A Modern Day Persuasion (23 page)

“Well, if it were up to me, I’d love to go,” Anne began, “But Dad asked me to help out with the benefit he’s hosting for charity. In fact, didn’t Elizabeth mention anything to you? Dad specifically asked her to do so.”

“Oh, a game night does sound like fun, Charles,” Mary said, turning to her husband in anticipation. “Let’s go see the play some other night.”

“I don’t see why not. And as long as they have poker, I’m good,” Charles answered, looking to Anne for confirmation to which she nodded in agreement.

“Cool! This means we can all see Anne’s new home!” Etta smiled kindly at Anne. “Is it really near a vineyard?”

Anne nodded and when asked for more details, she described the many acres of planted grapes wrapped around their home. Mary became impatient at all the attention focused on her sister. With deliberation, Mary interrupted to point out a dress boutique, knowing it would awaken the voracious shopping habit of Etta. Mary was not disappointed. Etta immediately excused herself to check out the store with Mary accompanying her. As the two ladies went to get a better look, Rick took the opportunity to move closer to Anne.

“So your dad is still hosting those game parties?” Rick asked.

“Um, yes,” Anne said, a little flustered at his approach. “Yet I’ve never appreciated the way he raises money. Too much like Las Vegas for me,” she confessed.

Rick smiled knowingly, which made Anne’s heart somersault. “No, you never did care for games of chance, did you?” he said tenderly.

Anne was touched that Rick would remember such an insignificant thing about her, especially after all this time. Hearing him speak as he had, the pain Anne had been harboring from their last two encounters began to slowly peel away. A budding hope started to once again manifest itself in her heart.
After all, doesn’t that show he once cared
? she thought longingly.
How pitiful I am
! Anne chided herself.
The slightest bit of attention from Rick and the next thing I’m convincing myself there’s still a chance for the two of us
! Looking expectedly at Rick, Anne waited for him to continue.

“Let’s get a move on, ladies,” Charles said to the group as he clapped his hands together. “You’ve done enough shopping for today…any more and I’ll be broke,” he chuckled.

Herding the group towards the parking lot, Mary sent her husband a scathing look letting him know she wasn’t at all pleased. Anne sighed. For what seemed like the umpteenth time, the moment had been lost for any sort of reconciliation. Anne needed answers for all those silent years, or even closure for that matter, if indeed that’s what Rick desired. Anne was almost beginning to feel as though destiny was having a hand in keeping them apart. At every opportunity in which Rick would start to address their past, he was interrupted; and every time she thought she saw the walls begin to tumble down, they went right back up again. It was frustrating for Anne to say the least, and it didn’t particularly make her a fan of destiny at that moment.

Chapter 42

With only a few days left before Carol made her return to Portland, she and Anne began to spend as much quality time together as possible. Anne had been delighted when Carol made the decision to remain longer than her initial plan, extending her visit to almost a month.

On this beautiful morning, the two had decided to share tea in the family room, as its large bay windows afforded a breathtaking view of a nearby vineyard. What started out as an enjoyable time of tea and conversation reminiscing about Anne’s mother and their mutual joy of cooking, had now turned into a subject Anne wished to avoid—the topic of Will. Anne inwardly kicked herself when she inadvertently mentioned Will’s name while discussing a family event. As Anne suspected, this was just the opening Carol was waiting for.

Carol was bent on Anne securing a husband, especially one she could approve of. To Carol, Will appeared to be the best candidate. So far he seemed to be a perfect gentleman and a man well capable of taking care of Anne the way she deserved to be treated. Yet, Anne couldn’t shake her uneasy feeling about Will. Not only that, she was still somewhat annoyed at how territorial he became around Rick. As anticipated, Carol seized this opportunity to request an update on all of Anne’s latest interactions with Will. Although Anne could speak of some fun times she had shared with Will, what
she really wanted to do was discuss a number of red flags she had observed. However, Anne knew it would be pointless as Carol would devise ways to overlook them. Sadly, Carol was blinded by an six letter word, S-T-A-T-U-S.

