matlock roared. "You played all of London false last Season, which leaves the only other interested suitor a man not fit to darken the door of Rosings!"
"I have my reasons, Uncle."
"What possible reason could you have for turning down an earl? He is not one of the hypocrites, as you call them, that you so despise. He has been honest with you about his reasons for wishing to court you. I know you too well to believe that if he had lied and told you things you hear from every other swain in this country that you would be more inclined to accept his suit."
"I have my reasons, Uncle. I would think you of all people would be able to guess what they would be." Anne made a more formal curtsy. "I regret that you have been inconvenienced, Lord Denby, and I do wish you future success in finding a bride. Perhaps one of my cousins would suit you well? It has been said that Lady Cordelia has some resemblance to me, and she is a far more pliable creature than I. I would not recommend that you attempt to engage my cousin Georgiana's interests, for she is far too shy for a man who speaks as...honestly...as you."
"Miss de Bourgh--"
"Or, if you find that neither suits you at all, you shall have a bit of a wait. The next cousin to be presented to society is Lady Ariel, my Uncle Matlock's second daughter. She is but fifteen, and by the time she shall be presented, if I understand correctly, you shall be near forty. I have heard of aging men being interested in girls fresh from the schoolroom, but I somehow do not think you are among them."
Matlock's face turned purple. "Anne de Bourgh, you shall apologize to Lord Denby at once!"
Anne made yet another formal curtsy. "My deepest apologies, Lord Denby. As you can tell, I have a tendency to speak my mind as well."
"Yes, I have heard you have quite a reputation for it. Before you say the final word on the subject, would it be possible for me to speak with you for a moment in private?"
Anne turned pale, and Robin felt like the world's worst bounder. He had no intentions of going through with any sort of threat against her, despite what she clearly thought. He merely wished to change her mind, and having her uncle in the room was not likely to influence her.
"I...I do not think it necessary, Lord Denby."
Matlock interjected, "I think it a wise idea, Denby. I think my niece objects merely to confound me. Perhaps if you were to have a moment alone, she would see reason."
"Uncle, there is no need to--"
"Nonsense! I shall be just down the hall, Anne. You are in a house full of servants, and I dare say you can think of no reason why you should fear being alone with Lord Denby."
Matlock walked to the door, and just as quickly walked out of it, shutting it firmly behind him.
Anne could think of several reasons why she should not be left alone with Robin Hamilton, but she could not tell them to her uncle.
"I have a gift for you," Robin said.
"I saw the flowers," she replied. "They are a rather popular token. Cordelia gets them all the time."
Cordelia. A wave of guilt swept over her, thinking of the last sound she had heard, of Del's heartbroken sobs when she had realized the man she loved was calling on another woman.
Even worse, that the "other woman" was her own cousin.
"I did not bring the flowers alone." Robin took out the box he had kept close to his heart for four years, one he had not thought he would ever be able to return to its owner.
Anne stared at the box as though he had handed her a gun. "It is most unladylike to accept any sort of expensive gift from a gentleman."
"I did not purchase this. Please open it."
Anne's curiosity was piqued, and so she took the box. A moment later, she was staring at a necklace.
Her mother's necklace.
Anne glanced back at him. "To whom does this belong?" she asked, trying not to betray her shock. She had thought the necklace lost forever--her mother had been furious when she had been forced to admit to its disappearance--and to discover that all along he had had it...
"I believe it belongs to you. Does it not...Ophelia?"
Dear God, he knew the truth. She understood it all now. He intended to force her to marry him. And this was the man Cordelia thought a paragon of everything good and noble!
"My name is Anne, Lord Denby. Anne. Surely someone would have told you that, though I have not given you leave to call me by my Christian name."
"Indeed. A good friend of mine even had cause to tell me that it was Anne Ophelia de Bourgh. A rather interesting habit your family has, giving their children Shakespearean names."
Anne knew there was no sense in lying to him about what was so obvious. "Fine. I have no further wish to deny that I was the girl you so shamelessly took advantage of in the Pemberley garden four years ago. As such, I think I am owed an apology."
"An apology!"
"Yes! You wrestled me to the ground and then proceeded to kiss me. I would call that taking advantage of a young lady."
Robin laughed. "I seem to recall that you kissed me back. Do you plan to apologize for that?"
"I never kissed you back!"
"You most certainly did."
"I did my best to get away from you. Remember?"
"I always attributed that foolish move to being confused by my kisses."
Anne looked around her for something to hurl at him. The unmitigated gall of the man! Insinuating that she had enjoyed--
Well, you did.
Anne banished the forbidden thought. All she wished to do was to get rid of him. "What do you wish of me?"
Robin smiled. "I think I made that clear just a short while ago. I wish to be allowed the privilege of courting you, Miss de Bourgh."
"But I do not like you, Lord Denby. Why would you wish to court a young woman who does not like you?"
"You do not know me, Miss de Bourgh. How can you not like someone of which you know nothing?"
"I know all I need to know about you. You kissed me at your engagement ball. I think that speaks for itself."
"Not really. I was quite miserable that night, you know. My bride-to-be was in love with another man--your cousin, I might add--and I knew I would not be marrying her well before you stumbled into my path."
