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“But it feels like I’ve known him for a lifetime,” Arabella answered honestly.

“That is very romantic.”

Arabella blushed at the fact that she meant those words. “He made me feel things I’ve never felt before.”

“If that is what you believe, then I am beyond happy for you,” Sarah gushed, her face flushing. “Being in love can be an incredible thing.”

“I know,” Ara replied softly.

I would love to experience that someday.

She sighed. Even though she’d claimed she never wanted to marry, deep down she’d hoped for a romance that rocked her and swept her off her feet.

It saddened her greatly that she was still going to be trapped in the golden cage she’d feared all her life. She could only hope for the best, since the Duke was of the same mind.

* * *

The following day, the Duke was invited to join the family for dinner that evening. Arabella was nervous, as she had not seen Edward since the previous morning.

Would he still avoid her? Was he upset?

A few hours before their dinner, she was promenading in the hedge garden, with Herbert chaperoning her. She made her way to the statue of her grandfather and smiled. She had heard great things about him, though she never got to meet him in person.

He was her mother’s father and died when her mother was only seventeen. Her mother used to tell stories of how he would go out to sea for months and come back with wild stories. He was the captain of the British Navy and was required to be at sea for half of the year.

Her mother had always said that her parents were a true love match and that she hoped she would find one too.

Arabella laughed when she thought about how she would end up finding one. She had always gone to talk with the statue whenever she had problems.

“I wish I could talk to you or Mother,” she said to the statue, the cold stone shining in the sunlight. “You both would have known how to help me.”

She sat down on the bench on the side of the statue. A cool gust of wind blew her hair back, and she smiled. Closing her eyes, she decided to talk to her grandfather, even though he wasn’t there.

“Two nights ago, I made the mistake of thinking with my heart. Mother had always told me to think with my brain, as women are known not to do so. Anyway, I was… alone with the Duke of Soulden, and we were close. It was closer than I had ever been with anyone other than Mother and Father.

“I do not really know what was going to happen, but I know that it felt right. I am not in love with him, but maybe I could be? I don’t know, I just wish you were here.” She stood up, feeling antsy. “But maybe this is a journey only I can embark on.”

She left the statue and continued her promenade in the garden. The she went back to the house to get ready for tonight’s dinner.

She decided on a deep green dress that fit her comfortably but hugged her chest slightly tighter than the rest of her body. The neckline dipped slightly, showing a bit of cleavage, and it was lined with lace the same shade of green as the rest of the dress. The skirt was lined with the same lace.

A woman was better prepared to face a battle in a good dress.

When the housemaid opened the dining room door, Arabella immediately felt upset.

He wasn’t there yet.

Counting her loss and attempting not to look disappointed, she took a seat across from Leonard. She wasn’t hungry much; her nerves had eaten away the hunger. The smell of the roasted lamb wafting from the kitchen made her stomach growl, however. Oh, and the potatoes smelled divine.

Maybe she was hungry.

“My Lord,” Jasmine called from the doorway, “His Grace, the Duke of Soulden, has arrived.”

Arabella’s head nearly whipped around to watch the Duke saunter in. He wore a light tan overcoat with matching breeches, a black undershirt, and the Wellingtons he wore at the party.

“Good evening, Your Grace,” Leonard greetedrising from his seat and bowing slightly.

Arabella rose from her seat but curtseyed. When she looked up, she saw that the Duke’s eyes were fixed on her with the same burning passion from a few nights ago.