Jen Turano - [Ladies of Distinction 02]

by A Most Peculiar Circumstance

  If anything, Piper’s scowl intensified. “You were glaring at poor Mr. Wilder, and he helped save me and Ben from a horrible, horrible death.”

  Theodore hadn’t mentioned anything at all about saving Piper’s and Ben’s lives. She opened her mouth to lecture Theodore on his insufficient storytelling abilities, but before she could speak, a whistle rent the air and the sound of a lady’s voice followed.

  “Mrs. Beckett, yoo-hoo, Mrs. Beckett.”

  Arabella turned and found Mrs. Murdock, one of New York’s most colorful society matrons, rapidly approaching and tugging her daughter Felicia by the arm as she set her sights on them.

  “I cannot believe what a lucky circumstance this is, running into all of you here,” Mrs. Murdock exclaimed. “Felicia and I just saw my dear aunt off on a train bound for Ohio.” She beamed at Arabella. “It’s so lovely to see you’ve returned home, Miss Beckett, but . . . good heavens, what have you done with your hair? Your pins are falling out and . . . dear me, is your hair lopsided?”

  How to explain?

  To her relief, Zayne stepped forward and grinned at Mrs. Murdock. “My sister has always been one to embrace the latest fashions, and I assumed her unusual look was a new rage she’d picked up in California.”

  “Or jail,” she heard Theodore mutter behind her.

  She stepped back slowly and brought the heel of her shoe down right on top of his toes.

  A soft umph was his only response, but it was enough . . . for now.

  “How . . . interesting,” Mrs. Murdock said slowly. “I’m not certain that particular rage will catch on here, Miss Beckett, so you might consider letting your hair grow out again, only that might take some time.”

  “Well, it was delightful seeing everyone,” Felicia said, suddenly speaking up. “I fear the weather is beginning to turn, so Mother and I should be on our way.”

  “But I haven’t seen Gloria in forever,” Mrs. Murdock said. “Or Arabella, for that matter. And Eliza and I haven’t had a proper talk since that disaster at my ball.”

  Gloria stepped forward. “Then you simply must agree to come to the small dinner party I’m holding tonight in honor of Arabella’s return. We’ll catch up then.”

  “I would adore that,” Mrs. Murdock said.

  “Do bring Felicia and your husband, and if any of those charming sons of yours aren’t busy tonight, by all means bring them as well,” Gloria said with another telling wink.

  It would seem her mother wasn’t exactly particular anymore about which gentlemen she shoved into Arabella’s path.

  “I’m afraid my sons have already made plans to attend the opera this evening,” Mrs. Murdock said. “I’ll be certain to tell Jeffrey, though, that your daughter has returned to town. He’s always spoken very highly of her.” She sent Arabella a smile, but then her eyes widened as she glanced to Arabella’s right. “Mr. Wilder, I didn’t see you there. Is something the matter, dear? You’ve got a most peculiar look on your face.”

  Arabella shot a glance at Theodore, and once again the man was scowling. But then he blinked, the look disappeared, and a charming smile spread over his face. “I was just contemplating why all of us are standing around when we’ll soon be together again at the dinner party I had no idea Gloria was hosting but am certainly looking forward to attending.” He nodded to Felicia. “Miss Murdock, you’re looking lovely today.”

  Felicia turned red, grabbed her mother’s arm, and began pulling her away.

  “Felicia, what has gotten into you?” Arabella heard Mrs. Murdock mutter before her voice drifted to nothing and they disappeared from view.

  Gloria waited until Mrs. Murdock’s hat was out of sight before she moved to Arabella’s side and frowned. “Dear, you have yet to explain why you went running off into the crowd in that surprising fashion. By Theodore’s less-than-pleased expression when you returned, I’m afraid you’ve once again become embroiled in something uncharacteristically disturbing.”

  Arabella blew out a breath. “Mother, in case you’ve forgotten, I’ve just arrived here. While I would love nothing more than to explain my recent behavior, may I suggest we wait to do so until we’re driving home? If you’re hosting a dinner party tonight, I, for one, will need time to freshen up.”

