As expected,Annabelle found her mother in the dining room taking her time over the endless courses of lunch that she was being served. Josephine never left her bedroom without looking like she was about to attend a society event, even if she had no intention of even leaving the house. Josephine Hathaway was always a Lady, no matter what. She had her red hair twisted up into a complicated looking chignon with jewels decorating it, her face was painted with full makeup, and her lilac silk gown pinched in at her hips and showed off all of hercurves.
“Good afternoon, Mother,” Annabelle said, much too brightly, giving herself away. She usually did not have much to say to her family, so she was being very obvious. “How are you feelingtoday?”
“I am feeling good, thank you.” Josephine eyed her youngest daughter curiously. “And how, may I ask, areyou?”
“Oh, Mother,” Annabelle panted desperately as she slid into the chair beside her. “I do not know what to do, I really need yourhelp.”
Josephine’s heart skipped an excitable beat. She loved being needed, it made her feel much better than anything else ever could. All the money, all the dresses and jewels she owned, were nothing compared to the warmth in her chest when someone she loved needed her. It did not often happen, even less so now that her daughters had grown up. She felt herself jump on the opportunitydesperately.
“You need help? What can Ido?”
Annabelle paused for just a second, she hoped and prayed that this one moment of weakness would not backfire on her. “I met a Lord at the celebration lastnight...”
“A Lord?” Josephine leapt on this information with glee, taking it completely the wrong way. “Which Lord? A Lord youlike?”
“No, nothing like that.” Annabelle shook her head rapidly. She did not want this to be misconstrued at all. “His name is Lord Watson Ashdown, a friend of Beatrice’shusband.”
“Lord Ashdown? I do not think I know thename.”
“Well he asked me to dance and when I refusedhim...”
“You refusedhim?”
Annabelle did not have time to deal with her mother’s shock at her rudeness. She needed to get the rest of the story out, so she continued to talk right over her. “...he told me that I would dance with him at ourwedding.”
“He believes that he will marryyou?”
“I do not know.” Annabelle shrugged helplessly. “But I do know that I do not want to marry him. I do not want my wedding to be for at least two years anyway, and I do not want it to be withhim.”
Josephine folded her arms across her chest as she examined Annabelle. She got the impression that Beatrice was not immediately keen on Abraham Urwin but she had not ever complained. Her eldest child was fantastic at following the rules, no matter what was asked of her, even if she did not like it. She never put Josephine in a position where she would be forced tointervene.
But Annabelle was not like Beatrice, she never hadbeen.
“Do you have reason for not wanting to marryhim?”
“Yes, I do!” Annabelle’s eyes lit up, she felt like she was truly being listened to which was exactly what she needed. “I got a horrible feeling from him right away, before he even came to speak with me. Then he made comments that were not gentleman-like at all. He was very rude tome.”
“That might have just been a bad first impression. Maybe your feelings will change later on...” Josephine knew many people that did not adore their husbands at first, includingherself.
“No, it is not just that. Edith and Harriett’s brother, Edmund, used to work with Lord Ashdown. He said that he is known for being brutish, and also for spending time withcourtesans.”
Josephine held up her hands to silence her daughter with a relieved smile on her face. “If that is the case then you have nothing to worry about. You know better than anyone how important reputation is to your father. He will not risk it for some young Lord who asks for your hand. Even if he asks Otto, he will have his offerrefused.”
Annabelle sunk into her seat, relief flooded her. She was right to come and speak to her mother, this was the best thing for her. Now she knew for sure that no matter what happened, she would remain unwed for the time being. This had only furthered the opinion that she shared at Beatrice’s ceremony... she did not want to get married for a very long time. Her life was just perfect as it was, there was no need to change athing.
“Thank you, Mother,” she gasped with standing up to circle Josephine’s neck with her hands. “I appreciate you helpingme.”
“You are welcome, sweetheart.” Josephine relished the moment of physical contact, it had been a long time since her daughter had shown her any kind of affection. “You know that I am here for you, whatever you need. I hope you will come to me if you ever need help in thefuture.”
But Annabelle was barely listening anymore, her head was soaring with happiness. The whole mess with Lord Watson Ashdown was all but forgotten. His comments dissolved in her brain, the ice-cold sensation he gave her vanished, the tension fell away from her muscles. Annabelle felt like herself again, which was utterlyperfect.
“Of course, Mother. That I will. Thank youagain.”
As Josephine watched her daughter flounce out of the dining room, she smiled to herself. She had distanced herself from her daughter as she grew up because it was what she wanted, but now she wanted to be fully involved in her life oncemore.
Maybe this would be a one-off, maybe everything would now go back to normal, but she hoped not. She hoped that she could help her child more. It feltwonderful.