"I stumbled into your path? You stumbled into mine! Blind drunk, no doubt."
"Not at all. Merely miserable, and you changed that in a heartbeat."
"Which heartbeat would that have been?"
"The one when I realized you were a beautiful young lady, not the boy you were pretending to be."
"I did not like you then. I do not like you now, and I refuse to be courted by you." Anne looked down at her mother's necklace. "No matter what you might threaten in order to persuade me otherwise."
"You'll let me come courting."
"And why is that, after I have listed all the reasons why I shall not?"
Robin could hold back no longer. It had been four years since their first kiss in the moonlight. He was ready for something more recent than the distant past. Catching her by surprise, he pulled her to him, tipped that wonderful little chin to meet his gaze, and lowered his head.
Anne could not believe he was daring to do such a thing, in broad daylight, where anyone could see! But when his lips pressed firmly to hers, she knew that he would dare it, that she could not stop him...
That you do not want him to stop.
Anne moved her mouth ever so slightly, but enough that he noticed...and he hungrily claimed her mouth, his kiss deepening and turning more passionate.
I am losing control here. I must get out of this embrace. I must! Del would never forgive me if I...DEL!
"No!" she cried again, breaking free of him. "No, I shall not do this again."
Robin appeared to be as stunned as she was. "Anne, I am sorry. I did not mean for things to get out of control so quickly. I...I merely wished to kiss you again. You have no idea how much I have wanted to do so."
"Lord Denby, may I speak bluntly?"
"You have not asked to do so before."
"The reason I have for not wishing to be courted by you is a personal one."
"Do you mean that under normal circumstances you would be agreeable to a courtship?"
"Not necessarily."
"What is your reason?"
"If I told you, it would no longer be personal."
"So I am to fight some thing which you will not tell me. It places me at an unfair disadvantage, Miss de Bourgh."
"I know, but...but I would ask that you respect my request and not court me."
Robin looked into her eyes and wondered what could possibly be torturing her so much. It was clear to him that this reason had to be a strong one. If she had not liked him, she would not have kissed him as she had.
"Are you being blackmailed by someone?" he asked softly, not wishing to frighten her.
"No. What on earth made you think that?"
"It would involve a personal problem that you could not tell me."
"I am not being blackmailed."
"Then has it something to do with your cousin?"
The stricken look returned to Anne's face, and Robin knew he had guessed correctly. "Miss Darcy fears that her secret elopement may be revealed by me."
This time, the confusion was fleeting. "Yes," Anne said, and he knew it was a lie. It had nothing to do with Georgiana at all.
"No," he said. "Not Miss Darcy. Lady Cordelia."
Anne turned away from him, realizing that every emotion she felt must be showing on her face. She had thought she had mastered the art of revealing nothing, so prized among the ton.
"Lady Cordelia's fate has been tied to yours by her father, as I have been told."
"Uncle was not in good humour that day."
"Nor any other day, it would seem."
"Not since he assumed guardianship of me. 'Tis his own fault, though."
"Why is that?"
"Something else I have no intention of telling you. What sort of reputation would I have if I went around telling everyone my family secrets?"
"An excellent point." Robin sighed, wishing she would trust him with whatever it was preventing her from being with him. "If your personal reason has to do with Lady Cordelia, it can only be over this marriage mess. If you marry, then she shall be free to marry. Does she not wish to marry?"
"She would very much like to be married."
"Does her father have a husband in mind for her, should you marry?"
"I cannot say. The Duke of Dorchester was considered the most likely choice."
"Someone told me that."
"The same someone who told you my middle name?"
"Anne, I did not need to hear it confirmed to know you were Ophelia."
Anne realized where he was going with his supposition. If it kept him from guessing the truth, she would say nothing to discourage him.
"Lady Cordelia is afraid that if you marry, she shall be forced into marriage with that old goat."
"I honestly do not think that my uncle would force her to marry. Cordelia is his favourite, you see, and he loves her a great deal. But he would do his best to persuade her to marry the duke, and Del does not have my courage. She would capitulate in order to please her father."
"What if she were to fall in love with another man?"
"He would have to be of equal rank to her father. Matlock is determined to have at least an earl for his eldest daughter. He would prefer a marquis or a duke, but he would settle for an earl. You would be perfect."
Anne nearly bit her tongue and was grateful that her back was to him so he could not see how close to the truth that statement came.
"I suspect he would have welcomed my suit of his daughter. Indeed, he thought that I was here to court Cordelia at first."
"You make it sound rather odd. Cordelia is quite beautiful."
"So are you. More beautiful, in fact."
"Please do not say things you cannot mean. I know what I am, and while I have my own sort of handsomeness, I am not beautiful like Cordelia."
"You are right. You do not need to be beautiful like her. Cordelia is...well, she's...she is a pretty girl. In time, she may be what you are."
"And what am I?"
"You are magnificent, Anne."
Anne felt tears forming in her eyes and she banished them away. She would not become one of those weepy women like in the dreadful Gothic novels! She was strong. She was a woman who did not need a man, and certainly not this one.