  “That’s a stellar idea, Arabella” Zayne said. “I took the liberty of having your luggage delivered to Hamilton’s carriage, while Theodore’s has been taken to mine.”

  “Were three carriages really necessary?” Arabella asked.

  “I don’t consider Mother’s phaeton a real carriage, and besides, there is the pesky little matter of her driving abilities to consider.” Zayne smiled at Gloria when she let out a huff and then turned back to Arabella. “It’s true that I could have traveled with Hamilton and Eliza, but, well, just look at them, exchanging those nauseating looks all the time, and well . . . it was best I brought my own conveyance.”

  “Why can’t I ride with you?” Arabella asked.

  “Because you and Theodore seem just about ready to strangle each other. I’m going to allow my friend a respite from your company, and hopefully, by the time he rejoins us this evening, he’ll not completely regret agreeing to fetch you home.”

  Before she could formulate a witty response to that piece of nonsense, Zayne turned on his heel, as did Theodore, and the two gentlemen walked rapidly away from them. Hamilton, Eliza, and the children followed a moment later.

  “Well, that turned out better than I expected,” Gloria said before she took Arabella’s hand and tugged her forward. “I was certain as I watched you and Theodore bicker that there really was no hope, but . . . my goodness, Theodore looked quite fierce when Mrs. Murdock mentioned Jeffrey.” She squeezed Arabella’s hand. “And speaking of Jeffrey Murdock, if Theodore doesn’t come up to scratch, Jeffrey would be a fine catch.” She paused and caught Arabella’s eye. “It is so lovely that you’ve finally come home. I’ve decided, seeing that Hamilton’s so happy, my new mission in life is to find you and your brother suitable mates.”

  Arabella suddenly felt the most pressing urge to go back to jail.

  6

  Theodore smiled as Piper stole up beside him and took his hand. She began chatting about anything and everything under the sun as they left the train station. She tugged him over to where Zayne was standing beside a shiny buggy. “That sure is a nice buggy, Uncle Zayne.”

  “Thank you, Piper. I got it just last week. It’s called a Corning Buggy, and even though it’s not as fast as my phaeton, it does allow me more room.” Zayne gestured under the seat. “The porter went ahead and stowed your luggage, Theodore, so we can get on our way.” He nodded to Hamilton. “You’ll be going to Mother’s house?”

  “Since my carriage is stuffed with Arabella’s trunks, yes, I’ll be making an extra stop,” Hamilton said. “We’ll be lucky to have enough room to sit.”

  “But . . . I wanted Mr. Wilder to ride with us,” Piper said as her pretty blue eyes suddenly got a little misty, and she dropped Theodore’s hand to take a swipe at her nose.

  Theodore squatted down beside her. “I’m not going to your grandmother’s house, darling. I have to go to my house, but I’ll see you later. I told your grandmother I’d come for dinner, remember?”

  “But that’s forever away from now, and . . . I have a lot of questions to ask you.”

  “What kind of questions?”

  Piper opened her mouth and, before he could even blink, began launching questions at him with rapid speed. “Why did Aunt Arabella get sent to jail, and why won’t anyone in my family explain it properly to me? Did she really murder someone and everyone’s trying to keep it hushed up, or . . . maybe she got really angry at some of those men who protest at her rallies, and she got into a tussle with them.” She drew in a breath of air and arched a tiny brow at him. “Well?”

  So much for believing the little darling had wanted him to ride in her carriage because she’d missed him.

  “Well, hmm . . . that’s a lot of question
s, Piper, and all I’m going to tell you is that your aunt didn’t murder anyone, nor did she get into a ‘tussle’ with protesters, although . . .” His voice trailed off as he shook his head. Piper was only five and certainly didn’t need to know anything about her aunt assaulting an innocent gentleman at the train station.

  Piper’s lower lip began to tremble. “But you haven’t explained anything properly either, Mr. Theodore. Are you sure you can’t ride with us?”

  His heart gave a little lurch at the extremely pathetic look she was sending him. “I suppose I could sit on top of Arabella’s luggage . . .”

