“Who?” Even though she knew the answer, she needed to have it confirmed. She had to hear the words from her father’s mouth before she could truly accept it. “Who has asked for my hand ?”
“His name is Lord Watson Ashdown,” he replied with a bright smile. Otto truly believed that he was doing his daughter a favour, he could not even begin to see that she did not want this .
Annabelle scraped her chair back and she leapt up as if her bottom was on fire. “No, Father, I cannot marry him. Please, do not make me. I simply cannot, you do not understand ...”
“Oh, Annabelle,” Otto rolled his eyes at his daughter’s over the top reaction. He half suspected something like this would happen. At eighteen years of age she still had a bit of growing up to do, but Lord Ashdown was too good an offer to refuse on such a silly basis. “I know this is a big step for you, but he is a nice young man who has a lot of money. You will spend your life being very well looked after .”
“No, Father, you do not understand.” Annabelle tugged desperately on the ends of her hair. Somehow, she had to find a way to make her father see what she did. Lord Ashdown was not the man for her. “He is a brutish man, he... he is bad tempered.” In a state of sheer terror, Annabelle could not remember all the reasons why she did not like Watson. Edith had given her reasons, she simply needed to recall them. “He spends time with courtesans ...”
“And how, may I ask, do you know all of this?” Otto was not about to be swayed so easily by words that did not even sound true .
“Edmund told Edith everything ...”
“And how does Edmund know?” Otto cocked his head and gave Annabelle a knowing look. She needed to understand that he knew best, once she accepted that, everything would be so much easier .
“He worked with him at the bank a few years back, he knows him well. He told his sister that he is bad news .”
“Do you think he might have told Edith that because he wants to marry you himself ?”
That concept struck Annabelle cold, she had not considered that possibility. But then she rapidly realized that it was her father just trying to get his own way as per usual. “Edmund is betrothed to Mary Smith,” She shook her head determinedly. “He is not interested in me .”
“Maybe not, but Lord Ashdown is and he is the perfect man for you .”
Annabelle needed an angle, she had to somehow make her father see her point of view which would be nearly impossible because of his stubborn nature. Once he set his mind to something it was almost impossible to change it. It seemed that even her mother had been unsuccessful with this one... maybe that was why she was too cowardly to show her face at this meeting. She knew that she had let Annabelle down .
“You spend a lot of time being concerned about our reputation, Father, but you do not seem to care that terrible things are being said about the man you want me to marry. How can that be? Why will you not listen to me ?”
“That is because I do not believe anything being said,” Otto shrugged. “I believe what I see, and what I saw was a young man who very politely asked me if he could have your hand in marriage ...”
“But I do not want to marry him.” Annabelle shot back coldly. “I do not like him. I did not even want to dance with him at Beatrice’s wedding reception. That has to tell you something ...”
“I am not a cruel man, Annabelle.” Otto narrowed his eyes as he shut Annabelle down. He did not want to allow her to continue, for fear that she might get hysterical. “I have thought this through, and to ensure that you do like him before your wedding day, I told him that he would have to spend time with you first. I would like it if we all got to know him better as a family. I do not intend to rush into anything .”
“Oh.” Annabelle could not argue too much with that one because it was far more reasonable than she ever expected from her father. It seemed that he actually wanted her opinion on her own life, which was something of a revelation. It would be worth forcing herself to spend more time with Lord Ashdown if everyone else got to see just what she did... that he was not the one for her. “I see .”
Otto nodded, satisfied. “So, we can make a decision for ourselves, based on what we see with our own eyes. Does that not seem like a much more sensible solution than listening to gossip? Can you agree with that ?”
“Yes,” Annabelle felt like a chastened child. Her head hung low, she could not even bring herself to meet his eyes. “Thank you, Father .”
"I am pleased that we have managed to sort this out because I do know what is best for you, I hope that you understand that .”
Annabelle bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from doing something stupid like bursting into tears. “Yes, Father .”
"I am sure that your sister will arrive soon if you would like to go and meet with her ."
Annabelle knew that spelled the end of the conversation. Once her father dismissed her like that, he did not wish for any more debate on the subject at hand. For once, Annabelle did what he wanted and she left his office without another word. She did not have anything to say to him now. She just needed to be alone to have some time to think... and to plan. She hoped that Lord Ashdown would reveal his true nature to her parents himself, but if not, she needed to make sure her father saw the truth one way or another .
“Annabelle!” She did not even manage to make it to her bedroom before she heard Beatrice’s gleeful sounding voice. Her sister’s arrival allowed her to forget about the storm brewing in her chest for just a moment. “I am here .”
As Annabelle turned rapidly with excitement, the first thing she noticed was the happy glow surrounding her sister. Beatrice had the brightest smile on her face that she had ever seen. She certainly looked happier than she did on her wedding day .
“Oh my goodness, Beatrice you look wonderful,” she gasped. “It is so lovely to have you home .”
The sisters embraced like it was the most natural thing in the world. It was not something that they ever really did beforehand, but the time apart had caused them to miss one another terribly. Annabelle’s eyes even welled up as she realized just how much she enjoyed having her sister back, even if it would only be temporary .
“So,” Annabelle choked out, trying to distract herself before emotion got the better of her. “I hear you have some news ?”
“I do, actually.” Beatrice glanced around to check that the girls were alone. “I was going to tell everyone all together, but I think I would rather tell you first.” She paused dramatically for a second, pumping up the tension. Annabelle could practically hear her heart thumping in her ears. “I am having a baby .”
“You... you are?” Annabelle was left speechless as she glanced down at her sister’s flat belly, which gave nothing away. “You are having a baby ?”