She felt her resolve strengthen. She could withstand this man. He may kiss like an angel but he could never be hers. She would never forgive herself for being the one to break Cordelia's heart if she gave in to temptation with this man.
"I am sorry, Lord Denby," she said stiffly, turning to face him. "I cannot allow you to court me. I cannot give you my reasons for doing so. You must accept this. Tell my uncle you accept my decision."
"I shall do no such thing."
"But why? Why can you not respect my decision?"
"Because, my dear Miss de Bourgh, I am a stubborn man. And a determined one. If I had wished to wed anyone else, I would have done so by now."
"You very nearly did," she replied hotly.
"True, but I think if your cousin had not come between us, something else would have." Robin smiled a private smile, recalling Richard Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth's infatuation with him.
"I refuse to be anyone's second choice."
"You are making up excuses as you go along. You have no real reason to refuse me and you know it."
"I do not feel I need one."
"Nevertheless, until you provide me with a satisfactory one, I shall call upon you."
"I shall not see you if you do. Just ask Lord Cassel. I refuse him almost daily."
"Is that a challenge, Miss de Bourgh?"
"You may see it as you wish."
"Then I suggest you be prepared to lose. I am known as an excellent duelist."
"There has never been quite so much at stake," she replied with a calmness she did not feel. "Good day, Lord Denby."
"Miss de Bourgh. I shall come by tomorrow afternoon at four. Perhaps we could go for a ride through Hyde Park."
"I do not ride."
"I happen to know that that is a lie. You are an excellent horsewoman...and I have that on excellent authority." Robin's smile only increased. "Until tomorrow...Ophelia." He made a bow and walked out of the room.
He was immediately accosted by Matlock, who had been standing in the hall. "Well?" he asked.
"I shall be coming to the house tomorrow."
"Excellent!" Matlock beamed. "What did you say to her to make her change her mind?"
"Absolutely nothing. In fact, she shall likely say she is not going to see me again. If you would not mind, just ignore her when she says it."
Matlock laughed. "I think I see your ploy, Lord Robin. Ignore her protests and win the day. Let us pray Anne does not guess, eh?"
"Anne shall figure it out quickly enough, I believe. She's very bright. What I hope is that in time, she shall realize how much I care for her and it will overcome whatever objection she has to marrying me."
Matlock led his guest out the door, not looking up to see the four young girls who had been watching and listening to every word. And he took no notice of the sound of running feet heading for Georgiana's door, for it was an ordinary sound in his home.
Dinner was a stilted affair at the Fitzwilliam house. Cordelia chose not to sit with Anne as she normally did, but instead sat as far away from her cousin as possible. The earl was confused but Cordelia managed to cover her choice well, saying that she needed to ask her mother questions that she did not feel like shouting from across a table.
Anne ate very little supper, feeling Cordelia's full meaning and glare every time she glanced at her cousin. She was still trying to figure out how she was going to put off Lord Robin when he arrived the next morning, but short of saying she was suffering from some hideous disease, she could think of nothing that would not make her look like the basest of cowards.
Worse still, she could think of no way to get around the even greater problem of his suit. She was smart enough to realize that he did not wish merely to get to know her. Based on one foolish conversation and an even more foolish kiss, Robin Hamilton was seriously considering marriage to her.
She could not allow things to get that far. She had to stop him, for she knew that if she did not, she could very easily find herself in a way to be falling in love with him.
Poor Georgiana, Anne noted, was torn between comforting Cordelia and sympathizing with Anne. She had opted not to show any favoritism by sitting between Ariel and Juliet, two of Cordelia's sisters. They were whispering to Georgiana about something, but Anne was so busy trying to figure out a solution to her problem that she did not bother inquiring.
The earl looked rather pleased with himself, Anne thought with anger. She knew that Oliver Fitzwilliam would like nothing better than to be rid of his troublesome niece, and she knew that he was convinced Lord Robin would be the one to take her off of his hands.
Anne finally decided she had had enough of pretending to make polite conversation, even if it was with her own family, and left the table. She escaped to her room and flopped onto her bed, wishing she were anywhere but London. Truth be told, she would much rather be at Rosings.
Rosings, her beautiful home, had been in the de Bourgh family for nine generations. There were some on the de Bourgh side of the family who were displeased with the fact that Anne had inherited the estate.
Of course, they are all men, she thought with disgust, her memories taking her back to her childhood, and the annual visits she had endured from her de Bourgh cousins. Her mother's insistence that she was a frail child had given the de Bourgh family hope.
"Perhaps the child will not outlive her mother." Which de Bourgh relative had made that statement? Odd how she could no longer remember, not that it mattered. Only one had dared to say it aloud, all the rest had thought it to themselves.
"One of us could marry her. Then we'd get the estate. I'd marry her to get Rosings."
"Would you want to marry that brat? She's ugly, and she's got that ugly red hair." Her cousins Daniel and Stephen, when she was thirteen.
"It is unnatural for a young woman to desire to run an estate without a man. You really should consider marriage, Anne. It is the only option open to you. Your poor mother...well, she was quite mistaken about your health. You are healthy, and rather pretty. You could marry well, right here within your own family." Her aunt, Susan de Bourgh, soon after her mother's death.
