Page 74 of His Accidental Duchess

“Did… Did I say something wrong?”

Celine paused, reaching out to lay a hand on Anna’s shoulder. “You have done nothing wrong. Nothing. I mean it, alright? Now, I’ll get going, but I shall see you at the opera. Yes?”

“Yes,” Anna echoed, feeling as though she were being run over by a steamroller.

“Excellent. Good day to you, and give my love to Theo and Kitty.”

And just like that, Celine swept away, leaving Anna alone in the parlor with a half-finished tea tray and a feeling that she was missing something very important.

She sank down slowly. So, Theo wasnotin love with his dead wife. She’d seen the truth on Celine’s face, for sure, but not thewholetruth. There was something else, something that made Celine uncomfortable.

Something she wasnotwilling to share with her cousin’s new wife.

Something that, no doubt, Theo was not going to tell her.

Frustration washed over Anna. Why did the man have to be so guarded, so mistrustful? What on earth could have happened tohim to make him so cold? People were not born that way. They weremade, always.

She wasn’t entirely sure how long she sat in the parlor, lost in her thoughts, going round and round in circles in her head. Half an hour, perhaps? An hour? Either way, she flinched when running footsteps broke into her musings, and Kitty came bursting into the room, her little face alight with excitement.

“Papa is back, and I’m going to show him what I learned on the pianoforte today! Come, Anna, come and hear me play!”

Laughing, Anna allowed herself to be towed all the way back through the house to the music room.

Theo was already there, sitting on a padded chair near the pianoforte, one leg crossed over the other. He leaped to his feet when Anna entered.

“No need to get up,” Anna remarked, and he smiled.

“A gentleman always rises when ladies enter the room.”

“I’m a lady, too!” Kitty shouted.

“And that, my dear Kitty, is why I used the plural,ladies. Now, let’s hear your remarkable playing.”

Kitty hauled herself onto the piano stool and flexed her small fingers.

Theo crossed the room to stand beside Anna. She felt his proximity like a wave of heat, prickling her skin. Thoughts that she would rather not entertain at that moment bounced around in her head. She could remember the feel of his lips, the way his stubble grazed her neck, the feel of his fingers on her thighs, creeping ever higher.

If he was similarly affected, he showed no signs of it. It was almost infuriating.

“Is she any good?” he asked in a low voice.

Anna winced. “Not particularly, but this is only her first lesson. My mother recommended a tutor, and he seems patient.”

“I’m glad. Kitty requires a great deal of patience.”

Kitty began to play, slowly and laboriously tracing out the scales and simple tunes Mr. Errol had taught her. Her little tongue stuck out between her teeth, and her brow furrowed with effort.

However, it did seem that she had recalled a good deal of what she had been taught. For a first lesson, Anna reflected, it was impressive.

“Celine called on me today,” Anna remarked.

“Oh? My lanky cousin promised us a visit. I’m sorry I missed her.”

She talked about Isabella and then said she had said too much. What does that mean, Theo? As your wife, don’t you think I deserve to know what happened to the former Duchess of Langdon?

She didn’t say that, of course. Instead, Anna only smiled faintly. “She invited us to the opera.”

Theo sighed. “Oh, dear. I don’t particularly enjoy the opera. Do you?”

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