I spotted Mr. Baines standing with a glass of lemonade. When he saw me coming, a smile broke over his face. He offered me a chair, and I accepted. He joined me at the table, and we continued our conversation about the merits of Hampshire. He was pleasant, friendly, and kind, and he almost made me forget about the turmoil inside me.
Almost.
I endured the entire party without looking at Owen again, which I was quite proud of, until the last of the guests had departed. I didn’t want anyone to catch me on my way to the house, so I hurried away as quickly as I could.
I thirsted for conversation that wouldn’t include the wordlace, and if that could be found anywhere in this world, I was confident that it would be with my little brothers.
CHAPTER 22
Ichanged into my old stays and a comfortable white dress before making my way to the library. A maid had been keeping watch over my brothers during the garden party.
As soon as I stepped into the library, Peter ran toward me with a grin that stretched impossibly wide. “Annette! Look what Dr. Kellaway gave us!”
Charles dashed up beside him and held out his hand for me to see. They each held a small berry pie cradled in their bent fingers.
“He stole them from the garden party.” Peter’s eyes fell adoringly on the pie again, and he tipped his head back to look at me with a proud smile.
“He didn’tstealthem,” I clarified. “They were available for everyone.”
It was then that I noticed Owen lounging in one of the cushioned chairs by the fireplace. My heart quaked upon seeing him again, with his playful grin and dark framed eyes. He had no idea that I was aware of his attachment.
“I heard from your brothers a little tale about a man with a large belly who doesn’t like to share his pies.” He stood and walked toward me, a curious smile on his lips. “Is this true?” Hiseyes were on the brink of laughter. “And they also told me that their sister ‘made him very angry.’”
I scowled at him, suddenly feeling defensive.
He looked taken aback, and his smile fell into a scolding frown. “What have I done now?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head fast. I was acting too suspiciously. If he knew what had been racing through my mind since speaking with Lady Pembury, and all the hopes I had been trying to trample, I would end up even more embarrassed. “I—I simply don’t like to think of Mr. Coburn.”
“Ah, so he has a name.” Owen walked closer. “Are you going to tell me what you did to make him angry?”
I shook my head fast. “It was a well-deserved insult. That is all you need to know.”
Owen grinned with amusement. “I hope it didn’t have anything to do with his belly,” he whispered.
I wanted to be amused, but my heart felt heavy. I couldn’t muster a smile. “He is a disagreeable man who we often see at the village in Silton. He does nothing but insult us and so I insulted him right back for a change. He is a big, smelly, revolting tyrant.”
Owen’s lips twitched. “‘Big, smelly, revolting tyrant’?”
“Yes,” I asserted with an exasperated sigh.
He dropped his chin and laughed under his breath, looking down at his boots. “Will you promise me something?” He looked up again and I greeted his gaze with a suspicious look.
“What?”
“Promise me that, if you see him again, you will call him that very thing.”
I contemplated the idea for a moment. “Very well. I will.”
Owen laughed, but my heart still stung. After today, it would be Miss Lyons that Owen would laugh with, and talk with, and sit in this very room with. Not me. He had only been spendingtime with me because of his responsibility to help my brothers. I was a fool to have thought it was anything else.
“I now understand why you despise Silton so much,” Owen said. “You have revolting tyrants as neighbors.”
“Indeed.” My heart was in my throat. Soon enough he would acknowledge my somber mood, and I would have no way of explaining it. I looked down at the floor, trying to compose my expression.
His eyes tugged my gaze back to his face. “Did you enjoy the garden party?”
I had mixed feelings on the subject, but I simply nodded.