It seemed as though everyone had wanted her to marry within her own family. Her mother had intended for Fitzwilliam to marry her. Her father's family did not care who she chose, as long as he was a de Bourgh.
Her uncle wished her to marry so she would not plague him any further. He had been so desperate to be free of his duty toward her that he had forced her into a season without any preparation. Then he made the presumptuous decision to allow Robin Hamilton to court her!
"Is it not every girl's wish to be married?" That had been Del's question last year, as she had been preparing for her debut.
"Perhaps it is the wish of other girls, but I have no desire to be married."
And for the life of her, Anne could not understand why she felt that way. She had nothing against marriage as an institution, despite of what she told Cordelia and Georgiana the other evening. There were people who were happy together. Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth. Cousin Richard and Sabrina. Even, she felt, her uncle and aunt. And she believed with all her heart that if Lord Robin would see Del for the treasure she was and not, as he had said earlier, as merely a pretty girl, that he would find deep happiness with her as well.
Marriage was simply not for her. Her mother had been a widow for all the years Anne had known her. Lewis de Bourgh had died when Anne had been a baby, and of course, her mother would never bring shame to the de Bourgh or Fitzwilliam names by remarrying after a decent interval had passed. As far as Anne knew, her mother had never cared for any man as she had Lewis de Bourgh...if she had even loved him.
Anne wondered about that sometimes, whether or not her mother and father had loved each other. Had the great Lady Catherine de Bourgh known what it was like to be held in a man's arms and feel as though she were the only thing in his universe? Had she known the true satisfaction of being loved by another human being? Had the reason her mother never remarried been solely due to respect?
Anne dearly wished her mother were still alive to answer her questions. But, she reflected with a sad little sigh, she would not have known even if Lady Catherine were still there. Though she forever insisted on knowing everything about everyone else, her mother rarely said much about her personal feelings...at least, those that mattered. Asking her if she had loved her husband would have been seen as an insult.
And Anne was not altogether certain she wanted to know the truth.
Anne shook her head vigorously. How on earth had she gotten to thinking about her mother? It seemed to her as though she was losing her mind. She needed to think about the vexing Lord Denby, and how to get him to transfer his affections to Cordelia.
Knock-knock-knock.
Anne looked at her door and decided to ignore whoever was wanting to speak with her. She needed to think.
KNOCK KNOCK.
"Go away!" Anne snapped. "I do not wish to see anyone!"
"I think you owe it to me to speak to me."
Anne rose abruptly from the bed. Cordelia was at her door. Smoothing down her skirt, not that Del would care, Anne walked to her chamber door and opened it. Cordelia stood there, Georgiana behind her.
I was wrong. Georgie has taken a side, and it is not mine. She thinks Lord Robin's courtship is my fault as well.
Georgiana's unspoken stance on the problem hurt almost as much as Cordelia's cold fury.
"Come in," Anne said calmly, stepping aside to let them in and shutting the door behind them.
Cordelia did not wait a moment before asking, "Is what Georgiana tells me true?"
"I cannot say. What did she tell you?"
"She said that you refused Lord Robin's suit."
Anne looked at Georgiana, who was still standing behind Cordelia.
"I did," Anne said quietly.
"Why?"
Anne's head was feeling a bit light. Cordelia, who had been so furious that Lord Robin had come to call upon her, now seemed furious with her for refusing him!
I cannot make any sort of sense out of this.
"B-because it would be wrong," she replied. "How did you find this out?" Anne directed the question at Georgiana. "Did you spy on us in the library?" Blood rushed to Anne's face, fearing that Georgiana had done just that. Had she seen Robin kiss her? Was that why Cordelia was here now?
"No!" Georgiana exclaimed. "I was with Del from when you left us until supper. But the girls--"
Oh, Lord! "The girls" were the four youngest daughters of the Earl of Matlock--Ariel, Juliet, Isabella, and Miranda. They tended to know everything before anyone else did but, with the possible exception of Ariel, had no sense of discretion.
"--in the hall."
"Excuse me?" Anne realized she had not been paying attention to Georgiana.
"They heard Lord Denby and our uncle in the hall, talking about you. Lord Denby plans to call upon you regardless of your wishes."
Anne could not help feeling relieved, in spite of the frustration of hearing Lord Robin's words. At least her nosy cousins did not know of her shameless behaviour in the library.
"Why did you reject him?" Cordelia asked again.
Anne looked steadily at her. "Do you honestly think I would act in such a way as would bring you such unhappiness? I could never accept a man's suit when I knew you had feelings for him."
Cordelia had the grace to look ashamed, but she soon said, "Then why did you meet with him? You could have sent word with Flowers that you would not meet him."
"I was only being polite. Your father would have stabbed me with a dull knife had I not joined them in the library."
"So...you mean to continue to refuse his suit."
"Of course I do! I did not welcome it in the first place."
Cordelia blinked. "Did he say why he came to call upon you? Did he say anything about me? Why would he call upon you if you refused him?"
"Del, perhaps you should not treat this like an inquisition," Georgiana suggested. "Poor Anne has had a good deal to worry about this evening, and you have not helped at all."
"It is all right," Anne said. "I think we should have everything out in the open. He said the reason he came to call upon me was that he wanted to get to know me better."
