With her wild nature, Annabelle loved the idea of an adventure very much .
“Thank you very much, everybody, now it is time to celebrate the union of Mr. and Mrs. Urwin .”
The music started up and the couple slowly walked back down the aisle hand in hand, leaving the church as husband and wife. Their eyes fixed forward as they moved, they did not glance at anyone. Annabelle expected that, it was considered uncouth to look at anyone sitting in the church, but she wished that she could meet Beatrice’s eyes for just a second .
People clapped, and the girls joined in but not all of them were feeling happy about it. Annabelle experienced another unexpected pang in her heart as her sister left. She had not truly considered it before, but it was the last time she would really get to spend with Beatrice. Just because they had not always been the best of friends, did not mean she was happy for their sisterly time to end .
She should have known this feeling would happen, she should have spent more time preparing herself. Instead, in a slightly selfish way, Annabelle had been more concerned with what dress she would wear for the occasion and how boring and long the day would be. She spent so long choosing her wine coloured satin dress, with a white under layer, and lacy ruffles at the sleeve and neckline, that she had not thought about too much else .
“Are you alright, Annabelle?” Edith asked her while slipping a hand around her waist. Maybe she was slightly annoying in her ways, but she had a very perceptive, caring nature. "It is a big change, is it not ?"
“I suppose it is.” Annabelle tried her best to keep her voice natural, but a little emotional crack appeared regardless. “It is just very strange .”
“I am lucky that I have not had to lose Harriett to a husband yet, but I am sure I will feel the same way when the time comes .”
“Probably worse.” Annabelle smiled thinly at her friend. “You two are much closer than me and Beatrice. But yes, prepare yourself .”
Once the couple finally exited the church, it was time for everyone else to go. Annabelle and her friends waited patiently for the parents of the bride and groom to leave first. As others made a move, Annabelle clung onto Edith tightly .
“Let us wait, we should leave last .”
She thought it would be a good idea to pause for a moment, to give herself a second to adjust, but it turned out she was mistaken. Her father had something so important to say to her that he broke tradition for long enough to wait for Annabelle to start moving. “Annabelle, I would like to speak with you outside.” His commanding tone rang through the church, even though Otto spoke in a hushed tone. “So please hurry up .”
Annabelle felt a spike of ice cold terror racing through her as her eyes glued to her father’s. She recognized that tone well, it had haunted her for her whole life. It was the voice which led to a telling off. She was in some very serious trouble .
Catherine recognized it too, she had seen it happen to her friend enough times to understand what came next. “Uh oh, Annabelle, what have you done?” she hissed quietly as Otto moved outside. “What has happened ?”
“I do not know,” Annabelle replied with a sharp shake of her head. “But I guess I will soon find out .”
The festive mood zapped from the girls as they finally moved out of the church, none of them were thinking about the wedding reception now. They were all afraid for Annabelle, they knew how little she liked to be yelled at. None of them wanted the girl at the centre of their friendship group to be upset or the afternoon would not be anywhere near as fun .
If Annabelle was happy and upbeat, they all felt the same way. Edith and Harriett exchanged anxious glances as a tension circled the group .
“Do you want me to come and speak with your father with you?” Catherine asked, despite the fact that she really did not want to face off with Mr. Hathaway. “If he is going to shout at you for talking through the wedding, then I should take some of the blame too .”
Yes! Please, do not leave me alone, Annabelle thought desperately, but she had no intention of saying that aloud. She did not want the humiliation of being yelled at in front of her friends... again .
“No, I shall be fine.” She squeezed Catherine’s fingers gratefully. “It will be nothing .”
Annabelle felt like she was walking to her doom as she made her way towards her father. His arms were already folded across his chest and his blue eyes flashed with annoyance. Against the backdrop of the pink and red flowers decorating the church building, he somehow managed to look even more terrifying. Otto stood away from the rest of the wedding party to ensure that they could speak in private which only terrified Annabelle further .
“Y... yes, Father?” Annabelle asked nervously. “Is everything alright ?”
“I would appreciate it if you take things a bit more seriously,” he snapped back through gritted teeth, his temper shining through. “This is a very big day for Abraham. For your sister as well, I do not think it is right for you and your silly friends to wreck it with your childishness .”
Silly, childish, those were the words that angered Annabelle the most. She did not see herself that way at all, she felt herself to be in control and very adult. It annoyed her that her father did not see her as she wanted to be seen .
But it was not the right time to start an argument about that. She did not want to be yelled at in front of their friends and family, she did not want to upset Beatrice, there were more important things than ensuring her point of view was recognized .
“Yes, Father,” Annabelle eventually replied through pursed lips. “I understand .”
“So, I trust that you will behave at the celebration this afternoon and evening? There will be many people there, a lot of eyes looking at you. You are representing our family and your behaviour affects our reputation .”
The family’s reputation was what Otto put above everything else. His concern about what others thought about the Hathaway family was astounding. Annabelle knew for certain that he put that above his children’s needs, but there was not anything she could do to change him. She had tried over time but had never been successful .
