Anne would have loved to inquire about the new behavior, but knew Eliza would turn her frustration on Anne instead. So, Anne grabbed her luggage and hauled them toward her new room.
"Oh, Anne," her father called, "We have a dinner with the Senator this evening. Do change into something nice."
Anne forced a smile, well aware that she was wearing one of her nicer outfits in order to please her father. Apparently, that hadn't worked. With a sigh, she lugged her luggage down to her room and found papers and mail dumped unceremoniously on her bed and nightstand. So much for a grand welcome home.
The doorbell rang and Eliza's footsteps clattered toward the front door. Was this going to be the mysterious date? Anne checked herself in the mirror in her room—not that she expected the mystery man to look at her; she could never match Eliza's natural beauty. Plus, if Eliza was interested, then she'd tear Anne apart if she dared try to steal her man. Besides, the odds of Anne liking the guy was poor anyway. No, she just wanted to make sure she didn't embarrass her sister with her meager looks.
Smoothing her shirt once more time, she headed down the hallway toward the deep voice that chatted with her father and sister. But as she came into the front room and her eyes alighted on Eliza's mysterious date, Anne stopped cold. Eliza's date was the handsome man from the restaurant in Lyme!
Chapter 20
She couldn't believe it. Were the fates conspiring in her favor for once? Well, not really, since Eliza had already claimed him. So, the fates were just rubbing it in her face again as usual? Anne inwardly sighed. The man was as handsome as last time, wearing a well-cut suit that accented the angles in his body. Most likely the man wouldn't remember her, anyway. It had been a fleeting incident over several days ago. Rick had barely remembered her after three months, his sister and brother-in-law after a month. The likelihood of this man remembering her was non-existent.
"I don't believe you've met my younger daughter," her father said as she stepped further into the room, waving at Anne as if she was some scrawny ten-year-old who had snuck out of her room. "Anne."
The man turned with a smile, then stopped as his face lit up with eager surprise. Joy surged within Anne. He did remember her!
"Anne," the man pronounced her name like it could summon a goddess. Anne fought to not flush as he stepped toward her, his hand outstretched for a handshake. "This must be fate."
"Fate?" Eliza asked, an eyebrow arched like a dagger ready to stab whoever intended to steal her current interest.
Anne stiffened and took a step back, not eager to incur her sister's wrath, but the handsome man took a long step and grasped her hand as if determined to stay by her side.
"We met in Lyme, didn't we?" He raised her hand as if it was a glass to toast her.
Though she knew Eliza seethed behind him, Anne gave him a warm smile. The fates had robbed her of Rick, but they weren't going to rob her of this man, no matter what Eliza thought.
"Yes, we did, Mr...?
He flashed a flawless smile, the type that can melt any woman's heart. "William Elliot, but call me Will."
She blinked. "Elliot? You're related to us?"
"Anne," Eliza scoffed with a roll of her eyes, "the same last name doesn't automatically make us cousins."
He faced Eliza but didn't let go of Anne's hand. "Very astute, Eliza. But," he turned back to Anne, "in this case, somewhere up the ancestral line, I believe we are linked." He squeezed her hand as if very happy for that link. Anne, embarrassed, shook her hand free.
"Very far up the line," Eliza added. Anne couldn't help wondering if Eliza had checked herself to make sure it was legal going after the man.
"His father figured it out years ago," her father chimed in, "Something like sixth cousin twice removed or something."
Something flashed in Mr. Elliot's eyes, too quick for Anne to catch, but it was cold, completely against the warm smile that he bestowed upon her father. "Yes, I believe he did." He glanced at Anne again, that cold flash nowhere in sight. "I could search his computer for the information if you'd like to know the exact details."
She waved her hands. "That's okay, I was only taken by surprise. How did you meet my family? At an Elliot convention?"
Will laughed. But it was a polite one as if automatically played when a joke was uttered. "I guess you were too young at the time. Our fathers worked together some years ago."
