Page 58 of Beneath the Beastly Duke's Mask
“Arabella is not going anywhere,” he told them.
They both fell silent, looking at him as though they were sure they heard right. His aunt was the first to break the silence.
"Did you just say you won't fire the maid?" she asked.
“Her name is Arabella,” said Henry. “And yes, you heard right. I am not going to fire her on a baseless rumor. She has done nothing wrong. Surely I would know if she had attempted to seduce me?”
“Not if she is good at what she does,” said Basil. “You do not have experience with women—I do. Although Arabella looks innocent, she is undoubtedly a temptress. Just as Delilah tricked Samson and became his downfall, Arabella will be your downfall. Samson didn't even know Delilah had tricked him until he woke up and realized his hair was gone.”
Henry almost laughed. He was amazed his cousin could recall a Biblical story. Perhaps his mother had fed it to him during the carriage ride here. She was usually the one to use Scripture to justify herself.
"Do you think I would not be able to tell that someone was seducing me?" Henry asked. "I'm known as the Beastly Duke, for heaven's sake. Women rarely wish to speak to me. Even my maids are not fully comfortable around me, even though they have worked many years on the estate. Arabella was different. She didn't look at me oddly or treat me differently. I was simply her employer—nothing more, nothing less."
“Precisely our point!” his aunt cried. “She treated you normally because she wanted to seduce you.”
“So, showing me the common courtesy of treating me like any other human being is a seduction?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Am I somehow unworthy of respect and being treated like a normal man?”
“But you're not a normal man,” Basil snapped. His eyes widened, evidently shocked by what he had said. “Well, what I mean was—”
"I know what you meant," Henry interrupted. "You think it's acceptable for people to treat me like a beast. Anyone who does otherwise must be trying to seduce me. Kindness is now seduction." He laughed. "How odd. Not once has she sought my attention, tried to get close to me, flaunted her womanly assets, fluttered her eyelashes, spoken in a sultry voice, or fed me honeyed words."
Henry didn't say anything about the time she had hugged him. It had been a natural response for her, not something anyone should misconstrue as a seduction tool. However, his cousin and aunt would see it differently.
“There are different ways to seduce someone,” said Aunt Lillian. “She could offer you the promise of companionship. I know how much you have longed for that.”
While his aunt was correct that temptation could come wrapped up in a package of what a person most desired, she didn't know Arabella.
“Arabella has never offered me companionship,” he said. “I'm sure Basil has done research on her background. He should be able to tell you that she's an intelligent woman of means. She doesn't need to be here. However, she wanted an adventure and decided to come here. I'm glad she did.”
“Can you hear yourself?” his aunt asked, moving to the edge of her seat. She appeared overcome with frustration. “You're glad she wanted to work here? If that is not a seduction, I do not know what is.”
Henry lazily picked up his teacup. “So, I am not allowed to feel appreciation for an employee?”
He sipped his tea, regarding his aunt and cousin over the rim of his cup. They were throwing all sorts of arguments at him, but he was prepared for them all. Arabella was innocent—that gave him the assurance that he would have all the answers necessary.
“We didn't say that,” said Basil. “Arabella is merely a special situation.”
Henry tilted his head. “Why? Because she is beautiful and intelligent?” he asked. “Because we have a shared love of reading? Because she can hold a conversation with me?”
“Yes!” his aunt cried, but she quickly grew uncertain as she frowned and turned to her son. “Is that not right, dear?”
“Yes, Mother,” he said, nodding. “That is quite right. Arabella is not your regular maid, making her more dangerous. She didn't need to work, yet she's working for you. You said she did it for adventure. Does that not show she is mocking you? Are you an adventure?”
Henry smiled. "Yes, I suppose I am. I take that as a compliment, not an insult."
He had felt insulted when Arabella first told him her reasons for working for him, but it was also somewhat flattering. Someone wanted to know the real truth about him, not just the lies fed by those who judged him. Arabella wanted to knowhim. That meant a lot to Henry.
“I can see nothing we say will get through to you,” his aunt said. “We should just leave.”
“But first, please, finish your tea,” Henry insisted. “There is no reason to leave your cup half finished.”
"No, thank you," she said rather haughtily. She stood up. "Come, Basil."
Basil looked like he wanted to say something else but simply stood up. "Yes," he said. "Henry is past hearing advice from his family."
“I'm sorry you feel that way,” said Henry, getting to his feet. “It's a pity that my own family doesn't trust me to make my own decisions.”
His aunt merely pursed her lips and walked out, with Basil slowly following behind her. He looked back at Henry, barely able to hide his anger. Basil had expected to sway him with his mother as his support, but he had still failed.
