by Sadie Bosque
Annalise knew from her own experience what it was like to be completely in love with someone who then betrayed her. She knew what it was like to dream and to hope for a perfect future, to run on clouds, only to have those hopes dashed in a matter of minutes. However, it wasn’t quite the same when somebody you’ve been secretly in love with all your life chose to marry somebody else. Twice.
“I was all right when he was marrying you,” Lavinia said, between hiccups. “After all, I’ve loved you just as much and for the same length of time, if not more.” She finally sat up and raised her gaze to Annalise, her eyes brimming with tears. “But Caroline? He’s known her but a few years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them interacting together, have you?” Lavinia blew her nose into her handkerchief and wiped at her tears.
“Lavinia, dear, I hardly think this was a love match. I mean, Caroline didn’t seem happy about it either.”
“Then why did she agree to marry him? She has a multitude of suitors.”
Annalise frowned in thought. “That day, when you missed a nuncheon… Caroline mentioned that her uncle was getting insistent about pressuring her into marriage. I didn’t think much of it then, although I should have. As a marquess, I doubt he would insist upon a marriage that was beneath her station, and there are not many bachelor dukes walking around. I should’ve made a connection.”
“How could you have? I wouldn’t think Dane would choose another bride with such haste. What does he need a bride for? Heirs? I’ve heard him say on numerous occasions that he has brothers to carry out that particular responsibility, so he needn’t marry. And suddenly, two betrothals in a span of a sennight?”
Annalise bit on the inside of her cheek. Lavinia was right. Kensington had never been interested in taking a bride. When he proposed to her, it was out of duty to her as a family friend, but what about Caroline?
Something felt off there. Two betrothals in such a short period of time were bound to entice gossip. It bordered on scandal, which Kensington always hastened to avoid.
“I should have just gone to him and proposed the deal,” Lavinia said. “Then it would have been me standing up with him as his fiancée tonight.”
Annalise decided not to point out that tonight’s ball had been hosted by Caroline’s uncle, and that would’ve been unlikely. That wasn’t the point.
“I am sorry I dissuaded you from doing so,” she said instead.
“Or perhaps he would have refused, and I’d have been humiliated.” Lavinia let out a burst of nervous laughter and covered her face with her hands.
“Dear, you have to try and move on now that he’s betrothed.” Annalise tried to say this as softly as she could, but Lavinia’s head shot up, and her eyes were wide as saucers.
“But you said it yourself; Caroline doesn’t want him.”
“So?” Annalise frowned.
“Perhaps you could talk to her. And you could ask her not to marry Kensington. She can pick someone else, can’t she? Anyone else.”
Annalise’s heart filled with sorrow for her friend. “Dear—”
“No, please, Annalise. You are the one who said that he could look at me differently, that he could fall in love with me. If he doesn’t love Caroline and she doesn’t feel affection toward him, then I still have a chance. Please, please, help me.”
Annalise grimaced. Lavinia wasn’t thinking clearly. Grief was clouding her judgment. How did she imagine Caroline’s uncle would react to any of this? The betrothal being made so publicly would result in a grand scandal if dissolved.
However, Annalise knew Caroline well, too. If she had any idea how Lavinia felt, Caroline would never consent to marry the duke. Perhaps she’d even tell him to his face that he should look a little closer at his friend. Perhaps this insane idea could work and would solve both her friends’ problems… Besides, she owed Lavinia to at least try.
Either way, she needed to speak to Caroline. Annalise was worried about the hasty betrothal, and she couldn’t fathom how Caroline was feeling at the moment.
“Very well,” she said. “I shall speak to her.”
“You will?” Lavinia’s eyes lit up with hope.
“I shall. But I do not promise anything.”
Lavinia bit on her lip and nodded, visibly trying not to be too hopeful. “Thank you.”
“Do not thank me yet.”
“I thank you for always being there for me,” Lavinia whispered and wiped at her cheeks.
“You do not need to thank me for that either. I love you.”
