Insulting Aunt Ruth would only anger her, and she could still choose to keep Peter and Charles from living with me at the parish. The best way to ensure their safety would be to quietly cooperate and hold my tongue.
I moved the letter aside with a sigh, preparing a new piece of foolscap. My taste of freedom was gone, and I couldn’t pretend otherwise.
Dear Aunt,
I must ask that you allow us to stay until after the first of August. The Kellaways have invited me to a ball, which they are eager for me to attend. After that, they have promised to provide a carriage to convey us back to Silton.
Sincerely,
Annette
I sealed it. I would take it to a footman later, but at the moment, I needed to relieve the Everards of my brothers. Discarding the bouquet of roses on my desk, I made my way to the library.
When I entered the room, I found Peter and Charles sitting at the table alone with a spinning top and a few children’s books. I looked both ways in confusion as I approached them. “Where are the Everards?”
Peter shrugged, spinning the wooden top. “Dr. Kellaway came for a while, and then they followed him outside. They told us to stay here.” His face slumped with disappointment.
I looked down at him, eyebrows drawn. “Dr. Kellaway was here?”
Peter and Charles both nodded.
Charles knelt in his chair, resting his elbows on the table. “Dr. Kellaway said that he loves us.”
“What?” My heart thudded.
Charles’s blue eyes gazed up into mine, not a hint of dishonesty there. “Uh huh.” He nodded. “First, he told us that we were the best boys in the whole world and that we need to be good gentlemens to you our whole lives. And then he told us that he loves us.”
My mind raced. I had seen the affection in Owen’s eyes when he watched them and interacted with them. I could see that my brothers adored him. But why the sudden sentiment?
Charles drummed his fingers on the table. “And then he said that he loves you too, Annette, very much. Then he looked sad.”
A breath caught in my throat.
“Do you love him too?” Charles asked with a scowl.
I swallowed, and tried to stop holding my breath. Both Peter and Charles looked up at me expectantly, clearly wondering the same thing I had wondered multiple times: how could anyone not love Owen?
“I do.”
Charles’s face lit up and he turned his gaze to Peter. “Let’s go tell him!”
“No!” I exclaimed in panic. “I mean—no. You mustn’t tell Owen that.”
“Why not?”
“Because . . . because he can’t know.”
“Why not?” Charles repeated, his voice a whine.
“Because he just cannot,” I affirmed, searching my mind for a new subject. For the first time in days, I was relieved to see Mrs. Everard burst through the door.
She looked entirely disheveled, and I reared back in surprise.
Her husband followed closely behind her with a wary expression. He started in the direction of the table, but the moment Mrs. Everard saw me, she shuffled forward with surprising speed. Her eyes pooled with tears as she wrapped her arms around me.
“Oh, Annette. I am so very sorry. I fear I have ruined everything for you.” She weeped into my shoulder before looking at my face again. Tears puddled in the wrinkles beneath her eyes. “I was only trying to help Owen see sense and make your engagement real, but I fear I have made matters far worse.”
I gripped her arms softly, scowling. “What do you mean?”
