A movement outside of the carriage caught her eye and she studied several riders racing off into the distance. They jumped the low hedgerow as though it didn’t exist and vanished from sight within the blink of an eye. She wondered what it was like to be that free; so unfettered and able to go wherever they chose at such a fast, thundering pace. Meanwhile she had boxes and trunks and a lifetime’s worth of paraphernalia in the back of the coach, trundling it with her like a giant turtle.
Judging that Skipton was at least an hour away, Arrabella tossed her book down on the seat beside her and leaned her head back against the squabs. Within minutes she was fast asleep.
She gasped when she awoke to find that darkness had fallen and she was still in the carriage. Her heart began to pound in her throat as she slid across the seat and stared out of the window in horror. She could see nothing; not even her own reflection but, unless she was very much mistaken, she was nowhere near Skipton.
“Hello?” She called as she slid down the window and leaned out to peer up at the coachman. She couldn’t see him. Was he still there? Had he fallen off and the horses continued to plod along with nobody to guide them? She immediate discounted that thought as ridiculous. That being the case, they must have passed someone at some point and they would have raised issue with a carriage rolling past without a coachman. So what was going on?”
“Hello? Coachman? Where are we?” she called, but nobody answered. She waited several moments more before she leaned out of the window a little further to be able to see him. Unfortunately, she nearly unbalanced herself and got a face full of wet hedge for her troubles. She retreated back to the safety of the carriage, dragged the window back up and sat perched on the edge of the bench while she tried to decide what to do.
Should she jump out? If she did, the coachman would have her belongings and besides, she had no idea where she was or which way to head toward people and safety. She wished now that she had taken Mrs Able up on her kind offer of a room for as long as she wanted it, and not left Hambley Wood at all for the time being. Now here she was, in a carriage, in the middle of nowhere, with a coachman who wouldn’t talk to her. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Think like Harper,” she whispered, and closed her eyes as she recalled his beloved face. She had done the same thing many times over the last few weeks and it had never failed to steady her tumultuous world. Right now, she wished he was there with her so he could tell her what to do, or wrap her in his strong arms again and make her feel safe.
She gasped again when the carriage suddenly made a sharp turn to the left and she slid across the bench seat. A large stone pillar passed by the window but she couldn’t see any sign of a building. She could, however, see a huge manor house sitting in the middle of some trees at the end of the long driveway.
“What on earth?” Before she could take in what was happening, the coach pulled to a stop outside an ornate front door.
Her mouth fell open when she saw the eldest of the Cavendish brothers, Dominic, open the door for her and drop the step. As he lifted a hand to help her out, his eyes met hers. The proud, beaming smile he gave her held a hint of devilish mischief in it that immediately warned her that he had been up to something she most probably wouldn’t like, but he would make no apology for it.
She stepped down and felt rather than heard someone approach from behind. Her gaze fell on Harper who strode toward her with long, determined strides. As soon as she realised it was him, she could do little more than burst into tears.
“God, Arrabella come here,” he growled and there, in front of all three Cavendish brothers, and a rather unprofessionally delighted butler, he hauled her into his arms. She could do little more than bury her head in his neck and weep as he held her tight against him.
He kissed her temple and cheek before he buried his head in her neck and breathed in the essence that was purely Arrabella. Nothing on earth could have forced him to let go of her, not now. Just the sight of her looking so lost and befuddled broke his heart, but the sound of her quiet weeping made him want to fight something to protect her. There was little he could do to help her with her grief though and so he did what he could and simply held her.
“I am sorry,” she whispered. She tried to ease away from him but he refused to release her. Instead he rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes for a moment.
“I am sorry, Arrabella, for not being there when you needed me,” he growled.
“You had to sort yourself out, Harper. There was nothing you could have done.” She was so very pleased that he was there. For the first time since he had left, she felt safe; as though her world had steadied and she could face anything life threw at her.
Her heart ached with the wealth of emotion that began to bubble deep within. The words that would tell him how she felt about him hovered on her lips but she daren’t speak them. After all, he had offered her nothing and she could only consider him as a friend now. Still, it was enough. Just to have him there was more of a relief than she dared to admit and she wouldn’t have changed it for the world.
“You kidnapped me,” she accused without any hint of anger.
Harper grinned and looked over the top of her head at his co-conspirators. “I had a little help,” he declared unrepentantly. He loosened his arms enough to allow her to turn to look at his brothers, but he made no attempt to let go of her completely while he made introductions. “Arrabella, this is my elder brother, Dominic. This is Sebastian, and this man here is Edward.”
Arrabella smiled but, before she could speak, Edward hauled her into his arms and gave her a hug. She was briefly handed to Sebastian, who also hugged her and welcomed her to the family, before she was passed to Dominic, who hugged her and looked at her a little ruefully.
“One thing you need to know about us is that we do things a little differently to all the rest.”
