Part 28 (1/2)
She stopped. What the devil was she doing? Mama and Papa would not want to hear about the weather in Bath.
Taking a breath, she tore the sheet in half and began anew. It proved more difficult than she imagined, for somehow the right words simply would not come. The process was repeated three more times until she was satisfied with what she'd written. Putting aside the quill, she read her efforts.
Dear Mama and Papa, I trust the two of you are well. I know the news of my marriage must have come as quite a shock, being so sudden, as it were. You may have heard tales of my husband, but I know what others do not. Justin is a good man - the best of men, the perfect husband for me. And so I pray you, do not worry. I a.s.sure you, I am the happiest of brides. I look forward to the day when we are all together again and you may see for yourself.
Your loving daughter, Arabella Twice more she reread the letter.
She halted. All at once the words began to waver. She struggled to bring them into focus, but it was no use. She saw them through a watery mist. A terrible ache filled her chest, even as her eyes filled and overflowed. She bent her head, trying to will the tears away. But alas, she blinked. A single teardrop skidded down her cheek and splashed onto the vellum, smearing the ink. She gave a stricken sound, for now the letter was hopelessly ruined*
That was how Justin found her.
He stared, for an instant unable to believe what he was seeing. Her head was bowed low, her shoulders were shaking, and the tiny little sound she made wrenched at his heart.
He approached. She had yet to be aware of his presence, and so he spoke. ”Arabella?” he said tentatively.
Her head jerked up. ”Justin!” she cried. ”I didn't hear you come in!”
He'd startled her, he realized. It took an effort to steady his voice. He'd hurried home, anxious to see her, impatient with even this brief absence. All he wanted was to take her in his arms and kiss her lips. The last thing he'd expected was this.
”What's wrong, Arabella?”
She began to babble. ”Why, nothing. Nothing at all. You'll have to forgive me, I fear. I didn't mean to intrude. I was just das.h.i.+ng off a note to*to Mama and Papa.”
Justin eyed the pile of torn stationery, then the single sheet that still sat in the center of the desk. Whatever
possessed him, he couldn't say. Reaching out, he picked it up.
”Justin!” she cried. ”That letter is private!”
Justin made no answer. Quickly he scanned it. A teardrop stained the ink, a teardrop in the shape of a
heart. Seeing it, he felt his own heart grow cold.
Slowly he s.h.i.+fted his eyes back to Arabella's face. With his thumb he blotted the dampness from her cheek and held it up.
His gaze never left hers. ”Blind I am not,” he said, his tone very low. ”And while
the business of being a husband is new to me, I am quite sure this is not a sign of the happiest of
brides.”
She s.n.a.t.c.hed the letter from his grasp and clamped it to her breast. When she would have stepped around him, he caught her arm.
Coolly she faced him, her lips pressed together.
Bemused, confused, and frustrated, he stared at her. ”What, have you nothing to say?”
”What would you like me to say?”
”I would like for you to tell me what the b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l is wrong!”
”There is no need for such language, Justin.”
”The h.e.l.l there isn't!” he exploded. ”Why can't you tell me
what's wrong?”
Her gaze flitted away. Her lips trembled. For one awful moment, he was certain she would burst into tears. She bowed her head low, and an empty silence yawned between them.
”It's nothing,” she said in a rush, her tone very low.
”Nothing,” he repeated. ”I return home to find my wife in tears, and you say
it's nothing? G.o.d's blood, I thought something terrible had happened! I
thought*Christ. I don't know what I thought!”
Still she looked away, everywhere but at him. ”Please release me, Justin. I should like a bit of privacy to recover myself, if you don't mind.”
Her dismissal cut him to the quick. But Justin knew what was wrong. Clearly she was unhappy. Clearly she regretted their marriage. The letter to her parents proclaimed her happiness*yet her behavior told the tale only too well.
His mouth tight, he released her. ”Very well, then.”
She whirled, clearly anxious to be quit of him.
His voice stopped her just before she reached the door. ”We'll leave for the Farthingales' at half-past seven.”
He saw the way her back stiffened before she turned back to him. ”I prefer to stay at home tonight,” she stated with implicit politeness.
Justin was already shaking his head. ”I'm afraid that's not an option, my love. You see, I chanced to see Lord Farthingale and several of his friends while I was out. I mentioned we would be in attendance tonight. If we are not, that will surely set tongues to wagging. And I understood you to say that's the very thing you wish to avoid, is it not?”
Clearly she did not appreciate his reminder. She glared her displeasure. ”As you wish, then.”