Chapter 16 #2
“Doesn’t involve me? You started that when I heard you threaten Alastair!
You’re trying to get me in the middle of this when you and I have no business getting involved.
It’s up to Alastair what he wants to do, and we have to respect his decision.
But, then again, I suppose that’s something that’s not common for you to do. ”
The dowager duchess gasped, but Helena plowed on.
“You say that you struggled when Father was still alive, don’t you? You called him controlling to me…”
“I never…”
“I know what you said, Mother! Just because I have a limp doesn’t mean I’m mentally impaired.
I am a lot sharper than you think, treating me like a child and believing I don’t know how to behave or treat others.
Well, I know how to behave. I’m not an invalid, and I’m not blind, deaf, or dumb.
I just have a bad limp from a childhood accident.
Yet you and Father treated me as if I had brain damage! ”
Alastair could see his sister trembling, his mother’s face paling. He hadn’t heard Helena stand up to the dowager duchess before, and while he wanted his sister to calm down, he was curious as to how Lady Hartwood would react.
“Father controlled what I did, called me bad names for having a problem, for saying I wouldn’t have a proper marriage because of my disability, and I should be grateful with whatever I get.
” Helena’s breath hitched, and Alastair realized she was crying.
“He’s dead now, and that should be a good thing.
We should be able to finally breathe. But all I see is that you’ve turned into him! ”
Lady Hartwood flinched.
“That’s not…” she began, but Helena cut her off.
“It is! You’re doing the same thing! Both with Alastair and myself! You won’t accept Arabella because of something that was not her fault! As for me…” She sniffled, and Alastair put a hand on her shoulder, her hand covering his.
“The only person I care about won’t see me romantically. Because of the way you treat me. How am I supposed to find love when you’re around treating me as you are? People will just see someone who might be mentally impaired, when it’s far from it. As for Arabella, she’s a lovely woman.
She’s good for Alastair, and she respects me. If you opened your eyes and admitted that to yourself, you could see that you’re the one making it difficult. You’re not helping us at all, and you don’t see it!”
She broke off, breathing heavily. Alastair wondered how long it had been since Helena had spoken that much, and how hard it had been to get it out.
Lady Hartwood looked shocked, swaying a little on her feet.
Alastair was about to go to her in case she collapsed, but his mother slowly eased herself into her chair, staring at her daughter like she’d never seen her before.
“Do you… you mean that? You think I’m like your father?”
“Yes!” Helena shouted.
Lady Hartwood shook her head, looking dazed. “I… that was never my intention. I didn’t want to do that to either of you.”
“What were you trying to do?” Alastair asked. “Because it’s not working.”
“I just…” She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “I just want what’s best for you two. I didn’t mean it to come across as harsh. I just wanted you to listen.”
“We listened,” Helena muttered, but Alastair gave her shoulder a tighter squeeze, urging her to keep quiet.
“What are you scared about?” he questioned. “Why do you resort to such actions?”
Lady Hartwood lowered her head, rubbing her hands over her face. For a moment, she looked exhausted, and Alastair wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he stayed where he was.
“I just don’t want either of you to end up in a loveless marriage. Like mine.” She lifted her head. “I had to marry your father due to it being arranged, and I didn’t argue about it. I should’ve done.
And I had to be married to someone who hated me and treated you two like failures.
You, Alastair, never turned into him as he wanted, and that was a relief.
And Helena, the accident wasn’t your fault, but he saw you as a disappointment that you couldn’t recover.
He didn’t think you two would make us proud. I thought otherwise.”
“Then why are you behaving like him now?” Helena demanded.
Their mother winced. At least she was looking ashamed now.
“I guess after being around him for so long is a bit of a struggle to be back to how I was. When you’re around a bad influence long enough, you end up getting the same mannerisms. I shouldn’t have done that, and I do apologize to both of you for that.”
Alastair was surprised at that. It wasn’t often that he heard the Dowager Duchess apologize. She was a proud woman, so it wasn’t something she would do willingly. She took a deep breath.
“I will try. I’ll do better, that I can promise. But I can’t promise that I can be kind toward Lady Arabella.”
