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Lavinia furrowed her brows and turned fully toward her friend. “Who?”
“Lord Roth.” Annalise blinked innocently.
“The Marquess of Roth? Caroline’s—”The marquess. Lavinia paused, her features frozen in surprise. That rude, arrogant man who’d accused her of following him onto this balcony was Caroline’s cousin! Well,hecertainly was far from perfect.
“Yes, you just stumbled upon him on this balcony. It looked like you conversed.”
A burst of nervous laughter left her lips. “Conversed. Yes. The man accused me of trying to ensnare him in marriage.”
“He… What?” Annalise’s mouth hung open in shock.
“Yes.” Lavinia nodded and turned back to look out over the grounds below.
“Well, I suppose it was warranted. You should see how he is being hounded today by unmarried young ladies.”
“Well, not by me,” Lavinia whispered.
There was a beat of silence. “Maybe he should be.”
Lavinia stared out into the void, not quite hearing or comprehending Annalise’s words. “What?” she asked absently.
“Perhaps he should be hounded by you. He is young, very influential, and handsome.”
Lavinia’s face scrunched up in disgust.Are you serious?“He is Caroline’s cousin. And more than that, he is rude and unpleasant company.”
“Maybe today, but you would be too if you had to elbow your way through a throng of young ladies hunting him down like a dog. He is having a house party in a week. And every guest at tonight’s ball is invited. Perhaps we could go, and it would be a perfect place for you to get to know him better. Perhaps—”
“Annalise… Just… no.”
Annalise didn’t protest. She didn’t say anything else, but she didn’t leave Lavinia’s side either, while the latter continued staring into the night, enjoying the light autumn breeze.
Lavinia wished there was a world beyond this one where she didn’t have to marry, where nobody was threatening her, and nobody wanted anything from her. A world where she could just enjoy herself without worrying about anything.
She would love to disappear into a world like that.
The orchestra started another melody, reminding Lavinia that the world she dreamed about was out of her reach.
“Annalise… Please, take me home.”
Annalise wanted to protest, but she must have seen the resolution, or perhaps a deep sorrow, in Lavinia’s eyes, so she smiled and nodded.
