Foundation of Love: The Gypsy Blessing 2 Read Online Free
Author: Wendi Sotis
little...” Anne wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know... strange .”
Anne pointed to a side street and directed William to park the car. Once they were seated in the restaurant, William continued their conversation. “I’m sorry your visit didn’t go well.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to give you that impression. I had a lot of fun. Their younger sister, Lydia, is kind of an airhead and the biggest flirt I’ve ever met—I don’t remember ever hearing so much about boys in my life. Their mother spent her time either telling me every intimate detail of the lives of people I don’t know or had just met, or trying to set me up on dates with men from the area. She reminded me a little of my mother in a way, listing each man’s earning potential, and pushing them at me.” Anne laughed. “I guess it comes with the territory—being in my mid-twenties with no boyfriend in sight, with ‘student’ my only career path up until now. Lizzy joked that if her mother found out that I have money, she would push her brother Tom at me, even though he is so much younger than I am. He is Lizzy’s twin.”
William’s eyebrows rose high up on his forehead. “I would feel much more comfortable if you had your own apartment instead of sharing a dorm room with strangers.”
“Living with strangers has done me nothing but good. You know that my mother would leave me with a nanny whenever she went away on one of her monthly trips, always too worried that I’d become ill to take me with her. Even after the doctor told her my immune system was stronger than it was when I was little, it continued the same way—I think it had become a habit for her. The only places I was allowed to go were to visit the Fitzwilliams and your family. Then, once she allowed me to be around people, she only let me near people she thought worthy of notice.”
William nodded. “She’s like that in business, too. It’s not easy having her on the board when she only wants us to take on clients who have her idea of the right kind of reputation.”
“I’ve never told anyone this before.” Anne spoke hesitantly. “I was so shy that when I was with the super-self-confident socialites my mother insisted I hang out with, all I’d do was just sit there and listen. The few times I did find the courage to speak, they ridiculed me. I tried reading the gossip columns, but even then, I still couldn’t exchange years’ worth of gossip like they did. It was all about people I’d never even met. I read up on cities all over the world that they had mentioned visiting and watched movies and TV programs about them, but it didn’t help. Instead of trying to find a topic that I was interested in or help me to find a way to belong to their little clique, when they thought I couldn’t hear them, they’d laugh at what I’d said. Those girls tolerated my company because of the size of my bank account and my family name, and that’s it. Much of what they said was nasty and cruel. Even thinking of them now, I still can’t figure out why my mother considers those people superior .” She shook her head and glanced around the restaurant. “That’s why I wanted to meet all kinds of people, not just the ones my mother decided were the ‘right kind,’ and I asked your parents and the Fitzwilliams to back me up when I decided to go away to college. With all the money my family has donated to my father’s alma mater, by selecting Longbourn University, I had my pick of dorms and chose one that provides a private bedroom for each student, with a shared common room.
“It took years—and yes, I’ve been exposed to a few girls who were not very nice or ‘good role model’ material—but look at me, Will. When I first left home, I never thought I’d be able to speak above a whisper, let alone model my friend’s designs. I feel like I’m a different person. People listen to what I have to say and take me seriously now, and not just because I’m a de
Anne pointed to a side street and directed William to park the car. Once they were seated in the restaurant, William continued their conversation. “I’m sorry your visit didn’t go well.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to give you that impression. I had a lot of fun. Their younger sister, Lydia, is kind of an airhead and the biggest flirt I’ve ever met—I don’t remember ever hearing so much about boys in my life. Their mother spent her time either telling me every intimate detail of the lives of people I don’t know or had just met, or trying to set me up on dates with men from the area. She reminded me a little of my mother in a way, listing each man’s earning potential, and pushing them at me.” Anne laughed. “I guess it comes with the territory—being in my mid-twenties with no boyfriend in sight, with ‘student’ my only career path up until now. Lizzy joked that if her mother found out that I have money, she would push her brother Tom at me, even though he is so much younger than I am. He is Lizzy’s twin.”
William’s eyebrows rose high up on his forehead. “I would feel much more comfortable if you had your own apartment instead of sharing a dorm room with strangers.”
“Living with strangers has done me nothing but good. You know that my mother would leave me with a nanny whenever she went away on one of her monthly trips, always too worried that I’d become ill to take me with her. Even after the doctor told her my immune system was stronger than it was when I was little, it continued the same way—I think it had become a habit for her. The only places I was allowed to go were to visit the Fitzwilliams and your family. Then, once she allowed me to be around people, she only let me near people she thought worthy of notice.”
William nodded. “She’s like that in business, too. It’s not easy having her on the board when she only wants us to take on clients who have her idea of the right kind of reputation.”
“I’ve never told anyone this before.” Anne spoke hesitantly. “I was so shy that when I was with the super-self-confident socialites my mother insisted I hang out with, all I’d do was just sit there and listen. The few times I did find the courage to speak, they ridiculed me. I tried reading the gossip columns, but even then, I still couldn’t exchange years’ worth of gossip like they did. It was all about people I’d never even met. I read up on cities all over the world that they had mentioned visiting and watched movies and TV programs about them, but it didn’t help. Instead of trying to find a topic that I was interested in or help me to find a way to belong to their little clique, when they thought I couldn’t hear them, they’d laugh at what I’d said. Those girls tolerated my company because of the size of my bank account and my family name, and that’s it. Much of what they said was nasty and cruel. Even thinking of them now, I still can’t figure out why my mother considers those people superior .” She shook her head and glanced around the restaurant. “That’s why I wanted to meet all kinds of people, not just the ones my mother decided were the ‘right kind,’ and I asked your parents and the Fitzwilliams to back me up when I decided to go away to college. With all the money my family has donated to my father’s alma mater, by selecting Longbourn University, I had my pick of dorms and chose one that provides a private bedroom for each student, with a shared common room.
“It took years—and yes, I’ve been exposed to a few girls who were not very nice or ‘good role model’ material—but look at me, Will. When I first left home, I never thought I’d be able to speak above a whisper, let alone model my friend’s designs. I feel like I’m a different person. People listen to what I have to say and take me seriously now, and not just because I’m a de
Readers choose
Mike Blakely
Laila Blake
John Hall
Clifton Adams
Meg Ripley
J. A. Jance
Melissa Huie
Eve Langlais
Yehoshue Perle