Chapter 26

They did not leave by two o’clock, as Max had suggested. Indeed, they were not at all ready until six o’clock that evening, by which time Max had decided that it would be too late for them to journey on the road. Anna had retreated to her chambers to read her personal, annotated copies of Pride Prejudice and The Mysteries of Udolpho, imagining what Percival would make of them, while the men had seemed to enjoy a pleasant evening in the drawing room.

By two o’clock the following day, however, two carriages had set off from Harewood Court. The three gentlemen were in the leading carriage, while Anna was in the second, accompanied by her lady’s maid.

She could not help but feel it had been done deliberately, for she could scarcely remember a time when they had not all journeyed together during the summer months. Indeed, it had often been a sore point for her, as the greatest amount of teasing never failed to happen while they were all stuffed into a small space, where she could not escape.

As such, it was a dull, silent sort of carriage ride, and as Westyork came into view many hours later, she had never been more excited to see something other than hedgerows and sheep.

“Do you think we should have written first?” Max asked, appearing at Anna’s carriage door to help her down.

Anna breezed past him, half-running toward the entrance of Westyork. “Not at all!” she called back over her shoulder. Although, for the first time, she doubted whether or not she would be welcome at that grand manor.

She was greeted at the door by the butler, who politely ushered her into the drawing room while he went to see “if Lady Caroline was indisposed or not.” From the hallway, she could hear Max, Dickie, and Percival speaking with Daniel. Their rumbling laughter was an enviable sound, while she sat on the settee and smoothed out her creaseless skirts a hundred times or more.

It was almost ten minutes before the drawing room door opened again, though it was not the butler who stepped inside. Caroline quietly closed the door behind her and walked to the opposite settee, sitting down with a stony look. Upon a face so sweet and flawless, it was rather jarring to behold.

“I am sorry, Caro,” Anna blurted out. “Truly, I am sorry for… interfering. It is not something I have done very often, but I knew that Perci—I mean, I knew that the Duke of Granville was not right for you. It is easy to become overwhelmed during one’s first year in society, and to see romance in every gentleman that tries to woo you, but… in this case, I know you both very well, and I knew you would be a terrible match.”

Caroline shook her head slowly. “Then you should have said, as yourself. You should not have hidden behind The Matchmaker.”

“I am aware of that,” Anna replied, “but would you have listened to me?”

Caroline’s smooth brow creased into a frown. “I like to think that I would. We are friends, and I always listen to my friends.”

“But I could not rely upon that, not when I knew of The Matchmaker’s influence. I had to make certain that you did not proceed in a courtship with Percival, and though I know you are furious with me, and you have every right to be, I kept you safe from making a mistake.”

Turning her gaze out of the drawing room window, a muscle twitched in Caroline’s jaw. “How can you be so sure that His Grace and I are not well matched? What… intuition told you so, when I have never been made to feel more comfortable by a gentleman?”

“Because of things I heard him say,” Anna admitted. “Things that would undoubtedly embarrass him if he knew you had heard of them through me, so I would prefer not to reveal it. That being said, if you believe The Matchmaker made a mistake, Percival is here at the house right now. I am sure Phoebe would not mind chaperoning if you wished to… speak to him.”

And he will remember why he favored you, and he will ask for your hand, and you will be happy in your own way, and I will have upheld my end of the bargain. Her heart ached, imagining what it would be like to attend society gatherings where he would be a part of the extended family of the Spinsters’ Club. Would it hurt to see him with someone else? How badly?

Caroline huffed out a breath and turned back to look at Anna. “Are you quite serious, Anna? Are you truly going to sit there and pretend that you did not intervene because you favor him?” She tutted under her breath. “I am not even the most furious about your intervention. I am angrier that you did not then tell me who is my true love match! I waited for another letter from The Matchmaker. I waited and waited, and it did not come.”

