Page 50 of Snowbound Surrender

“There now, my dear, so good you’re seeing sense at last?—”

As her fingers closed around the pen, a commotion erupted from somewhere below—the sound of carriage wheels on gravel, voices raised in urgent conversation, the heavy tread of multiple feet approaching the front door.

Algernon froze, his head snapping toward the window. “Who the devil?—”

The sound of the front door opening echoed through the house, followed by voices in the entry hall. Arabella’s heart leaped with desperate hope, though she dared not believe it could be anyone who might help her.

“It seems,” Algernon said grimly, moving toward the door, “we have unexpected visitors. No matter—this can wait a few moments longer.”

But as the voices grew closer, Arabella caught a familiar tone that made her pulse race with both hope and terror. Could it possibly be...?

No. Nicholas believed the worst of her. He would never come to her aid.

Would he?

CHAPTER 14

The final milesto Lushington Hall had passed in tense silence, broken only by the rhythmic drumming of hooves. Nicholas stared out at the darkening countryside.

Whatever Arabella had done to him—even if it was to meet a lover—she did not deserve to fall victim to a villain like Algernon, the new Lord Lushington.

That’s if their suspicions were correct.

As Lushington Hall came into view—an imposing Jacobean manor silhouetted against the twilight sky—Nicholas’s resolve crystallized. The windows glowed with warm candlelight, giving the house an air of peaceful domesticity that he somehow doubted reflected the reality within.

“Remember,” Lady Fenton cautioned them as they prepared to alight, “we don’t know for certain that our suspicions are correct. We must proceed carefully.”

“Carefully, yes,” Nicholas agreed, adding grimly, “but decisively if our fears prove founded.”

The front door opened before they had even reached it, revealing Algernon Lushington himself, wearing an expression of mild surprise that didn’t quite reach his calculating eyes,as if he were about to step out, though he was not wearing outerwear.

“My dear Lady Quamby! What an unexpected pleasure. And Mr Morley! What brings you to Lushington Hall at such an hour?”

“Our concerns for Lady Lushington,” Lady Quamby said with her most charming smile, though Nicholas noticed the steel beneath her sweetness.

“Concerns? But she is perfectly fine. Please, do come in.” Algernon stepped aside before leading them into the drawing room where a fire crackled welcomingly. “I’m afraid dear Arabella is resting at the moment. The journey quite exhausted her.”

“Resting?” Nicholas echoed, accepting a glass of brandy while studying their host’s face carefully. “I thought you said she was perfectly fine.”

“Initially, but after a fit of the vapours, she took to her bed. I do recall my cousin saying she was prone to fits of emotional distress.”

“Emotional distress?” Lady Fenton repeated. “Whatever could have upset her so?”

A slight smile played at the corners of Algernon’s mouth. “I’m afraid she received some rather disappointing news regarding a certain... romantic attachment. It seems the gentleman in question was not as devoted as she had believed.”

Nicholas felt the barb hit its mark but managed to keep his expression neutral. “How unfortunate for her.”

“Indeed. Though perhaps it’s for the best. Arabella has always been rather impulsive when it comes to matters of the heart. Not always the best judge of character.” Algernon’s gaze lingered meaningfully on Nicholas.

“You speak as though you know her well,” Colonel Shankshaft observed, settling into his chair.

“We are family, after all. I’ve made it my business to look after her interests since my uncle’s death. She’s been quite... vulnerable lately. Grief affects people differently, you understand.”

“Vulnerable how?” Lady Quamby asked with innocent curiosity.

“Oh, the usual feminine weaknesses. Difficulty managing financial matters, susceptibility to unsuitable influences, a tendency toward... shall we say, questionable decisions.” Algernon took a sip of his brandy. “I’ve been helping her with the more complex aspects of her inheritance. Protecting her from those who might take advantage.”

“How good of you,” Nicholas said quietly. “And she’s comfortable with these arrangements?”