Page 13 of A Reckless Courtship (A Chronicle of Misadventures #3)

13

ARABELLA

“ B ella!” Felicity burst into the breakfast parlor, a piece of paper in hand and her eyes alight with excitement.

“Felicity,” Aunt Louisa said with a look of long-suffering. “For heaven’s sake, reserve your enthusiasm for a more suitable time of day.”

“Yes, Mama,” Felicity replied docilely as she took a seat next to Arabella and leaned in to whisper. “The penny post has just come, and look what arrived along with it.” She handed the paper to Arabella, who set down her fork and took it.

“I am certain it is Benedict’s doing,” Felicity said, reducing the volume of her voice after a stern look from her mother, “for I was telling him the other day how much I wished for an invitation, and he said it would be the easiest thing to procure.”

“Shall he be there?”

Felicity met her gaze, a little twinkle in hers, as though she knew Arabella’s true question.

“I am certain he shall.”

Arabella’s returned her eyes to the writing. It was an invitation to attend a cruise on the Thames on Lord Dunsbury’s private barge.

“A barge?” Arabella repeated.

“They say he has fitted it with dozens of lanterns and garlands of flowers so that it is the most beautiful vessel on the Thames. Everyone has been waiting to see if he will invite people aboard, for he first did so last Season, and I was positively green with jealousy of those who received invitations.”

“If you insist on yelling in a whisper,” Aunt Louisa said, “you may as well speak up.” She infused her voice with chastisement, but there was curiosity in her eyes.

Arabella handed the invitation to her, and she looked it over, one of her brows cocking by the time she reached the end.

“Well,” she said, “that is certainly intriguing.”

Felicity beamed with satisfaction.

Arabella tended to agree with her aunt. The picture Felicity had painted was too enticing to refuse. Arabella had never been on a boat, much less one lit up and decorated as this one would evidently be.

The door opened, and Papa came through, dressed for the day. “Good morning.”

They each greeted him as he took a plate from the sideboard and began to choose from the spread of foods.

Arabella rose and began to prepare his usual cup of tea.

“I have instructed your maid to prepare your things, Arabella,” Papa said.

Arabella’s eyes darted to Felicity, who looked alarmed.

“Prepare my things?” Arabella repeated. “Prepare them for what?”

“We are making a visit to Barrington Hall,” he said, selecting a thick piece of ham.

Arabella opened her mouth, then shut it again.

“So soon?” Aunt Louisa asked. “But you only just arrived in Town.”

Papa finished filling his plate and came to the table. “Some matters must be handled in a timely fashion, Louisa.”

“What sort of matter is this?” Arabella asked.

Papa’s gaze flicked to her.

“I only mean that I am enjoying my time in Town so very much. Must I go?”

He looked at her another moment. “May I have a word, Bella?”

She nodded and rose, then followed him out of the room, wondering at his reaction.

He closed the door behind them, then faced her. “I had hoped you would join me at Barrington. You have never been there, after all, and the purpose of the visit concerns you.”

Arabella’s brows rose. “Me?”

He nodded. “I may have found someone for you, my dear.”

Arabella’s heart clenched.

“It is no certain thing, of course, but I invited him to Barrington—not only him, of course—with the hopes of becoming better acquainted with him and his affairs. He is an earl.”

Arabella forced a smile, trying to meet his obvious expectation. Whenever Papa had come to Town, she had always imagined him to be sitting in Parliament, listening to bills and casting votes, or perhaps conducting business across long tables with fellow investors. She had not imagined him leaving to Barrington to host parties or find suitors for her.

“I was not aware you were searching for…a husband for me.”

“I was not. But when I met Lord Farnham, I was struck by his eligibility. And now that you have experienced Town, it has me thinking that perhaps the time for a match has come.”

Arabella’s stomach swirled, and Mr. Hayes’s teasing smile swam before her.

“You are two-and-twenty, Arabella,” Papa said.

She knew it quite well. It was simply strange to hear him say it as though she, rather than he, had been the one delaying things.

The thought of going to Barrington and meeting this Lord Farnham was almost as unappealing as returning to Wetley Abbey. Arabella wanted to be in London. She wanted to enjoy herself and experience more of what Town had to offer. She wanted to go on the barge with its lanterns and flowers.

She wanted to see Mr. Hayes again.

“What of your duties in Parliament?” she said, grasping at any excuse.

Papa waved them off. “They manage perfectly well without me.”

“But are you not expected to attend?”

There was a flash of something like annoyance in Papa’s eyes, but she must have imagined it, for it was gone as quickly as it had come. “You may safely leave the handling of my Parliamentary duties to me, my dear. Are you saying you do not wish to come to Barrington with me?”