“Pardon?”
“You wait until we tell you how we met our wives,” he replied knowingly. “Then you will realise just how lightly you got away by just being kidnapped.”
Arrabella smiled and immediately fell in love with all of them. For entitled gentleman with wealth on their sides, they were by far the most down to earth people she had ever met. They were like a group of naughty children who had just a little too much mischief in their eyes to be trusted and she shook her head in stunned disbelief as she allowed them to escort her into the house.
“Now, let’s go inside and I will show you Hopswich Hall while your bags and trunks are brought inside,” Harper suggested and guided her toward the main door.
“Harper, we need to talk,” Arrabella sighed but had no choice but to follow the group who herded her inside.
“Later, darling,” he whispered as he steered her toward the library. He nodded to Forber, his new butler, and watched the man disappear toward the back of the house to arrange for the bags to be taken to Arrabella’s new room. “Come inside and meet the others.”
“The others?” She gasped, but Harper merely grinned at her and he stood back to let her into the warmth of the library where a group of women and children waited to greet her.
“The rest of the family,” he declared softly and bent down to sweep a grinning baby off the floor.
Later that evening, Harper held out his elbow and nodded toward the door.
“Come on, I will show you to your room,” he murmured gently when everyone else had gone to bed.
After a whirlwind tour of the house, the evening had been filled with lively banter between everyone present, who quite clearly enjoyed each other’s company and were more than a little excited to meet Arrabella, whom Harper had talked incessantly about. Arrabella had listened to their stories of how Dominic, Edward and Sebastian had met their wives, and the trials they had endured just to get to the altar, and realised the significance of Dominic’s earlier words. She had indeed been lucky that Harper had merely kidnapped her by the sound of it, especially with the Cavendish brothers involved, and ha
dn’t raised issue with the fact that her association with Harper was not likely to end with marriage.
“What do you think to the house?”
Arrabella sighed and glanced around at the luxurious splendour that was Hopswich Hall. “It’s beautiful, Harper. You have worked wonders in such a short space of time.”
“I had help,” he replied with a grin. “When they set their mind to something, the Cavendish brothers are nothing if not determined. As soon as I saw the place I knew that it was somewhere I could call home; it feels comfortable.”
Arrabella nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. Although the house was large, it was not ostentatious, and bespoke of a modest wealth of an entitled man. It had a homely feel rather than a formal one and it immediately gave one the impression of being at home.
“It’s a wonderful home.” She grinned at him. “The children seem to like it.”
Harper rolled his eyes and shook his head. “They are little tearaways, but adorable.” He had never once considered children in all of his life, but now that he had spent time with his brother’s children, he had found himself contemplating filling the rest of the house with his and Arrabella’s children.
Arrabella read the softness on his face and was delighted for him. It was wonderful to be able to have some time alone with him and not have to think about missing registers and someone trying to attack them. Instead, she could savour the moment and enjoy just being with him and she wanted to remember as much of this special time as she could.
“How did you know where to find me?” She asked when Harper led her down one corridor and turned into what appeared to be another equally long corridor. She frowned at him and wondered if even he knew where he was going, but remained quiet. It was nice just to stroll around with him without having to think about the scandal of being alone with him.
“I arrived at the vicarage about an hour after you left. Dominic, Sebastian and Edward wanted to meet my half-brothers, and I wanted to come and see you, so we travelled back to Hambley Wood. The last thing I expected when I got there was to hear what had happened to your parents, and that you had left.” He stopped and turned her toward him. “Why did you not write and tell me, Arrabella? Did you not think that I would want to know of such a massive trauma in your life?”
“You had your own life to sort out, and our association was so very brief that I didn’t know what to think. As soon as you left, one thing seemed to happen after another. It was as though Mrs Able was the harbinger of doom. After that night I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about what she had said, and so wasn’t all that surprised when the letter arrived from my aunt to tell me that mother had passed away. By that time, I had already noticed a serious decline in father and knew that his demise was inevitable. To a certain degree, neither of their deaths came as any surprise. What did surprise me was the speed in which the Bishop made it clear that he wanted to move the new vicar in. Although he said he would give me time, I knew –” She broke of when her voice began to croak and battled the tears that loomed again. The worry that had plagued her over the last few days was something that would remain with her for some time.
He read the shadows in her eyes and drew her into his arms. It was a relief when she merely sighed and melted against him rather than object to his intimacy and they stood for a moment, wrapped in each other’s arms, and savoured the moment. It assured him that despite the weeks they had been apart, they were as close as ever and their time apart had only made the emotions that lay between them even stronger.
“I had no idea where you were going though. You should have told me, Arrabella. I would have been there for you.”
She shook her head. “There was nothing you could have done. I didn’t know if you had decided to accept the title, or your new family, or had gone back to the Star Elite. I had no claim upon you and wouldn’t just impose on you no matter what happened to me. It isn’t fair.”
