by Anne Herries
‘Sarah!’ she cried and sat up. Then she breathed a sigh of relief. Sarah was all right. She had prevented Sir Courtney’s shot from finding its mark and then he had hit her when his pistol jammed. She thought she vaguely recalled Sarah smoothing her forehead before she took the doctor’s mixture the previous day. She must have slept a long time! Looking about her, she saw that one of the maids was at the washstand, pouring water into a bowl. ‘Maisie—what time is it?’
‘Oh, you are awake, my lady,’ Maisie said and looked regretful. ‘It is nearly ten o’clock. Did I disturb you, ma’am? I was just getting some water ready to wash your hands and face.’
‘Thank you, but I shall get up in a few minutes and do that myself,’ Arabella said and frowned. ‘I am late and I promised Sarah that we should go to York today.’
‘The doctor said as you were to rest for a few days, ma’am,’ the maid said. ‘You should not think of getting up today, let alone going to York.’
‘Nonsense,’ Arabella said and swung her legs from the bed. However, as she attempted to stand up her head began to spin and she sat down again with a bump. ‘Perhaps I shall not go to York until tomorrow, but I shall get up soon. I think I will have some tea and bread and butter, and then you can help me dress, Maisie.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ the girl said. ‘I’ll go down and fetch it now.’
Even as she walked to the door it opened and Tilda came in. She was looking anxious, but when she saw that Arabella was awake she smiled.
‘Ah, you are better, dearest. Mr Hunter forbade us to come too soon, for he said that you were resting peacefully—but I thought I would just look in to see how you go on. How is your poor head?’
‘A little sore,’ Arabella said. ‘It does not signify. Sarah is all right, isn’t she? I remember that his shot went wide and I think she was here in this room before I slept.’
‘She stayed until after the doctor had been,’ Tilda said. ‘We have all taken our turn to sit beside you for a little, though Mr Hunter was here for hours.’
‘That was kind of him,’ Arabella said. ‘I would expect no less of Charles. He is always thoughtful. Tell me, what happened after that man hit me?’
‘Captain Hernshaw shot him,’ Tilda said. ‘I have never seen anything like it in my life. Just one shot…He was magnificent, Arabella. Not that I approve of violence as a general rule, but if anyone deserved to die it was that wicked man! I have no sympathy for him, none at all!’
‘Yes, perhaps it was best,’ Arabella said. ‘I must write and thank Captain Hernshaw.’
‘Oh, you may do that in person,’ Tilda told her cheerfully. ‘He stayed here last night. Mr Elworthy brought the magistrate to take everyone’s statements. He seemed to think that Captain Hernshaw had done exactly the right thing in the circumstances and so that is the end of the business. Captain Hernshaw will not be arrested or charged with any crime.’
‘Captain Hernshaw stayed here—in the house?’
‘Yes, Mr Hunter invited him. He was concerned about you—everyone was. Mr Elworthy is leaving later today, but he waited to hear how you were. We have had a stream of people from the estate and the village asking after you—and one of your neighbours rode over to see how you were.’
‘Everyone has been so kind.’
‘You deserve that they should be,’ Tilda said. ‘You saved Sarah’s life.’
‘I only did what anyone would have done.’
‘Of course you would say that,’ Tilda said. ‘Is there anything I may do for you—or shall I just go and leave you in peace?’
‘Maisie is bringing my breakfast. I shall get up in an hour or so.’
‘Are you sure that you ought?’ Tilda shook her head and straightened the silken coverlet. ‘Well, I dare say you know best. I shall go down now. I am sure that Lady Tate and Sarah wish to see you.’
‘I shall see them both when I come down,’ Arabella said. ‘And please ask Captain Hernshaw not to leave before I have spoken to him.’
‘Yes, of course.’ Tilda walked to the door and turned to look back. ‘I am so glad that you were not killed, Arabella.’
‘Thank you,’ Arabella said. ‘I think that we shall all rest easier now that that man has been dealt with.’
She sat back against her pillows, closing her eyes. Her head was aching a little but the dizziness had passed. She would eat her breakfast and then she would get up.
