"You are a good friend to make so light of it," Tony said huskily, much moved by William's open support. "I trust that your lady is of the same mind?"
William nodded. "You know that you have Milly wrapped around your little finger and have since you first learned to smile. Now come along—let us go inside and enjoy a final drink."
William walked ahead, leaving Patrick and Tony alone for a few minutes.
Patrick quirked a brow at Tony. "How bad was it?"
"Imagine your worst nightmare," Tony said bleakly. "Even worse—Arabella had to hear and see it. Blast! I am truly damned when it comes to that woman. After tonight, she will never believe that I had nothing to do with Molly once we had met." He sighed, his expression bitter. "Not that she isn't already convinced that I have been lying about my involvement with Molly all along."
* * *
Arabella woke late the next morning, the painful image of Tony lying beneath Molly's sprawled form floating through her dreams. And though her sleep had been troubled, she found that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, her belief in Tony's innocence had solidified. She might be a fool, she thought grimly, as she bathed and dressed. She might even be blinding herself to the truth, but she hung on to one thought: Tony Daggett was many things, but his word was his bond.
If Tony hadn't lied, then someone else had. Someone else who for five long years had gotten away with the destruction of her engagement. Arabella didn't want to consider the fact that her family might have been behind that painful scene at the lodge with Tony, but she couldn't ignore the possibility. Her father had been livid at the engagement, and he would have done anything in his power to stop her from marrying a man he was convinced would lead her a terrible life. No matter what pain it caused her, he would have been convinced that he was doing it all for her own good. That he was saving her. She frowned. But her father had also been an honorable man. Would he have stooped so low? Would Mary? She sighed. Anything was possible.
Descending the staircase, she entered the morning room and sat down to eat a light repast. Only half-aware of what she was doing, Arabella tried to tear her mind away from her troubling thoughts, but to no avail. Of course, she admitted as she sipped her coffee and nibbled on the fruit and toast before her, Richard was the most likely suspect to have plotted against her and Tony—she would put little past Mary's brother. He had been as rabid against the engagement as her father. But then, even Tony's uncle, Alfred, or many others that she could name, could have done the same. Very few people had been happy about the courtship and engagement.
When Mrs. Tidmore entered the room a few minutes later, asking if Arabella would look over the menu for the week, Arabella pushed aside her speculation. She and Mrs. Tidmore had made plans to take one last look at the items stored in the attic, before having anything they didn't feel was worth saving thrown on the burn pile out back. She was grateful that she would not have time to brood over the past.
Unfortunately, she was not able entirely to escape repercussions from the nasty scene at the Crocker ball. Dusk was just drifting down when Arabella was astonished to see her stepmother's carriage pull up in the driveway at the front of the house. She watched perplexed as Mary stepped down from the coach, and exclaimed, "Oh my dear! I am so sorry that you were forced to endure more of that man's horrible antics. Last night must have been most painful for you. Everyone is talking about it. Agatha and I thought that our presence here at Greenleigh would keep the worst of the gossips away."
Stripping off her white-lace gloves, Mary continued to chatter away as a bemused Arabella walked up the steps with the two arrivals. "We would have been here earlier," Mary said, "but we had to pack, you know—and then there were the children. I had to make certain they understood how important it was for Agatha and me to be with you at this time." Mary smiled at Arabella. "They understood completely—and they send you their love."
Not certain whether to be touched or annoyed by their arrival, Arabella smiled and showed them into the main saloon. As they settled themselves comfortably, Mrs. Tidmore hustled into the room and left a tray of refreshments.
Looking anxiously across at Arabella, Mary asked, "How are you, darling? We were so worried about you. If it hadn't been so late when Jeremy related what had happened after we left the ball last night, I would have returned immediately to Broadmount and insisted you come home with us."
Thankful that she had at least been spared that, Arabella said, "I appreciate your concern, but I am fine." She smiled ruefully. "You must remember that I am well aware of Tony's reputation, and I am sorry to say that last night's little scene is not the worst I have been forced to endure since I first met him."