Annalise handed Lavinia another handkerchief and patted her on the arm. “I need to get back to the ballroom. If I don’t show myself soon, there’ll be another set of gossip about Blake and me on the morrow.”
“Right.” Lavinia nodded. “Please, go. I shall stay here awhile.”
“Do not stay long, darling. We don’t need to stir more gossip. I shall send a maid to fetch you.”
Annalise was halfway to the door when Lavinia called out her name. She paused and looked at her questioningly.
“I know you are hesitant about trusting Blake again,” she said. “I know he’s done some horrible things. But I also know that you love him. And perhaps you will decide to move away in two months’ time but… All I know is if I were given two months to spend worry-free in blissful happiness with Kensington, if I was told he’d marry and I’d be miserable after, but I’d have the memories of these two months… I would take it.”
Chapter 10
Annalise woke up to a light rap on the door. She sat up and adjusted her nightcap, which had gone askew during the night.
“Come in,” she called and watched as Blake trailed into her room with a breakfast tray.
She blinked at the surprising tableau.
Last night, they hadn’t talked after the incident in the hall, or at least they hadn’t talked alone. They had returned home, and Annalise retired immediately. But Lavinia’s words never left her mind. What if she was right? Should she try to enjoy the two months she had with Blake? Build the memories together and maybe, just maybe, leave this place with a babe in her belly? Warmth unfurled inside at the thought.
“Good morning.” Blake placed a tray on her lap.
It was filled with kippers, eggs, tomatoes, and other morning meal goodness. And a garden rose lay at the side.
Annalise raised a brow.
“Please, accept this meal as my apology,” Blake said with a smile.
“Apology?” Annalise picked up the rose and caressed her face with its petals.
“Yes. For acting like a complete arse at the ball. Jealous arse, might I add.”
Annalise pursed her lips to keep from laughing, the image of a jealous arse not leaving her mind. She picked up a fork and started chasing the food around the plate to avoid his gaze.
His behavior during the ball last night was disagreeable, true. However, if he started apologizing, there were far more grievous things he’d done in the past.
“I’ve been ill-tempered and acted unfairly toward you.” He paused. “However, I do not regret the kiss.”
Annalise froze with the fork halfway to her mouth. She didn’t regret it either. That kiss had kept her awake half the night. He’d stirred the feelings and desires within her that she’d rather keep hidden, but she couldn’t help but crave him.
He waited, watching her. As if hoping she would return the sentiment. Annalise popped the fork into her mouth and chewed to keep herself from voicing aloud her desires.
After a brief pause, he continued. “I understand that this isn’t the only thing I should apologize for. But we promised to set aside the past, didn’t we?”
Annalise nodded. “Perhaps.” She took a sip of chocolate and relaxed against the pillows. “Mm, it tastes like heaven.”
“Good.” Blake grinned at her.
“Would you care to join me?” Annalise raised a cup, and Blake’s grin turned wolfish.
Instead of taking the cup in his hand, he leaned forward and sipped rig
ht from the cup while Annalise tried to hold it steady.
“No!” she yelped, laughing. “You’ll spill it!”
Blake took the cup and placed it on the tray. “The tastiest chocolate I’ve ever had.”
Annalise shook her head. “You are preposterous,” she said with a light smile.
The devil was creeping back into her heart. She wasn’t certain she was ready to allow it.
Blake tilted his head toward the tray. “Eat, darling.”
Annalise smiled self-consciously. “Would you like some of this? I feel strange eating by myself.”
“No, this is all for you. I noticed you haven’t eaten much since my return. I’d like to change that if I can.”
Annalise sputtered a laugh. “Is that why you insisted I join you for meals?”
“One of the reasons, yes.” Blake grinned in return. “Listen,” he said after a short pause. “I know I haven’t been a perfect husband. The least agreeable, in fact. But I want to change that. To that end, if you need anything—wish for anything—just tell me. I shall be certain to make all your wishes come true.”