"Yes, it's a pity it went under," her father said, his eyes on his phone.
Anne blinked. Her father's doomed law firm? She knew it had been named Elliot and Elliot for the two cousins working together, but she hadn't known they were that distant. She also remembered the angry cousin storming through the house, insisting her father had deliberately ruined the business to destroy him. The police had to be called before the angry cousin would go away. And, if Anne remembered correctly, they hadn't been on speaking terms ever since. And yet, suddenly, the son of that man was in their home? This was definitely a story she wanted to learn more about.
"Anne," her sister said, stepping next to Will. "You're not ready for dinner yet."
Anne forced a smile, understanding the jab perfectly. They had two hours until dinner, but those two hours had been reserved for Eliza to monopolize Will, not for Anne to steal him. Eliza's statement was a warning to get lost.
Will, however, seemed to pick up a different hint. "You're coming to the dinner?" He asked with an eager smile.
"Well, she is family," Eliza offered to explain why the ugly, black sheep of the family was being invited.
Will's smile grew. "Then this evening shall be even more rewarding."
Anne glanced at the daggers being shot by Eliza's eyes, then at her father who stared at his phone. It was definitely going to be an interesting dinner, though she doubted it would be very rewarding.
"Excuse me while I go change."
"I await your transformation," he said with a grin and Anne flushed, well aware that Eliza was about to blow her top. Anne resisted scampering out of the room but walked as stately as possible. The instant she was in her room, however, she lost any pretense of stateliness and rummaged through her clothes like a madman, wishing she had something that could make her as beautiful as Eliza. Still, Will had admired her despite her sister standing right next to him. Only one other man had done that and she wasn't going to think about him. No, this was her chance to get over Rick. And she was going to take it.
She changed into the very best of her outfits, a black sheath dress with sequins and lace on the top; the one she reserved for the fancy parties her family would force her to attend. The dinner would probably be something similar so she hoped she wouldn't be too overdressed. Besides, she felt pretty and confident in the outfit, a needed plus in the battle against her sister for Will's attention.
She focused on doing her hair, pulling it halfway up and letting the curls dangle behind her. Rick had always loved that hairstyle. She wondered where he was and if he ever thought of her. Or was he only thinking of Louisa?
She scolded herself. Rick was no longer in the picture, remember?
Checking herself once more in the mirror—and hoping to get no snide remarks from her father—she returned to the front room and found Will sitting on the couch with Eliza and her father, chatting away. Anne had no idea how he had done that. She struggled to maintain any type of conversation with Eliza and her father and yet, he seemed to have no trouble.
He stood up when he saw her, his face lighting up just like Rick used to. Her heart fluttered a bit. To be special to someone again was such an enchanting thing.
Eliza, however, was not at all pleased, her eyes raking over Anne's outfit as if hunting for a flaw she could exploit. Anne forced a smile. It was going to be a long evening.
The doorbell abruptly rang. Anne expected Eliza to shoot to her feet, but she shot daggers at Anne instead. "Anne, would you get that?"
Oh, right. Another ploy to get rid of her. Seeing no point in arguing—she'd be back in less than three minutes�
�Anne headed for the front door. To her surprise, she found Penny already entering through it, dressed in a flattering, A-line princess dress that fell to the floor, covered in chiffon lace. No doubt one of Eliza’s old designer dresses. Apparently, Penny was coming to the dinner as well.
"Anne!" Penny exclaimed with a big smile, those intelligent eyes lighting up with genuine happiness. "You're back." She clasped Anne's hands and squeezed them as if they were long lost friends. Anne blinked, surprised by the gesture. Penny rarely showed her any affection. Then again, Penny rarely showed genuine emotion at all. Whatever real personality she had, it was hidden to please Eliza.
"You were with your sister Mary, right?" Penny asked in a half whisper as if she didn't want anyone—like Eliza—to hear it.
