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She shrugged. “I confess, I did not think about it too much. My uncle has paid for everything these past twelve years. It must be habit, I suppose.”

“May I see what you bought?”

Her throat bobbed, her gaze lowering. “Not yet.”

Clearly, he was not going to get anything out of her on this matter, but he was not ready to admit defeat. Something was amiss here, and he would find out what.

“How was Lady Yvette?” he asked. “I did not realize you had such a dear friend.”

Marina shifted awkwardly in her chair. “Despondent with the state of her prospects.”

“Is that where you were yesterday?”

She nodded.

“For someone who insists they despise the city, you have been to London a great deal this past week,” he pointed out. “I am worried for you, undertaking so many lengthy journeys in such a short amount of time.”

“It is but two hours there, two hours back,” she replied, fidgeting with her collar. “And I am needed there, so it is not a matter of me enjoying it or not.”

There was a defensive note in her voice. One that he had heard before, from a different woman.

“What have you been doing there?” he prompted, undeterred.

“My work, mostly.”

He nodded. “Ah yes, I heard you had a meeting with some physicians from the Royal College. How did it go? What did it pertain to? Are they interested in your medicines?”

“It is promising,” she answered.

“Really? Then, I must speak with these physicians, offer my encouragement and my investment, if they desire it,” he said with a stiff smile.

But she shook her head, meeting his gaze with a fierce look. “There is no need for that, Anthony. I have it all in hand.” She paused, puffing out a breath. “Indeed, I am not sure why you are asking me all of these questions. Am I in trouble?”

“No, but a husband should know where his wife is and whom she is with,” he replied with a casual wave of his hand.

Her eyes burned brighter. “But that was not our arrangement. I have always done things on my own. I do not like being beholden to anyone.” She sat up straighter. “You understood my need for independence when we discussed marrying. Has something changed that I am not aware of?”

She searched his face, her curiosity making him bristle with a feeling like foolishness. They had set out their terms and, thus far, she had not gone against any of them. She still tended to William and kept him entertained, she did not bother Anthony while he was working, and she did not ask for anything but her ability to work as she pleased. Indeed, she had not even used Anthony’s money for whatever she had purchased.

What reason did he have to complain?

“If we are now questioning one another,” she continued, her voice faltering slightly, “then I would ask to know more about William’s mother. You said he remembered nothing, but it seems that her memory troubles him. It affects his behavior at times. I would know why, if I may?”

He had not expected the tables to turn on him when he had walked in here.

“There is no need for you to know about her,” he said coldly.

She nodded. “Then, there is no need for you to ask where I have been and what I am doing, when I am not doing anything wrong.”

“It is different,” he insisted, his voice ragged.

“If you cannot confide in me, how am I to confide in you?” she challenged, with a confidence that frustrated him.

What was more, he could not protest, for she was entirely, infuriatingly right.

But when it came to the matter of his previous wife, he simply could not speak about her. It was too dark and twisted a tale, too troubling to force his mind to recall. Just the flashes of memory that haunted him were agonizing enough.

She smiled sadly. “I think I shall go to London tomorrow, to stay with my uncle. I shall be there for a few days, this time.” She paused. “By the time I return, perhaps you will be ready to talk, and perhaps I will, too.”