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"You seem very ready to pick a quarrel with me lately, Your Grace. It is unfortunate," Edwina lamented.
"And you are avoiding my question again," he pointed out, releasing her hand.
"Maybe because you are being overly cryptic. Ask me a direct question and I shall reply."
"Your newfound friendship with Nora," he elaborated. "I do not like you keeping her society. She is not good company for you."
"But she is for you, is she not?" Edwina bit out before she could stop herself.
"That is no concern of yours. You are two very different people."
“That is no reason to discourage our friendship. You will criticize me for associating with her yet you—” she stopped herself before she could say something she would regret.
"You know that is not what this is about, Edwina," he countered.
"Then what is it about, Your Grace?"
"You left me last night," he said in a low tone, "and you have been avoiding being alone with me ever since."
"I think it is best we keep our distance from each other." She looked out at the garden below. The sight was lovely with lanterns hanging from the trees and the scent of later summer blooms permeating the air. Yes, she did not feel the charm that was there.
"I have thought about my actions," he continued. "We should talk. Properly and not here."
"I do not think we have anything to talk about, Your Grace. I thought we are unanimous on both our stands.”
"Edwina—"
"Roxanne Perkins is marrying Tommen," she suddenly said.
Her conversation with Steven over breakfast had cemented her decision to seek someone else. Whatever Albert had been about to say just now seemed dangerous to her resolve. She had to stop him from feeding her false hope lest she opened her heart to more disappointment. She watched for his reaction to her announcement of Roxanne’s engagement because he had not been in the room when the announcement was made.
There was surprise in his eyes and something else that she could not quite comprehend. Jealousy? There was no telling. He also looked like he was trying his damndest to keep her from reading his true feelings. If he did not want her to know then he must still feel very strongly about Roxanne.
This is precisely why I need to distance myself from you, Albert,she thought to herself.
"Good for them," Albert said at last. "However, I am not here to talk about Miss Perkins and the lordling."
Under different circumstances, Edwina would have laughed at his calling Tommen a lordling, but in that instant, she was only irritated by his feigned indifference toward Roxanne. Any reaction was better than nothing and he was revealing nothing to her.
She thought that he would give her some respect and tell her the truth now that she had broached the topic but she had been wrong. She had intended to tell him about trapping him but it seemed he did not have the same intention.
Her rebellious nature began to rear its head and she decided to make some mischief. "Should she not beRoxanneto you?" she asked.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You need not pretend anymore, Your Grace."
"Now, who is being cryptic, Edwina?" He gave her an impatient look.
"I know about your relationship with her.”
His eyes widened. “How did you—” Lord Peregrine joined them, cutting their conversation short. He remarked about Tommen’s engagement and congratulated Edwina. He should not have because she did not care. He would not know that, of course. They parted ways without finishing the conversation.
Later that night, Edwina was preparing for bed when someone knocked on their door. She opened it to the butler who bore a note from Albert.
I must travel tomorrow morning to take care of some business on one of my Estates nearby. We shall continue our conversation when I return.
A.W.
