Annie smiled wanly and glanced away. Arthur was perfectly right; it
wasn’t
something just anyone could handle. Arthur wasn’t doing a particularly good job of it at the moment. She winced. In fact, the placement of his hands on the reins was all wrong. But it would hardly be polite of her to point it out. The second son of a baron, Arthur was tall, blond, and had the blue eyes of an angel. It wasn’t his fault that driving wasn’t quite his forte.
“Besides,” Arthur added, “I’d hate to see you get hurt.”
Annie smiled at that. There was no point in arguing with him and he’d just said the sweetest thing. “I’m sure you’re right, Arthur. This has been such a lovely afternoon.” Annie glanced up and the smile drained from her face. “Oh, confound it. Not him
again
.”
Arthur’s head snapped up. “Not
who
again?”
Annie wrinkled her nose and shook her head, her curls bouncing along her cheeks. “Lord Ashbourne.” She nodded to the lone horseman who approached. “He’s coming this way.”
Drat. She wanted to disappear. After last night’s incident, she’d been hoping she wouldn’t see Lord Ashbourne again for … ever. But just as he had been the last three afternoons, Lord Ashbourne was in the park, crossing her path.
“Tomorrow we must take a different route,” she mumbled.
Arthur gave her a skeptical glance. “What’s your quarrel with the Earl of Ashbourne? I hate to be indelicate but you didn’t seem that interested in eluding him last night.”
Annie pressed her lips together. She supposed she deserved that last bit. “Last night I came over to your house to see you and he just … appeared. And now here he is. I’m beginning to think he’s following me.”
“Following you?” Arthur chuckled. “Anne, with all due respect, half of London drives through the park in the afternoon. Lord Ashbourne is no different.”
“You don’t think it more than mere coincidence that he just happened to encounter us each day this week?”
Arthur shook his head. “I daresay we’ve seen Miss Abshire and the Coxes each day too.”
Annie sighed. Arthur could be so naïve. Miss Abshire and the Coxes weren’t following her; Lord Ashbourne was.
“Do you dislike him?” Arthur asked.
Annie contemplated the question for a moment. Ashbourne was a bit arrogant, a little judgmental, and he’d been keeping far too close an eye on her since Lily and Devon had been away. Not to mention she usually found herself completely embarrassed in the earl’s illustrious presence. But she wasn’t about to expound on that part to Arthur. Perhaps she might like Lord Ashbourne a bit more too if he were to stop referring to her as “the runaway bride,” she thought with a smirk. “I wouldn’t say I dislike him … exactly,” she hedged.
She glanced down at her lap. Oh bother. How would she ever explain her fox to the earl? Just perfect. Something else for Lord Debonair to mock.
“There must be something redeeming about him if Lord Colton chooses to be his friend,” Arthur was saying.
“If you say so. Look lively.” Annie pasted a smile on her face as Ashbourne’s black gelding clipped to a stop beside them. Lord Ashbourne tipped his hat. “Miss Andrews. Mr. Eggleston. Good afternoon.” He eyed Annie closely. “I trust you survived your climbing adventure last night?”
Oh, of course the man would have to mention her humiliation. No doubt a “runaway bride” comment was not far behind. She braced herself. “It
was
a good afternoon,” she replied brightly, settling the fox on her lap. Ooh, perhaps she should inform Lord Ashbourne that the fox might be rabid. That might make him leave.
Ashbourne’s smile widened. He flashed his perfect white teeth. “What have you there?” He nodded toward her fox.
As usual, Annie lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders. “We just found this poor boy in the bushes. His paw was caught in a trap.”
Lord Ashbourne’s face turned into a scowl. “What idiot set a trap? He’ll need a poultice and a bandage. May I help you procure those items?”
Annie eyed him cautiously. How did Lord Ashbourne know so much about it? And very well, he’d surprised her with his concern. It was nice of him to offer, but it didn’t change the fact that the man seemed determined to thwart her ambitions of late. In addition to his appearance last night, he’d interrupted her potential trysts with Arthur Eggleston all week long. The least he could do was be understanding about her fox.
“No, thank you, Lord Ashbourne. I have everything I need at home … which is where Arthur and I were just going.” She nodded to Arthur, hoping he’d read her thoughts and set the coach into motion again.
He did not.
Sigh.
Lord Ashbourne inclined his head. “I’m disappointed to see, Miss Andrews, that you are not driving the coach today. Did I mistake my guess or have you not been intent upon asking Mr. Eggleston if you could take the reins?”
