Page 2 of A Duke, a Virgin and a Baby
“Perhaps she is only trying to make absolutely certain that nothing goes wrong with your search for a suitable gentleman. There are only so many illegible bachelors with good, respectable families and ideal statuses. Maybe she only wants you to garner the attention you deserve.” Prudence reasoned gently.
Her words might have soothed most of Anna’s frayed nerves if her sister had not said something similar when Anna had first brought her concerns up.
“I would have thought that was the case, but her methods are causing me concern. She has been doing her best to ‘persuade’ gentlemen to consider me as their future bride. She has gone as far as pushing me into their paths and talking about me as though she were speaking of a cut of meat at the butcher. Once, she pushed me towards an Earl and promised that I was smartand well-mannered and my hips were a standard size and shape for seamless childbearing. On another occasion, she overheard two men complaining about how their hopes of promenading with the ladies they were interested in had fallen apart because the ladies had rejected their advances. And so, she stepped in their path, looked them in the eye and brazenly told them that I was free to go promenading whenever they were willing to call on me. After all, I had no prospects and so I wouldn’t refused.
“Whenever they try to dissuade her, she praises my value before them and tries to entice them by saying I am far too endowed with talents and beauty to be dismissed. Now many of them think me a snob who believes she is too good to even speak to them. She is so frightened that I might be a spinster, wholly unaware that her machinations might be what seal my fate.”
It was humiliating, each time her mother took charge of conversations between Anna and potential suitors, regaling them with tales of her wondrous talents, hoping to convince one of them to ask for her hand. All Anna had gotten were looks of disdain and irritation before they moved away.
Anna’s frustration had only grown and she was starting to feel as though she was running out of time to dissuade her mother from such behavior.
“Maybe you should tell her that her methods have been found distasteful. If she were to hear it from you, she would have no choice but to listen to reason,” Prudence suggested, her eyes wide with concern.
“I have tried – many times. But she claims it is all for my benefit. That she doesn’t want me to live a life that lacked comfort and luxury. When I brought up my own desires, what I wanted; love, comfort, a partnership, she claimed they weren’t necessary. I just do not know what else to –”
“Miss Munro?”
Anna turned at the sound of her surname, confused as a valet approached her.
“Yes?” she answered uncertainly.
“I have a message from your mother, Lady Munro. She asked that you meet her in the conservatory right away. She expressed that you make haste, as the situation is quite urgent.” The valet said to her.
Anna sighed and nodded, waiting for the valet to walk away before facing Prudence again. The irritation bubbling beneath her skin must have been clearly visible because Prudence gave her a look of sympathy.
“I am willing to wager that she just wishes to introduce me to yet another illegible bachelor.”
“Maybe this one might meet your expectations,” Prudence tried to uplift her spirits. “You should go with an open mind. You never know, perhaps this time you’ll meet your husband-to-be.”
Anna laughed humorlessly. “I sincerely doubt that, but thank you. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Miss Cabot.”
Prudence smiled at her and nodded, “And you as well, Miss Munro.”
Now alone, Anna began to make her way to the conservatory – but not before she gave one last lingering look at the ballroom.
There was a time when she was truly excited to attend events such as this one when her heart held so much hope to find a man who would love her and ask for his love in return. A man who would shower her with his respect consideration and affection. One who would see her for who she really was.
But with her mother’s antics, it had become a tasking affair, promenading or attending such events. Men gazed upon her with disapproval, and women thought her a sycophant. She had been relieved when she managed to slip away from her mother soon after they had arrived and had managed to stay away from her line of sight for a while.
But now, it was time to return to her harsh reality.
The conservatory was located on the west wing of the manor in which the ball was being held, and during the walk there, Anna kept trying to tell herself to stand her ground and stop her mother from interfering with her meetings with potential suitors.
“This needs to stop,” she muttered quietly to herself as she peered down a hall, sighing thankfully when she spotted the door to the conservatory at the end of the hall. “This is my life and she cannot continue to manipulate things to work for her benefit when it is I who must live with the consequences.”
Finally, she arrived at the conservatory. With her hand on the knob, she took in a deep breath and opened it, frowning at the darkness that greeted her.
“Mother?” Anna called out quietly, trying to look around the room.
Unable to see much, she stepped inside, deciding to locate some candles to aid her sight.
Perhaps Mother is in a corner somewhere, she reasoned as she searched around, gently and carefully running her fingers over surfaces in hopes of finding a candle.
A small gust of wind blew, and Anna heard something creak behind her. She realized too late that it was the door closing and by the time she turned around, it had fallen short, stealing whatever little light was in the room and leaving her in total darkness.
Quickly, she ran to the door and twisted the knob, trying to open it, horrified when the knob remained stiff in her hands.
“What –” she huffed, breathing heavily as she pulled at the door handle.
