Annabelle shook out her hand as it ached from the typing. Surprisingly, she liked work more than she thought she would. It was fun to be able to use her brain in a way she never thought she would do. Annabelle actually had a purpose for all those years spent learning, which was fun, but it was tiring too. Yawns constantly threatened to reveal themselves at the worst time. Annabelle could not let them out because it would be rude, but they were there all the same.

Mr. Brentwood was a wonderful man, very nice to work for, but he was utterly dedicated to his profession. He worked late in the night more often than not. Clearly, that was how he had gone on to be so successful, but every so often it left Annabelle worn out and having not seen Floyd for days. He spent all his days outside, looking after the horses, and she spent all her time trapped inside this windowless room.

Annabelle saw more of the inside of his office than anywhere else. The large wooden desk which sat in front of his black cushioned chair was ingrained into her brain. Annabelle knew the title of every book that sat on Mr. Brentwood’s bookshelf, she had also memorized the intricate detail of the pattern on his green, glass lamp.

Annabelle knew the office better than her quarters. She was not sure that it was meant to be that way.

Still, I am not Lord Ashdown’s wife. That thought did not go anywhere.

In a way, now that she and Floyd had stopped in one place for a while, Annabelle was stunned that they had not run into more trouble. She had not expected her father to allow her to leave so easily.

Maybe he has told people that I am no longer alive, she thought morosely. He would prefer that than to losing the family reputation.

That meant he would never come looking for her, but it also meant that she was so unimportant to him that he did not care. It gave Annabelle what she wanted, but it also left her with the hollow sensation that she was never really loved.

At least mother loved me, I will always have that. Anyway, it is much better now. This is what I have been searching for.

“Are you okay, Annabelle?” Violet hissed as she found her alone in Mr. Brentwood’s office. He had gone off for what Annabelle assumed was a brief bathroom break, which meant she could have a little moment to herself too. “How is work going?”

She opened her mouth to complain about her aching arm but shut it rapidly as she saw the sweat pouring down Violet’s forehead and the redness to her arms from where she’d been scrubbing the floor so hard. Again, she did not have it the hardest so there was no point in moaning.

“I am good, thank you for asking, Violet.”

Annabelle smiled warmly at her new friend. Having her around made her feel so grateful. She still had not managed to connect so much with the other staff members, she could not shake off the feeling that she was not ‘one of them’, but with Violet, Annabelle was happy.

“How is your day?”

"Oh, busy, you know how it is." Violet offered her friend a one-shouldered shrug. “Lots to do as always. It is never as thrilling as the things you see.”

Annabelle nodded but remained tight-lipped. She did not like to burst Violet's bubble by revealing that most of what she typed was dull and that even with her education she did not understand it all.

“Do you think you shall be finished for the day soon? It would be lovely to see you for dinner.”

Annabelle was still adjusting to the new meals in this house. Being back in such a wonderful establishment, she assumed that the food quality would rise. After all, in the Hathaway home, she was always fed the most wonderful meals. She quickly learned that the same quality was not offered to the staff, they got the colder leftovers.

“I shall try, but I cannot be sure.”

They heard footsteps coming through the hallway, Mr. Brentwood was on his way back. Instantly they returned to professional mode as if they did not share a friendship at all. There was a chance that Mr. Brentwood would not mind them sharing a talk, but they did not want to risk upsetting him.

Mr. Brentwood’s commanding presence entered the room, he filled it with the way he carried himself with his shoulders held high and his arms tucked behind his back. His expression was stern, but Annabelle knew that did not mean he was angry, just that he was focused on something in particular. She had gotten to know his moods well over time, and this was not a bad one.

Because Mr. Brentwood worked from home, even when he did not have clients coming in to see him, he wore a stark, black pinstripe suit. His navy blue cravat was tied in a perfect knot, and he always had a few millimeters of his cuff showing. Just enough to see the bejewelled decoration. Annabelle had never seen him in anything other than his smart, black shoes which clipped when connecting with wood.

His greying hair was thinning on the top of his head, but his sideburns dangled down low, showing absolutely no sign of shedding. His wrinkled skin showed off his age, but his warm brown eyes had a youthfulness to them. It was almost as if there was a younger man trapped inside that much older body.

Annabelle felt like the man had a lot of life stories that she desperately wanted to hear. Maybe one day the right moment would come along and she could ask him where he had been.

“Have you finished that typing?” he asked gruffly. “I have some filing that I require completed before my meeting tomorrow morning.”

