Chapter Six

 

Before she climbed into bed that evening, Anna slipped back downstairs to check the sickrooms. She was delighted to discover everyone resting peacefully, and she felt certain that all who had been sick would feel well enough tomorrow to move back to their own quarters. In addition, no one else had fallen ill, so she had reason to hope that the sickness had run its course.

After she had returned to her chamber and changed into her nightclothes, she thought back on the events of the day and was especially thankful for the assistance she’d received from Rachel and Lord Ashington. They had pitched in to help just as though they were servants rather than peers and neither had complained about the work.

Too, when she’d joined them in the drawing room after supper, she’d discovered an exceptional level of mutual interest with both Rachel and the earl but she was especially surprised by her feelings toward Lord Ashington. Not only was he the most handsome gentleman of her acquaintance but he was also far from being the haughty aristocrat she’d expected him to be.

In fact, he was quite the opposite of everything she had anticipated based on reports from his neighbors. He was neither disagreeable nor did he exhibit the least degree of selfishness such as people had attributed to him. Anna was now convinced that the antipathy between him and his neighbors was an emotion based more on habit than on reality.

Having reached that conclusion, Anna climbed into bed, fluffed her pillow and turned onto her side, which was her favorite position for going to sleep.

The dream occurred much later, during the early morning hours.

It was a beautiful spring day and Anna was on one of her usual jaunts into the forest when giant snowflakes started falling out of the clear blue sky. In her dream Anna wasn’t overly surprised but she couldn’t help wondering whether the snow would stick to the warm ground. When she glanced around to see what was happening to the snowflakes, she spotted the beautiful woman in red standing beside a large holly bush covered in red berries.

“Do you always bring snow?” Anna asked the woman.

The woman merely smiled and pointed at the holly bush. Then she pointed toward the top of a nearby oak and when Anna looked up, she saw mistletoe hanging in the branches.

“You want me to use the holly and mistletoe for something?” Anna asked.

The lady nodded.

“But those are evergreens for decorating at Christmas and it’s spring now,” Anna objected.

The woman waved her arm in a wide, sweeping circle, indicating that Anna should look at the countryside. When she did, she discovered that the spring landscape had changed to winter. She also found that Lord Ashington had appeared, standing off to one side and watching her with such tenderness in his gaze that her entire body warmed. Amazed, she turned to the woman for an explanation but she had disappeared.

A soft shuffling noise caused Anna to sit up in her bed, her heart suddenly thundering in her chest. The dream faded and in place of the beautiful woman in red stood Betsy, holding a cup and saucer in one hand and a plate in the other.

“I’m sorry if I woke you, Miss Anna but it’s going on nine o’clock and Cook wanted me to bring you this hot chocolate and a warm scone she just took out of the oven.” Scooting her feet along the floor to maintain her balance, Betsy eased over to the bedside table and set the dishes down.

Anna stretched and then smiled. “It’s time I was getting up anyway. How is everyone this morning?”

“So far, everybody is doing fine,” Betsy responded.

“I certainly hope that continues.” Anna yawned, then moved to the side of the bed so she could reach the hot chocolate. The beverage was warm and rich and stimulating, just what she needed to help her chase the last remnants of the dream away.

A soft knock on the door preceded Rachel pushing the door open enough to stick her head inside. When she saw Anna, she smiled and stepped fully into the room. A dress was draped over her arm.

“Good morning, Anna. I wasn’t sure you’d be awake yet but I’m pleased you are. I hope you don’t mind my stopping by your chamber so early.”

Anna reached for the robe lying on the end of the bed and slipped her arms into it. She stood and turned to Rachel. “Good morning. I’m glad you stopped by because I wanted to thank you for the loan of the nightgown, robe and slippers I’ve been using. Betsy told me you left them here last Christmas.”

“You’re most welcome. I’m glad you and I are so near the same size. Which leads into my reason for bothering you before breakfast.” She held up the dress, a dark burgundy with long sleeves, a high neckline and a white collar trimmed with lace. “Since you worked so very hard on our behalf yesterday and since you are stranded here with only the clothes you arrived in, I’m hoping you’ll accept this small token of my appreciation.”

Anna shook her head. “Thank you but I really couldn’t.”

“A loan then,” Rachel said immediately. “I will not allow you to refuse a loan. And while you’re wearing my dress, Betsy can launder yours.”

Anna bit her lip. She very much wanted to wear that dress, which was the reason she felt she shouldn’t. She wanted to wear the dress to see what Lord Ashington would think of her in it and that was a dangerous path to start down. She liked to think she would have refused if Rachel hadn’t been watching her with such a hopeful expression on her face. She really didn’t want to disappoint this woman who was so sweet and who had been so kind to her. At last she nodded. “I’ll be delighted to borrow your dress. And thank you.”

