The following morning, the first rays of sunlight began to illuminate the fields surrounding the Carters' farm. Annie woke feeling more rested than usual. Although the events of the previous night still occupied much of her thoughts, the atmosphere in the house seemed to have returned to its usual calm.
After helping her mother with the first chores of the morning, she went upstairs to her room to change her dress. She had decided to visit Eleanor. Since the party at the old mansion on the hill, she hadn't had a chance to speak with her best friend, and she was certain Eleanor would be eager to hear everything that had happened that night, especially after seeing her dance with Alaric.
When she returned to the main floor, she found Mrs. Carter finishing arranging some flowers on the dining room table.
“Are you going to the Aldridges'?” her mother asked when she saw her pick up her hat and gloves.
“Yes. I promised Eleanor I'd come see her as soon as I had a moment.”
Mrs. Carter stopped what she was doing and studied her for a few moments.
“You may go, darling, but you won't be going alone.”
Annie frowned slightly.
“Alone?”
“Agatha will accompany you.”
The answer took her by surprise.
“Mother, I know the way by heart.”
“This isn't about the way. Things have changed since last night,” Mrs. Carter said calmly, though her tone left no room for argument.
Annie immediately understood what she meant.
Her mother continued.
“Everyone in Wrenford will eventually find out that Mr. Ravenscroft asked our permission to court you. News like that doesn't take long to travel through the village.”
Annie lowered her gaze.
Mrs. Carter approached her affectionately.
“That is precisely why you must be more careful than ever. People pay close attention to a young woman once they know a gentleman has publicly declared his intentions, and any gesture, no matter how insignificant it may seem, can become fodder for gossip.”
She paused briefly before adding in a gentler voice:
“After what happened with Mr. Pembroke, we must be more careful than ever. I won't allow anything to put your good name at risk.”
Annie felt a slight knot tighten in her chest.
She knew her mother wasn't speaking from distrust, but from a desire to protect her.
She nodded slowly.
“I understand.”
At that moment, Agatha appeared in the foyer, adjusting the shawl draped over her shoulders.
When she saw them, she smiled naturally.
“Well, we'd better get going before your mother decides I'm failing in my important mission to escort you.”
Annie couldn't help blushing.
Mrs. Carter managed a faint smile.
“Go with her, enjoy your visit, and remember that the best way to preserve a good reputation is not to give others a reason to invent stories.”
Annie drew a breath, adjusted her hat, and left the house with Agatha. As they set off toward the Aldridges' residence, she couldn't help thinking that, in the span of only a few days, her everyday life had changed far more than she ever could have imagined.
The walk to the Aldridges' residence passed amid light conversation and the pleasant morning air. After a few minutes of silence, Agatha glanced sideways at Annie and smiled mischievously.
“I never imagined I'd end up accompanying a young woman being courted by the most sought-after gentleman in Wrenford.”
Annie let out a small sigh.
“Are you starting too?”
“I haven't said a single lie.”
Annie shook her head, unable to contain a smile.
“He only asked permission to court me.”
“Only?” Agatha repeated, amused. “Annie, half the girls in the village would give anything to hear those very words.”
“Don't exaggerate.”
“Don't exaggerate? Annie, a gentleman like Mr. Ravenscroft doesn't ask permission to court a young woman every day. If I were in your place, I'd still be wondering whether the whole thing had been a dream.”
The remark made Annie laugh.
“You're impossible.”
“And you're far too serious.”
They continued walking and trading jokes until the elegant Aldridge residence appeared at the end of the street.
Mrs. Aldridge welcomed them with her usual kindness, and as soon as Agatha crossed the threshold, one of the cooks recognized her immediately.
“Agatha! It's been ages since I've seen you!”
Agatha's face lit up.
“Margaret! I thought you didn't work here anymore.”
The two women embraced warmly, and after exchanging a few words, Margaret invited Agatha to join her in the kitchen so they could catch up while preparing the family's lunch.
Agatha turned her gaze toward Annie.
“Go on to Eleanor. I'm sure she has just as many questions as I do.”
Annie smiled and nodded.
She didn't have to wait long.
The moment she stepped into the garden, Eleanor appeared walking along the gravel path with an expression of unmistakable excitement.
“You finally made it! I've been waiting all morning for you to show up.”
Without giving her time to answer, she gently took her arm and began leading her toward the most secluded corner of the garden, where an iron bench rested beneath the shade of an ancient rosebush.
“Now then,” she said, settling herself across from Annie with a smile full of anticipation. “Tell me everything. I want to know what happened between you and Mr. Ravenscroft after he invited you to dance. I won't let you leave out a single detail.”
Annie let out a small sigh before beginning to speak.
“After Alaric invited me to dance, so many things happened that even I couldn't have imagined them.”
Eleanor smiled impatiently.
“That is exactly what I want to hear. Tell me everything.”
