Purcell's Pairings | ✔

XIX

"'I AM EVER so grateful to be back with you.' Those were his exact words!" Annalise exclaimed to Esther the following morning of her sister's wedding ceremony. "He hasn't ever spoken anything along those lines before. Surely he is trying to get at something?"

"Annalise," Esther sighed from the other side of the couch, fanning her face gently with the feathered fan she'd received as a gift. "Don't you believe you are being a bit dramatic? It's quite possible he really does just want to be in your presence! I do not doubt he missed you."

"Oh, but that is just the thing!" Annie returned, wagging her finger at Esther. "Until now, Mr. Arten has barely even treated me like a human being. If I am to be quite frank, it often felt like he spoke to himself whilst with me! But... But he complimented me yesterday. Well, my dress, but that was still a part of me. Esther, it has to be a trap. He does not give out kind comments to anyone other than himself."

Esther rolled her eyes lightly, setting her fan down so she could get a better glimpse of her anxious sister. "If he truly is acting different, don't you think now is the time to ask? Before he starts treating you like a shadow again," she pointed out. Based on the tone of her voice, Annie could tell her last few words were more mocking than anything else, because she was sure her older sister thought she was just being a bit too dramatic, but she didn't comment on it. She had a far more troublesome situation to unwrap.

"He may be different today," Annie returned quickly, as if unwilling to let Esther win. She didn't quite know what she was getting at here, what point she was trying to prove, but it didn't stop her from tossing out another retort or two. She'd cave eventually, she was sure of it.

"He had asked to see you again today, had he not?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Well, then, his mood surely could not have changed too much, then."

"-But," Annie defended, "he'd made that request yesterday evening. For all I know, his personality could have had a comfortable rotation."

"Annalise, stop being ridiculous. Can't you just accept that a man as handsome and dashing as Mr. Arten wishes to see you?"

Handsome and dashing were not two words Annalise would use to describe John, unless "dashing" referred to all the times he ran off elsewhere because of a "business meeting," but she didn't say that aloud either. She'd tried far too many times to circle the positive traits that were bundled inside of him, but that was a challenge, because there were none. None ever visible when in the presence of Annalise, anyway. There seemed to always be a dark cloud looming over him... Or maybe it was over her when around him. Whatever the case may be, Annie simply could not find a sliver of happiness in any situation involving herself and John Arten, and didn't expect today to be any different. Still, though, she couldn't put off Esther's enthusiasm as easily as she wished. Clearly, her older sister saw something in John that Annie failed to see, and maybe for once, she could try to seek those positive traits out of John through the eyes of Esther.

As she pinned back the last of her hair, Annalise couldn't help but mull over Esther's words in more dept. There had to be more to John. Vinnie adored him, despite their here-and-there differences. Even Serena, the servant back in the cottage, appreciated being in his presence. She came to realize that really, she knew nothing about John. She knew he owned a bookstore and a library, but was there more to it? There had to be more, right? Nobody would have that many meetings to discuss books. That was something she'd considered for a while now, but had been too afraid to ask John. After all, she could guess what he was going to say already, and it would be something along the lines of, "As a woman, it is none of your concern." Typical, yes, but Annie felt she had a decent idea of how John acted nowadays, how he chose his words.