Page 3 of Duke of Bronze
Peggy and Lizzy exchanged a glance before guiding Anna to a chaise by an open window. “Take some air and breathe, dearest."
"I do not wish to breathe," Anna snapped, but took a deep breath all the same, her ribs aching with the effort. "I cannot do this."
Elizabeth poured her a glass of water from a nearby table and came to hand it to her. "And bythis, you mean…?”
Anna took the glass with slightly unsteady hands. "Parade about London on the arm of Colin Caldwell like some hapless debutante who has lost her senses."
Elizabeth perched beside her and sighed. "He is not so bad."
Anna let out a strangled laugh. "Not so bad?He is a bloody rake!"
Peggy shrugged. "He is also a good friend of both Morgan and Alexander."
Elizabeth nodded. "And our husbands are good men."
Anna stared at them, incredulous. "Is that meant to comfort me?"
"We were hoping it might." Peggy smiled sheepishly.
Anna groaned, slumping back against the settee. The tension in her limbs began to ease, though the leaden weight in her stomach remained.
"Uncle Sebastian looked positivelyelated, Anna." Peggy's gaze was soft and hopeful.
"Oh, not you, too Peggy!" Anna hated to admit it, but they were right. Her father's happiness had been plain to see. The tightness in her chest loosened further.
Still. She sat up and scowled at her cousins. "Why do you think Colin is suddenly interested in me?"
Peggy glanced at Lizzy, then said carefully, "His father passed last year."
"Yes, I am aware," Anna sighed.
"And from what I have heard, he is searching for a bride."
"A bride?Me?" Anna scoffed, gesturing vaguely at herself. "Surely you jest."
Elizabeth sighed. "Anna?—"
"No, truly," Anna interrupted, shaking her head. "A woman with a moniker ofTheWild Spinster? I am hardly the ideal choice for a duchess."
Peggy's mouth twitched. "Well, hedidjust pay a thousand guineas for you."
Anna groaned again, dropping her head into her hands. "Do not refer to me as though I am chattel."
At that moment, the door burst open, and her friends, Lady Hester Jensen and Lady Fiona Pierce, rushed in, their expressions stricken with guilt.
"Oh, Anna, we are so sorry," Fiona gasped, her hand on her chest. "We thought you knew."
"Your father agreed to it, and—well, we assumed he would tell you…" Hester added.
Anna exhaled, willing herself to keep calm. "It is all right."
Fiona blinked. "It is?"
"Itis," Anna repeated, forcing a reassuring smile. "After all, I have already agreed to endure it."
Her friends' shoulders sagged with relief. As conversation resumed around her, Anna suddenly realized she needed air—and quiet.
"I believe I should like a moment alone," she murmured.
