“And I will make certain that you do not leave my side for the rest of the evening,” Lady Hayward answered, putting one arm around Anna’s waist and beginning to walk back towards the path. “Claim a headache, if you must, but there is no requirement for you to dance with any other gentlemen if you do not wish it.”
Anna swallowed hard but said nothing. Her steps were slow, her legs feeble as she climbed the steps, hearing the laughter, the music, and the joviality that came from the ballroom. When she was led inside, she winced at the noise, feeling it jar with the deep upset and shock that was contained within her.
“Look, there is none that stare at you,” Lord Comerfield said as Lady Hayward led her to a quieter part of the ballroom. “None that whisper about you nor seem to have noticed your return. You are quite safe, Lady Anna.”
Relief poured into her core, and she closed her eyes for a moment, coming to a stop as Lady Hayward stood by her.
“Here,” Lord Comerfield murmured, handing her a glass of wine. “Have some, Lady Anna. It will restore you somewhat.”
“And do sit down,” Lady Hayward replied, guiding her into a chair. “Lady Selina and Lord Rowley are dancing at present, but I am sure they will find us.”
“I will go to meet them,” Lord Comerfield interrupted with a swift nod of his head. “Excuse me.”
Anna watched him go, feeling overwhelming gratitude for what he had done for her. The way he had watched her, the way he had realized that something was wrong, and the way that he had protected her from the cruelty of Lord Henderson. She took a sip of her wine and let the warmth spread through her, closing her eyes again as she began to quieten.
“I should never have let you—”
“There is nothing that you need apologize for, Lady Hayward,” Anna said before her chaperone could say more. “Lord Henderson is a gentleman. I accepted his offer of a dance without question. Neither you nor I were to know of his motivations.”
Lady Hayward wrung her hands, her expression one of despair. “But if something had occurred, then I do not know what I would have done.”
Anna took another sip of her wine and then let out a long breath, feeling her shock begin to remove itself from her heart. “But it did not,” she said softly. “Lord Comerfield was watching. He followed. He saved me.”
“If only he had never made such a mistake in the first place!” Lady Hayward exclaimed with more wrath in her voice than Anna had ever heard before. “Then this might never have happened!”
“Or it might have occurred regardless, with another gentleman who thought they could steal a kiss or two from the daughter of a duke,” Anna replied, strength returning to her. “I will not blame Lord Comerfield for this, Lady Hayward. It was Lord Henderson’s doing entirely. Moreover, I am more than grateful to Lord Comerfield for what he did. Without his sharp eye, I fear that I would now have found myself in the deepest disgrace that could ever have been—and this time, it would not have been an accident on the part of the gentleman. It would have been entirely deliberate.” She shuddered violently but did not default from what she was saying. “Lord Comerfield should be thanked, Lady Hayward, nothing more. Do not place blame upon his shoulders when it is entirely undeserved.”
Her chaperone sighed and sat down in a chair beside her, clearly a little overcome herself. “You are quite right, of course,” she said weakly. “It is only that I have been so overcome with the fright of hearing what he told me of your circumstance that I…” She shook her head. “I am grateful to him. But we must take a good deal more care, Lady Anna. There are those amongst the beau monde who will, it seems, seek to take advantage of you.”
Anna did not answer. Instead, her eyes were fixed on Lord Comerfield, who was making his way back towards them with both Lady Selina and Lord Rowley with him. His expression was grim, his eyes set but his gaze trained upon her. Her heart lurched in her chest as he drew near, finding herself looking at him with respect and gratitude that had never been there before.
“Oh, Anna!”
Selina was beside her in a moment, her hand grasping Anna’s as she bent to look into her face. “You are not harmed?”
“I am not,” Anna replied, looking behind her sister to where Lord Comerfield stood, talking with Lord Rowley, who appeared just as shocked as her sister. “The sole reason being Lord Comerfield’s watchfulness and devotion to my wellbeing.” She caught his attention with her words, and he turned to look at her, his eyes holding a great deal of emotion, all swirled together as she looked up at him. “Might you call on me tomorrow, Lord Comerfield? I should like to discuss this evening in a little more depth—and to thank you for what you have done in a proper fashion.”