Annie couldn't help laughing under her breath.
Then, little by little, she began recounting every detail. She told Eleanor about Alaric's unexpected invitation to dance the first waltz of the evening, the conversation they had shared as they crossed the ballroom, and the way he had managed to make her feel at ease in the middle of an evening that had intimidated her at first.
She also told her how, when the party ended, his family's carriage had broken down and Alaric had insisted on taking them to the farm, showing not the slightest concern about the difference in their social positions.
Eleanor listened to every word without interrupting.
When Annie reached the part about the previous night's dinner, her friend's expression shifted from curiosity to utter astonishment.
“He went to your house?”
Annie nodded.
“He had dinner with my entire family. He talked with my father for hours about the farm and treated everyone with a respect I never would have imagined.”
“That is extraordinary enough.”
Annie took a deep breath before continuing.
“But that wasn't what surprised us most.”
Eleanor watched her expectantly.
“Before he left... he asked my parents for permission to formally court me and, if I ever came to return his feelings, ask for my hand in marriage.”
For several seconds, Eleanor remained completely still.
Then she brought both hands to her mouth to contain an exclamation.
“Annie!” She hugged her enthusiastically before pulling away again. “Do you realize what that means?”
“I'm still having trouble believing it.”
Eleanor smiled, a mixture of excitement and disbelief in her expression.
“Then there's something you need to know.”
Annie looked at her curiously.
“My father told me last night, when he returned from the notary's office. He asked me to keep it confidential, but I think you have a right to know.” She lowered her voice slightly. “Alaric Ravenscroft didn't inherit only the mansion.”
Annie frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“His true story is far more important than the entire village imagines. He is descended from an old branch of the Ashbourne family.”
Annie's eyes widened in surprise.
“From the Ashbournes?”
Eleanor nodded.
“Many years ago, when the family split over inheritance matters, an agreement was signed that nearly everyone eventually forgot. My father says the document remained stored in the notary's archives for decades, and no one believed it would ever matter again.”
Annie listened without taking her eyes off her friend.
“Now that Alaric has proven his legitimate relationship to the family, that agreement must be honored. That means he'll inherit the share of the fortune that belonged to his branch of the family... practically half of the Ashbourne estate.”
Annie remained motionless.
“Half?”
“That’s right. When the whole process is finished, he won't just own the old mansion. He'll also become the richest and most powerful man in the entire county.”
Those words left Annie speechless.
For an instant, she remembered the ease with which Alaric had shared her family's table, the natural way he had spoken with her father about the crops, and the profound respect with which he had treated everyone at the farm.
It was difficult to believe that a man destined to possess such a fortune had found a simple dinner in the home of humble farmers so enjoyable.
And yet, that was precisely why Annie was beginning to admire him more with every passing day.
Eleanor's excitement faded when she noticed that Annie was no longer smiling.
“What is it?” she asked gently. “There's something else, isn't there?”
Annie lowered her gaze and clasped her hands in her lap.
“Yes.” She remained silent for a few moments, gathering the courage she needed to continue. “I received a letter from Lucian asking me to meet with him one last time.”
Eleanor frowned in surprise.
“A letter?”
Annie nodded slowly.
“He asked me to meet him one last time, at the place where we used to see each other. I went to him.”
Her friend fell silent, understanding where the confession was leading.
Eleanor let out a sigh.
“Annie...”
“I needed closure. I thought it would be a farewell.” Her eyes began to grow damp. “But when we saw each other... neither of us was able to hide what we still felt. We kissed... and that was when my mother found us.”
The words hung suspended between them. Eleanor took one of her hands delicately, and her expression changed completely.
“Mrs. Carter?”
“Yes. She didn't know that Lucian and I had been meeting in secret for nearly a year. It was the first time she discovered our relationship.”
For several seconds, Eleanor didn't know what to say.
“What happened afterward?”
“She forced him to leave and took me home. There, I told her the whole truth... how our relationship began, that Lucian had planned to ask for permission to marry me before his family's financial problems changed his fate, and that everything ended when he agreed to become engaged to Miss Florence.”
Eleanor gently squeezed her friend's hand.
“It must have been very difficult.”
Annie nodded.
“My mother understood how much I had loved him, but she also told me I had to forget him. From that day on, she forbade me from seeing him again and decided that whenever I left the house, someone would have to accompany me to protect my reputation.” A faint, sad smile appeared on her lips. “That's why Agatha came with me this morning.”
Eleanor cast a brief glance toward the house, where Agatha was surely still chatting animatedly in the kitchen.
Then she looked back at Annie.
“I can't blame your mother. In a village like Wrenford, any rumor is enough to destroy a woman's good name.”
Annie nodded silently.
As painful as it had been to accept, she understood that her mother was only trying to protect her from a scandal that could follow her for the rest of her life.
