by Lily Graison
Julia had surprised her when she burst into the room ahead of her father. She was nothing like she pictured in her head. The girl was full of energy, her eyes bright and curious, her smile friendly. She’d greeted her with a hug so tight, Anna was surprised at the intensity of it and every time she looked her way, that cheery smile flashed.
The smile was gone now, her brows low over her eyes. Julia said something, Gabriel’s body stiffening before he yelled, “What?”
Anna jumped, startled at the outburst and clutched her bag tighter when Gabriel turned to face her.
“Will you excuse us a moment, Miss Davis?” He took Julia by the arm, moved her away from the door and opened it, pulling the girl out with him before shutting it firmly as they left.
Anna stood staring at the door for long moments before it opened, Ruth coming in with a tray. “I have your tea, Miss Anna. This should help settle you a bit.”
Something thumped the floor above her and both women looked up. Ruth said something under her breath before setting the tray down and pouring Anna a cup of tea. Another thump from upstairs and Ruth’s hand shook, the tea cup tipping on the saucer.
Anna looked toward the ceiling again. “Do you suppose everything is all right?”
“Oh, I’m sure of it.” Ruth wiped the spilled tea up and straightened. “Miss Julia tries his patience but he’s never taken a hand to her. Probably what's wrong with the girl, if you ask me, but its not my place to say.”
Heavy footfalls echoed from the floor above and Anna sighed. “I take it from his reaction that he wasn’t expecting me.”
Ruth shook her head. “No one knew of your arrival until today. Julia kept her plan to herself until the last moment.”
Anna took a sip of the tea. It was still too hot to drink but the burn to her lip cleared her head a bit. “So the marriage proposal was all Julia’s doings?”
“Afraid so.” Ruth folded her hands together and gave her a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry. Mr. Montgomery always takes care of his responsibilities, even those he isn’t aware he has. Once he and Miss Julia have their go at each other, things will come together.”
Ruth left her there with the tea and her thoughts. Anna set her tea cup down and reached into her reticule and pulled the letter out again, reading the words that had drawn her to the ad she’d answered. Of all the men who had advertised for a wife, she’d picked the one man who didn’t really want one.
She groaned, crumpled the paper in her hand and closed her eyes. “Now what?”
A door slammed somewhere in the house. Anna looked up, the entire encounter with Julia and Gabriel replaying in her head again.
As interested as Gabriel seemed in her on the train, it was obvious from the look on his face he’d been unprepared for her arrival. She could only imagine what he was thinking. He’d looked as surprised to see her when he entered the room as she was at seeing him. It hadn’t taken long for her to realize her new groom was the handsome man from the train and the last bit of fear she’d had vanished in an instant.
That is until he went to leave. The look he gave her before leaving with Julia told her everything. He hadn’t known anything about the ad or her. To him she was nothing more than some strange woman showing up to marry him, sight unseen. Julia had put them in a tough spot, one she didn’t know how to fix.
She glanced out the window, those beautifully haunting trees around the pond drawing her attention before loud voices filled the air. They were arguing and she knew she was the cause.
Anna set her tea cup down and stood, reaching down to grab her carpet bag. She’d made the long trip south for a husband and judging Gabriel's reaction, she wasn’t going to find one here regardless of the fact their attraction seemed to be mutual. Finding someone pleasing to the eye didn’t mean you were ready to marry them and Gabriel Montgomery didn’t act as if he were in any hurry to marry anyone.
She left the room and peered down the hall. She could hear someone humming in the distance, Ruth, she assumed, and hoped the woman stayed occupied and didn’t see her leave.
The front door opened and closed with only a slight creak and Anna hurried down the steps and headed for the main road. She was a good ways from town but the walk would be good after being cramped inside the train car for so long.
She made it as far as the pond before stopping. Nestled under a tree with branches that swept the ground was a bench made of carved stone. The grass underneath it was cut short and felt spongy under her feet.
Placing her bags on the ground, Anna walked to the edge of the pond, those strange birds still wading in the shallow waters. A warm breeze ruffled the tree branches and carried a scent so sweet it perfumed the air. She lost track of time as she stood there staring at the water until Gabriel stepped up beside her and cleared his throat, causing her to jump.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Anna smiled and shook her head. “I was lost in thought. I didn’t hear you approach.”
He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets and glanced across the pond as she’d been doing. He was quiet for long moments before turning to look at her.
If there was one fault she had she wished she could overcome it would be her tendency to be shy around people. She rarely made eye contact with anyone for any length of time but as Gabriel stared down at her, she couldn’t look away. His eyes were bright green with specks of brown. There was kindness there and a hint of curiosity that matched her own. She’d spent hours trying to sneak glances at him, had given him more than one smile and received more back in return.
Anna placed his age somewhere in his thirties but something in his eyes told of hardships that aged him considerably more than that. He was a bit of a contradiction to his station in life. One would think the owner of a large plantation would be stuffy and proper to a fault. Gabriel was anything but. He shared his daughters dark hair which was much longer than men she’d seen wear theirs. His laid against his shoulders in waves and although it was too long, it suited him well. His skin was tanned from the sun, his hands calloused from hard work and that alone told her he spent most of his days outside working instead of seeking shelter from the heat inside.
