Page 102 of One Night with an Earl

“Miss Gardner!” Lady Malvern shrieked.

Oh, no. Warning spasms of alarm erupted inside her, and her nerves tensed. Neither of them had heard the door open. How could that be?

Ana stiffened and leaped out of Oliver’s arms. But it was too late. There was no mistaking what both women had seen. Worse, Penelope’s blonde head appeared behind her mother’s shoulder.

“You!” Lady Malvern’s tone was full of outrage as she stalked into the music room. “You…whore!”

The dowager gasped. Penelope placed a hand over her mouth, her blue eyes wide at her mother’s blasphemy.

“No! It’s not as it seems,” Ana said, desperation lacing her voice.

“It could not have been clearer,” Lady Malvern snapped.

Oliver stepped in between Ana and her ladyship. “That is enough.” His authoritative tone echoed throughout the music room.

The dowager came forward, her eyes trained on Ana’s face. “You accompanied the Malverns to my home. Yet you remind me of someone else now. Have we met before?”

A shiver of unease traveled down Ana’s spine. “No—”

“Yes, I believe we have. Years ago. The large caps and dowdy gowns and even your name had misled me, but I never forget a face.” Her brow wrinkled in obvious concentration. “I’m sure of it.”

Ana shook her head. The woman couldn’t possibly remember. “No. You must be thinking of another, my lady.”

The dowager snapped her fingers. “The baron. You are the daughter of the late Lord and Lady Woodbridge.”

Icy fear twisted around Ana’s heart and squeezed like a fist.

Oliver’s expression was one of disbelief. “You are mistaken, Grandmother.”

“Am I?” The dowager shook her head. “I don’t think so. Why don’t you ask her?”

Oliver turned to Ana, his dark eyes full of questions. “Tell her she is wrong.”

Pure panic rioted within her. She had planned to tell him the truth, but not like this, not in front of these women. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Like an animal caught in a hunter’s trap, the more she squirmed—the more she exerted energy to escape—the more the snare tightened.

At her hesitation, his gaze sharpened. “Unless it’s true?”

“My lord. I…I.” Her courage failed her.

His voice hardened, a tone she’d never heard from him before. “Tell me.”

For a heart-pounding moment, she considered lying. Denying everything just as she had for a decade. But time, like her luck, had run out and she couldn’t deceive him any longer.

She took a deep breath, her gaze imploring him to understand. “Yes, it’s true. I am the daughter of Lord Woodbridge. My father lost Rosedown to your father over a gambling debt.”

His eyes flared with shock, then confusion—and his brow furrowed.

“Did you know about this, Lady Penelope?” the dowager asked.

Ana spoke up in her defense. “No, my lady. Penelope had no idea about my past.” She did not wish to involve the girl, and Ana saw no reason to let Penelope’s mother or the dowager know about her involvement.

“I had no idea.” Penelope’s voice was soft. She didn’t look angry or satisfied at Ana’s confession, rather sad.

“Of course my daughter did not know,” Lady Malvern insisted. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she looked at Ana. “Not only did you betray me and Penelope, but you lied about everything. Even your name. It’s a trick as old as time. You thought to trap his lordship into marriage. You fool!”

“My lady, I never—”

“You are dismissed. Leave at once. Your belongings will be packed and sent to you. I do not trust you not to steal the silver on the way out.” She pointed a finger at her. “And do not think to seek a reference from me for the future.”