“Maybe all this is in your favor,” began Carol after hearing the surprising news Anne had picked up from Jane, plus the comment Rick had made about an impending engagement. “Will must have said something to either your dad or Charles. Why else would Rick think you two were getting married? Anne, this is so exciting!” Carol said, taking Anne’s hand. “You’re getting engaged! Just think of the possibilities, perhaps even a wedding at a local vineyard.” Carol’s eyes were bright with excitement, and it was making Anne extremely nervous. “He’ll probably take you to Hawaii on your honeymoon,” continued Carol, “Maybe you can persuade him to live in Portland so you can be near me.”

This was moving way too fast for Anne. She didn’t even know if she wanted to consider Will as husband material— nor was she even sure if he was trustworthy!

“Whoa! First of all, you’re forgetting I never said yes to his ‘indirect’ proposal.” As soon as the words left Anne’s mouth, she knew she had used the wrong word choice at seeing Carol’s sassy smile and “ahh ha” expression. Backtracking, Anne continued, “What I meant to say is that he
started
to propose but then got interrupted.”

Anne had only made it worse. Carol kept smiling her Cheshire-cat look, not saying a word, which exasperated Anne all the more.

“Alright…then how do you explain that I saw him with Susan at the mall when he told my family he’d be out of town?” Anne challenged, hoping it would help Carol better understand why she was so wary of Will.

There was also another reason why Anne found herself resisting Will, but even Anne didn’t want to voice it. Despite all that had gone down the past few months with Rick, even
after being wounded greatly by his behavior, she still found herself very much in love with him.

“I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason,” Carol responded to Anne’s earlier question.

“Like what?” Anne questioned. Carol always had an explanation.

“Well…perhaps he…he didn’t want you to know he was in town so he could surprise you with an engagement ring. Maybe Susan was helping him pick one out.”

Anne rested her head back onto the sofa cushion behind her. She had to admit Carol had actually come up with a plausible excuse, but somehow Anne couldn’t quite buy into it. Hesitantly, Anne responded, “You could be right, but I can’t shake the feeling he was up to something other than getting me a ring.”

“What have you got against Will, Anne?” Carol asked. “He’s perfect for you.”

Anne lifted her head to look at Carol again. “I’ll grant you that he’s handsome and charming. In fact, he’s really too perfect. Maybe that’s why I just don’t trust him.”

Carol raised her eyebrows quizzically and drank a sip of her still warm chamomile tea. Anne relaxed, knowing Carol wouldn’t push the subject further, at least for the time being.

Taking a sip of her own tea, Anne let her eyes wander to the beautiful scene outdoors. As she watched the gentle breeze move the flowers to a slow, rhythmic sway, Anne reflected that if Rick hadn’t come back into her life, perhaps she might have been persuaded to consider Will more seriously. After all, he was extremely good-looking, possessed an interesting personality, and had wealth to boot. Will was an excellent catch.
Am I being too romantic in wanting to hold out for a dream
?
I mean, there’s no certainty Rick will ever again return my feelings,
Anne thought.
Maybe I’m being foolish to ignore such an eligible man as Will…

Looking again at her godmother, Anne tried to convince herself that maybe Carol was right.

Chapter 43

After Anne’s conversation with Carol it was becoming almost impossible to avoid Will. It was as if he had somehow sensed Anne’s concerns, and doubled his efforts to woo her. Will was constantly around the house, attaching himself to Anne and making his intentions all too clear. What made things worse was Will had the full support of both Mr. Elliot and Carol, and therefore just needed Anne to jump on board—something she had no intention of doing. The thought of marriage to Will somehow terrified her, making Anne diligent to never allow him to be alone with her, even if that meant spending time in Elizabeth’s company. Anne wasn’t going to place herself in a situation where he’d have a chance to
formally
pop the question.

