Page 44 of Wickedly Yours
Rowan picked up her hand and toyed with her fingers, before bringing them to his lips. “I’ll go get you another ice.” It was incredibly improper, regardless of their betrothal and impending marriage, to behave in such a way, but Rowan didn’t care.
Let them all look.
“I’ll return in a moment.”
Arabella nodded. “Of course, my lord.” And she was smiling.
* * *
Arabella was having a marvelous day.She even feltlighthearted,an emotion she hadn’t experienced since she was a child. Peering through the crowded interior of Gunter’s she could just make out Rowan’s tall form as he disappeared to bring her another ice.
I must have guessed correctly.
And he appreciated her business sense. Nick did, of course. Truth be told, she and her brother operated more as partners in regard to the Tremaine fleet, then as the duke and his younger sister. She’d grown up learning the shipping business from Grandfather, among other things. Her family had long been known not just for their success at trading goods, but also trading insecrets. Taught from an early age to never discard information, Arabella hoarded facts and bits of gossip. She sensed the same hoarding of information in her future husband.
She could see Rowan’s tall form through the window speaking to the clerk. As he waited, two men approached him. The younger man was speaking to Rowan urgently while his companion nodded every few seconds in agreement.
Arabella caught Rowan glancing out to the terrace to check on her before he began speaking to the two men.
She turned away from the window as the shadow of a man, directly behind her appeared.
“I didn’t think he was ever going to give us a chance to talk.”
* * *
The last twomen Rowan expected to see at Gunter’s were Sir Chatsworth and Mr. Hind. He suspected they’d been looking for him and had managed to track him here. Arabella had been correct he was planning a rail line. The Newsome mills were worthless with their only transportation route, the river, damned up. There was no rail at all in that part of Surrey despite there being several large villages in the area. The most direct route would need access through the edge of the estate of Squire Tidwell, a prominent landowner. Tidwell wanted nothing to do with the rail line and was proving rather obstinate.
“Mr. Hind, Sir Chatsworth, I didn’t realize either of you gentlemen frequented Gunter’s.” He bestowed a smile on both men even though business was the last thing on his mind. Arabella was all he wished to consider at the moment.
“Malden, finally,” Mr. Hind began. “I’ve unfortunate news, I’m afraid. All of my efforts concerning Tidwell have fallen on deaf ears. He refuses to even consider allowing access to his land. Nor will he sell the parcel.”
Chatsworth nodded. “No amount of money it seems will sway him. The property is in trust for his daughter. The plot will come to her once she weds.” He shrugged. “Unfortunately, the girl has not one suitor that we know of, my lord. Even so, there is no guarantee any husband would sell the land.”
The smile on Rowan’s face didn’t falter. Everyone had their price he just hadn’t found Tidwell’s yet. The landwouldbe his. Somehow. “Gentlemen, may we continue this conversation at another time? I am otherwise involved.” He nodded to the terrace in Arabella’s direction, surprised to find her gone from the table they’d been sitting at.
“Excuse me.” Gripping Arabella’s lemon ice, Rowan made his way back to the terrace, wondering where Arabella had gone.
* * *
Arabella frozeat the sound of Barker’s voice. The lemon ice curdled in her stomach.
“Perhaps you’d like to move to the edge of the terrace? There’s some lovely blooms for you to admire.”
“Get away from me,” she hissed. “How dare you approach me again.” Glancing inside, she could see Rowan was still engaged in conversation. Thankfully he hadn’t looked in her direction.
“You stuck that knife in Corbett to keep him from talking. Get up. Walk to the terrace.”
“I did no such thing. He was going to shoot—” She stood and slowly moved to the edge away from the window and bent her nose to a large purple flower. People moved past, but no one paid the least attention to her. Or Barker.
Barker laughed, an ugly guttural sound as he hovered a few feet to her left. “I saw you do it. I came up to help Corbett. He was my meal ticket. But you stabbed him. Weren’t your toff like he told the constable. See, that’s what they callintent. That’s what the constable would call it.”
The flower caused Arabella’s nose to itch. “It’s not true,” she whispered. Had she meant to kill Corbett? She panicked. Rowan could appear at any moment and must not see her with Barker. “How much? How much to make you go away?”
“Now see I knew we could come to an agreement.”
Arabella didn’t turn to look at him, instead she hurriedly searched through her reticle. “This is all I have.” She took all the coins in her reticule in her palm and held her hand behind her as discreetly as she could.
“Not nearly enough,” Barker snarled, taking the coins from her outstretched hand. “I’ll be in touch. Perhaps I’ll attend your wedding.”
