Lady Adrianna and her predicaments

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Ah, if it isn't Miss Credence along with her charming beast, Ate." Ian said as he walked towards Anna who was sitting by the big oak tree with George who wagged his tail vigorously upon hearing the sound of his voice.

"Sir Ian. Pleasure to meet you again." Anna let a wide grin to spread across her flushed face.

"May I?" Ian pointed to the empty space beside her.

"If you don't mind a bit of dirt. Please." Anna moved her sprawled grey skirt and Ian sat down beside her on the grass with a slight distance between them.

"Please, call me Ian." He said and they continued talking, hopping from topic to topic.

"And I thought that if one machine could spin as many as five or even more threads, wouldn't that be wonderful? We would not only save time but also require less people to handle the machine." Ian explained further on his recent discovery with his close acquaintance, James, whom he had known since they were young.

"He who has begun, has half done. Dare to be wise." Anna smiled to him, feeling a surge of pride to the man whom she just met the day before, and yet felt as though she knew him for a decade.

"Horace. And yes, I did just that recently, before I came back here. We have been trying to set some more adjustment so as to make the machine works faster without having any yarn being entangled."

"That is wonderful. I will pray that all will be well and as how you dream it will be."

"That is most kind of you. And what of you? What are your dreams?"

"Me? I cannot fancy myself upon dreams."

"Surely, everyone is entitled to dream however preposterous or foolish it may be. Just as many other people might think me insane for wasting such amount of money and time on something that might not work." He scoffed and she remained silent for a few moments of thought.

"Well, I suppose, I wish to travel to exotic places. Journeying to a new place where no one would know who I was, where no one would find me. Without being judged." She said twirling the green grass by her feet.

"I would not judge." He answered looking her straight to her eyes, taking her by surprise, causing her to lose her trail of thoughts.

"Wishful dreams. My, I need to get back now. Come along, George." She excused herself and stood up, calling onto the beast who slowly opened his eyes from the long nap.

"Will you be here again on the morrow?" Ian asked, looking straight to her eyes with meaningful intent.

"I am not certain. Perhaps. I bid you goodbye, Ian." She hurriedly turned her back, touched her crimson cheeks and walked back home with a smile on her face.

Later that evening, Anna entered the drawing room with the dowager and resumed their usual routine as the dowager requested earlier. Anna sat on the small couch across the dowager, with her back facing the door, with the holy bible in hand and started to read aloud while waiting for Elise and the lord of Claremont to join in. Soon, Elise stepped inside to join them.

"Oh, I cannot wait to introduce you to my brother, Ian." Elise said cheerfully and took her seat beside the dowager. Ian. What a coincidence, Anna thought to herself.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a... future." Anna read the last word as she heard the door opened and lord Wentworth entered the room to greet them.

"I wonder how many times you have finished reading that book, grandmama." Lord Wentworth teased, in a familiar voice.

"It is called the holy bible, not just any book." The dowager replied.