Her accusation left him stunned. He said nothing for a while, and Anna debated returning inside and letting fate have her way with them all. She had just escaped one tortuous arrangement with Ashwicken, and now she was being offered another. Her husband would be rich, handsome, and intelligent—and like a trophy on display, she would never be able to touch him or claim him. It would all be just for show.
“You’re reading into my words,” he argued. “My proposal stands, regardless.”
“But it’s not a proposal, is it? I don’t really have a choice. Maybe these aremyjust desserts for thinking you were—” She stopped herself, recalling everything her mother had said to her earlier about her naiveté. “Should I tell you that I am thankful?”
“If you want,” Philip said coldly.
“Well, actually, I will not.” Anna looked down at her feet, knowing they wouldn’t start running even if she begged them to. “But I will tell you that I have no choice. I suppose my answer must be yes.”
Better the devil you know, after all.
CHAPTER16
Philip returned the next morning at dawn and intercepted Anna’s father in front of their house. After a sleepless night, she watched from the drawing room window as he stood her father down from across the road. He shouted something over at him, her father responded, and eventually the two men returned inside together.
The rest of their conversation took place behind the closed door of the earl’s study. By the time they emerged, her mother had risen, and breakfast had been served and cleared. Anna leaped from the sofa where she had been pretending to read a Latin manual, spying on them from the crack in the door.
She jumped when a knock sounded at the other side. Philip pushed the door open, uninjured and blissfully apathetic. He held a sealed note in his hand and extended it toward her.
“The deal is done,” he declared. “There will be no dueling today, nor for the foreseeable future. Our marriage contract. You could read it if you like. It does not require your signature, but you may want to review the details of the engagement.”
Anna gulped, staring down at the document. He held her future in his hands. She hesitated, reaching for the writ before deciding against it.
“I don’t want to see it,” she said. “It’s enough to know that you are both safe. How did you manage to convince him to forgo the duel?”
“By telling him the truth. The duel could result in victory for one of us and a loss for the other, whereas our reputations would be just as easily preserved by a marriage. I did not diminish myself by apologizing to him—I thought you deserved that, at least. It worked in my favor. He was not seeking an apology but a deal from which he could profit. He is a man of business at heart. Acquiring a duke for a son-in-law was an opportunity he would not refuse.”
“I will not applaud his business acumen,” Anna scoffed. “His greed is what got us here in the first place.”
“Greed had nothing to do with the events of last night.” Philip stared off into space, thinking, then returned his attention to her. “But now that we are betrothed, there will be ways to spin the scandal into something that benefits us. I could not bear to see you marry another man… My impropriety was necessary to ensure that you became mine… The ton will fill in the gaps.”
It was a decent story—one Anna wished was real.
“And Ashwicken?”
“The viscount will hear of our arrangement and understand that he has lost. Perhaps he will exile himself abroad once more. I do not know. I do not care.”
Philip put the contract in his vest pocket. “We will make arrangements to procure a special license,” he continued. “Given the circumstances of the match, it seems judicious to marry quickly. There will be time for you to organize yourself. It could take a week, perhaps longer, for the archbishop to respond to our appeal. I will return tomorrow to discuss the matter with your family. The location of the wedding ceremony, your new living arrangements, and the rest.”
There was a sharp edge to his voice. He was speaking like a peer with his hands tied in a deal, not like someone who genuinely wanted to marry her. Anna gripped the book she had been holding tighter.
“Is there anything you need from me?”
“No, no,” Anna replied, clearing her throat. “You should rest. It has been an eventful night. I wish to say… thank you. I couldn’t say it yesterday. Everything was still undecided. Now that this is real… I am thankful that it’s you and not Lord Ashwicken. No matter what happens next. I mean it.”
“Yes, well…” Philip mustered a half smile that didn’t fool her. “I shall count my blessings, seeing as you are counting yours. On that note”—he turned for the door—“I should return home. Elinor is waiting to tear my head off, no doubt.”
Anna opened her mouth to say something that would keep him there a while longer, but she was too slow. Moments later, she heard the door of his carriage close in the distance. Her eyes stung with tears in the ensuing silence.
The man she had met that morning was nothing like the duke she had come to know. He was establishing new boundaries between them. No more playful romance. No more coming to her rescue. His total disinterest in her was the price of her freedom.
The next day, Anna sat in that same drawing room, surrounded by her friends. Sophia and Margaret lounged on the floor, examining the latest broadsheets. Lucy perused the Walford book collection by the fire, while Helena chattered beside Anna about her latest writing project.
Anna sipped her tea, putting on a brave face. She hadn’t seen Philip or her father since the day prior.
The countess had checked on her from time to time with an air of smug satisfaction. Her daughter would be a duchess. More than they could have dreamed. Higher in rank than even Rebecca.
It didn’t matter what it cost to get there. Anna had never seen her mother so happy.