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“It is pointless to pretend that you do not know who I am. Everybody does. I would especially expect a fortune hunter like you to know exactly who I am,” he replied in a tone that portrayed just how irritated he was by her words.

Anna was taken aback by his response, feeling even more confused.

“Sir, you had your men corner me as though I were some sort of thief, then I was manhandled and blindfolded! Afterwards, it seems they brought me to God knows where, and when I ask you to state your business, you insist that I know you. This is utterly ridiculous, and you will release me at once,” she demanded.

“Manhandled?” the man frowned, seemingly confused. “I am not certain what transpired while they engaged with you, but they were only instructed to bring you here. They weren’t given any orders to treat you roughly or cause you distress.”

“Well, seeing as my life appears to be more or less in your hands at the moment, I have no reason to lie. That is what happened. I was frightened out of my mind. I still am. You must let me go, right this moment.” Anna stated firmly, glaring up at him.

The duke’s jaw twitched, and he sighed deeply.

“I sincerely apologize that your transport was not comfortable. Perhaps they sensed my ire with this whole situation and decided to go a little further than necessary with the task they were given. Rest assured – they will be dealt with, immensely,” he told her earnestly, his expression softened slightly, the difference between then and his initial reaction to her slightly confusing her for a moment.

Then his face hardened again, and he stared down at her menacingly.

"However - you are in no place to order me around, Miss. You are quite persistent; I’ll give you that much. But you have crossed me for the last time. I have no intention of being even more lenient with you, so for your own sake, you will do what I have asked. Do not give me any more excuses, any more polished tales of the love story between you both. My word is final,” he told her calmly, walking circles around the chair she was seated in.

Anna had long since realized she was not being restrained but did not feel as though she would be allowed to leave. So, she indulged in the strange conversation, willing to entertain the situation if it meant that she could eventually return to her family.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, sir –”

“Your Grace,” he interjected.

“I... I beg your pardon?” Anna blinked.

The man standing in front of her sighed, seemingly growing more irritated with her as time passed.

“I am the Duke of Wolvesley, miss, and while your little courtship with my brother might have allowed you some level of comfort with him, I will not be disrespected in my own home. You will address me by my title and nothing else.”

The Duke of Wolvesley? Could he really be the one Edith had spoken about?

The longer Anna stared at the man before her, the more his pompous attitude and snide remarks made sense. This man was the reason her dear friend had been so distraught!

“Your Grace –” Anna started, falling silent when he held his hand up to her face.

“You are not here to speak, woman. You have done quite enough of that already. No, you will listen to me, because I really have no interest in indulging these childish games any longer,” he said, continuing before Anna could make any more attempts to speak. “I have brought you here tonight because I know you and my naive brother have plans to elope. And I have a way to put an end to it – whilst ensuring we both get what we want.”

The duke then pointed at her, his face impassive as he stated,

“I am prepared to offer you ten thousand shillings, if you agree to forget about my brother and leave the country. That way, you’ll have enough money to cover your new beginning, and there will be a sufficient amount of distance that will allow him to recover from this inappropriate affair. Make up your mind quickly; I do not have all night.”

Anna simply stared at him, far to stunned to utter a single word. Then rage filled her veins as she realized that the duke had taken her and brought her to his residence because he believed she was Edith. Not only that, he had the audacity to debase her friend, reducing her feelings for Cornelius to something he could pay for.

She had briefly entertained the thought that perhaps her friend was simply overreacting or that she had misunderstood the duke’s intentions. Yet, here he was, attempting to buy her out of a courtship that made Edith so incredibly happy, simply because he did not approve of her.

“Your Grace, respectfully, you must have taken leave of your senses! I thought you were a man of reputable intelligence at least, yet here you are, trying to sabotage something so beautiful. I am incredibly displeased – and quite frankly, I feel very insulted on behalf of my friend Edith. She loves your brother. Her feelings have nothing to do with the wealth he possesses, and she couldn't care less of your own affairs. She only wants him and you are determined to stand in the way of that, even if it blatantly disrespects them both.

“And the worst thing is how arrogant you are! You are so sure you know what they have isn’t real because you do not approve of the fact that my friend is not as highly ranked as you or your brother. But you have not taken out the time to know either of them. You do not even know the face of the woman your brother loves, yet you are so determined to reject her. It is all so absurd.”

Anna was breathing heavily at this point, feeling slightly faint. She had never been so angry in her life. Even when her courtship had ended in a scandal, she had been more distraught about it all than angry at the man who wronged her.

But things were different. Her betrothed did not love her, but Cornelius loved Edith immensely. Anna could tell by the way her friend spoke about the things he did for her, how thoughtful he was with his gifts, and that their courtship had been sailing rather smoothly. Neither of them deserved the treatment they had to endure.

Now absolutely fuming, she inhaled deeply in a bid to further complain. “Furthermore, I think it is utterly pathetic to be so involved in the affairs of your brother. He is a man of his own, is he not? Can he not handle his own duties? He should be allowed to make decisions that affect his life as he sees fit –”

“You forget your place, miss. I do not care who you are – regardless of whether or not you are the woman my brother holds affections for. You cannot tell me what to do, or dictate where I should place my attention. You clearly are from a low social class yourself – given how you dishonour your family by being so rude,” he told her coldly. “So, if I were to judge your worth based on this first impression, I think it is only right that I had my concerns about you. But those were hardly my concerns to start with. My brother – dear as he is to me – is very lax in judgement. He has quickly surrendered every ounce of thought and self-control, all for you! He has no desire to adhere to my instructions and is completely disregarding how reckless he has become ever since he made your acquaintance. That is where my problems with your ‘relationship’ emerged from, and that is where my main source of frustration lies. The least you could do is take responsibility for the mess you have wrought in our lives!”

“Do not speak of my family like that, you – you brute! Class has nothing to do with this whatsoever because your title doesn’t give you the right to look down on others. No matter how much you cover it up and pretend that you're doing the right thing,” Anna snapped. “Furthermore, your brother seems rather comfortable with his ‘relationship’ and is perfectly content being with my friend, who has never once mentioned him exhibiting any form of recklessness. I think you are simply jealous that your sour attitude grants you no hope of finding a love like theirs.”