Stiff with outrage, Charlotte turned blazing eyes on Anthony. “What have you done to him?”

Anna opened her mouth to explain, but Anthony’s hand closed painfully over her elbow. She noticed that his gaze was on Charlotte, his expression intent. A slow, lazy smile flitted across his face, and he shrugged. “Rupert insulted my honor. We were just settling the issue when you arrived.”

Charlotte went to Rupert, who immediately placed an arm about her shoulders. He held her to him, a beatific expression on his face.

Charlotte nestled there for only an instant before she leveled a look of blazing contempt on Anthony. “You are a beast! I never want to see you again!”

Once again, Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Anthony was quicker. He slipped an arm about her waist and pulled her against him. Still a little wobbly, she allowed him to hold her there.

Anthony glinted a smile at Charlotte. “I take it our betrothal is at an end?”

“I will never marry you. Never!”

Rupert turned his beloved in his arms and looked into her face. “Charlotte! Your father—”

“I don’t care about my father. Rupert, I love you. And if you’ll have me…” A lone tear streaked down Charlotte’s face. “Oh, please say you meant it when you said you’d wait for me, that you loved me.”

“Oh, Charlotte, I do love you! So much! We’ll go to your father and we’ll talk to him. I’m not a rich man, but I can take care of you. I’ll have to sell off my stable, but I can do it. I have it all figured out and—”

Charlotte kissed him, pulling his mouth to hers and leaning against him as if her entire heart was held in his arms.

Anna blinked. “Well,” she said after a moment, in which she and Anthony silently watched the younger couple. “That was certainly surprising.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Anthony said, sending Anna a stern glare. “And it would have happened much sooner had you not been so intent on interfering.”

“Interfering? I was trying to help.”

“Did it ever occur to you, my delightful troublemaker, that I did not want my betrothal saved? That I wished for the timid Miss Charlotte to break it off?”

That was certainly welcome news, but Anna managed a sniff. “I thought you said she was the perfect wife for you.”

“It has been many weeks since I realized Charlotte was far from being the perfect wife for me,” he returned gruffly. He put his arms about Anna’s waist and looked down into her eyes. “You are the perfect wife for me, every troublesome, irritating inch. If you will have me.”

Happiness swept through Anna, so powerful that it almost made her rise on her toes and place a kiss on Greyley’s handsome mouth. “It will cause a scandal; I’m just a governess.”

“I don’t care.”

“People will talk.”

“They always do.”

“They will say you are an Elliot after all.”

He brushed his fingers over her chin, her cheek, as if trying to memorize her features. “I don’t give a damn what they say. I love you and only you.”