“Father would never do that.” David’s voice was starting to sound faint. His eyes were beginning to drift closed again. “And I would have married you without Father’s blessing.”

  And he would have. Arabella swallowed. “I wasn’t about to be married out of obligation, David.”

  A small smile tugged at David’s mouth. “Who said it would be an obligation?”

  That was when his eyes completely closed, and Arabella saw him pass out again. Seeing him helpless like this made Arabella want to cry. She hated seeing him like this. It wasn’t something she was used to.

  She had to get out of there. It didn’t matter what her mother said, Arabella needed to leave. Dropping the rest of the cloths on the floor, she ran out of the room.

  * * *

  “Arabella, it’s your turn.”

  Arabella looked up. Anna was sitting across the small table, giving her a pointed stare. That was when Arabella remembered where she was. She was in the cottage playing cards with her mistress. It was meant to be something to distract the pair of them from what had happened, both of them enjoying a game of cards, but Arabella just couldn’t get her mind to settle.

  “Oh.” Blindly, Arabella grabbed a couple of cards, not really seeing them, and placed them on the table. “There.”

  Anna stared at her. Then she stared at the cards on the table. She shook her head.

  “Arabella, those are not the cards you need for your hand. Even I know that.”

  “Pardon?” Then Arabella saw that she had picked the wrong cards. If anything, she had made her playing hand worse. She winced and gathered up the cards. “Forgive me, Mrs. Day. I suppose my mind’s not really with it.”

  “I can tell. You’re normally much better at playing cards. Even when you’re unwell, you always manage to win.” Anna sat forward with a frown. “What’s wrong, Arabella? You’ve been distant since you came back from seeing your daughter last night.”

  Arabella hesitated. She hadn’t told her employer about what had happened, and what David now knew. She wasn’t even sure she was ready to tell anyone else. Biting her lip, Arabella began to shuffle the cards.

  “Just a few things were exchanged that I wasn’t happy about.” She managed a smile. “It’s fine, Mrs. Day. Really.”

  “If you’re having an argument with your parents, maybe I can say something…”

  “No!” Arabella winced at the abrupt refusal. She hurried on as Anna blinked. “Thank you, Mrs. Day, but there’s no need. I can manage this myself.”

  At least, she hoped so. David still needed a lot of answers and Arabella didn’t know if she was able to face giving him those answers. That conversation was going to be a very long, very awkward one.

  It didn’t help with this mess David had got himself in, either. Anna had updated Arabella on what David was accused of, and Arabella was shocked. David would never have killed anyone. Arabella knew that. She didn’t need to be in doubt about it; Arabella was certain. But everyone else in London appeared to have other ideas. Now David was on the run.

  Something was really wrong about all this, and Arabella’s gut said it wasn’t clear-cut. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to point the finger at David. Maybe the real killer? But why?

  This wasn’t anything to do with her. She shouldn’t be involved at all. Except that David was taking refuge close by and he was Katherine’s father. Arabella knew she was involved in it, whether she wanted to be or not.

  She was jolted out of her thoughts when there came the sound of wheels clattering on the path. Anna sat up. Arabella turned and looked out of the window, seeing a carriage pulling up outside the gate. Anna groaned.

  “Oh, God, I hope that’s not Lady Hartley again. I can’t be dealing with her today.”

  Arabella was hoping it wasn’t the Viscountess, either. The woman had a habit of popping up at the worst of times. But it wasn’t Lady Hartley who jumped out of the carriage. It was someone else, and he looked unhappy. Very unhappy.

  “It’s Lord Harrison.” Arabella glanced at her mistress. “Do you want to see him?”

  Anna rolled her eyes. “Ask a silly question. Go on, let him in.”

  Arabella wasn’t sure she wanted to. Ian would more than likely have heard about what happened with David and why he was out. It was late morning, so David was probably back at the main house now. He would have said something to his father.

  This wasn’t going to go well.

  Bracing herself and smoothing her hands on her dress, Arabella headed out into the hallway. She was almost at the door when the banging started. Not Ian’s usual firm knock, but an intense banging that made Arabella wince. Fixing herself with what she hoped was a pleasant expression, Arabella fumbled with the door and opened it, curtsying when she saw Ian standing on the threshold.

  “Lord Harrison, good day.”

  “Arabella.” Ian’s voice softened. “Anna.”

  “My Lord.” Anna’s voice came from the morning room door. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”

  “Actually, Anna, I was hoping to speak with Arabella in private.”

  Arabella felt her chest tightening.

  Behind her, Anna sounded confused.“Why do you want to speak to Arabella?”

  “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad.” Ian’s tone was still soft towards Anna, but Arabella saw the harsh look in his eyes. The man was angry. “But I do have some questions for her.”

