Page 86 of The Language of Love

Chapter 14

Annis got less than two hours of sleep that night and woke up with a woolly head and sore, gritty eyes.

After leaving her uncle’s office, her aunt had sent a dinner tray up to her room, making her feelings on Annis’s betrothal perfectly clear.

Eating dinner in her room should have meant that she could go to bed early, but she’d tossed and turned so badly that her sheets had wrapped into a tight corkscrew by the time she finally dropped off at seven o’clock that morning.

As a result, she was only getting dressed at noon.

Well, Annis thought as she plaited her hair and wound it into the crown-like hairstyle she favored, if her aunt had hoped to hurt her feelings by excluding her from another fractious family dinner, she’d missed the mark entirely.

Missed the mark.

She paused her plaiting, smiling at the ancient, biblical idiom.

Sharing the joy of language was something she’d only done with her father. Until Henry. He’d not only taught her a few phrases in Urdu each time they were together, but he loved teasing her by dropping idioms into their conversations.

After the way he’d looked at her yesterday, Annis would be fortunate if he spoke to her at all—in any language.

“Ugh,” she muttered, glaring at her reflection.

There was a knock on her door.

“Come in,” she said.

It was Coombes. “Your uncle wishes to see you, Miss Annis.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, Miss Annis.”

She sighed and then followed the stately butler down the stairs, marveling that he’d lowered himself to deliver a message to her. Apparently, word of her betrothal to a lord was out, and she had risen up the ranks.

Her uncle stood when she entered the library. “Have a seat, my dear.”

Annis sat.

“I understand why you didn’t join us for dinner last night, Annis—yesterday was terribly exhausting—but I hope you didn’t avoid the meal because you worried that we’d mistreat you. Please join us for the evenings that remain.”

It was an olive branch, so she didn’t tell him it had been his wife, rather than her own inclination, that had kept her in her room. “Thank you, Uncle.”

“His lordship was here earlier this morning and he and I came to a swift agreement on your marriage settlement. He was, er, very generous and you will want for nothing.”

Annis didn’t want to hear that—especially not after she’d already taken a fortune from the man. She merely nodded.

“His lordship has asked that he be allowed to explain the pertinent details of the wedding contract and his plans for your wedding.” He glanced at the long-case clock. “He will be here shortly. I trust you have no difficulty speaking to him on such matters?”

“No, Uncle.” Not after yesterday—when she’d had to admit to being an immoral money-grubber willing to marry a man she didn’t love, and then, immediately after, had begged him for twelve thousand pounds.

No, she had no trouble speaking to him about anything now.

In fact, she welcomed the opportunity, no matter that it would be uncomfortable. She did not like having her uncle handle her business for her. She would much rather handle her own affairs, no matter that she had bungled things so badly for herself and her grandmother.

Besides, her uncle’s help had not exactly inspired confidence in the past.

“I know I have not been the most staunch advocate for your interests in the past,” he said, as if she’d spoken out loud. “But I want you to know that you do not need to do anything you do not wish to do.”

She lifted her eyebrows at this surprising statement.