Agatha sent Mary a satisfied glance. "I told you that she would be all right." She looked approvingly at Arabella. "Told her that I have been agreeably surprised by the good sense you have shown lately and that she shouldn't treat you like you were made of china."
Still somewhat at a loss about how to react to Agatha's approval, Arabella merely sent her an uncertain smile, and said, "Thank you." Looking at Mary, she added, "Agatha is right, you know—if I were going to shatter, it would have been five years ago."
Realizing that Arabella was not as upset by what had happened the previous night as she had assumed she would be, Mary said, "Well, I am glad that you are taking it so well." She looked uncomfortable.
"Er, did what happened change how you feel about him?"
"Do you mean was I so disgusted by what happened that I have completely fallen out of love with him?" Arabella asked dryly.
Mary nodded.
"I know that you are not happy about my feelings for him," Arabella began quietly, "but last night didn't change anything—it may have wounded me, but my love would not be the deep emotion I feel it to be if I quailed at the first sign that Tony is not the stuff of heroes." She leaned toward Mary, and said earnestly, "I know that it pains you, but you must understand that I do love him, and that because I love him, I am willing to try to understand him—even to question some of the conclusions that everyone has about him."
"She's right, you know," interjected Agatha. "Love is blind—but sometimes, it is also discerning."
"How can you say that?" Mary demanded. "You know what a terrible person he is!"
To Mary and Arabella's utter confoundment, Agatha shook her head. "No, I don't. I know what you have told me. And you do not know for certain the reliability of what you have heard. You have merely repeated tales told to you by others—others who might have their own reasons for speaking ill of the young man. Besides, you must admit that you are not in a position to judge him fairly—you detest him, think him little better than a demon determined to ruin Arabella's life."
Clearly upset at this blatant desertion, Mary glared at Agatha. "How can you say that? You don't know him at all. Don't tell me that you, too, have been taken in by his handsome face." Almost accusingly, she added, "I saw you watching him last night while he was flirting outrageously with that forward little hussy, Margaret Crocker." Stiffly she finished, "Personally, I would never let a daughter of mine carry on in such a way—and with such a depraved creature as Tony Daggett."
"Oh, he is a handsome devil, I'll grant you that," Agatha replied, not a bit disturbed by Mary's outburst. Giving Arabella a sly glance, she murmured, "If I were a few decades younger, I might make a push to fix his attention, but that isn't the point. The point is that Arabella is in love with him—and if she is as sensible and intelligent as you have always told me she is, shouldn't you stop and consider that you might have gotten the wrong impression of him?"
At Mary's expression of outrage, Agatha held up one hand, and said, "Listen to me. Even you admit that much of what you have told me about him is merely gossip. Do you really know that he murdered his two wives? Do you have proof of it?"
"Of course not!" Mary muttered. "But everybody knows—"
"How do they know?" Agatha interrupted, one slim brow cocked.
Mary opened her
mouth, then shut it with a snap. For a tense moment, she looked at Agatha with dislike. Finally she admitted, "All right, some of the stories about him could just be gossip, but what about what he did to Arabella? That is something that we know he did." She looked at Arabella for confirmation. "Don't we?"
Having been a fascinated bystander to the exchange between Mary and Agatha, it took Arabella a moment to realize that the question had been directed at her. She hesitated a moment, and then said unhappily, "When I found Tony and Molly together that night at the lodge I know that it looked as if he were the vilest beast in nature... but lately, I've begun to wonder if I saw the true picture that night."
"What?" demanded Mary, her blue eyes wide and disbelieving. "Have you gone mad? What other explanation is there?"
Picking her words with care, Arabella said, "Before I say anything else you must understand one thing about Tony—something that I, myself, had forgotten. Tony is not a liar. He is far more likely to flaunt his vices than he is to hide them. And he doesn't lie about them—ever."
"Well, I won't argue with that!" Mary snapped. "He is the most flagrant, womanizing wastrel I have ever known—and he has never taken any pains to hide it. Nor that he gambles and drinks—excessively!"
