Otto remained where he was for a couple of seconds, struck by his wife’s attitude towards what he had just told her. It seemed like something she should have been more concerned about. Unless she had decided to trust him. Maybe now she realized that he knew just what he was doing, finally.
Yes, that had to be it. After all, what else could it be?
Chapter 12
Annabelle glanced anxiously over her shoulder as she powered through the grass. Her heart raced loudly and rapidly in her chest as she moved, she was utterly terrified that someone had followed her outside and that she was about to be caught completely disobeying her father by heading directly towards the stables, but it seemed that she was in luck.
So far, she was still alone. It was so impossible that a laugh almost burst free from her chest.
As her eyes finally found Floyd, her heart skipped a beat. He was faced away from her, brushing down Primrose, but Annabelle did not need to look into his eyes to feel his warmth. Floyd Brewer was an incredible, warm man who made her feel safe even from a distance.
If only that could extend into something more and he could get her out of this wedding!
“Floyd,” she announced herself in a hushed tone as soon as she was close enough. “It is me, I have come to see you again.” It had only been a couple of weeks since she last spent time with Floyd, but to Annabelle it felt like a lifetime. She had missed him so much it actually gave her a physical pain in her chest. “How... how are you?”
Floyd felt a heat wash over him as he twisted around to see Lady Hathaway smiling back at him. He had missed her a great deal since their last riding lesson, and not just because he had been given the opportunity to teach someone to ride. He missed Annabelle’s beautiful face, her lovely smile, the way she lit a fire in his belly. Everything was so much better when she was around. The fact that she had not, has been hard on him. But, of course, he simply had to get on with his work because that was what was expected of him.
“Lady Hathaway, I did not think that you were coming back for another lesson. Did you miss Primrose?”
Annabelle blew out a deep breath of air. The romance of their little union washed over her in a dramatic fashion, almost knocking her from her feet. The fact that even being in the same air space as Floyd was taboo almost drove her crazy.
“I cannot be here that long,” she admitted sadly. “My father has banished me from speaking with you.”
“Wh...” Floyd almost asked why but he stopped himself at the last moment. It was utterly obvious why, he could probably see from far away that Floyd was falling for his daughter. Since he was a man that would never be good enough for a Lady, he wanted to put a stop to it before things got out of control. “Never mind, what are you doing out here?”
“I need to see you.” Annabelle’s cheeks flushed brightly as she took a step closer to Floyd. His magnetism drew her in, just like the last time they were together. That, combined with the fantasies that she had been dreaming of for days, swirled around inside of her. “I am... I am having trouble in my life.”
“You are?” Floyd instantly dropped everything that he was doing and he moved closer to Annabelle. It did not matter what his boss wanted, if the Lady needed help, then he would give it if he could. “What is wrong?”
Annabelle’s eyes filled with tears, it felt utterly dreadful that she was about to give the worst news ever, the very subject that they had mocked only days before. “My father wishes me to get married to a Lord that I do not even like. He is a horrible man.” The words flew so rapidly out of her mouth that they almost tumbled over one another. “He has been very cruel to me already and we are not even wed yet.”
“Oh my.” Floyd was not really sure what to say, this felt out of his abilities. There was not anything he could do to help with this situation. He even did his best to swallow down his own feelings towards Annabelle so his answer was not biased. “That is horrible news.”
“I have been trying on wedding dresses today, it is just too much...”
Without any warning, Annabelle burst into sobbing tears. The emotion that she had done her best to lock down inside herself came flying out as she broke down. This was not how this meeting was supposed to go, Annabelle envisioned herself being much calmer as she spoke with Floyd, but the way he made her feel so safe also let her true self out.
“Oh no, Lady Hathaway.” Floyd knew that it was wrong, but he was also certain that he could not let her stand there and cry in front of him. There might not have been a lot that he could do to help, but he could offer some comfort. He held out his arms and he wrapped them around the Lady in a warm embrace. “I am terribly sorry to hear your awful news.”
“It is not just that.” As Annabelle leaned into Floyd’s comforting hug, she felt like her head might explode if she did not tell him the truth. Her feelings were swelling and growing, swirling and twisting. Everything in her life was going to change soon enough, if she did not say something, Annabelle knew that she would always regret it. She would always wonder what would have happened if she had just been brave. Maybe nothing, but at least she would not have this pressure forming in her brain. “There is something else, Floyd.”
He could hear the seriousness in her tone, this was something which Annabelle needed to be heard. Floyd pulled back and he stared into the Lady’s eyes, marvelling at her beauty as he did. “Go on, you can tell me anything.”
“I...” Annabelle’s heart beat faster, her breaths came in shorter, icy fear crept through her veins. “Floyd, I...” She knew that telling him would not be a mistake, no matter what the outcome was, but she still felt afraid. “Floyd, I feel like I am falling in love with you.”
The world felt unsteady underneath her feet, a dizziness overcame Annabelle’s brain, but it was a liberating feeling. She had been honest, she had told Floyd how she felt. For someone that had spent her entire life restricted, it was a wonderful sensation.
