Page 341 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Wilhelm watched Anna and Alex as they ate. Something had clearly gone wrong, but he couldn’t quite figure what it was. They’d been so happy when they returned home earlier in the afternoon, but the mood had shifted dramatically since then. Concern was written all over Alex’s face every time he looked at Anna. Had Alex told her about the pregnancy?

Anna sat silently, her gaze firmly fixed on her food. She looked exceptionally pale. Wilhelm sighed. She was acting like a slave again. What had happened to make her feel inferior? Was she ashamed of her pregnancy?

Wilhelm shifted his attention to his son, who was staring across the table. If he’d rekindled something with Gretchen, Wilhelm was going to have a serious talk with him after dinner. But, no, it wasn’t Gretchen that Alex was looking at; it was Otto. Could he be mourning the fact that Anna was carrying a child that wasn’t his own? Perhaps that’s why they were having problems already. Wilhelm knew Alex wanted children. Alex missed his daughter, but he also understood that there would be opportunities for more children after they had freed Anna from Devin’s control. They had talked about this many times, and he thought Alex had come to terms with it. Perhaps they needed to have another discussion about it.

Alex stared at his soup, his appetite gone. Anna had withdrawn from him. Though she was sitting right next to him, she was as far away as she had been while in San Francisco. She wasn’t cold. That wasn’t in her nature. She was just... submissive. She would be quiet and obedient, but nothing more. Her warmth and joy were gone.

But would it have been better to have told her about Otto in the library? He supposed there was no good time to tell his new bride that he’d fathered a son with his brother’s wife.

Did Kurt know? Alex doubted it. Gretchen wouldn’t have told Kurt until she found out how Alex took the news. Poor Kurt. He had truly loved her when they married. Now? Now Alex knew more than he’d wanted to know about Gretchen.

What a mess.

Anna remained silent throughout dinner unless spoken to, and then her answers were soft and short. She kept her eyes downcast and ate all the food that was set before her. He hoped she wouldn’t be sick from eating so much. She trembled when Alex put his hand on hers or put his arm around her shoulders. Why was she afraid of him?

Dinner was one of the longest he could remember. He intentionally had not looked at Gretchen for the entire meal. He didn’t want her thinking he approved of her news or that he wanted anything to do with her.

When the meal finally ended, Alex and Anna were given leave to go, and he eagerly led her out of the room and up to his third-floor chambers.

As he walked across the sitting room toward the double doors leading to his bedroom, he began to doubt himself. He had been looking forward to tonight. To carrying Anna into his bedroom and slowly making love to her. Now, as she walked silently, a few steps behind him, he didn’t know what to do.

He walked up the three steps that led to the doors and hesitated. Then he sighed and decided to do what he had originally planned. He opened the door, turned, swept her off her feet, and carried her inside.

Chapter 158

Anna looked around the expansive rectangular room in awe. The ceiling, towering twice as high as a typical room, was made of dark wood paneling. On the left-hand wall, three diamond-paned windows alternated with three plain ones, each stretching from about four feet above the floor to just below the towering ceiling. Several large red Oriental rugs adorned the wooden floor. Bookshelves stood between the windows, with a dark wood writing desk at the center of the wall. On the opposite side of the room, two wingback chairs sat on an Oriental rug in front of a marble fireplace.

At the room’s far end, a colossal, carved wooden canopy bed dominated the space, with deep red curtains hanging at the corners tied back with gold ropes. The family’s coat of arms was meticulously carved into the bed’s headboard: two crowned, double-tailed lions clasping a shield adorned with a crown. The shield featured a crowned, double-tailed lion holding a sword, all encircled by a delicately carved tasseled curtain, topped by another crown.

Anna had been here before, but in the dark: the night she’d seen Alex for the first time. And now she was here again. This time as his wife. But it wasn’t the joyous moment she’d been anticipating. No, she felt nauseous and tired. She wanted to sleep and make everything go away.

But Alex certainly had expectations. She turned to him. “How may I please you, my lord?” It came out of her mouth without thinking about it.

His jaw clenched and knew she’d upset him.

“I-I’m sorry, Alex.” She bowed her head. “I wasn’t thinking.”

Alex gazed down at his beloved wife. He hadn’t intended to react with anger at her words. His frustration was with himself for causing her distress, not at her.

Alex took a deep breath and led her to the leather bench at the foot of his bed. “Schatzi,” he said in a soft voice. “I kept what Gretchen told me from you so that it wouldn’t ruin your day, but I can see that not telling you has made things worse.” He took another deep breath. “Anna, Gretchen told me that—‍” He hesitated. “Otto is my son and not Kurt’s.”

“I know.” She twisted her fingers together and didn’t look up at him.

“I—You know? Did you hear us talking?”

Anna shook her head. “Well, yes, I heard you, but I didn’t understand what you were saying. But I know he’s your son.”

Alex stared at the top of her head, trying to understand. “How did you find out?”

“The way Gretchen acted at the table. She told me with her actions.”

Alex clenched his fists and slowly counted to ten, determined to rein in his anger. How could Gretchen have the audacity to act in such a way? He wanted to drag her out of the house by her hair and dump her in the snow-filled yard.

But she had his son.

Anna finally looked up with tear-filled eyes. “I’m happy for you,” she said softly. “At least you’ll have a child, even if it isn’t from me.”

“Anna... I knew when I asked you to marry me that you were told you could never have children.” He carefully constructed his thoughts before speaking, because when he married her, he knew she could have children. He wanted to be absolutely truthful. “Otto will never be my heir, despite what Gretchen thinks. He is illegitimate and ineligible.”

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