Page 19 of Corrupting his Duchess
She beamed with pride, “I’d give anything to sound like Lady Canterbury, she is just…amazing.”
Everyone oohed and ahhed before falling into a comfortable silence.
“Have you tried the lemon tarts?” Julia asked, eagerly pressing a plate into Anna’s hands. “They’re heavenly, Sophia nearly swooned after her first bite.”
Sophia gave a delicate shrug, her lips twitching upward. “I only said they were good, Julia.”
“You sighed,” Julia pointed out with mock accusation, earning a round of chuckles.
Natalie dropped her book and leaned closer to Anna, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Careful, Lady Anna. One bite and you might ruin your supper…like me.”
“Unlike some people,” Gretchen sniffed, giving Nathaniel a narrow look, “who seem to fall in love far too easily.”
Nathaniel raised his brows, undeterred. “Are you referring to me, dear Lady Gretchen? Why, I’m wounded.”
“Hardly,” Gretchen replied crisply, lifting her cup.
Anna covered her smile, her heart lightning. But then…
“Lady Anna.”
The familiar, measured voice sliced through the hum.
Anna stiffened.
She turned, heart thudding, to see Matthew Grayson standing a few paces away.
“Lord Vaun,” Anna managed, dipping her head slightly.
Matthew’s voice cut smoothly across the space, and the group fell quiet as he stopped just before her, offering a shallow bow. “A pleasure, as always.”
Matthew’s eyes flicked over the little circle, a faintly assessing gleam there. “May I steal you away for a moment?”
The group shared glances, the shift in atmosphere unmistakable.
Anna hesitated. She could feel the collective gaze of her friends, and, distantly, the weight of expectation pressing down like a stone.
“Of course,” she heard herself say softly. Barely enough for him to hear.
Gretchen squeezed Anna’s arm gently before letting go.
Anna dipped a small curtsy. “Of course, Lord Vaun.”
He led her slightly away from the group, near one of the tall windows where the candlelight highlighted edges of his sharp features.
“You’ve been difficult to catch,” Matthew said quietly, hands clasped neatly behind his back.
“I’ve been occupied,” Anna replied carefully. “There’s been much to do today.”
Matthew gave a small, noncommittal nod. “I understand, of course. Still, I can’t help but wonder if you’re avoiding me deliberately.”
Anna’s breath caught. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?” His tone was smooth, but his eyes glinted with something keener. “Anna, you know as well as I do that there should be an understanding forming between our families. That’s not a thing to toy with.”
“I’m not toying,” she said quickly, feeling heat rise in her cheeks. “I only…”
“You only need time,” Matthew’s eyes glinted faintly in the candlelight. “Yes. But time, Lady Anna, is a luxury not all of us possess. “I am a practical man, Lady Anna. I don’t play at delicate games. You know why I call. You know I’m looking for a wife. And you,” his gaze sharpened “—have given me little but silence.”
