Page 59 of The Duke Who Loved a Widow
“I promise you that the safety of him being able to swim will outweigh the dangers,” replied Robert with a smile.
“Then thank you. He will be very excited. I suppose I ought to say that’s assuming he is here.”
“You’re not leaving?” and for a moment his stomach felt as though it was filled with a lead balloon. The world seemed to stop still as he took in the implications of her words.
“No, no. We’re happy here, and Uncle Joseph and Aunt Grace are happy for us to stay and make a home here. Henry is flourishing.”
“Then why?” He felt agitated inside. Arabella couldn’t leave. He realized in that instant that he would miss her too much. A life without the chance of a daily glimpse of the young woman with the enchanting green eyes, who was well on her way to stealing his heart, was unthinkable.
“You know I told you that my husband’s cousin, Christopher Farrington, had petitioned the court to take full custody of Henry.”
He nodded. “But surely …”
“It seems the court is likely to look favourably on his submission. He has evidence, although much of it is incorrect …no, why should I be ladylike about this … most of it is a total perversion of the truth. He is using lies to get control of Henry. The trouble is, that it takes time to argue against the evidence, and I am a woman. We know that makes a difference, and the courts rarely give a woman custody in these cases.”
She looked distraught, and he longed to take her in his arms and comfort her. Instead, he held himself back and listened intently.
“I’m going to lose my son, and on top of that, I’m going to have to prepare him for the change positively. I don’t want him to be scared if he has to go and live with Mr and Mrs Farrington.”
Her bravery and courage astounded him. She put her little boy before everything. Arabella had the courage of a mother lion, but he knew she was right, and the court in London was legally bound to favour a man.
He needed to check with Drabble, his solicitor in Harrogate, what his investigations had unearthed. It was too soon to hope for anything specific, but he would ride over and find out.
He still held her arm, and on a sudden impulse, he turned to face her, searching and finding her eyes.
“We won’t let this happen. I don’t know precisely how yet, but there is no way that Henry will be sent to live withChristopher Farrington. You have to believe and trust me on this,” he reassured her.
“I don’t know how you can help, but I am grateful for any support. I don’t think I can bear to carry on without my boy,” Arabella replied.
He saw tears welling in her eyes and gently drew her towards him, wanting her to draw strength and courage from his embrace.
“I’ll speak with Sir Joseph, and I have contacts in London. Henry is not going to leave Horton Hall.”
He placed a light kiss on her head, and he heard her let out a gentle sigh.
He pulled back, worried he had gone too far with the kiss, which had been little more than a whisper of breeze. Yet still, he needed to exert control on his continued impulse to draw Arabella into his arms.
“We will work through this. You have been brave alone for long enough. Let me take some of the weight, and we will find a way to push Christopher Farrington so far from you and Henry that you never have to think of him again.”
She nodded, and he took her arm again. He felt the need to return to a less emotional conversation, and he pointed outthe island and the tallest tree in the distance. “The tree you can see on the er … island of Avalon is an apple tree. No one knows how it came to grow there, but it has been growing strong for many generations of Montburys.”
“It’s so still and calm here by the lake. I feel I draw serenity from the water and the woodland here,” Arabella told him. “As I walk through the trees, I hear the lake lapping against the bank, and then I see the shimmering surface reflecting in the sunshine, and my troubles seem further away.”
“As a child, it was my favourite place in the whole world,” replied Robert.
“I can see why. It is truly very special.”
“I’m thinking of employing someone on the estate to look after the lake and work with Jason Brown, the new steward, on developing it for my family and the village. Jason tells me he remembers a little beach on the far side and that my grandfather used to let the villagers play there. I’d like to return to that sort of relationship between the village and castle,” Robert confided.
“That’s a wonderful idea. Oh, my goodness, the ideas are flowing today.” She laughed out loud, and he was delighted to have distracted her from the legal worries.
“I don’t know what you think, and I certainly don’t want to keep poaching Sir Joseph’s staff, but Jason Brown thoughtyour coachman from Farrington Hall, Judd Stephenson I think, might be interested in the position,” he told her, hoping for her opinion.
“Yes, he’s a good man. He’s engaged to Tabitha, Henry’s nursery maid. I trust them both implicitly, and I wouldn’t be here today if they hadn’t helped me leave Farrington Hall.”
He suspected there was a story there and made a note to remember to ask about how she left the hall on another day. “What do you think? I’d value your thoughts.”
“Well, Sir Joseph gave Judd a position, but he already has a coachman, and I don’t need a coachman here. He’s been helping out at the stables and on the estate, but he is capable of far more than that. I believe I’d have eventually made him estate manager at Farrington Hall if things hadn’t changed.” She smiled up at him. “I think it is an excellent idea. He may say no, but who wouldn’t want to look after this lake?”
