Page 39 of Her Heart's Rightful Earl
“How so?” Arabella feigned innocence.
“When Marcus declared he would ride Stirling, you practically jumped from your seat!”
Arabella breathed deeply, considering how to respond—she knew that denying anything was the matter would not hold formuch longer. Her sister was observant and curious. However, it seemed that she would not be obliged to reply, as Charlotte went on, “You are not the only person who is acting strangely, I must say.”
“Who else do you believe to be acting strangely?”
Arabella’s interest was piqued. It seemed most likely Charlotte would identify Marcus and his erratic behaviour—perhaps Arabella might be able to discreetly insinuate there was a family illness associated with madness and that they must remain supportive; this might satisfy Charlotte’s questions.
Or, perhaps Charlotte would identify Lady Wellwood, in which case, Arabella would refer to the countess’s ill health and obvious decline. These were questions she could field, she decided.
“Thomas,” Charlotte replied sulkily.
“Thomas?” Arabella reiterated, with surprise. She was unprepared for this candidate but felt assured that—as Charlotte was much closer to Thomas than she—there was no expectation she should be able to provide any justification about the odd behaviour.
Arabella sighed with relief at the realization that her sister only wanted somebody to vent to, as opposed to requesting advice or counsel.
“Last week, he was so attentive. He would visit most days and was so interested in all I had to say. This week, I have seen him very little, and when he is with me, his gaze is elsewhere, and his mind is preoccupied.”
Arabella shrugged, feeling for her little sister. “Perhaps he has some business distraction. I very much doubt his daydreaming is any reflection on you.”
“Then why wouldn’t he tell me so? I asked if there was trouble with a shipping issue, and he assured me there was not. I do not understand why he appears so distant. And additionally, he has been taking secretive meetings—with whom, he will not reveal, and he closely guards the purpose of these discussions.”
Arabella blinked at her sister in sympathy. How she wished she could be honest.Alexander is alive! Thomas is helping to restore his reputation and expose the real killer!
But to tell her would not only betray Alexander’s trust but also expose Charlotte to a very real and probable danger.
“Sister, I understand your frustrations, but I cannot say why Thomas might seem so unreachable. All I can tell you is that sometimes men experience situations they do not choose to articulate. It is a feminine trait, indeed, to chatter and share secrets and ponderings. For the male species, this is not such a common notion.”
Charlotte sighed and nodded, seeming to accept this suggestion, but then frowned and turned her attention once again to Arabella.
“Should you be teaming up with the male camp, sister? For certainly, this week you have been the opposition of chatter and sharing!”
Arabella pretended to giggle, whilst internally regretting that she had driven the spotlight once again back to her.
“I confess, Charlotte. I cannot fool you!”
“Tell me,” Charlotte placed her warm, soft hand upon Arabella’s, which felt cold and trembled slightly.
“Only that I am worried about Lady Wellwood. Her health—of course—but we forget sometimes that she lost her husband in a brutal killing, lost her eldest son in a tragic accident as he fled, lost her dear nephew to heart failure, and now it seems Marcus is acting so strangely that she is unable to feel as close to him as she once did. I feel terribly sad for her.”
Charlotte looked across the lawn in contemplation, as though the litany of tragedy in Lady Wellwood’s life had not struck her in quite this way before.
“It is terribly sad,” Charlotte agreed. “But it isnotthe thing that is causing you such anguish.”
Arabella felt quite taken aback at the astuteness of Charlotte’s declaration.
Charlotte squeezed Arabella’s hand and smiled at her warmly.
“When you feel ready to confide in me, sister, I will be here to listen.”
Charlotte then stood and crossed the room, picking up her reading book and settling into her chair to begin reading.
Arabella felt so touched by her sister’s generous gesture that she had to blink back tears that pooled in her eyes. How desperately she wanted to share the turbulent story that was playing out in her life. How compelled she felt to express the conflicting emotions that had been activated by Alexander’s return.
Her sister had been there when Alexander ran—she too had reassured Arabella that he would send word for her to follow. No less, she had assisted in packing an emergency bag in case his call had been urgent. Charlotte would have supported her sister’s desertion and held the secret close to protect her.
Charlotte had been equally as shocked as Arabella to hear that Alexander had been killed before he could reach his destination. The sisters wept together, and Charlotte had held Arabella as she rocked and cried in grief and devastation.