  This couldn’t be done inside. Arabella gulped and stepped around the Viscount, beckoning him to follow her.

  “Come outside, My Lord. We can talk in the garden.”

  Ian followed her out onto the lawn. Arabella headed towards the rose bush, now freshly pruned, and turned towards him.

  “What is it, My Lord?”

  “David’s just come back to the main house.” Ian’s voice was low, sharp. “He’s got a cut to the head and a black eye. He said he was attacked near your family’s cottage, and he had to stay there all night to recover.”

  Arabella didn’t like the way he was glaring at her. She wrapped her arms around her middle, digging her fingers into her sides. “Yes. Mother wouldn’t allow him to walk back in the dark. He was unconscious when he was brought in.”

  “Why was he even down there? There’s no need to go to that part of the estate at that time of night, even if for a walk.”

  “Didn’t you ask David about that?”

  “I did but he refused to answer me. He looked like he was in a daze and I don’t think it was from the head injury.” Ian narrowed his eyes. “What happened, Arabella?”

  “I…” It was a warm day, but Arabella found herself shivering. “I can’t possibly say, My Lord.”

  “Arabella, I don’t want you to lie to me,” Lord Harrison growled.

  “I’m not.”

  Ian paced away, running his hands over his face. Arabella knew the best thing to do was to tell him the truth, but she couldn’t. She had made her bed, so to speak, and now she had to stay in it.

  “Look,” Ian turned back. He still looked angry, but he also looked worn out. “I know that there was something going on between you and my son. Your father’s explanation for wanting to leave as soon as possible due to his wife suffering from homesickness didn’t sit well with me, so I asked around after you left. I was told about you and David sneaking away together frequently.”

  “We…” Arabella could feel her face getting warm. “We never did anything improper, My Lord.”

  “I think you did.” Ian folded his arms. “You have a daughter, don’t you? How old is she?”

  “That is none of your business.”

  “If she’s my granddaughter, then it most certainly is my business,” Ian retorted sharply. “How old is Katherine, Arabella? Seven?”

  Arabella thought about lying, but she knew she couldn’t. She was now backed into a corner, and coming out fighting wasn’t going to work. Looking down at the ground, she nodded. She couldn’t look at him.

  “You ran because you were with child.” Ian’s voice was flat. “And your family covered it up.”

  “Yes.” Arabella hurried on: “Don’t blame my parents for doing it. I asked them to. I wasn’t about to put David in a scandalous position. And I…” She faltered. “I wasn’t going to have my child taken from me.”

  “Taken away?” Ian blinked. “Why would I want to do that?”

  “Because I’m not of your social station. Katherine’s your granddaughter, she shouldn’t be in such an environment. It was unsightly,” Arabella added ruefully.

  Ian was silent for so long, Arabella thought he had left. But when she looked up, he was still there staring at her like he had never seen her before. Then he let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. He looked disappointed.

  “If you believed that of me, Arabella, you really didn’t know me. I would never have done that. I would have made sure everything for you was what my granddaughter needed.”

  “Even if it meant people knowing you had a grandchild out of wedlock?”

  Ian snorted. “Come on, you really think that low of me? It doesn’t matter how Katherine was conceived. That shouldn’t make her any less loved, should it?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not Katherine’s fault you and David had a lapse of judgement and decided to mess around before marriage.”

  Arabella felt like she had been caught stealing and her father was giving her a proper scolding. Now she was beginning to feel like a real fool. A complete and utter fool. She had gone about this the wrong way, and Arabella was beginning to realize it too late.

  “We would never have gotten married, My Lord,” she murmured.

  “All the more reason you shouldn’t have done it,” Ian replied. “But it’s not Katherine’s fault. She didn’t cause this.”

  She didn’t. Arabella had caused this. She had gotten pregnant and instead of telling David and allowing their bond to get them through the mess, she had run away. Everything she had said to everyone in the past eight years had simply been an excuse. It was an excuse to hide away. Arabella wished she could sink into the ground.

  “Forgive me, My Lord,” she mumbled.

  Ian sighed. “The person you need to ask for forgiveness is my son. You neglected to tell him that he was going to be a father. Do you have any idea how David behaved after you disappeared on him? He withdrew into himself. Even Peter couldn’t get to him, and they were very close. He focused on the farm, and I was lucky to see him at social gatherings that weren’t close family affairs like Christmas. David practically cut everyone out of his life.” Ian drew another breath and folded his arms again. “You made him lose trust with a lot of people.”

  Arabella didn’t know what she could say to that. There wasn’t really anything she could say. Apologizing over and over again wasn’t going to make things any better. She had caused alot of damage. That wasn’t going to go away with an apology.

