Page 22 of Beneath the Beastly Duke's Mask
Arabella felt rather than saw Mirabel grow tense. The maid was worried she would reveal what had happened. Fortunately for her, Arabella wasn't the kind to throw others under a crumbling bridge. Mirabel could do that herself.
“All is well, Your Grace,” she replied. “I came here to take a look at your library once more, and Mirabel came earlier than expected to clean. We were just discussing when I should leave. She graciously granted me a little more time to complete what I came to do.”
“I see,” the duke said. “Mirabel, you may leave. Come later to clean the library.”
Mirabel raised her head. “Yes, Your Grace.”
She curtsied once more and walked away, but not before she turned and gave Arabella a look of such hatred that it left her speechless. Mirabel truly believed Arabella had come to seduce the duke. The situation was turning into a mountain.
“Arabella?”
Arabella looked away from the doorway to him. “Yes, Your Grace?”
“Tell me the truth,” he insisted, his light green eyes searching hers. “Was Mirabel bothering you again?”
It would be so easy to tell the truth and have Mirabel dealt with, but Arabella had an annoying sense of honor that kept her from getting others into trouble for her sake. However, she would loosen her tongue if Mirabel tried to put anyone in danger.
“No, Your Grace,” she lied. “All is well. Would you like to see the five books I selected?” She quickly went to the table where she had stacked them, gesturing at them. “You might have read them already, but not in some time. They were not nearly as handled as the others. I noticed you liked to leave notes in the margins where space allowed.” She picked up one of her selected books. “These didn't have that.”
Opening the book, she flipped through the pages, showing him. The duke approached her but surprised her by not stopping once he was within reach of the table. Instead, he moved closer to her, his clean, woody scent washing over her. Linking his hands behind his back, he leaned even closer, peering at the book in question. He chuckled, the sound making her skin tingle as his breath softly brushed against her skin.
"This one was my mother's favorite," he said. "It's a love story. I read it only once or twice at her behest, but I could never appreciate it as she did. Perhaps my perception has changed, and I should give it another chance."
He took the book from her, his hands briefly overlapping with hers. It caused a sharp sensation in her belly, but oddly, it wasn't painful. Rather, it unfurled and became warm, traveling throughout her body like a fiery liquid.
She widened her eyes at the sudden and startling reaction, glad the duke's attention was on the book. Placing a hand on her chest, she could feel her thudding heart. It was all so strange. Not wanting the duke to see her acting bizarrely, she searched her mind for something to say. Even that had been temporarily overcome by his nearness!
“Since you feel so stagnant, Your Grace,” she began, inching away from him slightly. “It's best to read all sorts of books. Even those you do not usually read.”
“I agree,” he said, putting the book down and getting another. “Thank you for putting in the effort. However, I would still like you to purchase books for me. The library needs an update. It hasn't had one in over a decade. I trust you to choose the right ones. I asked my valet to create an account with the bookshop you mentioned in Thetford.”
The duke certainly moved fast. "I am happy to do this for you, Your Grace," she said. "In fact, it will give me time to see my hometown again. I've been apprehensive about returning because of all the memories, but I think it will be good for me." She smiled. "No, I know it will be wonderful for me. I have always loved Thetford."
The duke chuckled. “I'm glad you seem so excited about the trip,” he said.
Once more, his laughter made its way across her skin and tumbled in her belly, making her slightly giddy.
“You have a wonderful laugh, Your Grace,” she found herself saying.
Embarrassment crept over her as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She lowered her head, knowing she had overstepped herself. Arabella believed the duke would at least acknowledge the compliment in some way, whether in embarrassment or good-naturedly, but he did something that left her confused and even more embarrassed.
He abruptly stopped laughing, brushing his knuckles against his jaw as he cleared his throat. “Would you please excuse me, Arabella? I'm afraid I just remembered I needed to do something.”
“Yes, of course, Your Grace,” she replied.
She frowned slightly as he quickly left the room, not understanding why he had changed so suddenly. She must have made him uncomfortable. He also didn't take the books with him.
Arabella groaned, wishing she had kept her mouth shut instead of allowing herself to say whatever came to mind. Perhaps she felt too comfortable around the duke and treated him like she would anyone else. However, he was a duke and her employer, so there had to be boundaries.
“Keep those boundaries, Arabella,” she muttered.
She repeated these words as she carried the books to the drawing room. It was one floor below the library, so she would have to descend two flights of stairs. The only problem was that one of the books was three volumes in one, making it high and heavy. Added with the other four books, the load was a bit much for one trip. Still, she continued on, heading to the stairs.
Arabella yelped as something unexpectedly hooked her left foot. She couldn't see a thing with the books in front of her. She tried to regain her balance, her mind deciding between letting the books drop to save herself or protect them from damage.
Unfortunately, the decision was made for her as she tried to lean forward on her toes to regain balance, only to find nothing. She was on the edge of the first step down. She was going down, and there was nothing she could do about it. Even knowing this, she still shrieked as she went down, the books flying as her arms flailed about.
Arabella immediately tucked her body inwards just before her body slammed on the steps, the edges jamming painfully into her body. She needed to protect her neck. Her father had treated many people who had fallen and hurt themselves to the point of being paralyzed. Arabella didn't want that to happen to her, so she prayed for her neck and spine to be in good condition by the time she stopped rolling down the stairs.
