One Rogue Too Many (32 page)

“And the tower was very, very high,” she said in her lyrical voice. Gabby could listen to her talk for hours. “So, so high and the princess had a—uh…”

Miss Teague smoothed a hand over the girl’s copper curls. “A ladder?”

“No.” She turned and wrinkled her nose at her aunt as if she’d posed the most ridiculous question Annabelle could imagine. “The princess had a chickadee to fly her to the tower.”

“But isn’t a chickadee too small?”

She flung her arms out to her sides. “A big one.” She drew out the word
big
in such a cute way that Gabby couldn’t help chuckling.

Annabelle and Miss Teague swung their heads toward them, their mouths hanging open.

“Sorry to interrupt your play,” Anthony said as if disturbing the girl’s activities were tantamount to barging in on a session in the House of Lords. The situation hardly required the amount of seriousness displayed in his expression.

Gabby smiled at Annabelle to put her at ease. “Good afternoon, Lady Annabelle. May I say your idea for a giant chickadee is the most brilliant solution I’ve ever heard?”

The corners of Annabelle’s mouth eased up as she tipped her head to the side. “Are you Papa’s wife?”

“Annabelle,” Miss Teague scolded, placing a staying hand on the girl’s shoulder when she started to stand. “Impertinent questions won’t make your papa happy.”

Gabby opened her mouth to correct the woman’s mistake, but thought better of it. Having never been around Anthony when he was with his daughter, she really didn’t know what made him happy and what displeased him. She supposed she should ask about his rules before she asserted her beliefs.

Annabelle’s smile had disappeared, and she stared up at her father with large eyes.

Anthony snapped out of whatever spell he’d been under. “Er, yes. This is my wife, Gabrielle, and she will be living here as mistress of the house.”

The girl’s green eyes flicked to Miss Teague, Gabrielle, and then back to her aunt. Her little brow wrinkled as if trying to puzzle something out.

Gabby leaned down so she was on her level. “You may call me Gabby if you like.”

Annabelle nodded.

“Well,” Anthony said with a slight clap of his hands that startled Annabelle, “shall we join you in playing blocks?”

She inched closer to Miss Teague and the woman wrapped her in a tight embrace, smashing the girl’s rosy cheek against her side. “Annabelle is still a bit shy, milord. Perhaps another day would be better.”

Annabelle’s eyes rounded even more before she buried her face into her aunt’s skirts. A tiny whimper slipped from her.

Gabby glanced at Anthony to see what he made of the strange display, and her stomach pitched. His long face and the defeated look in his eyes broke her heart.

“Very good,” he said before spinning on his heel and walking away.

Gabby remained a moment longer, unsure of what she should say. Annabelle peeked at her and Gabby smiled. “It was nice to meet you, Annabelle. Perhaps in the morning you will visit the park with your papa and me.”

She didn’t answer, but neither did she shy away. Gabby bid her and Miss Teague a good evening and left. She paused in the adjoining room to take inventory once more. The space would make a good schoolroom for Annabelle and any siblings Gabby and Anthony created. She hoped it wouldn’t take too long for her to get with child, because it would be nice if Annabelle had a brother or sister somewhat close to her age.

Studying the blank wall, she began formulating an idea for a mural, similar to the one she’d grown up with at Foxhaven Manor. Miss Teague’s crooning voice interrupted her daydreams of re-creating a fairy world complete with pixie dust, gossamer wings, and blue bells.

“There, there, my precious girl. Your papa is gone. You are safe.”

Her words sparked Gabby’s ire. While it might appear Miss Teague was trying to reassure the girl, she was essentially telling Annabelle she was in danger when Anthony was near.

Gabby had a good mind to march into the other room and set the woman straight, but she didn’t yet know her place in Annabelle’s life, and overstepping her bounds might upset Anthony. Instead, she went in search of her husband.

She found him in his study behind his desk. “May I come in?”

His head snapped up; the paper he was holding fluttered to the desk. “Is something wrong?”

None of the distress she’d seen sweeping across his face earlier showed now. Not that she believed he was no longer hurt by his daughter’s reaction. He was simply a master at hiding his feelings.

“There’s nothing wrong.” She wandered into the room, intrigued with exploring his private sanctuary. “I told Annabelle we would take her to the park tomorrow. She appeared rather interested.”

