Chapter 5
ARABELLA
A s I crossed the street, I made sure to dodge the pile of manure that still bore the footprint of Mr. Colin Campbell.
Before today, he had never approached me of his own free will.
Nor had I ever seen him smile.
My skin was flushed from the boldness of my parting words. They had been immensely satisfying, but I could sense Kate’s shock and disapproval as she followed me into the stairwell that led to the rooms above Newbury’s. Suddenly her new reticule was not our top priority.
“Arabella!” She hissed in a whisper as the door closed behind us.
We started up the stairs toward my family’s set of rooms. In the privacy of the stairwell, she was able to scold me properly.
“You spoke far too freely. He will call you disagreeable to all his acquaintances. You will never make a match if you behave like that.”
I sighed. “It’s too late. I was certain he couldn’t find me more disagreeable than he already did after yesterday evening.”
Kate’s eyes glowed white in the dimness. “What did you say to him yesterday?”
I stopped on the stairs beside her. There was no point in keeping the truth from her. She deserved to know what a goosecap she had taken under her wing. “I told him I was hunting his fortune.”
Kate’s jaw lowered, and I was tempted to nudge her chin up with the back of my hand.
“Don’t be so appalled,” I pleaded. “He had already implied that he wasn’t interested in me. He was so proud and disagreeable.” I gritted my teeth. “I wanted to shock him.”
“I’m certain you did.” Kate shook her head in dismay. “I can’t believe he would even speak to you after that!”
I bit my lower lip. “He did seem oddly interested in speaking to me today, did he not?” I hoped Kate would have an explanation for that, but she seemed as confused as I was.
“Perhaps he was embarrassed about the horse droppings and didn’t know what else to do,” she offered.
I gave a slow nod. “That must have been the reason. It’s the only reasonable one.
” A laugh threatened to bubble out of my throat.
It had given me no small measure of delight to see Mr. Campbell shaking the bits of horse manure from his perfectly polished boot.
I had never seen him in a discomposed state, much less such a compromising one.
I would find great joy in never letting him live that down if he ever had the audacity to speak to me again.
I was suddenly eager to secure an invitation from one of my neighbors for afternoon tea.
At first, his rejection the night before had troubled me.
But I had quickly brushed it off my shoulders.
A fortune could be found elsewhere. I had already made progress with Sir William at Lady Benton’s party, and I planned to see him again at the assembly rooms tonight. I was nothing if not efficient.
“Take care, Arabella.” Kate gripped my arm. “I am worried for you.”
My heart pinched with dread, but I pushed the feeling away. I couldn’t afford to dwell on fear. It would only hinder me. “I will.” I gave Kate a quick smile. “I’ll spend the rest of the day preparing for the ball this evening.”
“You must tell me every detail. Try to secure a dance with Sir William.”
I nodded.
She abandoned the subject, thankfully, and made her way back down the stairs to return to her reticule shopping.
Being married to a wealthy man, she didn’t have control over the bulk of her husband’s fortune, but she did have plenty of pin money to spend at the shops.
Such a life sounded pleasant, but that was not what motivated me. Not in the slightest.
I reached the top of the stairs and entered my modest apartment, where Aunt Julia sat on the drawing room sofa with a needle and thread.
She had embroidered what looked like a swan bobbing atop a blue pond, and now she was adding blades of green grass to the edges.
The sight awoke a fierce longing for home in the pit of my stomach.
I missed the green hills, the coast, our pond, and my precious ducks.
I had been in Bath for too long, yet my work was far from finished.
Aunt Julia glanced up, tight blonde curls surrounding her round face. The lace of her white chemisette touched the base of her chin, and the pale green wallpaper matched her gown. “Well, that was a short trip.” Her brows lifted in surprise.
I removed my bonnet and set it on the tea table.
“I confess I was spooked off the streets by Mr. Campbell.” I craned my neck to look out the window.
He was nowhere to be seen, but the squashed pile of manure was still there.
Why had he behaved so differently today?
I must have been mistaken, but he hadn’t seemed nearly as aloof as usual.
Had my boldness piqued his curiosity? Had it made me more interesting?
Questions flitted through my mind, but I decided to ignore them all.
I had already set my attention elsewhere.
“That dreadful man,” Aunt Julia muttered. “What did he do this time?”
I hadn’t told her all the details of our encounter at Lady Benton’s dinner party the night before.
That was for the best. But she knew enough to find him disagreeable and unfriendly.
“Oh, nothing. I am simply avoiding him.” I turned casually from the window and interlocked my fingers behind my back. “Where is Freddy?”
“In his bedchamber, I imagine. I don’t believe I saw him leave this morning.
” Aunt Julia carried on with her embroidery as I started toward the next floor.
In such close quarters, it was difficult to speak with my brother alone.
I shared a bedchamber with my aunt, and Freddy’s was just next door.
One maid was all we could afford, and her quarters were just above mine.
The safest place for Freddy to be was home, locked in his bedchamber where he couldn’t cause any more trouble, but the isolation could not have been beneficial for his health.
I knocked briskly on his door. “Freddy?”
I waited. I raised my fist to knock again, but the door flew open. My brother stood behind it, hair mussed, eyes half-closed, shirt hanging loose over his breeches. “What time is it?” he groaned.
I planted one hand on my hip. “Half past eleven.”
Freddy’s eyes opened wide and he reared back. “I ought to leave my curtains open,” he mumbled, staggering back into his dark room. With a quick tug on the drapes, the space was flooded with light. “Hmm.” He placed a hand over his middle with a faint laugh. “I’m hungry.”
“You did miss breakfast.” I took two steps into his room, grimacing at the piles of clothing in the corners. “You cannot stay in here all day. May I suggest you take a walk? The weather is pleasant.”
Freddy combed his fingers through his straight dark hair, tossing it a few times over his forehead before giving his reflection an approving nod. He glanced in my direction with a somber look. “I’m surprised you would trust me to leave this building.”
“Not alone. You might bring Aunt Julia with you.”
“Very well. If she wishes for a companion, I will join her.” He paused, his voice slowly fading. “Have you…have you had any success?”
I stared at his downcast expression, my heart in my throat. I managed a small nod. “I do think I captured the attention of one gentleman, Sir William, yesterday. Let us hope it’s enough.”
Freddy fell silent. I supposed he had run out of words to thank me for what I was doing, or to apologize for his hand in it.
He was young—only nineteen. It was partially my fault for neglecting him during our first month in Bath.
Aunt Julia had invited us here to keep her company while she enjoyed the health benefits of the mineral waters from the Pump Room.
She claimed that her health and spirits had improved already, but after what Freddy had done, mine had been steadily declining.
I had allowed him too much freedom. My mother had trusted me to supervise him, and I had failed. So I felt that it was my responsibility to repair his mistakes.
I was the only one who could.
Aunt Julia didn’t know about Freddy’s gambling during our first week in Bath.
She didn’t know that he had lost far more than he could ever repay or that he had tried to repair the problem on his own.
Aunt Julia and I had both been oblivious to that, and I had only been made aware of the situation after Freddy had crossed the most dreadful line of all.
He had forged our elder brother’s signature in order to obtain a loan.
Freddy had confided in me late one evening when the potential consequences had finally caught up to him.
His debts had been problematic enough, but if the forgery was discovered, he would face legal consequences.
Our brother, John, was not known for being forgiving or generous.
The money would have to come from Freddy, or, as we had planned, from me.
If I could secure a large enough fortune through marriage, the loan would be a small price to pay to avoid the ruin of all our reputations.
My new husband would wish to prevent such a connection, of course, so he wouldn’t object to paying it.
My deception was necessary if I wished to spare my brother from a terrible fate.
I didn’t dare imagine what would befall Freddy if he was caught.
As vexing as he was at nineteen, he had been even more vexing as a child.
Yet I still loved him. Fiercely. I wouldn’t allow anything dreadful to happen to him.
His gaze dropped to the floor, his hands twisting in front of him. “I’m sorry, Arabella. You don’t have to do this. I’ll tell John what happened. He might be willing to pay the loan.”