Anne wasn't quite sure about this sudden change in Penny, but she mustered a response. "Yes, for a few weeks."
Penny lowered her voice further and flicked her eyes beyond Anne as if making sure no one was listening. But she abruptly stiffened as if she'd been caught. Anne dashed a glance backwards, expecting a furious Eliza, but to her surprise, she spotted Will instead. He looked away before she could catch his expression, but his jaw muscle certainly looked clenched.
Anne glanced at Penny again, but the genuine emotions were gone, replaced with the normal timid smile she always wore, her eyes lidded.
"Glad to have you back, Anne," Penny said in her usual guarded tone, then walked past her to the front room.
"Penny," Eliza said, rushing toward her friend. "Come, tell us what you've learned!"
Anne followed after Penny, curious as to the big news she'd spill and wondered if it had anything to do with what Penny was going to say earlier. Alas, Anne soon realized it was only gossip, something her father, sister, and even Will seemed eager to hear. Anne drew back, having no interest in the conversation since she neither knew nor cared about the people mentioned. She'd rather gossip about Louisa's current situation and maybe about the guy who currently seemed to like her. But no one here had any interest in that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the evening was carried out in a similar way. Gossip, gossip, and more gossip. While Senator Dalrymple was very stately and guarded with a polite smile and carefully-constructed responses, the rest of her guests were more interested in who they could tear down in their quest to rise upward. It was like law school all over again, but in politics, everyone was governed by their ambitions and deducing who was part of which camp of ideals. Anne kept to herself as much as possible, counting down the minutes to when she could escape without anyone being offended by the move.
"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself," Will said in a low voice as he sidled up to her.
She forced a smile. "I tend to enjoy smaller groups." The dinner had at least twenty guests, none of whom she knew besides her family and Will.
He laughed. Again, it was the polite one, as guarded as the Senator's smile. Maybe he was practicing to become a politician?
"Smaller groups are the best. But the senator," he nodded toward the woman as she made her way through the crowd, smiling and greeting everyone with a practiced warmth, "needs to foster more influence if she's to win her re-election next year."
"I thought she wasn't going run?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"
She hesitated, suddenly feeling like she was about to divulge a big secret. Eliza had been the source, but that didn't mean she was accurate. Not wanting to spread gossip, Anne shrugged. "Probably heard it from my sister but who knows if it's true or not. You know how she likes to gossip."
He grinned and swept his gaze over the crowd as if searching for Eliza. "She does indeed. She's also mentioned your father is considering running." His eyes fell on Anne and again, she caught that cold flash. "Is that true?"
"My father is considering a lot of options right now."
Will's grin grew. "A carefully construed response." He leaned toward her. "You're quite good at this."
She automatically leaned away. He was too close for her comfort and despite his handsomeness, there was something about him that was sending chills up her spine. "What are you doing these days?"
He didn't blink an eye at the abrupt change of topic. "I'm a lawyer for a corporation. Nothing fancy. What about you?"
"I'm between jobs at the moment."
That cold flash shot through his eyes again. "Yes, I would assume so since your father has...retired." The way he said 'retired' implied he knew the real story. Had Eliza told him? That didn't seem like something she'd do. Honesty was not Eliza's strong point.
"Your sister mentioned you were very good as a secretary," Will continued and Anne nearly coughed in surprise. Her sister complimented another woman in front of a man she was interested in? Hardly.
"Ever thought of working for someone other than your family? Say, like in a big corporation?"
Anne snapped her eyes to Will. Was he offering her a job?
"Um, not really."
"You should think about it. I bet you'd be a lot happier than, you know," he nodded toward where her father and sister chatted, "being with your family."
Anne stared at him. Was she that easy to read?
Luckily, someone interrupted the conversation and pulled Will away to meet some other random person, saving Anne from having to answer Will. She stared after him, though, perplexed. He was a handsome man, but there was definitely something about him that unnerved her. Apparently, she wasn't the only one since as Will left with his friend, he happened to pass Penny. Though she chatted gaily with her group, she tossed a glance after Will as if frustrated.
