Page 171 of Harpy of the Ton
“Ooh,sir, I’m quite overcome with the prospect. To think—all that straw sticking to our bodies, the scent of animals in the air…”
Dunton let out a strangled groan.
“Now, don’t be spending out here in the hallway,” Millie said. “The landlord won’t be having any of that.”
“Then let me inside your chamber.”
“Mychamberis not to be entered until we’ve come to an agreement. Go find your fiancée. If you’re so desperate to find her, you shouldn’t be spending the night with a whore.”
Dunton let out a grunt, then Bella heard the sound of wet lips smacking once more.
“There,” Millie said. “May my kiss give you all the luck that you deserve.”
Dunton mumbled a reply, then his footsteps faded into the distance.
Shortly after, Millie opened the door. She glanced at Bella, then rushed toward a bureau containing a decanter and two glasses. She poured out a measure of dark red liquid and drained it in one gulp.
“Sweet holy tits, that man’s repugnant!” she said, her tone returning to its former softness. “Every whore has her limits, and my limit ishim. Why the devil would anyone want to spend the rest of their life with a man like that?”
Bella’s cheeks warmed with shame.
Millie set the glass aside and took Bella’s hands. “Forgive me,” she said. “I understand you thought you have no choice before—I only rejoice now you’ve realized that youdohave a choice, and you’re exercising it now.”
“D-do you think he’ll come back?” Bella asked.
“Not likely. Tom told him he’d heard talk of your going to Midchester. And don’t worry—Tom’s agreed to let me take you to Ancombe Mills in the cart.”
“Why would he help me?”
“Because I asked.”
“And why would you ask him when you hardly know me?” Bella asked.
Millie smiled. “I’m doing it for Lawrence. Even if you never see him again, I know he’d rest easier if the woman he loves is safe.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
The first strainsof birdsong heralded the dawn. By the time Bella followed Millie outside, creeping through the back door like a thief, the chorus was in full swing—male birds claiming their territory, calling to their females.
At Brackens Hill, she’d come to savor the dawn, surrounded by the songs of nature, when she could pause in her chores and take a moment to herself. At first, she’d loathed having to rise when it was dark and cold outside, to lay the fire or prepare breakfast. But the rituals of life as a laborer’s wife had given her purpose and fulfilment.
“Bella! Come quick!” Millie’s voice returned her to the present, and they crossed the courtyard, where a young man waited beside a cart fixed to a sturdy-looking brown pony. “Is everything ready, Luke?”
“Aye, Miss Millie,” he replied, in a voice Bella recognized. “Bessie’s not too quick, but she’s a steady girl as long as you’re firm on the reins. She’ll see you safely to Ancombe.”
“You’re a treasure,” Millie said. “Your sweetheart—Sara, isn’t it?—is a lucky lass.”
“Oh no, Miss Millie, I’m the lucky one. Will you be wantin’ me to accompany you? It’s a long way to Ancombe for a woman on her own in the dark.”
“It’ll be light soon,” Millie said. “And I’m not alone—it’s my friend wanting to get to Ancombe.”
The young man frowned as he glanced at Bella, then his eyes widened.
“Bleedin’ hell—it’s Lady Arabella!”
“You’re Connie’s brother,” Bella said.
“Aye,” he replied. “Went to a lot of trouble for you, my sister did. You should be halfway across the county by now—I don’t want you causing trouble for Connie.”