“Yes, I understand. I will behave .”
“And you will ensure that your friends do too .”
“Yes. I will.” Annabelle ducked her head in a sorrowful gesture. “I promise .”
Chapter 2
E ven Annabelle could not keep the grumpy expression on her face as she spotted the wonderful way that the grand hall of her home had been decorated. The house staff had worked tirelessly all through the previous night and morning to create what looked like a magical room filled with mysteries and wonder .
The candles flickered and danced in the light breeze, creating swaying shadows across the walls. Intricate flower designs weaved along the sides of the room as if they were held there by magic; the long table filled with food enough to have the stomach of every guest in the room growling with hunger. Abraham was right when he insisted their wedding go against tradition, having the food after the ceremony was so much better than a wedding breakfast. The high ceilings, the large windows, the wonderful artwork on the walls all added to the wonderful, happy atmosphere. It shifted the black cloud above Annabelle’s head in an instant .
“Oh my goodness, Annabelle, this is wonderful,” Harriett exclaimed gleefully as she walked through the door. “It looks like something from a story. I cannot believe it, it is simply stunning .”
“How can you know what a story looks like?” Catherine interjected with a dramatic eye roll. “That is just words on a piece of paper. I admit that it looks great here, I am sure Beatrice will be very pleased, but do not get carried away .”
Annabelle did not say anything aloud, but she felt just like Harriett as her awestruck eyes drank everything in. It was just how she imagined story books in her mind, back when she was a child and her governess used to read to her. There was a fantasy style atmosphere in the room and it felt a lot like anything could happen. Within the rules, of course. An
nabelle did not think that it was a good idea to cross her father today. Especially not having just been warned to keep herself in check .
“Come on, let us get something to eat,” she said instead. “I do not know about you girls, but I am very hungry .”
Annabelle picked up the bottom of her dress to prevent it from dragging along the ground as she made her way across the hall with her three closest friends in tow. As they moved, all of them discretely glanced their eyes over the other guests in the room. It was no longer just people from the wedding, other friends, business associates, and society people had come to join in with the celebration, and curiosity demanded that the girls needed to know who was there .
Knowing her father, Annabelle felt certain that he would have invited everyone within a radius with any sort of power. He loved to turn everything into an opportunity, it was how he had made such a big success of himself. This would not be any different, he would find a way to use everything to his advantage .
Annabelle saw her father as a ruthless man, but she did not know the story behind it. She had never cared to ask, so Otto had never divulged the truth .
Otto Hathaway had come from a long line of very successful men, the Hathaway inheritance was supposed to be a wonderfully huge one. It would have been too, Otto would have been given a very good start in his life, if his father had not gotten himself sucked into the deep, dark world of gambling. It was just one of those things that started off small, but soon consumed his entire existence. Otto’s father kept this side of his life a secret while he was living, but of course it could not continue on that way forevermore .
By the time he passed away, he left the Hathaway family with an almost inconceivable amount of debt that none of them were expecting. To say it almost destroyed the family from the inside out was putting it mildly. Suddenly having to deal with angry creditors thrust Otto into the deep end. He could have floundered, if he hadn’t been a strong man .
The shock killed his mother, Otto felt sure of it. She passed only a few months later, and he was certain it was all through stress. He tried to take control of everything, but it did not matter how hard he tried, he could not keep it away from her completely .
When her heart gave out and she simply stopped breathing, Otto knew that there was only one person he could blame. His father did not act with the best interests of his family, he did not behave in a sensible way. Otto knew with absolute certainty that he would not make the same mistakes with his own life .
With Otto at the head of the Hathaway family, a role he absolutely relished, he worked tirelessly, sometimes ruthlessly, he did whatever he needed to do to remain on top. With all his determination, he brought his family out of debt and he transformed them back into one of the wealthier ones in the city, all without any damage to the Hathaway reputation. He achieved that by controlling everything, which explained why he did not like to let anyone that he cared about make decisions for themselves. He had been through enough to know best .
“Oh my goodness,” Catherine hissed gleefully as the girls finally reached the food table. “Who is that ?”
“Who is who?” Annabelle did not even bother to look. She was far too busy eyeing up the food. Her stomach twisted up in excitable knots as she tried to decide what she would taste first .
“That absolutely gorgeous boy staring at you as if you are the most beautiful woman on the planet .”
“Huh?” That got her attention. Much as she did not feel ready to get married, she still liked the idea of being seen. What girl did not want to feel attractive? “Who ?”
"He is on your left-hand side, near the window." Catherine glanced rapidly, far too obviously in Annabelle's opinion. "He has dark hair and a stark black suit on ."
“I will take a look now .”
Annabelle spun slowly, looking at absolutely everyone as her eyes passed them. Whoever this person was, she did not want him to think that she was singling him out. She wanted to appear cool and collected as she finally saw him. Eventually, though, she found the only person that fit Catherine's description and as she did her heart unexpectedly stopped dead in her chest for a split second .
