Page 11 of A Virgin to Tempt the Duke

Rachel was already there with a place set beside her. The morning light came through the window in a way that made everything look warm.

Anna had chosen a pale blue day dress from the wardrobe. Mrs. Henderson had come up to help her dress and quickly adjusted the hem just as Rachel said she would.

“You look much better,” Rachel said, with the satisfied air of a diagnosis confirmed. “Rest did you well.”

“I slept like a stone,” Anna said, sitting.

“You needed it. Here,” Rachel gestured to the rack of toast. “Eat something.”

“Yes, you must regain your strength today,” the Duke said from behind his newspaper, and it was only then Anna noticed he was there.

“Good morning, Your Grace,” Anna said with a sheepish smile as she sat back in her seat.

“Good morning.” He picked up his coffee and sipped.

“The rose garden is quite neglected, you know,” Rachel started as she took a bite of crisp bacon. “I could see it from my window when I woke this morning.” Silence grew at the table, and Rachel quickly went on. “The journey was dreadful, but one expects that. I’ve always said Derbyshire air is superior to London air… And my book is still in the carriage, I think. I do hope it is still in the carriage.” A beat. She reached for the marmalade. “Where was I?”

“I have no idea,” Anna giggled softly, and took a bite of toast.

Across the table, His Grace drank more coffee.

It is,Anna thought,almost ordinary. Three people eating breakfast.

She was reaching for the teapot when his grace set down his cup and looked at her directly.

“I wrote to my attorney yesterday evening,” he said.

Rachel nodded and remained silent, letting him have the table, as Anna poured herself a hot cup of black tea.

“I’ve explained the relevant particulars. The manner of the marriage, the absence of consummation, the question of consent. I have asked him to advise on the most discreet path forward and expect a reply within the week.” He held her gaze, his brown eyes softening almost imperceptibly. “He is trustworthy. He has handled more complicated matters for this family without issue.”

Anna set down the teapot then. “Thank you,” she said. She still needed to find a new way to say thank you. “I know the situation is…I know it is not straightforward, or convenient, or?—”

“It is not,” he agreed, without making anything particular of it. “But it is workable, provided we are careful. The key will be ensuring that Birchall has no grounds to contest the annulment before it is filed.” He looked at her steadily. “That means remaining here and hidden, out of his reach, until the process has begun.”

“I understand.”

“Good.”

Rachel looked between them both. “Is there anything I can do? For the… the attorney, or the?—”

“No.” The Duke stood, folding his napkin. “The best thing you can do is ensure that Miss Cartwell is comfortable here and that the household continues to run as it ordinarily would. See to the gardens, your reading.” He glanced at Rachel briefly. “Normalactivity. No reason for anyone to find anything out of the ordinary. Understood?”

Rachel nodded, and the Duke rose to his feet, giving a curt nod. Without another word, he was gone, and the door settled quietly behind him.

Rachel immediately turned to Anna with her eyebrows raised. “He has a way,” Rachel sighed, “of making a room feel both more organized and less inhabited.”

“He is trying to help,” Anna said. “I am grateful beyond words.”

“Yes,” she said, her eyebrows still clearly raised, and poured Anna more tea. “He is.”

CHAPTER 5

Rachel had appointed herself tour guide with enthusiasm, and Anna followed her through the principal rooms first that afternoon.

Anna enjoyed strolling through the long gallery with its ranked portraits of three centuries of someone else’s ancestors, the library that took up most of the south wing and smelled of old leather, beeswax and faint tobacco, the music room where a pianoforte stood in the window, and Rachel played three bars to demonstrate the quality of the instrument before declaring they had more to see.

“We must go outside,” she said as they reached the terrace, and off they went.