Hi there! I hope everyone is doing okay in their quarantine. Apologies for being slow with the updates, but I've got some time on my hands now.

Hope you enjoy and be sure to wash your hands!

Xx

Chapter Three

After the dinner party, as they moved further into term, Anne did not expect to see much of Frederick Wentworth. Afterall, she was a graduate student, constantly on campus for class or to study in the library. He was a successful and busy emergency room surgeon. They hardly ran in the same circles. Their one link was his sister, who happened to be Anne's academic advisor and thesis supervisor. Still, she thought they could avoid each other nicely.

A few weeks after classes began, Anne found herself in Professor Croft's office one afternoon as the pair discussed reading from the previous day's Myth and Literature course. The coursework had given her a starting point for her thesis and she'd been thrilled to share the idea with the professor, who was intrigued by Anne's proposal.

As they talked over themes from the course's most recent novel, Anne noticed a collection of photo frames displayed on top of a short filing cabinet by the window. These, along with the surely hundreds of books along the back wall and a painting that looked to be a Matisse, were the only additional decorations in the office. In one photo, she noticed Frederick posing with a small, dark haired girl and they were both sporting large grins. Professor Croft noticed her pupil distracted by the photo, pulling her own attention away as well.

"I've always liked that one," Professor Croft said, watching Anne.

"It's sweet," she agreed, but wondered who the little girl was. She couldn't tell Frederick's exact age in the image, but the girl in the photo seemed to be four or five years old.

"Fred's always been good with his niece. Olivia was staying with a friend during the night of the student mixer. Not exactly easy to get a five-year-old to sleep when there are new people downstairs. She's a social butterfly."

Niece. Anne found herself feeling relieved, although she had known he was not married. It had come up during the dinner party because Henrietta had asked him in between Louisa pulling details from him about working in a hospital and his stint in Jordan a few years ago with Doctors Without Borders. It wouldn't have been surprising to Anne if he had been married, although she noticed he didn't wear a ring. And she knew he would have.

"Olivia is such a lovely name," Anne said, smiling more fully now.

"Fred takes her during the afternoons he isn't on call and they visit every park and ice cream shop they can find," Professor Croft said fondly. "She can be a handful, but she always behaves for her favorite uncle. I think he feels an obligation to see her more after being in Ar Ramtha for the first three years of her life. Not that performing life-saving surgery for refugees isn't noble, but try telling a child that's why her uncle isn't at a birthday party."

"Five-year-olds can be tricky at times," she agreed.

Anne tried to ignore her instructor's comments about Frederick's time in the Middle East. Very early on in their relationship, she had known Frederick wanted to make a real difference in the world through his medical career. After a visit to Haiti the summer before his final year of undergrad, he'd decided he wanted to be a trauma or emergency physician. He wanted to make a real difference. And before settling down at a hospital somewhere near his family, he was determined to provide medical aid where it was needed most, to those who were experiencing a catastrophe of some sort. She'd thought it was honorable for him to have such goals, however dangerous the situation would be, and had loved him all the more for it. And it seems he'd fulfilled that goal and returned safely while she had been a coward.

His unflinching desire to travel out of the country and provide medical care to those experiencing a humanitarian crisis had been part of the reason her father and Charlotte gave to Anne that they should not marry. It would have been too dangerous to follow him to one of the most war-torn places on the planet. Sir Walter would not allow one of his daughters to put themselves in harm's way! Or if she stayed at home while he was gone, what if he died? What would become of her then? She would be financially destitute after being cut off from her family for marrying such a man. He forbade it.

Anne secretly wondered what it would have been like in Jordan for her, and had listened in silence at the party as he told Louisa about it. But his recounting of those three years of his life were but a blip and did not hold Louisa's fascination long. She had moved him on to other topics while Anne yearned to know more, despite being afraid of it. Afraid because of the dangers he had faced. Afraid of how she had not shown enough courage to defy her family and be there with him.

"Oh, that's right, you were a primary school teacher?" Professor Croft asked, pulling Anne's attention back. Anne did not feel slighted by this mention of her past, less intellectual sojourn.

"I love teaching, but did want a change" Anne said, still thinking about Frederick but attempting to push it away. "There are fewer sticky fingers, or nights coming home covered in glue and marker."

Professor Croft smiled as there was a knock at the door.

"Just a moment," she said, getting to her feet. Opening the door, a small girl bounded into the office.

"Mummy, Uncle Freddy let me have my OWN ice cream today!"

