Page 164 of Harpy of the Ton
“Are you pretending, Pa?” William asked.
“No.” Lawrence shook his head. “I’ll never pretend again.”
Three bodies emerged to accompany the heads.
“You’re wrong, Pa,” Roberta said.
His heart sank—did his daughter have no faith in him? “I’m wrong?”
“We’re not the army,” she said. “We’re thenavy.”
“Then, my fine bunch of sailors,” he said, “let us recruit the rest of our band. We head for enemy lands within the week.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Bella sat upand blinked, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.
What had woken her?
An owl hooted outside, followed by another, further away.
She heard footsteps and caught her breath as a shadow moved beneath the door.
Was it Thomas, who guarded her door at night—or worse, Dunton, come to anticipate the wedding night?
Trembling, she reached beneath her pillow and pulled out the candlestick she kept there, taking comfort from the solid metal as she curled her fingers around it.
The door opened with a creak, and Bella tightened her grip on her weapon.
“Lady Arabella?”
“Connie?”
The maid approached the bed. “We’ve not got long. The hallway’s empty.”
“Where’s Thomas?”
“Outside, looking for poachers—with my brother. He’s saddled a horse ready for you.”
“Thomashas saddled a horse?”
“No, Luke has—he’s ostler at the King’s Head.”
Bella tempered the flare of hope. “I can’t ride off into the night.”
“You can,” Connie said. “I have your reticule here, with enough money to get you to London.”
“London?”
“That’s where your lawyer is, isn’t it? He’ll take care of you.”
“I’ve never met Mr. Crawford,” Bella said. “How can I trust him?”
“No, Mr.Stockton,” the maid said. “Mr. Crawford was arrested. Have you never wondered why the duke found you when he did?”
Bella shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“Not long after you disappeared, the duke stopped looking for you,” Connie said. “He had all sorts delivered to the house: wine, furniture for that empty parlor in the east wing, a jeweler came from London for your aunt—he even ordered a new carriage. Then it was all sent back—your aunt and the duke argued about it for days. Begging your pardon, I know it’s wrong to eavesdrop, but I heard your aunt call Crawford a fool, and the duke cursed Stockton for refusing to hand over your fortune.”
