Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Arabella settled back in the carriage as it took off from the estate.
Her mood had never been better, and she let her positive feelings spread from her so that they seemed to fill the entire carriage. Outside, the sun shone brightly, and birds sang from the treetops, and she wondered if she might ever feel upset again.
Somehow, I doubt that I will.
That she had forgotten about her plans to see the Dowager was further proof of just how perfectly things were going between her and Caspian, too. In fact, she was glad that she was on her way to see the Dowager, because she was eager to tell the woman all that had happened.
It was funny, in some ways, that where once Arabella had idolized the Dowager, wanting to embody the same level of power and independence the woman possessed, she now wondered whether she needed such a thing.
The Dowager had to be that way, as she was a widow, so it behooved her to look after herself where others might not.
But Arabella had Caspian, and together, nothing could stop them.
Oh, I just know how happy she will be for me. For us.
As the carriage moved slowly down the road, her mind turned to Timothy. Arabella had noticed how unsure Caspian had been about spending the day alone with Timothy, but she reasoned that this was a good thing. Now that her relationship with him was coming along, he needed the same with his nephew.
And perhaps, by the time that she returned home, she would see that they had grown closer together too.
Yes, everything was going so well that she could scarcely contain her excitement.
It was because Arabella was in such a transcendent mood that she paid little attention to where the carriage was taking her. The Dowager lived nearby, a trip that would take less than thirty minutes, so she sat back and let the morning wash over her.
However, as the time dragged on, she came to realize that it was taking longer than it ought to do. Frowning to herself, Arabella sat up and looked out the window.
“That is strange…”
She recognized the scenery well enough, but there was something off about it. Her frown deepened as she tried to fathom why that was. She peered out the window, realizing that she knew the road that the carriage took, but failing to grasp why it felt so wrong…
That was when it struck her.
Her eyes widened, and she gasped.
What on earth…
Arabella scrambled across the carriage to where a small window opened to the driver’s feet. She pressed her head to it and spoke loudly so that he might hear her.
“Driver!” she called out. “Where are we going? This is not the way to the Dowager’s home.”
The driver did not respond.
“Driver!” she shouted. “Answer me, please!”
Again, he said nothing.
The reason for Arabella’s familiarity with the scenery was the same reason that she suddenly became panicked. This road… She knew it well as she had taken it hundreds of times in her youth. After all, it was the most direct route to her father’s home.
“Driver! Stop the carriage at once!”
Again, there was no response.
Panic took Arabella like a hand clasped around her heart. She fell back in the carriage, the walls closing in, and the dull realization growing as she came to understand what was going on.
The Dowager had not sent for her at all. There was no missed invitation. Rather, her father had sent for her, lied about the reason, and was now bringing her directly to him.
Arabella’s breathing turned heavy as she tried to find calm. More than that, she tried to find bravery. She had not done as her father commanded; he must have realized her betrayal, and now he was doing just as he told her that he would, as she had known, deep down, he would always do.
No… I cannot let him intimidate me. I am a duchess, and it is time my father realizes what that means.
She looked around the small carriage, painfully aware that she was alone. Even with her efforts at embodying that strength which she knew she possessed, Arabella wondered if it would be enough.
She spent the next ten minutes bracing herself for what was to come. Looking out the window, she soon recognized the street her father’s home sat on, and then she saw it. Worse still, standing by the front door, watching the carriage arrive, was her father.
He wore a satisfied smile. No anger found in his stare. No sense of rage. He appeared perfectly calm, which was somehow worse. And the fact that he had two large men with him suggested that this visit would end in more than a harsh conversation.
When the carriage came to a stop, Arabella sat herself up and took a deep breath. She needed to be brave. She needed to be commanding. She needed to refuse whatever her father said, proving to herself and him that he did not control her.
That was the idea anyway…
The door to the carriage opened, and her father stood on the other side. He shook his head sadly when he saw her, as if he was truly upset.
“It did not have to come to this, Arabella,” he said to her. “I warned you. I gave you ample opportunity to do what was right.”
“F—father,” she stammered pathetically. “Whatever it is you think to do, I should warn you that my husband—”
“Will be too late,” he cut her off. “Perhaps he does care for you. Perhaps he means to protect you and keep you safe. In fact…” He flashed his eyes and chuckled wickedly.
“I pray that he does. It is a little hard to use someone as bait when the person you are trying to blackmail cares not for that bait.”
“No…” She leaned back, looking about as if for an escape. “You cannot do this. I am a duchess… I… Caspian…”
“You really have changed, Arabella,” her father said, almost sounding impressed.
“A few months ago, you would not have dared to betray me. I am almost proud of you. Truly, were things slightly different, I might just be. Alas, that is not the way of things.” He stepped back, and the two large men beside him stepped forward.
“What are you…” She pushed herself back in the carriage. “No! Please!”
The large men clambered into the carriage. It rocked back and forth with their weight. In a final bid to save herself, Arabella tried to duck beneath the two large men so that she might flee. But they were big, they blocked her way, and as she struggled, one of them pushed her roughly.
Her body smacked into the side of the carriage. Her head smashed into the wood. Pain lanced through her head; she cried out, and then she fell forward onto her knees.
The door was right there, light shining through it, and with her last bit of strength, she tried to call to freedom. However, her father blocked the way, and as he watched her try to escape, he merely shook his head.
“You really ought to have obeyed me, Arabella. Sadly, some people never learn.”
Those were the last words that she heard. A large hand grabbed her by the back of the head, and she was launched once more against the carriage wall. The world shook, she crashed hard onto the floor, and then darkness took her completely.