The girl who had appeared and now had her arms around Professor Croft's waist could only be Olivia. She was slight, with dark brown pigtails that would have curled down her back if her hair had been loose. Seeing the two of them together, Anne wondered how she had not noticed the girl's resemblance to Sophia Croft, whose own dark hair was wavy while her brother's was straight.

"Did he now?" Professor Croft questioned, bending down to press a kiss to Olivia's hair.

"She does have a knack for influencing me."

Said brother stepped into the office, but halted upon seeing Anne. His face blanched almost imperceptibly but quickly returned to its cheerful look. For her part, Anne's expression changed from one of delight at meeting Olivia to warming at the sight of the uncle. Anne hoped she had outlived the age of blushing; but the age of emotion she certainly had not.

"I was swinging so high at the park, Mummy!" Olivia said, excited. She noticed her mother was not alone, her head turning with interest to Anne. "I'm Olivia," she said with a tentative smile.

"Hi, I'm Anne," she returned, easily smiling back at the girl in spite of the discomfort she felt.

"Sorry I brought her back early, I got an emergency call from the hospital. They need all hands on deck for a motor accident," Frederick said, not acknowledging Anne further.

"Fred, I have a class in twenty minutes and John has patients today," Professor Croft scolded halfheartedly. "You know she can't sit still for an hour's undergraduate lecture on Feminist Novelists of the Nineteenth Century."

"It's never too early to start lecturing her on literary feminism," he quipped. His smile was effortless with his family. Anne's stomach dropped as she wished the same could be said for her.

Anne was debating the odds of a successful attempt to slip past Frederick. But knew it would be impossible to do so without pushing him aside since he took up most of the doorway. He'd been tall and rather gangly at King's, but the passing of time had filled him out to be in the more muscular category. Perhaps Jordan had helped in that regard. She silently wondered if he put in time at the gym or played in a cricket league.

At the moment Anne pondered Frederick's workout regime, it seemed as though Professor Croft had a bolt of inspiration.

"Anne, I hate to impose but do you have a lecture this next hour?"

Anne shook her head to indicate she did not. And to clear her foggy thoughts.

"Would you mind terribly keeping an eye on Olivia? I have activities for her here and, if you're able, you could keep an eye on her in the student lounge downstairs." Professor Croft's predicament was evident, for Olivia was bouncing around the room, likely from the sugar of the ice cream. From her own experience Anne knew Olivia would not sit still even for five minutes. Feeling the pressure to accept as well as desire assist her mentor, Anne consented.

"I'd be happy to watch her," she stated, and it was true enough. Olivia seemed sweet and Anne had enough residual teaching abilities to distract the five-year-old for the better part of an hour.

"That would be wonderful!" Professor Croft said with pleasure. "Although you shouldn't have to step in for my good-for-nothing brother." There was such affection in this statement, Anne knew she did not mean it.

"Hey, who did you used to dress up like a doll? I think you got the better end in this bargain," Frederick joked, leaning against the doorframe. Anne chanced a look at him and saw that he was smiling again. He glanced at her briefly, but his gaze did not linger. Anne felt her stomach knot with discomfort in response.

"Well, thank God that Anne is here to pick up your slack," Professor Croft countered with good-natured teasing.

Frederick nodded, but did not verbally reply to this statement.

"I should get to the hospital. I hear there's blood everywhere," he said lightly.

Anne remembered enough of his character to recognize that this statement was banter, not serious. She could tell from his own off-handed statements and what she had heard from others that he was an excellent, serious surgeon. This blunt faith in himself and dark humor were something Charlotte had strongly disliked upon meeting him all those years ago. Such confidence, powerful in its own warmth, and bewitching in the wit which often expressed it, must have been enough for Anne; but Charlotte Russell saw it very differently. His sanguine temper, and fearlessness of mind, operated very differently on her. She saw in it but an aggravation of the evil.

"Bye, Uncle Freddy!" Olivia said, flying at her uncle with a hug. Frederick chuckled, wrapping Olivia tightly in his arms. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head and Anne had to look away from this display of affection. It was too similar to a fatherly warmth of which she knew he had been deprived.

"I'll see you on Friday, Livy," he said.

"Can we go to the zoo?" Olivia asked, pulling away.

"Talk to your Mummy," was his reply as he stood upright again. "I'll talk to you later," he said to his sister. Anne closed the notepad in her hand for a distraction, a reason not to look at him.

