She Fled Her Wedding — Then Found the Duke Escaping on the Same Train
Chapter 12
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When Annora returned to Bellwick in July, her father met her carriage himself. He asked after Rowena, complained about the expense of seaside lodgings, and carried Annora's smallest bag into the house, although a footman stood waiting to take it.At dinner, he mentioned that he had seen Westraden the previous week. "He looks better," he said."Does he? I thought so."Neither looked at the other. Annora found herself smiling into her soup.Piers called two days later. This time, she did not rehearse questions about the garden. She showed him the mechanical bird, which had suffered damage during the journey, and he spent 20 minutes on the drawing-room floor attempting to persuade its dog to turn again.Mr. Bramwell came in, saw the scene, and said he hoped this was not an indication of how the Duke managed his estates."It is precisely how," Piers replied. "Only the repairs are generally more expensive."Her father laughed. Annora watched his shoulders ease and felt the dangerous pleasure of having made everyone happy.The visits continued. Piers brought her a book with a particularly bad ending because he wanted someone with whom to be indignant. She persuaded him to come to a small concert and admitted afterwards that she had disliked the second half. He was so relieved that he took her to supper, where they quarreled over whether to order another dish and discovered that neither was good at surrendering an argument about food.Sometimes they kissed in the narrow space beside the garden door, listening for footsteps. Once, her father opened it while Piers still had a hand against her cheek. Mr. Bramwell shut it again loudly and remarked to the hall that the roses appeared to be flourishing. Annora had never felt so happy in his house.People began to notice. A cousin wrote with cheerful congratulations on the apparent reconciliation. A neighbor said she had always thought the little interruption in June would prove beneficial. An aunt told Annora that nervous brides were often foolish, and that fortunately a sensible man knew when to persevere.Annora ought to have corrected her; instead, she let the remark pass. It was agreeable to hear herself described as temporarily foolish rather than permanently rejected. Later, walking home, she disliked herself for how agreeable it had been.In August, the Dowager invited her to luncheon. Piers mentioned the invitation with careful lightness. His mother had not withdrawn her courtesy, but she was slower to relinquish her hurt. She had asked him three times whether Annora was staying in Bellwick for the rest of the summer. Three times he had said yes, which was true as far as it went; he had not mentioned Italy.