Surprise washed over him before he caught himself and scowled.
“That is to say?”
“A question lingers in my mind. Earlier, you said that I drew the line at theft. What did you mean by that? What do you believe lies before that line?”
It had been an errant remark, nothing he had expected her to question. He hadn’t even realized at the time what he had implied.
Now that she had brought it to his attention, he could not ignore his underlying suspicions about her—that shehaddone something worthy of criticism that night at the opera. That maybe it was the reason he felt so comfortable around her, because she was as imperfect as he was,andhad things to hide too.
“It was a figure of speech,” he offered by way of excuse.
“A curious one, to be certain,” she shot back, visibly unconvinced. “I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
Not at that moment, certainly. But even the most insignificant detail could have detrimental consequences.
* * *
“We’ve done our good deed for the week,” George said in the carriage as they were driven back to Mayfair. “It was nice to see Elinor after so long. Though, of course, I wish we had met under better circumstances.”
Anna opened her eyes, having kept them closed since they left Charleton Manor. The events of the afternoon had worn her out. Not least of all her confusing conversation with the duke. She was still trying to decipher what he had meant about the limits of her morality, whether any of it even mattered.
“His Grace suggested that you had been good friends with her late husband,” she said, straightening against the back of the bench. “I don’t remember you mentioning him much before.”
“Graham and I were decently close, but he was always much fonder of Philip than me.” There was no jealousy in his tone, only nostalgia for a time that had come and gone. “They had known one another for years before Philip and I met. It was a shock to us all when Graham passed last year, but I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Phil.”
“He must have been on duty at the time,” Anna murmured. Her heart ached for the duke. She didn’t want to think about how heartbroken she would be if one of her friends passed away so suddenly. “What happened to him?”
“To Graham?” George’s brow creased, his voice thickening with emotion. “A riding accident. He was racing through the forest on a fox-hunting trip in early spring. Simon was there, but I refrained from attending. It’s unclear what exactly transpired. Whether he rode into a low-hanging branch and it knocked him off, or something else. We can’t be sure. One moment he was chasing his dogs, and the next…” He shrugged. “A stupid way for such a good man to die.”
“That’s awful.” Anna placed a hand over her mouth. “His poor wife… Did they have any children? I saw none at the manor.”
“Not one. It was always their desire to have a large family. But one simply did not manifest.” George clicked his tongue against his teeth, shaking his head. “I suppose Elinor will stay with Philip for the time being. She gave no sign of being interested in searching for another husband once her mourning period was over. It’s a tragedy, all of it. She is a very lovely woman.”
Anna studied her cousin. “You could marry her,” she suggested.
“Egad, what a thing to say. It would be like putting on Graham’s old clothes and walking around in them. I would feel like…” George puffed out his cheeks. “No, I wish for something entirely different for myself.”
Anna supposed she understood. She, too, wanted to marry someone who genuinely piqued her interest, challenged her for the better, and made her heart ache—in a good way.
Surprisingly, she thought back to her walk with the Duke of Wells, and her face grew hot with embarrassment… and more.
“Perhaps it will be for the best, her staying with Philip,” George continued. “Elinor isn’t like her brother. She needs good company to thrive. Philip is perfectly content to spend all his time alone. But I think a change is in order. This arrangement will benefit both of them.”
“Ihadgotten that impression from His Grace. He was a perfect gentleman during our walk, but he does not strike me as the sort of man to suffer people he does not like.”
“To some degree, yes. But—” George broke off, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh, nothing. Never mind me. I’m overthinking things as always. It was just something his sister said.”
“You cannot possibly expect me not to ask questions now.” Anna laughed. It was just like George to start a new conversation as their ride came to an end. “What did Lady Kirkby say that has made you so worried?”
“It was a passing comment. Insignificant, really. I just had this feeling…” Her cousin’s expression twisted. He was deep in thought, testing her patience. “She said she was surprised that Philip had come back to England at all. And the way she said it… Not as though she had expected him to stay at some outpost somewhere because he had fallen in love with his career. But as though…” He sighed. “As though she thought he would not come back to England,ever.”
The carriage came to a halt, rocking Anna forward. She held her breath, wondering whether she had heard George right.
“You mean to say that she expected him to die?” She gulped, surprised by the intensity of her feelings at that prospect. “That can’t be so surprising, can it? Her husband has just passed. She would be expecting the worst.”
“Perhaps.”
“Notperhaps. What are you thinking?”
