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Her husband lingered for a moment longer, then slipped away, taking with him the warmth of his touch and leaving Anna to mourn the loss of it for the rest of the evening.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Anna! Darling! You look well, thank goodness!”

Anna felt some of the tension of the past several days ease from her shoulders the moment she crossed the threshold and fell into her sister’s open arms, relishing in the familiar warmth that always surrounded Phoebe’s home.

It was her favorite place to be when she wished to take a break from the strenuous moments of getting by in life.

She could swear there was some sort of magic in the air at Phoebe’s house that made her livelihood considerably better than anything besides her precious children could. Anna was not certain if it was the wonderful meals she had there, or the smell of lavender in the air but there was always something she needed and generally found quite easily whenever she sought her older sister’s company.

“Motherhood suits you, I think, despite whatever complaints you may have about it,” Phoebe added, leaning back to beam at Anna as she held her cheeks delicately in her hands.

“I have a great many complaints,” Anna pointed out, laughing as she returned the embrace, “But thank you regardless. I am doing my very best, and that counts for something – of course that is in addition to all the support you have given to me.”

Phoebe turned her attention to Rowland, who seemed content with watching his sisters converse gently in a way he had seen many times but would always get the sentiment in his eyes whenever they were together. Phoebe regarded him regarding him with the sort of playful scrutiny before she asked,

“And you, brother? Have you been well? I really do hope you have.”

“I have been trying my best,” Rowland nodded sagely, with a faint, sheepish grin of a man who clearly hoped he had displayed enough charm to spare him from further interrogation.

“If you say so. I do hope you are, though,” Phoebe stated, accepting a hug from him before she led them further into the house.

Minutes later, they settled into the drawing room, where sandwiches and lemonade had already been laid out on a table between them, and for a while the conversation drifted easily between family gossip – a cousin’s ill-advised engagement, a scandal involving someone’s coachman that had half of London whispering.

Anna was content with reacting and listening, entertaining herself with the reactions of her brother, who seemed surprised by every twist that came about in the tales Phoebe was regaling them with.

“And then she said that Mr. Adam was the father!”

“No!” Rowland gasped while Anna tried not to choke on her lemonade thanks to how comical her brother’s outburst was. “What will happen to Christopher now? How will he survive?”

“One way or another, I expect. We can only hope that their family affairs can cease to dwell in the public eye.” Phoebe tutted as her gaze made their way to Anna, who was silently nibbling on a sandwich.

The look in her older sister’s face told her that the subject Anna had known, from the moment she arrived, would come up was finally going to be discussed.

“How are you finding the return of your husband? What is it like, having Hudson home?” Phoebe asked, watching her sister with careful, knowing eyes over the rim of her glass as she raised her lemonade to her lips.

Anna hesitated, turning her own glass slowly between her fingers, watching the condensation gather along its surface.

“It is not as dreadful as I expected it to be,” she admitted, somewhat reluctantly, choosing her words with care. “He has been reasonable, for the most part. He truly does try, with the twins – far more than I anticipated he would, if I am honest. He held Timothy through an entire fit the other evening without once losing his temper, though I confess I rather expected him to.”

It felt as though she was living a life that was not hers these days as she watched Hudson mingle and bond with their children. He was not perfect at administering care – in fact, he had much to learn about the gentle firmness required to handle a young child.

But he was ever so eager. He was always excited to hold the children, even when Timothy was having one of his fits. He was genuinely interested in being a part of their lives, and Anna had stopped reacting as though it was a strange occurrence and was learning to appreciate his efforts.

She could tell that on some days, he clearly felt as though he was out of his depth, and on such occasions, he preferred to watch her tend to their needs. Aside from growing accustomed to his presence, she found herself gaining something akin to reassurance from it.

“He’s been rather…” She paused, considering. “It is strange, mostly. I had grown so accustomed to thinking of him as a husband in name only, some distant concept rather than an actual person occupying space in my life, in my house, at my table. Now I see him every morning at breakfast, and I confess it has taken some adjustment I was not entirely prepared for.”

“Much to your chagrin, I imagine,” Phoebe teased with a knowing smile tugging at her lips, her eyes glinting with something Anna recognized and did not entirely welcome.

“Considerably,” Anna said dryly, though there was less conviction behind the word than she might have liked, and she suspected, from the way Phoebe’s smile only widened, that her sister had noticed the same.

Rowland, who had been listening with a faint scowl throughout, leaned forward, setting his own glass down with more force than necessary. “The moment he oversteps, Anna, you are to send for me at once. I do not care what hour it is, nor what excuse he offers for his conduct. His kind do not change so easily, and while I want to believe that he feels motivated to do better for the sake of your children, I cannot deny that because you are looking after not just yourself anymore but your children as well. Do not hesitate to pick the safer option, for yourself and theirs,” he advised.

“I am entirely capable of handling myself, Rowland,” Anna replied, with fond exasperation coloring her tone.

Regardless, she appreciated the sentiment and reached over to pat his hand in gratitude. Rowland had helped her more than she could express, and she would forever be grateful to him – to both of her siblings – for all they had done for her. She hoped she could be half as good a parent as her brother and sister had been guardians over her through most of her life.