by Lily Graison
Julia joined her and leaned against the railing. “You like the pond?”
“I do.”
“My mother hated it. She said it was nothing but a festering bog made to call every insect for miles around.”
“I suppose you could look at it like that but there’s so much beauty in it, one can overlook its faults.”
“My father says the same thing.”
Anna could hear the hopefulness in Julia’s voice. “Are you all right with the arrangement between your father and I?”
“Not really but what choice do I have?”
“None, I suppose.” Anna crossed her arms under her breasts. “Why did you do it?” She looked down at Julia. “I can understand you wanting a mother but to do something so bold without your fathers knowledge is just—“
“I had no choice.”
“What do you mean?”
Julia sighed. “My father is the most eligible bachelor in all of Alabama.”
“Is that so?” Anna asked, grinning.
“Yes, so I had to do something drastic. There’s a number of women in town who would like to be the mistress of Laurel Haven and I don’t like a one of them.”
“That’s why you sent an ad in for a mail-order bride? So you father didn’t marry someone you didn’t like?”
“More or less.”
Anna shook her head in disbelief. “What made you think you’d like me?”
Julia smiled. “Because no matter what sort of person you were, you’d be nothing like Francesca Grant.”
“Who is she?”
“One of those women who have been trying to get my fathers attention. She even told me she’d be my mother before the year was out.”
“I see.”
“I’d hoped once my father saw you that he’d warm to the idea. He doesn’t act as if he’s not interested when Francesca and the others come to visit so I know its only a matter of time before he starts courting one of them. He’s been alone too long now. I’m not sure what exactly happened between my parents but it wasn’t pleasant so he’s just being picky about who he chooses for a wife.”
“Are you sure that's the only reason he hasn’t started courting? Maybe he doesn’t want a wife just as he said.”
Julia turned and leaned back against the rail. “What man doesn’t want a wife? He’s just being stubborn because my mother left us. She just packed her clothes and stormed out of the house without a glance backwards.” She glanced up and instead of the tears Anna expected, fire shined in her eyes. “How could a mother do such a thing? How could she leave us? Leave me?”
Anna didn’t have an answer. She’d never had a child but couldn’t imagine leaving one if she did. “I don’t know, Julia. I’m sure she had her reasons.”
Julia snorted and rolled her eyes. “She had her reasons, all right. Ronald Douglas and his money.”
The girl vented for another ten minutes, her face red by the time she’d spoke every wrong doing her mother committed. She looked exhausted afterward and Anna felt the same. The long trip south had taken its toll on her.
Julia went back inside and spun on her heel to face her. “I’ll leave you now to rest and put your things away. When is your trunk arriving?”
Anna looked toward her carpet bag. “I have no trunks. All I own is in that bag.”
Julia looked horrified and glanced between her and the bag several times before saying, “Well, that's unacceptable. We’ll have to remedy that soon. Enjoy your rest, Anna.”
She left the room, the door clicking softly behind her. Anna turned back to the pond. Her plans had gone nothing like they were supposed to but she had little reason to complain. She was guest in a grand home surrounded by miles of beautiful country.
The balcony extended the entire front of the house. Anna walked to the far left, surprised to see it curved around the side and continued all the way down to the end. She hesitated about going further but curiosity won out. Another set of open double doors led into a room very similar to her own. She peeked in but didn’t go inside.
Raised voices drew her attention. The fields behind the house were vast with rows of green growing crops as far as the eye could see.
A few buildings were located not far from the house, with more in the distance along the road. She saw a few people near the houses and movement by the buildings directly behind the house drew her attention. It didn’t take long to realize it was Gabriel and another man doing something near what looked like a stable. She watched them until they both stopped and looked her way.
Realizing they could see her, she scurried back to her room, grabbing the double doors to close them but decided against it when a fresh breeze blew into the room.
Kicking off her boots, she crawled onto that massive bed and sank into the feather mattress. Staring at the ceiling, the days events replayed inside her head, the handsome image of Gabriel Montgomery lingering the longest.
* * * *
Seeing Anna stand there watching him took Gabriel by surprise. There hadn’t been a woman on his side of the balcony in longer than he could remember. Even when Evelyn was home she rarely spared a moment of her time seeking him out. Not that Anna was looking for him. If he had to guess, she was just getting aquatinted with her new home and followed the balcony around to his side. Did that mean Julia put Anna in the room adjacent to his?
“That her?” James straightened and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Is she as pretty close up as she is from a distance?”
“That's her and yes, she’s just as pretty close up, if not more so.” Gabriel watched her walk back past his room before turning the corner. Knowing Julia, the room next to his is exactly where she put their new guest. Sassy girl. She might have uncharacteristically not have complained about him not marrying Anna when she arrived but she obviously wasn’t going to accept it without trying to change the situation. Purposely putting Anna so close was proof of that.
“You should have just married her and been done with.”
Gabriel leaned on the wagon wheel they were trying to fix and could tell by the look on James’ face the old man had more to say on the matter. “Go ahead. Let’s have it then.”