“All my wishes?” One side of her mouth kicked up in a smile.
“Yes, your most fervent wishes.”
Annalise blinked. She knew her fervent wishes. She wanted a family. A real one. The one she had never had but read about in her books. A family with an adoring husband and a few chubby babes. She lowered her eyes to her tray of food. “You’ll have to work a little harder to get that. One breakfast and a pleasant conversation doesn’t grant you access to my most fervent wishes.”
“Then what does?” Blake’s voice was low, his gaze concentrated on her face.
Annalise stared right back at him. “I do not know. Perhaps time?”
Blake swallowed and nodded. “Well, at least you think the conversation is pleasant. Which is quite reassuring.” He smiled.
* * *
Annalise sighed as she settled more comfortably against the plush seats of her carriage the same afternoon. She’d changed her attire soon after her husband left her room and ran off before he had a chance to detain her.
Ran off would be an appropriate term to describe her defection. After every one of their brief encounters, her entire body was abuzz. She needed time to resolve her feelings.
Besides, she had promised Lavinia she would talk to Caroline, and she was extremely curious to hear from Caroline how the betrothal had happened. A few moments later, her carriage halted. Annalise drew on her gloves and prepared to exit.
Lavinia’s tear-streaked face and Caroline’s stony expression when the betrothal was announced flashed before her eyes. The door to the carriage opened, and her footman helped her out.
Caroline’s butler opened the door as soon as Annalise climbed the steps to the front door, and he let her into the familiar parlor. Annalise was a frequent guest in this house and especially this parlor since the first time she’d met Caroline. She knew this place as if it was her own home.
Yet today, it felt different somehow. She looked around but couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong.
The door swung open, and Caroline burst into the room, her hair windblown and her face flushed. She never looked as disheveled as she did now. She was always composed, nary a hair out of place.
“Annalise, dear, I am so glad you are here,” she said and stretched her arms toward her.
“Good afternoon, dear.” Annalise smiled. “Is everything all right? You seem… winded.”
“You caught me in the middle of the great move.”
“The great move?”
“Yes, another one of my uncle’s peculiarities, I am afraid.” Caroline waved a dismissive hand and indicated for Annalise to sit. When they both were seated, she continued. “Ever since the betrothal agreement was signed, he’s been acting strange. Or rather stranger than before. He started instructing me on what I should take with me from the townhouse, writing down things that would make up my trousseau. Can you believe it?”
Annalise looked around the room again, and then she realized what was different. All the paintings had been taken down.
“Why is that?” she asked, returning her gaze to Caroline’s.
“I wish I knew.” Caroline huffed an impatient breath. “He’s been withdrawn lately, more than usual.”
Annalise furrowed her brows. If things were this uncertain for Caroline, perhaps the betrothal would be a lot more difficult to dissolve than Annalise first thought. “Regarding the betrothal, I’ve been meaning to ask you—”
“Oh, I am sorry, dear.” Caroline covered both Annalise’s hands with hers. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, I promise. I just didn’t think he’d actually go through with it! I mean, he’s been talking about getting me married forever, but I never actually believed he would follow through on the threat. He usually forgot by morning.”
“What do you mean?” Annalise frowned.
“Well, I told you, my uncle started talking about me needing protection and a powerful husband some weeks ago, but nothing came of it until a few days ago. After Payne returned—after your betrothal to Kensington fell through—I suppose, he saw a perfect opportunity. He reached out to the duke and arranged a betrothal agreement.”
“He did it? Without your consent?”
Caroline grimaced. “I might have… Well, it could have been said that, in a way, I-I gave him my consent,” she finished lamely and looked away.
“You did? But I thought you didn’t want to marry?”
“I didn’t—I don’t! But he’s been so worried, and I had to ease his mind.”
“You agreed to marry a man—to shackle yourself to a person forever—because you wanted to ease your uncle’s mind?”
