LITMIR.BIZ

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      Anne was barely home for five minutes that evening when Louisa knocked on her bedroom door. It was nearly eleven—well past Louisa and Garrett’s usual bedtime. Garrett had taken over management of all the royal family’s vast farmlands so their brother Aaron could go to medical school, so he rose well before sunrise every morning. Not to mention that Louisa and Garrett were still newlyweds. They were constantly holding hands and touching. Sharing secret smiles and longing glances, as though they couldn’t wait to be alone.

      Anne would even admit to being jealous a time or two. But soon it would be her turn.

      “You’re up late,” Anne said, pretending she had no idea why Louisa was so eager to speak to her, keeping her hand casually behind her, so she wouldn’t see the ring.

      “I just wondered how your date went,” Louisa said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.

      “Technically it wasn’t a date,” Anne said, walking to the bed and sitting down with her hands under her thighs. “We just had things to discuss.”

      Louisa sat beside her. “What did you talk about?”

      “The baby mostly.”

      “That’s it?” Louisa hedged.

      “Pretty much,” she said, then added casually, “Oh, and he asked me to marry him.”

      Louisa squealed so loudly Anne was sure the entire castle heard her. “Oh my God! Congratulations! What did you say?”

      She shrugged. “I told him I would think about it.”

      Louisa gasped in horror, looking as though she wanted to throttle her. “You didn’t!”

      “Of course not.” She grinned and pulled her hand from under her leg, flashing Louisa the ring. “I said yes.”

      Louisa threw her arms around Anne and hugged her. “I am so happy for you, Annie. You and Sam are going to be perfect together.”

      “I really hope so,” Anne said.

      Louisa held her at arm’s length. “You will. If you believe it, it’ll happen.”

      She wished that were true, that it were that easy. “I just keep thinking about you and Aaron and Chris. You all found the perfect person for you—you’re all so happy.”

      “And you will be, too.”

      “It just seems as though every family has at least one person who goes through life always ruining relationships. What if I’m that person? I’ve always been so negative. What if I don’t deserve to be happy?”

      “After all we’ve been through with our father, don’t you think we all deserve some happiness? Besides, nothing is predetermined. Your life is what you make of it.”

      “That’s what I’m worried about. Up until now, I’ve made a mess of it. Especially my love life.”

      “That was just bad luck. You just happened to meet a string of jerks. But anyone who knows Sam will tell you he’s a great guy. And he’ll be a fantastic husband and father.”

      Anne didn’t doubt that at all. She never would have accepted his proposal otherwise. It was herself she was worried about. For the first time in her life she had a real shot at happiness—and she was terrified that she would find a way to screw it up.

      “I’m sure you’re right,” she told Louisa.

      “Of course I am,” she said, as if there was never a doubt. Her relentless optimism never ceased to amaze Anne.

      After Louisa went back to her room, Anne changed into her softest pajamas and crawled into bed, but her mind was still moving a million miles an hour and she was practically bursting with excitement. Thinking that a cup of tea might soothe her nerves, she climbed out of bed and put on her robe. The halls of the castle were silent but for the muffled wail of a baby crying from Chris and Melissa’s room. Five months from now Anne could look forward to the same. She and Sam, she reminded herself with a smile.

      She expected the kitchen to be empty and was surprised, when she switched on the light, to find their butler, Geoffrey, sitting at the butcher-block table. He squinted at the sudden bright light.

      “I’m sorry,” Anne said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

      “No need to apologize,” he said. His jacket was draped over the back of his chair and his tie hung loose around his neck. In front of him sat a bottle of scotch and a half-full highball glass. “What brings you down here at this late hour, Your Highness?”

      “Couldn’t sleep. I thought I would make some tea.”

      “You should have called down,” he scolded. “I’d have brought it to you.”

      “I didn’t want to bother you.”

      He rose and gestured to an empty chair. “Sit. I’ll make it for you.”

      Because this was Geoffrey’s domain, and he could be a little territorial, she did as he asked. She gestured to his drink and said, “Rough day?”

      “Worse than some, better than others.” He put the kettle on to boil. “How about you? “

      “Actually, I had a very good day.”

      He pulled a cup down from the cupboard and dropped a tea bag in. “Would that have something to do with a certain young man and that ring on your finger?”

      “It might.” She should have realized he would notice the ring. Geoffrey didn’t miss a thing. He may have been getting up in years, but he was still sharp as a tack. He had been with the family since before she was born and in some ways she had come to think of him as a second father. As far as she knew he had no family of his own, no one to care for him if he ever became incapacitated. But after so many years of loyal service, he would always have a place at the castle with the royal family.

      “I suppose you heard about the baby.”

      “I might have,” he said cryptically, but knowing him, he’d probably suspected all along.

      “Are you disappointed in me?”

      “If you had murdered someone, I would have been disappointed in you. A child is a blessing.”

      “Yes, but I know you have … traditional values.”

      He poured boiling water into her cup then set it on the table in front of her. “Then I suppose you’ll be surprised to learn that I was once in a similar situation.”

      Surprised? For a moment she was too stunned to even respond. She never knew him to have a girlfriend, much less a pregnant one. He’d never spoken of any family. “I—I had no idea.”

      He sat across from her. “It was many years ago. Before I came to work here.”

      “You have a child?”

      He nodded. “His name is Richard.”

      “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

      He shrugged, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “It isn’t something I like to talk about.”

      “Do you see him?”

      He shook his head, looking remorseful. “Not for many years.”

      “What happened?”

      He downed the last of his drink then poured himself another. She wondered if the alcohol was responsible for his sudden loose tongue. He looked so sad. And when had he gotten so old? It was as though the lines on his face had appeared overnight. Or maybe she just hadn’t wanted to see them.

      “His mother was a cook for my previous employer,” he told her. “We had an affair and she became pregnant. I did the responsible thing and married her, but it didn’t take long to realize that we were completely incompatible. We

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