Annabelle Enchants the Rejected Earl: A Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Hanna Hamilton

  “Is this a goodbye?” Annabelle answered quietly.

  “Not forever,” Josephine replied while rubbing Annabelle’s arm gently. “But maybe for now. You are an adult now, Annabelle, it is time for you to claim your own life. Just... give me a nod if you need me to sort out a carriage for you. That will be the hardest part, so I will sort that out for you. If you want it.”

  It was the first time that anyone had ever described Annabelle as an adult and it felt amazing. Finally, someone could see how strong and grown up she was. That sensation filled Annabelle up and made her feel like maybe she could do this.

  “Thank you, Mother,” she said with a nod. “I cannot wait to finally start living. And now I can, thanks to you.”

  Josephine had never felt prouder; this was exactly what she wanted to achieve when she set out to help Annabelle. Seeing that light in her eyes, knowing that she had assisted her in escaping something that had the potential to turn out terribly, it felt lovely. Of course, there would be a lot of challenging things to come next, but it was all worth it so her daughter could be happy.

  Now all she had to hope was that everything worked out just as it was supposed to.

  Chapter 15

  Annabelle’s nerves flew through her body as she walked across the garden to the stables. Her feet felt like they were not even touching the ground as she moved, but still she kept on going. After speaking with her mother and learning of the new options that lay in front of her, Annabelle knew that she had to discuss it with Floyd, she could not make a decision alone. This was up to him too.

  Maybe he loved her, but not enough to leave everything that he had ever known behind. If that was the case, then Annabelle would have to reconsider yet again. That was a terrifying thought, but at least she would have all the information that she needed at her disposal. It was much better than all of the confusion that she was currently suffering.

  For a moment, Annabelle paused to simply watch Floyd as he worked. He had not yet seen her which gave her a moment to just see him again, before everything changed completely. His strong, powerful body flexed as he moved, his blond, mussed up hair flicked in the breeze, a smile played on his lips as he felt content with what he was doing. Annabelle knew that all she had to do was call out his name and she would get to see those lovely, friendly sky-blue eyes all over again.

  With a deep breath, and a strong stream of positive thoughts, Annabelle made herself take those few, final steps. There was a deep confidence slowly growing within her now, it had been developing slowly over the last few weeks which she used to drive her forwards.

  “Floyd?” she said as soon as she was close enough. “Do you have a moment?”

  His eyes flicked towards her, his whole expression turned to one of sheer panic. He had been flitting between extreme happiness and utter terror for the last few days, ever since he first kissed Lady Hathaway. He loved her, he knew that with utter certainty, and their kiss was wonderful... but he knew that it was wrong and he kept expecting trouble. Judging by the twisted up look on Annabelle’s face, that time had come.

  I will take all the blame, he decided rapidly. I will not allow Annabelle to be affected by what happened.

  “Of course, come with me.” Floyd took Annabelle around the side of the stable. He knew they would not be disturbed anyway, but he wanted all the privacy that he could get. “Is everything alright?”

  “I...” Annabelle did not know where to start. She should have put more thought into planning this speech before she raced out to tell Floyd. “I have some news.”

  “Whatever has happened, I will help you. I will ensure you do not get into any trouble...”

  “Oh no, it is not anything like that.” Annabelle burst into relieved laughter. At least the tension on Floyd’s shoulders was only because of fear. She could not help worrying that he regretted their kiss. “I have a plan.”

  “A plan?” Floyd cocked his head to one side, trying to work out exactly what this meant. “What does that mean?”

  Annabelle stepped in closer until she could feel the intense heat coming off of Floyd, that warm blanket that wrapped her up in safety. “My mother has given me enough money to leave. We can go if we wish, we can start our own lives together.”

  “But...” Floyd felt the foundation that his life was built upon slip away. For as long as he could recall, he had known exactly where his life was taking him, he had a plan, something that he wanted to achieve, and everything that he did worked towards that. He had not even considered doing anything else. He assumed that he would work on the Hathaway land until the day that he could finally afford to leave.

  But now, things had happened with Annabelle and everything had changed.

  It was not that he did not like the idea of being with Annabelle, in all honesty he could think of nothing better. She brought sunshine into his life, every time he saw her all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her, but still even with this money it would not be easy. He could not take Lady Hathaway away from all of her money into a life with him while he struggled to succeed. It would not be right.

  “But, Lady Hathaway, it would be such a big risk...”

  “Oh, I know that.” She smiled up at him under her eyelashes, making his heart skip a beat. Did she truly have to be so perfect as he tried to do the right thing. “Do not worry about me, I am old enough to know that this will not be easy. I understand what I am putting myself through. But it will be worth it for you.”

  “What about your father? What about the Lord?” Floyd was not desperately searching for a way out, he just needed Annabelle to understand. “There will be all sorts of trouble if we leave.”

