Page 67 of Duke of Bronze
WithRoderick.
Colin had never known the fighter capable of such mirth, and the realization sat ill with him. Anna had been too informal for comfort, her manner far too easy in his presence. The familiarity between them confirmed Fisher's report. Shewaswell acquainted with Roderick.
But how well?
The question lodged itself firmly in his mind, a bitter weight pressing against his thoughts. His jaw clenched as he leaned back in his chair, fingers tightening against the arms of his seat.What was the true nature of their relationship?
He could ask her, of course. But would she even indulge his curiosity? The memory of her airy dismissal in the breakfast room resurfaced, grating against his already frayed composure. No, Anna would not be forthcoming. And he—he had no right to demand answers. The realization only soured his mood further.
Irritated, he dipped his quill into the inkwell and turned his attention back to the ledgers before him. Numbers were logical, dependable. Numbers did not evade him with cryptic smiles and unreadable gazes.
Yet as he attempted to enter the first set of figures, his grip on the quill tightened, and ink splattered across the page, a large blot staining the careful columns where a simplefiveshould have been.
Colin cursed aloud, his temper snapping as he tossed the offending quill back into the pot with far more force than necessary.
A knock sounded at the door just as he exhaled sharply, fighting the urge to hurl the ledger clear across the room.
Before he could call for them to enter, Giltford and Sterlin strolled in, utterly at ease as they took in the scene before them.
"Whathasthat poor quill done to deserve such violence?" Sterlin drawled, leaning casually against a nearby chair.
Colin shot him a dark look. "It has ruined my perfectly ordered accounts, that is what," he bit out, more curtly than he had intended.
Giltford raised a brow as he and Sterlin made themselves comfortable. "You are in anabominablemood," he observed dryly. "All the more reason you require an outing."
Sterlin nodded in agreement. "Yes, a fine suggestion. A change of scenery might do you some good."
Colin barely heard them. His mind had drifted elsewhere, tugged back to that morning's conversation, to the easy way Anna had spoken with Roderick, the way she had smiled—laughed.
Giltford cleared his throat, drawing Colin back to the present. "The outing to the village—do you recall that it is this afternoon?"
Colin's eyes widened in surprise. "That is today?"
Sterlin let out a low chuckle. "Never say you forgot."
"So lost in his own ill humor that he has forgotten he is hosting a house party," Giltford remarked, exchanging an amused glance with Sterlin.
Sterlin nodded sagely. "A most grievous offense, indeed. One might almost suspect thatsome matter of great importweighs upon his mind."
Colin gave them both a tight-lipped smile, one meant to be dismissive but which, judging by their unimpressed expressions, was woefully ineffective. "What, pray, could possibly be amiss beyond a wretched quill blotting my ledgers and setting me back in my accounts?" he countered, stretching his lips into a deliberately wide, unconcerned grin.
Neither man looked convinced.
And for good reason.
Colin had no intention of discussing whatwaswrong—chiefly because he did not fully understand it himself. How could he explain the tangled knot in his chest, the irritation, the absurdity of the jealousy clawing at him? He had no rational claim over Anna, no reason to feel as if something had been wrenched from his grasp. And yet, the image of her laughing so easily with Roderick gnawed at him, an unwelcome thought that refused to be reasoned away.
Best to leave it alone.
"I am certain the carriages are being readied as we speak," he said instead, rising to his feet and steering his friends toward the door before they could press him further. If they wished to linger and dissect his mood, they would have to do so while keeping pace.
The moment they stepped outside, however, Colin caught the identical looks of incredulity Giltford and Sterlin shared behind his back. Clearly, they were not so easily deterred.
Well, let them speculate. He had no inclination to give voice to his frustrations.
As they joined the gathered guests, Colin's gaze swept the throng instinctively, searching without realizing he was searching.Where was she?
The answer did not present itself. And with it, his spirits took a slow but perceptible descent.
