More Than a Duke(87)
“This is madness.” Katherine stood. “Madness.”
“Do you believe Harry loves me?”
Her sister fell stonily silent, her lack of response more resounding than any answer.
A sad smile tugged at her lips. “No, I did not believe so, either.”
Katherine held her palms up. “I don't know if Harry is capable of loving anyone.” Katherine was wrong. As much as her sister knew of Harry, she clearly didn’t know of the love he’d carried for Margaret. She crossed over to Anne. “I trust he’ll marry you,” she said quietly.
How could her sister with such a beautiful love with Jasper believe Anne could ever, would ever enter into a union that had been orchestrated by the vile Lord Rutland? “I'll not have him that way.” She’d have him in a loving marriage or not at all.
“You’d rather wed that toad, Bertrand Ekstrom?” Katherine glanced to her husband. “Say something, Jasper.”
His response was lost to Anne as she wandered to the window. She peeled back the curtain. In spite of the warmth of the night, a chill stole through her.
Katherine’s face reflected in the crystal panes. Her brown eyebrows stitched in a single, suspicious line. “What are you thinking, Anne?”
She touched her forehead to the cool windowpane as her mother’s previous threats of and for a marriage to Mr. Ekstrom and the inevitability of her ruin blended into one perfectly horrific resolution. A lone carriage rumbled down the darkened street. “I can’t marry him.”
“Bah, of course you can!”
Anne shook her head. “No.” She turned back around. “I can’t.” Harry would do the honorable thing and wed her. But it would never be for the right reasons. Ultimately, in protecting her and denying himself the one woman he truly loved, he would bind himself to Anne—forever. That was the kind of gentleman he was.
Katherine took a step toward her. Fire lit her eyes. “As infuriated as I am with Harry for helping you in your foolish plan to win the heart of a duke, I know him well-enough to say he would never,” she took another step closer. “ever allow you to wed Bertrand Ekstrom. Never,” she added for final measure.
Anne captured her lower lip between her teeth. No, her sister was as usual—correct. She began to pace. In the morning, Harry intended to meet her guardian.
“What are you thinking?” her sister asked.
Anne ignored her and continued her frantic pace. Perceived by all of polite society as an unrepentant rogue, in actuality Harry possessed more honor, integrity, and respectability than all of the peerage combined. Even as he didn’t love her, he would marry her. No, he wouldn’t stand idly by while she wed Mr. Ekstrom. Perhaps ten days ago Harry would have flatly rejected marriage to Anne. Then, he’d viewed her as a young lady who…
She drew to a slow halt and blinked.
“What is it?” her sister prodded, her tone sharper.
Anne shook her head slowly. If he still saw her as nothing more than a title-grasping miss, then he’d not do this thing, and cost himself his every happiness.
A knowing glint flashed in Katherine’s eyes, a sudden understanding, that only came from a sister who’d been dragged along years of foolish schemes. 'What are you planning?'
“He won’t be happy with me,” she said in an entreating tone, willing her sister to see. She sucked in a shuddery breath. “He loved her.”
Her brother-in-law averted his gaze, silent through the sisters’ exchange.
Katherine cocked her head at the sudden shift in conversation. “Loved who?”
“Lady Margaret Monteith.”
Understanding lit her sister’s brown eyes. After all, the ton was well-aware of the scandalous, young widow’s reentrance into Society. But then she gave her head a quick shake. “That doesn’t matter.”
A pained laugh escaped her. Her sister was all things loyal. “I don’t want him to marry me because he’s been forced to. He will resent me for denying him his true love and I will resent him for loving another.” And in that, she would become her mother. She had to set him free and the only way to do so was making him hate her. Again. Her heart twisted with a bitter pain. Considering the loathing he’d carried for her this past year that should prove rather an easy task to accomplish.
Katherine jabbed a finger in her direction. “Anne Arlette Adamson, by God I’ve seen that look in your eyes more times than has ever been good for either of us.”
Anne looked down. All her life, she’d been rash. She’d moved through life without ever truly considering the consequences of her actions. Rutland’s discovery and subsequent threat had shown her belatedly the dangers of such recklessness. She picked her head up. “There will be no more schemes,” she said softly, assuring her twin. After this.