Page 95 of His Accidental Duchess

“I’m sure we can manage between the two of us.”

Kitty nodded again, looking almost sheepish. “And I… I don’t like chess, Papa. Anna said that I should tell you I didn’t like it, and that you would understand because I am very small.”

Theo bit his lip. “Yes, perhaps playing chess with a child of your age was a bad idea. You see, I liked chess when I was your age, but not every child is the same, are they? You might enjoy it more when you get older.”

“Maybe,” Kitty said, but she did not seem convinced.

“When I come home,” Theo said, taking one of his daughter’s small hands, “you and I will talk about some of the things youliketo do, and we’ll do those things together. What do you say?”

Kitty brightened. “I should like that. I like watching the stars, Papa.”

“Astronomy?”

“Exactly!”

“Well, I shall tell you more about it later. For now, I have to go, darling, alright?”

Kitty nodded, and he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Rising to his feet, Theo felt oddly drained, as if he could tumble into bed and sleep for hours.

He could do no such thing, of course. He had work to do, starting with finding out where Anna had gone. He had a rough idea, of course. For Anna, home could only mean one place.

A figure appeared in the doorway, smooth and ghost-like as her name.

“Her Grace left you a note, I believe,” Mrs. Haunt said, her hands folded in front of her and her face impassive.

Theo dropped his gaze. “You must think me a great fool.”

Mrs. Haunt’s expression softened. “I think no such thing, Your Grace. However, I do think that you should go to her.”

“Do you think it’s too late?”

Mrs. Haunt bit her lip. “There’s only one way to find out, Your Grace. I took the liberty of calling the carriage for you.”

He had to smile at that.

“You are worth your weight in gold, Mrs. Haunt.”

CHAPTER 27

Anna sprawled on her childhood bed, wishing she could cry. She never cried much, and Beatrice had said once that crying was a very cathartic thing, and the whole purpose was to release one’s emotions, to allow one to grieve over a thing that was lost.

Also, was it her imagination, or was her bed unbearably small, a great deal smaller than she remembered?

“There, there, my dear,” Octavia murmured, smoothing Anna’s tangled hair back from her forehead. “I know, it’s upsetting.”

“I truly thought… I mean, I believed there wasmoreto him. That whatever was between us could turn into something more! And just like that, he dashes all my hopes irrevocably. It’s not fair!”

Anna could hear the petulant tone of her voice, and she hated it. But how else could she say it? Oh, she knew that there wasnobody to blame but herself for her raised hopes, buthewas the one who had let those hopes rise higher and higher.

Wasn’t it?

“Well, darling, he was fairlyclear, wasn’t he? Before you got married, I mean.”

Anna paused, then pushed herself up into a sitting position, turning to look at her mother. “You blame me, don’t you? You think I’m silly.”

Octavia sighed heavily. “Of course, I don’tblameyou. I always wanted better for you—a love match, at the very least—but this was the deal we made, remember? You were sosure. You knew it was a marriage of convenience, and yet you wanted to go along with it. And already, as a family, our lives have changed. You are a duchess, your father’s debts were paid off, the servants were paid, and the twins will have a coming out… we mustn’t forget where our luck comes from. It comes fromhim, my dear.”

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