"To get to know you better? That does not sound the least bit romantic," Georgiana said.
"He was being rational," Anne felt compelled to defend him. "He said he thought we might suit. I cannot imagine where he got such an idea, as I barely looked at him all throughout supper last night." With a sigh, Anne decided to tell Del part of what Robin had said about her. "He said you were very beautiful, Del."
Cordelia's face lit up. Anne thought wistfully that if Lord Robin could see her just then, he would fall in love with her instantly.
"Really?" she asked hopefully.
Anne nodded. "As to your last question, I can only guess at Lord Robin's motives for pursuing an interest in me. Perhaps he likes a challenge. Perhaps he fears you think him too old--there are nearly fourteen years between you, after all. Perhaps I am merely the means to an end."
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe he is courting me because he is being sly. Courting me gets him closer to you. Courting me gives him better access to you. If he were to declare himself one of your suitors, he would receive the same response from your father that every other swain has--that you cannot marry unless I do." The more Anne talked about it, the more she wished she could believe it to be true. She could not, however, confess that she had a good idea why Lord Robin was courting her, and it had nothing to do with getting close to Cordelia.
Cordelia, however, was in raptures. "Do you suppose that could be it?" she asked.
"Do not read much into it," Anne said. "It is only one possibility."
"And the other two are just as likely," Georgiana added.
"Do you think if I told him that I loved him--"
"Del! You cannot possibly think of doing any such thing," Georgiana exclaimed, scandalised. "A lady is never supposed to encourage a gentleman so blatantly. A lady must be more subtle than that."
"Anne certainly seemed to have no trouble getting his attention," Cordelia said thoughtlessly. "I think Lord Robin likes the more direct approach."
Anne turned away from her cousin before she lost her temper. The last thing she wished to do was to say something she would later regret.
"I do not think that a good idea," Anne said when she felt herself under control. "I think we need to be a bit devious with Lord Robin."
"Devious?" Georgiana looked from Anne to Cordelia, not liking the look in either one's eyes.
"What could we do?" Cordelia asked.
"I do not know. I have been trying to think of something all evening and nothing has come to mind."
"You could accept someone else's offer," Cordelia said.
"Del!" Georgiana exclaimed. "How you could you suggest that? You know Anne has no intention of getting married."
"I do not actually mean she would marry someone else. She would only accept the offer, wait until her birthday, cry off, and by then, I should hopefully have Lord Robin falling in love with me."
"That would be cruel," Georgiana said.
"It is not a bad idea, though," Anne murmured, thinking it over.
"Annie! You cannot be taking that idea seriously! Del, tell her you were only joking." But Georgiana could see by the look in her eyes that Del was serious--and Anne was considering it.
"The only problem is that I have no other offers than from Lord Cassel, and I somehow do not think he would take the crying off part well," Anne said, sitting on her bed again.
"Perhaps we could convince one of your friends to step in as your fiancé," Cordelia said. "What about Lord Axelby?"
Anne thought him a perfect solution--for about two seconds. She then recalled that Lord Rupert was a friend of Lord Robin's. He would never go along with a scheme affecting his friend.
"He is Lord Robin's friend," Georgiana said, coming to Anne's rescue. "I do not think--"
"Does he know that Lord Robin intends to court Anne, though?"
"What has that to do with anything?"
"Georgie, we have talked about this."
"Talked about what?" Anne asked.
Two guilty faces looked at her.
"Nothing," Cordelia said quickly.
But Anne knew, of course. They had always teased her about Lord Rupert, because he was the only one of her friends who was a gentleman. Anne had never given Lord Rupert a romantic thought, and she knew he felt the same about her. "We are friends," she emphasized yet again.
"Suppose he wishes to become more than friends? I think he would," Cordelia said bluntly. "You are in the habit of pushing everyone away. I think if you came to him with this plan, told him that you do not wish to marry--"
"If he is in love with me, he shall not be quick to agree to a false engagement," Anne pointed out. "He shall actually expect me to marry him, and I do not feel that way about him."
"If you are just friends, you can explain the entire situation to him. Tell him that you do not love Lord Robin but he has some peculiar fixation on you. Tell him that you do not wish to make his friend unhappy. Tell him that there is someone who loves him, who can make him happy. Convince him that he is not only doing this for you, but also for Lord Robin."
"This is madness," Georgiana said. "And I do not think I wish to be a part of it."
Anne and Cordelia stared at her. "Why is it madness?" Anne asked once she had regained her voice.
"Could you not simply tell Lord Robin that you do not wish to marry him?"
"I did. He ignored me. Matlock is encouraging his suit. No one seems to care what I think, so I must find some way to get out of this mess." Anne sighed. "Cordelia's plan does seem to be the best idea. If I were to become engaged to another man, Lord Robin would not be able to court me. My uncle would stop lecturing me on why I should marry. Cordelia would not be upset and would hopefully win Lord Robin. And Lord Rupert...well, he would have a bit of fun. Who knows? Perhaps I shall decide that he and I do suit. He is one of the few gentlemen I know that I find agreeable."
"I still cannot agree to be part of such a plot."