“Lady Hathaway, I...” Floyd did not know what to say. If it was not for the feel of her in his arms he would believe that he was dreaming. Having this beautiful woman who he could not stop thinking about interested in him was almost too much. He desperately wanted to grab onto her with both hands and to never let her go, but it would be selfish of him to do so. “You cannot feel that way; I am not good enough for you. I cannot give you what any Lord can.”
“I do not want a Lord,” Annabelle shot back sharply.
“I know, but think of your name, your reputation, your father... none of them would like it if you and I were together.”
“But... you would like us to be?” Annabelle couldn’t help noticing that Floyd had not dismissed the idea. He had not directly said that he did not feel the same way. Until he did, she could not let it go.
Floyd stared deeply into Annabelle’s eyes, revealing his true feelings without even meaning to. He was head over heels for Annabelle, all of his dreams involved the pair of them in love, sharing a happy ever after...
But that was only a fantasy. The dream could never be real, there was no chance for them. However much Floyd wanted to be with Annabelle, they came from two different worlds. She was wealthy, she was known in society, she had a name and expectations. She needed a man who could keep her in the lifestyle which she was used to, even if that was a Lord that she did not instantly like. He was merely a stable boy with nothing to offer. He had his dream, but that was all.
“Do you feel the same way, Floyd? I need you to tell me.” As persistent as ever, Annabelle would not let it go. “I need an answer from you, I think I already know the answer, but I need to know...”
Floyd could not say the words, they felt too real. He knew that the moment he spoke them everything would become much more complex and harder to deal with. So, he did something else instead. In the heat of the moment, it felt like the perfect alternative, it was only afterwards that he realized how crazy he acted.
He slipped his hand around the back of Annabelle’s neck and he gently pressed his lips up
against hers, showing her just how much he liked her without having to say it. Her mouth was soft, her body boiling hot next to his. The closer she moulded into him, the more right Floyd felt. His heart fluttered and his whole body vibrated with hundreds of emotions. That was the moment he knew that he was in love.
He loved Lady Annabelle Hathaway, which could only lead to trouble. He knew that, yet he could not stop...
He had never found anyone so beautiful before, he had never been anything close to love, but in that moment with Annabelle kissing him back like she shared all the same feelings that he did, he felt like everything was right with the world. He was happier than he had ever been.
Annabelle’s heart flew with joy as Floyd kissed her lovingly. She knew that they shared something special, she had sensed their chemistry from their very first conversation, now that feeling was all over her.
So, this is what being brave gets me, she thought happily to herself. I should do this more often.
As they pulled apart she gave him the most loving smile possible. She had come to Floyd desperately upset and scared about what was going to happen next, but now she felt certain that everything would be alright. She did not know how, but it hardly mattered. They could figure that out later.
Unfortunately, the happiness had zapped from Floyd and all he had was worry. “What did we just do?” he gasped desperately. “We cannot do that, I am so sorry, Lady Hathaway, I should never... your reputation...” Not only was he going to lose his job, he would also wreck the life of the one person he felt anything for, all for one moment of madness. “I did not mean to...”
“Floyd, it is alright,” Annabelle tried to reassure him with a giggle. She linked her hands back through his and showed her happiness through her expression. “I know it is madness, but we will find a way, I can assure you.”
“You are betrothed to someone, you have a Lord waiting to be with you. Someone much better suited to you than me.”
Annabelle cupped his chin in her hand so his eyes fixed upon hers. She needed him to hear every word that she spoke. “Floyd Brewer, there is no one better suited to me than you are. You are the man I want to love for the rest of my life.”
“Even though I am poor?”
“It does not matter to me who you are. I love you.”
As Annabelle said those three powerful words, she realized just how true they were. She did love Floyd, it was not just a crush anymore. She would not be willing to throw everything away for someone who she only had a small amount of feelings for. Now she just needed to work out how to make this love last forever...
Josephine’s heart thumped painfully against her rib cage as she walked back into the house with her newfound knowledge racing around her brain. She had just followed her daughter and witnessed her kissing another man. The stable boy she assumed Otto was referring to when he told her that there was a man who wanted to ruin their daughter’s reputation.
There certainly was an attraction there, but it definitely was not one sided. From what Josephine had seen from her limited view position, Annabelle was the more aggressive one of the two. She really liked this boy, there was a genuine chemistry between them both, there was something real.
Is this the only reason she does not want to marry Lord Ashdown? She thought to herself in a panicked state. She did not want to defend her daughter if the only reason she did not want to get married was because of a crush. No, it has to be more than that. To Josephine, it actually looked like love. Plus, even if she did not end up marrying the stable boy, Lord Ashdown was still utterly terrible news. She wanted more for Annabelle than him.
Seeing Annabelle with that boy certainly changed the plan, however. Josephine knew that whatever happened next, she absolutely had to find out the truth about her daughter and the stable boy. Maybe he would need to be included? Of course, there was no way she could make that sort of choice without knowing him herself. She could not trust a man with her child without at least knowing him a little bit.
One thing was for certain, everything had suddenly become a lot more complicated, and it was already bad enough before.
