Page 61 of Lady Arabella’s Reluctant Hero

Arabella deferred demurely when they tried to draw her in. She was having too much fun watching their antics.

This time when she thought about the duchess's letter, she felt the tiniest pang of…well, not regret. A little disappointment, perhaps. Not because she'd be free. That was, of course, the greatest relief. But once her ties to Pierce were cut and the danger was lifted…

There would be no need to keep up this farce, now would there? She drew in a deep breath. But Lucy glanced her way just then and Arabella forced a smile.

She'd known from the start that this would be temporary. Best not to dwell on that. No, it was best to merely focus on the fact that there was a very real chance that her two-year nightmare would end.

And after…?

Well. What happened after could wait.

Shortly after breakfast, a walk was suggested. Arabella wasn't quite certain who first mentioned it, but it was a gloriously sunny day, and she wasted no time summoning her maid to dress for the outing.

The whole group set off on the winding dirt lane that threaded through the countryside, past gardens and over a stream. But at some point along the way, Arabella and John lost the others.

Each had suspiciously sudden and pressing matters to attend to. Clarissa declared she needed ribbons in town, and she couldn't pick them out without Lucy's help. So they detoured toward town with a harried Mrs. Lennox chasing after.

Shortly after, Kit offered to escort Thea to the lending library. Without asking John or Arabella if they wished to join, they set off.

Arabella and John were left alone but for a maid who'd been trailing so far behind she might as well have been in another county.

She and John kept going the way they had been, toward a meadow with a gazebo that John assured her was an excellent place to rest in the shade.

However, the closer they drew, the more clouds appeared in the sky, making shade rather unnecessary.

"You've been quiet today," John said after a lengthy but comfortable silence.

"Have I?" She glanced over at him. "I had a letter from the duchess."

It just sort of came out of her, unintended.

"News?" he asked.

"Progress. She says they're getting closer. There's a solicitor connected to Pierce's employer. And Thea has been—" She paused. "It seems Thea has been asking questions I hadn't thought to ask."

He let out a huff of amusement. "That sounds like Thea."

"She thinks there may be a way to…" Arabella hesitated. The hope was right there, in her throat, and she was afraid to let it out. "She thinks the situation may not be as permanent as I believed."

John was quiet for a moment. "That is very good news."

She swallowed hard at the gruffness in his tone. Dipping her head, she feigned a fascination with the dirt road beneath her feet.

Did he know what that meant? Did he care?

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The duchess says a fortnight, perhaps, and this may well be over."

"A fortnight," he repeated.

She watched his face and tried to read his thoughts. It was a fruitless endeavor, but she wondered if his feelings were as mixed and muddled as hers.

A fortnight and the investigation might be resolved. A fortnight and she might return to London. A fortnight and all this—the walks, the quiet evenings, and the meadow, and Lucy's laughter… It would all be over.

Except…not for him.

She turned away with a shake of her head. She was being ridiculous. Of course he'd be nothing but delighted to call an end to this faux courtship and the need to be her protector.

"Your father must be worried about you," he said.