Blackstone and Broken Things

Chapter 7

Leaning against the rough trunk of a willow, Ana stared out over the pond she shared with her neighbor, the Earl of Everleads. A stout old man now blind as a bat but who had always been exceptionally kind to her. Most likely due to his late wife's friendship with the previous Countess. Ana had taken an instant liking to the man, nearly welling up with tears when he had opened his home to her upon learning she had been unfortunate enough to receive Blackstone as her residence.

Her only residence.

To say the place had been in a fierce state of disrepair when she arrived would have been an understatement. It had been far more horror than home back then, and she had been expected to live in it as it was, with its rotting roof, broken windows, and vermin-infested closets. It had taken nearly two years for her to restore the house to a livable state and in no small part thanks to the Earl's generosity. She owed a great deal to the man who had become more father to her than her own had ever been. He had even accepted Lily, doting on her as if she were his own flesh and blood. Though, he had even offered to set his son upon Nathan after learning how Lily had come about, having decided that that was the final straw for him.

It had been bad enough that Nathan had abandoned her after their wedding, but to make her reside in Blackstone as it was without even a penny for repairs, and then Lily came about. The Earl had had quite enough. If he were not blind, she was certain he would send Nathan to the ground without the slightest regret.

As it was, her own regrets were gnawing at her. She was sure she was supposed to accept her husband's return and act as though he had not abandoned her in every manner for the past decade. But if she were supposed to act like the loving, dutiful wife, it probably would have been better if she had not punched him.

But she had.

Had he deserved it?

Most assuredly.

Would the action come back to haunt her?

Probably.

But at the moment, she could not find it in herself to care. She had been too furious with him. She still was. Standing there before her, blatantly accusing her of all his wrongdoings. In that moment, twelve years of anger, hurt, betrayal, and neglect had all come roaring to the surface, and she could not just sit there and allow him to continue to spout such condemnations.

She had done nothing. Nothing to warrant the treatment she had been made to endure because of his thoughtlessness, his carelessness.

What made the matter all the worse was that she had sat ideally by and welcomed it.

Blindly, with open arms, she had allowed their marriage to be settled. She had never spoken of her misgivings. That she had thought herself too young to marry, having been only seventeen at the time, then there was the fact that she had never spoken much less, received even a single written word from the man, and the only time she had ever seen him had been from a distance when he had come to see his sister at their school. There had never been the opportunity for introduction, and as Ana had been nothing but a mere 'Miss', her making Nathan's acquaintance through Emily had been frowned upon by their father. It had not mattered to the Earl that Ana's family was wealthy, obscenely so; she was not titled. Thus, she was not welcome.

She should have questioned the match the moment the Earl had changed his tune on that front, but she had been so overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a sister to her best friend that she had cast aside her unease. She had allowed herself to trust and believe Emily when she told her over and over what a good man Nathan was and how she would be so happy with him. Emily's joy had been Ana's. And when her sister Joanna had assured her the match was a good one and that Ana would find nothing better, she had nearly let the matter drop.