  “But we have my mother on our side now. She will help us. There is no longer anything to worry about.” A tiny ball of frustration curled up in Annabelle’s chest. She could see why Floyd would be hesitant, but she desperately wished that it would not be because of her. She knew exactly what she was doing. “I know people will be angry at me, but I will be far away. If I take this money and run, I will get far away from London where no one could find me.”

  Floyd ran his fingers anxiously through his hair, all of this sounded wonderful, but one of them needed to be smart about this. He was a little bit older than Annabelle and he had lived a harder life, it was up to him.

  “I want to be good for you,” he told Annabelle softly while linking his fingers through hers. “I want to be the right man for you. I want us to live a happy, comfortable life. I do love you and I want us to be, but I think we need to do it in the right way. We should wait until I have my riding school, until I can support you.”

  “But I shall be married by then,” Annabelle exclaimed in shock. “My father will have me wed to Lord Ashdown, I do not have time to wait. Plus, what if your plans do not work out as expected? Are you suggesting that we will never be, if you cannot open your own riding school?” She slid her hands out from his and took a step away. “Maybe I have misread the situation,” she muttered, more to herself than at Floyd. “Maybe you do not love me enough. Here I am, willing to sacrifice everything for you, and you do not seem to want the same.” She gave Floyd a desperate look, wondering where everything had gone so wrong. “I am terribly sorry, I did not mean...”

  Floyd could not allow Annabelle to finish that sentence, he did not want her to believe it was because he did not want her. He pulled her back to him and kissed her once more. As their lips crashed together, even Floyd managed to get lost in the magic of the love they shared. He could see them living happily in a small cottage in the country, happy and truly in love. He saw Annabelle with their children around her ankles as he left for work to teach people to ride... it was the best possible fantasy ever.

  Maybe we can make it work, he thought desperately to himself. If we both want it enough.

  “I do love you, Annabelle,” he whispered against her lips. “I love you very, very much. I just want us to be married and happy and in love. I do want everything that you are suggesting. I just
do not want everything to go wrong because you have not thought it through properly.”

  “I have thought it through.” Annabelle pulled out the bundle of money from where she had tucked it inside her pocket to show Floyd just how serious she was. “I know what we need to make a life together. I know what to do.”

  Floyd’s eyes nearly burst out of his head, he had never seen so much money in his entire life. Deep down he knew that it would only last them for a certain amount of time, they would have to support themselves, but it was a very good start.

  “We will still have to get jobs,” he told her. “This will not last us forever.”

  “I have an education,” Annabelle shot back quickly. “I will be able to get work doing something. Plus, if we leave the city no one will know who I am, I can let people believe that I am simply down on my luck. It will not be an issue for us.”

  Floyd nodded slowly, it seemed that Annabelle had thought about this more than he first assumed. He could not truly believe it, this woman, this beautiful Lady would happily give up everything that she had for him.

  “I am afraid that you will regret this,” he told her sadly. “I would love to do this but I am scared.”

  “This is not just because of you,” Annabelle insisted. “This is also because I cannot marry Lord Ashdown. I do not want to even be in the same room as him, never mind his wife.” She shuddered violently, proving her point. “I want to leave, whether you come with me or not.”

  “Oh, I see.” Floyd’s breath got caught in the back of his throat. “You are a very brave woman, that is something to be very respected.”

  “Thank you very much,” Annabelle smiled while kissing Floyd softly once more. “I am glad to hear that. I am also glad to hear that you will come with me when I leave.”

  “I have not yet said that...” Floyd said after Annabelle as she turned to walk away. His heart thundered in his chest, he was nowhere near making a decision on what was the right thing to do.

  “I know that, but you will.” Annabelle was filled with confidence now that she understood Floyd’s issues. “You do not wish me to leave alone, do you? You wish to be with me. As soon as you recover from your fear you will see that this is right.” She turned to face him quickly once more with a stunning, heart lifting smile on her face. “I will come for you soon, once I have the carriage organised. You must be ready for that time.”

  With that, she swept away with her red hair flowing out behind her, leaving Floyd bewildered. She truly was something else, he knew that from the first moment that he laid eyes upon her. He recognized her adventurous spirit, he could see that she was a caged bird wanting to be set free. He did not see her fitting into the life that was laid out in front of her, but he never expected this to happen.

  I knew that you would be trouble, Lady Annabelle Hathaway, he thought to himself with a secret smile. I just did not know how much.

  To keep himself distracted, Floyd picked up the broom and he continued to sweep out the stables, but the idea of running away never quite left his mind. How could it? How could he truly think about anything else?

  “What should I do, Primrose?” he muttered quietly, like a mad man talking to the horse. “Should I go? Should I leave with Annabelle and live a crazy, unexpected life, or should I do the smart thing and wait until I have my own riding stables?”

  He glanced towards Primrose, as if he actually expected to get an answer. Of course, he got nothing back, he knew that he would not. It was the first moment that he truly wished he had someone to discuss such things with, a friend or an understanding family member, but he already knew what anyone would say even if he did have someone to speak to. Anyone would warn him to keep away, they would warn him that this situation could only lead to trouble. There was never anything good that could come out of running away with a Lady.

