Page 96 of Austen Persuaded

“I said I wasthinkingof proposing! I have no idea if I will or if he’d say yes. What if he—” She stopped when Jane and I erupted into a fit of giggles, unable to sit up straight on the couch. Crossing her arms over her chest, she cleared her throat loudly. “As I was saying—”

“Viv,” I interrupted her, out of breath. “You—you can’t be serious. That man adores you. Worships you. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t beat you to the proposal.”

Jane nodded rapidly. “He’s probably already planning something romantic. If you want to out-romance him, you’d better make it amazing.”

“I mean, it’s not a competition,” Viviana said. Her face morphed into a smile, with stars in her eyes. “You think he is? You think … he wants to marry me?”

“Nothing could be more certain,” I said.

Jane nodded, “I barely know him yet, but that man would follow you to the ends of the earth and back. But, hey, that gave me an idea. You two should have your wedding in Duluth. I could help you plan it!”

“A destination wedding … I never thought of that,” Viviana said thoughtfully. “But do you really think he’ll say yes?”

While Jane hugged and reassured her, I rolled my eyes.

Of course Jack would marry her. And I was genuinely happy for my friends.

Love was wonderful, even if it was only for other people to experience. That would have to be enough.

Chapter 23

“Make it stop.”

“Annie.”

“Annie!”

“Please, make it stop!”

The words infiltrated my brain slowly, in broken pieces, just like my broken head. At least, it felt broken. Broken shards of glass or rock or … ouch.

The Imperial March.

My stomach started churning at the song as the dread set in, and I knew it wasn’t just the hangover as I opened my eyes slowly. When my hand found the sound, I reluctantly swiped left.

“Hello, Mother.”

“Anastasia, my word! Why did it take you so long to answer? Did I teach you nothing about good telephone etiquette?” Jacqueline paused for just a breath. “Never mind that. Where are you? We are at the hotel. We sent a messenger to fetch you from your home, but no one answered the summons.”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself as both my head and chest pounded. “Mother, I didn’t know I was to besummonedtoday.You’re in town—” I stopped myself. Was I supposed to know that they were visiting this weekend? I couldn’t recall whether my mother had sent me the travel dates already, and I realized it was best not to act surprised. I didn’t need yet another lecture on being reckless or forgetful.

“Well, I—you—” she sputtered. My mother never sputtered. “I am shocked, Anastasia. It sounds as though you are not even sufficiently prepared for our visit. I hope I am wrong. Though we both know that rarely happens.”

What was I supposed to say to that? “Uh, welcome to Minnesota, Mother.”

“Being the magnanimous mother I am, I shall overlook this careless oversight this morning, but please do consult the itinerary. No slip-ups this weekend, darling. I need you on your best behavior, do you understand me?”

With my brows furrowed almost painfully, I forced the words out. “Yes, Mother.”

“So, we’ll see you at brunch in one hour. Goodbye.” The call ended, and I exhaled in relief.

Then the panic set in.

I have to see her.

My mother is here. In town.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” I mumbled hoarsely, stumbling out of the tangled bedsheets, speaking to whoever was with me in Viviana’s room. I couldn’t recall who had crashed in the bedroom and who’d been stuck with the couch; by the time we’d decided to sleep, we’d been hardly able to stand.

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