Page 27 of A Reckless Courtship (A Chronicle of Misadventures #3)

27

ARABELLA

F or a woman who was so forthright and frank, Eugenia Ashby was surprisingly compassionate. Whether Silas had told her of the decision Arabella faced or she had simply deduced as much on her own, Arabella did not know. She was simply grateful for Mrs. Ashby’s kindness and consideration in allowing her to remain at her townhouse, providing enough conversation to distract her but also giving her the time and space to be with her own thoughts.

Of those, there were plenty. The depths to which the disappointment and hurt from Papa’s duplicity and depravity took her were only countered by the heights to which the joy and ecstasy of Silas’s love and constancy brought her. She cried many tears—tears for the man she had believed Papa to be, tears for the pain he had caused the man she loved, and tears for the life he had taken.

Felicity and Aunt Louisa had chosen to stay with friends rather than return to the townhouse and risk Papa’s ire, for none of them doubted he would interrogate them regarding Arabella’s whereabouts.

Arabella tossed and turned and tossed as she faced the dilemma of which road to take. Life without Silas was an option she dismissed immediately. When she pictured the future, the only certainty within it was him.

If she loved him, how could she ask him to live a life without freedom? And yet, the alternative required a great sacrifice indeed of her sisters.

And then there was Papa.

She loved the version of him she had known, however incomplete or false it may have been. Knowing he had murdered a man in cold blood did not erase the moments of kindness and affection they had shared, but it tainted them irrevocably. That did not mean she wished for him to be subjected to the fate he might face for his terrible crimes: death. And for her to be the one to condemn him to that fate…the thought made her sick.

Justice must be done, but was there not a way to achieve it without leaving even more pain and destruction in the wake of the pain and destruction he had already caused? Her sisters surely did not deserve to be punished for the sins of their father.

Silas had promised to see that they were cared for, and for that alone, her love for him expanded past the bounds she thought possible.

While she had been doubtful at first of the necessity of a special license to wed, the more she considered it, the more she grew to understand. A trip to the border might well be stopped by Papa, while any attempt to wed in one of their parishes could be met with danger on Silas’s end or reluctance from the priest at Wetley. If he knew he was marrying Papa’s daughter without his approval, he would undoubtedly refuse to perform the ceremony.

She sincerely hoped the duke was able to help them obtain the license. If anyone had the necessary connections, it must be he.

Arabella went still, a thought occurring to her.

After a moment’s reflection, she sat up, whipped the covers off, and left her bed.

She knew what she needed to do.

“I hope you will forgive my wife joining us,” said the Duke of Rockwood, taking a seat beside the duchess in their sitting room. “She is far wiser and intelligent than I, as you will no doubt see, and I value her perspective.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” Arabella said, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she smiled at the duchess.

“How may we be of service?” the duke asked.

Arabella took the parcel beside her and set it on her lap. “I have quite a large request to make of you, Your Grace. I realize it is entirely presumptuous of me to do so, as we do not know each other, but as it concerns your brother, I hope you will consider it despite that.”

The duke’s eyes rested on the parcel for a moment before returning to her. “We are all ears, Miss Easton.”

She launched into an explanation of the decision she had been struggling over, coloring up as she referenced her feelings for Silas, then fending off tears as she explained how impossible it all felt.

She did not even manage to voice the request she had come to make when she was obliged to take a moment to breathe through her emotions.

“We quite understand, Miss Easton,” the duchess said kindly. “You are in the most difficult of positions through no fault of your own.”

“Indeed,” her husband echoed. “Is that the ledger?”

Arabella nodded.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. “Would you like for me to take it off your hands?”

Arabella stared at him. That was precisely what she had come to request, though she had not yet said as much. It felt like the height of presumption to arrive at the house of a duke and ask him to help the man who had falsely accused his brother of murder and sent him into hiding.

The duke smiled at her reaction, then looked at his wife. “As we discussed the situation the other day, my wife pointed out that, given both the position you are in and the affection you and Silas share for one another, it would be difficult for either of you to do what was necessary with that ledger. I, on the other hand, am fortunate enough to have the connections to do so in a manner which is less…messy. I believe I can bring about a conclusion to things that will result in my brother’s freedom and the least amount of pain for you and your family.”

Arabella sat forward, heart beating anxiously. “You do?”

He nodded calmly. His entire demeanor was at odds with his brother’s infectious energy, but it couldn’t help but inspire confidence. He wore the dukedom well.

“I will present the ledger directly to the Prince Regent,” he said. “I cannot say for certain what he will decide—I doubt anyone could claim to know such a thing when it comes to Prinny—but I believe this will lead to a better outcome than to make a spectacle of things in the House of Lords.” His brow furrowed. “Please understand, Miss Easton, that I can make no promises regarding the end result, but I intend to do everything I can to minimize the repercussions for you—and to see to it that your father, while held accountable for his actions, does not face death.”

She could hardly breathe. “You would do that?”

The duke’s eyes grew kinder. “If there is anything the Yorke family has learned over the past two years, Miss Easton, it is the unmatched value of familial relationships. You intend, we hope, to become part of this family.”

The duchess smiled warmly at her.

The tears that had been threatening spilled over onto Arabella’s cheeks, and she gave a breathy laugh as she dashed away at them.

She loved the Yorke family already.