An Affair to Remember by KAREN HAWKINS

Author:KAREN HAWKINS [HAWKINS, KAREN]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0-380-82079-X
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

The problem with gambling, whether it be for sport or profit, is that one rarely wins without also losing.

Mrs. Kemble to Lord Alvaney, commiserating with each other at the annual Huntington Charity Ball

“Elizabeth, will you read the next section? I wonder if our poor knight will ever find his way home,” Anna said, her face tilted to the sun. It was a lovely morning— warm and sparkling, not a cloud in sight. In fact, it had been the lure of the endless blue sky that had drawn her forth with the children, a blanket, and a book.

Yesterday had been a complete waste. After Lady Putney and Lord Greyley had descended on the nursery, neither she nor the children had been able to refocus their efforts. Anna had been forced to end their session early.

But today would be different, she told herself. Today she would not spend a single minute thinking about Anthony Elliot. Not one, she vowed.

After settling the children on a large blanket on the velvety lawn, Anna leaned back on her hands and let the morning breeze ease her heart. The sun shimmered in the midmorning sky, the grass was green and lush beneath her toes. Above, the tree branches swayed and birds sang. The only jarring note in an otherwise perfect summer day was the stern, stark outline of Greyley House.

It was just like Anthony Elliot to own a house that cast a dark shade over the surrounding countryside. It reminded her far too much of his overbearing personality.

Normally, Anna would have been in more agreement with the earl on the need for a routine in the nursery. But for some reason she felt that the Elliot children needed something more than a routine—they needed warmth and sunshine and life. It was as if they were frozen, unable to be children. And she had a strong suspicion that much of the damage had occurred when their parents were alive.

In a way, that was a relief, for it meant that there was a chance that Greyley could find a way into the children’s affections if he desired. It had surprised her to realize that the earl held the children in some affection already, though he denied it by calling them “devil’s spawn” at every available opportunity.

She glanced beneath her lashes at the silent Richard, who sat on the very edge of the huge blanket, staring intently at Elizabeth as she read. It was amazing, really, the way he watched her form each sound, almost as if he were attempting to memorize them. Anna watched him for a while, satisfied that he was engaged with the story.

Elizabeth turned the page, her brow furrowed as she attempted to figure out some of the larger words, her childish lisp comforting. When she came to a word she couldn’t decipher, she would glance at Anna. But Anna patiently waited for her to sound it out.

Selena and Marian hung anxiously on Elizabeth’s every word while Desford sat staring out across the fields.

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