Lost in a Royal Kiss by Vanessa Kelly

depends on me, and it would be the height of selfishness to leave her in the lurch. My first responsibility, for the moment, must be to my family. Any plans we make must wait for that.”
    He waved his hand, as if batting aside her objection. “I’ll speak to the queen myself. I’m sure she’ll understand, as will your mother. You’ve sacrificed yourself long enough, Linnet. It’s time for your mother to come home and start taking care of her family once and for all, instead of placing the entire burden on you.”
    Deep inside, a small voice agreed with him, but she recognized it as selfish. How could she think that way about her own family? They depended on her in a way Anthony surely did not. Mamma, especially, could not do without her. She’d made that clear to Linnet repeatedly.
    “Anthony, I love my family and they need me,” she said, hating the fact that she had to plead for his understanding. “I cannot simply abandon them.”
    He tilted his head, studying her. She could almost hear him running through arguments in his head, trying to find the right one to persuade her. Well, that shouldn’t surprise her. After all, he was a magistrate.
    “Linnet, do you love me?” he finally asked.
    She felt her jaw sag. “Of course I love you! How could you think otherwise?”
    His hands tightened around her waist, but his impassive face gave no hint of his emotions. “Because you’re showing so little enthusiasm at the prospect of our marriage. In fact, it appears to me that you’re doing everything you can to avoid accepting my proposal.”
    It only took a second for her disbelief to transform into anger. “A proposal, I repeat,” she said through clenched teeth, “that you have yet to formally make. Now, let me up.” She shoved her palms against his chest.
    He expelled an impatient breath. “Linnet, you’re acting irrationally. We need to discuss this like two reasonable adults. Flying off in a pet won’t help the situation.”
    Linnet could feel her eyes pop so wide she wondered they didn’t fall out of their sockets. “Let me up now, you big oaf,” she snapped, giving him another shove.
    That startled him enough for him to slacken his grip. She pitched herself off his lap, almost falling to her knees. With a muffled oath, he reached out to help, but she managed to evade his grasp by hopping back a few steps.
    Scowling, she straightened her nightclothes from the tangle around her legs and marched to the door.
    “Linnet, come back here.”
    She ignored his imperious tone.
    “Please stop,” he growled.
    This time, she did hear a genuine pleading note in his voice. She told herself not to do it, but she couldn’t help turning around.
    He’d made no move to follow her, standing in front of the divan radiating bafflement and masculine ire. He looked dark, dangerous, and utterly delectable, and it took all of Linnet’s discipline not to throw herself back into his arms.
    “Yes?” she asked, struggling to maintain her dignity.
    He rubbed an impatient hand through his long hair, adding to his general look of dishevelment. “Sweetheart, why are you making such a fuss? I don’t understand the reason for this excessive display of emotion, but if you explain it to me, I will try to understand.”
    She stared at him for a long moment, trying to tell herself that it was anger that sent her stomach plummeting and not an awful sense of humiliation.
    When she couldn’t, she turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her.
     
     
    Anthony put down the report he’d been reading as he listened to the chime of the clock on the mantel. Midnight, and he was only halfway through the pile of work he needed to finish. He was bloody distracted, and he could blame it on one thing.
    Linnet.
    She’d gone into full retreat. For several weeks, he’d accepted it, knowing some distance might calm her nerves. But three weeks had passed since that night in Lady Farnsworth’s study, and yet she had not sought him out