An Inconvenient Wife (16 page)

“Not
at all,” she said. “Eventually Danielle may wish to be more apart from the
younger children, but in the beginning she will feel more secure if Guy is
near.” Anne looked curiously at him. “You mentioned the nursery. Is it in use?
Sarah is almost nine, I believe you said.”

“An
old habit. Sarah is always taking me to task for not saying schoolroom.” He
shrugged. “Schoolroom, playroom, nursery; the suite has been used for many
things over the years. Sarah will show you through it.”

Anne
next dared the question that had plagued her for several days. “Will you tell
me what to expect with her? I do not want to start off badly, and she may not
take kindly to having her domain invaded by three strangers.” She lifted her
chin. “Nor do I wish to contradict whatever you may have told her.”

Westcott
stiffened. “She knows we are married and that Danielle and Guy are orphans we
befriended. I did not feel it necessary to go into any detail. Sarah knows she
is not going to be supplanted in any way.”

Anne
shivered at the chill in his eyes. No help would be forthcoming, that much was
clear, What exactly did he expect her to tell the child? No doubt Sarah was
brimming with curiosity, and apprehension.

“I
see.” Anne glanced down at her hands, folded loosely in her lap, and suppressed
the very real urge to throw something at him. The force of it startled and
amused her. She looked up, eyes wide, and asked coolly, “I would appreciate
knowing what authority I am to have in this household, and with
all
the
children.”
Gratifying, his quickly veiled surprise, and the brusque tone not
as effective as he might wish.

“You
are mistress here and free to order the household as you wish. My secretary
will provide any information you desire. Sarah will acquaint you with her
routine; any major changes must be cleared through me.”

“I
see,” Anne said again and then narrowed her eyes. “No, I do
not
see
.”
She gazed steadily at him, determined to have more answers, and if the look
in her eyes was one of challenge, so be it. “What constitutes major? You must
be more specific, sir.” She leaned forward, held up a hand and began to tick
off the questions on her fingers. “Changing the menu? Ordering clothing for the
children? Interviewing a governess? My own education is good, but lacking those
subjects a boy is expected to study.”

Anne
felt her mouth tighten under his impassive stare and with an impatient movement
she turned her hands palm out. “
We
agreed to a marriage of convenience;
the implication being that it was convenient to both of us. I have no
expectation of other than such a marriage, nor any desire for it—
a
bald-faced lie, if ever you spoke one
. But I will not be left floundering
with no notion of how to go on.” She dropped her hands and said more quietly,
“How do you intend to introduce Danielle and Guy to the household? To society?
What of this trust fund of Danielle’s? Where do they stand legally? You say
Monsieur
Meraux has abandoned all claims, but what if he attempts to see the children?”
Suddenly weary and more intimidated by the grim set of Westcott’s face than she
cared to show, Anne sat back and planted a patient expression on her face.

Westcott
stared at her for a moment, appearing startled by the barrage of questions, but
the stern look softened.
Perhaps he was reachable after all and you had only
to stand up to him, Anne.
A fleeting thought she at once acknowledged as
fantasy.

“You
have raised a number of points that have yet to be resolved,” he replied. “The
legalities are complex, but Danielle does have a trustee and guardian—Lord
Strathmere.” He gave her an almost apologetic smile. “I had wished to give you
more time to become comfortable here before plunging you into a complicated
tangle involving a number of people you do not yet know. But perhaps it is
unwise to leave you ignorant of the situation.” He paused, glanced at the
mantel clock, and raised an eyebrow in question.

“Sarah
is expecting us, with great impatience, I am sure. Will you agree to postpone
this discussion until later today, when there is more time to address your
concerns? I swear I will tell you everything you want to know.”

Disconcerted
by the sudden warmth in his eyes, Anne blinked, nodded her agreement and felt a
smile curl her lips, a reaction that so annoyed her, she jumped up and answered
briskly, “Very well, sir. Explanations can wait a while longer.” Then,
plaintively enough that she cringed inside, “But at least tell me how you wish
the children to address me, and you?”
And why this one little thing, of all
your worries, when so much else was unresolved?

Anne
gave him a quick glance from beneath her lashes. He, at least, did not seem to
think the question or her manner anything out of the ordinary, and when he
placed a hand under her elbow and began to walk toward the door, she meekly
trailed along beside him. The heat from his fingers, clasped around her arm,
felt alarmingly pleasant and much too distracting. As casually as possible,
Anne disengaged when he reached out to open the door and stood aside to allow
her to precede him. She waited for him to step beside her and said, “Well,
sir?”

Expression
once again impassive, Westcott paced beside her as they traversed the long
passageway. “Since Danielle and Guy are accustomed to the name Blackwell, I
suggest they continue to use it, sans the ‘mister’, naturally. I believe I
heard them address you as ‘Aunt Blackwell’, and I have no objection to it.”

Several
twists and turns, and a flight of stairs had led them to the end of what Anne
suspected was yet another wing before Westcott halted and looked down her.

“Sarah
will choose for herself.”

And
with that terse, and what Anne felt unwelcoming comment, he opened the door to
his daughter’s room.

Chapter
Thirteen

Slim
and fine boned as she was, the child’s presence dominated the large, sunlit
room. She sat very straight in her wheeled chair, a book on her lap, forgotten
now in her excitement. “Hello, Papa. You have been a long time in coming!” she
blurted out, a wide-eyed, eager look on her face as she watched them approach.
But although she smiled at her father, her anxious gaze never left Anne’s face.

Why,
she is as nervous about this meeting as you are.
Anne’s
heart, never staunch against a child’s appeal, opened to enfold this beautiful
girl. Sarah had her father’s eyes, Anne saw as she moved forward, but the
charming look of innocence was much more appropriate on her face. It had been
many a year since Westcott could be labeled innocent, Anne suspected. Did he
have that same ingenuous expression when a boy? She made a mental note to look
about for a family portrait.