Smiling broadly, Rachel laid the dress across the foot of the bed and turned to the maid. “Betsy, dear, would you be so kind as to fetch a fresh pot of chocolate and an extra cup for me.”

Betsy’s eyes widened for a split second as though she was surprised that Rachel would ask for chocolate so soon before breakfast was to be served but she sketched a quick curtsy. “Yes, my lady. I’ll be back as quick as I can.”

As soon as Betsy closed the door behind her, Rachel hurried to Anna’s side and sat down on the bed. “Sit with me a minute, Anna.”

Anna could not imagine why Rachel was behaving as though they were close friends but she obediently lowered herself onto the bed.

Rachel reached for her hand and grasped it, then looked into Anna’s eyes. “I sent Betsy away so we might have a moment of privacy. I wanted to tell you, my dear, that I know who you are.”

Anna jerked her hand out of Rachel’s grasp and jumped to her feet. This was not a conversation she wanted to pursue but Rachel also stood and again reached for her hand.

“Please, Anna, don’t be angry with me. Your cousin Janet is my dearest friend and has told me how sorry she is that you refuse to have anything to do with your father’s family. She said she always adored you and thought you were the most beautiful creature she’d ever seen.”

Anna opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. She hardly knew what to say without sounding ungrateful for Rachel’s goodwill. At the same time, she did not want to talk about her feelings toward her father’s family. Unfortunately, some response was necessary.

She forced a smile and held it, although she feared it appeared brittle. “I always liked Cousin Janet, what little I saw of her. She and I were around the same age but we didn’t appear to have a lot in common.”

“I know the two of you haven’t seen each other since you were children. You were less than ten years old when you came to live with your great-aunt, as I recall.”

“Around eight years old, actually.”

“You must feel a great deal of animosity toward the marquess to have turned down his offers to give you a Season.”

Anna set her teeth as the familiar anger surged through her. “Animosity?” she said, aware that blood was rushing to her face but helpless to stop it. “No, I don’t feel animosity toward my uncle. To feel anything at all toward the man would imbue him with more importance than he deserves. He treated my mother unkindly merely because she preferred my father to him and if he seeks to make his peace with me to serve as a salve for his conscience, he is doomed to disappointment. I have never forgiven him and I never will.”

As she talked, Anna had watched the blood drain from Rachel’s face and she regretted having upset her but some topics were better left untouched. She clamped her lips together and closed her eyes. She opened them again when Rachel again grasped her hand.

“Forgive me, Anna. I wasn’t aware of the depth of your feelings. I will not speak of it again. And you may rest assured that I will tell absolutely no one of your connection to the Marquess of Seaton since that obviously is your wish.”

Anna gazed into Rachel’s eyes, read her sincerity there and slowly nodded. “Thank you. The fewer people who know, the better.”

She really hoped they both understood that she was thinking of the Earl of Ashington when she said that.

* * * * *

Half an hour later Anna approached the breakfast parlor with no small amount of trepidation. She feared that Rachel would be angry with her and who could blame her? Obviously Rachel was well acquainted with the Marquess of Seaton’s extended family and couldn’t have been pleased to hear Anna’s denouncement of the marquess.

Then she squared her shoulders. She had nothing to be ashamed of except, perhaps, being a bit too plain-spoken. But it was Rachel who had raised the topic, even knowing that Anna had no fondness for her father’s family.

She stepped into the breakfast parlor. Rachel was there ahead of her and immediately hurried to her side, a smile on her face. Obviously she was trying to communicate to Anna that she harbored no ill feelings.

Relieved, Anna returned the smile and then allowed her gaze to sweep the room. Lord Ashington had been helping himself from dishes on the sideboard but he quickly set his plate to one side and walked across the room.

“Good morning, Miss Anna. You look lovely this morning. I hope you rested well.”

Thoughts of her strange dream came rushing back, especially the part in which her body had warmed under Lord Ashington’s gaze. And now, even though she was awake, she was experiencing the same reaction to the admiration in his eyes. Her cheeks, she feared, would soon rival the burgundy material in her borrowed dress.

She ducked her head. “I slept very well, thank you,” she murmured, wishing she didn’t sound so much like the country lass she was.

“Excellent. Are you hungry?”

Anna forced herself to look up and return his smile. “Yes, actually, I’m quite hungry. And I’m so glad that Cook is well this morning.”

He laughed. “No more pleased than I am, I assure you. Stirring porridge is perhaps the most boring task I’ve ever undertaken.”

A mischievous grin crept onto Anna’s face. “More boring than shoveling manure?”

He laughed out loud. “Now you’ve posed a question I won’t attempt to answer because in order to do so, I’d actually have to think about those tasks when all I really want to do is forget them.”

