As she read the contents of the letter, she found herself growing increasingly irritated by Lord Eastwood’s pretentious attitude.
“He has some nerve!” she exclaimed, crumbling the paper in her hand.
Her grandmother gave her an expectant look. “Whatever did he say?”
“Lord Eastwood apologized for eloping with Lady Georgiana, and begged for my forgiveness,” Arabella explained.
“It was an apology letter?”
“No,” Arabella replied with a shake of her head. “Lord Eastwood’s father caught up to them before they were married and forbid him from marrying Lady Georgiana.”
“So what did Lord Eastwood do?”
“He left her in Gretna Green and traveled back with his father,” Arabella said.
Her grandmother gasped. “How horrible!”
“Now Lord Eastwood is hoping that we can post the banns and ‘put this unfortunate incident behind us’.”
“He still wants to marry you?”
“Apparently so.”
“What say you?”
Arabella huffed. “I wouldn’t marry him if he were the last man in Town.”
“I must admit that I am relieved to hear that,” her grandmother said.
Rising, Arabella walked over to the window and stared out. “I may have been foolish enough once to accept his offer, but I refuse to do so again.”
“Lord Eastwood is a…” her grandmother lowered her voice, “scoundrel.”
“That he is,” Arabella agreed. “I didn’t think I could feel sympathy for Lady Georgiana, but I was wrong. He treated her most distastefully.”
“That he did,” her grandmother agreed. “She is ruined.”
Arabella grinned. “Perhaps we could live together as spinsters,” she joked.
“Your situations are entirely different.”
“That may be true, but I still have two broken engagements,” Arabella said.
“You are just waiting for the right man.”
Arabella turned around to face her grandmother. “I’m not sure if that is true anymore.”
“You mustn’t give up hope.”
“It’s hard not to,” Arabella admitted.
Moore stepped into the room once more and announced, “Lord Barrett has requested a moment of your time.”
Her grandmother nodded. “Please send him in.”
Arabella turned back towards the window, trying to ignore her racing heart. Why had the thought of seeing Colin caused her to react in such a way? It was very inconvenient.
Colin’s voice came from the doorway. “Thank you for agreeing to see me,” he said, stepping further into the room.