  “Piper, really,” Eliza said as she moved to stand by her stepdaughter and chucked her under the chin as Theodore straightened. “Stop trying to manipulate Theodore with your crocodile tears in order to get answers we’ve recently told you were none of your business.” She let out a snort. “Besides, one of the reasons Theodore was so keen to leave town was because he’s very uncomfortable around affectionate people. I’m quite certain the last thing he wants to do at the moment is ride in a carriage with your daddy and me. I swear he breaks into a sweat every time I even hold your father’s hand.”

  Piper’s lip stopped trembling. “You do more than hold Daddy’s hand, Mama. You kiss him, all the time.”

  “Eww,” Ben proclaimed as he sidled up next to Theodore and plopped his thumb in his mouth.

  Theodore laughed and scooped Ben up in his arms. “Someday you’ll appreciate a fine-looking woman and will most likely try to kiss her.”

  “Nope.”

  “I’ll remind you of this conversation in around fifteen years.”

  “He’s only three,” Piper said.

  Theodore handed Ben to Eliza and hefted Piper up, the sounds of her shrieks warming him down to his toes. He hugged her close for a moment and then held her away from him. “Just so we’re clear, Miss Beckett, you will not even consider kissing until you’re at least thirty.”

  “Twenty.”

  “Fair enough, so long as you promise to have whatever young gentleman you set your sights on speak with me before you allow him a kiss.”

  Piper narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Hamilton said as he held out his hands and Theodore passed Piper over to him. “I’ll be sure to remind Mr. Wilder of his offer when you get older.”

  “Nobody will ever want to kiss me then,” Piper said. “I’ll be one of those, those . . . spider ladies.”

  Theodore grinned. “Do you mean spinster ladies?”

  Piper nodded. “That’s what I’ll be, a spinster.”

  Theodore tilted his head. “You, my dear girl, will have the men falling at your feet, begging for your favor.”

  Piper looked positively delighted even as Hamilton released a growl and set Piper on the ground. “She doesn’t need encouragement, Theodore. Eliza and I are perfectly aware of the fact we’ll have our hands full when she’s older.”

  Eliza laughed. “We’ll just return the favor once Theodore has children of his own.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that anytime soon,” Theodore said. “I have yet to find a suitable wife.”

  Zayne cleared his throat. “Perhaps if you stopped annoying all the ladies on a frequent basis, you wouldn’t have that problem.”

  “I rarely annoy all the ladies, Zayne, only a select few, and I wouldn’t annoy those few if they’d start behaving,” Theodore said before Eliza began to sputter.

  “Perhaps we should get on the road before you say something that will really get you into trouble,” Zayne muttered.

  “But Mr. Theodore still hasn’t told us why Aunt Arabella ended up arrested.” Piper plopped her hands on her thin hips. “And even though Daddy keeps saying it’s none of my business, I know he’s curious.” She nodded. “I still believe it was something dastardly, like a shooting, even if nobody ended up dead.”

  “Well, there might have been a shooting, but you are too young to hear the particulars,” Theodore said, not surprised in the least when Piper’s lower lip suddenly jutted out. He ignored it and smiled. “Now then, Zayne and I really must get on the road, but I will see everyone later.” He sent Piper a wink. “I might even feel compelled to bring you a treat if you promise to behave for the rest of the afternoon.”

  “Would that work with all those other ladies you think need to behave?” Piper asked.

  “You know, you might just be on to something, Piper.” He tousled her hair, tweaked Ben’s nose, and quickly climbed into the buggy when he heard Eliza sputtering once again behind him. He sent her a jaunty wave as he watched Hamilton tug her over to their carriage and turned when Zayne landed on the seat beside him. “I certainly appreciate you seeing me home, Zayne, even if this buggy of yours is not exactly appropriate for the weather.”

  “I think I must have some of my mother in me,” Zayne said before he flicked the reins lightly over the horses and the buggy rolled into the street. “And no need to thank me for seeing you home. I more than owe you for bringing Arabella back.”

  “You never told me she was a little . . . difficult.”

  Zayne winced. “Can you forgive me?”

  He waved the comment away. “It wasn’t all horrible, Zayne. Your sister is actually incredibly intelligent, which did allow us to have some interesting debates.”

