Annabelle left rapidly, being careful not to attract the attention of even the house staff as she slid outside. When the warm air surrounded her, and the fresh smelling garden filled her nostrils, a part of the weight lifted from her shoulder, leaving her a little freer. Her problems had not changed, they were still just as troublesome, but with the heat of the sunshine beaming down onto her shoulders, Annabelle could feel herself getting a much-needed break.
This is fun, she thought to herself as her steps turned into a little skip. I should spend more time out here.
Despite the fact that summer was coming to an end, a lot of the flowers were still in bloom, and the lush, thick green grass made Annabelle feel like she was more at one with nature. With no one watching her, Annabelle flung her arms out widely at her sides and she spun around as if she was dancing. A giggle even flew out of her mouth. It was almost as if her fear had turned into a hysteria. It was a strange sensation, but Annabelle much preferred it to sadness.
Maybe she should run away. Maybe she would be better off living alone and free. That would certainly be preferable to being Lady Ashdown...
Oh, my!
All of a sudden, a shadow caught her eye, causing Annabelle to stop and stagger on her, now very dizzy, feet. Her eyes blurred, she could hardly focus, but she knew that someone was there in the distance. She just hoped that whoever it was had not been watching her acting foolishly while she was alone.
Who is that?
As her eyes began to focus finally, she realized that the person was riding one of the family horses, and he was quickly coming towards her.
Annabelle had almost forgotten that there were horses on the family grounds, they had never really interested her at all. The animals had probably not been ridden much since Beatrice left home, it was always her that adored them best. Her mother had encouraged Annabelle to try riding when she was young but she had not ever wanted to. The large beasts scared her, and she was not bothered enough to try and get over that.
Watching the man come towards her on the majestic beast, Annabelle was less certain of her decision. Somehow, he made riding look fun and exciting. The sight of him made her picture herself astride a horse, looking beautiful and commanding just as he did. He might have been wearing muddy, brown, cheap looking clothing, but on the top of the horse he looked more powerful than any Lord Annabelle had ever seen.
As he came clearer into view, Annabelle ran her eyes all over him. He was strong, muscular looking with powerful shoulders, and he was handsome too. His blond, slightly shaggy hair was adorable and his sky-blue eyes had an instant, very friendly look. Annabelle gulped down as her heart skipped an unexpected beat.
What is happening to me? Annabelle thought as butterflies burst to life and fluttered around in her stomach. She clutched onto her belly tightly, willing them to go away so that she could think straight. Stop it, Annabelle, be normal.
“Who are you?” she asked him coldly, accidently creating too much of a distance between herself and the handsome man. “And what are you doing on my father’s horse?”
The boy swung his leg around and he jumped to the ground with ease. It made Annabelle’s head spin to imagine leaping from the large beast without hesitation. Even though she had grown up, the height of a horse still terrified her. It towered much too high into the sky.
"I am terribly sorry, my Lady. My name is Floyd Brewer and I actually work for you father in the stables."
He works for father? Annabelle was shocked by that. She did not presume to think that she knew everyone who worked for her family, but she felt like this was a face she should have known. Maybe I need to be out in the gardens more often!
“Still.” She bristled, trying to cover up the sparks he’d caused, confusing her terribly. “That does not explain why you are on the horse.”
Floyd patted the sandy coloured beast behind him with a bright smile on his face. His smile created dimples in his cheeks, which only made him even more handsome. “Oh, you mean Primrose? I am terribly sorry, she just looked like she needed a run.”
“How can you tell?” Annabelle asked, feeling surprisingly curious. “Does Primrose talk to you?”
“Not with words, no.” Floyd smiled cheekily. He was not at all bothered by Annabelle’s coldness. He actually found it endearing, mostly because he could sense that she did not truly mean it. “But I can see it in her eyes. She has not been out for a while and she needed to stretch her legs.”
“Good job you are here then.”
“Do you not like to ride?” Floyd looked completely bewildered by that. “I would assume that you would love it, living in such a wonderful place.”
Annabelle shrugged, she did not have a satisfactory answer to that question. It was difficult to be witty, or even clever, when her tummy twisted up in knots at the mere sight of this man.
Stop it, she warned herself. Stop feeling things, this man is a stable boy for goodness sake! Just because he is good looking, does not mean I can like him.
“Well, if you would ever like to start riding, I would love to help you with that.”
Their eyes connected, Annabelle could not stop her pulse from quickening and her mouth from running dry. All memories of Lord Ashdown and his horrible, manipulative nature flew right out of her mind as she stared at this rugged, handsome man. He looked nothing like the Lord or anyone that she knew actually, and that made him that much more attractive to her.
“Thank you, that sounds lovely,” she mumbled with flushed cheeks. “I do not know why I have not ridden before.”
“Oh, you should. It feels wonderful.” As Floyd’s eyes misted with the memories of horse riding, Annabelle wanted to ride even more. There had to be something special about it if it made him this happy. “I believe you would love it.”
“Yes. Maybe I will.”
“Right,” Floyd pulled himself back into the present moment. “I am going to take Primrose back to the stables, I do need to get back to work. It has been nice talking with you...”
