Page 75 of His Accidental Duchess

“I do.”

“Well, we’ll go, then.”

She glanced up at him. “There’s no need to go along with something just because I want to do it. We’re going to lead separate lives, remember? That was the arrangement. It’s in the terms.”

Theo did not look at her. He kept his eyes fixed on Kitty, who was carefully picking out a simple, well-known children’s song. A muscle ticked in his cheek, and Anna felt a sudden, powerful urge to reach up and trace her finger along the line of his jaw.

To distract herself from such unhelpful thoughts, she gripped the sides of her skirts instead.

Silence ensued, until she realized that Theo was not going to respond to what she had said. Disappointment sat heavy in her chest. Of course, he was not obliged to give her any answers, or even speak to her at all. Plenty of lords and ladies ignored each other entirely in their private lives, until one wondered how they managed to produce children at all.

“This was a good idea,” Theo said suddenly, cutting into her thoughts.

She blinked up at him. “Hm?”

He nodded at Kitty, who was intently hunched over the pianoforte.

“The music. She… she loves it. I can see how happy it makes her already. I think perhaps she has a knack for it. Do you think she’ll be a great proficient?”

Anna looked up at Theo and saw only a father keen to hear about his child’s talents. Parents always thought that their children were special, talented in a way that other children were not. She bit back a smile.

“I don’t know yet,” she said as honestly as she could manage. “Frankly, I only want to see Kitty grow and thrive, and learn to excel in things that make her happy. And I believe that music does make her happy.”

Theo glanced down at her, and Anna forced herself to meet his steady gaze.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice so soft and low that she thought she had imagined it for a moment.

The lump in Anna’s throat thickened. Before she could respond—she had no idea what she was going to say, if anything—the music ended.

“And that’s all of it!” Kitty announced, bouncing down from the stool and running towards them, beaming. “That’s everything I learned today. What did you think, Papa?”

“I thought it was excellent,” Theo said, swooping his daughter up into his arms with a grin.

Kitty twisted to look at Anna. “And what did you think, Anna? Was I very good?”

Anna reached up to tap Kitty’s chin. “You will be a great proficient in no time at all if you only listen to Mr. Errol and practice as much as you can.”

Kitty beamed with happiness.

When Anna tore her eyes away from the little girl, she found Theo staring at her, his eyebrows drawn together. He didn’t look angry, but…surprised.

Abruptly, Anna stepped away, giving a nervous little cough.

“I had better go and speak to Mrs. Haunt about tonight’s dinner. Do excuse me.”

She practically ran out of the room, but unfortunately, her feelings pursued her.

CHAPTER 21

They went, of course, to the same opera house where Anna had gone with Henry and Beatrice. She couldn’t even remember what it was they’d gone to see, only that Beatrice had paid her ticket to get into the opera, Henry had driven them there and back, and she had torn a hole in a pair of gloves and come rushing home to find the Earl sitting in her mother’s drawing room, quite at home.

Yes, that was the evening when everything changed, when Anna decided that she had to dosomethingand proposed marriage to Henry.

It felt like a lifetime ago, not just a matter of weeks.

She entered the building in a very different fashion than she had before. Dukes and duchesses, it seemed, did not enter the building with the rest of the riffraff, not even with the other lords and ladies. They were ushered in through a side entrance, wide and plush-carpeted, with an obsequious footman showing them the way to their box.

They passed a few familiar faces, including Lady Tether, who squealed and waved from across the hall. Anna’s arm was looped loosely through Theo’s, as was proper, although they hadn’t talked much on the carriage ride here, or indeed all day.

---