Anna laughed with him, then glanced at Rachel, who was laughing too. A second later James stepped in from the kitchen to ask Anna what she wanted to drink and the routine of breakfast took over.

Twenty minutes later the three were just finishing their last cups of coffee when Gunther paused in the doorway. He was actually bouncing on his toes. Lord Ashington looked up with a question in his eyes. “Yes, Gunther?”

“My lord, you have a guest.”

“In this weather?”

“Yes, my lord. She managed to make the journey with a borrowed horse and what appears to be a rather ancient sleigh.”

At the words “ancient sleigh”, Anna jumped to her feet. Surely… “Gunther,” she said, completely forgetting that it was not her place to question the earl’s butler. “Who has arrived?”

“Your Great-Aunt Cora, Miss Anna. And if I may say so, although I’ve never seen that lady angry in my entire life, this morning she is madder than a cat that’s just been doused in bathwater.”

“Where is she?” Anna asked, stepping away from the table. She was eager to see her aunt and try to calm her down.

Gunther squared his shoulders and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Miss Anna.” He turned to the earl. “Miss Cora specified that she would like to see you alone, my lord. She’s waiting for you in the front drawing room. And I wouldn’t keep her waiting if I were you.”

* * * * *

Walking toward the front drawing room, Phillip discovered his knees felt a bit mushy. He wasn’t sure why. After all, his recollections of Cora Benton were of a gentle woman with a kind smile. Surely her anger was merely the result of having been worried about her niece. He suspected he could easily allay any concerns she might have in that regard.

He paused outside the drawing room door, then forced his lips into the semblance of a smile and tapped on the door facing before stepping inside.

Miss Benton stood with her back to the fire. She still wore her outdoor clothing with the exception of her bonnet, which lay on a chair near the hearth. Her gloved hands were clasped in front of her, her fingers intertwined. Her eyes were two flaming bits of coal.

Phillip gathered his courage and walked toward her, pausing a couple of yards in front of her. “Miss Benton.” He bowed and smiled.

“Lord Ashington.” She didn’t curtsy or return his smile. “You have my niece here, I understand.”

“I do.” Phillip nodded regally. He had nothing to be ashamed of.

“You brought her here against her will.”

“What?” Phillip took a half step back. Surely he hadn’t heard correctly.

“You brought Anna here against her will and obviously have made no particular effort to return her to her rightful home.”

Phillip threw back his shoulders. Rarely had he felt so unjustly accused. “I rescued your niece, Miss Benton. She might well have frozen to death if I hadn’t found her when I did.”

“Oh please! Surely you do not expect me to believe such folderol as that. Word travels, you know, especially in the country, and Anna told Mrs. Ballard what occurred and she told Gunther and the story was repeated in the servants’ hall so that the gardener who brought my wood knew all about it. When you and Anna met during the storm, she plainly told you she could make her way back home if you would leave her be. Instead you put her on your horse and brought her here.”

“Of course I brought her here. She’d wandered all the way to the deserted gatehouse while looking—” Phillip stopped himself. He still wasn’t sure why Anna had been out in the storm alone but he didn’t want to cause trouble for her with her aunt if she had, in fact, been meeting someone she wasn’t supposed to be seeing.

“Oh, I’ll admit she had no business being out by herself, particularly in a snowstorm, but the gardener mentioned something about her going out to rescue a kitten, which sounds like something Anna would do. Still, that girl knows her way around the countryside better than anyone but me. There was no need for you to abduct her.”

“Abduct?” Phillip blew out his breath in a sigh of frustration. “Please believe me, Miss Benton, when I insist that I did not abduct your niece. I merely rescued her.”

“Words can be misleading, my lord, as you no doubt know. Whatever you wish to call your actions, the results are the same. You and Anna must marry.”

Phillip’s breath caught in his chest. “Marry? Surely you jest, Miss Benton. Your niece has been properly chaperoned the entire time she has been under my roof.”

“By whom, my lord?”

“You may ask Mrs. Ballard. She was responsible for taking care of your niece when we made our way back here during the storm.”

“And she placed my niece in a bedroom just a few doors down the hall from yours, or so I’ve been told.”

Phillip felt the noose tightening but he was not yet ready to surrender. “I assure you, Miss Benton, that I had no idea where your niece slept that night.”

“I’m not saying you did. Your knowledge or lack of it is inconsequential. You have compromised Anna.”

Phillip was well aware that he could dispute Miss Benton’s statement but he would not. After all, he had not always lived up to his responsibilities toward the people dependent upon him but he intended that to change. Besides, he found that the thoughts of marrying Miss Benton’s niece were not disagreeable. She was a lovely woman and he enjoyed her company, which was as much as he’d ever hoped for in a marriage. He inclined his head. “I shall be honored to marry your great-niece.”