“Oh, sorry, I am Annabelle Hathaway.” She reached out to shake his hand. As Floyd took it, a hot buzzing raced over Annabelle’s skin, sending a delicious thrill racing up and down her spine. “Do you mind if I walk with you?” When he did not immediately answer her, she felt compelled to explain herself. “If I am going to start horse riding at the grand old age of eighteen, then I suppose I should see where the horses stay.”
“Yes, of course. I am happy to show you everything you would like to know.” Floyd stepped away from Annabelle and he wrapped Primrose’s lead around his fingers. “Come on, let us go.”
Annabelle had to force herself not to skip as they walked across her family’s land, making casual small talk. Her heart pumped rapidly, her whole body felt warm and excitable, but she was not in any danger, it was all just fun...
It is alright, she told herself nonchalantly. At least I am in no danger of really falling for Floyd. He is only the stable boy, there is no chance my father will allow me to marry him. He is only a harmless crush.
“You are not anything like your sister, are you?” Floyd eventually mused thoughtfully, surprisingly Annabelle.
“You know Beatrice?”
Annabelle wondered why Beatrice had never mentioned the handsome stable boy to her. Although, if she was actually attracted to her husband, then maybe she did not think he was good looking enough to mention... or maybe she dismissed him instantly without even considering him, simply because of his class status. Beatrice would never even consider breaking that rule, not even in her mind.
“She spent a lot of time outside, and with the horses too. We never spoke much, but you still seem very different to her.”
“What do you mean?” Annabelle knew that she was nothing like Beatrice, but she wanted to understand why this virtual stranger thought the same. It was not like staff to reveal such honest opinions about anything, and Annabelle was intrigued to see why Floyd thought it was alright to do just that.
Also, th
ere was a part of her that wanted to know if he liked her too, even if nothing could ever come of it.
“I do not mean to offend you,” Floyd backtracked a little bit instantly recognising his mistake. He had often been told that he let his mouth run away with him at times. “I just see a very different spirit within you. You seem much freer.” He paused thoughtfully, choosing his next words carefully. “I feel like you have an adventurous nature deep down and that you take life by the horns.”
Oh my goodness! Annabelle grinned brightly, enjoying the way that Floyd saw her, even if he did not know her that well. It reminded her that she was a wonderful girl with a lot to offer the world. The incident with Lord Ashdown stripped down a lot of her confidence, but now with just a small sentence, she could feel a tiny bit of it creeping back.
“That is... yes, I think that is a very good observation.”
Annabelle watched in admiration as Floyd guided Primrose back into the stables. He commanded respect from the magnificent beast, but he did it in a kind gentle way. The way he did things was very different to her father, but it got a very similar result. It was wonderful to watch. It made her feel even happier than before.
“She loves you,” she commented idly at Floyd. “Primrose really loves you.”
“She is a gentle giant,” Floyd replied while smoothing her down. “Absolutely wonderful to ride. If you wish to start out learning, she will be perfect for you.”
For a moment, Annabelle wanted to run with her instinctive nature. She wanted to rush to Floyd’s side, to wrap her arms around him, to lose herself in a wonderful embrace with this very wonderful man who thought she was a free spirit. She did not even care about maintaining a Lady-like appearance, she just wanted to go with her gut and to do exactly as she wanted.
Which was exactly why she had to pull away. It was a whole lot of fun, but she could not allow the crush to deepen.
“Well, it has been lovely to spend time with you,” she said rapidly as her feet backed away. “But I must go inside now, I have many things to do.” She pushed her lips into a thin line, wishing that she could stop herself from talking. “But maybe I will see you another time... I mean you and Primrose, of course. Both of you. For... riding.”
“That sounds wonderful, Lady Annabelle Hathaway.”
“Yes, you too, Floyd Brewer.” Even his name was exotic. Annabelle did not know anyone named anything like that and it lit her on fire. She could not cool herself down, however hard she tried. “Goodbye.”
Her cheeks flamed, she fixed her eyes on the ground, and her feet ran quickly. She did not mean for that to happen, she meant to spend time with nature clearing her mind. Instead of sorting out her problems, she had simply added to them. Now, she had a crush to contend with as well.
He is a stable boy, I cannot like him, this is not a problem at all. I will not make it a problem in my mind, I cannot. I have enough to deal with.
Chapter 7
“Oh, Floyd, you are such a good riding teacher!” Annabelle gasped happily as he helped her down from Primrose. “I cannot believe you have got me riding already.”
“You have a natural talent for it, I have never seen someone take to horse riding so well.”
He held onto her hands and stared deeply into her eyes. As they looked at one another Annabelle realized that this was no longer a crush. What she felt for Floyd was so much more powerful than that. It was real, it was love.
“I do not know what is going on with me,” Annabelle whispered quietly to Floyd. “You make me feel...”
“Yes, you make me feel the same way too.” His hands snaked around her waist and he lightly tugged her towards him. Annabelle fell willingly against him, she wanted to be nearer to this man because he made her feel incredible. “There are no words for it, are there?”
