Chapter 1 #2
‘We’ll no doubt have to listen to the whole thing, chapter and verse, tomorrow,’ Alex predicted.
‘I can’t imagine Papa’s going to simply forget that Charlotte wanted him to tell Mrs Pettigrew he was still in the police force.
’ Grimacing at the thought of yet more collie shangles, she bent down to unclip Aggie’s lead now the Retriever’s food source was out of sight, before turning back to her sister.
‘In truth, Bella, you should have been the one to accompany Papa today. Your persuasive abilities have already proved invaluable.’
‘Why, thank you dearest, That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.’
‘I can only say you’ve kept them well hidden up until now,’ Alexandra added, ruining the moment.
It was true that Arabella’s involvement in the agency had come as a surprise to everyone – not least her twin.
Indeed, it was a conversation with Bella that had persuaded their father’s bank manager to sanction a loan large enough for them to convert and equip the little-used morning room in Cliff House to Shackleford and Daughters head office.
It was Bella who persuaded Miss Havers that Archibald IV had certain responsibilities towards both his offspring and their mother that did not include leaving them to go hungry in a back alley.
And it was Bella who made Elsie Cavendish comfortable enough to confess her real feelings for her elderly husband – though Alex privately wondered whether she’d have the same success with the obnoxious nephew when she broke the news that, contrary to his expectations, his new aunt did not in fact have a string of convictions as long as his arm…
Arabella chuckled at her twin’s observation. ‘That’s because I’ve never needed to persuade you of anything, sweet sister,’ she grinned. ‘It’s common knowledge you’ve been wrapped around my little finger since I pushed you out first.’
Alex snorted. ‘Don’t let Aunt Charlotte hear you making such a vulgar comment.
Everyone knows that babies are delivered by storks.
’ They both laughed as they made their way towards the Goodrington side of Roundham Head.
When Simla House came into distant view, Arabella took her twin’s hand.
‘Are you happy, Alex?’ she quizzed her seriously.
Alexandra looked over in surprise. For a second, she said nothing, looking back towards her new home. Then she nodded. ‘More than I ever thought possible.’
Bella smiled, as though it had been the answer she’d been expecting. ‘I’m glad,’ was all she said.
Five minutes later, they hugged and parted ways – Alex continuing down the aptly named Breakneck Hill towards Goodrington seafront, while Bella and Aggie followed the track circling round the top of the headland taking them back to Cliff House.
In the eight and a half months since Shackleford and Daughters had been founded, Arabella had changed.
Perhaps not outwardly – she still gave an inordinate amount of attention to fripperies, as her father called them, and she was as pragmatic as ever regarding society’s rules and regulations.
But to hers and everyone else’s surprise, she discovered that she actually loved the investigative work they were doing.
Oh, she still hated trawling through written records and dealing with correspondence – desk work, as she referred to it, but she enjoyed getting out and about.
She discovered she had a gift for reading people – persuading them to her way of thinking, making them feel comfortable enough to share secrets they would otherwise have withheld.
In truth, it was nothing more than she’d always done, but it the past she’d done it unconsciously.
Now, she was employing that ability deliberately, and, as Alex had said, she really was very good at it.
Of course, so far, she’d only had to deal with missing cats and fortune hunters, but now there was the possibility that Shackleford and Daughters would be taking on their first real case involving stolen emeralds.
Calling Aggie to her, Bella made her way along the footpath, circling back towards Cliff House, deep in thought.
Nine months ago, she could not have imagined herself feeling such excitement over something that didn’t include a soiree, a ball or a dinner.
Nine months ago, she’d believed that the only way she would amount to anything at all was by marrying well.
But nine months ago, marrying well meant wedding someone with money and social standing – love had no place when weighing the pros and cons of any alliance.
And then her twin sister had married.
Now, Arabella still considered money and social standing important – but not without love.
She gave an internal sigh. In all honesty, she fully expected to remain single.
Where the devil was she going to find a wealthy man of suitable standing she could love and who would love her in return?
Especially if she threw kind and thoughtful into the mix.
The chances of her being as lucky as her twin were, in truth, very slim.
She gave a rueful chuckle as she clipped Aggie’s lead back on.
At least now she no longer believed she was worthless without a ring on her finger…