Page 100 of His Accidental Duchess

“I warned you,” Theo said, sighing.

He picked his way across the wreckage—he would pay for it to be cleaned up and everything to be replaced later. He was sure that Lady St. Maur would understand—and gently shoved the sideboard off Lord Downton’s head. The man was moaning, delirious, blood trickling from his nose and the side of his mouth. There was a rather deep imprint of Theo’s signet ring on his cheek.

He wasn’t too far gone, judging by the way his eyes widened in fear at the sight of Theo.

Theo bent down, fisting his hand in Lord Downton’s shirt, and hauled the man to his feet. “I will never see you in London again,” he said, voice low. “Let me assure you, there are worse things to lose than one’s house. I will be watching closely, Lord Downton. If you ever breathe the same air as my beloved wife, or my daughter, or me, they’ll be the last breaths you take. You’ve seen how far my influence extends, and just how far I am willing to go for those I love. I don’t often exercise my power, but today, I have. Would you like to see it again?”

A vigorous shake of the head was his answer. Lord Downton apparently did not feel equal to a verbal response. So much the better.

“Good,” Theo said, smiling thinly. “Now get out of this house.”

He released his grip, and Lord Downton almost tripped over his feet in his desperation to get to the door. He drew out a handkerchief with a shaking hand and pressed it to his face. The white lace quickly turned red.

The man paused in the doorway, glancing back with wide eyes. He met Anna’s eyes, and she returned his stare, unblinking. He dropped his gaze first and then scurried away. Theo stepped out into the hallway to watch him go. He had left some of his attendants at the end of the hall, to ‘encourage’ Lord Downton to leave the house properly.

Then, at long last, he could turn back to Anna.

She was on her feet now, her fists clenched at her sides, staring at him.

“Thank you,” she said at once, her voice stiff. “I’m glad you were here, Theo. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come in just then.”

Theo paused before responding. He’d spent a while planning their reunion. He’d thought about what he would say, and what Anna might say in response, and whathemight say tothat. Inshort, he’d planned out whole conversations in his head—the imaginary conversations generally ended with him being suave and manly, and saying a great many clever things.

Instead, he opened his mouth, and unrehearsed words tumbled out. “I thought I’d lost you.”

Anna let out a choked sob, pressing her hands to her mouth. She crossed the space between them, and for one delicious moment, Theo was sure she was going to fling herself into his arms—which he’d hardly dared imagine even in his fantasies—but at the last minute, she stopped short.

“I’m sorry I left so abruptly,” Anna murmured, swallowing hard. “It’s just… oh, Theo. I can’t trust you. I never know whether you’re telling me the truth or not, and you have all of these secrets…”

“I know, I know. And… and I should have been honest with you. If not from the start, at least from when I began to… to get to know you.” Theo closed his eyes. “But you’ll understand why I was so keen on keeping this secret. The truth is that Kitty is not my child. She is illegitimate. Her mother—Isabella—did not love me and took lovers. I knew this, but I didn’t care. I was foolish, cold-hearted and hot-headed, and frankly, I never loved her. She died after childbirth, but not before confessing the truth about Kitty. I don’t know why she told me. Perhaps she felt guilty, or perhaps she wanted to protect Kitty from my finding out any other way. Perhaps she just wanted to torture me a little more—one could never tell with Isabella.”

Anna held his gaze. He waited for shock, disgust, or even surprise to cross her face, but it did not come.

“I guessed as much,” she said, at last. “And the man, the one who confronted us at the opera?”

“Her father, yes. I think he will leave Kitty and us alone. In my mind and heart, Kitty is my true daughter, but in reality and in the eyes of Society, she is not. This secret must be protected, or else her life will be ruined.”

Anna nodded. “I understand. Kitty doesn’t deserve to be ruined. No child does. I’ll take this to my grave, Theo.”

He let out a long, slow exhale.

That was it? That was all it took?

“So… can we be friends again?” he ventured.

She didn’t immediately respond, and his heart sank a little.

“I don’t know if I can return to you now, as things stand,” Anna said, choosing her words carefully. “The truth is—and I think perhaps I should share a secret with you too, Theo—I don’t want to abide by all your rules. I thought I could live with them, but it turns out I cannot. I’m sorry. I tried. I can’t stand those rules, because I want…”

Theo’s face was blank, as if he were steeling himself. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and he waited patiently for her to finish her sentence.

“I… I want love.” she finished.

Theo flinched as if she’d struck him. She eyed him worriedly.

He took a step forward, taking her hand. Emotions roiled in his chest, and baser feelings bubbled low in his gut. If it wasn’t for the broken glass, the smashed table, and the stink of Lord Downton in the air, he might have thrown her onto the ground and had his way with her that minute.

Perhaps not in her mother’s parlor, you absolute fool.

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