Anne frowned. Did Penny like Will, too? If so, that was an impossible situation. Eliza may make Anne's life miserable, but she could destroy Penny's life since she and her father both worked for their family. But at the same time, it didn't appear that Will had any interest in her. So Penny was probably caught in unrequited love? No wonder she looked unhappy. Anne wished she could solve it, but since she currently had an interest in him as well, it didn't look solvable.
Chapter 21
"Will Elliot?" Russelle asked as Anne slipped into the passenger seat of her car. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. According to Eliza, he ran into our father about a week or so ago in a cafe, seemed eager to renew the relationship, and never dropped a hint of the bad break between his father and ours."
"Well, that proves he is resilient. If my father ended up going to jail shortly after the law firm went under, I may not be as forgiving."
"He went to jail? Because of the law firm?"
"Oh, no, sweetie, he fell into excessive drinking and got into a fight with the wrong crowd. It was really quite sad. He died a few years later, a broken man. Will would have been a teenager by then, but he sounds like he recovered well from a traumatic home. You say he's a lawyer now?"
"Yes, for some big corporation. He didn't mention which one."
"Well, there are a lot these days. But he comes over a lot, you said?"
"Yes, my family says he's over three or four times a week. Personally, I think Eliza encourages him to come over at any time."
"Oh? Why so?"
"I'm pretty sure she's crushing on him."
Russelle gasped. "Eliza? Have a crush? My, my, I never thought I'd see the day. I must meet this Will. He sounds like quite the catch if Eliza is interested in him." She pulled into a parking lot in front of one of her favorite restaurants. "Is he handsome?"
"Definitely," Anne said as they headed into the restaurant. She expected more questions but Russelle seemed to have tired of the conversation and turned to more mundane ones as they were led to their table. Then again, Will wasn't the reason why Russelle had taken Anne out for lunch. Law school was. Which meant lunch would be spent arguing. Not exactly what Anne wanted to do today. But, she couldn't put it off forever. Now was the time to confess.
"So," Russelle began once they had given their order. "You never responded to my email. Did you get what I asked for the interviews
?"
Anne took a deep breath. She should have done this in the car. Fewer people around. "I saw the email but I...I'm not going to do the interview."
Russelle raised both eyebrows. "Why ever not?"
"I'd like to go to school—"
"And that's what I'm trying—"
"For a masters in sociology." There. She'd said it.
Russelle paused for a moment. "Sociology?"
"Yes." Anne stared at her clasped hands while silence reigned. "I like helping people," she offered as a peace treaty.
"You can help as a lawyer—"
"But I prefer children and I think I can really help troubled teens as a juvenile counselor."
Russelle stopped as if Anne had announced she had moved to China. Then she smoothed out the perfectly clean tablecloth. "Um, honey, juvenile counselors work with very, very troubled teens. They could become violent—"
"You have had to represent violent people—"
"Yes, but I represent them before a judge, not be in charge of their behavior or, at worse, try to change them."
"But it's something I think I'd really enjoy. I know you want the best for me, and I know you think I should be a lawyer because it's something you love, but I don't love it. I love kids, Russelle, not adults. I'd rather argue with troubled teens then argue before a judge."
Russelle leveled a stare at Anne. "How long have you felt this?"
"The counseling part is new, but, not wanting to be a lawyer has been for several years now."
"Years? Even before your father had his cancer scare?"
Anne wouldn't call months of recovery a "scare" but nodded anyway. "About a year into law school. Everyone's ambitious were the complete opposite of mine. I knew I was in the wrong spot then."
"Well, maybe if you went to a different law school—"
"Law is what you love, Russelle, not me."
"But we've been planning this for years. It was your mother's dream—"
Persuading Him: A Modern Persuasion Retelling (Pemberley Estates Book 1) Page 18