"We are not asking you to be," Cordelia said coldly. "If you do not wish to go along with it, that is fine. You are not part of it anyway. I would appreciate it, however, if you would not tell anyone else what we are planning."
"Del, that was unkind," Anne said quietly, seeing tears spring to Georgiana's eyes.
"I would never do that to you," Georgiana murmured. "Never." And before Anne could comfort her, she ran out of the room.
Anne looked over at Cordelia, who looked slightly apologetic.
"You should not have said that," Anne said. "You know you can trust her."
"I am sorry, but there are few options available to us. It gets tiring listening to someone reject the best of the bunch," Cordelia said. "Do you honestly think Lord Rupert will go along with our idea?"
Anne decided it was best to be honest, and said what she knew she should have when Georgiana had expressed her concerns. "No."
"No? But you were the one saying that it was an excellent idea, that perhaps you actually would marry Lord Axelby!"
"Del, Lord Robin and the viscount have been friends for far too long. Despite the fact that Lord Rupert and I have a more recent friendship, the ties he has with Lord Robin are likely too strong to ask him to deceive his friend in such a way--even if we claim it is for his own good."
"There is no harm in asking, though, is there?"
"There might be. Suppose he goes to Lord Robin and tells him what we hope to accomplish?"
"We would swear him to secrecy."
"You were just doubting your own cousin and now you wish to let another person know of our plans?"
Cordelia again had the good grace to look embarrassed. "There is no other way."
Anne lay down on her bed and put her hands to her temples. They were throbbing badly, and she knew that if only Cordelia would leave her alone for five minutes, she might think of another way out of this mess. If only everyone would leave her alone...
She sat up abruptly, despite the pain in her head. "I have it!" she exclaimed. "Why did I not think of it before? I must be a fool!"
"What is it, Annie?" Cordelia asked.
Anne stood up and started pacing, her plan becoming clearer to her. "I must not be alone with him," she said, and felt much more relieved for saying it aloud. When she was alone with Lord Robin, she was prone to doing things such as she had done today.
"I do not understand."
Anne looked at her cousin, sitting in one of her chairs, frowning.
"It is simple. Lord Robin has said that he wishes to get to know me. How can he get to know me if we are never alone? If I can keep myself surrounded by people until the holidays, then I am certain to escape without him making an offer to me. And if one of the people who is always around us just happens to be you, all the better. I can contrive a hundred different ways for the two of you to be alone for short periods of time. You shall have to make the most of what I can give you."
"Will it not look strange if I am always around you?"
"Not necessarily. People know that we are close, and when they see us out with Lord Robin they shall think he is courting you and I am your chaperon. Besides, I was not thinking of relying only on you. I can invite Lord Rupert on our outings without looking suspicious, as he is Lord Robin's friend. Georgiana can come along, and I think she shall go along with this since it is much less offensive than the other plan. Perhaps we could think of another gentleman to come along for her."
"I do not think Georgiana would like that," Cordelia said.
"She will hate looking like an extra carriage wheel more--although perhaps we could arrange it so she could be with Lord Rupert. He is so friendly and outgoing that I think Georgiana would be comfortable around him. I do not care how I appear to everyone."
"As we all well know."
Anne laughed and felt better than she had in two days. "Tomorrow, Lord Robin is coming to see me. We are supposed to go riding in the park. I think instead that we shall have to go for a drive, and that I shall somehow not end up in a carriage with him."
Cordelia looked at her with some nervousness. "Annie, you are not thinking of asking Lord Axelby if you can drive his carriage again, are you? Papa was most upset when he heard you had--"
Anne smiled wickedly. "If my uncle wishes for me to see Lord Robin, he shall simply have to accept what I do while in his presence. And now, I think perhaps we should retire for the evening. I know you shall want to look your best for Lord Robin tomorrow."
"Of course. Good evening, Anne...and thank you."
Anne smiled. "There is no need to thank me, Del. If I did not wish to do this, I wouldn't. You know me too well to doubt that."
But as Cordelia left the room, Anne thought for the briefest moment about Robin's kiss...and wondered if perhaps she was making a mistake. With a shake of her head, she told herself not to be foolish. She did not love the man, and her cousin did; therefore, Cordelia should marry him. It was as simple as that.
The first thing Anne did the following morning was to look for Georgiana. She knew that Cordelia might not remember to apologize to her, and she also needed to reassure her young cousin that they did not plan to go through with the idea that had so outraged her the night before.
She found Georgiana breaking her fast alone on a balcony that overlooked the gardens.
"Good morning, cousin," she said quietly as she walked out to face her.
Georgiana turned to face her, green eyes looking guarded. "Good morning, Annie. Please, sit and have something to eat."
"Thank you." Anne was grateful that Georgiana had not thrown her out...and that she had invited her to share breakfast. She was starving. She sat down and reached for one of Cook's marvelous blueberry muffins. "Georgie, about last night..."
"Do not say anything. I know I should not have spoken out as I did. I above all others should know that people in love are willing to go extremes for the person they want to be with. But I also know where such measures can lead."
"If it would make you feel better, I know Cordelia is sorry for what she said to you last night."
"Did she say that, or are you simply being kind by coming to say it for her?"
