Page 36 of An Earl's Scandalous Return
“Are you really my father? You seem so surprised at my question.”
“I certainly am. Why should you question such a thing? Has something happened?”
She shook her head, unwilling to incriminate those two strangers until she knew the truth.
“No, nothing happened. Just a feeling.”
“Well, then, you must forget it. I’m your father, and that’s all there is to it.”
He nodded, as he usually did when he wanted to signal to her that their conversation was over. She kept quiet, but she knew it was far from over. For tomorrow, she would return to the marketplace and learn everything she needed to know about who she really was and who this stranger was who had taken care of all these years.
Chapter 39
The next morning when Arabella awoke, she turned to see that Edward had slept in the bed. That made her smile, and she was no longer afraid to do so. But they didn’t wake up in one another’s arms this time. He was above the sheet, as he always promised to be, and she was on the far side.
However, when she looked down at their hands, his was partially covering hers, his strong fingers lightly holding hers. She smiled for a moment, wondering if she should tug on his hand, waking him up and pulling him atop her.
Since that time when she’d pushed him away, her body felt so unfinished, yearning and craving like a common woman. But her logic won out in the end. She had to protect herself until she was sure of him.
She slowly rose out of bed, and he stirred. She pulled on her dressing gown as his eyes flickered open. A few days ago, meeting like this once again in the morning, realising their awkward situation would have put them both in a difficult position. But now there was something else to focus on that was what they spoke of instead.
He sat up, looking lovingly dishevelled, and folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the headboard. She tried to keep her eyes away from the line of bare chest that was revealed to her. He wore a shirt, but it was unbuttoned, and she dreamed about sliding her hands up his hard, muscled torso as he spoke.
“How do you feel this morning, Arabella? Are you nervous? Are you ready?”
Clearing her throat to focus, she tried to ignore the tingle of anticipation in her belly. She was nervous, but there was something more to it than that. She was excited. She’d never expected the mystery to open up to this extent, that it would give her a sister. And perhaps she could learn her father’s true nature after all this time and what his secrets were.
Breathing out, she shrugged. “I suppose you could say that I am a little bit of both. But I am clinging hopefully to what you said yesterday. That she will come, that she too has questions she needs answers to.” Arabella went to the windowsill while Edward rose from the bed and tucked in his shirt.
“I wonder, though, do you think she might have gone home and told Gregory about us? That she might have asked him or told him that a pair of mad people came round asking about her and telling her she was not his child?”
A little shiver ran down her spine. “We do not know this man, Edward, and perhaps we should have told her not to tell anyone, for he could turn violent or maybe come with her tomorrow and confront us.”
Annoyingly, he chuckled and came to stand in front of her by the sill. “Isn’t that exactly what we wanted, Arabella? To confront him, to ask him why on earth he sent that letter? And why he hasn’t told Seraphina who her true parent is?”
“I suppose. I just don’t want any harm to come to her. I was hoping that perhaps she could come home with us.”
She didn’t mean to say it, but it just sort of slipped out. Edward went on his knees again, like the time he’d done before when she was crying. He put his hand on her knee. She knew no kiss was imminent this time, but she could still feel the buzz of desire simmering, always simmering underneath everything.
“It would be wonderful, Arabella, but I don’t think you should hope for it just yet. Perhaps she would enjoy staying here with the man she calls father. Leaving Maidstone would be leaving everything she’s known behind, all her friends and everyone she knows in the village.
But I do think you should ask. Once everything is settled between us. I mean between you all when the mystery is solved.”
Arabella noted the tiny blush on Edward’s cheeks before he rose to his feet and went to put on his boots. “Keep up hope, Arabella. You’re always hopeful, and I think there’s a good chance you can be hopeful this time. Perhaps you should leave Gregory to me if he does happen to appear.”
“Well,” she rose from the sill and twisted the laces of the dressing gown in her fingers. “What should we do if she does not appear?”
“I don’t think we should go straight home if that’s what you’re asking.” He stood with his boots on and went to get his waistcoat. “I think we should ask around to see where she lives with this Gregory. I’m surprised no one said anything before. Then we’ll go and visit her if that’s the case.” He looked at her momentarily, waiting for her agreement, and she nodded. “I’ll go downstairs and order the breakfast. Come when you’re ready.”
He left, and then she dressed, eager but not eager for the day ahead. As she descended the stairs, thinking about what she might say to her newfound sister, she smiled at how comfortable her and Edward’s morning interaction had been.
There were blushes and tension, but there was no anger. There was no discomfort. There was only the loving sharing of a life in some small way, and it gave her warmth, comfort, and strength for the day.
Chapter 40
Edward could feel Arabella’s tension as they waited by the entrance to the small church, her hand on his arm to make them look like a proper man and wife. There was no market that day, so there weren’t as many witnesses to their soon-to-be conversation, but she looked here and there for Seraphina, a worried line between her brows.
There was so much he wanted to say, but he knew nothing would soothe her until she laid eyes on Seraphina, until all was settled. He remembered how he’d nearly discussed how things might be settled betweenhimand Arabella, and he wanted to kick himself.
