any other soiree or ball?
Finally Lady Vinrey arrived and when she was escorted by her daughter and husband on either side, she looked like an overdressed doll. Even with the extra special care Lord Vinrey applied to his dress for the evening, she still looked overly pompous. Her neckline did not leave much to the imagination, many did not want to see half as much as she showed, and the rest of it was not much better. It might have looked good on a much younger lady with a nice figure, but it only made her look worse. Many of the other dowagers did not care nor realized; they were too much interested in the gossip that Lady Vinrey always brought. Just the younger generation was amazed at her bad taste, but they did not worry, she was not going to lure any men away from them!
As they drove down the lane to the Hufton estate the family was in awe. They knew he was a Viscount but they did not expect quite such an entrance. A nice stone wall was along the main road, roses lined the first few yards, then a strip of cottage garden lined both sides that merged into bushes and then a forest, then a wide lawn with a few thoroughbreds was on both sides. The lane then bent through some more forest, and finally they entered upon another green that gave the visitors their first glimpse of the residence. Anne thought it to be a very lovely home. It was made from brown brick, ivy crept its way up on the left and right sides. The stairs leading to the entrance did not fan out as was the custom, but rather were just simple stairs leading into the home. For Anne, it just seemed to naturally fit with its surroundings. There were only 2 torches at the stairs giving the massive building a warm feeling. Even though Anne and her father had to wait for Lady Vinrey, they still were the first to arrive. Avery was waiting for them at the top of the stairs. He greeted them warmly and immediately asked how Anne was. “Better, thanks to Edmund.”
“So, that’s where he went. I’ve been looking for the chap all day. Why I didn’t think of looking there, I don’t know.”
“I’m terribly sorry for keeping him from you.”
“Please don’t! Actually, I was hoping he would take some time and see how you were doing, since I had no time today.”
“You were busy getting prepared for today. You didn’t have much of a chance yesterday afternoon nor evening….” Anne became wistful and he took her hands.
“I much rather would have been with you, than dealing with preparations, but they had to be done.” He then led the Vinreys through the house. The ballroom was vast and decorated in royal blue, which so nicely fit with her ruby dress. Tapestries hung everywhere to absorb more of the noise. Each one of the rooms was so beautifully kept and decorated that Anne could not tell which she liked better. Then, he led her into the place he thought she would like the most. Avery led Anne to the glass doors exiting the library and as he opened the doors, the servants lit the torches and candles. The flowers were exquisite, vases filled with flowers from the meadow were on pedestals everywhere, and the soft glimmer of the candles on the benches lit even the smallest and daintiest bloom. She just stood there in awe. If she liked the rooms so far, there was no way to describe how much she loved the garden. He led his mesmerized lady down the path to a bench and motioned her to sit.
Before she knew what was happening, Avery went down to one knee. He glanced up at her with hope and love dancing in his lovely hazel eyes, which with the candlelight had little speckles of gold in them. She held her breath.
“Dearest Anne, would you be—“
“Yes!”
“Anne, you didn’t even let me—“
“Oh, Avery,” she pulled him to the bench. “I was hoping, but couldn’t be sure nor could I believe you’d want me.”
“I practiced quite a few times. I wanted to make sure it was perfect.” He looked like a hurt child.
“It was.”
When she finally had it sink in, he saw a face of bliss looking up at him. Their eyes locked and he bent towards her and finally had a chance to kiss her. At first it was loving and tender but when she kissed him back their passions flared.
When that kiss ebbed a bit, they heard someone clearing their throat. With Anne leaning heavily upon his chest, Avery looked to the door. Edmund was there with a knowing look and motioned with his head that other guests were arriving.
Pulling her up with him, Hufton started toward the door to enter the house again, when Anne asked: “Did you prepare for this all today?”
He glanced down at the face that he fell in love with at their first meeting, “After yesterday’s events, I thought today would be a good time.” She became a little saddened but it was short lived. Other emotions were on the forefront and she could not be bothered with sad thoughts.
“So, you finally went for it, eh?” Edmund slapped Avery on the back and congratulated the pair.
