Chapter 28
Clara sat at the small writing table near the window, her brow furrowed in concentration as she worked through her letters.
Eloise sat nearby on the sofa, her embroidery resting in her lap as she watched Clara’s careful strokes with quiet encouragement.
The room was quiet, the silence broken only by the soft scratch of Clara’s pen and the occasional rustle of Lady Conway’s thread.
Sarah sat opposite them, mending one of Clara’s dresses. The mundane task helped calm her, and for a moment she allowed herself to feel the quiet comfort of the room. It had been a long week, but the house had begun to feel familiar again. Safe.
One of Eloise’s footmen entered the room quietly, looking as if he did not wish to disturb them.
“Mrs. Shaw,” he said, “Lady Arabella has arrived and requests to speak with you.”
Sarah’s needle paused mid-stitch as she felt a brief, sharp tension move through her chest.
Lady Arabella. Here. Why?
She set the dress aside with care, and Eloise looked up, her expression softening with understanding.
“I will greet her,” Eloise said, rising. “You remain with Clara.”
Sarah nodded, grateful for the moment to gather herself. Clara looked up from her letters.
“Is someone visiting?” she asked.
“Yes,” Sarah said gently. “Finish your work, my love. I need to speak with someone for a few minutes, and I want you to stay right here. Keep your letters neat and take your time. I will come back to you as soon as I can.”
Clara nodded and returned to her page, though her eyes darted toward the door with curiosity.
Sarah stood, smoothing down the front of her gown and adjusting her hair. She waited as Eloise left the room, her footsteps fading down the corridor.
I had prepared myself for many things. Not this. Not her.
The footman returned to the room a moment later. “Lady Arabella is in the front drawing room,” he said. “Lady Conway has received her and will remain with Miss Clara.”
Sarah nodded. “Thank you.”
She walked through the corridor with confident steps, determined not to reveal the uncertainty she carried. When she reached the drawing room, she paused at the door, taking a deep breath before entering.
Lady Arabella stood near the window looking outside. She turned as Sarah stepped in the room. Her expression was thoughtful and almost solemn.
Sarah stood, not knowing what to say. The woman she had believed to be her rival looked nothing like an adversary.
“Mrs. Shaw,” Lady Arabella said, her voice gentle. “Thank you for seeing me.”
Sarah nodded gently. “Of course, My Lady.”
Lady Arabella hesitated, then gestured toward the sofa. “May we sit?”
Sarah nodded. They sat opposite one another as the sound of their movements filled the room.
Once seated, Lady Arabella clasped her hands together and placed them in her lap. “I wished to speak with you privately. I hope my arrival has not caused you distress.”
“I admit I was surprised,” Sarah said, keeping her tone light.
I will be honest, but there is no reason to bring additional tension or awkwardness to this moment.
Lady Arabella gave a small smile and nodded. “I understand.”
She looked down briefly, gathering her thoughts. When she lifted her eyes again, there was a clear sincerity in them.
“I should say at once,” Lady Arabella began, “that I did not come on the duke’s behalf. We have not spoken since our falling out. I came because you deserve to know the truth.”
Sarah felt her chest and shoulders tighten.
Lady Arabella continued, her voice steady. “I learned everything from Lady Spencer herself. She descended on my mother’s house in a fury, railing against the duke’s decisions and insisting she had been gravely wronged. She spoke freely, and in doing so revealed far more than she intended.”
She paused, her expression composed but earnest. “I do not repeat gossip, Mrs. Shaw. I repeat only what was said directly to me. You deserve clarity.”
Sarah’s heart beat faster.
She knows. She knows everything.
Lady Arabella went on, her tone quiet but firm. “I came because I learned the truth. About the rumors. About how they all began.”
Sarah felt her breath tighten again.
Lady Arabella continued, “I did not know what had been said about you. I did not know how it had affected your position. When I learned about everything, I felt it necessary to speak with you myself.”
Sarah felt her eyes sting with tears. “I appreciate your consideration.”
Lady Arabella’s composure shifted, revealing something more vulnerable beneath it. “I owe you an apology,” she said. “I did not act against you, but I benefited from a falsehood that harmed you. I cannot ignore that.”
Sarah blinked, startled by the directness of the words.
“My Lady,” she said softly, “you owe me nothing.”
Lady Arabella shook her head. “I owe you honesty.”
She leaned forward slightly. “When I visited Roxburghe, I sensed tension. I sensed that my presence caused you discomfort. I did not understand why at the time, but now I do.”
Sarah looked down, feeling her heart beating faster than usual but also feeling a sense of relief.
