“I assume you intend to marry her,” George said eventually.
Philip felt his brow crease. He knew George would ask him to propose sooner or later, but he had hoped to be dead long before George could confront him.
“You assume wrong. My actions tonight were not the product of a long-standing affair. I intended nothing when I kissed your cousin but to prevent her from marrying Ashwicken—and that much Anna will understand. If a duel must be had for her honor, then so be it. I said as much to Bristol before I left, and he agreed. We are to meet tomorrow at dawn. It remains to be seen whether he was sincere or will take the coward’s way out.”
“Are you mad?” George gave a broken, incredulous laugh. “That was not an empty threat. Hewillduel you. If not him, then Ashwicken will take up the pistol in his stead. They are old, proud men, and you are the son of a known rake who has ruined their daughter and prospective bride respectfully. So you will not marry Anna, but you will die for her or go down a murderer? Surely you must see the insanity of your plan.”
Philip had tried not to think too deeply about his actions. He still wasn’t sure what had driven him to kiss her. His desire for her, partly. His desire to save her, too. The dark satisfaction of giving the ton exactly what they wanted as they watched him follow in his father’s footsteps.
“If a duel is how it ends, then I will not shirk my duty,” Philip replied. “But you cannot seriously believe that either of them will shoot to kill.”
“I believe you would step into the path of the bullet on purpose, what with the way things have been going. You clearly have no respect for Anna’s well-being. But I at least thought you would have enough respect for your own life not to throw it away so carelessly.”
George sighed. He looked down at his shaking hands and balled them into fists.
“That was unfair—but it was not far from the truth, was it? Elinor and I have spoken. She worries about you. She thinks you are walking down the road to self-destruction and nothing will save you. And though I had my doubts, tonight has convinced me that she was right.”
Philip remained silent, looking out the carriage window as London rushed past. “Elinor sees what she wants to see in me. And so do you.”
“The only thing I see in you at this moment is a craven fool.” George leaned back, knowing that would anger him. “You must marry Anna. You owe it to us both. Whether the duel occurs or not changes nothing about her circumstances. My uncle will never let her forget what happened tonight. She will either marry a man much worse than Ashwicken or be forced to live out the rest of her days however he sees fit. That can’t be what you want for her.”
“Until two weeks ago, I had no idea the woman existed, and now you would have me wed her? Why do you think she would be any happier with me than alone? I could not become a decent husband even if that was my greatest wish—which it has never been. She will want me to love her, and I will break her heart.”
“Do I look like I care one whit whether or not you will love her?” George laughed, but there was no mirth in it. “She is a good person, and her father has spent the last twenty years setting her up for failure. I’ve always feared that he would squash her spirit and ruin her life… but I did not expect you to help.”
“And what of the rest of it? The expectations, the children…” Philip’s stomach tightened. “I won’t do it. I refuse. And though you assume I have no respect for Anna, it is precisely my respect for her that keeps me from agreeing to your proposal. So long as the duel is successful, she will be fine. Either I die, allowing the tonto recognize her for the victim she is, or?—”
“Or you would murder my uncle and set her free? You truly have gone mad.”
Philip sat with his shame. A moment later, George banged on the roof of the carriage, and it came to a stop.
“Where do you intend to go?” Philip asked. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“I am going to make things right,” George declared. He popped open the door and stepped into the darkness beyond. “Anna and I will find our way out of this mess. As for you and me, Philip… you will forgive me for what I must do next.”
The door slammed in Philip’s face before he could ask George what he meant. He sank back against the bench and rubbed a hand over his face. The driver knocked on the door and asked Philip what he wanted to do next.
“Drive for a while,” Philip ordered, ignoring his growing headache. He needed time to think. “Then return to Charleton.”
He closed his eyes as the carriage took the long way home, his thoughts drifting to Anna.
The memory of her made him tense up. Her warm, sweet lips. The shocked gasp that had erupted from them when he had held her, how it had vibrated against his mouth.
If he had been any other man—a man worthy of her—he would have married her outright. But Anna would be more miserable with him than in some convent.
The Wilmington men did not make good husbands. They were made monsters. The best he could do was offer Anna any amount of money she wanted to start over, even if the thought sickened him.
He didn’t want to be her patron. He wanted…
To be born someone who deserved her.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed between his departure from the ball and his arrival home. The carriage slowed to a stop, and Philip sighed at the thought of the coming morning. He would rest while he could. Have a drink, find a second somewhere. Once business was done, the scandal sheets would inform London about the scandal, and Elinor would learn the truth about him once and for all.
Stepping out of the carriage, he looked up at the house. He spotted a strange, large shape in the darkness of the drive. It looked like… an empty hackney cab.
His heart sank into his stomach. He broke into a sprint toward the manor, pain flaring in his body from the effort of running. He took the front stairs two at a time, shoving open the front door. The butler stood in the entrance hall, waiting for him, illuminated by a candle in a brass holder.
“Where is he?” Philip demanded.
