Annabelle glanced anxiously over her shoulder as she powered through the grass. Her heart raced loudly and rapidly in her chest as she moved, she was utterly terrified that someone had followed her outside and that she was about to be caught completely disobeying her father by heading directly towards the stables, but it seemed that she was in luck.

So far, she was still alone. It was so impossible that a laugh almost burst free from her chest.

As her eyes finally found Floyd, her heart skipped a beat. He was faced away from her, brushing down Primrose, but Annabelle did not need to look into his eyes to feel his warmth. Floyd Brewer was an incredible, warm man who made her feel safe even from a distance.

If only that could extend into something more and he could get her out of this wedding!

“Floyd,” she announced herself in a hushed tone as soon as she was close enough. “It is me, I have come to see you again.” It had only been a couple of weeks since she last spent time with Floyd, but to Annabelle it felt like a lifetime. She had missed him so much it actually gave her a physical pain in her chest. “How... how are you?”

Floyd felt a heat wash over him as he twisted around to see Lady Hathaway smiling back at him. He had missed her a great deal since their last riding lesson, and not just because he had been given the opportunity to teach someone to ride. He missed Annabelle’s beautiful face, her lovely smile, the way she lit a fire in his belly. Everything was so much better when she was around. The fact that she had not, has been hard on him. But, of course, he simply had to get on with his work because that was what was expected of him.

“Lady Hathaway, I did not think that you were coming back for another lesson. Did you miss Primrose?”

Annabelle blew out a deep breath of air. The romance of their little union washed over her in a dramatic fashion, almost knocking her from her feet. The fact that even being in the same air space as Floyd was taboo almost drove her crazy.

“I cannot be here that long,” she admitted sadly. “My father has banished me from speaking with you.”

“Wh...” Floyd almost asked why but he stopped himself at the last moment. It was utterly obvious why, he could probably see from far away that Floyd was falling for his daughter. Since he was a man that would never be good enough for a Lady, he wanted to put a stop to it before things got out of control. “Never mind, what are you doing out here?”

“I need to see you.” Annabelle’s cheeks flushed brightly as she took a step closer to Floyd. His magnetism drew her in, just like the last time they were together. That, combined with the fantasies that she had been dreaming of for days, swirled around inside of her. “I am... I am having trouble in my life.”

“You are?” Floyd instantly dropped everything that he was doing and he moved closer to Annabelle. It did not matter what his boss wanted, if the Lady needed help, then he would give it if he could. “What is wrong?”

Annabelle’s eyes filled with tears, it felt utterly dreadful that she was about to give the worst news ever, the very subject that they had mocked only days before. “My father wishes me to get married to a Lord that I do not even like. He is a horrible man.” The words flew so rapidly out of her mouth that they almost tumbled over one another. “He has been very cruel to me already and we are not even wed yet.”

“Oh my.” Floyd was not really sure what to say, this felt out of his abilities. There was not anything he could do to help with this situation. He even did his best to swallow down his own feelings towards Annabelle so his answer was not biased. “That is horrible news.”

“I have been trying on wedding dresses today, it is just too much...”

Without any warning, Annabelle burst into sobbing tears. The emotion that she had done her best to lock down inside herself came flying out as she broke down. This was not how this meeting was supposed to go, Annabelle envisioned herself being much calmer as she spoke with Floyd, but the way he made her feel so safe also let her true self out.

“Oh no, Lady Hathaway.” Floyd knew that it was wrong, but he was also certain that he could not let her stand there and cry in front of him. There might not have been a lot that he could do to help, but he could offer some comfort. He held out his arms and he wrapped them around the Lady in a warm embrace. “I am terribly sorry to hear your awful news.”

“It is not just that.” As Annabelle leaned into Floyd’s comforting hug, she felt like her head might explode if she did not tell him the truth. Her feelings were swelling and growing, swirling and twisting. Everything in her life was going to change soon enough, if she did not say something, Annabelle knew that she would always regret it. She would always wonder what would have happened if she had just been brave. Maybe nothing, but at least she would not have this pressure forming in her brain. “There is something else, Floyd.”

He could hear the seriousness in her tone, this was something which Annabelle needed to be heard. Floyd pulled back and he stared into the Lady’s eyes, marvelling at her beauty as he did. “Go on, you can tell me anything.”

“I...” Annabelle’s heart beat faster, her breaths came in shorter, icy fear crept through her veins. “Floyd, I...” She knew that telling him would not be a mistake, no matter what the outcome was, but she still felt afraid. “Floyd, I feel like I am falling in love with you.”

The world felt unsteady underneath her feet, a dizziness overcame Annabelle’s brain, but it was a liberating feeling. She had been honest, she had told Floyd how she felt. For someone that had spent her entire life restricted, it was a wonderful sensation.

