Read Online The Other Side of Anne by Kelly Stuart - Free Book Online

said. She was alone and scared, and she hoped that her daughter had felt alone and scared as little as possible.
    Avery hazarded a cautious step forward. “What was your daughter like?”
    “She did not live with me.”
    “Right. She had her own household.”
    “I saw her infrequently. She was partly a stranger to me. But a lovely stranger with the most charming laugh.”
    “You picked out her clothes.”
    “The materials and colors, yes. She probably never remembered me.” Elizabeth was not yet three years old when Anne was executed. That day likely was just another day for the little girl.
    “I’m sorry,” Avery said.
    “Were you surprised when you saw me?” Anne asked. “At my plainness? This is the woman Henry VIII tossed England over for?”
    “You’re not plain.”
    Anne laughed. “I am plain. I am nothing to boast about.” It was her confidence, her apparent confidence anyway, her training in seduction and her playfulness that gave Anne her beauty. How she used her body, her sexuality. Her dark eyes, too.
    Anne let her gaze fall to her hands. She had been careful to keep them groomed. Her fingernails, like Benjamin’s, wore no imperfections. If Anne thought long enough, if she tried hard enough, perhaps she could rediscover the seductress that lay dormant inside her.
    “Okay,” Avery said. “Fine. You’re plain.”
    Anne grinned. “So are you, Sir Franklin.”
     
    **
     
    Avery jam med his hands in his pockets a lot, Anne noticed. Like about right now, as he stood in the doorway of her bedroom close to midnight. His expression was troubled, and Anne took a moment to breathe in the man. He looked more kissable than ever. His hair was a tousled mess, and Anne loved that he apparently had no idea.
    “ Join me for a beer?” After a pause, he added: “Or wine?”
    “Certainly. I will have wine.”
    They settled in the living room.  “The Pegasus car is still here,” Avery said darkly as he drank from his beer. “Nate’s gone, though. Someone I don’t recognize is behind the wheel. I guess that rules out Nate being a robot who can go without food and sleep.”
    The wine tasted like choking dust. How could it not? Pegasus’s presence and Charles Franklin’s presence sneered at Anne. Ominous, everywhere.
    “I’ll talk to him tomorrow,” Avery said. “Nate or whomever is in the car. At least it isn’t labeled. We don’t need neighbors nosing around.”
    “Thank you .” After a pause, Anne added: “I should not have left my paintings at Pegasus.”
    “Why?”
    “You said they would have made money. Upon reflection, I need a way to support myself.”
    “ We’ll get them tomorrow. Not a problem. You’re good. Really good.”
    “Your mother taught me most of what I know.”
    Avery nodded. “I thought she might have. Your styles are similar.” He chuckled. “Can’t say your subject matters are similar, though.” He sipped from his beer. “Someday you’ll tell me what you know about her. But not now.”
    “She was a good painter.”
    Avery’s lips tightened. “Moving on. I can ask Benjamin to draw up false papers for you. A fake driver’s license, all that.”
    “Hmm.”
    “Do you know how to drive?”
    “I do not.”
    “I’ll teach you. What name would you like to use on your papers?”
    George, dear brother. “My name could be Anne George.”
    “Anne George. I like that. Want a middle name?”
    “Elizabeth. I can become Anne Elizabeth George.”
    “Perfect. Happy birthday, Anne Elizabeth George.” Avery finished his beer in a long swallow and yawned. “I’m more tired than I thought. Better hit the hay.”
    The idea of sleep scared Anne, especially since the unknown Pegasus man lurked outside. “You may ask me something, Sir Franklin,” Anne said. “Three questions. You have permission to ask me three questions about my other life.”
    Avery’s eyes went wide. “ Um…um…I don’t mind studying you from a distance. I’m not like my father. I won’t