“Oh.” She could not even begin to find the right words to explain how she felt as she stared at the man in question. He appeared to be taller than her, with cropped black hair and deep brown eyes that chilled her to the bone. There was something odd about him that Annabelle really did not like. Not that she understood why. “I see .”
“He is gorgeous.” Catherine nudged her playfully. “You should dance with him .”
His lips twisted into a smile which only made Annabelle fear him more. She could not put her finger upon it, there was just something very unlikable about this person. “Oh my goodness, is he coming over ?”
In a state of panic, she twisted her whole body around and she gripped onto the table in front of her. Annabelle’s lungs squeezed tight, her breaths fell raggedly out of her mouth, her pulse pounded so hard it caused her entire body to vibrate. She did not want to speak with this man, she did not want to dance with him, she just wanted to enjoy the celebration with her friends. Nothing more .
“He is,” Catherine squealed excitedly. “He is coming to talk with you. Oh, you are so lucky, Annabelle .”
“Do not leave me.” Annabelle stared defiantly at Edith, who she thought she might have more luck with. “Please stay by my side .”
“Hello there, ladies.” The chocolaty smooth voice which could only belong to him rang out behind Annabelle. She tightened her grasp so much that her knuckles turned a funny shade of white. “I am Lord Watson Ashdown, it is lovely to meet you all on this wonderful day .”
“Yes, I am Lady Catherine Wakefield and these are my friends: Edith and Harriett Stanbury, and this here is the sister of the bride; Annabelle Hathaway .”
That was her cue to spin around. Annabelle had to do it if she did not want to behave in a way that would draw any unwanted attention to herself. She had just promised that she would behave herself, and if that meant being polite, then that was what she would do. With only her reputation in mind (maybe she was more like her father than she first realized) she forced a bright smile on her face and she turned .
“It is lovely to meet you, Lord Ashdown.” Annabelle extended her hand out to him. Watson took it and kissed it like a perfect gentleman should. Only the gesture felt empty. “It is wonderful that you could be here to share my sister’s big day .”
“Yes,” he replied thoughtfully. “Although maybe it is a shame that you are here .”
“Pardon?” Annabelle felt her cheeks flame red all the way up to her ears. “What do you mean by that ?”
“Well, you are outshining her with your beauty,” Watson continued smoothly with a deep, throaty chuckle. “You truly are the prettiest woman in the room .”
Annabelle was utterly blown away, she felt like she’d been knocked off kilter and that the world was spinning beneath her, in the worst possible way. She did not want to hear compliments, she was not ready to deal with this much attention. She needed to make this Lord leave her alone in whatever way she could .
Just because Lord Ashdown was dressed the part in his black coat tail suit jacket, his silky waistcoat, and matching tie, did not make him the sort of man that she wanted to speak with .
“We are just going to the other side of the room,” Catherine jumped in. She wanted to give Annabelle and Lord Ashdown time to speak alone. She could not seem to sense just how upset Annabelle was. Maybe she assumed that she was feeling just a little bit shy. “Come on Edith, Harriett .”
Edith shot Annabelle a worried look, she did not want to leave her friend when she had been specifically asked not to. Annabelle gave her a sharp shake of the head, but Catherine dragged her away regardless of what she wanted. Annabelle looked hopelessly at the girls as they left, leaving her with absolutely no choice but to make small talk for long enough to at least seem polite .
“So, Lord Ashdown, how
is it you know my father?” she started, figuring it was a safe place to begin .
“Actually, it is Lord Urwin I know,” he stunned her by replying. “He was a very good friend of my father’s and he was very kind to me when he passed away. He even offered to train me in business so I could take care of myself, despite my young age. I was only fourteen years of age at the time .”
“Oh my goodness, I am very sorry to hear that your father passed away.” Despite herself, Annabelle felt badly for this man. He looked sad, and no one deserved sadness. “That must have been a difficult time for you .”
“It was a decade ago now, I am doing just fine .”
Annabelle felt like she could hear a vulnerability in his tone, despite the fact he wanted to come across as strong. In a way, that reminded her of herself. She did not want to find anything in common with this Lord, but there certainly was that .
“Your father has thrown a lovely celebration for the happy couple. It must make you think about your own wedding .”
Watson wiggled his eyebrows at her, suggesting that he was only teasing. The gesture felt too forward, it caused Annabelle to instinctively take a step backwards. Any gossamer thin connection that she had felt with Lord Ashdown shattered in a heartbeat. She was behaving like a Lady in public, why could he not offer her the same courtesy ?
“I do not think so,” she replied coldly. “I am not thinking of marriage just yet .”
“A beautiful woman like you?” Watson ran his eyes over Annabelle’s body as if he wanted to devour her whole. It made her very uncomfortable and caused her arms to wrap protectively around her chest .
Lord Ashdown did not seem to mind that he had upset Annabelle however, he laughed to himself as if he had an inner joke circulating in his brain. If Annabelle was not under strict instructions not to make a scene, she might have asked him why he thought it acceptable to treat her in such a way .
“Would you like to dance ?”
Diana Adores the Puzzled Duke_A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 27