As horrible as the situation his daughter had put them in, Anna found herself more than a little bit curious as to what he would say about the situation. She tucked a stray curl the wind blew in her face behind her ear. “I’m sorry my arrival caught you so off guard. If I had known this wasn’t your idea, I would never have come.”
“Don’t worry yourself about it.” He chuckled and brushed a thumb nail across his eyebrow. “Of all the things Julia has done over the years this will go down as the most surprising but I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
“I take it she’s quite a handful.”
“And then some.” He shifted on his feet and rolled his shoulders. “I accept most of the blame for it. Her mother was quite hard on her, insisting she conduct herself in a certain way and to be lady-like every moment of the day. I didn’t hold the same convictions and let her do as she wished. That didn’t turn out so well, as you can see.”
He had a nice smile. As nervous as she’d been about meeting the man she agreed to marry, she would have said her vows to Gabriel with little reservation.
She knew nothing about him and the situation Julia put him in was enough to rattle anyone’s nerves but he was handling things calmly. She wasn’t so sure she would have been able to do the same had their rolls been reversed.
Gabriel glanced to the bench and nodded his head to her bag. “You weren’t leaving, were you?”
She nodded. “The thought had crossed my mind.” She glanced at her bags and felt her face heat. “To be honest, I’m quite embarrassed.”
“Why?”
She laughed nervously. “Well, I traveled a long way to marry a man I didn’t know, only to find out he had no idea I existed.”
“That’s not exactly true,” he said in a deep-timbered voice. “I spent
hours watching you on that train, trying to find one good reason to talk to you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She glanced up and tried holding back a smile but failed miserably. “Its a shame it took a man sitting on me to get you to cross the train car.”
They both laughed.
“I looked for you once I made it in to town.” Gabriel shoved his hands back into his pockets. “I thought you stayed on the train.”
“And I thought you did the same.”
Neither spoke for long minutes, both staring out across the pond until Gabriel said, “Julia will be quite disappointed if you don’t come back to the house. I’m used to her tantrums but a I really don’t want to listen to her complain all evening.”
“You don’t seem as upset about this as you did earlier.”
“I’ve found being angry about a situation does little to solve the problem.” He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “Julia wants a mother.” His cheeks darkened for a moment before his naturally dark complexion returned to normal. “She’s made her feelings on the matter known on more than one occasion but I hadn’t thought to take a wife again. The last one left me with a distaste for it that will take a lifetime to overcome. Normally I’d move the sun to make Julia happy but in this, I’m not sure I can.” He turned to look at her. “As lovely as I find you, Anna, marriage just isn’t something I want.”
“I see.” Anna’s heart ached at his admission. She’d not been overly excited about marrying a stranger but from the moment she saw Gabriel walk into the parlor, she’d been more than willing.
“I hope you understand and aren’t too upset with Julia. She doesn’t think things through before she acts on them.”
“No, I understand,” Anna said. “I can’t be angry at a twelve year old girl whose only desire is for a mother.”
“My daughter wants a companion. A mother is the natural choice for her but there are other ways to give her what she wants. If you’ll agree.”
“I’m listening.”
“As a child, my sister had a governess before she took ill. Its an old fashioned notion but there’s no reason why Julia can’t have one. There’s things I can’t teach her that you’re more than qualified for.”
He detailed the things Julia needed instruction on. Things only another woman would know. Ruth had enough responsibility as it was and he didn’t want to burden her with more. He offered her a place in his home befitting her new station. It wasn’t a marriage proposal, or a promise of love everlasting, but she’d have a roof over her head, which was all she’d really been expecting. “I’ve no idea how to be a governess.”
“You’ll do fine. Just teach her the things she’ll need to know when she’s old enough to make her own decisions and you’ll have my undying gratitude.”
Anna knew next to nothing about teaching anyone anything. She could read, do simple figures and sew, but other than that, she was as clueless as Julia was. Would it be fair to do this when she herself knew so little? Seeing as she had no where else to go, she had little choice but accept the offer. “All right. We’ll give it a try.”
“Wonderful.” He smiled at her, her heart giving one powerful thump against her ribcage. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. There was no denying her attraction to this man. How would she ever be able to live in his house and not act like a lovesick schoolgirl every time he looked her way?
“Let’s go break the news to Julia,” he said, turning to the bench to pick up her carpet bag and reticule. “Hopefully she’ll be receptive to the idea. I’ll have terms of the arrangement drawn up. Nothing too restrictive. It will just protect us both incase something goes wrong.”
“Like what?”
He laughed. “A week in this house and you’ll wish you’d kept walking instead of stopping to look at the pond.” He motioned to the house with a nod of his head. “Shall we? Ruth has lunch waiting.”
