“For several weeks, in the middle of the racing season, under the roof of a man I have known for two days and do not trust.”
“I would ensure you are treated with respect.”
“I am already treated with respect here,” she replied. “At least enough to avoid becoming a spectacle.”
Silence followed.
He looked at her in a way that was less amused than before. She knew that he was agitated by her refusal, and she thought that was a good thing. After all, she had not asked him to come, and she had never once given even the faintest suggestion that she was willing to do his bidding.
“He will not improve without you.”
“And I am meant to accept that as sufficient reason to uproot my entire life?”
“You are meant to accept it as a reason to consider it.”
“I have considered it,” Anne said. “The answer remains no.”
The distance between them felt smaller than it should have been in a room that large, and that was only made worse when the door opened behind her.
“Anne,” Lady Carlisle said, then paused when she noticed the Duke. “Your Grace.”
“My Lady.”
Lady Carlisle hesitated, then stepped fully into the room. “There is something you should know, Anne.”
Anne turned slightly, wincing. The time for such a conversation could not have been worse.
“Mother—”
“Mr. Holloway has sent word again,” Lady Carlisle continued. “He expects an answer within days.”
“I have already told you that I do not wish to leave.”
“I am aware,” she said gently. “But it is not as though we have another choice.”
The Duke’s attention remained fixed on Anne, but he said nothing. It was mortifying to have her mother airing their private lives right in front of him, but when she looked at him properly, he did not seem to be mocking her.
“He has offered to pay off the estate’s remaining debts, on the condition that arrangements are made quickly. He believes it would be appropriate for you to leave Rosemere once married.”
“He is negotiating my departure as though he is a part of this family and I am not.”
“Anne, it is not?—”
“It is exactly that,” Anne said, her voice sharp. “It is always that, and one would think that my mother of all people would protect me.”
She turned away from them both, walking a few steps toward the window as if distance might restore clarity.
“So my choices are now reduced to a marriage I do not want or being thrown out onto the streets.”
“Anne,” Lady Carlisle said softly, “I am trying to protect you.”
“No,” Anne said. “You are trying to protect what is left of everything else.”
The Duke cleared his throat. “That is not a choice you should be forced to make.”
“Nor is the one you have presented,” Anne sighed. “And yet I am not the only one being forced into decisions.”
The Duke remained still, watching her with a focus that had nothing to do with courtesy.
