“I would not dwell upon that if I were you. As I said, you must stop fretting.”
“I shall try,” she sighed.
“No, do it.”
“Very well. I will do it.”
Clarissa brought them some tea, not the usual tea that Anna had but a different, sweeter brew. As Anna poured, Catherine asked, “What do you think of what I said in my letter about inviting Mama for Christmas?”
Anna handed her a teacup and felt her shoulders slump a little. “I miss her, and I would love to have her visit me, but…” she trailed off.
“Is it your husband?”
“He had her disapproval earlier,” Anna said to conceal the fact that Colin had asked her parents never to visit them, “and I do not want him to feel that way again.”
“She approves of him now. She told me so herself.”
Anna nodded. “I shall think about it.” The truth was that she would have to ask Colin, and she was unsure if he would allow her mother to visit. But he had granted every wish she had. Anna had no cause to think that he would deny her this.
“We should get ready for dinner,” she said, rising. “Colin is in London but I have invited our neighbor, Mrs. Gardiner, to keep us company. She is a delight to be around.”
Chalker appeared in the doorway and bowed. “This was just delivered from His Grace.” He proffered a letter. Anna collected it and opened it immediately.
Anna, my darling,
I will be in London longer than I expected. Nathaniel and I have much to do with the new business we shall co-partner. Please, do not worry or think excessively. I shall return to you soonest, and I promise you that you are in my thoughts at every moment. I long for the time I see you again and hold you in my arms.
Yours always,
Colin.
Anna breathed slowly, then looked up at her sister, hiding how she was feeling. “Colin is going to be gone longer,” she said, swallowing the tightness in her throat.
Chapter 29
Father wrote to me after all this while. I am yet to open the letter because I do not know what I will find within it. I have made peace with Mama, but he is another matter altogether. After all, he was the one who laid his hands upon me. Mama’s crime was watching him do as he pleased and never stopping him. That is far more forgivable, I think.
Nathaniel walked up to Colin in one of the salons in White’s, smiling like a satisfied Sir Nips. “You are late,” Colin said.
“And you appear to be blue-deviled,” he observed, sitting across from him.
“I want to conclude this business so that I can return to my wife.” He had been in London for four days, and he sometimes felt as though he could not breathe. Anna felt too far away, even though the journey to Hertfordshire was only a few hours. He had grown accustomed to holding her in his arms when he slept, and his nights in town had left him forlorn and awake. He should have brought her with him. He had offered and she declined, but he should have convinced her.
“Do not worry,” Nathaniel grinned, “you shall return to Anna soon. I have brought excellent news.” Colin leaned forward in his seat. “I met with the Marquess of Harrenham this morning.” Nathaniel retrieved a sheet from the large envelope he was carrying and slid it across the table. “He has invested.”
Colin smiled, looking at the contract, happy for his friend. “Now we may have the machines built.”
“Yes, and begin production. You have to travel to town more often henceforth. Just be sure you bring your wife next time,” Nathaniel chuckled. “I cannot have you glaring at me as though I stole something from you.”
“Believe me, I am not traveling without her again,” Colin said without intending to, and his friend’s mouth fell open.
“Bloody hell, Colin! Are you in love?”
Colin felt his eyes widen. He had refused to examine his heart. Every time it swelled at the thought of Anna, he would attribute it to desire and simple care. Now, it would seem what he had desisted in believing had grown within him. The irony was both confounding and frightening.
“I do not know what you speak of,” he mumbled, pretending he was perusing the contract, even though Frobisher had drawn it for them under his specific instructions.
“And I do not expect you to,” Nathaniel laughed. “Let us celebrate with some brandy before departing for the factory.” He beckoned to a waiter to bring them some brandy.
