Chapter 4
Cuddly Nights
That night, the dinner was the most awkward one in the Marriott family’s history, and if Arabella cared to look for such reports, she was sure she would find evidence that this dinner was the most awkward in all the Lambourne lineage.
Her father, her sister, and she were simply constantly rearranging the contents of their plate either in deliberate or random order. Peas transmigrated, potatoes joined them, and the meat was dissected far too many times.
So much so that the cook, who had been with their family way before even Bridget was born and had never been faced with any kind of complaint, came out to the dining room to ask if there was something wrong with the food that she had cooked.
Since it would be kind of difficult to explain the reason that the whole family had lost its appetite, they merely dismissed her and did their best to consume at least a conservative amount to keep the cooks‘ feelings from being hurt.
The reality was that the appetite of the family was devoured by the Duke of Albury.
Arabella thought that prolonging the silence made the overthinking all that much worse, so she decided to speak.
“I am going to Gunther’s tomorrow with the Duke.”
If lightning were to pierce through the ceiling to heat the very center of the table, it would have caused less of a shock. Her father’s fork, which had finally picked a piece of meat, stilled mid-air, while Bridget’s was dropped on her plate.
“You are going where and with whom?” Her father said, placing all his bets on disbelief.
“I…” Arabella decided this was a good time to lie a little, “The Duke and I thought it would be prudent to get to know each other before the wedding. So, we are meeting at Gunther’s.”
Prudent, Arabella thought that the word sounded respectable.
Oswald looked at his daughter with a combination of admiration and concern.
Arabella was, of course, going to marry Duke, an upgrade that none of the other Lambournes had managed to achieve.
But said Duke was dubbed the Cruel Duke, and all three of them had gotten a good taste this morning on how he came upon such a flattering epithet.
Oswald was many things and lacked in more, but he truly loved both her and Bridget. He had agreed to the marriage for a reason that still remained locked in his study, but that didn‘t mean he was not concerned for the safety of his youngest daughter.
“Arabella, I must warn you. While you’re out with the Duke, you need to behave yourself according to our status. I do not have to tell you anything more; your manners are always impeccable.”
Oswald looked at both his children, and his face relaxed, and his eyes misted.
Arabella knew that their father was reminiscing about his girls growing up since he practically had to raise them himself after their mother’s death.
He was seeing two small girls who once fit between his shoulders when he lifted them both at once.
“Do not worry, Father,” Arabella felt the need to reassure him. “The tea house is a safe space. Plus, you know I love ice cream, and we really need to get to know each other.”
Her father smiled at her reassuringly, and she returned her most relaxed, easy smile.
Underneath, though, a battle was waging.
Sure. Her sister and her father had concerns about the appearance of the Cruel Duke in their house.
She was on the same book of their concerns but on a completely different chapter.
Absentmindedly, her fingers travelled to the spot he had kissed.
Her body was still, as if burning there, the memory of his lips grazing against the skin as if imprinted into her being.
The soft hardness of it all, the intensity, the hot breath against her.
And most importantly, how that kiss had made her body feel.
The way her body reacted was… awakening.
Almost like a door unlocking. She hasn’t opened the door yet, but she is well aware that it is now unlocked.
The exact opposite was happening to her father, who felt suddenly that a weight had been lifted off him. He started eating a bit more, and he smiled as he turned to Bridget.
“You see, Bridget?” Oswald said. “Even the great Cruel Duke can be tamed with the right attitude.”
Tamed? Arabella thought that this was a very strong word, and it certainly didn’t apply to the Duke of Albury, but she wasn’t ready to share that with her father since it might lead to questions about closed doors of drawing rooms.
“If you were to be more pleasant, Bridget,” Oswald said.
His tone was that of fatherly love, genuinely worried about his eldest daughter. But his words were not helpful, only burdening her sister more to change something that was not easily changed, if ever.
“If you just smiled more, spoke a little to others. You read so many books, I am sure you have so many interesting things to say,” her father continued.
“Just being in the background like you do is not a good strategy. You are a pretty girl too, if you just as much as smiled, then you would see that suitors would flock to you.”
“I will try, Father,” Bridget finally spoke, for the first time since dinner started.
“You say that all the time, but you never really try. Time passes, Bridget, and unless you want to end up an unhappy spinster…”
“Pardon me,” Arabella felt the need to intervene, “but Lady Truggleton is a spinster, and I have yet to see a happier person. The other day, she was playing whist at the charity event, and she made the whole table shake with her jokes.”
Oswald looked at his daughter in total disbelief.
“If you ask me,” Arabella continued, looking at her sister, “it is the exact lack of a husband that warrants that cheerful disposition.”
Bridget gave her sister a small, faint smile. Arabella nodded reassuringly.
“Nonsense,” their father broke the moment. “You, Arabella, are quite cheerful, and now you will be a Duchess. And I am confident that you will not lose that lovely disposition once married.”
The smile soured on Arabella’s lips. Not if she was married to the Duke of Albury. She had the notion that he would find creative ways to snuff the light out of her and watch it flicker in glee.
“Bridget, you should watch your younger sister more closely. At such ya oung age, she is on the board of two ladies’ organizations, she is the first name on every guest list of every single event in London, and among her friends, there are also members of the royal family. And you? What do you have to show for?”
Arabella’s jaw tightened. No matter what, her father insisted on comparing her with her sister constantly.
He has been doing the same thing for ages.
Ever since Arabella debuted, it was the same.
In the eyes of their father, Arabella was the epitome of what a lady should be, while Bridget had only her shortcomings pointed out.
