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"If it is just 'a piece of sandwich’, then why are you interested in it, Sir?" Edwina was pleased with her rejoinder, curiously enjoying the challenge.
"Touché!" He chuckled before bowing slightly. “It is all yours.”
“Thank you,” she said, placing the sandwich on her small plate. “I do not believe we are acquainted.”
"No, we are not. I am Steven Winfield." Edwina understood why he had looked familiar. He was Albert’s blood. It was interesting how alike they were when they were not brothers. But then again, they lived very similar lives. She had only ever heard of Mr. Winfield.
"We are practically family now, thus, I will insist you call me Steven."
"No need for insistence," Edwina replied jovially, deciding that she rather liked Albert’s cousin. "It would be my pleasure, Steven."
"Do I have permission to call you by your Christian name?" he asked.
"Indeed, you do.” She introduced Kitty and the girl immediately colored up when he gave her one of his rakish smiles, complimenting her dark hair. Viscount Henshaw joined them then, and after exchanging pleasantries with Steven, asked Kitty to dance. She accepted but reluctantly.
"I did not see you earlier," Edwina said to Steven.
"I only just arrived," he replied. "I doubt Albert even knows. I see the old lords have got their claws into him tonight." His eyes scanned the area, finding Rowan at the far end of the garden where he was in deep conversation with some Lords.
"Well, hosts are very busy people. I should think this came with the burden of having such events," she stated, taking a cautious bite of her sandwich then popping the whole thing into her mouth after discovering how delicious it was. It was worth every bit of trouble she went through to have it.
"You sound like you are not pleased with these events. Rather odd."
"I beg your pardon?" Edwina did not quite understand his meaning.
"I mean, you must have been preparing for such a life for a long time. One never makes an attempt to climb higher without knowing what the steps entail, right?" he elaborated.
"Is this about my betrothal to your cousin?" Edwina bristled, disappointment washing over her. She had thought Steven a nice man. She had liked him even, and thought that she had made a new friend. Apparently, he was just as vicious as the people who talked about her behind her back. She would give him credit for his courage in telling her what he thought of her to her face.
"Are you implying that I went after him?" she asked, her hands balling into fists at her sides. He was right. Shehadchosen him but she had not known he was a Duke at the time. What offended her now was Steven’s implication of her ambition.
"It is rather convenient that you happened to be discovered with a Duke in a certain situation." He picked up a glass of port and swallowed the contents in one large gulp.
"Should that be any concern of yours? His Grace is a man in control of his life. He could have refused." She was not obliged to explain herself to anyone, not even his family.
"Albert, I must say, tends to think with a different part of his body. He should never have been caught with you and because he is an honorable man, he decided to not allow you to fall. You are a lovely woman—one that can easily break him—and it is not difficult to see him falling for your charms and making mistakes.”
Anger rose up her throat, suffusing her mouth with a bitter taste. She set her plate down and stared him straight in the eyes. “If he makes a mistake, then he is solely responsible for it. I did not ask him to offer for me, nor am I out to break him. Why would you even think that?”
"Experience," he returned.
Edwina wondered what he meant by that but did not bother to ask him. She was too angry to want to speak to him for much longer. "He is a man before he is a Duke. Whatever happens between us is no one’s concern, especially not judgmental people such as yourself, Mr. Winfield.”
She turned around without giving him the opportunity to respond and walked to the back of the Mansion where she found an empty room, a salon, and slipped into it. It was quiet and dimly lit, the latter reflecting her mood. She walked to the terrace overlooking the other part of the Mansion, away from the festivities.
Edwina was unsure whether she was a good or bad person. She had trapped Albert into this. Perhaps it was just that he had no intention of marrying her. Tears welled in her eyes but she blinked them away. Someone like her should not be crying. She did not deserve the relief those tears would bring her. "There you are!” Albert called out.
She quickly straightened and schooled her features before turning to face him. "Have you been following me?" she quipped.
"As a matter of fact, I have," he responded, coming toward her. The smile on his face immediately dissolved when he took in her demeanor. Apparently, she had not been able to conceal her emotions. "What did my rascal cousin say to you?"
"What makes you think he said anything to me?”
"I saw you talking to him and when you left, I followed you.” He took one of her hands and she wished he would never let go of it.
She shook her head. "It is nothing. I only wished for some peace and quiet. I am the sort that prefers the fringes of a ballroom to the dance floor."
"I told you that you are a bad liar, Edwina." He tugged her close.