"I am almost done, Sir," Annabelle answered while shooting Violet a regretful look. Not that she had assumed that dinner would happen, it was sad to have that fact confirmed. "I will get to it."

* * *

Annabelle’s eyes fluttered as she walked down the stairs. She felt exhausted, she had no idea what the time even was, but she did know for certain that she needed some sleep before it all started over again. The next day promised to be just as busy, with just as much to do.

As she spotted Floyd lying in the small, cramped single bed, breathing deeply, she touched her hand to her heart in a loving gesture.

He makes all of this worth it. My love for him overshadows anything else.

In that moment, all Annabelle wanted to do was wrap herself in Floyd’s arms. She loved being hugged by him, she wanted that safe sensation all over again, so despite the fact that there was not really much room, she crawled in beside him.

“Ooh.” Floyd woke up with a jump. “Annabelle, you are here.”

“I am sorry for waking you,” she replied with a smile while resting her head against his chest. “I just wanted to be near you. I have missed you.”

Floyd enveloped Annabelle tightly. “I have missed you too, you have been so busy. I barely see you anymore. How is work going?”

“It is tiring, but it is better than having nowhere to live.”

“That is true.” Floyd nodded happily. “And I am very much enjoying working with horses again. There is a lovely animal out there named Lady. She has red hair and fiery eyes. She reminds me very much of you.”

That seemingly innocent comment gave Annabelle pause for thought. In the last few weeks she had been so wrapped up in what she needed to do that she forgot about what she had done to Floyd, but now it all came rushing back hard. She took him away from his dream to open his own riding school, something that he was determined to achieve. Maybe he was not close to it, but he was working towards that. Now, all of that had gone and all he had to do was keep them going.

“She does?” Annabelle replied with a gulp. Her mind raced, she desperately tried to think of a way to apologize without saying ‘I am sorry’, because she knew he would not take that, but nothing came to mind. “Why?”

“She looks like you, apart from being a horse, of course.” Floyd laughed and gently kissed Annabelle’s head. “But she is also fun, exciting, and looking for an adventure.”

“This is my adventure,” Annabelle replied determinedly. “I am living it right now.”

“You believe this is where your adventure ends?” Floyd asked, sounding shocked. “I do not think you truly feel that way. I am sure you know that there is more coming for you.”

I hope so, Annabelle thought. I hope we can continue working towards Floyd’s goal.

"I love you," she murmured while turning her head up to look at Floyd. That fact did not change even when everything else did. “Very much.”

Her heart hammered rapidly as he leaned his head down towards her. Even now that they had kissed on more than one occasion, she still got butterflies when those beautiful lips of his came towards her. When he pressed his mouth into hers, everything felt wonderful.

“I love you, too.”

Annabelle did not want to move again, even if it would not be the most comfortable night of sleep. She wanted to drift off into the much-needed dream world with Floyd's arms wrapped around her. Of course, it was hard for her to adjust to this when the rules that had surrounded her for her whole life commanded that she behaved in a certain way, especially around men, but shaking it off was the best way for her to embrace this adventure for everything that it was.

“You are right,” she commented idly. “I do think there is more to this adventure. I just need to remember that so I do not get stuck here.”

“You are working very hard, I am surprised that you are not already looking for a way out,” Floyd chuckled. Annabelle had shocked him with how willing she was to make this work. “But yes, I believe there is more to our lives. I am not certain of what, but we shall find out soon enough.”

“That sounds exciting,” Annabelle replied gleefully. “What do you have in mind?”

“I do not even want to think about it, I just want to let it happen.”

Floyd seemed like a man who always had a plan. Annabelle could not fully believe his words, but she knew there had to be a reason for him to keep it inside. She could have pushed him to find out more, but for some reason, that did not feel like the right thing to do.

“Yes,” she replied instead. “I do too. As long as I am with you, it shall be wonderful.”

With that one thought in mind, Annabelle slid her eyes closed and she drifted into sleep with a smile playing on her lips. She allowed her imagination to drift off into the wonderful places that she and Floyd might go. Maybe they would end up on a boat, travelling the world. Maybe they would end up living in a small cottage in the countryside, next door to Floyd’s riding school. Maybe Annabelle would even have a career of her own to help keep them afloat. Yes, she worked hard and was tired, but she could no longer imagine doing absolutely nothing with her time.

Now that she had filled her days, she needed to continue doing that.

She did not know what would happen, but things were great. Everything had been amazing since she and Floyd moved into Mr. Brentwood's home, and she could only see things looking up. There was nothing that could burst her wonderful bubble.