Was he was eavesdropping now too? “Indeed that’s true, Lord Ashbourne. But Arthur wasn’t up to it today.”
Lord Ashbourne flashed her a smile that her friend Frances—who was completely smitten with the earl—would say made her weak in the knees. Very well, the rogue was
very
handsome. She would give him that. As handsome as he was troublesome.
“A shame, really,” Lord Ashbourne said. “I should very much like to witness your skill at driving.”
Annie nodded. “It’s impressive to be sure, my lord.” Oh, what naughtiness had made her say such a thing? She usually wasn’t such a braggart but there was something about Lord Ashbourne that brought out her competitive side.
Lord Ashbourne’s eyebrows rose. Was that an impressed look upon his face? “I shall take your word for it,” he said. “I do hope my arrival hasn’t ruined your day, Miss Andrews.”
Annie pinned her most inauthentic smile to her face. “Not at all, Lord Ashbourne. Indeed, I look forward to your visit
every
day. I was just telling Arthur, it’s a wonder we hadn’t run into you before now.”
Their eyes met. Neither smile faltered.
Eggleston cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “Yes. Well. What are you up to today, Ashbourne?”
Lord Ashbourne inclined his head toward Annie. “Actually, I’ve come to ask you if you’ll be so kind as to accompany me to the Lindworths’ ball tonight, Miss Andrews.”
Annie snapped her mouth shut. Despite the fact that the London Season had been over for months, the Lindworths were hosting an autumn ball. Annie had spent the better part of three days trying to get Arthur to invite her to the grand affair. Tried and failed.
“That is, unless you already have an invitation,” Lord Ashbourne continued, blinking at her innocently. A man shouldn’t be allowed to have such long, lovely eyelashes.
“Well, I…” Of course this moment would be the ideal opportunity for Arthur to invite her to the ball. She turned her head and looked at Arthur expectantly. Waiting. She briefly considered elbowing him but thought better of it. She stroked the fox.
Arthur turned to her, a bright smile on his face. “Why, yes, yes of course.” Annie’s heart stopped beating. Oh, finally she would have her invitation in only a matter of seconds.
Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
“Yes,” Arthur repeated. “You should attend the ball with Lord Ashbourne. I am escorting my sister there and would so enjoy seeing you both.”
Annie’s heart sank. “Oh, I—” She scrunched up her nose and dared a glance at Lord Ashbourne. He was wearing his most mocking expression. It was one she knew well. Blast it.
Annie cuddled the fox and contemplated the matter. She had two choices. She could either turn Lord Ashbourne down, a slight he richly deserved, and stay home tonight curled upon the settee with her fox, wondering which young ladies were dancing with Arthur, or she could accept Ashbourne’s blasted invitation and gain entry into one of the most talked-about events of the year.
Annie straightened her shoulders again. The Annie Andrews of six months ago would have asked Arthur to take her with him, would have begged him possibly, but this Annie—no, Anne—the older, more mature Miss Andrews, was forcing herself to behave with a bit more dignity, the incident of clinging to the vine on the side of his house last night notwithstanding.
Her jaw hurt from keeping her smile tight. She gave a curt nod. She couldn’t, just couldn’t, allow Arthur to be at the Lindworths’ ball without her. “Yes, thank you very much, Lord Ashbourne. I should love to attend the ball with you this evening.”
CHAPTER 4
The poultice and the bandage worked wonders for the baby fox’s paw. Though seeing to her little patient hadn’t left Annie much time to prepare herself for the Lindworths’ ball. No matter. It wasn’t as if she were a great beauty. Annie wasn’t like her sister. Men didn’t stop and stare when she walked past. She didn’t have a bevy of suitors lined up at the door waiting to court her or a constant supply of fresh flowers, sweets, and original poems.
Annie would simply toss on one of her new gowns and make do. Perhaps Arthur wouldn’t notice that her hair was a mess of loosely bound curls and she smelled a bit like fox-paw poultice.
She laughed to herself at the thought and shook her head. Then she pulled a blanket over the sleeping fox. His bandaged paw stuck out like a bright white beacon from the pile of blankets she’d wrapped him in. She’d tucked him in a small basket and the tired little thing had fallen asleep almost immediately.
“There you are, you dear,” she cooed. “You’ll be back dashing through the woods in no time.” She wagged her finger. “In fact, I think that’s the perfect name for you.… Dash.”