“It is not that,” she said, eager to reassure him. “Of course I wish to be with you. But…” She stepped toward him. “I am enjoying Town so very much.”

Papa’s gaze searched her face, his expression inscrutable.

Arabella pressed on. “Would it not be best for you to first spend time with Lord Farnham and see whether he is truly an eligible option?”

Papa watched her a moment longer. “Very well. You may remain. But”—he put up a hand to stop her gratitude—“if I do find him suitable, I expect you to be ready and willing for an introduction where and when I say.”

“Of course.” Arabella did not oppose meeting Lord Farnham. It was very possible, though, that Papa would learn more of him and decide he was not suitable. Papa was particular, so choosing a husband for her was bound to be a difficult task.

Arabella merely wished for more time…more time enjoying her new friendships before she was forced to consider matrimony in earnest. Not until coming to London had she realized how much she had been missing by being at Wetley with no one but her sisters for friends. Not that she did not love her sisters dearly, but it was simply not the same.

In fact, Arabella had found a little seed of frustration growing within her since Papa’s arrival—frustration that he had kept her from the joys she was now experiencing. She knew he had only meant well, but that did not stop her from wondering how life might have been if she had been allowed to come to London sooner—at the age when most young women did.

But she was here now, and she hoped to make the most of it.

She hoped, too, that Lord Farnham was not as suitable as Papa hoped.

Arabella craned her neck to peer through the window as the carriage approached the dock. There were too many other equipages blocking her view, however, to gain a view of the barge. All that was visible was the glow of lanterns.

She was not the only one anticipating the evening. Felicity and Aunt Louisa, though familiar with London’s attractions, had never attended a party on a barge. When the carriage came to a stop, Felicity sat on the edge of the seat, waiting for the door to be opened and the steps let down.

She had been fretting over the weather all day, worrying it would rain and the party would be canceled, but the gray clouds that had blanketed the sky had given way to a nearly cloudless evening with a pleasant breeze.

Felicity buzzed with chatter as they made their way toward the barge, where people were being assisted by servants across a short plank.

Arabella’s eyes took in the scene hungrily, moving along the profile of the barge. Dozens of oil lamps and lanterns hung from lines across the deck, while a similar glow lit the windows of the covered section near the bow. The lights reflected in the dark water, glittering and shimmering on the surface.

The wooden railings that ran along the barge’s edges were lined with greenery and white flowers. A string quartet serenaded attendees near the bow, completing an atmosphere Arabella found utterly enchanting.

Once she had seen the barge, she could not help but search for any sign of Mr. Hayes. Her heart jumped at the sight of Mr. Fairchild standing on the long deck of the barge, a drink in hand. Beside him were Mr. Drake and Mr. Yorke and two other men Arabella did not recognize.

Arabella, Felicity, and Aunt Louisa seemed to be among the last guests to cross over the short plank, for once they had done so, the servants on the shore and those on the barge began to communicate about removing it.

In her decisive way, Felicity guided them toward Mr. Fairchild, who greeted them jovially, then introduced them to the two strangers.

The bustle amongst the servants near the plank intensified, and still there was no sign of Mr. Hayes as the group conversed and Mr. Drake went to fetch refreshment for the women.

“Is Mr. Hayes here?” Arabella tried to keep her voice disinterested, but there was a knowing glint in Mr. Yorke’s eyes as he responded.

“He could not come.”

“Oh.” Arabella’s heart sank, but she forced a smile. “How unfortunate for him.” But it was she who felt unfortunate.

A few minutes later, the rowers began to undo the knots that kept the barge ashore.

Arabella took in a breath, determined to enjoy herself rather than spending the evening missing Mr. Hayes. Surely, she did not require him for her entertainment.

“What in the world?” Mr. Yorke’s brow furrowed as he focused on something behind Arabella.

All eyes turned in that direction, including the eyes of many not within their group.

Arabella’s heart stuttered at the sight of Mr. Hayes on shore. He was in intent conversation with one of the servants, who was winding up a rope. The plank had been removed, however, and the servant shook his head.

Mr. Hayes sighed, then nodded, his shoulders sinking with disappointment as the barge began to move at a creeping pace with the river.

“He is too late,” Felicity said sympathetically as he turned his back on the barge and began to walk briskly away from the Thames.

Arabella’s impulse was to intervene and plead with the servants to stop the barge, but it would be useless. Worse than useless, in fact. Everyone would know how much she valued Mr. Hayes’s company—including him.

He suddenly stopped and turned, and before Arabella had fathomed his intent, he was running at a diagonal toward the shore. When he reached it, he leaped.