Page 1 of Seven Swans a Swimming

Chapter One

Although there wasno one in the coach rattling along the wintery road to see Arabella Fitzroy scowl, she did so anyway.

It was all so blasted unfair!

Glaring out of the window, which revealed a view of English countryside scattered with snow, Arabella sighed heavily and pulled her pelisse closer, her gloves gripping the warm woolen fabric.

It was most irritating, and the worst of it all was, she completely agreed with her father on principle. It was why they had had such a heated discussion that morning, as the final preparations for her journey had been made.

“I know you do not necessarily wish to go right at this moment,” said Arthur Fitzroy, her father, a worried expression on his face.

They had spoken in the hallway of their London home, with shouts and orders being yelled around the place by the rest of the family. The house was in absolute uproar, but Arabella supposed that was what happened when most of the family was about to travel to Chalcroft, the seat of the Fitzroy family, and some were staying in London.

And she was being sent away in disgrace.

“You are not being sent away in disgrace, Arabella,” her father said firmly as she voiced this opinion. “You have always known that your marriage would be arranged, I do not know why you are making such a fuss about it now.”

“I am not making a fuss about it, the arranged marriage part, so much as being sent away at Christmas!” Arabella had protested.

That was the trouble with fathers, she thought with growing anger. She was not a child anymore, she was a woman past twenty years—she knew her own mind and was not afraid to let it show.

“Arranged marriage or not,” she said as calmly as she could, trying to prevent her temper from rising, “you knew I had been looking forward to Christmas at Chalcroft for months—I want to see all our cousins!”

“Not everyone will be there,” said her father as though that made a difference. “Sophia will be staying here, and Caroline—”

“Oh, Caroline and Sophia, they don’t count,” said Arabella as though her sisters did not matter. “You know what I mean! There are twelve of us Fitzroys, but six of them are our cousins, and I hardly ever get to see them anymore. Harmony is married, and I want to see Maria’s new embroidered cushion, and the Christmas decorations at Chalcroft are—”

“Enough.”

Arabella fell silent, though hot tears threatened to fall at any point.

She knew it sounded foolish, even to herself when she said it aloud. It was only a visit for a few days, and she would likely as not see her cousins at Easter. It was silly to be so upset about missing a visit when there was nothing stopping her from seeing them later.

But somehow being kept from them, while others were permitted to gather…it was most unfair. Arabella felt the injustice of it course through her veins, fueling the fiery temper that was forewarned with her scarlet red hair.

“Arabella,” said her father slowly. “You are a woman now, not a child, and I do not wish to have to explain to you just how important this match is. This marriage is.”

Arabella hung her head. It was infuriating. Why was it that fathers were always so downright reasonable when she wanted to shout and scream and rail at the world?

Her older sisters, Jemima and Caroline, had married for love. No one had expected their matches, and in some ways, though it had been almost two years since their weddings, the Fitzroy family were still getting accustomed to them.

Hugh was a dear old thing, at least in Arabella’s opinion, while her sisters Esther and Lucy preferred Stuart. They would. It was difficult not to prefer an earl.

It was only the youngest Fitzroy of London, Sophia, who had openly said she had no preference.

None of Arabella’s sisters had passed comment on her betrothed of course, and that was because they had never met him. None of them had.

“I know this marriage is important to you, Papa,” Arabella said with a sigh. “It’s just—”

“Watch out!”

Both Arabella and her father leapt back as a trunk, half tied up with brown string, clattered down the staircase and fell open at the bottom, spraying gifts wrapped in brown paper across the floor.

“It always does that,” said Esther with a groan as she followed it down the stairs. “No matter what I do to it, the thing just keep bursting open!”

“Do you not think you are trying to pack too much into it?” asked Arabella with a grin as she leaned forward to help put the gifts back inside. “Goodness, are you sure you aren’t moving to Chalcroft?”

Esther giggled. “As though Uncle William would permit such a thing! He’s got enough on his hands with his four!”

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