Mary, her maid, her old friend, came scurrying into the room, pushing the door shut behind her to a chorus of barks. “I swear Leo and Bandit have been circling outside this room all evening,” she said, referring to Lily’s two dogs, strays her sister had adopted through quite different circumstances. “Once they realize you’ve got a fox in here, I don’t know what they’ll do.”
“No doubt they can smell him already,” Annie replied. “They’ll be fine.” She glanced at Dash again to make sure the barking hadn’t wakened him. “I just wanted to keep them away until Dash has a chance to rest. That poultice should help his paw right away.”
Mary shook her head. “Miss Lily is going to return to quite a sight. A ’ouse with a dog, a raccoon, and a fox.”
Annie laughed. Leo was a scruffy brown terrier. Bandit was a dog, of course, but they’d joked plenty of times that the little black, gray, and white animal looked just like the interesting animal the Americans called a raccoon. “Lily will understand. I couldn’t let the poor thing fend for himself in the park with a sore paw.”
Mary smiled and slowly shook her head. “Ye’ve always been a nurturer, Miss Annie, ever since ye was a little girl.”
Annie sighed. Mary was one of the only people she allowed to call her Annie. Everyone else had been informed in no uncertain terms that Anne was her name now that she was old enough to have a come-out and be married.
And Mary was right. Annie was a nurturer. She’d always taken care of little animals that needed care. But her real dream, to become a wife and a mother, to nurture her own babies, was still only that, a dream, until she could get Arthur Eggleston to come up to scratch and convince Lord Colton to accept him, that was.
Ever since Annie and Lily’s parents had died, Annie had lived with her sister, Lily, who’d been a widow. Their male cousin who’d taken over the estate and inherited their father’s title was supposed to be her guardian, but he’d been more than happy to see Annie leave for the city to live with her sister. After Lily had married Lord Colton, he’d immediately seen to it that he took over her guardianship.
Annie had enjoyed her time with her sister. She looked up to Lily and adored her. But Annie wasn’t a child anymore and Lily was a newlywed with a husband, a five-year-old stepson named Justin, and a new life of her own. She didn’t need Annie lingering around any longer. Lily had more than done her duty to her sister and Annie wanted more than anything to marry, have a family, and allow Lily to relax and enjoy her new life. No longer worrying about her pesky younger sibling. The problem was, Lord Colton and Lily didn’t seem particularly keen on Arthur. Partially, Annie knew, because they hadn’t forgiven him for running off with her to Gretna Green, but there was more to it than that and Annie knew that these final weeks while Lily and Devon were off on their honeymoon trip would be crucial in getting Arthur to finally commit to her.
Annie stood up and shook out her skirts. She crossed over to the washbasin and scrubbed her hands with soap and water. Then she glanced at the clock on the mantel. “We must act quickly, Mary. Help me into a ball gown. Any one will do. Lord Ashbourne will be here any moment.”
Mary’s eyebrows shot up straight. “Lord Ashbourne?” She whistled. “Now that is a change o’ pace. Since when does Lord Ashbourne escort you anywhere? Does Aunt Clarissa know about this?”
Annie turned to Mary. “Oh, don’t look so curious,” she said with a laugh. “I was out riding in the park today and Lord Ashbourne arrived, as usual, and invited me to the Lindworths’. And Aunt Clarissa is coming with us, of course.”
Mary had scurried over to the wardrobe and was busily sorting through the gowns. “I take it yer Mr. Eggleston didn’t ask ye first.”
Annie let out a long sigh. “If he had, do you think I’d be attending with Lord Ashbourne?”
Mary emerged from the wardrobe with a pretty pink gown draped across her arm. “I don’t know. Lord Ashbourne
is
one of the most eligible bachelors in London.” She waggled her eyebrows.
With a smile, Annie tossed the towel she’d been using to dry her hands at Mary. The maid snatched it up with her free hand and laughed.
“Oh, just help me on with the gown,” Annie said.
Mary bowed. “As ye wish, me lady.”
The two had a jest about what a fine lady Annie was now. She’d come up in the world, to be sure, since her sister had married Lord Colton. Just a few short months ago, she’d been wearing the same three gowns repeatedly and had no accessories to speak of. The home of her brother-in-law, Devon Morgan, the Marquis of Colton, was luxuriously furnished and perfect in every particular. And Annie had been given carte blanche to purchase a new wardrobe. Her generous brother-in-law had spared no expense.