She Fled Her Wedding — Then Found the Duke Escaping on the Same Train
Chapter 5
Theme:
Font Size:
24px
They sent separate telegrams. Piers said that he was safe, that the ceremony must not proceed, and that he was returning. Annora said much the same; she added a request that nobody blame Nelly, who had only done what she was told.When the clerk asked for payment, Annora discovered that she had brought three pairs of gloves and no purse. Piers paid without comment. She hated how grateful she felt for the absence of one.Finding a carriage took nearly half an hour. During the wait, Annora bought nothing, ate nothing, and watched a sparrow attack a piece of string beneath a bench. The Duke stood a few feet away, exchanging practical sentences with the station master. He seemed to have recovered his competence now that the problem involved horses rather than marriage.By the time they reached Bellwick, the bells had not begun to ring. The relief of that nearly undid her again.Her father was waiting in the entrance hall. Behind him stood her sister Rowena in pale blue silk, one cuff still pinned where the dressmaker had been making a final adjustment. Piers' mother sat in the drawing room beyond the open doors. Somehow, the two households had already combined their fear into a single gathering."Where have you been?" Mr. Bramwell demanded."On the train.""I know that! Why?"Annora opened her mouth; nothing came out. The familiar carpet was beneath her feet. Her father was wearing the waistcoat she had chosen for him. On the table stood the silver tray her mother used to bring out at Christmas. Everywhere she looked was something that asked her to make this right.Piers put her bag down. "We both left independently," he said. "Neither knew the other was going. We met on the train."Mr. Bramwell stared at him. "You left?""Yes.""On your wedding morning?""Yes."The older man's face darkened. Instinctively, Annora stepped forward. "He was not abandoning me. I was already abandoning him."Rowena made a strangled sound and pressed a hand to her mouth. It was not amusement; it was astonishment looking desperately for somewhere to go."You can discuss this after the wedding," Mr. Bramwell said."No, Papa.""You are upset, both of you. There is still time.""No."The second refusal came out more clearly. She heard it cross the hall, striking objects she had always been careful not to disturb. Her father looked at her as though she had become a stranger.From the drawing room, the Dowager Duchess said her son's name. Piers turned at once. Annora watched him go to the chair, kneel awkwardly beside it, and take his mother's hand. She waited for him to tell the older woman that it had been a misunderstanding. That was how such things were repaired: someone surrendered, and everyone else agreed not to discuss the cost.