Anna looked toward the house with its flaking paint and broken shutters and felt the first bit of glee she’d managed to find since leaving Massachusetts. It wasn’t the happy marriage proposal she’d always hoped for but it was better than begging for scraps in a dark alley or worse, selling the only thing she had worth any value—herself.
Gabriel may not want to marry her, but he would provide her with a roof over her head and security for the time being and really, what more could she ask for?
* * * *
What was he doing? Gabriel could usually smell trouble a mile away and although Anna’s sweet demeanor seemed less threatening than Julia’s did most days, he knew this arrangement was a disaster in the making.
The woman was too lovely to ignore. He hadn’t been able to do it on the train, what made him think he could do it now? He’d been truthful when he said he had no wish to marry again even if Anna was a temptation strong enough to make him rethink the notion. But inviting Anna to live in his home? He’d gone daft. There was no other explanation for it.
The walk back to the house was long, the summer sun warm enough to cause a fine sheen of sweat to break out on his brow. The trees helped to keep a steady breeze blowing but just barely. Anna had yet to say anything and the silence was making him more uncomfortable by the second. “So, Anna, where are you from?”
“Massachusetts.”
“You’re a long way from home.”
“There’s not much there to call home anymore.”
“No family?”
She shook her head. “No, they’re all gone.”
“I’ve no family except Julia. We at least have that in common.”
Long moments passed before she said, “Julia’s mother—?”
“She died three years ago.” He gritted his teeth, the memories of her not pleasing. “She left us two years before that.”
He could see her look at him out of the corner of his eye but she didn’t comment. He was glad of it. He wasn’t ready to discuss his dead wife with her. Not yet. The wounds Evelyn caused were still raw in places and would take a lifetime to repair. He wasn’t even sure why he told Anna she’d left them.
They made it to the house and Julia met them at the door. She was smiling, her joy apparent when they climbed the steps.
“Will you be staying, Anna?”
Anna glanced up at him.
“Yes, she’ll be staying.”
Julia squealed and launched herself at him, hugging him tight before pulling Anna into her tight embrace. “I knew this would work out,” she said once she’d let her go. “Come, lets have our lunch and then we’ll get you settled in. We have so many things to do before the wedding.”
Julia had Anna by the hand, pulling her into the house as she excitedly laid out her plans before either of them had a chance to tell Julia there would be no wedding. Anna looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide as she was dragged inside.
He followed them in and sat Anna’s bags by the stairs and watched them walk the hall to the dining room. As much as he didn’t want a new wife, he’d be the first to admit, Julia’s excitement at the thought was enough to make him want to marry again just to see that pleased smile on her face everyday.
Joining them in the dining room, he could tell by Julia’s silence that Anna told her there would be no wedding. When Julia looked at him, the sadness in her eyes was unmistakable.
“I thought you said—“
“I said, I would think about it and I have. This is the best I can do right now.”
Julia stared at him long and hard before finally nodding her head at him. When she sat and directed Anna into the chair next to her, Gabriel wondered what she was up to. He’d yet to see a day Julia gave up so easily.
Lunch was passed with light conversation. Julia prodded Anna for details of her journey south and asked about the things she saw. Marriage wasn’t mentioned once. By the time Ruth started clearing away the dishes, it was obvious Julia was taken with her new companion.
“Julia, can you show Anna to one of the spare rooms?” Gabriel stood, laying his napkin on t
he table. “I need to get back to the stable. I left James by himself and you know he’ll over do it if I let him.”
“Yes, go ahead. We’ll manage, won’t we, Anna?”
Anna smiled up at him, a dimple in her cheek drawing his attention. It was one more endearing quality he should ignore.
He excused himself and left the house, making it all the way to the stable before realizing what a mess he’d created for himself. There hadn’t been a woman in his life in over five years and his wife had stop showing him affection long before she left. Having Anna in his home would be one more distraction he didn’t need. But how did one ignore someone they couldn’t stop thinking about? And how was he going to sleep at night knowing she was there for the taking with nothing more than the words, “I do.”
Chapter Four
A tour of the house told Anna her first impression of this massive home were correct. It was a bit neglected in places but every room they entered was more breathtaking than the last. She felt as if she’d stepped back in time as she walked the halls. She half expected to see a southern belle or two around every corner. She was almost saddened Gabriel didn’t want a wife. Being the lady of this house would have been a dream come true.
The room Julia showed her to was spectacular. It was three times the size of the tiny room she rented at the boarding house.
Anna set her things on the end of the bed and gaped at it in awe before running her hand over the coverlet. It was the largest bed she’d ever seen and knew she’d get lost underneath the quilts.
There was a bureau and cabinets in a dark red wood on the wall next to the door. A fireplace sat across from the bed and the wall opposite the door was draped with silk cloth panels that offered privacy from the double-doors that led out onto a balcony that spanned the entire front of the house.
She stepped outside, the breeze blowing along the balcony cooling her skin instantly. “I can see the pond from here.”
Julia joined her and leaned against the railing. “You like the pond?”