“Hello,
muffin. A fine greeting, and when I have brought someone to meet you. Am I so
very much behind time?”

Sarah
giggled and held out her arms. “Just a little, but it
seemed
long.”

Westcott
returned her hug and kissed her cheek. “Time has a way of being so when one is
waiting. But we are here now.” He straightened and turned to Anne.

“May
I present to you Sarah Augusta Elaine Blackwell? Sarah, this is Anne Elizabeth
Blackwell, Lady Westcott.”

Anne
glanced at him, surprised he remembered her middle name, then smiled at Sarah
and held out her hand. “I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Sarah. May
I visit with you for a bit?” Spying a stool, Anne pulled it closer and sat down
without waiting for an answer.

“Are
you enjoying your book? I was forever reading when I was your age. My mother
quite despaired of me at times. She was never sure when she would find me
hidden in some corner reading.”

“The
story is most interesting,” Sarah said with a shy smile. “It’s Robinson Crusoe.
Do you know it?”

“I
do know it. Mr. Crusoe was quite the adventurer, wasn’t he? I do think it may
have been somewhat an uncomfortable life, however.” That drew a giggle from
Sarah and Anne sensed, rather than saw, Westcott withdraw from the room.
Surely
it is a positive sign, leaving you alone with his child.

“I
suppose so,” Sarah said. “Especially before he met Friday and had company.”

“I’m
not sure how much of a companion Friday was to him,” Anne said, her voice
expressing the real doubt she had about the company of someone who did not
speak your language.

“I
am not sure either.”

Sarah
looked earnestly at Anne, her eyes widening in an expression so much like her
father’s that Anne blinked. This look was a very good ploy on Westcott’s part,
usually preceding some unwelcome suggestion. She wondered if Sarah was aware of
the power of using it, but after one look into the child’s clear eyes, devoid
of any guile, decided she was not. But Sarah was excited about something, an
assumption confirmed with the girl’s next question.

“Father
told me of the children, but not very much. Will you tell me about them?” She
leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. “Are they really going to live here?”

Anne
smiled at the eager youngster, conscious of serious annoyance that Westcott had
left this to her. Beginnings were so important.
Perhaps he felt it better
coming from you. A boost to your self-esteem if so, but more likely just
happenstance.
Putting it aside, Anne stalled with a question of her own.

“What
did he tell you?”

“That
they are a boy and a girl who have no parents and need someone to take care of
them.”

Anne
raised her eyebrows and smiled faintly. “It is complicated, Sarah, but I will
try to explain. The children are French, and yes, they are orphans. Guy is
seven years old, and Danielle is almost fourteen. I met them whilst in
Portugal.” Omitting any mention of Claude Meraux’s schemes, and glossing over
the reasons for her sudden marriage to Westcott—made easier by the fact
she
was not sure of the reasons—Anne related the Durants’ story.

“Oh.”
Sarah’s eyes were wide with amazement by the time Anne finished. “They do not
speak English? How will we talk? I don’t know much French yet. Do they know
about me? When may I meet them?”

The
questions tumbled out and Anne laughed, pleased by this evidence of enthusiasm.
“You may meet them anytime your routine permits. Perhaps we should ask Mrs.
Timmons about that.” Sarah’s nurse had excused herself after being introduced
to Anne, but was no doubt close by. “As to the language problem, why, I depend
upon on you to teach them English. In return, they will help you with your
French. If you are willing?”

“Oh,
yes! It will be the greatest fun imaginable.”

Sarah
glowed with pleasure and Anne gave in to impulse and raised a hand to touch the
girl’s face. “I hope it will. For they very much need a friend.”

Sarah
hesitated, and then rested her cheek, just for a moment, against Anne’s hand.
“What am I to call you?” she asked in a low voice.

Anne
rose and looked down at her, a questioning smile lifting her lips. “What would
you like to call me?”

Sarah
leaned her head to one side. “I have thought about it since Papa told me you
were to be my new mother. Would Mother Anne be acceptable, do you think? My own
mother was Mama, and I don’t think I could call someone else so.”

She
looked so concerned Anne again succumbed to impulse and leaned forward to give
her a hug. “Certainly you could not. I will very much like being Mother Anne.”
She straightened and smiled. “Now, I’d best be going before Mrs. Timmons gives
me a scold.”

“I
would never, my lady.” Mrs. Timmons hurried into the room, obviously having
overheard Anne’s comment. “Your visit with Miss Sarah seems to have agreed with
her, from what I can see.” She bobbed a curtsey and then looked fondly at her
charge. “It is time for a bit of lunch and you must be hungry as well, my
lady.”

Surprised
to realize she
was
hungry, having been too nervous to eat much
breakfast, Anne smiled her agreement and with a promise to Sarah to bring
Danielle and Guy to meet her later, took her leave.

She
closed the door behind her and slumped against the highly polished wooden
panels. Both elated and exhausted by the emotional meeting, she bowed her head
and struggled for some composure. The day was barely half over; she had yet to
discover Maggie and Bill’s whereabouts; Danielle and Guy had certainly expected
her to join them long since, and not the least of her concerns, she did not
have any notion of how to find her way around this enormous house!

Nor
will you learn lingering here, Anne. You must do better than this. Too many
people depend upon you to falter now.
Suppressing the fleeting
thought that it would be nice to depend upon someone else for a change, she
took several deep breaths, stood straight, and stepped forward in the direction
she believed she and Westcott had come from.

“Was
it so difficult, meeting Sarah? I had thought you would more readily take to
her.”