Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 7

Anne sat in her seat drowning in her emotions, wondering how to handle the situation in the best way possible. She knew she had no power and had to tread carefully.

‘What is this? One minute you are accusing this poor young lady of the unthinkable, the next you are to be wed?’ George yelled to his son.

Sheldon steadily put the glass down on the table and began to laugh arrogantly.

‘What I say goes, you should know that by now father.’ Sheldon stated, with a self assured tone.

Anne sat and stared at the table with tears forming in her eyes. She didn’t dare to move or speak. It was a state that she wasn’t used to being in.

‘I am terribly sorry about all of this Mayor. My dinner parties are not usually full of family drama and awkward encounters.’ Bertha said but the Mayor laughed.

‘This is the most fun I’ve had in years. Please, do not apologise on my account.’ The Mayor replied. He wiped his moustache with a napkin and continued to watch the spectacle.

‘I apologise for my son. He is only acting up so much lately because of his mother. She has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.’ George announced.

Anne’s eyes moved up towards the grief stricken George, but she still felt nothing but anger for Sheldon. Sheldon rolled his eyes and threw himself back down to his chair.

‘This isn;t about my mother dying! This is about seeing something I want and taking it, just as you always instructed me to do father!’ Sheldon yelled across the table.

George finally reached his wits end. He slammed his fist against the table, Anne felt the table vibrate. She felt his pain deeply.

‘Yes, with business! Not young women’s hearts! Now for heaven's sake, say you are sorry for messing up Bertha’s dinner party and take back your intended betrothal! It is obvious that the young Anne is far too good for you!’ George bawled.

Anne snapped out of her shocked, embarrassed and angry state. The high opinion that Georrge clearly had for her had made her weak at the knees once again.

‘Well, she wasn’t too good for me when she had her hand on my c—’ Sheldon yelled at the top of his voice, but his father made a quick interruption.

‘Do not finish that sentence! Haven’t you done enough damage?’ George waded in.

Anne sighed, slammed her napkin down onto her empty plate and stormed out of the dining area. The Mayor reached over to the middle of the table and shovelled in more savoury goods and waited for his free entertainment to play out. Bertha and Sheldon stared at the doorway wondering what to do. George was quick to run out after Anne. Anne escorted herself into the drawing room to gather her thoughts, George went in after her and closed the door.

‘I do not know what has gotten into him lately. He has always been quick tempered and demanding but never this bad. Ever since he met you, it is almost as though something has taken over his whole being. You must have captivated him somehow.’ George tried to explain. Anne let out a slight snigger.

‘By refusing to let him blackmail me and tarnish my name you mean? He is upset because he has never had a woman stand up to him before. I’ve seen them. They all bow down to him and give him whatever he wants, he lives for the power. Well, he has met his match. Except I know power isn’t everything in this life.’ Anne said openly, wondering why she was opening up a little too much to an almost stranger.

‘Some say it is the way I raised him, I gave him too much from a young age. He has never gone without, not once. But this shocking news about his mother, something has snapped inside of him. It is not an excuse, I know, just merely one of many reasons. I can only apologise for him, but I am no fool. I know my words will never be enough.’ George said.

Anne couldn’t hold back any longer, her eyes began to water as though the banks of a river had been left to flood.

‘Oh George, I am sorry that you are forced to see me like this. I just cannot get over what your son did to me. He forced me to—he blackmailed me into, well, touching him and even going further. But when I came to my senses and refused, that is when the story came in the papers and now this random proposal that I did not even say yes to. It is all just too much. I feel I am out of my depth against him, I can never win. I hate being forced into a war that I did not even desire.’ Anne opened up, there was something about George that made her feel as though she had known him closely for years. She sat down on one of her Aunt Bertha’s floral vintage chairs. George sat opposite her.

‘No war is ever desired, you will learn that as you grow older. But I have every faith that you will win this one. You are right, Sheldon does not like to lose, especially against a woman. If he is besotted to you, as I assume he is, he feels he must have you at least once, whatever the cost. But I can assure you, he gives the Winchester’s a bad name. I am nothing like him and neither are my ancestors. We all have honour in our backgrounds, he seems to be somewhat of a bad egg. I do not know what to do with him from one day to the next. I have tried to show him how to woo a lady, how to convince someone to marry him the proper way, but he prefers mischief and blackmail. There is just no helping some people but he is a grown man, I must stand by and watch him make his own mistakes, but not where you are concerned.' George stated with pierecing eyes.

Bertha waved the Mayor out as he grew bored with hardly any guests and no entertainment. Sheldon waited impatiently next to the front door, waiting for him to leave. Once the Mayor had left the grounds, Bertha approached Sheldon with a devious smile.

‘I must say, hats off to you. You have certainly earned the money you requested, a game well played. I almost felt sorry for her, almost.’ Bertha explained. She handed Sheldon a large lump of money, hidden away in her corset.

‘It was a pleasure doing business with you. She will take a while to recover, she was quite a tough opponent. But once this plan is completely finished, nobody will want to marry her, not damaged goods.’ Sheldon sniggered. He quickly placed the cash into his inner blazer pocket.

‘I expect you to go the full way with her, not like last time. We need to be sure that we can prove it to anyone who may ask. She cannot marry a wealthy worthy man, I will not have it. I will never forget this. The Winchester family will be forever in my favour when my family goes up the ranks.’ Bertha explained. Sheldon bowed his hat down to her and walked out of the house.

Meanwhile, in the drawing room, Anne tried to stop her heart from beating out of her chest. George’s honourable words and look of lust had Anne completely enchanted.

‘And your wife, stage 4 did you say? What does that mean exactly?’ Anne asked out of curiosity.

‘It means that my wife has been forced to lose to the most horrid disease. It is true that we have not been man and wife traditionally for some time now, but I would never wish such a thing upon her. My only wish now is that she manages to go in peace. Then, I will be forced to look for a new wife.’ George said.

Anne’s eyes looked anywhere but George’s face. She knew that if she dared to look at him, she would be the chosen one.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter