Page 44 of An Earl's Scandalous Return
“We will find out the truth from Seraphina. If Gregory is keeping her inside that cottage, then she knows something. Tomorrow night, we will find it all out, and then you can begin to start a new life with your sister.”
She breathed out, and a little smile crossed her face. “Thank you, Edward. I very much like the idea, and I think we can do this. I think Seraphina will be happy to come with us, but I do not yet know if she will want to stay with me forever.”
“That is another part of my idea.”
He’d been thinking of it all day since they’d been waiting for Seraphina.
“I have an aunt who lives near here in a lovely country estate. I have not sent word to her, but she is always there, and I know she would be very pleased to have a few guests for a little while. I thought perhaps we could go there instead of London to take some time for the two of you to get to know one another.
And it will be less of a shock for her so that she is not immediately thrown into the whirl of the Season and to what it all means to be the daughter of an earl.”
Arabella’s smile made his heart skip a beat. “You are too kind, Edward, and you have thought of everything. How can I ever thank you?”
He couldn’t help smiling back, and embarrassingly, he felt his cheeks heat a little. “Well, I hope that she will agree to come with you to London in the end. I know how happy it has made you, Arabella.” Slowly, without really thinking it through, he slid his hand across the table, taking hers.
He kept staring at it for a few seconds, and neither spoke. His thumb brushed along the back of it. In his hand, hers felt so right, like it was meant to be there.
“I … want you to be happy.” He did not realise he was going to say that, and for years he did not believe it to be so, so angry with her as he was for leaving him waiting there.
But now, he truly meant it. He then dared to look up, and she was blushing heavily at him, but she did not look away.
“And I want you to be happy too, Edward. I know I was unsure of it initially, but I am glad you agreed to come with me. I don’t know that anyone else would have been able to be as strong and courageous as you.”
He was about to speak more, unable to keep the words back, but the innkeeper arrived with their meals, and Arabella turned away to look up at the man with a smile.
Not now. Later.
With that resolution in mind, they ate and planned tomorrow night’s break-in.
Chapter 47
The next day passed quickly, and then they were all prepared. As they rode in the carriage towards the Marsh home, Arabella wondered if it was unnaturally dark outside.
They were in the country, away from the streetlamps of London, but still, she had never noticed such a thick blanket of darkness shrouding the land ever since their arrival. It felt foreboding, and she felt a shiver run down her spine despite her thick woollen gown, shawl, and bonnet.
“You know, Edward, I never thought that this was what my life would come to. I would be waiting to break into a man’s house so I could take his fake daughter back to London with me.” He laughed, and it lifted her gloomy mood a fraction.
“Yes, us two are having quite the odd adventure, aren’t we?”
He smiled at her, then, and Arabella felt better about what they were soon going to undertake. She kept her breathing steady, wanting to show a strong face to both her sister and Edward.
There was a lot at risk that night, and everything had to go perfectly. She wanted it to go perfectly. Closing her eyes, she tried to envision it: she, Edward, and Seraphina riding off into the night to Essex to start a new chapter.
But then, the carriage stopped, and they heard Sampson’s soft tap on the top to let them know they were close enough to get out and head towards the house. Edward squeezed her hand.
“Are you ready?”
She nodded. Both of them had borrowed less obvious clothing, thanks to the innkeeper and his wife, and Arabella noticed just how handsome Edward was, even without all his finery. He wore a woollen cap, making him look boyish and younger.
Everything else had been packed for them, and the trunks were waiting on the back of the carriage. Seraphina would have to borrow clothing from Arabella until her own things could be tailored and purchased.
“Let’s go, then.” Quietly, he slipped out the carriage door and held out a hand for her to walk down the steps.
His hands reached out to grasp her waist, and she gasped softly as he lifted her up and then down quietly. By the time her feet reached the ground, it seemed like they were both breathless. She stared up into his eyes, and his hands remained where they were.
“I wanted to make sure everything was quiet,” he said by way of excuse, and then he took her hand and led her towards the house.
The dwelling was like a shadowy figure under the moonlight, and she looked around at the other quiet houses, wondering if they would wake anyone else up with their commotion.
