As she turned and gazed down the street, she saw two faces walking in their direction, so familiar to her now that she pulled sharply on Peggy’s arm where they were connected.
“Are we to be run over by a carriage?” Peggy asked, whipping round. “Why are we being jerked so?”
“Look!” Annie urged Peggy to look down the road at who was approaching in their direction.
It was Lord Yeatman, with Mr Barton at his side. The two seemed to be locked in an intense conversation, one that had captured their attention so much that they hadn’t noticed who was in their way further down the street.
“They are going to walk right into us at this rate,” Peggy said with a giggle.
“Well, I suppose the proper thing to do is to stop a collision.” Annie’s sense of propriety took over, and she called out to them when they were but a stride away. “Lord Yeatman, Mr Barton.” She curtsied, as Peggy did at her side. The two gentlemen hastily bowed, clearly not having realised they were there at all until this moment.
“Ah, Miss Storey, Miss Grove,” Mr Barton spoke up, looking between the two of them. Lord Yeatman bowed, but he said nothing. He didn’t greet Annie, nor did he smile as he had done before. In fact, he looked away from her, rather quickly, as if they had never danced together at all.
What has happened?
“You are shopping today, I see,” Mr Barton addressed Peggy, gesturing to the shop.
“Yes, my cousin has kindly offered to buy me some new gowns.” Peggy’s words made Annie hide her smile, knowing the truth, that he hadinsistedon the new gowns, but Peggy would not reveal that information. “I should thank you for your gift, Mr Barton.”
Annie flicked her head toward Peggy, certain she had already heard her friend thank Mr Barton for his flowers a few days ago.
“The roses you sent this morning were very beautiful.” Peggy’s words did not just leave Annie surprised, but clearly Lord Yeatman too, for he had at last returned his gaze to the group and was staring straight at his friend.
“You are most welcome,” Mr Barton said, blushing and keeping his face turned away from his friend. “Well, we should be off. Lots to do today. Good day to you both.”
“Good day,” Lord Yeatman murmured politely and bowed again.
Annie barely had time to curtsy before he had gone past her. She turned and followed him with her eyes, so surprised by the change in him that she couldn’t move at all, not even when Peggy pulled on her arm and tried to draw her into the modiste’s shop.
“Peggy, you did not mention Mr Barton had sent you more flowers,” Annie pointed out, though her eyes were not on Mr Barton, they were on Lord Yeatman.
“What good would it do to mention it? My cousin cast them out of the house at once, saying I could not accept flowers from a known rake. Any ambitions my cousin has for my marriage, he does not place on the shoulders of Mr Barton, I can assure you.” Once again, Peggy pulled on Annie’s arm, trying to draw her inside.
Annie looked at Lord Yeatman for so long, she suspected she was staring at a different man, that his soul had been replaced by another’s. He was some distance down the street when he glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes going straight to Annie’s. She flinched at that look, as if he had burned her with that gaze, before he looked forward again, breaking that connection.
“What just happened?” Peggy asked at Annie’s side.
“Nothing,” Annie murmured and turned to follow Peggy into the modiste’s shop.
“You and Lord Yeatman did not exchange two words together.”
“Well, I do not think he seemed interested in talking.”
Or looking at me.Annie thought of the way he had initially avoided looking at her altogether. Something had changed since the other night when they had danced together, and how he had seemed to approach her, wishing for a second dance.Thatman was different to the one she had just met in the street.
“Perhaps I was wrong about him,” Annie whispered as she followed Peggy through the door and toward the swatches of cloth and silk.
“How do you mean?”
“Rakes lose interest, do they not?” she murmured, talking more to herself than to Peggy at all.
“You seem rather disappointed by that, to my eye.”
“No,” Annie denied it. “I am relieved.” Though she knew the truth, for it made her glance out of the window once again, wondering why Lord Yeatman hadn’t said anything to her at all.
***
“Goodness, everyone is here tonight,” Barbara gushed as they looked around the assembly rooms. On her arm, Annie held tightly onto Peggy, who kept glancing back at her cousin, clearly irked at his insistence at coming as her chaperone. He was not a problem that lasted long, for rather than replying to Barbara, he bowed and took his leave, crossing the room to talk to his own friends. “Peggy, dear, your cousin is not the most talkative of men, is he?”