Arabella smiled faintly. "But you'll agree that he does not go around telling untruths? In fact, have you ever known anyone to accuse him of being a liar?"
Reluctantly, Mary admitted, "No, that is one charge that has never been leveled against him. But is it probably the only crime he has not committed."
Ignoring Mary's gibe, Arabella went on, "If you agree that he is not a liar, then I ask you: Why does he persist in claiming his innocence about that night at the lodge? Why does he continue to swear, when it doesn't matter any longer, that he had not laid eyes on Molly Dobson for months? That he did not arrange to meet her at the lodge that night?"
An uncomfortable silence fell, Mary becoming very interested in the pattern of the rose-and-cream rug on the floor. Arabella and Agatha both watched her, waiting for her answer. It was a long time coming, and Arabella was puzzled by the delay. She knew that it was going to be painful for Mary to admit that she might have been wrong about Tony, but having crossed the first hurdle in agreeing that he was not a liar, why didn't she simply answer the question?
"Well?" Agatha prompted.
"I don't know," Mary said crossly, not looking at either of the other two women.
"Couldn't it be," Arabella asked gently, "that he is telling the truth? That someone arranged for me to find him in such a compromising position?"
Mary flushed. "What an awful thing to say! Why would anyone do such a thing?"
"Because they wanted me to break off my engagement to him," Arabella said.
"Of all the ridiculous notions I have ever heard in my life. That man has bewitched you!" Mary said furiously. "Next, I suppose you'll accuse your father and me of doing the arranging."
"Did you?" Arabella asked, her eyes fixed on Mary's angry features.
Mary sprang to her feet, her blue eyes flashing. "Well! It only needed that. I am not going to stay here a moment longer and be insulted in this fashion." Glancing at Agatha, she said, "Come along. It is obvious that Arabella has been thoroughly beguiled by that man. She certainly doesn't need our help. I'm just sorry we wasted our time and effort in her behalf."
Her nose in the air, Mary was on the point of stalking from the room, when Agatha said bluntly, "Oh, come down out of the boughs, you silly creature. We are going nowhere at this time of night. You might relish dashing to and fro over confoundedly rough roads in the dark, but I do not. I am staying right here." She looked at Arabella. "That is, if you have a bedroom I may use."
"Of course," Arabella replied, rising to her feet. Looking at Mary's stiffly held back, she added softly, "And one for you, too, if you are willing to stay."
"Since Agatha seems determined to remain here, I don't seem to have any choice but to do the same," Mary said ungraciously, not changing her stance.
It was an odd position Arabella found herself in. For the first time in memory, she and Mary were having a serious falling-out. It was clear that her stepmother was deeply insulted and that she wasn't going to be in a forgiving mood anytime soon. That it was Agatha who seemed to be taking up her side of the argument was also a novelty. In a decidedly confused frame of mind, Arabella rang for Mrs. Tidmore, and when she appeared, quietly asked if the rooms for Mary and Agatha had been prepared. At Mrs. Tidmore's nod, the ladies retired for the night.
Arabella did not sleep well. She was upset by the chasm that had sprung up so shockingly and unexpectedly between herself and her stepmother, and she hoped that a night's sleep would return Mary to her usual sweet self. Mary's reaction to the possibility that Tony might have been innocent that night at the lodge made her question all over again her conclusions that he was indeed innocent of having arranged to meet Molly. But as the soft pink-and-gold light of dawn spilled into her room, she was still firmly of the opinion that Tony had not lied. And if he had not lied, then who amongst their friends and family had plotted against them?
She would have liked to discuss the matter with Mary, but her hopes that Mary might have had a change of heart during the night were dashed when she was greeted by the news that Mary and Agatha were leaving for Highview immediately after breakfast.
"Are you certain I cannot prevail upon you to stay just for one more night?" Arabella asked almost pleading, as they finished their uncomfortable meal in the morning room. She and Mary had always had a close, loving relationship, and her heart ached at the estrangement between them.
"Why? So you can insult me further?" Mary asked sharply.