It was no wonder that after dinner, Bridget excused herself in a hurry, declining to join her family for tea. Arabella was ready to follow her, needing to be near her sister. But she didn’t get the chance.
“Arabella, a moment,” her father suggested.
They settled in the drawing room, the two of them, for a while just drinking their tea. Arabella knew what her father wanted to talk to her about, so she waited.
“Arabella,” he set his cup on its saucer, “I wanted a moment alone.”
“Is something the matter, Father? Apart from the fact that our household was hit by a storm this morning?”
Her father chuckled, and his shoulders relaxed. Arabella couldn’t even imagine how hard it must have been for him to lose her mother and be left with two young girls to raise on his own.
“I wanted to talk to you exactly about that… storm.”
Arabella tightened her hold on her own cup. She was actually on point comparing the Duke to a storm. He came in without a warning, swept the whole house off its foundation, and unapologetically rearranged everything, mostly by destroying what lay there before.
“The Duke of Albury is a very powerful man,” her father started, his body sagging a little, perhaps regretting the jest that opened the door to a merciless man.
“He has great wealth that buys him influence. He may not be a revered member of the ton, but no one, and I do mean no one, dares go against him.”
Arabella’s mind went straight to this very room, just hours earlier, when she did exactly that. She stood her ground against this infamous brute, and she came out the other side unscathed and victorious.
Well, if she were to be completely honest with herself, neither is true.
Yes, the Duke agreed to her terms, yet she was under the impression that he did the same way one indulges a child.
As for unscathed… Maybe there was no visible mark, yet Arabella could still feel the claim he laid on her skin, his lips on-
“I know you are a very clever girl,” her father’s voice brought her back. “But I also know you can be very opinionated.”
“I think you meant to say confident, Father.”
Her father gave her a reprimanding look that held no real consequence.
“You are a principled young lady, and I wouldn’t want you any other way. However,” his voice became solemn, “the Duke is…”
Obnoxious? Arrogant? Insufferable? Arabella kept her face impassive while her mind offered so many alternatives regarding the Duke’s amicable personality.
“The Duke is dangerous,” her father finally settled on a word.
That too.
“I saw how you talked to him, and though I admire your courage,” her father said, “I think it would be best, regarding the Duke, to have a more diplomatic approach.”
Arabella kept her soft smile on while she translated the same requirement that everyone had of the young ladies of the ton. Be witty but not too much. Her father just added “not bruise his ego” in the appendix.
“I am terribly sorry that a jest I made with a friend years ago would come and terrorize my daughters.”
“It is certainly not your fault, Father. You made a joke, and the Duke decided to make it a bargaining chip.”
Her father nodded.
“I just want you to be careful. Do not invoke his wrath, do not challenge him. It is well within his power to destroy us.”
Arabella read the anxiety in her father’s voice and posture. The Duke was indeed a cruel man who simply took what he wanted. Like he did this morning… Arabella shook the memory of him away and focused on the task at hand.
That outrageous man walked into their household, thinking them weak and manageable, easily agreeable and meek. The blue in Arabella’s eyes darkened.
“Oh, have no fear, Father,” she said, smiling a fake smile. “I will make sure that this experience will be absolutely unforgettable to the Duke.”
“Arabella?”
“Yes, Father?”
“You need to promise me.”
“I do promise, Father,” her smile widens, “I will be the very picture of diplomacy. I will show the Duke exactly what I am made of.”
Her father’s eyes swam with worry; her words were not the least reassuring. Good. Arabella decided that she was not in the business of reassuring men who expected her to act the way they wanted. That doesn’t mean she will not be clever about.
“Now, if you will excuse me, Father. It was a long day.”
Arabella left the drawing room and went up to her room to get ready for the night. But instead of going into her room, she slipped into Bridget’s. Exactly as she did most nights when they were little. Like they still do sometimes, not.
“So today was interesting,” Arabella said, “I got you a bonnet today and never even got the chance to give it to you.”
Bridget just lies there in bed looking at the ceiling.
“I chose it for you, and Miss Heston came all snobbish, you know how she can get, and said it was not my color. I told her that neither was hers, but that doesn’t stop her from being bold, and that she inspired me to dare.
Her face turned red, and the light blue bonnet was definitely not her color then. ”
Still no response. Arabella shifted closer as if trying to warm her sister.
“Are you mad at me, Brie?” Arabella asked, tears in her eyes.
Finally, Bridget reacted and looked at her little sister.
“Are you angry because Father does this unfair thing? That comparing?”
Bridget turned on her side to face her.
“Because I know it must be tedious hearing about it again and again and again. I am so sorry. You do know I hate it too, right? That I don’t do any of this to make you feel bad? I would never hurt you, Brie.”
“Bella,” her sister’s voice was calm and soft. “I know.”
“You don’t hate me?”
“How can I hate you?” Bridget gives her a rare smile. “You are my little sister. I love you.”
Arabella let out a sigh of relief. She was on the verge of crying, but now moved to hold her sister tightly.
“I love you too, Brie.”
They just looked at each other with a deep connection. Arabella’s heart settled. It was one thing to face the Duke, but to lose Bridget was what really struck fear inside her.
“Now,” Arabella said with renewed energy. “The plan doesn’t change. I will need to make the Duke reject me. But the Arabella Edition.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” Bridget asked, agitated.
“Oh, trust me,” Arabella smiled a mischievous smile. “The Duke will regret ever choosing me.”
Bridget giggled at her determination.
“You should be careful,” the eldest sister said with worry.
“Me?” Arabella chuckled. “He should have been more careful provoking me. Now, he will have to learn the hard way. Which will be subtle. But also hard. You know what I mean.”
The two sisters rolled on the bed laughing till they fell asleep.