She frowned as she realised that circumstances had altered now that Sir Courtney was dead. She had asked Charles to marry her to keep her safe from fortune hunters, and in a way that still held good—but the immediate danger was over. Most of the men who had asked her to marry them after Ben was killed had taken her refusal with dignity. Some had undoubtedly been more interested in her money, but some had genuinely had at least a warm affection for her.
She recalled the expression in Captain Hernshaw’s eyes when she had told him that she was to marry Charles. He had looked devastated—and it was due to his prompt action that she had not been more badly hurt, for Sir Courtney could have inflicted more damage had he not been stopped. The least that she could do was to thank Captain Hernshaw in person.
Would Charles wish to withdraw from their arrangement now that she was no longer in such dire need of protection? He was too much the gentleman to jilt her—but ought she to offer him the chance to stand back? Their engagement was not generally known, though the news would have spread to their neighbours, as had the news of her injury. However, the engagement had not yet been officially announced in the papers. She could tell Charles that she had changed her mind.
It was too painful to think of for the moment, Arabella decided. She would have her breakfast, get up and then, later, she would talk to Charles.
‘I do hope I am not intruding?’ Tilda asked as she put her head round the door of the back parlour, where Charles, John and Captain Hernshaw were talking over a glass of wine. ‘I just wanted to tell you that Arabella is going to get up in about an hour. She is having some breakfast and she says that she is well enough to come down. She particularly asked that you stay, Mr Hernshaw. She wishes to speak to you. I thought I would tell you at once in case you left in the meantime. I shall leave you to your talk now, gentlemen. I must tell Lady Tate and Sarah that Arabella is quite herself again.’
She went out, closing the door carefully behind her and walking upstairs to the larger parlour where the ladies were sitting, quite unaware of the false hopes and doubts she had left behind her.
Arabella came downstairs a little more than an hour later. Mrs Bristol had told her that the gentlemen were in the back parlour, but when she entered she discovered that only Captain Hernshaw was there, lounging in a chair by the window. He had been glancing through a news-sheet, but put it aside as she entered.
‘Good morning,’ he said, springing to his feet at once. ‘You look lovely, Arabella. I hope that you are feeling better?’
‘Yes, much better,’ she replied with a smile. ‘I believe I have to thank you for what you did, sir. Had your shot not been as true, I might not have escaped with my life.’
‘I am glad that my shot went home as it was intended,’ Captain Hernshaw replied. ‘I should have been devastated if he had killed you.’
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I am glad that you waited, sir. I wanted to see you to tell you how grateful I am. A letter would not suffice in the circumstances.’
He came towards her, taking the hand she offered and lifting it to kiss the back. ‘It was my pleasure and my privilege,’ he said. ‘Mr Hunter is a fortunate man.’
‘Thank you,’ Arabella said and her cheeks were a little pink. ‘Please tell Melinda that I look forward to seeing her soon. She might care to arrive a little before the wedding and stay for a while. I hope that you will attend our wedding too, sir?’
‘I shall if I am permitted,’ he replied. ‘I have been asked by the Government to conduct a diplomatic mission to Rome, but I shall certainly come if I can. And now I must leave you.
I dare say you have much to do.’
‘Yes, thank you. I shall never forget you—or what you did for me, Captain Hernshaw.’
He bowed his head and walked to the door. Arabella moved to the French windows. She looked out and saw that Charles was standing with Mr Elworthy in the drive. Opening the window, she went out to join them, walking proudly, her head high, her smile warm but a little reserved.
‘Were you about to leave, Mr Elworthy? I had hoped to see you first, though I know you must be anxious to go home. You have been here some days longer than you expected. I wanted to thank you so much for all that you have done for me.’
‘It was Captain Hernshaw who fired that shot,’ John said. ‘Neither Charles or I had a pistol about us.’
‘But you have done so much more,’ Arabella said. ‘You and Charles prevented the first kidnap attempt and I am so grateful. I have spoken to Captain Hernshaw, thanking him for his prompt action. I believe that he may have prevented more harm, for Sir Courtney had lost all semblance of reason. He would have killed me where I lay if he could.’
