Chapter 10
***
"You've lost a lot of weight since I last saw you."
"....yes."
"You're still sensitive, I see."
Bridget didn't reply, and though she could feel Magnus's eyes on her, noticing her low mood, she couldn't bring herself to look at Finn with a smile on her face.
The truth was, she felt awkward and overwhelmed by the fact that Finn had come all this way. She was also angry at Magnus for showing up with Finn unannounced. If she had known he was coming with Finn, she would not have accepted his offer to pick her up in the first place.
She might not be the brightest or most comfortable with relationships, but she wasn't stupid enough to not recognize a blatant flirtation.
In that sense, it was clear that Finn Emerson 'still' harbored a rational interest in her. And he didn't seem to have any intention of hiding it.
That attitude would have bothered her in the past, but now she was married. She was still legally married, even if she had been involved in a disgraceful annulment case. But Finn acted as if none of that mattered to him.
Which was probably true. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come all this way.
"Are you thinking of setting off straight for Glynford?"
"I can't do that. I'm going to check Bridget out in Breford first, and then it won't be too late to decide."
It was Magnus who answered Finn's question. Bridget, her gaze fixed out the window, glanced down and replied calmly.
"I'm fine, Magnus."
"Why else would I have come to see you in person?"
He was probably afraid she might collapse on the carriage ride.
Bridget clasped her hands together in her lap. Fortunately, the rain had stopped and she felt somewhat better afterward. It was worth it to stay in bed and rest hard instead of purposely leaving the room. She wouldn’t mind traveling straight to Glynford in this condition.
This time it was Finn who spoke up, taking Magnus's place.
"I have a place in Breford. Once there, you can contact me.........."
"I'm sorry, but I don't see why I should be in Mr. Emerson's favor."
Bridget interrupted firmly, almost rudely, and looked at Finn.
"I'm sure you meant well by coming all the way out here, but I don't appreciate it."
Finn stared at Bridget in disbelief, then burst out laughing.
"Ah, you're still sensitive."
"I know you're offended, but..................."
"It's okay. I'm sure you find my actions very embarrassing."
As if that wasn't enough, he smiled pleasantly and waved his hands.
Finn was the same. It was the way he'd been trying to close the distance between himself and the woman, as if he couldn't take no for an answer.
"But while Miss Pennington has been holed up in the woods for months," he said, "there have been all sorts of rumors going around outside, and I think she'd better accept my favor.”
Bridget knew the annulment of Ain's marriage was a big scandal. Even when she had married him in the first place, Bridget had received a personal royal visit. She hadn't even met Ain's parents, but the royal family had sent someone to secretly contact her. The marriage was a complicated affair, and it wouldn't be easy to have it annulled.
Nevertheless, the fact that Ain was showing such an attitude must mean that he was holding some solid evidence.
Bridget gave up trying to deduce what that might be. The moment she miscarried, and the moment he denied the baby's existence, the marriage was irrevocable. It was going to end anyway, and all the while, Finn was trying to convince her otherwise.
"Still, isn't it better that it’s me than to be tormented by strangers?"
As soon as Finn's soft, lilting words were finished, Magnus spoke up.
"Well, I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Emerson. This has gotten bigger than I thought it would, with the royal family getting involved themselves. The papers are all talking about a lawsuit, and I'm sure it's more than you can handle alone."
"Oh, and just in case you're wondering, I've booked the accommodation under an assumed name."
Bridget flicked her gaze out the window, the grass and trees she'd seen every day for months passing quickly by.
Suddenly, she was sick of it all.
"..................then I'll owe you."
There was no point in pointing out that he'd been calling her "Miss Pennington" instead of "Mrs. Wise" the whole time, and she didn't want to argue with him, because it wouldn't make anything worse.
***
It was already late when they arrived in town.
If it weren't for Finn's lodging arrangements, she would have been in trouble. Bridget admitted that Finn's favor was helpful. She was nervous about staying in his lodging, even under an assumed name, but he seemed to have guessed that and said he'd get a room in another building. She was relieved.
As she unpacked and laid down in the unfamiliar room, she realized then that she had finally left the mansion.
Even with the windows closed, she could hear the loud cries of drunks wandering the streets late at night, intermixed with the sounds of carriages traveling through the streets, and the whistles of policemen enforcing the nighttime traffic. None of these noises could be heard from the mansion.
Had she gotten used to the silence? She couldn't sleep as she listened to the sounds outside. Her thoughts drifted to the past, which could only have been a year or so ago.
Back to Glynford, the man who had turned her life upside down.
As she ruminated meaninglessly, the window outside brightened. She realized she could hear birds chirping, but her consciousness faded. The thought of surviving another day made her feel groggy and drained at the same time. As the day dawned, she drifted off to sleep, hoping that the difficulty of falling asleep all night had been a dream.
***
Bridget was the owner of the Grand Theater, but she had been pushed aside by Ronan and had not been able to participate in its operations in any meaningful way. However, the theater's debts had to be paid, so she took on a second job to make sure her employees were paid on time.
One of those jobs was simply giving tourists visiting Glynford a tour of the city.
The day she set out to give tours as usual, she met two men. One with platinum hair and a gentle smile, the other with dark hair and a stern expression.
From the moment she saw them, Bridget knew they were no ordinary tourists. She was uncharacteristically surprised when the platinum-haired man introduced himself as Finn Emerson. Finn Emerson was a prominent playwright in the capital. If she could get his work into her Grand Theater, she could make more than a few months' worth of money in one fell swoop. The thought was thrilling.
It was unclear what purpose the two men had in coming to Glynford, as neither seemed to have a specific one in mind, so Bridget led the tourist route as usual.
However, she selflessly slipped the Glynford Grand Theater into the route. She had that much discretion.
"I'm surprised it didn't fall down."
Those were the first words of the man standing in front of Glynford's theater.
"Besides, it's a bad location. Isn't this the kind of place that's bound to flood when the river rises?"
The man's name was Patrick Sherman. As they walked around the city, Bridget noticed that he was thoroughly evaluating everything he saw. The Glynford Grand Theater was one of them.
True to his word, the theater's exterior was shabby. When it was first built, it was ornate and magnificent, but over the course of two decades, the paint had peeled and the exterior walls were worn in places, however, the value of the Grand Theater could not be evaluated based on that alone.
"I wouldn't say it's never been flooded, but as you can see, it's held up well."
Bridget's answer was cold.
"The inside must be rotten or rusted."
"I have it inspected every year, and there's never been a problem."
"Well, you wouldn't know unless you take it apart."
“Wouldn’t it be more problematic if we tear down a perfectly good building?”
"It doesn't look like there are any customers here anyway, so isn't it more of a problem to leave the monstrosity unattended?"
Bridget tried to hold it in, but she couldn't help but laugh at these remarks, so she stiffened her expression and shot back with a stern voice.
"If you're looking for a building to buy, I'm afraid you're in the wrong place. The Glynford Grand Theater is not for sale."
At that, the man, whose eyes had been fixed on the building, glanced back at Bridget.
"How do you know that?"
"Because I'm the owner."
Bridget spat the words out in frustration, and immediately regretted it. But she couldn't take back the words she'd already spat.
As she chewed her tongue and regretted her words, the man tilted his head and laughed with interest.
"Aha, owner."
***
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