Roswell arched an eyebrow. “How is it that you do not believe yourself to be beautiful?”
“Because I know that I am not,” Anette replied. “My mother was a diamond of the first water and I…” She paused before saying, “I am just the odd one.”
“The odd one?”
“Yes, I am perfectly fine accepting that.”
He grew silent for a long moment. “You are wrong,” he finally said. “You are the most beautiful girl that I know.”
“You are prone to exaggeration, my lord.”
Roswell reached for her arm and gently turned her to face him. “In my humble opinion, the most beautiful people, truly beautiful inside and out, are the ones who are completely unaware of their effect on others.”
“I have a mirror—”
“Then it must be broken for you to not know how captivating you are,” Roswell asserted, cutting her off.
Anette stared up at him, daring herself to believe him. If what he was saying was true, why didn’t he love her?
Roswell dropped his arm but remained close. “I don’t want you to go one more day without knowing that I find you to be utterly beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she murmured. Did she just thank him? He must think she was a complete imbecile.
Caleb’s voice came from next to them. “Why did you two stop along the path?” he asked.
“I wanted to see a plant up close,” Anette rushed out.
With a grin, Caleb asked, “Shouldn’t you be looking at the plants and not Roswell?”
“Yes, that is what I should be doing,” she replied.
Octavia shook her head. “I do not see what is so interesting about these gardens,” she said. “My feet are getting tired.”
“I should apologize for my sister, but she has no culture,” Roswell teased.
“I have plenty of culture, but I am not impressed by gardens that have similar plants to what we have at our townhouse,” Octavia declared. “I would much rather look at the pavilions.”
Caleb offered his arm. “Allow me to escort you, my lady.”
As Caleb and Octavia walked off on the lighted path, Anette asked, “Do you think my brother has designs on Octavia?”
Roswell chuckled. “Heavens, no,” he replied. “Octavia and your brother are ill-suited for one another.”
“Why do you suppose that is?”
“For starters, Octavia considers Caleb almost as a brother. I do not think she harbors any affection for him.”
“I believe you.”
Roswell offered his arm. “Shall we follow them before we lose them in the crowd?”
Anette gave him a shy smile as she placed her hand on his arm. Finding herself curious, she asked, “Who is Kendrick?”
Keeping his gaze straight ahead, Roswell demanded, “Where did you hear that name?”
“I overheard you and Caleb talking when I went in search of him,” Anette revealed, leaving out the part that she had intentionally eavesdropped.
He clenched his jaw. “Kendrick is a drinking friend of ours at White’s.”