"Yes, yes, goodbye," Professor Croft said, waving her hand at him to shoo him away. "Go save lives and all that."

"Afternoon, ladies," he added, and Anne looked up at the fond tone in his voice, saw eyes crinkled around the edges as he smiled at his sister. And then his face turned briefly to Anne. The smile didn't falter, but his eyes didn't quite have the brightness they did when he looked at his niece or sister. He nodded to her, and was gone.

"Hey, Anne!"

Footfalls approached behind her, Fred Wentworth appearing at her shoulder with a smile. Her heartbeat quickened, as it always did at the sight of him. She couldn't help but return the smile.

"Hi, Fred."

"How do you think you did on that lab final?" he questioned.

"Oh fairly dreadful. If I passed it's because of your constant help throughout the term. I'm still hopeless at chemistry," she replied, adjusting the strap on her bag as she looked up at him. Fred was almost two heads taller than her.

"I'm sure you passed with flying colors," he countered. "You definitely got the hang of it as we went along."

Anne smiled, knowing he was only being kind. Part of her design in asking for his assistance at nearly every lab had been to get to know him. And Fred was always eager to help. It made Anne wonder…

"Well, I'm glad it's through," she said, and his face fell slightly. "I mean, I'm glad the class is over."

Anne squirmed. She didn't want him to think she didn't enjoy his company. Her nerves made her shift on her feet again, but in spite of the discomfort she wanted to stay there and talk with him for as long as possible.

Fred's smile brightened at her amended statement.

"Any more finals left?"

"One tomorrow afternoon. I'll take the train home on Friday," she explained.

He nodded, looking nervous himself. She'd never seen him show any type of unease before, he was usually so self-assured.

It was cute.

"What about you?" she asked, now beginning to wonder why he had followed her after the lab final.

"I'm staying until Friday as well," he said, running a hand through his dark hair. Anne noticed it was getting longer. Usually straight, it curled slightly around his ears. "Turning in a paper that afternoon."

"Oh?" she asked, and Fred nodded again.

"I was wondering something," he said, looking more jumpy by the second.

Anne tilted her head in expectation, but her heart thumped unevenly in her chest.

"Well, you're no longer in this chemistry section after today, so I wondered if you'd maybe want to grab a bite to eat tomorrow evening? Thursday." He said all this very slow and careful, watching her the entire time.

"Like a date?" Anne questioned, causing him to laugh. She smiled at this, noticing he was more confident now than before. He shifted closer to her, and Anne couldn't breathe for a moment.

"Yes, a date," Fred told her. "I thought that was apparent." His return to gentle teasing made her certain his nerves were gone.

Anne considered his offer, but only for a moment before she replied, "Yes."

He grinned.

Thankfully Anne didn't have much time to daydream about Frederick that afternoon, for Olivia turned out to be a spirited handful. Sitting in the student lounge with the little girl, Anne had to keep asking her not to draw on the walls. Olivia was keen to brighten up the room with her own artwork.

"Olivia, does your mother allow you to draw on the walls at home?" Anne asked, all patience.

Olivia pulled her hand back from the wall, but the crayon she held was still poised.

"No, Miss Anne," Olivia said, scrunching her mouth in a frown.

"Then we won't draw on these walls either," she replied. "Will we?"

Olivia considered for a few moments, taking note of Anne's stern but gentle expression. A look she borrowed from her teaching days.

"No," Olivia said finally, skipping back over to Anne's seat on a low sofa. Coloring pages were strewn across the low coffee table pulled up closer to the sofa. The little girl stood at Anne's side and began to color on one of the pages. She could stay in the lines if she thought about it, deftly switching colors and tints as though she were skilled in color theory. Better than most of the eight-year-olds Anne used to teach.

"What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" Anne ventured after a few minutes of scribbled silence.

"Chocolate chip," Olivia said. "Uncle Freddy let me have my own cone today. He usually makes me share. But always lets me finish the cone."

Anne returned the grin on Olivia's face. She hadn't wanted to bring up Frederick but it was clear the little girl adored her uncle.

And vice versa.

Olivia chattered on about going to the park and playing on the swings and merry-go round. Anne listened attentively, asking questions about her favorite park and what she'd seen that afternoon, but every few moments Olivia's stories were punctuated by mention of her favorite uncle. Anne maintained her composure, as she wanted to appear as animated as possible to match Olivia's enthusiasm for her day's activities.

And she hoped that every mention of Frederick would help to desensitize her to his name being mentioned. Especially by such a sweet admirer.

