“You know what I mean. Tell me what’s wrong. Something is troubling you.”
None too gently, he jerked his arms away, threw back the covers, and rose from the bed. “I have a lot on my mind. My father, the writ of acceleration, the MP position. I know you don’t like to think about unpleasant things. I’m trying to spare you. Now, get some sleep.”
When he strode from her room, she threw a pillow at his retreating backside and wished it were something heavier. “Ogre!”
No muffled laugh followed, only the softclickof the adjoining door to his bedroom.
Her body fell against the soft mattress, and she pulled the other pillow over her face before letting out a blood-curdling scream of frustration.
The next morning, she rose to find Colin had already eaten and once again secluded himself in his study with the door closed.
What kind of marriage would they have if he avoided her except in a pursuit to produce an heir?
Anne wanted more than an emotionlessarrangement. Try as she might, the chasm between them had grown and seemed too great to cross. Not if he wouldn’t meet her half-way.
Her instinct was to leave, to run far away and avoid the pain Colin’s indifference inflicted. Had Andrew anticipated the outcome of her hasty marriage?
She’d been surprised prior to the wedding when he’d said, “I insisted on a stipulation in your marriage contract, wherein if you find the arrangement too unbearable and wish to return home to us in Kent, Manning will release you without argument. But give him a chance, Anne. I believe it will all work out for the best.”
At the time, she thought little of it, considering it an escapeclause to protect her from the type of abusive marriage the Duchess of Ashton had endured before her marriage to Harry.
But at that moment, the lure of Kent, of being greeted with smiles and pleasant conversation, where people were happy to be around her, beckoned like a siren call. She marched back to her room and called Joan.
“Pack my trunks. I’m going home.”
Joan blinked. “Home? But, my lady, youarehome.”
“To Kent. Away from this awful place with servants who hate me, and a husband who doesn’t care if I live or die.” Deep inside, she knew the latter wasn’t true. Colin did care about her, if nothing else, as a vessel to produce an heir. But she was more than a baby-maker, and she wanted a husband who wasn’t present in body only.
Joan stared wide-eyed.
“Well, get cracking! I’m going to go find the girls and say goodbye.”
Miss Hart had left to stay with her ailing mother for a few days, and Anne found the girls in the solarium.
Hands on her hips, Cassie stood as straight as a soldier in front of her younger sister. “Read that passage again, Ellie, and this time, put some feeling into it.”
Ellie’s bottom lip stuck out, and Anne half expected the girl’s tongue to follow. “I’m trying! Some of these words are hard.”
A sharp, uncomfortable pressure squeezed Anne’s chest as she watched the girls she’d grown to love. She would have to find the precise time to tell them. To make sure they knew it wasn’t anything they had done wrong.
She gave a soft cough to announce her presence. “Am I interrupting?”
Ellie dropped the book onto the table, raced forward, and then threw her arms around Anne’s waist. “Save me, Mama Anne. Cassie is so mean!” She gazed up at Anne. Unshed tears misted the child’s eyes.
“I amnotmean,” Cassie protested. “I’m merely trying to continue our lessons while Miss Hart is away.”
Arm around Ellie’s slight shoulders, Anneguided her back to the table and picked up the book. “Let’s see what you’re reading.” The titleEmmaelicited a bittersweet smile. “This might be a little advanced for Ellie, Cassie. Rather than reading lessons, why don’t we take the puppies outside for a while?”
In an instant, Ellie’s face brightened. “Yes! We can study the trees and plants.”
Although Anne had little interest in horticulture, at least they would get some fresh air. Perhaps outside she would find the right words.
“Miss Hart has a book we can use,” Cassie said, apparently warming to the idea. “Let me find it.”
With the book located and the puppies weaving their way between the girls’ legs, they explored the gardens while Cassie flipped through the pages to identify the different plants and trees. Anne’s mind drifted as she gazed at the folly in the distance and remembered the day she first realized she loved Colin.
Had it really only been a little over a week? It seemed ages ago.