He inclined his head. “There is no need for the latter, Lady Anna, but yes, I should be glad to call upon you. I am only sorry that this evening has not been all that you had hoped.”
A small sigh escaped her. “Aside from Lord Henderson, it has been an enjoyable evening,” she admitted as Lord Comerfield smiled at her, his eyes brightening just a fraction. “But I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow, Lord Comerfield.”
He bowed. “But of course, Lady Anna,” he said, a trifle brusquely as though a little embarrassed to be speaking in such a manner when there were so many others nearby. “Tomorrow afternoon, then?”
She nodded. “Tomorrow afternoon.”
Chapter Eleven
Elias cleared his throat for what was the third time and, with a lift of his chin, made his way to the front door. It was opened for him at once, and he stepped inside, refusing to give in to the urge to look over his shoulder for fear of who else might be watching him.
“Lord Comerfield,” the butler said, appearing out of the shadows to bow before him. “The duke has requested that you speak to him before you call upon Lady Anna. If you would come this way, please.”
After taking Elias’ things and handing them to a footman to take care of, the butler led Elias towards the duke’s study. It had not been a question as to whether or not Elias wished to speak to the duke but rather a demand that he do so—and Elias could not help but feel a little anxious.
The butler stepped inside, murmured something, and then removed himself from the room. With a nod of approval, he gestured for Elias to step through the open door, only to close the door tightly behind him the moment Elias had done so.
“Your Grace.” Elias bowed low, wondering what it was that the duke wanted to say to him. “I am sorry that I have not arranged to come and speak to you these last few days. I am all too aware that the three weeks are almost past.”
The duke waved a hand. “I am not here to berate you, Lord Comerfield,” he said, gesturing him towards a chair. “In fact, I should like to speak to you about the situation at hand.” Sitting down stiffly in a chair, he let out a small sigh before, much to Elias’ relief, smiling at him. “I hear that you saved my daughter from a very dire situation last evening, Lord Comerfield.”
“A situation of my making, Your Grace,” Elias replied, only to see a dark cloud settle over the duke’s features. “And by that, I mean that it would not have occurred in the first place had it not been for my foolishness. I did not have anything to do with Lord Henderson, of course.”
The cloud cleared quickly. “I see,” the duke murmured, tilting his head to the left. “All the same, that does not mean that I am not grateful to you for what you did. Lord Henderson is clearly a scoundrel and, if I could, I would call him out for it!” His brow furrowed hard, an angry look coming into his eyes as his lips thinned, but both the Duke and Elias knew that such a thing could not take place. Then the ton, who were thus far in blissful ignorance, would become fully aware that something untoward had occurred between Lord Henderson and Lady Anna.
“I wish I could have prevented him from stepping outside with her,” Elias said honestly. “I am sure she was greatly distressed by all that occurred.”
“But she was unharmed,” the Duke said, emphasizing the last word. “And for that, you are entirely re
sponsible. You may feel as though such a thing is your fault, Lord Comerfield, but such gentlemen will behave as they please and do as they wish regardless of what has been said about the lady by another.” He eyed Elias carefully. “You have never behaved in such a way, I think?”
It was a question rather than a statement and Elias flushed, dropping his head for a moment. “I will state that I have never once done as Lord Henderson attempted to do last evening, Your Grace,” he said honestly. “And I have no intention of ever doing such a thing either. In fact,” he continued, lifting his head so that he could look into the Duke’s face. “Your daughter has shown me the depths of my heart and I have found it severely lacking. I have, therefore, decided to change my ways entirely, although it is a little too late for Lady Anna.”
The duke nodded, but there was a lightness about his expression that Elias had not expected.
