He gripped the stem of his wine glass, watching her reactions carefully, hoping she believed him. “As for what would push me to share someone’s secret… If I believed the person was in danger or had committed some sort of crime, then I would share it.”
A pause as she considered his words. Her face took on a terrifying air when she wanted it to, too serious for her own good, but still no less beautiful.
The older gentleman beside her suddenly rose from his seat and excused himself to his engaged neighbor. Old bladders, Philip presumed, and a lack of care for propriety in his old age. Between Anna’s absent neighbor and Lady Hartle’s poor hearing, he saw no reason to continue with their charade. And she visibly saw none either, raising her eyebrows in challenge.
“And do you believe she has? Committed some sort of crime, that is?” Anna asked.
“No,” Philip replied, shaking his head as he watched the lord toddle away. “I believe that the person in question has a strong enough moral fiber to report herself for any wrongdoings as they occur.” He looked over at her father. “I believe the only crime the person has committed is being herself—or perhaps being born the wrong sex. It is so difficult to tell in these situations what has displeased the father.”
Anna shifted a little in her seat. “George talks too much,” she concluded, tucking back into her meal with a grimace as the fish hit her tongue.
“Oh, absolutely.” Philip laughed, liking this side of her much better than the frightened Anna he had met the night prior. “And he thinks he understands everyone so well, when he does not. I could never hate him for this flaw. It is his good heart and honor that makes him act so…”
“Foolishly?”
“I was going to sayerroneously. I do not think he is a fool. I think he loves you as a cousin should and wants to protect you. And in honoring that…” He leaned in, not close enough to cause a scandal, but close enough for her to hear him and him alone. “I swear to you that I will say nothing to him about our meeting, so long as you do not want me to. In exchange, I only ask that you trust me, and do not waste your time worrying that I will betray you. It will be as if last night never happened.”
She fell quiet again, and he studied her.
He was curious, if only for his own benefit. The more he knew about this young woman, the more easily he could fix their… complication. She didn’t strike him as the type of woman to take an actor as a lover. But then again, he had only just met her. Acting skills ran in the family.
Was it possible that Anna was lying?
He doubted it before he had even thought the question. And he doubted it further when she spoke next.
“But it did happen,” she murmured, suddenly solemn. “And so, Your Grace, while I appreciate your offer, I will have to politely decline my end of the bargain. I will remember the encounter. I cannot forget it, though it is not because of a lack of trust in you. I don’t know what it is. I just know… I will never feel at ease now that we have met.”
Her stance on things seemed wise, even though Philip wished she would just believe him. He did not want this young woman, who he intended to let live in peace, to think about him constantly, worrying he would reappear at any moment and ruin her life. He didn’t want to be involved like that with anyone.
It was unlikely they would meet frequently outside of events planned by George. She could only have been twenty, or twenty-one. She would have a husband soon—and then, maybe, she would be able to forget, shielded by her status as a married woman.
But he was thinking too deeply about things. About her. The situation shouldn’t have bothered him in the slightest. Who was she to him, really?
Yet the situation did bother him. A lot.
“Then consider this,” he said, hoping to assuage her doubts once and for all. “If I were to tell your father about what I saw, would that not implicate me as well? You might not trust me, but it should not be difficult to believe that I do not want my name tied to yours unnecessarily.
“It has nothing to do with you. What you have shown of yourself so far has been favorable, to say the least. But I am not looking to marry, and you are a young, eligible woman.” He hoped he had not offended her with that. “It was foolish to ask for your trust. So, let us employ common sense instead.”
Anna considered his words carefully—he could see it in her eyes. Whatever she found in his scarred face seemed to convince her, and she raised her glass to his in a toast.
Philip was almost too startled to respond, clinking his glass clumsily against hers. Their fingers brushed, distracting him, and he welcomed her touch. He would likely never feel it again.
In that toast, he silently wished her the best of luck with whatever—whomever—she chose to pursue.
“To common sense,” she toasted, flashing him a smile.
“To common sense,” he echoed.
And to never again living in peace now that we have met.
CHAPTER7
“Well, don’t be sparing with the details, Anna. We want to knowallabout him.”
Anna kept her eyes shut as she lay back on her picnic blanket, enjoying the sun as it beat down on her.
The weather had taken a dramatic turn in the week since George’s birthday party. That day, Hyde Park was full to the brim with people walking and meeting to socialize. Anna had never liked the energy of too many people around her. She was grateful that Helena had chosen a quiet corner by the Serpentine for their meeting, the sound of rustling water calming her erratic thoughts, the dappled shade of a willow overhead playing on the skin of her ungloved hands.
