“Oh.” Annabelle did not know what to say, she could not imagine her father acting in such a way. “What has Lord Ashdown said?”
“I have not seen him.” Catherine giggled girlishly. “I think he has run away with shame. It is wonderful. Everyone now knows about him. I bet he will never find a wife now.”
Annabelle gulped. She did not want any other poor woman to be subjected to the horror of Lord Ashdown, but that sounded a bit too serious for her liking.
“Is my mother alright?”
"She is wonderfully happy, I have never seen such a big smile on her face before." Catherine rubbed her friend's arm gently. "I am sure she is glad that you are getting what you want. She wanted this for you, after all."
“She did, yes.”
“So, you are really leaving?” There was a hollowness in Catherine’s voice, Annabelle could tell that her friend was going to miss her. “For good this time? Properly?”
“I am.” Annabelle pursed her lips thoughtfully. “But I will send you letters.” That would not be the same, they both knew it. “I will come and visit you once I am settled. You can come and see me too.”
Catherine nodded slowly. "I did not tell you before because you had so much going on yourself, but my father has found someone that he wishes me to marry, so maybe everything will have changed in my life too, the next time I see you."
“Oh wow. As long as it is not Lord Ashdown, I am happy for you.” Annabelle felt guilty, she did not realize that everything had become so much about her. “I am sorry I did not know before.”
“I have met him. He seems like a perfect gentleman so it all looks good at the moment. He is handsome too.”
“What does he look like?” Annabelle had never known her friend to show interest in a man before. She wanted to know what she liked.
“He is very tall, he has broad shoulders, he has dark blue eyes and a really nice smile.” Catherine could not stop herself from grinning. Annabelle knew that feeling well, she had a feeling that Catherine was going to have a very happy life. “I do not know his personality too well, but so far I think it will be just fine.”
“That is wonderful news.” Annabelle felt saddened for a moment that she would not be able to meet this man. At least not right away, just because she was leaving now did not mean she could never come back. She would wait until the drama surrounding her non-starting wedding day died down. “That is wonderful.”
“I am sure that Edith and Harriett will have husbands soon, too, which will make them very happy.”
“Of course, it will,” Annabelle laughed. “That is what they both so desperately want. They will likely have babies before I see them next.”
“Yes, Beatrice too.”
Of course, my niece or nephew. Annabelle did not want to miss out on Beatrice giving birth, but she felt sure that her sister would understand.
“Yes. A lot of things are going to be very different soon. This is us growing up.”
“That it is.”
The girls paused and stared at one another for a moment. They had spent so long in one another’s company, thinking the future was so far away, that it was something they would never have to worry about... yet here they both were diving head first into new lives without looking back.
It was a bittersweet moment.
“I shall miss you. Are you going to find the stable boy again?”
“Yes, I am,” Annabelle replied with a smile. “He is the only one for me. My father asked me to keep away from him, but I cannot. He is my love, all I want is to be back in his arms. But of course, I shall miss you too," she added, hoping that it did not seem like an afterthought.
“You will marry him? Even if he is not a Lord?”
“I will marry him... if he wishes to marry me.”
“Your life shall be challenging,” Catherine warned. “But as long as you are happy, that is all that matters.”
Annabelle pulled herself out of the carriage to embrace her friend. At least this time she was getting a proper goodbye with one of the important people in her life. Last time she left, she said goodbye to her mother, she had been offered an almost goodbye with her father, and now she was saying farewell to Catherine.
It really did feel much more serious this time.
“You look after yourself, will you?”
“Yes, I will. You too. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Annabelle.”
As the girls parted their embrace, and Annabelle finally managed to reel off the address to the carriage driver, emotion filled her up. She waved to her friend and watched her life vanish into the distance. There was a pensiveness to her, but no fear. Annabelle had already proven to herself and everyone else that she was more than capable of making it out there in the world, alone.
I am coming Floyd, she thought excitedly. Finally, I am coming back for you. Please just wait for me a little while longer.
It was not until she settled back into her seat and she glanced down at her body that she realized she was going to turn up to Mr. Brentwood’s home in a tattered-looking wedding dress.
That was going to make for very awkward conversation. Annabelle hoped the outcome of the story would be amusing rather than heart-breaking.
Annabelle’s eyes widened happily as the home, that she had been daydreaming about for hours while she travelled through the countryside, came into view. It stood just as tall, next to the wonderful lake, with lovely trees blossoming outside of it. There was not any sunlight bouncing off it this time, the evening darkness shrouded it, but there was still something very impressive.
“Is this it?” the driver asked her, sounding a little sleepy after the long ride. “Is this where you wish to be dropped off?”
“Y... yes, this is it.” All of a sudden, Annabelle felt anxious. Maybe this was not the great plan she thought it was after all. Once the driver took the carriage off Mr. Brentwood’s land, she was fully on her own. She had the money her father had given to her, but that was it. All she had to wear was her wedding dress, that now felt very over the top. “Thank you.”