“Do I hear congratulations?” Lord Vinrey was coming from the library. He only needed one quick glance at his daughter and knew. “My dear boy, you never asked!”
“Sir, with the comment and glances you gave me yesterday, I was sure this was what you had envisioned. Was I wrong?” He hoped he was not and was fearful that he had read the inferences wrong.
“No, you were right.” He winked at the young man who noticed that he was had.
Before the Viscount could comment back, Anne broke in. “Is this why you were so meticulous with your dress today Father?” Lord Vinrey took his daughter’s hand and kissed it lovingly and heartily nodded. “You kept this to yourself?”
“Couldn’t tell you. Didn’t know when the chap would decide to go to one knee. You know, son, that was a wonderful way to do it!” He praised the gardens and the romantic air that was obtained with the candles, vases, and torches. It was indescribable.
Just then, the other guests arrived: Hufton’s older sister with family and his younger brother. It was only going to be a family gathering. Hearing about the news, the newly engaged pair was allowed to spend a lot of time alone: mainly in the garden mostly in quiet, just happy to be alone and in each other’s company. When the musicians came, and it was only one violin and one bass and one flute, they quickly flowed into a waltz. Upon hearing that the musicians had arrived, Avery quickly towed Anne to the ballroom. Seeing only three musicians, Anne lovingly grinned at her well-chosen man. Before others were able to join, he quickly kissed Anne and then pulled her to him for the waltz. Only every other third dance was not a waltz, so Anne was kept busy between Avery, Edmund, her father, and Todd, Avery’s brother. Every desire was quickly dealt with: food, drink, fresh air (opening the glass doors that led to the garden), and wonderful company. Anne was resting during one of the country dances when in the distance she heard: “I believe it is time for bed, young lady!” She had fallen asleep in her chair! She reddened almost to the color of her dress and quickly was swept to her feet and lovingly led to a guest room. No wonder Anne fell asleep: she had never lasted until 3 in the morning before!
The following morning, Anne awoke to a strange feeling. Something was lying against her back! At first she was afraid to move. What could it be? Carefully she sent out an arm to investigate. Fur. Long ears. A dog? Eventually she turned around to come face to face with a black and white border collie. It was still deep asleep at first but noticing that it was being stared at, it awoke and looked directly into Anne’s eyes. She could not resist and hugged the seemingly grinning animal. It did not squirm nor pull away. Once she was done with the heart-felt greeting, she held the dog at arms length investigating the animal. It seemed to be a happy-go-lucky type of dog and ready to do whatever she wished. She got up to dress and it was immediately at her heels. I wonder what your name is, she kept questioning.
Someone lightly rapped upon the door. “Anne?”
“Who’s dog is this?”
Avery, noticing that Anne was presentable, let himself in. “Ah, I see you met Sassy!” The collie raised her head at her name but did not leave Anne’s side. Avery cocked his head and glanced at the dog. Was it possible? Did the dog feel that she needed her? Did he, unbeknownst, have the dog Anne needed under
his very roof?
The long pause and the studious stare unnerved Anne. “Is something wrong?” Sensing the discomfort, Sassy nudged her nose into Anne’s hand. Seeing this automatic response, Avery grinned disbelieving and shook his head in response. “She is yours, isn’t she?”
“I had hoped that one of my dogs would fill your pet’s void but I didn’t think it would be so instantaneous nor of their own doing. I did have a bit of a hand in this, I should confess. I led her into your room.” His usual motion to call her to his side did not work anymore and he had to come to Sassy to pet her. “I must say, when you have a dog, they seem to become extremely loyal.” Seeing Anne’s apologetic face, he quickly shrugged it off and happily kissed her hands which melted her expression into one of love. “I had hoped that by the time we wed you would have a pet that was dear to you, so Sassy has become a very early wedding gift.” In joy, Anne hugged her husband to be and the shock of being proposed to yesterday flooded over her again.
At breakfast, the Vinrey family was invited to stay as long as they wished. After breakfast Avery invited Anne on a tour of his grounds. As during the previous day’s arrival, she was awed at the beauty of the drive to the regal yet not imposing home. The early summer flowers