Eleanor remained silent for a few moments, carefully considering her words. She knew Annie too well to think she needed reproaches. What she needed was someone willing to speak with complete honesty.
“Annie, I'm going to tell you something, though it may not be what you want to hear.”
She slowly lifted her gaze.
“I'm listening.”
“I know how much you loved Lucian. I saw it in your eyes all this time, and I also saw how much you suffered when he announced his engagement to Miss Florence. I never doubted that his feelings for you were real.” She paused briefly before continuing. “But love alone isn't always enough.”
Annie lowered her gaze.
Those words hurt because she knew they were true.
“Lucian has already made a decision,” Eleanor continued gently. “It may not have been the one his heart wanted, but it was the one he chose for his life. Now he's engaged to Miss Florence, and that engagement doesn't only bind him to her. It also binds him to two families that will never allow him to take a step back.”
Annie remained silent.
“Continuing to cling to him will only prolong a pain neither of you can change.”
For several seconds, the only sound was the birds singing among the trees in the garden.
Then Eleanor smiled tenderly.
“Instead, look at Alaric.”
Annie raised her eyes.
“From the very beginning, he's treated you with a respect few women are fortunate enough to receive. He hasn't tried to hide you, turn you into a secret, or ask you to wait while he sorts out his life. He spoke with your parents before even confessing his intentions to you and asked their permission to court you in the most honorable way possible.”
Annie couldn't help remembering the serenity with which Alaric had spoken those words the night before.
“I don't know what will happen between the two of you,” Eleanor continued, “but I do know how to recognize a good man when I see one. And Alaric is one.” She smiled with a hint of mischief. “Besides, the most respected gentleman—and probably the richest man—in the county doesn't ask permission every day to win a young woman's heart because he wants to earn it first.”
Annie let out a quiet laugh.
“When you put it that way, it sounds incredible.”
“Because it is.” Eleanor gently squeezed her hand. “I'm not asking you to forget Lucian today. Only time can accomplish that. All I want is for you not to close the door on the possibility of happiness because you're still waiting for someone who has already chosen a different path.”
Annie remained silent.
Her friend's words didn't erase the affection she still held for Lucian, but she couldn't deny that Alaric had entered her life with a honesty and respect she had never expected to find.
Perhaps Eleanor was right.
Perhaps the time had come to stop looking only at what she had lost and begin discovering what destiny might still have to offer her.
When their conversation began to wind down, Eleanor suddenly stood.
“Wait here a moment.”
Annie watched curiously as she disappeared into the house. A few minutes later, she returned with a mischievous expression.
“Come with me.”
“What are you plotting?”
“You'll see.”
Without offering any further explanation, she led Annie to her room and carefully closed the door before approaching an old bookshelf. After making sure no one was watching them, she moved several books aside and pulled out a small leather-bound volume hidden behind them.
She held it between her hands with a conspiratorial smile.
“I want you to have this.”
Annie accepted it with a puzzled expression. When she lowered her gaze to the cover, she read the title engraved in gold letters: The Secrets of the Marriage Bed. Her cheeks immediately flushed a deep scarlet.
“Eleanor!”
Her friend couldn't contain her laughter.
“Keep your voice down, or my mother will think I'm hiding something much worse.”
Annie closed the book at once, as if someone might be able to read its contents simply by seeing it in her hands.
“Where did you get this?”
“It belonged to one of my aunts. She found it years ago among my grandmother's things, and eventually it came into my possession. Let's just say it's... quite instructive.”
Annie stared at her in horror.
“I'm not going to read something like that.”
Eleanor arched an eyebrow.
“Are you sure?”
Annie hesitated for a few seconds.
“Absolutely.”
Her friend smiled mischievously.
“Then explain to your hand why it's still gripping the book so tightly.”
Annie lowered her eyes and discovered that, without realizing it, she was still holding the book tightly against her chest.
She let out an embarrassed laugh.
“You're incorrigible.”
“I know.”
Eleanor's tone softened again.
“You don't have to read it now. Keep it, and if you ever get curious... it'll be there. After all, if Alaric really intends to court you with marriage in mind, it might not hurt to know a few things before the time comes.”
Annie blushed again.
“Don't assume something that hasn't even happened yet.”
“I'm not assuming anything,” Eleanor replied with a laugh. “I just prefer that my best friend be prepared for any eventuality.”
Shaking her head and unable to stop smiling, Annie finally tucked the small volume into the folds of her handbag.
“Promise me you'll never tell anyone about this.”
Eleanor made a show of bringing an imaginary key to her lips.
“I promise.”
The two of them burst into sincere laughter that echoed throughout the room. It had been a long time since Annie had laughed so naturally, and as she said goodbye to her friend, she couldn't help casting one last glance at the book hidden in her bag. Though she would never admit it aloud, a small part of her was already curious to discover what those pages concealed, and she suspected that, when night came, it would be difficult to resist opening it in the privacy of her room.