Chapter 24 #3
She couldn’t do it. She wasn’t about to go through a charade of her own. Arabella didn’t care if this humiliated Philip; it didn’t compare to how she felt right now.
Turning, she stumbled out of the room, Clara just behind her. The butler was still there, watching Arabella with concern.
“Lady Arabella?”
“Get our coats,” Arabella gasped. “And have Viscount Fairleigh’s carriage brought round right now. I need to get out of here.”
“Arabella.” Clara rubbed her back. “Just breathe. You’re going to faint if you don’t.”
Arabella pressed a hand to her chest and tried to breathe, but it was a struggle. Her chest felt like it was tight, and she felt lightheaded. Then she heard her brother’s voice behind her.
“What do you think you’re doing, Arabella?”
That was enough for the lightheaded feeling to fade and her shock to be replaced by rage. She swung around on Philip as he advanced on her.
“What am I doing?” she cried. “What do you think you’re doing? I never agreed to this at all! Is that why you wanted me here? So you would publicly wipe Alastair out of my life in front of witnesses?”
Philip winced, glancing over his shoulder.
“Keep your voice down,” he hissed. “Everyone can hear you.”
“I don’t care if they can hear me!” Arabella shouted. “You did something unforgivable. I don’t want to court Lord Vaughn. I don’t even like him!”
“You’re not courting him. You’re engaged to him now.”
“That’s even worse! You’re putting me in a position I don’t want.
I certainly wouldn’t have agreed to this.
” She folded her arms, her fury building.
“You probably did it in front of others thinking I wouldn’t make a scene, didn’t you?
I don’t care if this is embarrassing. You brought this on yourself. And I object!”
Philip’s face was turning red, his lips pressed tightly together. He wanted to lose his temper, but he was holding back. Arabella practically snatched her coat from the butler as he brought it over, shrugging it on.
“We’re going to wait outside for the carriage. If you refuse us to use it, we’ll simply walk.”
“At this time of night?”
“I don’t want to be here when you’ve humiliated me, and when I never wanted to be here in the first place!” Arabella pointed at the drawing room door. “If you want to make things right, you take that engagement announcement back.”
Her brother’s eyes widened. “But that would make me look like a fool.”
“You should’ve thought about that before you did it.”
“I think you should calm down and think this through, Lady Arabella.”
Arabella groaned. Vaughn had left the drawing room and was approaching them. Clara squeezed Arabella’s arm, urging her to rein in her temper a little. That was easier said than done. Vaughn gave Arabella a placating smile.
“Why don’t we go and talk about this? Calm down and speak like grown-ups?”
“You weren’t thinking about that when you said you’d marry me without my consent, were you?” Arabella shot back. “We’re not staying here after that. If you want to make up lies about me, go right ahead. I don’t care anymore.”
“The carriage is here,” Clara muttered. “I just heard it pull up. Let’s go.”
Arabella didn’t need to be told again. She and Clara hurried out of the house and down the steps to the carriage. Clara jumped in first, and Arabella was about to follow when someone grabbed her arm.
“Arabella, please, just listen to me!” Philip tugged. “I had to do it!”
“No, you didn’t.” Arabella yanked her arm away and pushed him away.
She didn’t care if anyone saw her behaving out of character for a lady; she was too angry to worry about that.
“You chose to do that for selfish reasons, didn’t you?
I don’t know what it was, but it was to benefit you and only you. ”
“That’s not true! It benefits both of us.”
“How? By marrying me to a man I would rather have in another room in another house before I’m comfortable?”
Philip rolled his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic, Arabella.”
“I’ll be as dramatic as I want after what you did!”
“We need the money!” Philip cried.
That made Arabella pause a moment. Philip continued, running his hands through his hair.
“We’re in desperate need of money. You know that. And Lord Vaughn offered to pay off the remaining debt we have. In turn, I would agree to the two of you getting married.”
“So you basically sold me out for money?”
“I…” He began, but she cut him off.
“I understand what you’ve done perfectly.
You’re just treating me like a commodity that can be passed around from one person to another without me having any say-so.
Well, I’m not agreeing to it at all. I’m objecting the whole time, and if you had any sense, you would back off and cancel the announcement. ”
“But I can’t,” Philip protested. “I made it public.”
“Then that was your fault, not mine.” Arabella turned away. “I’m going home. Don’t even think about stopping me, unless you want a further scene happening now.”
Thankfully, Philip didn’t grab onto her as she got into the carriage, sagging onto the cushions as Clara slammed the door shut. It wasn’t until the carriage started pulling away that she started to cry.