“I know how it sounds, but as I said before, he usually forgot by morning.” Caroline stood and started pacing. “We would spend the entire evening arguing about this, and the next day he would forget everything, the entire conversation. So instead of arguing with him, I started humoring him and agreeing to any betrothal he proposed. It made for quieter evenings, and since he never remembered, I did not see any harm in humoring my ailing uncle. But this time, he did remember. He came to me the next morning with the betrothal contract.”
“So, are you going to marry Kensington?” Annalise asked softly.
Caroline halted in her tracks before making a swift turn. She walked back to the settee and plopped next to Annalise.
“Do I have a choice?” she said with an uncertain face that was at odds with her usual self-assured demeanor.
“That’s actually what I came to talk to you about.” Annalise delicately cleared her throat, not quite sure how to breach the subject. Caroline looked at her expectantly. “I know you truly don’t want to marry him… But there’s someone who—”
The door busted open at that moment, and a red-faced, teary-eyed maid flew into the room. Both Annalise and Caroline turned their full attention to her.
“My lady! His lordship—oh, may God help us all!” she cried, and tears streamed down her face as she fell to her knees.
“What’s wrong?” Caroline stood slowly and walked toward the maid with measured steps. “Tell me, what’s wrong?” she commanded, and the maid seemed to pull herself together under the autocratic command of her mistress.
“He’s in his room,” she said through the tears. “Dead, my lady.”
Annalise’s eyes widened, and her mouth slacked open. Before she could react, Caroline was out of the door. Annalise scrambled to follow, but she lost her friend even before she exited the room.
Annalise didn’t know which way to go. Thankfully, the throng of servants rushing to the site helped her navigate through the house. She saw a crowd gather by the room, and she couldn’t quite get past them.
Caroline was nowhere to be seen. Was she with the dead body of her uncle? Was he even truly dead? Surely, Caroline shouldn’t be allowed to see him in this state if that was the case.
As if in response to her thoughts,
one of the servants placed himself in front of Annalise, blocking her view. He was tall but thin, like a waif. She thought she recognized him as the late marquess’s valet.
“You shouldn’t be here, my lady,” he said. “Let me escort you back to the parlor.”
“But—”
He extended his hand, showing the way he wanted Annalise to follow, successfully cutting Annalise off.
Annalise dug in her heels. “Lady Caroline is in there. I am not leaving without her. She needs my comfort, she—”
“Please,” the servant said firmly. “Her Ladyship needs her time to grieve.”
It was uncanny for a servant to talk to Annalise this way. She tried to peek and see what was going on behind his back, but he moved his body to block her view every time.
“Very well,” Annalise huffed irritably. “Tell Lady Caroline I’ll be waiting for her in the parlor.” With that, she spun on her heel and stalked away.
* * *
Annalise must have walked the length of the parlor room twenty times while she waited for Caroline to show up. She looked at the strange room, with no paintings, and wondered what else the marquess had asked to take down. More importantly, why had he asked to have these things taken down at all? Perhaps they were of special value to him, or the most probable answer—the old marquess was slowly losing his mind and simply couldn’t account for his actions. She became even more resolute to save Caroline from the unwanted betrothal. Caroline couldn’t possibly marry someone her mad uncle had picked out for her.
After Annalise had done another lap around the room, the door finally opened, and she regarded Caroline’s pale features.
“I… apologize to have kept you waiting,” she said, and Annalise’s mouth dropped.
Had Caroline just apologized to her? Her mind surely must be jumbled. “Dear, you don’t have to apologize. I was worried for you.” Annalise stepped closer to Caroline in an attempt to hug her, but the latter evaded her touch.
“I beg your pardon, Annalise, I don’t feel like…” She paused, her hands extended in a gesture meant to keep Annalise away. “It was a suicide,” she finally said after a moment of silence, her voice devoid of any emotion. Annalise stared at her friend, horrified. “He left me a note explaining it all.” Caroline shook her head. Tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. “That’s why he insisted I marry. He wanted to make sure I was taken care of.”