“There is no need to pretend,” Anna replied sheepishly. “I truly did not intervene because I favor him. Indeed, I do not favor him. It would be foolish for me to favor anyone. And… I am so very sorry I did not send another letter, as I am sorry that I do not know who your true match is. I shall ponder it some, though I doubt it will be of any use to you now.”

Caroline scoffed. “Why would it be foolish to favor someone? Do not tell me you have allowed that weasel, Lord Luminport, to cloud your judgment? Can you believe he had the audacity to approach me and attempt to flirt with me, after I heard him spread that awful rumor about you? I was right there when he blurted out that lie! Of course, I told him to leave me be, or I would set the husbands of the Spinsters’ Club upon him.”

“Awful rumor?” Anna’s heart lurched into her throat.

“Yes, about you stealing away with the Duke of Granville, alone.” Caroline turned up her nose. “The countess squashed it immediately, of course, and asked Lord Luminport to leave. Yet, he attempted to call upon me yesterday! Daniel was quite incensed.”

Anna had not realized that the rumor had been deliberately spread, nor had she known that Simon was the source of it. She had assumed it was something more akin to hearsay, which was why it had not been mentioned in more detail in the scandal sheets. Indeed, if she had not already seen the scandal sheets, in which her encounter with Percival had been described as a business meeting, she would have truly been panicking.

Anna dropped her chin to her chest. “I take it you heard that he used me to get closer to you?”

“I did.” Caroline paused. “And I am sorry for that. It is despicable. Why, you are one of the most beautiful, most radiant, most wonderful people I know, and to think that you left that ball wounded—it tempered my anger, in truth. I just wish you had sent me another letter, for… navigating this world is more difficult than I ever anticipated. I needed The Matchmaker, and she abandoned me.”

Anna nodded. “I can only apologize and beg your forgiveness, and promise that as soon as my work is permitted to continue, you will be my first priority.” She hesitated. “So, you are not interested in Percival?”

“I could never be interested in the man that has captured the attention and heart of a dearly beloved friend,” Caroline replied, with a mischievous smile. “Nor would I intervene in something that would bring a much-deserved lady such enormous happiness.”

Exasperated, Anna wished she had some tea or something to distract herself. “Caro, my dear, dear Caro, there is nothing between me and Percival. There is to be no happiness for me—not in the romantic sense. My greatest love has always been my friends, and I am quite satisfied for it to remain so.”

“But I have seen you. At the Countess’s house party, I saw you. Every time you were together, it was like watching a novel brought to life: your quarrels, your teasing of one another, your sneaky glances when both of you thought the other was not looking.” Caroline grinned. “I was looking, and though I am new to this realm of society, I know love when I see it. It is another reason I am not as angry as I, perhaps, should be. However, I shall be livid if neither of you fools confesses.”

Anna stared down into her lap. “Then, I am afraid you will be furious.”

“Must I encourage him on your behalf?” Caroline urged.

Feeling a pain in her chest, Anna met her friend’s eager gaze. “It does not matter, Caro, because he does not want me. I am too silly, too combative, too much of a dreamer—the precise opposite of what he asked me to find for him.”

“And I say that you both need to wake up,” Caroline replied. “Goodness, I cannot bear this! It is blatantly obvious that the two of you are besotted, and if neither of you do anything then… then… it shall be the greatest tragedy in recent history!”

Anna forced a smile. “Well then, it is fortunate that I have always favored the novels that make me cry a little.” Her smile faded. “Not everyone is lucky enough to have what my mother and father had, what your mother and father had, what my friends and their husbands have. But you will be one of the lucky ones. I have no qualms about that. With or without The Matchmaker, you will find a love rarer than diamond. I am not often wrong about such things.”

“Just answer me one thing,” Caroline said, with a heavy sigh.

Anna hesitated. “Go on…”

“Do you feel something for him?”

The words would not come, Anna’s throat closing as if she were a debutante once more, standing in front of her first potential suitor.

Caroline pursed her lips. “Let me phrase it this way—if you could be certain of his affections, would you confess yours?”