"Anne!"

She sat in the library, a few books opened across the table. Looking up from her notes she saw Louisa and Henrietta, with Charles on their heels.

From her recent interactions with the three of them, Anne discovered they were all from the same village but had completed their undergrad at different universities. The three were very close in age, Charles and Henrietta had completed their A-levels in the same year while Louisa did hers a year later. They were clearly thick as thieves.

"Can we sit? We're all working on our papers for Professor Croft's class," Henrietta said. Louisa had been the one who shouted out Anne's name, garnering shushing from nearby patrons.

"Please," she said, motioning for them to sit as she shifted books so there was more room.

She briefly wondered if this was a mistake, as she had already crafted the outline for her paper and was well through her first two paragraphs before they sat down. She had hoped to have the bulk of the paper done before leaving in a few hours for dinner with Charlotte.

"Oh, God, this paper is going to be the death of me," Louisa croned. She rustled around in her bag before retrieving her laptop and setting it open. "But I want to make a good impression on Professor Croft."

"If only it was because she gave the grades," Charles groaned, powering up his own laptop.

Louisa's brow furrowed. "It is because she gives the grades, Charles."

"Is not! You're half in love with Frederick Wentworth," Charles whispered back knowingly.

Louisa scoffed. "I am not," she said, continuing to frown at Charles like a little brother. Henrietta hid her face as she giggled. "I just want my teacher to like me."

"So she'll talk about you to her brother?" Henrietta questioned, batting her eyes at Louisa.

"Don't act like you don't think he's handsome," Louisa countered, pressing down a few buttons on her keyboard. She had sat beside Anne, who could see her just opening a blank document for her paper.

As a former schoolteacher, Anne was good at tuning out background conversation. But at the mention of Frederick's name, Anne had frozen.

"So what if I think he is?" Henrietta asked. "I haven't written Mrs. Louisa Wentworth in any of my notebooks."

"That would be stupid since your name is Henrietta," Louisa pushed back. "And you're engaged."

Listening to them whisper, Anne felt like a babysitter.

"I am completely faithful to my Mr. Hayter," Henrietta replied, tranquil. It was clear she had been friends with Louisa long enough to ignore her childishness, which Anne fully recognized. Her own sister Mary was prone to it even at twenty-five. With Louisa's age so much younger than her own, Anne was not surprised she was immature. The more time she spent with her classmates, the more Anne felt very old and uninteresting at twenty-seven years old. She liked them, enjoyed their company overall, but she didn't have their same carefree spirit.

"Anne, what do you think of our Doctor Wentworth?" Henrietta asked suddenly, turning all attention at the table to Anne. Charles had groaned once more at the continuing of the conversation, but also seemed interested in her answer.

Face turning pale, Anne thought carefully for a moment before she answered.

"I don't know him very well," she stated, not completely lying in her reply.

"But you have eyes?" Louisa questioned.

"He's...handsome," Anne relented, unable and unwilling to offer more than that. It was too painful to picture his face.

But the three were satisfied at this, with Louisa and Henrietta nodding their agreement as they discussed Frederick's jawline in great detail. Anne half-wondered if Charles had some sort of interest in Louisa, but put the question aside when she learned the two were also cousins.

They worked in near quiet for the next hour, with interruptions largely from Louisa groaning over her analysis of Jane Eyre and Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

"I'm so over the Bronte sisters," she complained with a sigh. "I need to take a break before I pass out from boredom."

"No one made you write an essay comparing and contrasting the feminism of Jane Eyre and Helen Huntingdon," Charles reminded her.

"But I know Jane Eyre is one of Professor Croft's favorites," Louisa muttered.

"And you wanted to impress her with your deep understanding of it?" Henrietta asked, grinning.

"You know, I think Anne is the only nice person at this table," Louisa shot back. Both Charles and Henrietta snorted, but their friend ignored this. "Anne, would you like to come out with us tonight? We planned to go to the Jazz Scene. It's a club that has live music."

Anne paused, not wanting to add a fourth wheel to their intimate group. But she had also spent the last month of weekends at home watching movies with Charlotte or holed up in her room studying. It was probably time she went out.

"It sounds fun," she said, not entirely convinced that it would be.

"Oh, I'm so glad!" Louisa gushed with excitement.

"It's super chill, Anne," Henrietta said, with reassurance. "Sometimes they have a piano feature, karaoke - you'll love it."

Anne nodded, apprehensive but ready for something new.