“Lady Hathaway, I...” Floyd did not know what to say. If it was not for the feel of her in his arms he would believe that he was dreaming. Having this beautiful woman who he could not stop thinking about interested in him was almost too much. He desperately wanted to grab onto her with both hands and to never let her go, but it would be selfish of him to do so. “You cannot feel that way; I am not good enough for you. I cannot give you what any Lord can.”

“I do not want a Lord,” Annabelle shot back sharply.

“I know, but think of your name, your reputation, your father... none of them would like it if you and I were together.”

“But... you would like us to be?” Annabelle couldn’t help noticing that Floyd had not dismissed the idea. He had not directly said that he did not feel the same way. Until he did, she could not let it go.

Floyd stared deeply into Annabelle’s eyes, revealing his true feelings without even meaning to. He was head over heels for Annabelle, all of his dreams involved the pair of them in love, sharing a happy ever after...

But that was only a fantasy. The dream could never be real, there was no chance for them. However much Floyd wanted to be with Annabelle, they came from two different worlds. She was wealthy, she was known in society, she had a name and expectations. She needed a man who could keep her in the lifestyle which she was used to, even if that was a Lord that she did not instantly like. He was merely a stable boy with nothing to offer. He had his dream, but that was all.

“Do you feel the same way, Floyd? I need you to tell me.” As persistent as ever, Annabelle would not let it go. “I need an answer from you, I think I already know the answer, but I need to know...”

Floyd could not say the words, they felt too real. He knew that the moment he spoke them everything would become much more complex and harder to deal with. So, he did something else instead. In the heat of the moment, it felt like the perfect alternative, it was only afterwards that he realized how crazy he acted.

He slipped his hand around the back of Annabelle’s neck and he gently pressed his lips up against hers, showing her just how much he liked her without having to say it. Her mouth was soft, her body boiling hot next to his. The closer she moulded into him, the more right Floyd felt. His heart fluttered and his whole body vibrated with hundreds of emotions. That was the moment he knew that he was in love.

He loved Lady Annabelle Hathaway, which could only lead to trouble. He knew that, yet he could not stop...

He had never found anyone so beautiful before, he had never been anything close to love, but in that moment with Annabelle kissing him back like she shared all the same feelings that he did, he felt like everything was right with the world. He was happier than he had ever been.

Annabelle’s heart flew with joy as Floyd kissed her lovingly. She knew that they shared something special, she had sensed their chemistry from their very first conversation, now that feeling was all over her.

So, this is what being brave gets me, she thought happily to herself. I should do this more often.

As they pulled apart she gave him the most loving smile possible. She had come to Floyd desperately upset and scared about what was going to happen next, but now she felt certain that everything would be alright. She did not know how, but it hardly mattered. They could figure that out later.

Unfortunately, the happiness had zapped from Floyd and all he had was worry. “What did we just do?” he gasped desperately. “We cannot do that, I am so sorry, Lady Hathaway, I should never... your reputation...” Not only was he going to lose his job, he would also wreck the life of the one person he felt anything for, all for one moment of madness. “I did not mean to...”

“Floyd, it is alright,” Annabelle tried to reassure him with a giggle. She linked her hands back through his and showed her happiness through her expression. “I know it is madness, but we will find a way, I can assure you.”

“You are betrothed to someone, you have a Lord waiting to be with you. Someone much better suited to you than me.”

Annabelle cupped his chin in her hand so his eyes fixed upon hers. She needed him to hear every word that she spoke. “Floyd Brewer, there is no one better suited to me than you are. You are the man I want to love for the rest of my life.”

“Even though I am poor?”

“It does not matter to me who you are. I love you.”

As Annabelle said those three powerful words, she realized just how true they were. She did love Floyd, it was not just a crush anymore. She would not be willing to throw everything away for someone who she only had a small amount of feelings for. Now she just needed to work out how to make this love last forever...

Josephine’s heart thumped painfully against her rib cage as she walked back into the house with her newfound knowledge racing around her brain. She had just followed her daughter and witnessed her kissing another man. The stable boy she assumed Otto was referring to when he told her that there was a man who wanted to ruin their daughter’s reputation.

There certainly was an attraction there, but it definitely was not one sided. From what Josephine had seen from her limited view position, Annabelle was the more aggressive one of the two. She really liked this boy, there was a genuine chemistry between them both, there was something real.

Is this the only reason she does not want to marry Lord Ashdown? She thought to herself in a panicked state. She did not want to defend her daughter if the only reason she did not want to get married was because of a crush. No, it has to be more than that. To Josephine, it actually looked like love. Plus, even if she did not end up marrying the stable boy, Lord Ashdown was still utterly terrible news. She wanted more for Annabelle than him.

Seeing Annabelle with that boy certainly changed the plan, however. Josephine knew that whatever happened next, she absolutely had to find out the truth about her daughter and the stable boy. Maybe he would need to be included? Of course, there was no way she could make that sort of choice without knowing him herself. She could not trust a man with her child without at least knowing him a little bit.

One thing was for certain, everything had suddenly become a lot more complicated, and it was already bad enough before.