Page 47 of Unmasked By a Captivating Lady
Mrs. Nott nodded. “Yes, of course Letitia, but it is hardly the same thing, is it? This thief is targeting the gentry and taking items of real value, as well as significant coin.” She shuddered dramatically. “Oh, I simply do not know how I am going to sleep in my bed tonight, with the thief still at large. We must all be vigilant now!”
Mrs. Scott nodded, too, her face grim. “Indeed! I must admit I have scarcely slept a wink since all of this has been happening. But at least you have a man in the house to protect you, Grace. How I wish my dear Henry was still with us now! He would kill any thief that dared to come into our domain!”
“They are still no closer to catching the person?”
“No,” said Mrs. Scott, shaking her head sorrowfully. “The local watch are on high alert, but the blaggard seems to simply melt away into the shadows once he is done.”
“Clever, as well as black hearted,” said Mrs. Nott, dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief. “It is a shocking combination…”
Ara sighed heavily. She was as concerned as everyone else by this thief, but she had to admit she was also a little bit grateful. This news would preoccupy her mother for days. It meant that the heat was off her, just a little. What had happened in London was already fading into memory, as fresher news took its place.
London, she thought, a little wistfully. She had never wanted to go there. She had fought against it. But now she was surprised to find that she was almost sentimental about it, in the oddest way.
She blinked back tears. She knew it was because of Lord Miles Comerford. The false Duke of Lancaster, who had inexplicably stolen her heart, even as she had fiercely fought against it. The man who had taken her heart and smashed it into a thousand tiny pieces.
She gazed out of the window at the rolling green hills beyond her home. She had longed to be back here. But now, all that she could see was the cobblestone streets of London. All that she could hear was the sounds of the city; peddlers crying out their wares, horses’ hooves on the stones, the hubbub of peoples’ voices…
She shifted uneasily in her seat. She knew that it wasn’t the city that she was missing. It washim. It was the memory of being there, with him. How had this crept up on her, when she had been revelling in her anger against him, for the lies, the liberties he had taken, and following her into that house, causing her public humiliation?
How wasanyof it possible that she could still have feelings for him, after everything that had happened?
“You are looking quite pensive, Arabella,” said Mrs. Scott, staring at her avidly, interrupting her reverie. “Tell me, did you have any adventures when you were in London, my dear? Was there a young man who showed you favour, by any chance?”
Ara jumped guiltily. “No, indeed, Mrs. Scott!”
“Arabella is very happy to be home in the country,” announced Mrs. Nott primly. “My daughter is a country girl at heart, as you well know, Letitia. She has never been enamoured with the city…”
Ara drifted away again as the two women talked, comparing country life with the city. She breathed out a sigh of relief. Her mother wasn’t going to talk about her dalliance with the false duke. It was as shameful for her as it was for Ara, obviously. And she didn’t want to create any gossip here about it.
Thank the Lord, thought Ara grimly.Thank the Lord for small mercies. Perhaps I can leave it behind me, once and for all.
***
At the dinner table that night, Ara noticed that her father was staring at her and Ruth, who were sitting side by side in their usual positions. Suddenly, he cleared his throat, frowning so that his eyebrows looked like wings.
“Girls,” he announced, putting down his soup spoon. “I know that you are both aware of the second incident that happened in this district while we were away…”
Ara nodded. Ruth put down her spoon, too, and nodded.
Mr. Nott took a deep breath. “I must insist that you stay close to the house until the thief is caught,” he declared. “For your own safety. That means no walks outside the boundaries of the garden, and definitely no riding beyond it.” He paused, eying Ara sharply. “Are you listening to me, Arabella?”
Ara sighed heavily. “I am listening, Papa.”
Her father nodded. “Good. Because I am serious, my girl. I know that I will have no trouble with Ruth obeying my directive, butyouare a different kettle of fish entirely.” He paused. “For your own safety, and our peace of mind, you must promise me, Arabella.”
“I promise,” she said, in a little voice. “I shall not walk or ride beyond the grounds.”
She trembled a little. It was hard, realising how little her parents trusted her, even though she knew she had created the situation herself through her own actions. But even through all that, the familiar feeling of being trapped was starting to choke her yet again.
She was home, at long last, but her wings were being clipped as always. She fervently hoped that this annoying thief would be caught soon.
***
Ara hesitated outside Ruth’s chamber door. She knocked quickly, holding her breath. For a moment, she thought that her cousin was going to ignore her entirely, but then she heard the padding of soft footsteps approaching and the door swung open.
Ruth was standing there, in her long white nightgown, her dark hair coiled into a long plait over her right shoulder. She stared at Ara enquiringly.
“What is it, cousin?” she asked quietly.
