Page 81 of Beneath the Beastly Duke's Mask
Arabella explained that she had enough money to support herself and Henry but had her reasons for working at the estate. However, now she just wanted to be with him.
Mrs. Cooper nodded. “Very well,” she said. “I understand. I could speak to the duke for you.”
“I think it should come from me,” said Arabella. “Thank you for everything, Mrs. Cooper. Please, excuse me.”
Arabella left the room, knocking on the parlor door moments later. She entered, curtsying before Lord Grafton.
“Arabella,” he said, smiling. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? I usually have to call for you to be in my presence.”
Which he did every day. “I've come to speak to you, Your Grace,” she said. “I wish to let you know I'll be leaving my position soon. I'm grateful that you allowed me to continue working here, but it's time for me to move on.”
Lord Grafton's eyes widened. “You're leaving? But why?”
“It's time for me to move on, Your Grace,” she said, not wanting to say too much.
“I don't understand,” he said, bringing his eyebrows together in a frown. “Was it something I said?”
“No, Your Grace,” she assured him. “You have been a kind employer. My decision has nothing to do with you.”
“But I'd like you to stay,” he said. “Is there anything I can do to make that happen? I've been thinking about what I said to you yesterday, and I realize I might have pushed you too much. You do not need to reunite with your family just yet.”
Arabella almost rolled her eyes. He still seemed to believe she would even consider speaking to her mother's family.
“It's not that, Your Grace,” she said.
"Then what? Stay as my guest—you no longer need to work. We can discuss our future together when you feel ready. I truly believe we could have something special together. You're interesting, sincerely kind, intelligent, beautiful—everything I've been looking for in a woman. Give yourself time to see how good we can be together."
Arabella sighed. She believed Lord Grafton simply wanted what he couldn't have, but he was rather insistent and seemed genuinely surprised that she wanted to leave him.
“To be honest, Your Grace, I love Henry,” she said.
“Mr. Smith?” he said incredulously.
Arabella nodded. "Yes. We love each other, and I wish to be with him. He has left the estate, and I intend to follow him."
“He left the estate?” asked Lord Grafton. “Without saying a word to me? How strange. I thought he would give me a little more time.”
"He left because he felt he had to," said Arabella. "Forgive me, Your Grace, but there's nothing holding me here."
Lord Grafton sighed. “I cannot deny that I'm disappointed, but I see I cannot sway you.”
Arabella stood up. “Please excuse me, Your Grace.”
She left the room, hurrying to her room to pack her belongings. She barely had time to speak to anyone at length, trusting Mrs. Cooper to explain the situation. Fortunately, the housekeeper had organized her transport while she had spoken to Lord Grafton.
Arabella climbed the carriage, butterflies in her belly as she thought about what lay ahead. She would make Henry understand how much she loved him—she wasn't leaving until she did. He wasn't going to get rid of her so easily.
She arrived at the village at dusk, not knowing where to start. Mrs. Cooper had given her the name of the village, but not even she knew where he was staying. All she could do was ask around. She headed to an inn first, asking if anyone knew about Henry—they didn't. Arabella wasn't surprised, but she spoke to quite a few older people who had supposedly lived in the village all their lives.
It seemed odd that such a small village couldn't recall a young boy who had lived with them for at least ten years. It was then that she realized they didn't knowHenry; they knew Nicholas Smith. She was silly to not have thought about it before. She began asking for Nicholas Smith, which led her to a relative's farm.
“I apologize for disturbing you,” she said when a woman opened the door to a humble-looking cottage. “I wish to know if Mr. Nicholas Smith lives here?”
The woman's eyes narrowed. “You wish to see Nicky? Why?”
"Because I'm the woman he loves, and he walked away from me without giving me a chance to decide what was best for us," she said. "I love him, too, so I followed him."
"Ah, I see," the woman said. "That explains why he looked like a broken man when he arrived. He's just like his father was, you know. Always making decisions for others. He didn't even ask us about leaving with Nicky after Caroline died. He simply took Nicky away, and we never heard from them again, only to find my sweet nephew..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "I can only imagine how people treated him."