“I am glad to hear you say such things, Lord Comerfield,” he replied as Elias sat in his chair and wondered if their conversation would now come to a close. “We are also to discuss my daughter’s future, I believe.” Again, one eyebrow lifted and his eyes studied Elias with a scrutiny that made Elias wince inwardly. “You have sought to restore Anna to the beau monde. Lady Hayward has, of course, informed me of all you have done and the progress that has been made. I believe that my daughter is slowly being restored to society, but I do not think that she will find a suitable match until next Season.”
A flurry of shame crept over Elias’s heart. “Indeed, Your Grace,” he said honestly. “And for that, I am deeply sorry.”
“You have done all you can to make certain that there is no requirement for marriage between yourself and Lady Anna,” the duke continued quietly. “Might I ask if such a thought still brings you great distress?”
Elias’ eyes shot to the duke’s. “Distress?” he repeated as though he wanted to make certain he had heard the duke correctly. “Your Grace, there is no distress within my heart when it comes to considering your daughter as a potential bride. As I have said, I have studied my heart, considered what Lady Anna has said of me, and have found myself severely lacking. Therefore, I have every intention of remaining as I am at present rather than returning to the gentleman I once was. However, whilst I would be glad to wed Lady Anna, to restore her fully to society in that way, I am quite certain that it would not be what she herself wishes for.”
The duke nodded slowly. “You consider her feelings in this matter?”
“I consider her feelings in every matter,” Elias replied fervently. “I owe her a great deal, Your Grace. I only want what is the very best for her.”
“And you believe that matrimony would not be in her best interests.”
Confused as to why the duke should ask him such a thing—for surely, the gentleman was still of the mind that Lady Anna should continue through society until she could find a suitable gentleman to court and wed her—Elias nodded slowly. “I believe that matrimony to someone such as myself would not be what she would desire,” he said, slowly. “If, however, you found such a thing to be required, if you believed it to be the resolution to all of this, then I certainly would not refuse.”
“You would treat my daughter well?”
Elias ran one hand over his eyes and shook his head. “Your Grace, I would do all I could to show Lady Anna just how much I appreciate her, consider her, and value her,” he said, speaking openly and without hesitation. “I give you that assurance.” He did not know what the duke intended by such questions, his heart beginning to quicken as he looked into the older man’s eyes and saw the curious gleam within. Was he intending to order Lady Anna to wed Elias? Surely, he would not, not when there had been so much progress with the lady’s return to society? Elias could not pretend that the thought of such a thing was not a welcome one, realizing slowly that he had come to care a very great deal for the lady over these last weeks. However, deep in his heart, he knew that it would not be what Lady Anna desired. She did not want to wed him. She wanted to make her own choice, to wait until the following Season so that she might return to the beau monde and find her own match. To force her into matrimony with him would only bring her more difficulty.
“Thank you for conversing with me, Lord Comerfield,” the duke said, rising from his chair in an abrupt, hurried fashion and leaving Elias to stare at him for a moment in surprise before also scrambling to his feet. “I am grateful to you.”
Elias blinked and nodded, bowing quickly. “But of course, Your Grace.”
When he lifted his head, the duke was in front of him, one hand reaching out to settle on Elias’ shoulder.
“Lady Hayward and I have had many a conversation about you, Lord Comerfield,” he said gravely. “There is more in your heart for my daughter than I believe you are even willing to admit. I will not say that I have been convinced by your manner and am not at all certain that a match between you both would be for the best, but if it is something that Lady Anna herself wishes for, then I will not stand in her way.”
Elias’ mouth dropped open and it took him a few moments to gather himself. “Your Grace,” he stammered, a little awkwardly. “As much as I care for your daughter, I would never put her in a position where she would be forced into a situation she did not want.”
The duke nodded. “I am aware of that,” he replied calmly. “As I have said, I believe that there has been a significant shift in your character, Lord Comerfield. Whether or not my daughter sees it, whether or not she considers you in a different light, is entirely up to her.” He smiled suddenly and let go of Elias’ shoulder. “But should you ask my permission, Lord Comerfield, I will give it to you.”
