Page 62 of The Duke Who Loved a Widow
“My dear, we’re all a little worried. You don’t seem yourself. Is it this business with that wretched Christopher Farrington?” asked Aunt Grace.
Arabella couldn’t find any words to reply, so her aunt continued, “Joseph and I are determined that he will never remove Henry from our care. Your uncle has contacted friends in London who have influence. We are confident that sense will prevail.”
“Christopher doesn’t want Henry. There has to be more to it. I believe he must want control of Henry’s fortune,” confided Arabella.
“Your uncle thinks the same, as does the Duke of Montbury.”
“His Grace? I’m confused.”
Arabella thought that perhaps she had misheard her aunt as she mentioned the Duke of Montbury. She froze as she held the needle and thread before moving and pricking her finger with the needle. She didn’t know what to think. The duke had told her that he would give his full support in the battle to keep Henry at Horton Hall.
She still felt surprised that he had spoken with her uncle and would help in the fight against Christopher. And his motivation? Could it be that developing connection between them? Arabella was glad she did not need to stand up as she suspected she would feel quite weak in the knees.
“He has just been here. He came very early to speak with your uncle. It seems you talked with him yesterday and gave him permission to speak with Joseph.”
Of course. She’d done that before she’d seen him holding the Duchess of Wyndale. She nodded, unsure what else to do or say.
“He seems a kind man. He’s told your uncle he wants to help in any way he can. I believe he has an attachment to Henry, and I suspect, and I say this as your aunt, that he cares deeply for you also.”
Arabella, still unsure what to say, but conscious that the duke’s feelings were not what she’d thought they were, just nodded.
“Apparently, the duke has a solicitor in Harrogate who has instructed men to look into Christopher Farrington’s affairs in London, specifically this case he has lodged at the court. The duke has sent a messenger asking his solicitor to visit here tomorrow, and he will come to Horton Hall,” Aunt Grace informed Arabella.
“He has contacts and resources we don’t have. Your uncle is a rich man with good friends in the city, but he doesn’t have the reach or influence of a peer of the realm.”
Arabella caught her breath. She wanted to tell her aunt that she wanted no help from the Duke of Montbury. But in a whisper of a moment, she knew that Henry was too important to let her personal feelings stand in the way of any help. If the duke had contacts who could assist her case, then she would not stand in his way.
“My dear, I don’t wish to pry, but I feel there is something you’re not telling me. Your dear mama always said I was a good listener. She isn’t here for you, so I’d like to stand in her place.”
“Oh, Aunt Grace,” Arabella said to her godmother. “It is so difficult to explain. I may even have imagined some of it.”
“Try telling me about it, my dear. It may help,” Aunt Grace urged.
Arabella took a sharp, inward breath, then stared into space for several seconds before deciding to confide in her aunt.
“I wasn’t looking for love. Since Edward died, you know that I’ve focused only on Henry. At first, it was all about coping with the grief of Edward’s sudden death. Henry and Edward were so close. We used to do everything together as a family andrarely went to London. Looking back, it was an idyllic life, and when Edward was taken ill and then gone so suddenly, it hit Henry hard.”
“You’ve been very brave, my dear, for a long time,” Aunt Grace reassured her.
“It wasn’t difficult keeping going for my son. It got more difficult when Christopher began to manage the household budget and veto many essential expenses. Soon after that, the legal letters began to arrive, and it became evident that he was determined to become Henry’s sole guardian.
“Edward hadn’t wanted to name Christopher as co-guardian in his will, but it is rarely possible for a woman to take that duty alone. He thought he was protecting Henry and me by placing his cousin as an arm’s length guardian,” explained Arabella.
“In recent months, the steady stream of increasingly scary legal letters, followed by the announcement that Christopher and Violet would be moving into Farrington Hall, was too much for me to bear.” Tears streamed down her face. The well of emotion finally overflowed.
Aunt Grace took her hand and kept listening, knowing that it was important for Arabella to talk about it.
“I truly believe Christopher is determined to gain control of Henry’s inheritance, and I stand in his way. The allegations have been exaggerated, but usually based on a small incident, which did take place. Henry is a child who thrives on adventure, and he does get into scrapes. When I read the accounts in the legal letters, I knew that at least one person in my household must be feeding Christopher information.”
“The spies. I believe you are right in thinking that. I also believe, as does Joseph, that Christopher paid for his information.”
“We had a large establishment of household and estate staff. I had no idea who the spy, or spies, were.”
Aunt Grace poured her a cup of herbal tisane. “Drink this and take a breath. We will deal with Christopher Farrington, and I truly believe the Duke of Montbury will add weight to that fight,” she tried to reassure Arabella.
As she heard the duke’s name, Arabella’s face turned ashen. “I can’t say no to his help, Aunt Grace. I’ll accept anything that will keep Henry here at Horton Hall. I just wish it wasn’t him.”
“I thought that evening at the Beehive Tavern that you seemed, I’m not sure how to phrase this, but quite close. You seemed to enjoy his company. I know he’s been helping with theboys’ project. And Emma does gossip a little, and she told me she suspected there might be an evolving romance.”
