Chapter 5 – A Deep Imprint (1)

Mr. Karenin’s letter of visit stated that he would arrive by ten o’clock in the morning, which made Anna anxious. She got up earlier than usual and did a series of exercises in her cozy room to rid herself of the apprehension. It made her feel much better and kept her in shape.

During breakfast that day, Anna’s aunt, Madame Tellier, talked about Mr. Karenin’s visit. The details were not shared as much as to command her to dress up in proper attire.

“Okay, auntie,” said Anna, in affirmation.

Anna hoped she sounded genuine and gentle. The naughty twins winked at her, and their mother, Anna’s cousin, directed a pitiful look at her. But Anna didn’t really mind.

She was, in fact, grateful for the indifference Madame Tellier had showed her. Besides, she did want to marry this gentleman who wasn’t very popular, yet. People born into this circle of society where the only prospect of having a life was through marriage, didn’t have a choice to say ‘no’.

Anna returned to her room and pondered on what to wear. Although the weather was still chilly, she decided on a dress which was a lighter shade of blue. She added a white shawl which she loved, with golden embroidery along the borders. She thought a moment about styling her hair and chose to pin a camellia to hold her curled, black hair in place, deliberately leaving a curly strand of hair near her ear.

Her lashes needed no curling. They were long, thick and curly enough. She just needed to appear beautiful enough to beguile the gentleman who was visiting. Anna thought she did quite a good job and congratulated her reflection in the mirror.

At the strike of ten o’clock, the butler announced Mr. Karenin’s arrival.

Hmm, thought Anna, very punctual. Anna wasn’t allowed to venture out just yet. She was still unmarried, and she wasn’t allowed to be in the company of a gentleman without a chaperon. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to pass the possibility of having the first glimpse of her prospective fiancé! So, she hid behind the curtain on the balcony that overlooked the parlor and tried to get a look at him.

She knew that if anybody found out, it would be her funeral. But it was Anna’s business and none of the others if she wanted to, at the least, make sure she knew who she was to marry!

Anna’s heart was cheering when she finally saw him enter the house and walked to the parlor with his long, slender legs. She was at the windowsill and couldn’t help opening the curtains a little further to get a good look at him. She didn’t care if she was going to get caught, not at that moment.

‘Will he see me as well?’ thought Anna. She was daydreaming about how he would look her way and catch her eyes. How he would be enchanted by a glance.

None of those things happened. Sigh. Mr. Karenin didn’t know his bold fiancé was, at this very instant, looking at him through the balcony curtains. He felt nervous standing there, much less be looking anywhere. Even if he was used to the storm of politics that he was always involved in, it was his first proposal that he was going to make!

Anna went back and sat on her bed. She waited and waited. It was almost twenty minutes gone when the maid came to fetch her on her aunt’s orders.

“Miss Anna, your aunt has sent for you,” the maid said, fetching Anna.

Not caring to do a quick retouch to her appearance, she jumped from her seat—a little unladylike—and headed for the door. She walked with steady, graceful steps, which was no difficult. The servant opened the door to the living room, and she entered.

Everyone’s eyes were directed at her, but she wasn’t unfazed by situations like this. She had lived the better part of her life, being scrutinized for the smallest flaws. Her tutor used to tell her that all the world’s a stage and she was there as the main character. She only needed to be concerned about what mattered to her. So, she raised her eyes and met the gentleman’s in midair. She smiled slightly, looked towards her aunt and seated herself by her side, gracefully.

Madame Tellier was obviously satisfied with her. Her aunt considered Mr. Karenin to be good enough for the Oblonsky family, albeit a little inferior in terms of prestige and pedigree. He was also good-looking—very good-looking—not that it mattered in marriages. But a handsome man to be wed to the family, would mean less a scorn, and beautiful offsprings in the long run.

Madame Tellier was very unyielding in the face of honor. She would have either died or killed if any Oblonsky themselves brought even the slightest shame to the family.