“No,” Annabelle replied breathlessly. She could feel her breasts rising and falling against Floyd’s chest, her fingers buzzed with excitement as they wrapped around his neck, her heart hammered. She could not believe what was about to happen. “There are not.”
Floyd cocked his head slightly to one side, indicating that he wanted to kiss Annabelle. She knew that it was wrong, she had been told many times that it would ruin her reputation if she allowed a man anywhere near her outside of wedlock, but that simply made it that much more thrilling.
Floyd wanted to kiss her, and she wanted to kiss him too.
Annabelle moved her lips closer to him, the fizzing anticipation grew, any minute now...
“Annabelle, are you even listening to me?” her father’s snapping tone dragged Annabelle right out of her fantasy. “What is wrong with you at the moment? You are constantly daydreaming. I feel like I cannot speak with you at all, and we have a lot of things that need to be discussed.”
Annabelle’s dreams dissipated into nothing. She was pulled from her wonderful fantasy life and plonked right back into the reality of her father’s wish for her to marry Lord Ashdown. Still, even now. He was not letting it go.
“I am sorry, I do not feel too well,” she panted, refusing to discuss anything wedding related. “Do you mind if I go to bed?”
Otto blew out a deep breath of air and shook his head disappointedly. “Fine, you do not seem like yourself, maybe that would be for the best. We will have to have this conversation at some point though.”
“Of course, Father.”
Annabelle walked up to her bedroom for some time alone, but as she got into her own private space she realized that Floyd was walking one of the horses through the garden within her view. He had an older gentleman with him, another staff member by the looks of it, but Annabelle could only see him. As he bent his body forwards to smooth down the horse, causing him to smile brightly, Annabelle bent over the window sill and watched him.
His sandy hair looked blonder in the sunlight, his muscles rippled under his shirt, with the dirt across his face he looked even more handsome than before. He was too gorgeous for words, it did not matter that he was the stable boy, the crush that she had on him was growing stronger with every passing second.
Maybe it was just a happy distraction from her issues with Lord Ashdown, or maybe it was something much more real. Annabelle was not sure, and the worst part was she could not even discuss it with anyone. This was the first problem that she had ever suffered that she could not discuss with her friends. They simply would not understand.
Annabelle was alone, she did not have anywhere to turn anymore.
For the first time in many years, Josephine felt nervous as she stood outside her husband's office. Maybe, in the beginning of their relationship, she found Otto intimidating because she did not know him too well, but that was a very long time ago.
Now, after over two decades of marriage, she fully understood how Otto’s mind worked, and usually she knew how to make him see things from her point of view. She prided herself on being one of the only people who knew how to change his mind, but Watson was the one area he was being too stubborn for words, and it was also the one area she really needed him to listen to her. Annabelle and her future happiness depended on it.
Come on, Josephine, she scolded herself as she raised her fist to knock. This is so important, this is what needs to be done. Your daughter needs you. Just because she was not asking for help anymore, it did not mean that Josephine was willing to give up on Annabelle.
Knock, knock.
Otto did not answer right away, but Josephine knew this was a tactic of his. It was unlikely that any important visitors would come without being announced first, but he had to play it safe, just in case. He needed to seem busy, powerful, and in control at all times. Even in front of his wife.
“Come in,” he eventually called out, causing Josephine’s heart to skip an anxious beat.
Josephine pushed the door open and she stood just inside Otto’s office. Her head was held high, her chin jutted out, she rolled her shoulders backwards. She looked confident and in control, even if she did not feel it. Otto could not hear her
racing heart, which meant she could easily play it down.
“What are you doing?” Otto smiled at his wife. “Come in properly, take a seat!”
“Right, of course.” Josephine shook her head. She probably did look strange standing oddly in the corner trying to look confident. “I hope that you do not mind me coming to disturb you. I know you are a busy man.”
“I have time for you, Josephine, you know that.”
“Yes, of course.” Josephine did know that. As her and Otto had grown together in marriage, they learned to love one another deeply. Maybe their marriage was not always ideal, but it was not as unsuccessful as what some of her friends experienced. At least they respected one another, even after all this time. “Thank you.”
“Am I to assume that you are here to discuss the same subject again?” Otto raised his eyebrow knowingly. He knew his wife well, he understood her concerns, but as always, he knew best. He did not make these decisions lightly, which should have shown her that he knew exactly what he was doing. “Because I would think by now that you know my feelings on the matter.
“Oh, I do,” Josephine nodded. “But I still would like you to see things from my point of view.” She had a speech prepared, she had been planning it all night long, but the words had somehow become a little garbled in her mind. "I feel like this young Lord will destroy our family’s reputation, or at the very least Annabelle’s. She does not deserve to be married to a man who is brutish, bad tempered, and spends time with street girls.”
“Oh, Josephine, why are you listening to silly whispers? It is ridiculous. We have had this young man in our home and he comes across as a very articulate, smart, respectful gentleman. Maybe he has had his troubles in the past, maybe it has affected him from time to time, but now he has really pulled his life together. He came back from his father’s death spectacularly. Just like me.”
Of course. Josephine should have guessed that Otto would identify with Watson in that way. It made a lot of sense... but it did not change anything.
Annabelle Enchants the Rejected Earl: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 5