“Do you want your father to know your location?”
Annabelle considered this for a moment. She did not want to lie anymore, she wanted to be open and honest with her family. Being secretive did not exactly work out for her in the past, so maybe there was not any point. He did tell her that she could do as she pleased now. It did not matter that she was doing what he asked of her.
“Yes, please. Tell him this is where I have stopped first.”
She stood in the grass and stared up at the house, barely listening as the driver turned the carriage around to leave her behind. All the memories she had while living and working for Mr. Brentwood came back to her... including the horrible way that she left.
Mr. Brentwood is unimpressed with me for lying. He will not want to see me.
Maybe there was a way that she could see Floyd without catching his attention. Much as Annabelle wanted to make things right with her former boss, she did not think that turning up in a dishevelled white dress, looking a bit like a mad person was the best way to do that.
Luckily, he had the staff to answer the door for him.
Annabelle tried her best to remain determined as she stepped rapidly towards the front door. She did not want to wait until it was far too dark to make this bold move, in case things went terribly wrong and she had to leave in a hurry. Unfortunately, Mr. Brentwood did not live near anywhere, so it would not be easy for her to get somewhere new, but the opportunity had to be there, just in case.
I should have asked the driver to stay, she thought regretfully. That was silly of me.
But she could not remain in regret for long. Every single step took her closer to Floyd again and she could not wait.
By the time Annabelle reached the huge, wooden front door, her whole body shook anxiously. She could feel her knees knocking nervously together, her pulse racing, her fists curling together.
Just do this, I have to do this. She gav
e herself a pep talk. I am Annabelle Hathaway, strong enough to run away, strong enough to leave my wedding day. I can do this.
Knock, knock.
Annabelle bobbed from foot to foot as she waited. It felt like an age until she even heard steps radiating through the hallway. As she finally sensed movement, she pressed her ear up against the door to check that it was smaller steps. It was unlikely to be Mr. Brentwood. That was a relief.
The door swung open, Annabelle took a step backwards and she folded her arms defensively across her chest. This was a terrible situation, she imagined that it was one of those things that had never happened before, and she did not know how it would be taken.
“Annabelle?” a shocked voice called through before she could even see who it was on the other side. “What are you doing here?”
“Violet!” She was in luck, it was the one person she actually got along with in the Brentwood house. Aside from Floyd, of course. "Oh, thank goodness it is you. I am so pleased to see your face, you have no idea.”
Violet pushed the door open further and she stepped outside. She half closed it behind her so they could have a semi-private conversation. “I cannot believe that you are here again. I never thought I would have the chance to see you again!”
“I know, I am so sorry I left in a hurry. As you saw, it was not really my decision.”
“No.” Violet shook her head sadly. “That was terrible, I was very upset.”
Annabelle did not bother to ask Violet what everyone else thought when she left, she did not want to know. “Yes, me too.” It was time to get down to business. She needed to know now, the tension was killing her. “So, is Floyd inside? I would love to speak to him?”
"You do not know?" Violet gasped in shock. "Oh my goodness, I thought you knew."
“Knew what?” Annabelle’s heart quickened, she did not like this surprising turn of events... whatever it was.
“Floyd is gone.”
Chapter 25
“Gone?” Annabelle gasped while clutching onto her chest as shock tore through her whole body. “What do you mean, gone?”
She had travelled such a long way, with such high hopes. The only thing keeping her going was the thought of reuniting with the love of her life. She had been so excited to see him again, she could not believe it was not going to happen.
“He left the day you did... did he not come to see you?” Violet asked cautiously. She cocked her head to one side, narrowing her eyes as she examined her friend. “I just assumed that he was on his way to find you.”
“No.” Moroseness overcame Annabelle again. “When he did not come for me, I assumed that he had stayed here. I thought that he was waiting for me, in case I ever wanted to come back.” Annabelle pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I assumed he loved me. Maybe I was wrong.”
She felt guilty. Not for leaving Watson on their wedding day, that was something that absolutely needed to happen. But she did feel bad for the trouble she had caused. She had created drama, caused rumours that would undoubtedly be discussed for a very long time, and left her family and friends in a mess.
All for a man who did not care about her as much as she cared for him.
For a moment, Annabelle second-guessed everything. Did Floyd ever feel the same way that she did? Had she dragged him along with her against his will? Maybe he felt compelled to be kind to her because they had started on their crazy journey together. Maybe nothing that happened was real...
“I have to ask,” Violet interrupted Annabelle’s thoughts. “What are you doing here? Dressed like that? I know you have come for Floyd but... well, what happened to you?”
“I left my wedding,” Annabelle giggled a little hysterically. It all seemed so crazy now, like something that she would read about in a book rather than experience in real life. “I was supposed to get married today to a man who is horrible.” Violet listened, enraptured. Learning that her friend was a Lady was one thing, but learning about her life was something else. “He is a Lord, so the sort of people I am expected to marry, but he is not a gentleman.”
“Plus, you love Floyd... do you not?”
