Anne’s heart pounded, and her belly flipped. “I wasn’t expecting him to.”
“That explains your demeanor,” Jane said with a light smile. “I’ll leave you alone, but with the door open, and I’ll sit just outside. Not to eavesdrop, but to pretend there’s just a bit of propriety happening.” She winked at Anne just before Rafe stepped into the room.
Everything faded into the background around him. He looked spectacular, his golden hair combed into a perfect, rakish style, his dark gray costume with burgundy waistcoat fitting his physique impeccably. Anne’s throat went dry as she recalled their last encounter, when she’d been stripped nearly bare in his embrace. Her pulse raced as a thrilling heat swept through her.
He bowed his head. “Lady Colton. Miss Pemberton.”
“Lord—” Anne stopped herself. “Mr. Mallory.” He was not yet Lord Stone. Nevertheless, she’d wondered if he was an earl on the very day they’d met. Perhaps there was something intrinsically noble about him.
The butler left, and Jane stepped toward the door. “Good afternoon, Mr. Mallory. I presume you’d like to speak with my sister. I’ll be just outside.” She glanced toward Anne before departing the library.
Rafe walked toward her. “Your sister is very accommodating. What does she know?”
“She knows about our…friendship, how I feel about you.” She looked up at him, her body swaying, aching for his touch. “I did not tell her any specifics about the other day.” Warmth rose in her cheeks to match the heat in her core.
“I came to ask a favor, if I may.” He was being very reserved. Was that because the door was open? Or because he truly wasn’t going to continue their…whatever it was?
“Shall we sit?” She gestured to the settee to her left.
At his nod, she perched on the edge, angling herself toward him. He also sat somewhat sideways, facing her. Their knees nearly touched. They were so close, but the bare inch felt as though it were a canyon.
Anne couldn’t imagine what favor she could grant him. At least not one that matched his current behavior. “I gather this is not a favor of a…personal nature?”
His eyes flickered with heat. “No.” Some of the anticipation curling through Anne dissipated. “I would like to get to know my uncle.”
This surprised her, but she was pleased. “I think that’s wonderful.”
“It seems I should. I haven’t ever had family beyond my sister, and we’ve been apart for some time.” He looked away from her. “I will never get my father back, but it seems his brother might be the next best thing.” He said the last few words slowly, as if he were choosing his words with care.
Anne smiled, glad that he’d come to this decision and that he’d sought her out to help. “This is brilliant. You’d like my assistance?”
He nodded. “I’m not sure how, but he’s like a second father to you, isn’t he?”
“I suppose he is. In some ways, I like him better than my father, particularly after learning how my father treated Jane.” She shook her head, not wishing to revisit that just now. “Now that my father is gone—at least for now—my godfather has taken it upon himself to fulfill a parental role.” She chuckled. “Whether I want him to or not.”
“And do you want him to?”
While Anne wasn’t keen on reentering Society for the purposes of finding a husband—and that was clearly what her godfather wanted her to do—she couldn’t deny that it was nice to have him there. She’d always had parents, and now that she didn’t, it was strange. Perhaps even a bit…lonely. “I suppose I do. I appreciate that he cares about my welfare and my happiness. Especially after what happened with Gilbert. Except, he thinks I should marry immediately.” She twitched her shoulders. “Why do so many people think marriage is the answer to everything?”
“I surely don’t know,” he said drily. “I would never suggest such a thing.”
No, she imagined he wouldn’t, particularly given his experience. She pondered how to bring them together. It was a difficult, sensitive situation. First, she should gauge her godfather’s current sentiment. He’d been very upset after the dinner on Monday.
“You should spend time together,” she said. “Perhaps in a group at first, but then just the two of you.” An idea struck her. “Sandon, I mean, Lorcan is lovely. If you wouldn’t mind, I could also speak to him. I do believe he feels a slight relief that you’ve returned. He is far more in love with that Irish estate than fulfilling any duties here, which would be required after his father dies.” She shuddered. “How I detest thinking of such things.”
“Death comes to us all, Anne,” he said quietly. Again, she felt a pang of sorrow. And regret for making the comment knowing what she knew, that death had been a central part of his life.
After a moment, Rafe said, “Lorcan seems…pleasant. The most pleasant of the three of them, anyway. Please, whatever you organize, leave Deborah out if you can?” He gave her a pleading look that made her smile.
“I will do my best. She can be unpleasant.” Anne frowned. It was more than that. “Hearing that she was cruel to Beatrix and Selina has made me question my relationship with her.”
“Good.”
The sharp one-word response drew Anne to snap her gaze to his. She glimpsed that darkness in him once more, and a faint shiver tripped across her shoulders.
“I’ll try to arrange something soon—a dinner here, if Jane and Anthony are amenable,” she suggested. “After that, perhaps you can go riding with Lorcan and my godfather.”
“No.” The word was as crisp and definitive as the one he’d uttered a moment before. “I don’t ride.”
She knew he didn’t like riding, but hadn’t realized that meant he didn’t. “At all?”
“I never learned. I wasn’t raised to be an earl, Anne.”
She knew that, of course. But she realized there were still many, many things she didn’t know about him. Things she wondered if she’d ever know. “They could
