Exhaling, Anne sat back down. Was there any reason not to tell her sister about Rafe? She rather wanted to… “Do you remember when I told you I was in love a few months ago?”
“Yes, quite clearly. Then you were soon betrothed to Chamberlain, and it was evident to me he was not the object of your initial affection. Was I correct?”
Anne nodded. She looked at the tablecloth and laid her hand atop it, her palm against the soft, ivory cotton. “I lost contact with him, but we have recently become reacquainted.”
Jane’s jaw dropped. “It’s Bowles. Er, Stone. Isn’t it?”
Withdrawing her hand to her lap, Anne looked straight at her sister. “Yes.”
“I have several questions.” Jane tried not to look aghast and rather failed. “How did you meet him? And when? Why did you lose contact? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t say anything because all of it is scandalous. Back when I first arrived in London, I used to go out with Deborah every Thursday.”
“I remember.”
“We didn’t actually spend our time together,” Anne said slowly. “I went to Hatchard’s, and she went…well, I don’t exactly know where she went. She just left me alone for two blissful hours.”
Jane gaped at her again. “She was supposed to be chaperoning you!”
“I know. But she had something she preferred to do, and I wanted a reprieve from Mother and Father and expectation.”
Jane winced. “I’m sorry. That was my fault. If I’d been more successful, they would not have put so much pressure on you.”
“That wasn’t your fault at all. Chamberlain—that idiot I betrothed myself to—and his horrible sister, God rest her soul, are to blame. They ruined your reputation five years ago. How could you have done anything differently?”
“I don’t know,” Jane said. “That’s the worst of it. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Precisely. That’s why I decided that actually doing something wrong didn’t matter. You just have to avoid getting caught. So I wore a veil and sat in a corner and read books at Hatchard’s. For two weeks, until Lord Bodyguard showed up.” Anne thought of that day often, and it never failed to make her smile. What might have happened if Rafe hadn’t arrived? Would those two men have left her alone? She would never know.
“Lord Bodyguard?”
“Rafe. Mr. Bowles. Lord Stone.”
“I gathered that. But why are you calling him Lord Bodyguard?”
“Because he stepped in to protect me from a pair of odious men.”
“Good heavens, Anne, you should not have been alone.”
“I was in a bookstore, not walking around Covent Garden by myself. Though I did go there with Rafe. And to Cheapside and other places. After that first meeting, he offered to take me around London to places I would not be allowed to go.”
Jane simply stared at her, saying nothing. So Anne continued.
“Those were the best afternoons of my life.”
“You did fall in love with him,” Jane said.
“I did. He does not know that, however. I was not able to continue meeting him.” Even if she had, Anne wasn’t certain she would have told him that next week. They hadn’t even known each other’s names. “If you recall, Mother made me stop my weekly outings with Deborah. The Season was becoming too busy. Or so she said.”
“If you were in love with him, why did you accept Chamberlain’s proposal? Why didn’t Bowles, hell, Stone, court you?”
“He wasn’t in Society then. I didn’t meet him again until he came to see Anthony last week.”
“But surely you could have contacted him.” Jane shook her head. “Or not. I realize how difficult it was to live with Mother and Father. They would not have allowed you to send a letter to a man you hadn’t officially met.”
“That’s true, but since I’d found a way to escape them for two hours each week, surely you realize I could have sent a letter somehow.” She smiled at Jane, who laughed softly.
“Fair enough. You are quite capable. Why didn’t you, then?”
“Thank you. Because I didn’t know his real name. We agreed to keep our identities secret. I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me. So when I failed to meet him, that was the end of it.”
Jane’s eyes rounded briefly. “How sad. And yet romantic at the same time.”
Anne laughed. “I’m glad you think so. I was devastated.”
“Then you went on to become betrothed to a man you surely didn’t love.” Jane laid her hand against her cheek. “Oh, Anne, I am so sorry. And so relieved that your wedding didn’t happen.”
“No more than I am,” Anne said soberly. “Thankfully, that is in the past, and for the first time in weeks, I am looking forward to the future.”
“With Stone?”
“I hope so, but I don’t know if he reciprocates my feelings. Right now, I can’t even get him to admit we’re friends.” She waved her hand. “That isn’t important, however. We are friends, and he needs them. I’m worried about him. Yesterday was a shock, and I’m desperate to know how he’s faring.”
“You’ll see him on Monday.”
“Along with everyone else. I want to see him alone.” Anne put her hand back on the table and lightly drummed her fingertips atop the cloth.
“We’ll pay a call on behalf of the Spitfire Society,” Jane declared, straightening her spine against the back of the chair. “This afternoon.”
Anne stared at her sister. “We will?”
“Yes. And I will give you some time alone with him, if he’s amenable.”
“He will be.” Anne had no reason to believe he wouldn’t. He hadn’t given her the cut direct or anything. She smiled at Jane. “Thank you.”
Jane reached across the table, and Anne met her fingertips with her own. “I would do anything to ensure your happiness, even if it includes bending Society’s stupid rules. After all, I am not exactly a role model.”
Anne laughed. “You are the very best sister, however.”
“Well, that much is true.” Jane winked.