Anne wished she could turn to Carol for sympathy or support, but her dear friend only saw Will’s outer appearance and wealth. Carol made no secret she was already devising wedding preparations. Anne nearly had a panic attack after discovering that her godmother had covertly taken pictures of the two of them, later uploading them into a program showing what their future children would look like! When apprehended, the guilty Carol promised never to do it again, especially since it was causing Anne to become even more resistant to Will. And Anne’s hesitation was not due to their “supposed” children looking bad, quite the contrary, but it
made her feel pressured, and that was something Anne did not like.

It was times like these that Anne found solace in the company of her dear friend Jane, where the drama could be left behind and more important things could be focused on.

Sadly, Anne had experienced another rough day with Carol. It started with her godmother probing, “You know, Etta chose red and brown for her wedding colors. What would you have chosen?” Although Carol presumed she had underhandedly gotten away with asking another wedding question, it was not the case.

Anne decided to turn the question around, “Why do you ask?” she inquired, even though she knew the reason why. Just the other night Anne had overheard her godmother on the phone with a wedding planner. The discussion had stalled when the planner asked what colors would be used for the ceremony. Carol needed this vital information to continue her dastardly plans.

“Oh…just curious,” Carol didn’t seem to miss a beat.

“Carol! I know exactly what you’re up to!” Anne accused, “I am
not
getting married to Will!”

Despite Anne’s continued efforts to curtail her godmother from trying to push her into marriage, Carol was having a difficult time understanding why Anne simply couldn’t enjoy the idea of a beau. However, Anne wasn’t the type of girl to toy with a man’s feelings. In order for her to reciprocate Will’s regard (and that was assuming his devotion was genuine), she’d have to believe herself committed and in love with him. Right now, her mind and heart belonged to another, so in no way could Anne, with any honesty, contemplate such a serious step as matrimony with Will.

So, it was with a heavy heart that Anne showed up at her friend’s room for a visit. Jane immediately sensed something was wrong, and with a little prodding, Anne began to open up to her.

“I don’t know why everybody thinks I’m going to marry Will! I don’t even really know him that well!” Anne complained, getting all worked up, but appreciating how she could finally share her true feelings with someone.

“But hasn’t he already popped the question?” Jane asked searchingly.

“Well, yes and no,” Anne said with a grimace, “Will has not officially asked me, but even if he did, I don’t know what I would say…at least not at this point. Honestly, I don’t know if it’s just bad timing or whether I’d ever want to marry him. I feel trapped, plus I still have all these doubts about Will that make it almost impossible for me to consider him seriously…”

Anne pondered why Jane wasn’t trying to convince her she needed to be with Will like everyone else. It felt refreshing to say the least. However, if Will was as good as most people thought, why couldn’t Anne see it?
And why does the idea of “forever” with him make me so uncomfortable
? she wondered.
Am I being unreasonable
?

But before Anne could voice these questions, Nurse Rooke entered the room with a glass of water and Jane’s afternoon snack.

“So, if he does ask, which I am sure he will, you don’t think you’d say yes?” Jane inquired, not letting the Nurse’s entrance distract her.

“I…couldn’t…I don’t love him,” Anne responded.

Having committed this statement out loud somehow broke the chains that had been like weights holding her captive. The sensation was freeing to Anne and she felt as if a great burden had been lifted. True, Anne had liked the attention and admiration she received from Will as a suitor, but he hadn’t been able to touch her heart—and no persuasion could make her throw her life away just for the comfortable existence he could offer.

As Jane watched the transformation take place on Anne’s face, she clasped her hands together joyfully. “Nurse Rooke, she’s not engaged to him!” Jane announced with excitement.

“Thank heavens!” Nurse Rooke heartily resounded, sharing an equally satisfied look with her patient.

While Jane took a sip of water to moisten her dry throat after the highly charged announcement, Anne observed the two women carefully. It seemed odd that they appeared not only joyous, but relieved at Anne’s spoken refusal towards any future advances from Will.