He grunted in response. They were back to primitive communication. She wondered if she should hop on his desk and beat her chest in order to get anywhere with him.

“Anthony, has Annabelle always been a nervous child?”

“Nervous? I don’t think so.” His jaw twitched as he returned to his work. “She has never fully warmed to me, but I can’t blame the girl when I’ve only seen her a few times a year ever since she was born.”

“Why did you leave her in Wales? Couldn’t you have seen her more if she’d come to Ellis Hall?”

He glanced up. “Her aunt lived in Crickhowell and I already explained how Annabelle had formed an attachment with her. I didn’t think it was right to split them apart.”

“And Miss Teague wasn’t in favor of moving to England until recently?”

He dropped the paper on the desk again with an exaggerated exhale. “Why are you questioning me about Miss Teague? I thought we had cleared up the matter of who she is to Annabelle and what she is
not
to me.”

His tone stung, but she decided to let it go. He was hurting even if he didn’t realize it himself. She moved beside him at his desk and smoothed his hair back from his forehead. “I was simply curious about Annabelle’s past. I didn’t mean to irritate you.”

“And I didn’t mean to be surly.” He closed his eyes, melting under her touch. “Not long ago Miss Teague’s brother came to her home demanding money. He’d gotten himself into debt, and he was not above using Annabelle as leverage to extort money from his sister. He threatened to take Annabelle unless she came up with six hundred pounds.”

“Where was she supposed to get that kind of money?”

When he glanced up, his eyes were hard. “From me. But instead of writing to ask for money, Miss Teague wrote to inform me of his demands. I left for Wales as soon as I could.”

The reason for his sudden journey and brief message. If he’d been open with her from the start, they could have been spared a lot of heartache. Nevertheless, she’d offered her forgiveness and couldn’t allow herself to feel bitter. She propped a hip on the edge of his desk, waiting for him to continue.

“When I arrived at the cottage, Annabelle and her aunt were missing. The home had been ransacked. A neighbor said Miss Teague’s brother had been there several days earlier. A ruckus had ensued and Miss Teague was later seen with a blackened eye. I feared something horrible had happened to Annabelle, but the woman said she thought Miss Teague had taken her to stay with a distant relative the morning after her brother’s visit.

“Unfortunately, she had already fled to a different location by the time I found her cousin’s farm. I spent the better part of my time chasing after my daughter and fearing the worst.”

Gabby pressed her lips together in a frown. How childish she had been, expecting him to profess his love to her in letters when he was likely out of his mind with worry for Annabelle. “I’m sorry you went through something that scary.”

“Annabelle and Miss Teague suffered more,” he said with a shrug. “That’s the reason I don’t press my company upon Annabelle. Miss Teague has reassured me that my daughter’s response isn’t to be taken personally.”

His blue eyes misted over. He blinked and picked up his paper. “I really should finish with this correspondence. It has been piling up for weeks.”

Gabby smiled sadly, then leaned forward to kiss his forehead. “I’m sure Miss Teague is correct. Annabelle will warm to you soon, you’ll see.”

And Gabby would do everything she could to ensure her husband’s heart healed fully, which meant helping him smooth the way with Annabelle.

Thirty-one

Anthony woke the next morning with a renewed sense of optimism with Gabby curled against his side and thoughts of a walk in the park with his daughter in his head. He eased Gabby from his embrace and slipped from bed to summon his valet, excited to start his day.

Pierce found Anthony in his dressing room rummaging through his jackets and gasped. “Milord, I will select your attire.”

The man nearly shoved Anthony aside in his eagerness to fulfill his duties. One might think Anthony was in danger of being blown to bits if not for his valet throwing himself on a bundle of explosives. This was how seriously Pierce saw his responsibilities.

Anthony backed away with his hands up and chuckled. “Don’t you wish to know where I’m going this morning before you decide what I should wear?”

“You go to the club every morning.” His valet selected a gray waistcoat.

“But today I’m accompanying my bride and daughter to the park.”

Pierce held up the waistcoat, wrinkled his nose, and put it back. “Too drab for the ladies, I fear.”