"I did not mean to insult you," Arabella said levelly, "and I am sorry that you feel that I have."
Mary sniffed and pushed away her cup of coffee. Rising to her feet, she glanced at Agatha, and asked, "Are you ready to leave?"
Agatha shrugged. "Whenever you are."
It was an uncomfortable leave-taking, Mary coolly presenting her cheek for Arabella's kiss and ignoring her thereafter. To Arabella's surprise, it was Agatha who gave her a hearty embrace, and whispered into her ear, "Don't fret, she'll soon regain her sweet temper—and be ashamed of herself for the way she is acting right now. As for that young man of yours, don't let others make up your mind for you—I did once and regretted it all my life."
Depressed and unhappy, Arabella watched the coach until it was out of sight. Wonderful, she thought unhappily as she wandered back inside. Not only was Tony furious with her, but now she had also insulted and infuriated her stepmother. Could she do nothing right?
All during the following week as she tried to throw herself into making Greenleigh her home, she went over and over again the events leading up to the break with Tony, as well as the painful falling-out with Mary. Again she was left with the lowering opinion that she could have done nothing any differently. Why, she wondered miserably, did loving Tony always seem to bring with it such conflict and unhappiness with those who meant so much to her?
Tony had one supporter in her family however: Jeremy. He rode over on Friday afternoon to see how she was doing on her own. Arabella was delighted to see him and hoped that perhaps he had brought a conciliatory message from his mother. Such was not the case.
Having shown himself into the small room at the rear of the house where she had been busy with mending, Jeremy gave her a kiss and threw himself into a nearby chair. His legs sprawled out in front of him, he said by way of greeting, "I tell you, Bella, I don't know how I've kept my tongue between my teeth these past few days. Mother has nothing but bad things to say about Tony—she does nothing but rage about how he has ruined our family and that he is an awful creature." Moodily he stared at his boots. "I've been thinking of telling her just how much she owes him. Why, if it weren't for Tony's generosity, we'd be living here at Greenleigh and tripping over each other."
Arabella looked fondly across at him. "That is entirely your choice, m
y dear. But I doubt it will change her opinion of him."
"I know that, but it just doesn't seem fair." His expression became sheepish. "It doesn't help that the entire neighborhood is still all atwitter about the scene at Broadmount last week. And, of course, word traveled that he had been to see that Molly Dobson at her home on Silver Street."
Ignoring the stab of pain in her heart, Arabella said lightly, "Oh, really? I hadn't heard that bit of gossip."
Jeremy snorted. "And you are not likely to, either, except from a loose-lipped fool like your brother. Everyone is determined to spare you further embarrassment."
"And you are not?" she asked quizzically.
"Thing is," Jeremy said with a grin, "unlike everybody else, I know you ain't likely to go off in a swoon, nor fall into a fit of the vapors after hearing such tales."
"Thank you," she said dryly, putting aside a linen tablecloth, the small tear that once marred its smooth surface now hidden by Arabella's neat little stitches. A thoughtful expression on her face, she mused, "I suppose he went there to try to persuade her to tell the truth."
Jeremy shrugged. "Gossip has it that he went there to pay her off—or murder her. Jim Gayle told me that he heard that they had a terrible row. It's being said everywhere that Tony left her place absolutely furious, vowing to ring her neck."
Arabella frowned, a feeling of unease sliding down her spine. If Molly was lying, she could certainly understand Tony's temper, but she wished he would take more care over what he said when he was in a rage. To Jeremy she merely said, "Well, that doesn't surprise me—I'm sure that Tony was furious about what happened." A wry smile curved her lips. "Molly Dobson seems to have a penchant for showing up at just the right time and place to put Tony in the blackest possible light."
"You think she's lying?"
Arabella nodded. "I certainly think that there is a good possibility that she might be." She hesitated before saying, "I've begun to think that perhaps Tony wasn't lying when he says that he did not arrange to meet Molly at the lodge five years ago. He has always sworn that he had not seen her in months. He openly admitted that she had been his mistress, but that he had paid her off—handsomely—and sent her on her way once we had met."
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