Page 113 of Heartbreaker of the Ton
And the screams—shrill and desolate, they had filled her mind while she prayed for them to stop. Until she’d realized the screams were hers.
And then, finally…
The plaintive cries of a helpless creature—unwanted and reviled, the cause of her ruination; cries that, instead of inciting the disgust she’d expected, had unlocked her heart until her body and soul were consumed with a single need.
The need to protect the one she loved.
Etty blinked, and a tear splashed onto her cheek.
A hand caught hers. “Juliette! Oh, forgive me. I didn’t mean to distress you with my concerns. I should have realized.”
Etty shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Nor was it yours,” Arabella said. “It washis.” She squeezed Etty’s hand. “But there’s no need to speak of those who should be confined to the past. You and your son are here now, which is all that matters. He’s an adorable child. I see much of you in him.”
“You do?”
“He has your kindness.”
“I am not kind, Bella. When I think back to how I was in London, before…”
“That wasn’t the real you,” Arabella said. “And what of myself?Harpy of the Ton, they called me. We were a pair, were we not? But we were a product of the world in which we lived.”
Arabella glanced across the lawn to her husband and raised her hand in greeting. He responded in kind, and she smiled softly.
“Lawrence showed me that another world existed outside of Society,” she said. “A good world—a world where a woman can be honest about her needs and desires, and not be ruled by a man.”
“Not even a husband?”
“Not if she finds the right husband.”
“I don’t want a husband,” Etty said. “I have no wish to be owned.”
“What about beingloved?”
“You cannot expect me to place myself on the Marriage Mart again. Not after…”
“Heavens, no!” Arabella said, laughing. “I wouldn’t send my worst foe into that nest of vipers. But a wider acquaintance might ease your melancholy.”
“I’m not—”
“I’m your friend, Etty,” Arabella said, the laughter dying in her eyes. “I know you well enough to recognize your unhappiness. You’ve had your heart broken.”
“A fitting end for she who was calledHeartbreaker.”
“Etty, you have as much right to be happy—and loved—as any other.”
“I’m not looking for a husband.”
“Friends, then.”
“I have all the friends I need, Arabella,” Etty said, “but I have no wish to trespass on your hospitality for too long. I’ve already been here a month.”
“Is it that long?” Arabella asked. “Though it matters not, it feels as if you’ve been here forever.”
“Gabriel and I can leave as soon as you wish it.”
“Oh, no, dearest Etty!” Arabella said. “You’re welcome here for as long as you wish. I only meant that I already feel as if you’re part of the family.”