“Arrabella, I want you to know that you can always turn to me.” His voice turned into a husky whisper that made her shiver. She didn’t know what to make of the intent look in his eye.
“Why did you bring me here?” She whispered softly.
“Because this is where you belong, darling,” he replied. “Here with me.”
“You are an Earl now,” she reminded him.
“I am still the same man though, Arrabella. Whoever I am now, it cannot erase my background and it does not change what we share.”
“I have missed you.” She meant it. She had missed him terribly throughout every second of every day.
“I know that our relationship is still at an early stage but I have never felt like this toward anyone, Arrabella. This emotion; the connection, is something that I have only ever seen between my brothers and their wives. As soon as I saw them together I recognised that bond that only people who are soul mates have. It is identical to the bond that lies between us.”
“Soul mates?”
He lowered his head and kissed her. The wild thrill of pleasure that swept through her was so strong that she clung to the lapels of his jacket and didn’t ever want to let go.
“Definitely,” he whispered and kissed her smile. He decided then to raise the issue he really wanted to discuss with her now and get it out into the open. “I don’t want to push you so close to the recent loss of your parents, but I want you to remain here at Hopswich Hall with me. I do consider that our association is going to grow, and I hope that we can enjoy getting to know each other.”
“That would be nice,” she replied with a tumultuous smile. He sounded so formal that she wasn’t sure if he considered her as a guest or something more.
“I don’t think that it would be wise for me to remain here once your brothers go home. After all, you are an eligible bachelor and I don’t want to give the gossips fodder by remaining here unchaperoned,” she replied regretfully.
“God, Arrabella,” Harper sighed. He realised then just how horribly stuffy he sounded and wondered just what on earth had happened to him. “I want you to stay so that we can get to know each other. We spent so little time just being together, without being chased, that I never really got to know what you like and don’t like. It is irrelevant really if we are poles apart in taste, I am never going to let you go. My brothers are staying here for the next few weeks so that we can have some time together. At some point before they leave, we are definitely going to get married.”
“Married?” She gasped.
He nodded firmly. “I want to spend the next several weeks showing you just how much I love you, Arrabella, and just how important it is to me that you remain in my life. I know you need time to heal, but you should do so here, in the house that is to become your home, with me right beside you.” He captured her face in his hands and felt his own eyes sting at the love that shone from her eyes. “I want you to understand here and now that you are never going to go through such hardships again. You will never be alone again. I love you Arrabella. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I have no intention of ever letting you go.”
Tears trickled freely down her cheeks. “I want you to understand that I have missed you so much while you have been away that I don’t want to spend another moment without you. I agree that we need to spend time together to discuss any doubts we may have, but I seriously don’t think that there will be any.”
“Thank God for that,” he whispered. His brows lifted in surprise when she smiled at him and drew his head down to hers. This time she kissed him, and it was everything he could have wished for.
“I love you, Harper,” she whispered.
When his head lowered to hers once more, she opened the door behind her before she slid her arms around him and began to walk backward.
Harper lifted his head and looked into the room behind her. “Be sure, Arrabella. Be very sure. I don’t want to take advantage of you in your grief. It isn’t right, darling.”
He didn’t object to what she was asking. If he was honest, he was damned
relieved that she was as committed to their relationship as he was, but he needed her to understand the significance of what she was doing.
“I am very sure, Harper. One thing my parents have taught me is that there are no guarantees in life, and matters can so very easily be taken out of your control. Illness has no sentiment and strikes when you least expect it. I am not going to waste a moment of the time we have together. There can be no other man in my life but you. Not now. Not ever.” She sighed and, in spite of her nerves, glanced into the room behind her.
“Arrabella, God you have no idea how essential you are to my very existence. There was a time in my life when I thought someone like you was impossible for a man like me. You are kind, gentle and so very beautiful but, with your wild temper and wayward yen for adventure, I know that our marriage is going to be anything but boring. I hope that you have a desire to have children, my darling, because I want a lot of them.”
“You do?” She swallowed and felt a wild thrill of anticipation at the prospect of being able to add to the large brood that was the Cavendish family. “That sounds wonderful, but I am not too sure that I have a –” she frowned at him in mock disapproval, “-oh, yes, ‘a wayward yen for adventure’. I was merely following your lead.”
“In that case, are you ready?” Harper smiled and placed random kisses around her face.
“What for?” She stayed where she was when he released her and opened the door to her bedroom wide enough for them to both fit through.
“A whole new adventure.”
She lifted her brows a moment and studied the tenderness on his face. She knew that if she said ‘no, she wasn’t ready yet’, he would bid her goodnight and accept friendship for the time being, but she wanted so much more from him.
With a smile, she held her hand out and they stepped through the door to an entirely new future: together.
Lord Cavendish Returns Page 21
