I had never stood up to her, and the mere idea of doing so made me feel as if I had suddenly sprouted powerful wings. Why should I go quietly home to Silton? Why should I bend to her will a moment longer? If I fought hard enough, Aunt Ruth might find that her stubbornness wasn’t worth the effort. Hope unfurled inside me, shifting restlessly. But it couldn’t fly yet, not until Iawoke in the morning. I still wasn’t certain that I hadn’t been dreaming.
When morning came, I was still at Kellaway Manor, still tucked in my bed. My head no longer ached, and the soft glow of light from the window blanketed me in warmth.
I sat up. My blue ballgown was no longer on the back of the chair where I had left it. Lizzie must have added it to my other belongings.
I stared at my trunk, clasped shut and full. I had promised Owen I wouldn’t leave, but I hadn’t told Mrs. Kellaway about my change of plans. She—and everyone else—had been hushed and confused after witnessing my dance with Owen, and the way I had fled from the ballroom.
I called for Lizzie, and chose to wear my pink dress, the one from the garden party. I sensed that I would need some form of confidence today. I smoothed my hands over the dress in the mirror, drawing upon my mother’s strength as I touched the soft fabric.
She would have loved this dress, and she would have loved to see me happy.
My throat tightened as I met my own gaze. Deep in my heart, I felt Mama’s hands on my shoulders, her smiling face observing my reflection beside me. Was she proud of who I had become? Perhaps I had been wrong about enjoying the beautiful things of the world without her. She was still enjoying them with me, but simply from somewhere a little farther away.
Owen had said he would speak more with me today, but I didn’t know what he meant by that. Was he coming back to Kellaway Manor?
As I walked down the stairs, I heard voices from the breakfast room. I paused by the door, listening for Peter and Charles. They had been in tears the last time I had seen them, and all I wanted was to reassure them.
I opened the door and peeked inside, but it was only the Everards and Edmund at the table so far. I frowned, turning back toward the staircase. Peter and Charles were usually eating breakfast by now.
“Annette! There you are.” Mrs. Kellaway hurried up behind me. Her distressed features made my stomach drop. “I wasn’t aware that your aunt was coming to retrieve you today. I thought you were taking our carriage.”
“What?” A chill spread over my shoulders.
Mrs. Kellaway was still breathless from her rush to find me. She pressed a hand to her chest. “She is waiting outside with your brothers.”
The strength I had felt moments before deserted me, and my chest clenched with dread. If she had come all this way, she must have been quite angry. It was now the second of August, two days later than she had demanded we return to Silton.
Had she received my letters? The thought filled me with apprehension. How had she arrived so early in the day? She must have begun the journey the day before. After an uncomfortable stay at an inn, she would be even more irritable.
Mrs. Kellaway scowled. “She is an unpleasant woman.”
My brothers must have been so confused and afraid being left alone with her! That was enough to uproot my feet from the floor and send me racing toward the front door.
My heart pounded as I spotted the coach on the drive. Aunt Ruth stood just outside of it, her hair pulled into a tight knot atop her head. Her features were stern, even from a distance.
I didn’t see Peter and Charles.
They must have already been inside the carriage.
My chest constricted with panic. I held my chin high as I strode toward her, forcing myself not to cower. I wouldn’t give in to her demands until I had no other choice. Grey clouds gathered in the sky, snatching the warmth and sunlight from the air.
The door of the coach was already closed, and Aunt Ruth blocked the window from view. Her posture was threatening, her broad shoulders filling out the dark green sleeves of her gown. She wore a lace chemissette, the collar grazing the bottom of her chin. She looked down her nose at me. Her dark eyes took me in from head to toe as I approached.
I drew a deep breath and stopped several paces away. “Where are Peter and Charles?” I demanded.
“In the carriage.” I hadn’t missed her gruff voice, nor the dangerous gleam in her eyes. She took a step toward me. I wanted to back away, but I held my ground.
“Did you leech this gown from the Kellaways?” she asked. “I refuse to be indebted to them.”
I shook my head. “It was a gift.”
She narrowed her eyes in skepticism, but I saw the anger she was masking. “I will have a word with you later about your letter.” Her quiet voice made my stomach lurch. “For now, you will join your brothers in the carriage without another word. You have delayed this long enough.”
I set my jaw, fisting my hands so tightly that my fingernails dug into my palms. “I do not accept Mr. Frampton’s proposal.”
Aunt Ruth glared at me, her nostrils flaring. “It is already done. You will marry him without protest.”
“No. I will protest.” My heart hammered at her shocked expression.
