Page 54 of Lady Arabella’s Reluctant Hero

"You are welcome. But I do not think it is the obstacle you believe it to be." Thea folded her hands in her lap. "But let's start with you."

"I—"

"You have trust issues," Thea continued. "Particularly with men. We've already established this."

"I do not⁠—"

"You do. But of course you do. It would be remarkable if you did not have trust issues." She paused. "Which is precisely why Lord Alderton is such a good choice for you. I can hardly think of a more trustworthy man."

Arabella opened her mouth, but nothing useful came out.

"And you," Thea continued, as though Arabella had not been attempting to speak. "You are clearly a good match for him."

"I am not— No one thinks— Thea!" Arabella spluttered in the most unladylike way imaginable. "I am the opposite of what he is looking for."

Thea shrugged. "Perhaps you are not what he is looking for. But you may well be what he needs."

Arabella recoiled into her chair. "And what, pray tell, does he need?"

Thea blinked as if surprised she had to answer because the answer was so obvious. "He needs someone with a spine, of course. Someone who will not simply depend on him. He has spent his entire life propping up the people around him. Haven't you noticed? He is very good at it. But I should think the last thing that man needs is some wilting flower." She met Arabella's gaze steadily. "He needs someone who can hold herself up. And occasionally hold him up too. And Lucy, of course."

Arabella could not find any words.

She had spent the past week telling herself that she was wrong for John. Too sharp. Too damaged. Too far from the gentle, sweet, maternal ideal that his family had described for him.

And Thea had just dismantled the entire argument in a matter of seconds.

Which did not mean she was right, Arabella reminded herself. The girl was odd. Not to mention she'd admitted herself not two minutes ago that she did not know the first thing about romantic relationships.

So Arabella should not listen. And she should absolutely not let herself hope.

"You—" Arabella cleared her throat. "You are rather direct, Miss Evermore."

"So I have been told. Generally by people who prefer I were less so." Thea picked up her pen. "Now. About the parish register. Was there a second witness at the ceremony, or only the one?"

The shift was so abrupt that Arabella nearly laughed. One moment Thea was rearranging her understanding of her own heart, and the next she was asking about witness counts.

Arabella answered the question. And the two that followed. And the one after that, about the name of the inn, and whether the register had been bound or loose pages.

She dutifully answered them all, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

Twenty minutes later she left the library with her head full of more thoughts than she could comfortably manage.

The corridor was dim. It seemed the afternoon had slowly faded to evening while she'd been with Thea. She turned the corner toward the stairs and nearly walked right into John.

He steadied her with a hand on her arm. "Forgive me. I was going to the library."

"I have just come from there," she said. "Miss Evermore is still in residence. I would knock."

He smiled. "Did you have a pleasant afternoon?"

"I did." She hesitated. "Miss Evermore is…an unusual woman."

"That she is." John considered. "But I'm grateful she's assisting the duchess with her investigations. I've spent more time with her of late thanks to her friendship with Clarissa, and I will say that while her mannerisms are peculiar, her mind is sharp. She often has the most clearheaded insights."

Arabella stared at him for a beat too long without responding. "Do you think… Do you think she's always right?"

John let out a huff of amusement. "Well, she is human, after all. I'm certain she's not always right."