“Why not?” Helena asked. “She’s really nice. If you tried, you’d like her.”
Alastair knew why. He could see it in Lady Hartwood’s face.
“She promised me to Mrs. Linton,” he said. “They’re friends, and she doesn’t want to look like an unreliable friend.”
His mother didn’t answer, but her face showed the answer. Just then, there was a pointed cough behind them, and Alastair turned to see the butler standing there with a familiar figure beside him. Someone who made his heart miss a few beats.
It was Arabella.
Chapter 17
When Arabella had arrived, Clara at her side, she had expected to be turned away at the door. But she was allowed in immediately, and she was led to the orangery, where the butler told her the family was.
And she caught the end of the conversation.
It sounded like Alastair and Helena were confronting their mother, and she was apologizing.
That caught Arabella by surprise; she didn’t think that Lady Hartwood would be the type to do that.
Then she overheard the older woman saying that she would be very reluctant to accept Arabella.
She was expecting that. She didn’t anticipate it being easy, especially with the dowager duchess’ opinionated stance. At least it sounded like Alastair was standing up for her.
If that was the case, why wasn’t he responding to her? Why would he completely ignore her?
“Arabella!” Helena beamed and hurried over, hugging her tightly. “It’s so good to see you! I was beginning to think you didn’t want to see us anymore!”
“Nothing of the kind.” Arabella smiled. Then she glanced at Alastair, who was just standing there staring at her. “Forgive me, I seem to have interrupted something. I can leave…”
“No, don’t!” Alastair hurried forward, only to stop abruptly and clear his throat. “Why don’t we take a walk outside? I think we all need a moment.”
“I can just…”
“Please.”
How could she refuse when he said that? She gave him a tiny smile and nodded, allowing Alastair to lead her through the orangery and out through the glass doors.
She glanced back to see Lady Hartwood looking at them, an expression she couldn’t quite read on her face.
Arabella wondered if she was going to continue to be resistant.
If that was the case, then she and Alastair were going to struggle to keep up the facade.
“Arabella!” Clara hurried through the room and came out behind them, her face slightly flushed. “Forgive me, I should’ve followed you immediately!”
Arabella gave her friend a smile and glanced over at Helena, who was standing a little way off from her mother, her posture stiff.
“We’ll be in the garden,” she said. “Will you stay with Helena? You can see us from here.”
“Of course.” Clara nodded and gave Alastair a sly smile. “Be good.”
Then she turned and walked away. Alastair raised an eyebrow.
“What was that about?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not about to argue with her.” Arabella tugged on his arm. “We need to talk.”
“I think we do.” They reached the end of the terrace, out of earshot of the orangery, but he still lowered his voice. “I have to apologize for not responding to your invitations. I only received the most recent one today, and it was completely by chance.”
She frowned, surprised at the admission. “You mean you didn’t get the others? Why not?”
“Because of my mother.” He sighed, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. “She disapproves of us. To say it’s disapproval is an understatement, actually. She’s adamantly against it.”
Arabella shrugged. “I had a feeling she wouldn’t be impressed in the beginning, but to go far as to steal my invitations…”
“She probably thought that if there was no contact between us for a while one of us would think the other had forgotten them, and we’d break it off.”
“And she thought that would work?”
Alastair held up his hands. “All I can say if I apologize for not realizing any sooner. I was beginning to wonder why you weren’t wanting to see me, but I wondered if it was because of what happened at the river.”
Arabella winced. She still remembered that moment, and it made her cringe knowing that she’d reacted in such a way.
“I am a little embarrassed by the way I behaved.”
“You had every right to. And nobody can blame you for what happened. That dog shouldn’t have been left unattended.”
“But I should’ve been more composed, and I let it go.” She shuddered. “People probably think that I’m just as bad as my father.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know, but I can be sure something has gone around everyone. It’s how things are in this life. People just like to conjure up stories that are interesting and completely out of proportion.”
Alastair was silent for a moment, simply staring at her.
Arabella fidgeted, trying not to squirm in front of him.
She didn’t want to seem like she was nervous, and yet she was.
Mostly due to how her heart fluttered being around him, knowing that he hadn’t been ignoring her. Things were still all right.