James laughed, the wheezing chuckle telling him the old man’s health wasn’t what it used to be. “Nothing wrong with having a bit of happiness.” He motioned to the house with a crooked finger. “And nothing makes a man happier than a pretty little thing waiting for him after a hard days work is done.”
“Unless a man prefers to be alone with his thoughts at the end of the day.”
James shook his head. “Only a fool would pass up the attention of a willing woman.”
“Who says she’s willing?”
“She traveled all the way down here to marry you without even seeing how ugly you were. Anyone willing to take a leap of faith like that is willing to play the role of good wife all the way to the marriage bed.”
Gabriel laughed. “Leave it to you to make light of the worst situation.”
“Its easy when its not me. But don’t let what Evelyn did ruin the rest of your life. She’d enjoy that too much.”
As usual, James was right. Evelyn was probably in her grave laughing her head off at how miserable his life was now. He glanced out across the land his grandfather worked until it killed him, saw the disrepair the plantation house had fallen under and knew that was all his doing. He’d stopped caring the day Evelyn walked out on them and the land followed suit.
He let out a breath and tried to put the depressing thoughts behind him. There wasn’t anything he could do about it now. What was done was done. As lovely as Anna was, the thought of marrying again caused so much anxiety, he found it hard to breath. He wasn’t sure his heart would ever be willing to trust anyone enough to let them in after his last heartbreak.
James didn’t mention Anna again and by the time supper rolled around, Gabriel was too tired to talk about her anyway. His muscles were sore, he was filthy and wanted nothing more than to wash up, fill his b
elly and fall into bed.
The long walk to the house seemed to take longer than usual. The sun sinking behind the trees cast shadows along the house, the few lights shining in the windows lighting his path. Ruth was in the kitchen, putting food to serving bowls as he passed by. He took the back stairs to his room, washed and changed his clothes and debated on forgoing supper for a nice, long sleep. His grumbling stomach made the decision for him.
Exiting his room, he paused when he saw Anna making her way to the stairs. She’d changed her traveling clothes for a soft white dress with lace at the sleeves and neck. Her hair was still pulled up but the strands were looser and hung lower on her shoulders. If possible, she was more lovely than she had been earlier in the day.
He followed behind her, keeping his distance and watched as she peeked into the rooms she passed. She studied the portraits on the walls, the railing on the staircase and took in every small feature he’d long forgotten about.
When she entered the dining room, he could hear Julia’s happy voice greet her. He stood outside the door listening to them talk until he was interrupted by Ruth as she carried in the serving dishes and sat them on the buffet.
Following behind her, he took in the table. It had been set with the his great-grandmothers fine china instead of the everyday dinnerware. His place at the head of the table was flanked on either side by two other place settings. Julia smiled as she saw him. His hope of getting dinner over quickly died the moment he saw her face. She’d gone to a lot of trouble this evening. The fancy table setting told him that.
“Its about time,” she said, as she crossed the room to where he stood. She took his hand and led him to the table. “Anna, you sit there,” directing her new governess to the table setting to the right of his own. “And I’ll sit here.”
When they were all seated, Julia’s smile was still radiant. “You look very lovely this evening, Anna.”
Gabriel unfolded his napkin and placed it in his lap, forcing himself not to look Anna’s way. His daughter was right. Anna was as pretty as he’d ever seen her.
“Don’t you think so papa?”
Julia’s question should have startled him but he knew the girl too well. He glanced at her, saw the mischief in her eyes and did the one thing he knew she was hoping he’d do—he looked Anna’s way.
Her cheeks were rosy pink again, a light blush causing her skin to glow radiantly. He didn’t get a chance to answer, though. Ruth placed the last of the dishes on the buffet and wished them a good meal.
Julia forgot about the question and stood, grabbed her plate and urged Anna to follow her. Gabriel watched them both while they served themselves.
A year ago Ruth would have insisted on filling each of their plates and it had taken weeks to get her to understand they were capable of doing it themselves. She was getting on in years and they didn’t need to be waited on. Ruth and Franklin were an asset to the family and although he paid them well, he never treated them like hired servants. They had been there long enough they felt like family.
“Are you not going to eat?”
Gabriel focused his gaze on Julia as she sat back down. He nodded and grabbed his plate. “I was just waiting for you two to sit back down.” He helped himself to the meal Ruth had prepared, filling his plate more than usual and had to force himself not to shove it into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. He’d put in a hard day, and with his surprise bride showing up at the door, he’d worked himself into an exhausted state just to try and ignore her.
They ate in silence and he was glad for it. There were a thousand things he wanted to know about his new houseguest but he refused to ask a single question. The last thing he needed was to form some sort of interest in her. Having her living here would be temptation enough. He certainly didn’t need to add to a complicated situation by growing fond of the woman.
He was halfway through his meal when Julia gasped and stood, her hand hitting the side of her plate and tipping it hard enough the sound echoed through the room when it hit the table. “I forgot something,” she said. “It was meant to be a surprise.” She smiled at him, then looked to Anna. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She darted out of the room before anyone had a chance to say a word to her.
