Timothy was turning into the exact man that she feared him to be. She was surprised that this conversation had not happened a long time ago, she always lived with a certain amount of fear at university wondering when her secret would be exposed. Timothy certainly kept her guessing, just a few days ago when Elizabeth had asked her over to celebrate Timothy’s engagement she had begun to think that maybe Timothy wasn’t the man she thought he was. She had hoped that he would be able to put his prejudices aside and thought that maybe he would keep her confidence. Now it was clear to Anna, that seeing her with George, Timothy would use his knowledge against her.
“Anna, there is something that is troubling me and I thought that rather than discussing the matter with anyone else that we could resolve things between ourselves”, said Timothy. Timothy was awkward in most social situations; in discussing matters of a delicate nature he really was inept.
“I think it is very clear as to what you are talking about Timothy. But I really don’t see where your interests in my private matters are concerned.” Anna was on the defence. She thought people like Timothy were becoming a thing of the past and that people were becoming more understanding on matters such as these. It was just her luck to run into Timothy a few months back when she was out walking in the park. She knew Timothy had jumped to his own conclusion on the matter, that he had assumed the worst about her. It wasn’t just Timothy who had assumed the worst which was why a long time ago Anna had shut herself off from most society. She never went on dates and had few friends; she had only befriended Elizabeth because it was clear that she was in need of a friend herself. Anna had resigned herself to a life of solitude; she had not expected to meet anyone who would be understanding enough of her situation to ever expect anything more. That was why it was all the more difficult to find herself in this current situation, with George, with Timothy and with her own stupid self for letting herself get so involved with a man that she forgot to guard her heart.
Anna could felt the tension within herself building. The more she thought about it the angrier she became. She was looking at Timothy and thinking how dare you presume to interfere in my affairs, how dare you try to tell me that I am not good enough for your fiancée’s brother, how dare you try to take away my chance of happiness with a man that I never dreamt that I could meet.
“Actually Annabel, I do believe it is of my concern. George is soon to become a member of my family. I do not believe that it would be appropriate for your relationship with him to move anywhere past that of acquaintance.” Timothy stated.
“Well, Timothy”, Anna was now seething, “I think it is what George thinks is important, not you.”
“And does George know?” Timothy enquired. Timothy stood there looking at Anna. He was tall and somewhat heavy, not what you would consider overweight but there was no muscle definition although even without it he was still much wider than Annabel as well as a good head above her. His hair was a chesnut brown and curled into ringlets which was obviously a point of frustration for him because he tried to use oil to slick it back in the modern style but it would dry and spring into little ringlets on the top of his head. His light brown eyes were big and round and along with the smattering of freckles across his nose gave him the appearance of someone much younger than his twenty-six years. It was the way he held himself rigid and as stiff as an ironing board that revealed his true personality. Timothy had the appearance of a gentle giant but it was his manner that ended this charade. Timothy was serious and very conservative in his beliefs and world views. He held tight to the formality of yester years and it was clear that these beliefs were instilled in him by his parents. Both of them were from families who were considered old money, neither had a title but both claimed one through family connections.
Anna was not going to be intimidated by him. If George was going to find out it was going to be on her terms, not some pompous man who wouldn’t know what compassion looked like.
Anna stared straight back at Timothy; Timothy had not wanted the conversation to take such an unfriendly tone. He had sympathies for Anna but it really would be a better outcome for all if she ended her relationship with George now. There were selfish reasons for this such as what his parents would feel about such a family connection but there were also unselfish reasons, he didn’t want to expose Anna or the child to such scrutiny.
“Alright Timothy, George doesn’t know, not yet anyway. But it is up to me to tell him, not you.” Anna was ready for a fight but she was surprised that it was not what Timothy was looking for.
“If you think that is wise, then you go right ahead. But you need to remember that no matter how George reacts, there is others still involved. His parents for example, do you think they will be ready to welcome a grandchild into the family which isn’t their own.” Timothy didn’t want to hurt her but he thought it necessary to open her eyes to the situation. After all a young single mother could not expect that she would be welcomed into a well-to-do family without any ramifications. They were not going to extend their arms out and welcome her and her fatherless child and to imagine so would just be as foolish as getting into the immoral situation as itself. Timothy was surprised at Annabel, he had always found her to be an intelligent girl to find out that she was slightly delusional didn’t seem to fit with the same girl. He understood that some cad had probably persuaded her against her better judgement into the unfortunate mess but he thought her clever enough to accept that her life circumstance would not be the same again.
Anna sighed. “I do understand Timothy. People do not accept people making mistakes.” With that she turned to walk away.
“Annabel, I’m not ...” Timothy started but did not finish. It was clear that she didn’t want his advice. Timothy hadn’t planned on this being the current situation. He had thought that he would recommended that they all enjoy the rest of the night together and that at the end of the night Annabel would say her goodbyes to George and that would be the end. He hadn’t thought that it would have been necessary for Annabel to out herself, he admired her bravery and felt sorry for her naivety, he had also felt the same way about her choice to keep the child.
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