John moved towards her, hesitating before kissing her cheek. ‘I am happy to have been of service to you, Arabella. You are a good person. Sarah owes her life to you—and that makes me for ever in your debt.’
‘You care for her a great deal, I believe?’
‘I love her,’ John said. ‘I cared for her before she was abducted, but she was still a child and I…did not know my own heart for sure until I saw her again. Perhaps it was merely friendship then, but it is more now. I would give anything to spend my life making her happy, but she does not want my devotion.’
‘At the moment Sarah does not quite know what she wants,’ Arabella told him. ‘Do not give up, sir. A few months in Italy may bring about changes for the better.’
‘Thank you. I shall hope that it may,’ John said. He turned towards Charles, offering his hand. ‘I shall see you at the wedding, my friend. I think I must be on my way. There are things at home needing my attention.’
Charles was silent as he watched John walked away. Arabella moved to stand by his side.
‘I think Sarah likes him very well,’ she said. ‘She just needs time. She could not think of marriage until she has come to terms with what happened to her.’
‘You are right, as always,’ Charles said and looked at her. ‘You knew Sarah’s heart long before I did, did you not?’
‘We had become close over the time that she stayed at Nana’s cottage,’ Arabella said. ‘Will you walk with me for a little, Charles? I should like to be private with you, for I need to talk to you.’
‘Is Hernshaw still here?’
‘He was about to leave when I came out to you,’ Arabella said. ‘He has been a good friend to me, Charles. I wanted to thank him personally.’
‘He is in love with you.’
‘Yes, I think perhaps he is,’ Arabella agreed. ‘In London I imagined that it was merely flirtation, but I believe I wronged him. I am sorry to have given him grief, but it could not be avoided.’
‘Did he ask you to marry him yesterday?’
‘It was his intention, but I told him that I was to marry you and he offered me his best wishes.’
Charles nodded, his eyes dark and brooding as he looked at her. ‘Would your answer have been different if we had not already come to an understanding?’
‘No, it would not,’ Arabella said. ‘I like Captain Hernshaw as a friend. He is good company and can be amusing—but I do not wish to be married to him.’
‘You do not love him?’
‘No, I do not love him.’
‘Sarah said that you would not marry without love.’
‘Did she?’ Arabella glanced away. She was trembling inwardly. ‘I am safe from Sir Courtney now, Charles. It is still true that I should be better married, for I have received too many offers since Ben died—some before he was cold in his grave. Most of the gentlemen were more enamoured of my fortune than me, though some may have been genuine in their regard. I did not wish to marry any of them.’
‘Do you wish to marry me?’
She took a deep breath, turning to face him. ‘Yes, Charles. I still wish to marry you—but I shall allow you to withdraw if you prefer. We can wait for a while and then tell our friends that we were not suited.’
‘You would do that?’ Charles frowned. ‘But only if I wish it?’
‘Yes, of course. I appreciate that I asked you and that you agreed out of concern for my well being, Charles. I know that you are too much of a gentleman to withdraw unless I agree, but—’
Arabella got no further, for he moved towards her, taking her into his arms, his lips on hers, kissing her in a way that stole her breath. His kiss was hungry, needy, demanding a response, which she gave with all her heart, melting into his body, pliant and giving in his embrace. When he drew away at last and smiled at her, she swayed towards him and might have fallen had he not steadied her.
‘You are still unwell. I am a brute.’
‘No,’ she said and laughed huskily. ‘It was what I wanted—what I have wanted for such a long time. I did not wish you to stop.’
Charles looked into her eyes and then a big grin spread over his face, his eyes dancing with laughter. ‘I have been such a fool, have I not? Almost from the first I felt the attraction between us, Arabella. When I touched your face that day in the park I wanted to sweep you up in my arms and carry you off somewhere so that we could make love—but I knew that I had no right. I had to find Sarah, and having found her—safe in your house—I thought that I must spend my life making up to her for what I had done. I was consumed with guilt…’
Arabella leaned forward, closing off the words with a sweet brush of her lips. He responded by crushing her hard against him. It was a while before either of them were able to speak again, but when they did it was Arabella who began.