  So why was there such a strong temptation coursing away inside of him? Why did he feel like he really wanted this? For the first time in his life, Floyd Brewer could feel himself leaning towards the wrong thing.

  “I do not know, Primrose.” He shook his head to himself. “I do not know what I am doing. Am I acting like a crazy person? Maybe I should pack a bag, just in case.” He turned his head and stared into the eyes of the gentle giant that had been his closest friend for far too long. “I do not want to leave you, Primrose, I never have, but this is the first time I do not know if I have a choice.”

  The idea of leaving everyone and everything behind scared him. Floyd needed to find his own adventurous spirit if this was going to work. Maybe Annabelle would change her mind, maybe his speech about needing to do things in the right way would make her see that there were lots of other things to consider, but if not... well, she was right about one thing. He did not want her to leave alone.

  Chapter 16

  A smile crept up onto Annabelle’s lips as she made her way indoors. That went much better than she expected to, and it made her even more certain that she needed to leave. It was the right thing to do. Running away, being with Floyd, it was all that she needed to be happy. He liked the idea, he just needed to make that brave step and he would see. Annabelle was not at all worried that he would back down now. He loved her, that was enough.

  Now she just had to make that happen.

  Her mother had told her that she would arrange a carriage if only she would let her know that was what she wanted. She needed to do that now while the determination was still fresh within her. She had to get her mother’s assistance without alerting any attention to herself. Preferably, she needed to do it without even being in the same room as her. Annabelle was not sure how closely her father was watching her now, and she did not want things ruined at the last moment.

  On a whim, she decided that a note was the best way to go. She would write something that could be interpreted a number of ways and send it with the butler. Admittedly, it was potentially troublesome, but it was the best idea she could think of quickly.

  Mother, as discussed, I would like things to happen at five a.m. Thank you, Annabelle.

  If her father questioned her, she could act like it was something wedding related. Maybe she could pretend that is the time she wanted to get dressed. It mentioned nothing that could be taken badly, so that was the best that she could do.

  She nodded to herself, pleased that she had been so smart, and she continued to ride off that confidence as she handed the note to the butler. Maybe her pulse raced and her stomach twisted up in nauseous knots, but on the outside, she looked calm and that was all that mattered.

  Once her mother received that note, things would move rapidly. Annabelle only had one thing left to do. She needed to get her things packed as quickly as possible so that when the time came she was ready. It was far too quick to leave the following morning, but it was the only way that things would work. If she left it any longer, there was a chance that everything would go wrong.

  Right, she thought to herself as she entered the room. What do I need? Looking at the clothes that she had owned for years, the one’s that she never really looked at before, Annabelle felt uncertain. Maybe it would not matter if people knew that she was once a Lady, there were many horror stories about women being left with nothing and forced to take on work, but she would have to appear down on her luck. She could not leave this house with her best dresses with her. She was going to have to only take the ones that made her look simple.

  The only issue with that was her father always made sure she had the best dresses. The way that the Hathaway girls appeared in public was a reflection on him, and everything that represented Otto had to be wonderful.

  Her fingers ran down the soft material as she wondered what sort of things she would have to wear in her new life. The maids only seemed to wear plain, brown and beige dresses. She had never seen anyone without money wear anything eye-catching. Would that be her from now on? Would she have to blend into the background for the rest of her life?

  And most importantly, did she mind?


  She folded a light blue number in the best way she could. It was not easy to flatten down this dress, even without all the ruffles of her usual attire, but she did her best. She only had a small case, so she needed it tiny.

  No, I do not think I shall mind, Annabelle thought idly to herself as she grabbed hold of another dress. I do not think I shall mind at all. Better to be hidden and with Floyd, than be seen and Watson’s wife.

  “Lady Hathaway?” Annabelle jumped as an unexpected voice rang out behind her. She turned quickly, trying to hide her packing behind her back, but fortunately the butler was not paying any attention to her. “I have a letter from your mother.”

  “Oh, of course.” She had not been expecting that. Was Josephine about to tell her this was not going to happen? “Thank you.”

  Her fingers ran along the edge of the paper as she stared at the butler. He seemed to be waiting for her to read and reply to the note, but that was not going to happen. If this was bad news, she wanted to see it alone, and if she did need to reply she would simply find him again.

  “That will be all, thank you.”

  As he finally left, Annabelle pulled the paper apart eagerly with her heart racing in her chest. The words spun in front of her anxious eyes for a second, before they settled down.

  That is all sorted for you, five a.m. is all booked in for you. Lots of love, Mother xx

  She clutched it to her chest as emotion flooded her. This was such a sweet gesture, she could not believe how lucky she was. Without her mother, none of this would happen. She needed to find a way to thank her at some point...

  Annabelle’s heart pounded heavily in her chest as she grabbed hold of her bag to leave. The night air still clung to the world, but the small thin lines of light peeked through. Morning was coming and before it did Annabelle needed to be gone.