For what felt like an eternity, Anna imagined every possible scenario. She pictured Percival coming to the garden gate at Greenfield House with a bouquet of orchids, calling out to her that he had loved her all along. She envisioned him rushing into the library at Harewood Court, Pride Prejudice in hand, declaring his love the way dear Fitzwilliam Darcy had done for Elizabeth Bennet. She imagined him as every hero and her as every heroine she had ever read, and felt the faintest smile tug at the corner of her lips.

“I suppose?—”

An almighty crash exploded from the hallway, close to the drawing room door. The two women were up on their feet in an instant, hurrying toward the sound.

Anna got there ahead of Caroline and wrenched the door open to find a jagged spray of ceramic all across the hallway floor. But that was the least shocking thing about the scene in front of her, as she leaned out to see what on earth had caused it.

“I ought to pummel you for your wicked little rumor!” Percival growled, his hand gripping a fistful of Simon’s collar and cravat. “Did you think I would tolerate such deceit?”

Simon struggled, flailing wildly in Percival’s grasp. “I meant no harm! I… I… Unhand me! Let us speak of this like civilized gentlemen!”

“You lost your right to civility when you threatened the reputation of a most beloved… friend,” Percival spat back. “And do not think I am oblivious to why you did it, you vile coward.”

He shoved Simon backward into the newel post at the bottom of the curving stairwell. Simon’s hands came up to protect his face, but Percival made no move to punch him; he just stared at him as if he wished to hurt him, breathing hard.

“You wanted to ensure that I had no chance to pursue Lady Caroline, long after I had given up my suit,” Percival snarled. “Was it not enough that you hurt Anna? Was it not enough to lead her a merry dance and then discard her, but you felt you had to add insult by ruining her? Attempted to, I should say, and you are lucky you were not successful, or you would be unconscious on the floor.”

A sharp jab in the ribs made Anna turn away from the surprising scene, to find Caroline grinning like a madwoman.

“Of course that man does not want you,” she whispered, rolling her eyes. “Any gentleman would do that for a lady he does not care a whit about.”

A yelp from Simon snapped Anna’s attention back.

“If you would but let me explain,” he whimpered. “I did not think it would matter. I saw no harm in it.”

Percival glowered at Simon and tightened his grip, as if he really was about to pummel him. “How dare you,” he seethed. “How dare you decide who and what matters. Indeed, if you saw no harm in that, perhaps you will see no harm in this.”

Anna darted out, leaping across broken shards of what appeared to be a vase, running toward Percival before he did something foolish.

The moment he saw her, his hand relaxed on Simon’s collar, though not enough to let the Earl of Luminport escape his pinned position against the newel post.

“Let him go,” Anna urged, slowing to a walk. “Indeed, I should like a word with him before we continue on our journey.”

Percival was still panting, a glimmer of confusion flashing in his eyes. “You want to speak to this toad?”

“For a moment, yes,” Anna replied, placing her hand gently on Percival’s forearm. “Small and elfin as I am, I think this is one battle that I can fight on my own. Indeed, I should hate to spill any blood upon the beautiful parquet.”

Percival stepped back and lowered his hand from Simon’s throat. “I will be just outside the front door, watching.” He cast one final, sharp glare at Simon. “But if I ever hear you speak of Lady Anna with such disrespect again, if we ever cross paths again, do not think you are out of harm’s way.”

All Simon could do was nod.

“Anna.” Percival bowed his head to her, and, with that, he headed for the front door, which he left open as he stood guard on the top step of the porch.

Anna gazed at his broad shoulders and elegant back for a moment, her heart swelling, her stomach fluttering wildly. To her guiltiest pleasure, that was the very sort of thing she had daydreamed about happening, ever since she was old enough to daydream: The most handsome man sweeping in to defend her honor, letting it be known that if anyone wished to say a bad word against her, they would have to go through him.

And, with the exception of their searing kiss in the Orangery, that might have been the most thrilling, exhilarating moment of her life.