Love and War by Maggi Andersen

Author:Maggi Andersen
Language: ron
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Annie, Hugh and the three children rushed out at the sound of the carriage. Selena was so happy to see them, she fumbled for a handkerchief as tears ran down her cheeks. During the trip, she'd realized how tired she was. She'd thought of nothing but Gyles since he first asked her to marry him. It would be good to think a little of her own needs.

Annie held out the small bundle towards Selena. “Meet Benne.” Selena peered inside the blanket at the snowy-haired cherub, deeply asleep tucked into the blanket.

"He has his papa's strong chin."

Hugh grinned. “Welcome, Selena,” he said, stepping forward to kiss her on the cheek. “It's delightful to see you. You and your calm good sense have been sorely missed."

The children had visibly grown in the few months she'd been away. Six-year-old Lucy was determined to bring Selena up to date on the fate of their pets. One guinea pig had passed away and had been buried in the orchard. The poorly named Rupert, one of their cats, had had a litter of kittens and Aunt Selena might take the black one with the white paws home with her.

"Not all at once, Lucy,” Annie laughed. “Let Aunt Selena come in and have a cup of tea, first."

After she washed and shed her travelling clothes, they all gathered in the morning room to drink tea and eat cake.

"Everyone in town is looking forward to seeing you,” Annie said. “We are going to have a party."

"How lovely,” Selena said, thinking quite the opposite. There would be interminable questions and she would have to throw the truth out of the window to answer them.

The first of them came almost immediately. “Why didn't you go to London?” Annie asked, her delicate brows meeting in a puzzled frown.

Selena knew that her sister was already on full alert to detect any sign of unhappiness. “We just wanted to get home."

"What's it like, Halcrow Hall?"

"It's very beautiful,” Selena said. “I can't wait for spring when all the flowers are out. Imagine, Annie, acres of blue bells and hyacinths through the woods and daffodils and daisies dotting the meadows. When I first arrived the trees dressed in their autumn foliage were just glorious. Great chestnuts, oaks, birches, maples, cedars and limes.... The garden is of an ancient and very clever design ... the house enormous. It has dozens of rooms. I haven't actually counted them yet. There's a very well-stocked library, if I had time to read, but Gyles and I have been so busy with the restorations. We have great plans for it...."

"Enough, darling,” Annie laughed. “Drink your tea. You have four whole weeks to tell us."

Selena looked up to see Hugh watching. He winked but he looked uneasy.

* * * *

Although the following weeks were crammed with soirees, picnics, rides in the country and dances at the assembly rooms, Selena felt they crawled by. She could not shed her guilt at leaving Gyles, even though the doctor had assured her he was close to making a full recovery.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.