  “She’s also beautiful.”

  Theodore frowned. “That goes without saying, but I got the distinct impression she prefers her intelligence over her beauty. Not once did I ever see her pull out a hand mirror to check her appearance.”

  Zayne released a dramatic sigh. “She’s never been normal.”

  “On that we can both agree.”

  Zayne grinned, but then sobered. “I must warn you that my parents are going to be throwing questions at you this evening even faster than Piper did. They’re incredibly concerned about Arabella’s arrest and even more concerned about the two of you spending so much time alone together.”

  “That wouldn’t have happened if she’d had her companion with her.”

  Zayne steered the horses around a slow-moving delivery wagon and then shrugged. “It was only a matter of time until Arabella found a way to get rid of Miss Hunt, but there’s nothing to do about that now. Perhaps you should explain everything to me. That way, if my parents get any strange ideas, I’ll be better equipped to lend you my assistance.”

  “Strange ideas?”

  “Shotgun weddings spring to mind.”

  Theodore swallowed and immediately launched into an explanation of what had transpired over the course of the last few weeks. Zayne’s expression went from amused to slightly horrified by the time Theodore had finished his tale.

  “So Arabella shot a man, tumbled into something you believe involves the law, and . . . might still be in danger?”

  “That about sums it up. May I suggest, before we continue, that you pull the horses over?” Theodore said as he gripped his seat with one hand and waved apologetically with his other to a gentleman who was sprinting out of their way. “You seem somewhat distracted, and we’ll never make your mother’s dinner if you maim someone.”

  “Good thinking,” Zayne said, pulling the horses to the side of the road and bringing them to a halt. “I’m afraid I’m still bemused regarding the danger Arabella might be in.”

  “I readily admit I’m a touch bemused as well.” He let out a breath. “All I can say is that I believe those men who were holding Miss James, and then lured Arabella to that farmhouse, most likely are, or were, operating a very lucrative venture. Your sister, as you said before, is remarkably beautiful, and I’m afraid she might be too tempting for them to ignore.”

  “I said beautiful, not ‘remarkably’ beautiful.”

  Hmm, so he had. Theodore cleared his throat. “I do have to check in at my office tomorrow, make sure there’s nothing pressing waiting for me, but then I’m heading back to Gilman. I don’t like leaving matters unresolved, and there was just something about that tow
n that had my instincts humming.”

  “Would you like me to accompany you?”

  “While I truly appreciate your offer, Zayne, your time might be better spent keeping an eye on your sister. I can certainly put some of my men on guard duty, but I have the strangest feeling Arabella would balk at that. Knowing your sister, she might show her displeasure by shooting one of them or bashing them over the head with her reticule.”

  Zayne winced. “I still cannot believe she attacked that man at the station. You must allow me to reimburse you the amount you gave that gentleman for his troubles.”

  “There’s no need for that. Truth be told, I was a little responsible for what happened. I did make the mistake of telling Arabella someone might be following her.” He shook his head. “Even though your sister claims to be a progressive lady, she is still a lady, and as such, her reasoning can be easily swayed by a man’s suggestions.”

  “It’s no wonder she was staring daggers at you when you first came back to us.”

  “I didn’t actually tell her that, mostly because I hadn’t thought of it, but it will be interesting to see her reaction once I do get around to sharing that thought.”

  Zayne narrowed his eyes. “Why in the world would you put yourself through that, unless . . . you enjoy arguing with her?”

  Theodore blinked. “Of course I don’t enjoy arguing with your sister, Zayne, but that’s neither here nor there. May I count on you to keep an eye on Arabella while I’m away?”

  “It’s my job to look after my sister,” Zayne said. “Your responsibility ended when you handed her over to my mother back at the station.”

  “You know that’s not true,” Theodore said. “My responsibility won’t end until I settle matters back in Gilman, but I was under the impression you were leaving soon to join your Miss Collins. It will be difficult for you to watch Arabella if you’re in a different state.”

  “I’m sure Helena will understand if I delay joining her for a week or so to help Arabella.”

  “I got the feeling Arabella and Helena weren’t the best of friends.”