Chapter 1
“Doyou Beatrice Hathaway take Abraham Urwin to be your lawful weddedhusband?”
Annabelle sucked in a deep, nervous breath as she waited for Beatrice to answer the dreaded question. She knew what her sister would say, everybody in the room did, but there was still a little moment of hesitation. Annabelle felt certain that Beatrice would not be marrying this man if she had a choice... but of course, she didn't. Their father had chosen Lord Urwin for her husband and that was the end of it. Otto Hathaway was not a man to be disagreed with about things, especially not when he thought he had his daughter’s best interests atheart.
He wanted his daughter to have a man who could financially support her and their offspring forevermore, and Lord Urwin could definitely do that. With his chain of banks to keep him financially afloat, they would never have to face any moneyissues.
The pair certainly did not match in Annabelle’s mind. Beatrice had flowing, wavy red hair which spilled down her back in a very pretty way. The lacy, bejewelled dress still managed to show off her svelte, curvy body which most girls would kill for. Beatrice did not even need a corset to make her figure appear that way, which Annabelle often found utterly infuriating. Beatrice’s youthful pale skin was flawless and her blue eyes piercing. In fact, her eyes were the only difference that her and Annabelle had. If Annabelle’s bright green eyes were blue, the girls could have been mistaken for twins, rather thansisters.
Beatrice was beautiful, no one could deny that, and Abraham was... something elseentirely.
Abraham Urwin’s look wasverydifferent to his fiancée’s. His greying hair and sagging skin gave away his age, as did his terrible posture. Life had been good to him, but he had worked very hard to achieve everything that he owned, and that showed. Annabelle was not exactly sure of his age, she hadn’t ever thought to ask, but it was very obvious that he did not look good with her stunningly beautiful sister. They looked very silly together, more like father and daughter than husband andwife.
It was a shame to have Beatrice taken away from the world by this man, purely because of his wealth. As she stood in front of their family and friends looking spectacularly stunning, a pang of sadness tugged in Annabelle’sheart.
“I do,” Beatrice finally gasped with very little certainty. “Yes, Ido.”
“Urgh, I certainly would not!” Annabelle’s best friend, Catherine Wakefield, whispered into her friend’s ear as soon as those words came out. “He is a terrible match for her. Everybody here can see it. She should be with a much younger, much more handsomeman.”
“I know, but what can she do about it?” Annabelle shrugged, trying to shake off her moroseness as she did. “It has happenednow.”
She could keep her tone bored and unbothered as she discussed marriage because it was an issue that seemed too far from her life. She had only just turned eighteen, whereas Beatrice was twenty years of age. It was a problem that was at least two years away. For now, Annabelle could continue on exactly as she was, without worrying too much about what the future might hold forher.
She would miss her sister, but she could still be glad that it was not her holding onto some man’s hands, agreeing to be his wifeforevermore.
“I wonder who your father will choose for you?” Catherine mused thoughtfully. “I bet he is alreadysearching.”
“I do not think I shall let him pick,” Annabelle replied with an air of nonchalance. “I will choose a husband formyself.”
Catherine giggled at that idea. Lord Hathaway was the most terrifying man that she had ever met. Her own father had a powerful presence and he liked to control her life, but he was nothing like Annabelle’s father. There was no chance that he would allow her to make her own decisions. She wasdreaming.
Annabelle did not care much for the laugh, she felt herself strong enough to do whatever on earth she wanted. She had always had a much more powerful will than her sister, her friends would come to see that intime.
“I do not want to get married anyway, I would much rather take care ofmyself.”
“Oh, I do,” Annabelle’s other friend, Edith Stanbury cooed on the other side. “I cannot wait to have a husband to take care of me. I am truly looking forwards to being a mother and awife.”
Annabelle rolled her eyes in a not too discrete way. Edith and her older sister Harriett were great people, she had grown up with them and loved having them around, but their need to have a man do everything for them, only further put Annabelle off the idea of getting married. Who waited desperately to have yet another man to answer to? Who wanted their stomach invaded with an alien presence? What sort of person looked forward to having a babe attached to their breast? It did not seem right, not when being young could be so muchfun.
A scathing comment rested on the edge of Annabelle’s tongue, but before she could get it out her aunt turned in her seat and hushed the girls angrily. As her red rage filled face turned to shut the group up, Annabelle felt her cheeks flame and her throat bubble with a desperate need tolaugh.
She always found herself that way, needing to giggle at the most inappropriate times. It felt like a curse most of the time, but more than ever at her sister’swedding.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Urwin,” the vicar concluded in a grave tone, bringing Annabelle’s attention back to the action happening in front of her. “Abraham, you may kiss thebride.”
All the girls had to force their expressions to remain blank while Abraham dipped his face down to kiss Beatrice. Annabelle couldn’t help putting herself in her sister’s shoes at that moment and it was something that she really wanted to avoid. She wanted to get married only if it was for love. Or at the very least, like. She would have much preferred to at least have some attraction to her husband. She certainly could not imagine a world where she was stuck with a man like AbrahamUrwin.
Poor Beatrice,she thought a little helplessly to herself.Poor, poorBeatrice.
Beatrice and Annabelle had never been particularly close growing up. Annabelle found her sister to be much too uptight, she did not appreciate the way that she always followed the rules, and how she liked to get Annabelle in trouble if she decided not to. There were times when she wished that she could have been an only child or that she could’ve been blessed with a younger sibling rather than an older one, but in that moment, she felt desperately sad forBeatrice.
This time, following the rules, had not panned out for the best at all. Beatrice had a lifetime of misery in front ofher.
"I hope the party afterwards is more fun than the ceremony," Catherine grumbled, quietly now so Annabelle's aunt did not hear. "That was incrediblydull."
“I hope so too.” Annabelle was not convinced. She had wanted her family to hire out a hall for the after party, but her father wanted to keep with tradition. He insisted on using the grand hall in the family home for the event, which made it feel much less like an adventure toAnnabelle.
With her wild nature, Annabelle loved the idea of an adventure verymuch.