"Oh, I do. Eventually, my father saw that and he set me free. I have left a mess behind me to come here.” Her eyes flickered sadly. “And it seems that it is for nothing.”
"Well, not for nothing." Violet wanted to reassure her friend that everything was not all terrible. “At least you have not got to marry that terrible man.”
“Yes.” Annabelle nodded slowly. “That is true. I just do not know where I am supposed to go now. I did not plan to do the next part alone.”
Violet glanced behind her anxiously. She knew that it would be risky to invite Annabelle inside after how things were left last time, but she could not leave Annabelle standing outside in the cold air, in a dirty wedding dress any longer. It was not right. Her life had been turned upside down too many times for such a short time.
“Come inside with me,” she whispered quietly. “I will sneak you to my bedroom. You can stay with me tonight.” She ran her eyes critically over Annabelle. “I will give you something to wear too.”
“Thank you,” Annabelle gasped gratefully. She really needed to get changed. There was nothing she could do to take her life in any kind of positive direction while dressed in such an extravagant dress. Just because Floyd was not here, did not mean that her life had to stop. “That means a lot to me, Violet. I will stay tonight and I will work out what to do next in the morning. I am too exhausted to think now.”
Violet peered inside the door with her heart racing. “It does not look like there is anyone there. Now might be a good time to run.”
“I am not very well hidden, sorry about that.”
Annabelle fixed her eyes on her feet as she moved with speed through the house. She did not want to look up in case she made eye contact with anyone – not that it mattered, anyone would know that she did not belong without seeing her eyes – but also she did not want to look at the home either. It was taking everything that she had to hold herself together as it was. She did not need any more reminders of Floyd.
“Come on, we are almost there,” Violet reassured Annabelle. “Just down these stairs and we are free.”
But unfortunately, her confidence was misplaced. As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were interrupted from their mission.
“What is going on?” an angry voice rang out. “Who is this?”
Annabelle dragged her eyes upwards. She did not even recognize the glare staring right back at her. Green eyes flashed as the gentleman slammed his hands onto his hips. She fell back a little as ice-cold fear struck her heart. She did not want to cause any more trouble, but she also did not want to go either. It was too late for her to go anywhere else.
I will plead if I need to, I do not have too much pride.
“What is she doing here?” the man snapped at Violet. “Why have you brought her back here?”
He knows me... why do I not know him?
“She came back for Floyd,” Violet held her head high as she defended her friend. “As you can probably tell, times have not been easy for her. I am just going to help her out.”
“Mr. Brentwood will not be happy...”
“He does not need to find out.”
Annabelle needed to intervene with this standoff before it got out of control. “I shall be gone in the morning, it is only for tonight,” she said softly. She needed her tone to remain calm so the man knew she meant no harm. “I came to find Floyd, but as he is not here...”
“He is not here because you broke his heart.”
Oh. Maybe the man was one of Floyd’s friends rather than someone she knew. That made sense, she did keep to herself.
“I did not mean...”
“You left because you were having Mr. Brentwood’s baby,” he accused. “And now you come back in what appears to be a wedding dress. How many men are you involved with?”
The nasty statement reminded Annabelle too much of Watso
n's words. They were even based on falsehood, just like Lord Ashdown’s statement that she was a street girl. The first time, she was hurt by the words and she acted accordingly. Now, she felt nothing but anger.
“Do not act like you know anything about me when you do not," she hissed. "I am not certain of what rumours were spread around after I left, but I was never having a baby with anyone. It is utterly impossible for me to be pregnant by anyone." She hoped that would get across her virginal status without her having to actually say it out loud. “I was Mr. Brentwood’s employee, nothing more.” She glanced down at her dress and continued with her rant. “I am in a wedding dress because it is supposed to be my wedding day. I was also supposed to be marrying a horrible Lord who disrespected me from the very first moment I met him. I love Floyd, we ran away together because we fell in love.” Or so she believed at the time. “My father dragged me back to get married to the man he chose for me, but today he realized that was not right.”
“Oh.” The man did not know what to say, he had not been expecting that at all.
“So maybe next time, you should think before you listen to rumours. You should find out the truth before you accuse people.”
“Yes.” He looked down, regretfully. “I am sorry.”
Annabelle sighed loudly. She never wanted to have an argument, she just wanted safety for the night. “It is alright, I understand. Do you... maybe know where Floyd has gone?”
She sucked in a breath as she waited for him to answer. If Annabelle knew what direction Floyd went in, she could still try to find him. Even if she found out that he did not love her, she would know. The truth would hurt, but the question ‘what if’ would be a lot more painful...
“No, I do not.” The man shattered her plan. “He did not tell anyone where he was going. He just left.”
“Right, thank you.”
Violet could see the pain in Annabelle's eyes. While there was nothing she could do to stop it from radiating through her, she could take her to a bed where she could sleep it off. Things would hopefully look a lot different in the morning.
Annabelle Enchants the Rejected Earl: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 17