‘Sarah does not blame you, Charles. She is relieved that she had not done anything to merit the abduction.’
‘I know. She told me—in no uncertain terms.’ Charles looked rueful. ‘She made it quite clear that she neither needed nor wanted my devotion. My sister has changed, become stronger, determined—and I believe I have you to thank for that, Arabella.’
‘I think Sarah would have changed as she grew older anyway,’ Arabella said. ‘She was petted, spoiled and protected by her family and so she remained an innocent child. When she was thrust into a hostile world she was frightened and her mind could not cope with what had happened to her. Once she was safe with her family she began to remember—but it was Tilda’s abduction that unlocked her memory. I may have helped her to regain her confidence a little, but in time she will become a woman you will be proud of.’
‘Not as proud as I was of you, my dearest love,’ Charles told her, his eyes tender as he reached out to touch her cheek. ‘You faced that devil so courageously, and you saved Sarah’s life. When I thought he had killed you…’ His voice broke with emotion. ‘Had you died, I should have had nothing more to live for, Arabella. I love you so very much
‘Oh, Charles,’ she whispered tears in her eyes. ‘I prayed that you would come to love me in time. When I asked you to marry me I tried to hide my feelings for you, believing that you would not marry me unless you believed it a marriage of convenience.’
‘And I accepted, knowing that I loved you, hoping that we might learn to love each other when we were married—that I could deserve you. I know that I am fortunate beyond my deserts to have secured your affection, Arabella.’
‘Foolish man,’ she chided. ‘You try to take the world on your shoulders, Charles. No one man can do that, my love. But you will not be alone now. In future we shall face the world and its challenges together.’
‘Yes,’ he said, and took her hand in his. ‘I cannot wait for the day that you become mine, Arabella. And now, I think we should go in, for your aunt and my mother have been watching us from an upstairs window for the past several minutes.’
Arabella
laughed and pressed his hand to her cheek. ‘I am so happy that I do not mind if we have an audience,’ she told him. ‘Tomorrow we shall go into York and I shall buy my wedding gown.’
‘Are you sure you feel well enough?’
‘Yes, perfectly sure,’ Arabella replied. ‘And as for our wedding day, that cannot come soon enough for me!’
Arabella was dressed in the ivory gown of satin with a dusky pink lace overskirt that she had ordered for her wedding. In her hair she wore a confection of silk flowers twined with ribbon to match her overskirt, and diamond earrings hung from the lobes of her ears. The past three weeks had flown and much that had happened in the past seemed almost unreal, a bad dream that had passed away.
‘Oh, you do look beautiful,’ Sarah said as she fastened the necklace of large pearls that had been Charles’s wedding gift to his bride around Arabella’s throat. ‘My brother does not know how fortunate he is to have you, dearest Belle.’
‘She is always beautiful,’ Lady Tate said and sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a lace kerchief.
‘Do not cry, Aunt,’ Arabella said. ‘Or I shall cry too and that would be foolish. I am too happy to cry. It is my wedding day and I am marrying the man I love.’
‘Charles was so nervous last night,’ Sarah said, a teasing light in her eyes. ‘He kept telling me things. I think he was afraid that you might change your mind and run off, Belle.’
‘Oh, no, he could not think it,’ Arabella said, laughing. She had taken a reluctant farewell of him the previous afternoon, just before he went to the inn, because she had not wanted to part from him even for a few hours; but the tradition was that he should not see his bride on the morning of their wedding day, before they met at church. ‘He knows that I would never do that, Sarah.’
‘Well, perhaps not run off,’ Sarah admitted with a smile. ‘But he was nervous. It isn’t at all like him. He was always my confident big brother, lording it over me—but so protective and kind.’ She gave Arabella a hug. ‘I am so glad that you are marrying Charles, Belle. Two of my favourite people making each other happy.’