She is not here to gloat or claim anything. She is here because she understands everything that has happened, and she wants me to understand too.
Lady Arabella continued, her voice low. “I wish to assure you that I never sought to replace you. I never sought to take anything from you. I did not know the circumstances, and had I known, I would have refused to be involved.”
“Thank you,” Sarah said, her voice gentle but clear. “I am grateful for your honesty, My Lady.”
Lady Arabella nodded once, listening closely.
Sarah continued, choosing each word with care. “I wish to be plain with you. There was no understanding between us. Nothing was taken from me. Whatever people may have imagined, whatever conjectures were made about my hopes or intentions, they were simply that. Conjecture.”
Lady Arabella nodded but did not interrupt.
Sarah kept her tone steady. “My only true concern was my position. My security. My daughter’s security. That was all. I feared losing the stability we had finally found. Nothing more.”
Lady Arabella’s posture relaxed some, clearly relieved to hear what Sarah was saying.
Sarah added, “I never believed you sought to harm me or acted against me. The circumstances were difficult, but they were not of your making.”
Lady Arabella looked down briefly, then met her eyes again. “I appreciate your clarity, Mrs. Shaw.”
“And I yours,” Sarah said warmly.
Lady Arabella exhaled slowly, her composure softening. “I also wished to tell you that the duke has taken steps to correct what was done. He has spoken openly. He has made the truth known.”
Sarah felt her hands begin to tremble.
“His Grace confronted Lady Spencer,” Lady Arabella’s voice remained even, though her eyes carried a quiet astonishment.
Sarah’s breath caught.
He confronted her? He spoke to her directly?
Lady Arabella continued, “He demanded she retract the rumors.”
Sarah stared at her, unable to hide her shock. “He demanded it?”
“Yes,” Lady Arabella said. “He insisted she withdraw every word.”
Sarah felt her hands tighten in her lap.
He did not hesitate. He did not protect her. He protected me.
Lady Arabella went on, her tone calm but still edged with disbelief. “When Lady Spencer refused, His Grace barred her from Roxburghe.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “Barred her?”
Lady Arabella nodded. “She is not permitted to return unless and until she makes things right.”
Sarah inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself.
He would never have done that before. Not to his own aunt.
Lady Arabella continued, “He also ended the allowance she has long depended upon.”
Sarah felt her heart twist. “He cut her off entirely?”
“Yes,” Lady Arabella said. “Again, unless and until she makes things right. He also told her that if the story was ever repeated, he would name her publicly as the author of the lies.”
Sarah pressed her fingers lightly together, trying to keep her voice steady. “He said that to her?”
“He did,” Lady Arabella replied. “She was furious. She came to my mother’s house in a state of outrage, insisting she had been gravely wronged. That is how I learned the truth.”
Sarah looked down, her breath uneven.
He risked his own reputation. His own family. He did it without expecting anything from me.
Lady Arabella watched her closely. “I wished you to know precisely what he did. Not in rumor. Not in softened terms.”
Sarah swallowed. “I… I did not expect this.”
“I understand,” Lady Arabella said quietly. “But it is the truth. He acted decisively. And he acted for your sake.”
Sarah felt her chest tighten. “Thank you for telling me.”
Lady Arabella nodded. “You deserved to hear it plainly.”
“I appreciate all of this information, My Lady. Truly. But it is a bit overwhelming.
Lady Arabella nodded, her expression sympathetic. “I understand. But there is more you must know. I learned it only this morning on my way here.”
Sarah felt herself go pale.
“More?” she asked quietly. “What else have you learned?”
Lady Arabella took a deep breath before speaking. “First, I should explain how I learned this, Mrs. Shaw. I did not hear it from His Grace, and I did not hear it from Lady Spencer.”
Sarah nodded once, waiting.
“I stopped at the solicitor’s office in the village this morning,” Lady Arabella said.
“I had a matter to attend to. When I stepped inside, the inner door was open. The solicitor was speaking to his clerk, and neither of them realized I was there. They were discussing the solicitor’s visit to His Grace’s estate the previous evening. ”
Sarah felt her stomach tighten.
His Grace summoned the solicitor? For what purpose?
Lady Arabella continued. “The solicitor said His Grace’s visit concerned an irrevocable provision. He spoke your name, Mrs. Shaw, and your daughter’s.”
Sarah went still. “For us?”
“Yes,” Lady Arabella said. “An irrevocable provision with no condition attached. The solicitor told the clerk that His Grace instructed that it ensure your independence regardless of what the future held.”
Sarah blinked back tears.