“Yes, choose something cheerful.” An outfit to match Anthony’s mood. Annabelle had never accompanied him on a walk, and he looked forward to spending the morning with the two most important people in his life.

Gabby began stirring in the outer room. He went to greet her with a kiss and arranged to meet her in the breakfast room. They would enjoy a nice meal, then he would summon Annabelle.

He hadn’t been at the table long before his wife swept in wearing a yellow walking dress and looking as radiant as a beam of sunlight. She bypassed the chair at the other end of the table where his footman had placed a plate and slipped into the seat adjacent to Anthony. The servant scrambled to accommodate her, a light sheen breaking out on his forehead.

Anthony sent him a sympathetic smile. They would all have adjustments to make, but adjustments must always be made any time there were improvements.

Gabby shook out a napkin and draped it over her lap. “Later today I wish to call on Mama. Would you give permission for Annabelle to join me?”

He blinked. “Are you certain you want a young child underfoot?”

“If you think Mama will welcome me without her newest grandchild, you don’t know her very well.”

Anthony’s heart inflated and threatened to burst. His daughter had a grandparent. Well, a grandparent who wanted to know her. Camilla’s parents had turned their backs on Annabelle once they learned her sire had been a member of the servant class. They did, however, give their word to keep the truth hidden. Too bad their promise had nothing to do with protecting their granddaughter and everything with avoiding the taint of their daughter’s sins touching them. It was their loss and his gain. Annabelle was a beautiful child.

When the front door creaked, Gabby’s eyebrows lifted.

“I must remember to tell Cooper to oil the hinges,” he said and dug into his eggs, happier than he’d ever recalled being.

Annabelle’s ecstatic squeal and running footsteps echoed from the foyer. He smiled, waiting for her to enter the breakfast room.

“Annabelle,” Miss Teague scolded. “No running inside. Your papa will hear you and become very cross with you.”

He balked. Had he truly presented as a brute to the woman and Annabelle?

Gabby’s wide-eyed gaze locked on him, and hot prickles traveled the back of his neck. Surely she didn’t believe his daughter running in the house would anger him.

He motioned to the footman. “Please let Lady Annabelle and her nanny know they may join us.”

He schooled his features and avoided eye contact with Gabby as he waited for Annabelle and Miss Teague. The nanny could barely walk with his daughter wrapped around her legs. Large tears filled Annabelle’s pretty green eyes and her bottom lip quivered.

“Good morning, milord and lady.” A blotchy flush covered Miss Teague’s skin. “I didn’t realize you were awake already. We just returned from a stroll in the park.”

Gabby’s delicate eyebrow arched higher. “Lord Ellis and I had planned to take her for a walk this morning. I mentioned as much last evening.”

“Aye, milady. But Lady Annabelle was up with the chickens this morning and terribly restless. I was at my wit’s end, so I thought to try a walk to settle her.”

Annabelle sniffled and peered at Anthony from across the room. Her tiny fingers gripped Miss Teague’s skirts as if clinging for her life.

“I’m not certain your remedy was successful,” Gabby said, sounding more than a tad snippy. “She still seems upset.”

Miss Teague hugged Annabelle close. “A nap may be in order. If we may be excused, your lordship…”

Anthony sank against the seat back, defeated. “Of course. Keep me informed if she doesn’t settle soon. Perhaps she needs a doctor.”

Once the nanny had ushered Annabelle from the room, Gabby touched her napkin to the corners of her mouth and placed it beside her plate. “Does Miss Teague often warn Annabelle against angering you?”

His stomach roiled. He didn’t want to have this conversation. “I may have been on the surly side a time or two during our courtship, but I never took it out on Annabelle. No doubt Miss Teague heard tales of my temper. I’m sure she means well.”

Gabby sniffed but said nothing more on the subject.

After breaking their fast, she refused to release him from his promise of a walk in the park. “The fresh air will do us both good.”

It wasn’t until she had him strolling along the Serpentine that he learned their conversation wasn’t over.

“I hope you will forgive me for speaking plainly, but I don’t care for the manner in which Miss Teague coddles Annabelle. She is not a baby any longer and shouldn’t be treated as one.”

He stiffened at what he saw as a slight to his daughter. She’d been traumatized in Wales, and therefore a few tears on occasion were not out of the ordinary.