She and Philip had just returned to the drawing room. Rosamund and Rebecca had left not moments ago in their carriage, and Anna settled into the seat they had vacated, reaching over to pour herself a glass of water.
“You lead such a terribly busy life, gone for so many hours that you miss meals and retire late into the night.” She kept her back turned. “It is a miracle that you could spare the half hour required to entertain my mother and sister. Thank you, Your Grace, for this most noble sacrifice.”
There was no gratitude in her tone, only a dark facetiousness that grated on Philip’s nerves. She had poked him at every opportunity while they had taken tea, abusing his good manners to take swings at him.
That sort of behavior was beneath her. He didn’t have to ask why she had debased herself. A woman could only be ignored for so long. If the bees weren’t attracted by honey, vinegar would suffice.
The floorboards creaked beneath Philip as he hesitated to leave. Judging from her resigned silence, she probably wished he would go, feeling ashamed now that she had let her emotions get the better of her.
“I am the Duke of Wells, and as much as I curse the title, there are matters beyond number that require my attention.” He sighed, wishing he had the power to leave. “Do you seriously believe I am conducting some wicked enterprise behind your back?”
Anna bit her tongue.
“Come now, Anna. You were so very eager to duel with me while your sister and mother were here. Are you afraid to speak your mind now that there is a chance I might fight back?”
“No. I have just realized that it would be an exercise in futility. You will only tell me what I already know,” she murmured into her cup, from what he could see, leaning indecorously on her elbows.
“And what is that?”
“That you exposed the terms of our betrothal before I agreed to marry you, and that asking anything different of you would be childish and selfish.”
“One could not be faulted for seeing it that way, no.”
She paused. “Be that as it may, your sister would like to spend time with you. You don’t need to punish her just to honor the terms of our agreement.”
A clever tactic, but not one Philip was inclined to fall for.
“We both know that is a lie. My sister tolerates my presence here but would prefer I were gone for your sake. While she has scarcely spoken to me, I know she is not pleased with the way our marriage has turned out. I won’t be blamed for Elinor’s hysterics, nor will I take the blame for yours.”
He shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, growing hot and uncomfortable with the conversation. This was precisely why he had tried to avoid her for so long.
Anna turned to look at him, and he felt suddenly exposed, closing the door to the drawing room so the servants would know not to interrupt.
He crossed the room and stopped before his wife, not sure what he intended to do—to shut her up with a kiss or an argument. She craned her neck to meet his gaze, her cheeks flushing red. Philip hesitated to maintain that position of power over her, and so he took a step back to put some distance between them.
Anna scoffed in disgust, slamming down her tea and climbing onto the sofa so they could stand face-to-face. He had never seen a woman act so improperly, and his eyes went wide.
“I hate that word. Hysterics. I have known from the first that you had your faults, but you have outdone yourself with that one.” She put her hands on her hips. “Nothing about our initial agreement implied you would ignore me completely. So I feel it is not asking too much—certainly not to the point of hysterics—for you to occasionally acknowledge my existence.”
Philip smiled darkly, his eyes roving over her determined little face. He paused on her lips. A dark feeling swelled in his chest, a desire for her mixed with injustice. His voice dropped low.
“I am all too aware of your existence,” he ground out. “There is not a corner of this house that is peaceful for your being in it. Even when I cannot hear you, I feel your presence nearby. Waiting for your next movement, dreading the moment you will come and seek me out. Cotoneaster is damn near inhospitable now.”
He realized only as the words rushed out of him what he was admitting to. Anna was too deep in her anger to read between the lines.
“Oh.” She let out a disbelieving laugh. “How terrible for you. I shall endeavor to move much more quietly in this prison you have consigned me to.”
He sighed. “You are testing my patience now?—”
“Well, you have tested mine!” she shouted back at him. “You’re only making things worse by avoiding me. You said we would lead separate lives, and I accepted that. But while we are here, in the same place, why must you keep your distance? A walk in the gardens with me surely wouldn’t kill you. You make me feel so… so…”
“Feelings do not factor. One of us must be reasonable. You have no idea what you are asking of me, Anna. When it comes time for us to part—and that time will come sooner than you think—you will not miss a man who never spent time with you, a body that never kept you warm. I do this for your benefit.”
He expected her to argue back. Instead, she stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open.
“Why sooner than I think?”
“What?”