Chapter 13
The information that Floyd loved her too, filled up Annabelle until she was fit to burst. She could hardly contain it; it felt like she could be swallowed up by it at any given moment. Every so often a smile would burst onto her lips, seemingly at random to the rest of the world, but she was always thinking about him. The way he seemed unsure about sharing his feelings with her, the feel of his lips as he pressed them against hers, the sensation of his arms wrapped around her after the kiss. Well, until she felt compelled to leave before her father found her. Now that she had something with Floyd, she did not want it ruined.
“What is with you today?” Catherine asked in a frustrated tone of voice. “You are acting so strange. Not like yourself at all.”
“Hmm? Oh I am sorry.” There was that smile again. Even in the most inappropriate of moments it crept back out. It was almost as if her happiness did not care about social normalities. “I am distracted today.”
“I know that, it is obvious. What I cannot be certain of is why.” Catherine folded her arms across her chest and she examined her friend closely. “What are you daydreaming about?”
Lies filled Annabelle’s brain, there were so many excuses that she could have easily given her friend, but she wanted to tell Catherine the truth. She wanted to share her burden with someone and while Catherine was not her most understanding friend, she was her closest.
“I... have a secret,” she admitted with a coy glance downwards. “But if I tell you, you must swear to me that you will keep it to yourself.”
Catherine perked up at Annabelle’s words. If there was one thing she loved, it was gossip. Anything to add a bit of excitement to the long and boring days. Usually, the girls preferred to talk about the lives of other people, it was not often they had something of their own to discuss.
“I promise,” Catherine replied in a hushed tone. She sat closer to her friend with a wide-eyed thrill darting behind her gaze. “What is going on?”
Annabelle felt a delicious shiver racing up her spine as she finally let some of the pressure off her shoulders. It felt incredible to share this news, it was so positive. Annabelle was so caught up in the happiness that she felt, she was not considering the complications anymore.
“I am in love.” Her cheeks flamed bright pink as the words fell out of her mouth. “I tell you, Catherine, it is the most wonderful feeling in the whole entire world, there is nothing quite like it.”
“You... you are?” Catherine felt confused. The last time she spoke to Annabelle about this topic she was dreadfully unhappy with the idea of getting married. She could not help but wonder what had changed. “With the Lord? Is it not true then, what Edmund said about him?”
“Hmm?” It took Annabelle a few moments to understand why Catherine was talking about something completely different to her. “Oh, Lord Ashdown. I am certain that everything Edmund said about him was the truth.”
Catherine tried to fit the pieces of this story together but it was instantly obvious that she was missing something. There was no way Annabelle had done a complete turnaround with her feelings. Even if she was the most erratic out of their friendship group, it did not seem likely. “So, you are willing to marry him even though he is known for spending time with courtesans? Even though he is a brutish man?” Catherine shook her head. “No, I cannot see it. What has changed, Annabelle?”
“I do not love Lord Ashdown,” Annabelle chuckled, laughing at the terrible joke. “He is a horrible man who has already shown me that he is an awful man.” She shuddered, showing her friend her disgust. “No chance, I will never want to marry him.”
“What is going on then?” Catherine demanded. “I do not understand. You are in love, but not with Lord Ashdown?”
“I am in love with someone else,” Annabelle confirmed. “The most wonderful man on the planet.” Her eyes grew dewy with dreaminess
. “He is handsome, kind, sweet... and a good kisser.”
Catherine gasped in shock. That was the most scandalous news she had ever heard. Kissing before marriage was unheard of, it was very risky and reputation ruining. If any of the girls would ever break the rules, it would be Annabelle, but this felt like a step too far. Catherine was not sure whether to be excited or horrified by her friend’s behaviour.
“You... you have kissed someone?” She could not even say those words aloud; it was a struggle for Catherine to even whisper them. “You have kissed someone who is not Lord Ashdown?” Annabelle nodded gleefully. “But you are betrothed to Lord Ashdown, everyone knows it. How will you persuade your father to change his mind?”
“Oh, he will never agree to change his mind... and especially not for Floyd.” The idea that Otto Hathaway would allow Annabelle to marry someone low born was utter madness. “He is a stable boy.”
Catherine opened and closed her mouth a few times as she tried to work out how to respond to that revelation. Of all the horrific things that Annabelle had just told her, that was the worst one.
“You cannot be serious,” she finally managed to reply. “That is crazy, Annabelle. You must see how mad that is.”
“Oh I know, but it is love...”
“What is love?” Catherine exploded as it hit her all over again. “What is happening to you that is so important you would throw away everything? How can you be so willing to sacrifice your whole life?”
Annabelle had expected Catherine to be shocked, but this felt a lot like an overreaction. It was not a snap decision that Annabelle had made, she had really thought it through. “I know what I am doing,” she insisted. “I do not want to marry the Lord that my father has chosen for me, and that has nothing to do with Floyd.”
“No, but if it was not for this stable boy you would still be going through with the wedding, whether you liked it or not.”
Annabelle Enchants the Rejected Earl: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 9