"I have no doubt she shall apologize when she awakens."
"Dreaming of having Lord Robin to herself, no doubt."
"Georgiana--"
"I have said all I need to say on the subject."
"We are not going to go through with her plan," Anne said. "I thought of a better one, and a much simpler one at that." Anne detailed what she had thought of the night before. When she was through, she could see the relief on her cousin's face.
"I am glad you are not going to do that other one."
"This does seem simpler," Anne agreed. "Plus, it does not risk anyone getting hurt."
Georgiana looked at Anne closely before daring to ask, "Not even yourself?"
"I cannot imagine what you are talking about."
"You know quite well what I refer to, Anne de Bourgh, and do not pretend that you are unaware of it."
"I am quite sure I do not know what you mean."
Georgiana took a sip of tea before answering. "I did not tell Cordelia everything the girls saw yesterday."
Anne nearly choked on the piece of muffin she had just eaten. Managing to swallow, she said, "And just what did those brats say they saw?"
"You know this house is full of secret hiding places and staircases, though Lord only knows why our illustrious ancestors found them necessary to have. The painting of our great-grandfather Henry Fitzwilliam is a place where one can spy upon what goes on in the library."
Anne turned bright red.
"The girls said you kissed Lord Robin."
"He kissed me. Not the other way around. I wish to be perfectly clear on that point." Anne sighed. "Do they know that Cordelia is in love with him?"
"Of course they do. Why do you think they came to me and not to her?"
"To extort something from you, no doubt. I am surprised they did not come to me after he left."
"They thought of it. I hope you do not mind, but I told Ariel she could borrow your pearl necklace for my debut party. Our aunt is allowing her to join the supper."
Anne groaned. The pearl necklace was her favourite, one she had intended to wear to Georgiana's debut ball. But if it would keep the girls from telling Cordelia the truth about Robin and herself...
"...Miranda and Isabella have not said what they would like, but Juliet wants to read your copy of Tom Jones."
"She does not fool me. I know she has read it already. She left chocolate smudges all over the pages, though she claimed it was Ariel."
"I think she wishes to keep it for herself this time."
"It does not matter to me. I did not particularly like it. I only read it to make our uncle mad."
"Do not say that too loudly. Lord only knows where they are at the moment."
"Do you know, I am so looking forward to the time when those fiends are old enough for him to marry off. If he thinks I create trouble..."
Georgiana laughed. "Yes, our uncle shall certainly have his hands full, especially since they are so close together in age. But Anne, you know you should not disparage him so. He is only doing what he thinks is best."
"He does not take me into consideration--we have talked of this before, Georgie."
"I know, but I think you should try to see things from his point of view. He only wishes for you to have what Society considers a woman's place in life--a husband, a family, a household of her own to govern."
"I have the household already, so what would I need with the rest of it?"
"I think you want it a great deal more than you are willing to admit."
"If you think one kiss is enough to make me change my mind about how I plan to spend the course of my life, you are mistaken. And if the girls saw everything, then they should have told you that I broke free of his kiss--"
"They told me that you seemed to enjoy it very much."
'Nonsense."
"And that you gave a personal reason for not wishing him to court you."
"You know what that reason is."
"And that you said if it were not for that reason, you would consider his suit."
"I never said that!" Anne was furious. "He asked me if I would reconsider and I said that I might or I might not. That was the extent of it."
"They also said he gave you a present, and that you accepted it."
"It was flowers." Anne looked down at her muffin and tea.
"They said it looked like jewelry."
Anne groaned. Did those brats miss nothing?
"And they said he kept calling you by your middle name. How did he know that?"
"Someone told him what it was. Lord Rupert, actually."
"And the jewelry?"
"My mother's cross. I lost it four years ago at Lord Robin's engagement ball. I know I told you this. Lord Robin found it and returned it to me. It was not a gift at all."
"Annie, I wish you would tell me the truth."
Anne looked up from her food. Georgiana's eyes looked sad and full of hurt.
"You know everything I did when I ran away with George Wickham. I told you how terribly I acted toward my own brother, and all the things George said that day. Things I never wanted to remember, much less tell anyone."
"I know." Anne felt ashamed. "I did not tell you about what happened to me that night because I was so embarrassed that I did not want anyone to know."
"Did you not think I felt the same way?"
Anne could not even say that her case was different. It was one thing to kiss a man in the moonlight--many a young woman did that. It was quite another to run away with an unsuitable man to be married. Georgiana's experience had been far worse than Anne's. And Anne had not even had the decency to admit to her own foolishness. Perhaps Georgiana would not feel so awkward if she knew that the cousin she considered so wise had been just as foolish that night.
With a sigh, Anne said, "I wanted to attend the ball that evening. Mama would not let me. She was furious that Fitzwilliam was having an engagement ball for a servant's daughter and said she would not lower herself to attend."
"But she was there!"
"She changed her mind at the last minute, of course. She always did. But by that time, she had declared that I had caught a chill in spite of the summer heat, and that I could not possibly attend. I was determined to go to the ball, even if I had to do so in disguise. So I...I stole some clothes from the butler's son and put them on. I only intended to be gone for a while, for I knew Mama would retire early."