Ten minutes later, Gabriel laughed. “That girl.” He looked to Anna. “I think we’ve be abandoned.”
Anna lifted her napkin and dabbed at her mouth. “What do you mean?”
He took a sip from his cup and shook his head. “If I had to guess, I’d say Julia was in the kitchen, eating her fill of sweet tarts and talking Ruth and Franklins ears off while hoping our being alone together will make me change my mind about your position here.”
Anna glanced at her plate. “And you still don’t want to do that?”
Her question was difficult to ask if the look on her face was any indication. She was still staring at her plate, her hands clasped in her lap. She’d traveled a long to marry him but why exactly had she agreed? Was it out of necessity or did she genuinely want a husband?
A commotion in the hall caught them both off guard and Gabriel looked to the door as the last person he wanted to see entered in a rustle of bright pink silk, followed by her brother.
Gabriel stood as they entered the room fully. “Francesca,” he said, stepping away from the table to greet them. “Nathaniel. What a surprise.”
“Its been forever, Gabriel.” Francesca crossed the room and leaned in, kissing him on the cheek, her gaze directed at Anna. “Father told me he saw Franklin in town today and that he had a lady with him so I just had to come see.” She turned fully to Anna and smiled. “This must be her.”
Gabriel glanced toward the door. Ruth was there, her face blistering red. If he had to guess, he’d say Francesca didn’t wait for an invite to come inside. The woman was brash and always had been.
“Anna, Francesca Grant and her brother, Nathaniel. This is Anna Davis, Julia’s new governess.”
“A governess?” Francesca made a clicking sound with her tongue and shook her head. “You should have called upon me, Gabriel. I’m more than capable of teaching your darling Julia all she needs to know.”
“I should have but I know how busy you are.”
Francesca smiled in a way he knew was meant to seem pleasant but wasn’t. He’d known her long enough to know the woman saw every other female as competition in some way and Anna was no different. He could only imagine the conversation when Francesca’s father told her he’d seen Franklin in town escorting Anna to Laurel Haven.
Francesca had made it no secret she’d like to be the new lady of the house and he’d told her on more than one occasion he was in no hurry to marry. With Anna being here, he supposed Francesca may have thought he’d taken a bride that wasn’t her. If Julia had had her way, he would have.
The moment he thought of his daughter, she came back into the room. She wasn’t any more pleased to see Francesca than Ruth was. Her cheeks were red and fire shined in her eyes. “Its a bit late for a social call, isn’t it?”
Never one to watch what she said, Gabriel shot Julia a look that stilled whatever she was about to say next. She stopped by Anna’s chair, her gaze locked on Francesca.
“We were about to have some dessert,” Gabriel said. “Would you like to join us?”
“Oh, I’d love to but I’m due for a fitting tomorrow and I can’t ruin my figure not even for one of Ruth’s delicious desserts. We only stopped by to invite you to Winter Place. Grandmother is hosting a summer party. Its going to be the event of the season. You must come. I won’t take no for an answer.”
Attending a party was the last thing he wanted but refusing would be more painful. He smiled and gave her a small nod of his head. “We’d be delighted to attend.”
“Marvelous!”
She dug into her bag and pulled out an invitation with all the details on it. Gabriel glanced at it briefly before laying it on the table. “Well, let me see you out.”
Francesca laughed and hooked he
r arm through his before turning her head in Anna’s direction. “How very sweet of you, Gabriel. Everyone knows how desperately you love to get me alone.”
Chapter Five
Anna listened to Julia complain about Francesca until the girl had worn herself out. Gabriel hadn’t come back from seeing the woman and her brother to the door and the fact he hadn’t left Julia in hysterics. Anna took her by the arm and walked her to her room, trying to reassure her that her father not returning didn’t mean anything. He could have just been engaged in conversation and couldn’t get away. Julia didn’t believe her explanation at all. To be honest, neither did she.
Perhaps Julia had been right about Francesca and her father. Gabriel hadn’t wanted to marry her so maybe there was a bit of truth in Julia’s wild assumptions about them and he just didn’t want his daughter to know because she doesn’t like Francesca. Whatever was going on would happen regardless of Julia’s interference, or hers.
Anna closed the door to her room. Fatigue had stolen most of her sympathy toward Julia and she’d have to make up for it the following day. At the moment, the only thing she could think about was that big, soft bed and falling into a dreamless sleep.
Crossing the room, she undressed down to her shift and unpinned her hair, leaving the mass of curls to fall down her back. Brushing out the tangles she walked around the room, trying to clear her mind of all that had happened since stepping off the train. She stopped beside the fireplace, staring at the porcelain figurines on the mantel.
She’d traveled nearly the entire length of the east coast to meet her new family and she has nothing more now than she did when she left Massachusetts. No husband, no daughter and no chance of future children. She’d given all of that away for a large room in a beautiful home that would never be hers.
Sighing, she turned and leaned against the wall. Was the trade-off worth it? Was living in Gabriel’s home but not having him worth it?
The wall behind her creaked and Anna felt herself falling before she could figure out what was happening. One moment she was in her room, the next she was flat on the floor looking up at Gabriel.