Page 3 of The Black Lion
“And I, you.”
Then, Drew was gone, disappearing toward where he’d tethered his horse.
Will offered his arm with a grim expression. “Shall we?”
They continued toward the house, Will keeping his gaze riveted to their surroundings while Arabella studied her friend with a furrowed brow. His forearm was tense beneath her hand, jaw wound tight and worry lines bracketing his mouth.
“Is everything all right, Will?”
His expression softened as he cut his gaze at her, and he patted her hand. “Of course. I just … I do not wish to upset you.”
“It will upset me for you to keep secrets. Would you have me worry about you?”
“It is I who worries … for you and Drew.”
She came up short, forcing him to halt and face her. “What do you mean?”
He braced his hands on his hips and issued a sigh. The waning sun glinted off his dark brown hair with an orange glow, the long strands caught back by ribbon.
“You brother told me Drew called on Mr. Abbot yesterday afternoon.”
“He did,” Arabella said cautiously, uncertain why Will had broached this subject. “He spoke with father about a potential marriage between us.”
“And was rejected, yet again.”
Arabella shrugged, though disappointment roiled through her at the reminder. “Father is simply being protective. Once he’s been made to see that Drew is more than capable of taking care of me—”
“Bella, you cannot be so naïve. I’m sorry, I do not wish to be harsh, but surely you understand Mr. Abbot has plans for your future.”
She scowled. “What sort of plans could he possibly have for me? He has his legitimate daughter through which he can gain more power, prestige, and money.”
Reaching up to stroke her cheek, he gave her a true smile this time. “You sell yourself short, my dear. You are a lady in every way, and beautiful as well. Mr. Abbot can see this and will seek to make the most advantageous marriage possible. I love my brother, and I know how the two of you feel about each other. I certainly cannot tell you not to love him, or tell him not to do everything he can to secure a match. I just … I don’t want to see either of you hurt if your father has his way in the end.”
Arabella returned Will’s smile, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. “You are a good friend, and I do understand your concern. But I won’t be forced into an unwanted marriage. Drew will not give up until father sees things our way, or I become old enough to wed without his permission. Either way, we be together. I have faith in us.”
“Your unending optimism is one of the things I love most about you, Bella. Forgive me, I meant no harm.”
“I know you didn’t. Of the three of us, you’ve always been the most reasonable and pragmatic. We need that balance sometimes. Thank you.”
She went on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. He clutched her arms and bent his head to accept the chaste peck.
“Anything for you, Bella,” he murmured.
Will then tucked her hand back in the crook of his arm, expression placid as he led her across the lawn toward the home she had grown up in. With a resigned sigh, she prepared herself to step back into a role she loathed, a place she’d never quite felt she belonged in.
Just one more year,she told herself.
When measured against the rest of her life, it seemed like a paltry amount of time. For Drew, she would wait as long as it took.
Two years later…
The warm waters of the ocean washed over Arabella as she knelt on the shore, shaking like a leaf in the wind. She was chilled to the bone, as if her heart had turned into a ball of ice pumping arctic waters through her veins. She hardly registered the height of the tide as it swept over her. The gentle waves that had lapped at her skirts that afternoon now crashed high enough to splash her bodice, sending tiny crystalline droplets through the air and scattering over her neck and face. She wished the waters would rise high and strong enough to drag her into the depths of the cruel sea.
Had it only been two years since she’d stood here with Drew, whispering her hopes and dreams for the future—a future in which he would be her husband the father of her children?
This morning, the moment had felt like only yesterday, but that was before she’d received the devastating news of his death. Arabella had only to close her eyes to remember the last time they were together, the details burned into her memory like an indelible brand.
“I don’t need your father’s permission or the words of a priest for you to be mine,” he said. “In my heart, you belong to me in every way that matters. No one can take that from us.”
