Page 4 of The Risk of Rogues
Although it did irritate Hart that it had never occurred to him to ask Fulkham in the first place. But who could have known that Mr. Barkley, an obscure provincial merchant who would’ve been beneath Fulkham’s notice otherwise, would have inherited an earldom from a far-distant cousin, taking society by surprise? Mr. Barkley had been far,fardown on the list of potential heirs until several family members had died over a period of a few years. Out of the blue, the man had become the Earl of Staunton with a small estate in Lancashire.
Thankfully, he was dead now, which meant Hart might finally have a chance with Anne.Ifshe showed up in the library andifshe still suited him. He wasn’t sure she did. Because becoming Lady Anne seemed to have changed her into someone who cared what society thought. Who’d actuallybelievedhe’d been a fortune hunter, of all things! That wasn’t the girl he’d once loved.
What if she now wished to acquire a grander husband than he could ever be? A marquess’s son had substantial social credit, but a second son whose eldest brother was about to see his first child born didn’t have quite so much. Knowing Warren’s luck, it would be a boy, which meant Hart wouldn’t inherit.
Not that he would mind; he’d never wanted the title or estate. He enjoyed spying, and he wanted to get better at overseeing it, too—to learn more about the complicated rules of navigating England’s political waters.
Let Warren manage the Knightford empire. Hart had a different dream, and he meant to pursue it fully. But if Anne had become a typical stiff-necked debutante protective of her dowry, with her eyes set on a titled and landed husband, she might not want that.
The only thing that gave him hope was the fact that she still wore her flamboyant hats. Surely that was a sign that the Anne he used to know lurked inside her somewhere.
“I’m here,” said a resentful female voice behind him.
He whirled to find her standing in the pool of light from the sconce by the door, and his breath caught in his throat. She’d restored her coiffure—and her extravagant evening turban—and she’d never looked more fetching. Brilliant red curls framed her features, and her gown plumped up her ample breasts while not quite hiding a waist that was slightly thicker than was fashionable... one he already knew fit a man’s hands perfectly.
Especially a large man’s hands, like his. He’d always been conscious that he wasn’t a dapper, finely proportioned Greek god like his brother. He was big and beefy and bold, not society’s idea of a handsome fellow. So he appreciated a woman with some flesh on her who didn’t seem to mind a man of some size.
She’d never been society’s idea of a beauty, and that was precisely why he’d been drawn to her. Because she’d stood out. Like a peacock among swans, she hadn’t been an elegant debutante dressed in virginal white and groomed to make an excellent match. She’d been showy, like her hats. And she hadn’t cared what anyone thought about it.
She’d seemed the perfect fit for a second son who’d mostly disappointed his parents by always going his own way and not living up to his older brother’s achievements. But perhaps she’d changed.
“The question is,” she continued, “why areyouhere? At this party, I mean?”
“Me?” He snorted. “The host is my brother.”
“Yes, but Delia said that you weren’t... that she didn’t expect you to—”
“YouknewI was in England?” His temper rose. “That Delia could reach me? I’ve been back for months, and all this time you could have—”
“What? Trailed after you like a pet poodle, hoping for some crumb of your affection? I have some pride, you know.”
He strode up to her, not bothering to hide his outrage. “I offeredmarriageto you, if you’ll recall. It wasn’t my fault your father refused.”
“Yes, but you told me that no matter his answer, we would elope. Then you joined the army instead, shipping off for India without so much as a word. I had to learn about it from the newspapers.”
“I sent your maid a note, as before,” he said resentfully.
“Are you speaking of the maid my father dismissed once he discovered she was passing on illicit correspondence between us? That maid?”
His heart sank into his stomach. “How could I have known that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Did you assume there would be no consequences when you approached Papa out of the blue to ask for my hand in marriage?”
“I thought he wouldn’t be foolish enough to refuse!”
“Youthoughthe would be grateful to hand his only daughter over to a man with a need for funds and a reputation for being a ne’er-do-well.”
“I was not a—” He muttered a curse under his breath. “Plenty of young men gamble. Studying the law is a rigorous enterprise, and sometimes a man requires a bit of... recreation to clear his mind. But I was pursuing a profession. And I had an allowance that would have supported us until I was earning money as a barrister.”
Or so he’d believed when he’d gone to her father, anyway.
She gazed steadily at him. “So whydidn’twe elope?” Suddenly she paled. “Or is that what the note to my maid said? The one I never got?” Her eyes grew huge. “Is that why you ran off to join the army? Because you arranged an elopement and I never showed up?”
Aw, hell. The look of hope on her face slayed him. He could lie. He could play on her assumption and spin a tale about how his elaborate plan had been ruined by her refusal to come. How it had broken his heart so badly that he’d run off to India.
But he couldn’t lie to her. He’d never been able to. It was why he’d fallen for her in the first place. Because she’d been able to read and understand him so well.
“No. That’s not why.” He sighed. God, he hated telling her this; it would insult her. But it was the truth. “I ran off to join the army becausemyfather disapproved of the match.”
