Page 60 of A Duke's Sinful Bargain
He looked about the ballroom and realized Anna was nowhere to be seen. A frightening thought occurred to him. What if she had decided to leave? He couldn’t allow that to happen. He needed to speak to her, even if it was to hear that she had orchestrated the entire thing with Sir Rupert. It would be a painful truth, but a truth, nonetheless. And the truth was what he needed the most now.
He could feel her once-unwavering trust begin to waver, although he tried not to allow that to happen. But he couldn’t see any other way. Would someone who had nothing to hide be running away from him, refusing to discuss things? He could not imagine her betraying him like this, but then again… did he truly know this woman?
Tom would say no. Tom had pointed him in a different direction, and this version of events was still slithering into his mind, nestling deep inside.
He had to speak to Anna. Now.
Without thinking, he rushed in the direction where he had seen her last. He elbowed his way past familiar and unfamiliar people, disregarding a greeting when he heard one. Propriety and manners were the last thing on his mind at that moment. He had to find her. Wherever she had gone off to, he would catch up to her and demand an explanation, then offer her his own.
After everything, she owed him that much.
***
How dare he? Who does he think he is? The nerve of him!
Anna’s mind was a storm of emotion, none of which she could control. The moment she beheld Alexander speaking to Lady Genevieve, her heart sank. She tried to pretend it did not affect her, but that was an impossible feat. Jealousy, once merely a flickering ember, was at that moment transformed into poignant sorrow, merging with the realization that perhaps Eliza was right.
That realization came at a price she was not willing to pay. Fear gripped her harder than ever. This arrangement was supposed to last a period of only three months, involving nothing but physical affection. But she had crossed the line. She had allowed her heart to get involved, and now she was paying the hefty price.
The duke might indeed be seeking to secure a bride. Of course he would. It was only normal. She—as a widow in dire financial distress and a mistress to that same man—was in no position to either demand or suggest anything regarding that.
She was no match for Lady Genevieve. In her, Alexander had easily found a match with wealth, youth, beauty, and infatuation, for the woman was obviously beyond enamored with him. Anna could sense that much.
She was rushing through the crowd, heading toward the garden. She was also fighting her way past an onslaught of tears, as this was the last place where she could succumb to it. That would be the end to her social life, at least the little of it that she had left. No. She had to brave through it.
Suspicions of Alexander’s involvement in the blackmail coupled with the unfolding scene with Lady Genvieve only made her feel even worse. She hated speaking to Alexander in such a manner, but she could not bring herself to act in any other way. Jealousy was eating her up inside, and no matter how hard she tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, Eliza’s words rang inside her mind.
No one else knew of their liaison, and now there was a man blackmailing her. Deep down, she knew Alexander would never tell a soul. She knew it. But jealousy was a monster she had not gotten used to dealing with. It refused to let her go, keeping her locked in its grip until she could no longer bear it.
She had to find solace in the isolation of a garden path, far away from all those prying eyes. Once she had calmed down a little, she would find Lady Pentor and excuse herself. A headache would suffice. Lady Pentor would be worried, as she always was, but Anna would deal with that some other day. For the time being, she needed to be somewhere else, anywhere else but here.
Every step she took felt like a sprint away from the festivity, which was filled with people who did not seem to have a care in the world. She could feel their eyes on her, could almost hear their mouths whispering about her, but she didn’t care about that.
Her mind echoed with the unsettling possibilities of Alexander’s actions. The whispers of the crowd and the rustle of silk gowns were easily drowned out by the screaming of her own mind and the thoughts that consumed her.
She quickly reached the garden’s entrance, glad she was alone there. Her breath came in quick, shallow gasps, as if she could not breathe properly. She looked around. The night air offered little relief to the heat of her emotions. The moon cast a silvery glow upon the verdant landscape. She inhaled deeply, allowing the perfumed air of blossoming flowers to overtake her completely. For one blissful moment, she became lost in the mystical ambiance that managed to stir her.
She followed a lit path, passing by marble and stone statues that stood sentinel in the darkness, their stoic, ancient forms softened by the play of shadows. Overhead, a canopy of climbing vines created a natural tapestry, their leaves gently rustling as if in conversation with the night.
She stopped where she thought she would not be followed. Her heart was beating inside her throat. She felt she should run from that place, run far, far away, but she knew the mark of shame would follow her wherever she went. She had to stay and face the consequences of her actions.
She took a seat on a marble bench, refusing to acknowledge the chill that spread throughout her entire body upon her doing so. She breathed slowly, in an effort to calm her racing mind and determine what her appropriate course of action should be. But before she could come up with anything meaningful, she heard the snap of a branch from behind her.
She jumped up from her seat, turning around. The sound of oncoming footsteps was becoming louder and louder. Anna could run as far away as she wanted to, but she knew she would never be able to hide.
Chapter 32
At first, she thought it would be that solicitor, coming to torture her more. But upon second glance, when the light of the moon fell on the face of the man who now stood before her, she realized it was not him.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded of Alexander, both her heart and her mind aflutter.
She was not ready to face him. Not yet. Not when she was in the grip of the green-eyed monster, remembering how Lady Genevieve had endeavored to focus all of his attention on her alone. Worst of all, he had bestowed it upon her, only fueling the lady’s hopes and further tormenting Anna.
“We have to talk, Anna.” Alexander’s words were calm and composed, unlike her own.
“Why don’t you go back to Lady Genevieve and talk to her some more?” Anna said before she could even contemplate the repercussions of those words. But once she had said them, it was too late to take them back. They lingered in the silent space between them, and all she could do was widen her eyes in shock.
Alexander frowned, his eyes narrowing at her. “ Lady Genevieve?” he echoed, obviously not understanding what Anna was referring to.