Shock rippled over Elias as he stared after the duke, not at all certain what to say or what to do.
“You should make your way to the drawing-room,” the duke said, waving a hand in a nonchalant fashion as though everything they had spoken of was entirely without consequence. “She will be waiting for you.”
As though in a dream, Elias turned and made his way to the door, which was opened for him at once. Making his way through, he did not even turn his head to bid the duke farewell, all the more confused by what had just been said to him. Wed Lady Anna? Quite what Lady Hayward had said to the duke, he did not know, but evidently, it had been enough to convince the duke that Elias was a changed character. And so obviously changed that there was a suitability now between himself and Lady Anna that had not been there before.
Whether or not she considers you in a different light is entirely up to her.
Trying to follow after the butler to the drawing-room, Elias was forced to stop for a moment, his whole body burning with the realization of what was now before him. It seemed that, instead of simply assisting Lady Anna with the rest of her time in London, the possibility of matrimony was now before him. But was it something she might consider? Surely, she would want nothing more than to separate herself from him entirely, given all that he had done?
And you? said a quiet voice in his heart. What is it that you wish for?
There was not a single flicker of hesitation as Elias considered the question. He knew precisely what it was that he wanted. These last few weeks, he had seen Lady Anna begin to blossom back into a beautiful, confident young lady and had found himself desperate for her transformation to continue. He wanted to protect her, to encourage her, to support her, and to be near to her so that he might see her in all her beauty. There was more than just an eagerness to restore her to society within him now. There was a strength of feeling that he had not wanted to admit to himself, had not wanted to study for fear that he would realize precisely what it was. But it seemed that Lady Hayward had known of it, had known what was in the depths of his heart before even he had recognized it!
“But how am I to go about such a thing?” he groaned as the patient footman waited for him to continue on his way towards the drawing-room. He could not turn around and ask Lady Anna to wed him! Such a thing was quite preposterous. But if he did not, if he
did not make his intentions clear as well as his reasons for doing so—affection rather than duty—then she would continue through society both this Season and the next until she found someone suitable to marry.
“Are you quite well, my lord?”
The footman was now coming back towards him, looking a little concerned, but Elias waved a hand. “I am quite well,” he stated, giving himself a slight shake. “Please, lead on.”
Straightening, Elias lifted his chin and told himself that such inner torment could wait until another time. He was to speak with Lady Anna this afternoon for a short time and, thereafter, attend an evening assembly. There would be time to think on what the duke himself had said later that evening, if not tomorrow. For the moment, he had to converse with Lady Anna for a short time.
His heart began to quicken at the thought of seeing her again, following after the footman once more. It was foolishness, he told himself, nothing more than foolishness—but still, his heart pounded furiously as he was led into the drawing-room.
She rose at once, a beautiful smile on her face as she greeted him with a curtsy and a few words of welcome. His confusion and worry disappeared in a moment as Elias found himself smiling back at her, his eyes and his heart filled with none but her.
“Lord Comerfield, please do sit down,” Lady Anna began as Elias hurried quickly to a chair, greeting Lady Hayward as he did so. “I am glad you are arrived.”
“And how do you fare this afternoon?” he asked, looking at her anxiously as though he expected to find some great trauma etched across her features. “You are well?”
She smiled at him, and all of his fears disappeared in a moment. “I am much recovered,” she said quietly. “That is why I wished you to call this afternoon, Lord Comerfield. I wanted very much to thank you for what you did last evening.”
Lady Hayward murmured something about wondering why the maid had not yet brought the tea and, excusing herself, rose from her chair. Elias did not turn to watch her leave, although he was fully aware that Lady Hayward had left them both alone for a few moments. Quite why she had done so, he was not at all sure, although he had to admit there was a certain sense of anticipation growing within him now that she had done so.
A Selfish Heart: A Regency Romance: Landon House (Book 2) Page 13