Georgiana's eyes were wide as saucers. "You attended the ball as a boy?"
"Not exactly. I stood at the edge of the ball and I saw the dancing, but then I saw my mother and I had to get away for a while. I went to the stables to see the horses Fitzwilliam was so proud of, and on my way back someone walked straight into my path. We collided and fell to the ground."
"You ran into Lord Denby, didn't you?"
Anne nodded. "I was able to convince him I was a boy until I stood up to leave. I guess it was then that he realized I was a woman. I tried to run away, but he caught up to me in the garden. I tried to get away from him but could not. He tried to get me to tell him my name. I gave him my middle one, which was how he originally knew it. And then he kissed me."
"It...did not go any further than that, did it?"
"Of course not! I got away and back up to my room. A short time later, my mother appeared, saying that although she knew I was weak, I was needed downstairs. They put me in a gown and told me to stay in the shadows of the room to pretend I was you. Lord Robin never noticed me, and then a couple of days later Lady Grace died and he left."
"And that was the end of it?"
"Until he arrived two days ago. I had been hoping he might mistake Cordelia for me. It would have been easy to do, as he had my mother's necklace and the cross with her initials."
"Del's middle name is Rose."
"We know that. Lord Robin would not have."
"He recognized you anyway?"
Anne nodded. "And now he wishes to court me."
"Annie...in your deepest heart, do you want him to court you?"
"No."
"If Cordelia were not in your way, would you accept his suit?" Before Anne could answer as she had before, Georgiana held up a hand. "Be honest with me."
Anne looked away but did not see the beautiful gardens Lady Matlock kept. She thought of Georgiana's question, which had been Lord Robin's question the day before. Had Cordelia not loved him, would she have considered him?
"Maybe," she said finally. "I know so little about him, though."
"You know he has exceptional taste in women." Georgiana smiled.
"Then why does he not see Cordelia's worth?" Anne countered. "She is ten times lovelier than I, but he considers her nothing more than a pretty girl."
"Is that what he said?"
"Yes. I am amazed the girls did not tell you that."
"They said he called you magnificent."
"I cannot imagine why. I am quite ordinary."
Georgiana smiled again, though Anne was looking out at the garden again and taking no notice. Anne had always thought of herself as the plainest of the three of them when in fact she was just as handsome as Cordelia. But, she thought as her smile faded, she supposed that thinking little of her looks was what came from being cosseted by her mother so. Anne thought herself as lacking something.
"Something about you appeals to him, otherwise he would not have said it."
"The challenge. It is nothing more than that, I assure you. If I were to become one of those simpering misses fresh from the schoolroom, he would not even be considering me. Perhaps that is what I should tell Del. If she wishes to win his heart, she should be impertinent."
"It worked for you, or so it would seem."
Anne looked back at her cousin. "We should get off this subject. I have made my decision and I am not going to waver from it, no matter what my uncle or Lord Robin do to try and change my mind. Since there is no point in wondering what might be, we must go forward and plan what shall be."
Although Anne did not realize it, she gave Georgiana a better idea of what lay in her heart than she might have wished. The look on her face said it all. In spite of her protests to the contrary, Anne felt something for Robin Hamilton, and Georgiana knew it.
She only wished she could do something to help Anne without hurting Cordelia. Unfortunately, it seemed an impossible business.
"Tell me, Georgiana, would you object to being around a select group of people? It would be easier for me to avoid Lord Robin if we had a decent-sized group with us at all times. At least six or seven. We thought to invite Lord Axelby and perhaps another gentleman. Maybe Lord Axelby's friend Sir Lysander Overton, though I do not know him well. This way, when we go out, I can maneuver to be with Lord Rupert, leaving Lord Robin to Cordelia and the other gentleman to you. Or if you do not feel comfortable doing that, then you and I can always join Lord Rupert."
"I--I think I would be more comfortable being with you. If you think it wise to invite another man, then that would be fine, as long as we could be together."
"Our arrangements do not much matter, so long as Cordelia and Robin are alone. I think we can manage that...and Lord Robin shall hopefully be none the wiser."
Anne picked up her muffin and took a healthy bite just as Cordelia called, "Good morning, cousins!"
"Good morning, Del. We are nearly finished eating, as you can see, but--"
"Oh, good heavens, I could not possibly eat today. I am too nervous! Did Annie tell you of our plan, Georgiana?"
"She did."
"Do you agree that it is a far superior plan to the one I had?"
"You may safely say that I do."
Cordelia sighed. "Georgie, I should not have said what I did last night. It was wrong of me to doubt you so, especially when your fears were well-founded about my plan. You must understand how desperate I was...I mean, surely you do."
Georgiana nodded.
"I am truly sorry. Please accept my apology, and if I ever do anything so reprehensible in the future, you have my permission to slap me."
Anne chuckled, the idea of Georgiana feeling angry enough to strike her cousin being foreign to her. The only time Georgiana had ever admitted to feeling such anger was during her botched elopement, when her brother had refused to let her marry George Wickham. And she deeply regretted that now.
"I shall keep it in mind," Georgiana said, her grim demeanor only holding out for a moment before she joined Anne in laughing.