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tremor of what could have been excitement, relief, embarrassment, or some combination of the three,
shook her voice.  Thank you, Mr. Hunt. You understand, if Mr. Peyton was still with us, things would be
much different 
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 Yes, of course.
There was a contemplative silence before Philippa murmured,  Of course, without a dowry, Annabelle
will have no source of pin money& 
 I ll open an account for her at Barings, Hunt said equably.  We ll start it at, say, five thousand
pounds?& and I ll refresh the balance from time to time as necessary. Of course, I ll be responsible for
the maintenance of a carriage and horses & clothes& jewelry& and Annabelle may have credit at every
shop in London.
Philippa s reaction to the news was lost on Annabelle, whose mind spun like a top. The thought of
having five thousand pounds at her disposal & a fortune& it scarcely seemed real. Her amazement was
tinged with a tingle of anticipation. After years of deprivation, she would be able to go to the best
modistes, and buy a horse for Jeremy, and refurbish her family s home with the most luxurious furniture
and fittings. However, this blunt discussion of money coming on the heels of a marriage proposal gave
Annabelle the disquieting feeling of having sold herself for profit. Glancing cautiously at Simon, she saw
that a familiar taunting gleam had entered his eyes. He understood her far too well, she thought, while
unwanted heat climbed up her cheeks.
Annabelle kept silent as the conversation touched upon lawyers, contracts, and stipulations, discovering
that her mother had the persistence of a bull terrier when it came to marriage negotiations. The
businesslike discussion was hardly the stuff of high romance. Furthermore, it did not escape Annabelle
that Philippa had not asked Hunt if he loved Annabelle, nor had he claimed to.
After Simon Hunt had left, Annabelle followed her mother to their room, where they would undoubtedly
talk some more. Worried by Philippa s unnatural quietness, Annabelle closed the door and considered
what to say to her, wondering if she had reservations about the prospect of Simon Hunt as a son-in-law.
As soon as they were alone, Philippa went to the window and looked outside at the evening sky, then
covered her eyes with one hand. Alarmed, Annabelle heard the sound of a muffled sob.  Mama&  she
said hesitantly as she stared at her mother s rigid back,  I m sorry, I 
 Thank God, Philippa murmured unsteadily, not seeming to hear her.  Thank God.
Despite Lord Westcliff s vow that he would not stand up with Simon at the wedding, he came to
London in a fortnight to attend the ceremony. Grim-faced but polite, he even offered to give Annabelle
away, assuming the place of her deceased father. She was strongly tempted to turn him down, but the
offer had made Philippa so happy that Annabelle was forced to accept. And she even took a certain
spiteful pleasure in obliging the earl to take a significant part in a ceremony that he so obviously opposed.
Only Westcliff s loyalty to Hunt had brought him to London, revealing a bond of friendship between the
two men that was far stronger than Annabelle would have guessed.
Lillian, Daisy, and their mother were also present at the private church ceremony, their presence made
possible only by Lord Westcliff s presence. Mrs. Bowman would never have allowed her daughters to
attend the wedding of a girl who was marrying outside the peerage and was a bad influence to boot.
However, any opportunity to be in the proximity of the most eligible bachelor in England was to be seized
on. The fact that Westcliff was completely indifferent to her younger daughter, and actively disdainful of
the elder, was a minor hindrance that Mrs. Bowman was certain could be overcome.
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Evie, unfortunately, had been forbidden to attend by her aunt Florence and the rest of her mother s
family. Instead, she had sent Annabelle a long, affectionate letter, and a Sèvres china tea service painted
with pink-and-gold flowers as a wedding gift. The rest of the small congregation consisted of Hunt s
parents and siblings, who were more or less what Annabelle had expected. His mother was coarse-faced
and stout of build, a genial woman who seemed inclined to think well of Annabelle until something
happened to persuade her otherwise. His father was a big, angular man who did not smile once through
the ceremony, though the deep laugh lines at the corners of his eyes indicated that he was a man of
pleasant disposition. Neither of the parents was particularly handsome, but they had produced five
striking children, all tall and black-haired.
If only Jeremy could have attended the wedding& but he was still at school, and she and Philippa had
decided that it would be best for him to finish the term and come to London when Hunt and Annabelle
had returned from their honeymoon. Annabelle wasn t quite certain what Jeremy s reaction would be to
the prospect of having Simon Hunt as a brother-in-law. Although Jeremy had seemed to like him, Jeremy
had long been accustomed to being the only male in the family. There was every chance that he would
chafe at any restrictions that Hunt might impose on him. For that matter, Annabelle herself wasn t terribly
fond of the prospect of kowtowing to the wishes of a man whom, in all honesty, she didn t know that
well.
That fact was forcibly brought home to Annabelle on her wedding night, as she waited for her new
husband in a room at the Rutledge Hotel. Having assumed that Hunt resided at a private terrace house
like many bachelors, Annabelle had been more than a little surprised to discover that he lived in a suite of
hotel rooms.
 Why not? Hunt had asked a few days earlier, amused by her open perplexity.
 Well& living in a hotel affords one so little privacy&  [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]