  Ian sighed, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “I’m not going to chastise you for what you did, Arabella. You’ve already done that to yourself. I will do whatever I can to help with your daughter. My grandchild.”

  “Just don’t take Katherine away from me,” Arabella pleaded. “I couldn’t bear it if you did that.”

  “I’m not going to take Katherine from you. I would never do that. What I will do is whatever I can to help you out.” Ian paused. “And I’m going to make sure David does the same.”

  Arabella knew David would do it. He wouldn’t need a nudge, but she found herself shaking her head anyway.

  “I don’t want anything from either of you, My Lord. I’ve managed for seven years with just my parents and my brother to help. I can manage a little longer.”

  Ian was staring at her like she had gone mad. He rubbed a hand over his face with a heavy exhale. “There are times, Arabella, when you need to take a deep breath and swallow your pride. Now is one of those times.” He fixed her with a piercing glare. “Would I be allowed to see my granddaughter, or are you going to tell me that I can’t?”

  “You can go and see her anytime you want, My Lord,” Arabella murmured. “I won’t stop you on that.”

  Ian grunted. Then he gave her a curt bow. “Good day, Miss Powell.”

  Then he strode off, barely giving the cottage a glance as he went back down the path and jumping into his carriage. Arabella watched as the driver flicked the reins and the horses started off at a quick trot, disappearing down the path.

  It was then that her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the grass.

  Chapter Fourteen

  David flinched when someone knocked at the door. His head was still pounding, and the sound echoed around inside his skull.

  “Yes?”

  The door opened and Arnold put his head into the room.

  “Do you want anything else, Mr. Harrison?” he called.

  His voice was too loud. David grimaced, pressing his hands to his head. “No, Arnold. Just leave me be, please.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Arnold withdrew, closing the door with a gentle click. David slumped back onto the pillows. He had woken up in the Powell cottage to a frosty reception. Thomas Powell had escorted him back to the main house, showing him the route that was safer instead of heading through the trees. David tried to talk to the man, but Powell had been in no mood to talk. Then again, David wasn’t really sure what he wanted, or needed, to say.

  Then again, he was the wronged party. He was the one who had been lied to for eight years by an entire family, so why should he feel guilty about anything? Arabella had covered up the fact he was a father, and her family encouraged it instead of doing the right thing. David found himself getting more and more annoyed at Powell’s behaviour. He should have been apologizing over and over, telling David that it was the wrong thing to do.

  No, he was stubborn to the last. Much like his daughter.

  David didn’t want to see anyone. All he wanted to do was pull the blankets over his head and hide away from everyone. His head felt like it was splitting open, and his world had been flipped around so much David didn’t know which way was up.

  Arabella still had the ability to turn everything upside-down. Back then, David had liked it. It kept things interesting, and he found himself more attracted to Arabella. Now, he wished that things could just be simple.

  David settled down on the bed and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would come to him. Maybe sleeping off this headache would make things become a little more clear. Just a little bit so David could function.

  He heard the door opening and then it closed. It wasn’t a slam, but it was loud enough that David’s head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. He groaned and curled into a ball, clutching at his head.

  “David, get up.” Then Peter was shaking him. “I’ve got some news from London.”

  “Peter, stop!” David pushed his brother away. “Don’t do that! My head hurts!”

  “Come on, you’ve got a harder head than that.”

  “Not right now, I haven’t.” David grimaced as he pushed himself up to sitting. “You saw me last night. Can’t you be a bit more considerate?”

  Peter shrugged and sat on the bed. “Well, if you go walking where you’re not supposed to be, what do you expect?”

  “You make it sound like I purposefully went out looking for trouble.”

  “Harrison boys to the last.”

  David shook his head. They had gone looking for trouble as children, but David had grown out of it. Peter hadn’t, and he still looked for trouble. His knuckles were bruised and Peter kept absently rubbing his hands. God only knew what his brother had got up to. More than likely getting caught up in an underground fight; those things were dotting all over the place. Peter had gone to them before and won himself a little money.

  “You’ve got news already from London?” David rubbed his eyes. The throbbing was intense in his forehead. “We only left yesterday. I wouldn’t think anyone would have any news for us.”

  “My contacts work fast, and they can pass what they know on even faster.” Peter sighed. “The news of Simpson’s murder has now got all over London. Society is absolutely buzzing about it. From what my contacts have said, the majority of people in our social circle believe you did kill Simpson. Motives range from he humiliated you to something more nefarious.”

  “More nefarious,” David repeated. “Dare I ask what they meant by that?”

  “Best not. Now the news you’re missing has come out, people think you’ve managed to get back to Ireland. The authorities can’t touch you there.”

  “We should have gone straight to the port and got the first ferry out.”

 

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