Chapter 18

‘No, I will not have this, I will not! You will soon be known as the Spenbourne whores! One pregnant out of wedlock and the other a cheap mistress. How could you both disrespect me and the family name in this way?’ Bertha cried out.

‘But that is the point! If I marry the man that impregnated me, I will be safe! Not to mention the mass fortunes of marrying a Winchester. I assumed you would be pleased, for I have finally agreed to a proposal!’ Anne yelled back.

Bertha waved her arms around in the air as though she had just been given devastating news. George waded into the room and quietly shut the door. He could hear the noise of the charity raffle over Bertha’s insensitive cries. Anne smiled at him and hooked graciously into his arm.

‘Am I to believe that you do not approve of me or my ways? For that is the only reason I can think that you would object to this betrothal.’ George added.

‘You are a great friend of the family, a close friend to my brother as I recall. But that does not mean that you should marry his daughter! Surely you can see that this is wrong on many levels, I will not agree to this!’ Bertha exclaimed.

‘Okay, yes. I did imagine marrying a young man of my own age, with his whole life ahead of him and we would go through each life stage together. But that is not what has come of my life. Fate has chosen my direction and I am making the best of it. If this is about his age, think of poor Mildred. She is miserable with an old man!’ Anne chuckled to herself.

‘Is this but a game to you? Do you think George to be a play thing, that you can drop when you grow tired? No Anne! This is for life! First you disobey me by giving your purity to this man, then you become with child and now you want to marry him! This is not what your father would have wanted!’ Bertha said, charging up and down the large store room as she spoke.

Anne stared at her Aunt and wondered what her problem was. She was marrying a rich man, she had proved herself to be fertile and she would gain a great fortune.

‘I am failing to see the problem here. You wanted me to marry, I am doing so. Why should it matter that it happens to be an old family friend rather than a stranger? Or is the problem that you have not controlled this decision as you intended to? You hate the fact that I have fallen in love and chose my own husband. Well I am sorry, but this is what my life looks like now. A married woman with a healthy child and a happy life. Whether you remain part of it is up to you. Now please, let us celebrate our engagement with people who are pleased for us.’ Anne explained calmly. She gently tugged George’s arm and led him to the direction of the door, but he was stuck in his tracks.

‘Wait. This is not just about controlling her life, is it? You are jealous!’ George yelled. Bertha made a large screech and disguised it as a laugh.

‘Do not be absurd! Why would I be jealous of my young niece? I am merely protecting her!’ Bertha yelled back.

‘Because you were jealous when I asked Lydia to marry me and you are jealous now, you do not want Anne to marry me because you want to step into her shoes! You want my house, my money and even my body. You always have!’ George said, feeling as though things were finally making sense.

Anne didn’t know whether to be in shock or fight to the death for her love. She chose to remain silent and see how it played out. She was finding it difficult to imagine her Aunt Bertha with any sort of human emotion.

‘Think what you will, I have never wanted you. I thought you would ask for my hand all those years ago but you did not. I am over that. Now, if you will excuse me, I need a very large drink.’ Bertha said as she excused herself and went back to the charity event. Anne looked up at her groom to be in shock.

‘Was that true? Why did you not tell me that my Aunt has always wanted to marry you?’ Anne cried.

‘I have only just noticed it. The way she has kept in contact with me all these years, the way she attempted to keep us apart. I just assumed she thought of me as a friend as I did her but I guess not.’ George tried to explain.

‘And you were friends with my father?’ Anne asked curiously.

‘Yes. Good friends in fact. I was even there as a witness for his will.’ George explained.

‘I see. Well enough about my family and Aunt Bertha. We need to enjoy today, it is a day I will never forget. No more hiding or pretending, we can be freely in love. Some may not be happy for us but what does that matter? Come on, let’s get back out there.’ Anne suggested.

She reached up and gently kissed him, he rested his right hand on her cheek as their lips touched. He then escorted her back into the crowd. They heard nothing but whispering and people pointed at them. Anne wondered if it was a good sign or not. Sheldon then walked up to the happy couple looking heavily disappointed.

‘How could you publicly humiliate me like this father? The whole town knows that Anne and I were once a thing! I hear them talking. They are saying I was pushed aside for my own father! How do you think that makes me feel?’ Sheldon said as some of the charity guests glared over at him.

‘This is not the time or place, son. I am marrying Anne because we are in love. If you say anything bad against that, especially in public then your inheritance is in jeopardy. Your decisions are already unfavourable so do not make things worse!’ George aggressively whispered to his son. Sheldon shook his head and left the couple alone.

‘You would take away his inheritance just so he did not spread rumours about me?’ Anne asked. George smiled brightly and nodded slowly, giving Anne her answer.

‘I know you have your own house and inheritance, but I will always look after you and our baby. You may even find that you no longer need your Aunt Bertha living in your home anymore, you may feel safe enough to let her go.’ George suggested. Anne looked at him with confusion.

‘Pardon? Aunt Bertha is there because she owns it all, everything. My father left everything to her because he did not trust me with any of it. There is no heir to Spenbourne property until Aunt Bertha names someone in her will.’ Anne explained, narrowing her eyebrows towards the ground with confusion.

‘No, this cannot be right. I was there, I had to read the document before I signed it as a witness. Your father left everything to you. You own that house and everything with the Spenbourne name.’ George told her.

Anne thought she was sure of everything in her life as everything was falling into place. But it only took one bombshell to destroy everything again.