ππππ πΈπππΎππ (thornback) wrote in sanditon,
The spark of interest in his eyes proved so compelling that Anne could not help but lean unconsciously forward as she listened. There was quite a difference in his conversation now as opposed to that of mere moments ago; she had alighted on a subject that stirred passion in him, that same passion of character that had made their attachment eight years ago all but an inevitability. Here was a changed Captain Wentworthβolder certainlyβyet here also was the Frederick she had come to have such tender feelings for.
This was why parting with their usual shallow civilities was dangerous, Anne thought. It was the work of only a moment, of a single turn in conversation, that could undo them.
She had been about to raise her voice to respond again, with observations she knew not the nature of, so encouraged was sheβbut the sea then revealed its treachery, for it was a bracing wind off the water that came upon them suddenly in a rush. Anne held to her hat instinctively, releasing the fixed position of her right hand at her skirts, and her dress fluttered almost to her knees.
There was no hope for it. And really, could she expect to not be mortified in some way or other before the Captain? If it was not the Elliot pride revealing itself in some comment of Mary's, it was a sea breeze exposing her want of a shoe.
"I did encounter a bit of a mishap on my walk," she explained hastily. "But all was put right. I mean, all shall be put right once I have returned to my room at the hotel." Where she prayed Mary had not seen fit to borrow her only other pair of shoes for a stroll along the beach. But you weren't using them, Anne, and you can't expect me to bear with the inconvenience of getting sand all inside my own shoes! The excuse already rang between Anne's ears, but she would give Mary the benefit of the doubt until she could discover the truth for herself.
"You will forgive my presentation," she hoped, cheeks turned a stinging red from more than just wind. "And you will perhaps have an answer as to why I did take my time."