She didn’t smile but the corners of her lips relaxed. “You need to know that Anna is not a simple country girl. Her grandfather was the Marquess of Seaton.”

Phillip frowned, trying to recall what he knew of the Marquess of Seaton’s family. “That means the current holder of the title is what—her uncle?”

“That is correct. But Anna refuses to have anything to do with him because he was unkind to her mother.”

“How so?”

“The current marquess was in love with my niece, Anna’s mother, but Caroline preferred his younger brother, Lord Arnold. When Caroline and Arnold married, the marquess went out of his way to make things unpleasant for both of them but especially for Caroline. He used his influence to keep her from being invited to most of the ton functions but what really infuriated him was that Arnold and Caroline had dear friends and a happy life despite all he tried to do to them.”

“And Anna? What about her?”

“She was just a child, of course but she’d heard enough to know what was going on. And then…” Miss Benton paused took a deep breath and continued. “Then that horrible summer when a deadly influenza swept through London, Arnold and Caroline sickened and died within three days of each other. I had not been notified that they were sick but the minute I found out they had died, I traveled to the city and brought Anna home with me, here to the country where there was no sickness and I knew she’d be safe. She’s been with me ever since.”

“Did none of her father’s family object to her living with you?”

“The marquess did not, of course but two of Arnold’s brothers and one of his sisters have offered to take her in. The sister, Anna’s aunt Martha, especially wanted Anna to have a Season and offered to sponsor her. Anna could have come out with her cousin Janet, who is a very sweet and popular young lady. Again, Anna refused.”

“If she marries me, she’ll have to live in London at least part of the year although I’d have no objection to spending more time at Ashworth. Would she agree to that?”

“That would be up to Anna but I would hope she’d be willing to do so. She owes it to herself to enjoy a bit of society instead of burying herself here in the country with an elderly relative like me.”

A second later Phillip realized that both he and Miss Benton had been too involved in their conversation to hear Anna’s footsteps in the hallway. Both spun to face her when her voice sounded from the doorway. “How kind of both of you to determine my future for me. Unfortunately, I feel I should have a part in that decision, which means, of course, that your plotting has been for naught. I regret to inform you, Lord Ashington, that I will not marry you.”

Her shoulders had been squared and her cheeks rosy with indignation when she addressed Phillip but when she turned toward her aunt, tears filled her eyes.

“And you, Aunt Cora, are a severe disappointment to me. I had thought you valued my company but obviously I have been under a misapprehension. Thus, you may rest assured that I will start applying for positions as a governess and will relieve you of the burden of my presence as soon as possible.”

A single tear escaped and begin a slow descent down her cheek but when Phillip started to move toward her, Anna turned and fled toward the back of the house. He would have followed except for the hand that Miss Benton placed upon his arm. Her fingers tightened to hold him back.

“Let her go,” she said. “She’ll need a few minutes to process what we said and to begin feeling regret for the way she talked to me. Anna has always known that I love her dearly but would prefer she learn to live in her parents’ world, as well as being at ease in mine. She’ll be in a mood to listen to you after she’s had time to get her temper under control.”

“Where has she gone, do you suppose?”

“I have no doubt that she’s gone outside if the snow has melted enough and it was melting rapidly when I arrived. She has always preferred to do her thinking while walking in the woodland. But she won’t wander far. She doesn’t know your forest as well as she does the rest of the countryside.”

Phillip nodded. “Very well. I’ll bide by your advice. But if she has gone outside, I’ll not leave her alone too long. I don’t trust this weather we’ve been having lately and I’d hate to have to get out a search party again to look for her.”

“Again?” A frown touched Miss Bolton’s brow. “What do you mean?”

“You do not know?”

“Obviously not. What search party are you referring to?”

“The one the beautiful lady in red told my footman about. He said she came to the door the evening the snow started and asked me to join in the search for a young woman who was lost. I, of course, ordered a horse saddled and changed into clothing fit for such an endeavor. I had ridden as far as the old gatehouse when I discovered your niece wandering about and brought her back here.”

“A beautiful lady in red?”

“So the footman said. I went to the door to question her myself but by the time I walked from the library to the front of the house, she had disappeared. Why? Do you know the lady?”

“Only by reputation, I fear. Only by reputation. But I am more certain than ever that you must go after Anna and convince her to marry you. I am positive now that it’s the right thing to do.”

Phillip would have questioned her further but Miss Benton turned and hurried toward the hallway. “I’m going to visit with Mrs. Ballard,” she said. “I’ll see you after while.”

A second later Phillip stood alone in front of the fire. Circumstances were growing stranger and stranger and he was growing tired of the entire situation. He stood for a minute longer, trying to make some sense of recent events but he soon realized that this was not a puzzle he could solve intellectually.

What he must do, he decided, was to locate Anna and try to determine why she was so set against a marriage that most people would see as advantageous.