Persuading Annie by Melissa Nathan Read Free Book Online Page A

daughters. Katherine, her blonde hair coiffed to within an inch of its life, her blue eyes lidded with just the right amount of smudged amber to lend them a superior air, gave him a slow, feline smile that told him Daddy was all.
    With an effort, he looked away from Katherine to Annie.
    Annie looked out of the window, showing George her elegant profile.
    George sighed deeply.
    He would never get over Annie’s obstinate red hair. Never. As if she couldn’t just go to the hairdressers.
    It seemed that George had only recently got over the initial shock of seeing his youngest daughter for the first time. It was bad enough she hadn’t been a boy, whichmeant that his chances of a son were now as good as lost. Four years earlier, he had been devastated when Katherine had first been brought to him, furious, pink and undeniably female. Yet it had proved impossible, even for George, not to fall in love with such a beautiful, bouncy, gurgling child – and anyway, there was still hope that his other children would all be sons. When Victoria followed Katherine two years afterward, he had become used to disappointment and had simply not expected any better from his wife.
    But, by the time Annie arrived, two years later, he knew that now all chances of a son were gone. Annie personified his loss of hope.
    Perhaps that explained why he had reacted so violently to the colour of her hair.
    ‘Good God, woman, what’s happened ?’ he demanded of Caroline.
    ‘What do you mean, what’s happened?’ she asked, exhausted, hugging her infant to her chest.
    ‘It’s got orange hair!’ he exploded.
    ‘ She has auburn hair,’ said Caroline firmly, gently touching one of the golden curls with the tip of her finger.
    ‘Listen here, old gal, have you been having an affair with someone uglier than death?’ continued George, not knowing which he would prefer most – to be a cuckold, or the begetter of Beelzebub’s daughter.
    Caroline fought back the angry tears.
    ‘She is our daughter and she’s beautiful,’ she said in a tone he had never heard before.
    ‘IT’S UGLIER THAN HIMMLER, WOMAN—’ he shouted, disgusted.
    ‘ SHE! ’ cried Caroline.
    ‘All right, SHE’s uglier than Himmler!’
    And he had slammed the door shut after him, shaken to the core that he could have produced such a hybrid.
    Twenty-six years later, Annie’s hair still troubled him. It had softened into a Titian blur now, the thick curls pulled off her pale face. Of course, thought George peevishly, Annie would never lower herself to have her locks cut into a slick, modern style. If only she would have her hair highlighted, he thought morosely. Wear make-up, high heels, make an effort.
    Annie felt her father’s harsh eye on her and stayed looking out of the window across the streets of London.
    She eventually looked over at Susannah, who gave her a tender, supportive smile. Annie’s heart warmed slightly. Without Susannah’s presence, her family’s silent condemnation would have weighed even more heavily on her slight shoulders.
    Eventually there was a knock on the door and they all looked towards it expecting Mr Cavendish the solicitor to sidle in. When instead, Davina Barker, the new marketing director, entered the office, her neat little face showing just the right amount of concern and respect, all four of them experienced a severe change in their emotions.
    ‘Ah, Davina, my dear!’ greeted George warmly, gratified by the sight of Davina’s extremely long legs in an extremely mini skirt.
    She walked purposefully towards him and let him kiss her on both cheeks, tilting her head back just the right amount for him to smell the dabs of Chanel No 5 behind her ears and see an enticing glimpse of cleavage. She pulled out the chair next to Katherine.
    Katherine flashed a grin at her friend. Now the fun would begin! Davina was the only person Katherine liked whowasn’t moneyed, whose family had no history and who thought Belgravia was a country. In fact she