Chapter 17

Anne slowly turned to face her wicked Aunt Bertha. She knew that there would be grave consequences for falling pregnant out of wedlock. She wondered for a second whether George was worth all the hassle, but she quickly realised that he definitely was.

‘Do not panic, Aunt Bertha. George…well, George wants to marry me.’ Anne said, as she gulped mid-sentence and tried to hide it.

‘You are not serious? Marrying a recently widowed man is scandalous! His wife is not yet laid to rest and he is talking of marrying my eldest niece! No, I will not let this happen. I decide whom you will marry!’ Bertha yelled. Her voice echoed in Anne’s eardrums, just as they did when she was a defenceless child.

‘Wilma understands my reasoning. Why can you not? Surely it is a good thing if we care for one another? I thought you would be pleased that I am with child. At least there will be an heir to the Spenbourne fortune.’ Anne tried to explain.

‘Plus he is rich, remember? Anne would be almost tripling our fortune. Perhaps you should consider her reasoning, Auntie.’ Wilma waded in with a shaky voice.

‘Wilma does not understand because she is still a little girl! She has no idea how the world works yet. But you Anne. You are supposed to be an intelligent, modern woman! You will not say yes to him. You must refuse him. I am in talks with some young men, important people of Oxford. Surely one of them would be a better-suited match. Just give me a week and you will be betrothed.’ Bertha continued. Her voice was desperate and she failed to take many breaths.

‘So I am to walk down the aisle to another man, carrying the heir to the Winchester family? Have you not thought this through? Nobody will marry me when I am already pregnant with another man’s child! Marrying George is the only way out of all this.’ Anne cried.

Bertha shook her head and gave Anne a judgemental look of disappointment.

‘You will do as I say. Do not accept his proposal.’ Bertha said firmly. She picked her dress up at the thighs and took herself back out of the room.

‘Well, that could have gone better.’ Wilma remarked. She sighed and noticed the pain in her sister’s eyes. ‘Look, Anne, we must get ready for the charity event. Every important family will be there.’ Wilma continued.

Anne dashed up from her seat and went into hysterics. ‘Goodness! I promised the locals that I would be there. I had completely forgotten!’ Anne panicked.

‘It’s okay. Aunt Bertha said we need to use this charity event to invite people to our royal wedding celebrations which are in 3 weeks.’ Wilma told her.

‘Are we not to attend the royal wedding in person? I have heard in the village that many people are catching the Oxford to London railway to see Princess Louise be married in person.’ Anne explained.

‘Aunt Bertha said it would be far too crowded to see anything. She prefers to take advantage of the situation by holding a celebration ball here instead, in honour of Princess Louise and of course, Queen Victoria.’ Wilma explained.

‘Hmm. Victoria. I do love that name. If my darling child is a lady, she will be called Victoria. I would just have to convince George of it.’ Anne smiled to herself at the thought of bringing a baby up with her dear George.

‘So, it is decided then? You will accept his proposal?’ Wilma asked with a look of shock glooming over her long face.

‘I will. And what better place to do it than at the charity event? I expect the Winchester’s will be there. And if I announce it publicly, Aunt Bertha would feel too out of place to go back on my public word. This is perfect.’ Anne smirked to herself.

‘That is all fine and well but do not forget that this is for charity. Do not just use things for your own personal gain, just as Aunt Bertha does.’ Wilma said with an awkward half-smile. She then got up and left the room.

Anne dashed up the stairs and into her bedroom where she could think clearly with no distractions. She browsed her gowns to see which one would be the most fitting for the charity event. She remembered that the ball was to raise money for a local orphanage and she soon felt attached to the cause, knowing she had a child growing inside her. She grinned at the thought of accepting George’s proposal in front of everyone. She had a good feeling about marrying him. Anne soon picked out a deep yellow gown with sparkles everywhere. She didn’t often wear bright colours but as it was June, it felt fitting for the occasion.

An hour later, the whole Spenbourne family had arrived at the Oxford town hall. Anne was stunned at the quality of the building.

‘You can tell that this is a new build. It is just three years old and it is already highly popular among the locals.’ Anne told her family. She looked up and admired the beautiful domed ceiling.

‘It is spectacular, I must say. Ah, there is the main host. I shall go over and introduce myself.’ Bertha told them. She walked off in his direction. They watched her walk away.

‘Look! There is the Winchester’s! My ex-fiance and your future fiance. Good luck!’ Wilma said as she grabbed a drink from a passing waiter.

Anne took a deep breath and began to walk over to George. Luckily on her way over, Sheldon spotted a young attractive woman and walked in the opposite direction. George was finally alone, looking at the architecture of the building.

‘Anne? I did not expect to see you here. Not in your delicate condition.’ George asked out of concern.

‘I was told I had to act normal to keep up appearances. You know what my Aunt Bertha is like. I came over here to tell you something before the event starts properly.’ Anne said she felt a pit of nerves burning away in her stomach.

‘Yes? Please, continue.’ George insisted.

‘When I informed you that I was in this condition and you proposed marriage, was that a serious proposal or one of shock and duty?’ Anne confidently asked.

‘I was deadly serious. I would give anything to marry you and raise our baby together. Just say the word.’ George said. He tried to keep a straight face but Anne could see him smiling through his eyes.

‘Then, yes. I accept. It seems we are betrothed.’ Anne said, trying to hide her excitement.

The excitement was short-lived as someone came over and interrupted. George stopped smiling brightly at Anne and looked at them.

‘It is you, is it not? George Winchester? I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your beautiful wife, Lydia. She was a great soul. She was an old friend of mine. I am surprised to see you are not in your mourning clothes?’ The lady said with a drink in her hand. George looked at her awkwardly and back at Anne.

‘Oh, Caroline. I remember you. I am afraid I am not one to wear dark clothes for long. If you would like to come to her funeral, it is being held tomorrow at the chapel.’ George replied calmly.

‘Thank you. I will be there.’ She gently touched his shoulder, gave him a look of sympathy and walked away.

‘Your wife’s funeral is tomorrow? I am sorry, I did not know.’ Anne cried sympathetically.

‘It is okay. I am only looking to the future now. Our marriage is a new life for both of us. I cannot wait to tell everyone. In fact…’ George said. He got a spoon and tapped it against his almost empty glass. Everyone in the town hall stopped and stared over at him. He continued: ‘Thank you. Just before the orphanage charity event officially starts, I would like to proudly announce that the beautiful Anne Spenbourne has just agreed to become my wife.’ George announced.

There were a lot of congratulations and clapping, but also a few judgemental eyes and whispers. Anne knew that marrying so soon after just becoming a widow would look bad for George, but she couldn’t help but feel happier now that everyone knew of their love for one another. Through the crowded town hall, Anne noticed her Aunt Bertha, shaking her head and sniggering for going against her wishes. She noticed Sheldon angrily glaring over. Anne knew this wasn’t the end of it.