Page 44 of Never Dare to Masquerade with a Maiden

Moments before tears streamed down her cheeks, she opened the door and entered only to lean back against the wood panels as it slammed closed. Olivia sank to the floor, curled her legs under her skirts, and wept into her knees. In all the years she’d followed Warren about, Olivia had never once imagined she’d stop… stop loving the man… stop seeing him daily… stop hoping that one day he would turn around and notice her… turn and fall in love with her as she loved him. Dreams dashed, Olivia covered her ears with her hands and ignored the soft pleas of Lady Charlotte on the other side to open the door.

When there were no more tears left, she stood, opened the door, and she nearly fell backward as Lady Charlotte launched herself at Olivia and wrapped her in a tight hug. “You will always be part of our family. You are not alone.”

The well of tears she thought she’d drained dry overflowed once more as she hugged Charlotte back. Being cared for and protected was as foreign to Olivia as distant lands in France. For the longest time, she thought herself undeserving of such treatment, her mother had led her to believe it. However, after coming to live under the Earl of Camden’s roof, nothing seemed impossible, not even her deepest wish to share her life with Warren.

Chapter Sixteen

The flame of the candle upon his desk flickered, and Warren looked up moments before Anne entered his study.

“Still sulking, I see.” Anne left the door open behind her, casting a halo of light about her. She was no angel. In fact, the woman was the bane of his miserable life.

Anne stopped in front of his desk and rocked back and forth, heel-to-toe, just as she always did when she wanted something from him. With all his patience for women and their manipulations, he snapped, “I’m doing no such thing. What do you need?”

“Nothing.” She placed her hands behind her back.

Hoping to be rid of her, he replied, “Then I’d prefer to be left alone.”

“I doubt that is the truth.”

What had he done to be surrounded by difficult women? Fingertips pressed to his temples, he groaned, “I’m not in the mood for riddles, Anne. What is your point?

She leaned forward and planted her palms on the top of his desk. “I don’t understand you. Why are you holed up in your study when you should be off wooing Olivia and begging her to forgive you for your idiocy?”

“I’ve tried. She’s rejected me from the start.” He crossed his arms on the desk, laid his forehead upon them, and mumbled, “She doesn’t love me.”

“What makes you so certain?”

Of course, he was certain. Not once had Olivia uttered the three words he’d longed to hear. He lifted his aching head and said, “When you love someone, you continue to try, regardless of the obstacles in front of you, which is why I coerced her into spending time with me. But I promised myself to never be like my father and force my will upon others.”

Anne stared him straight in the eye and asked, “Are you referring to the same Olivia that I know?”

“Do we know of another Olivia?”

His friend from childhood suddenly looked ten years older as she said, “The Olivia I know, the one I’ve become acquainted with this past week, is no weakling, and by all accounts certainly no coward. And as far as I could tell, you certainly didn’t coerce her into doing anything she wasn’t willing to.”

Flashes of Olivia's heated kisses and embraces were proof Anne was correct. He shifted in his seat and then sat up. Hell and damnation, Anne was right yet again. What the bloody hell was he doing? If he truly believed himself to be in love, he’d not sit here idly. If Olivia’s primary reason for refusing him was due to his title, he’d happily renounce the bloody thing. He jumped up to his feet. “I’m off to meet with the solicitor.”

“The solicitor? What in heaven for?” Anne sidestepped and took a side step, blocking his path.

“I must find a way to remove Olivia’s concerns.”

“And how will the solicitor help do that?” Anne’s brows were knitted like he’d never seen.

“Ahhh, I see how irritating it is to counter question after question. I shall have to remedy that too.”

Anne placed a hand on his chest, preventing him from leaving. “Granted, you haven’t had much sleep, and you’ve weathered a fair amount of blows on my account, but that does not explain your behavior. Tell me exactly how the solicitor is going to assist you in addressing Olivia’s concerns.”

Consumed with his own misery, he hadn’t got round to talking to Anne about his kerfuffle with the Duke of Strandon, which was a conundrum of its own. Olivia was his priority. He needed to rectify matters with her first, then he’d deal with Anne.

“I’ve no time to waste.”

Anne pushed hard against his chest. “You are not going anywhere until you tell me.”

He’d had enough. “Fine, if you wish to know, come along.” He grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her out of his study behind him. Thankfully, the rest of the household was abed. With long strides, he marched down the hall, through the foyer, and out the front door.

“Slow down, or I shall trip and fall,” Anne ordered in a harsh whisper.

He released his grip on Anne and powered forward, not caring if she followed him or not. He needed to find a solution to address the issue of his title and prove his love for Olivia. Once they reached the street, he realized hailing a hack at this hour would require a stroke of luck.