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The despair in her voice clutched at Arabella’s heart, and she grasped her hand. “We will find her. I promise. I won’t rest until we do.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Miss Seton, I don’t recall your name on our guest list?” James stood behind them, a smirk on his face. “A quiet card party with my father is one thing, but locals in poorly fitted dresses in my mother’s ballroom is quite another.”
Anger welled up inside of her. Why had she ever felt intimidated by his shabby behavior? “You are nothing but a small-minded and ill-mannered boor, James. Your opinion of me is baseless but ought to be best kept to yourself. I have no interest in hearing your comments about my person ever again.”
He turned to Caroline. “You should tell your friend to keep a civil tongue in her mouth if she ever wants to visit you as Mrs. Martin.”
Arabella laughed. “You think Caroline Reeve would deign to marry you? Not in a thousand years.”
Caroline’s gaze slid away, and Arabella’s blood ran cold for a moment. Then Caroline shook her head and swung her gaze to lock eyes with James. “I thought I could go through with it for my family’s sake. But not even for them can I affiliate myself with you. Arabella is right—you are small-minded.”
“Andill-mannered,” Arabella repeated for the sheer pleasure of it. She had never spoken so boldly to anyone before.
He looked incredulous.
“We shall remove ourselves from your presence if you find it too onerous to bear.” Arabella took Caroline’s elbow and guided her out of the ballroom. “Betsydefinitelywasn’t there,” she said to Caroline once they were alone. “She would never have stayed hidden during a confrontation like that. She would have been drawn to the drama.”
Caroline stopped her and grasped her face in her hands. “Bell.” She gazed into her eyes. “Bell, you were magnificent.”
She kissed her, and it warmed Arabella after a week of cold misery. For a moment she leaned into the kiss, lost in the expression of love and wonder and beauty, but there was no time to savor the moment.
Caroline pressed her forehead against her own. “She could be anywhere.”
Arabella frowned. “If Mr. Taylor intends to ruin her and draw attention to the fact, then she must still be here somewhere.”
“This is distasteful in the extreme.” Caroline’s face was shadowed.
“It is. But it’s far better for us to find them, and not a stranger,” Arabella said firmly. “Together, we can protect Betsy.”
* * *
Arabella’s help meant more than Caroline could ever say.
Having her here meant the world to her. Arabella was her comfort, her support.
Her love.
She loved her. And for her to come charging into the ballroom tonight as magnificent as any knight errant could only mean that Arabella loved her too.
But there would be time for words later. Now, she needed to find Betsy.
They searched the library and the drawing room, careful to evade servants and other guests who seemed to be looking for their own privacy. Caroline marveled at how well she and Arabella worked together, hardly needing more than a word or a gesture to convey what they were thinking. Side by side, they made quick work of the downstairs, but there was no sign of Betsy.
Caroline spotted Mr. Graham outside the ballroom as they circled back toward the main staircase to the second floor.
He bowed. “Have you seen Miss Betsy tonight?”
He was reserved, and Caroline felt embarrassed at her treatment of him after her dinner party. She had indeed been too proud. “I am looking for her, sir. Unfortunately, I am worried for her safety from a villain.”
His face turned thunderous as she explained. “Where is he?” he asked, his eyes sharp. “If one hair on her head is harmed, I will destroy him.”
“We have searched the downstairs already.”
“Then let us go upstairs,” he said grimly, and took the steps two at a time. “I fought a duel with a blackguard for my sister’s honor, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same for Miss Betsy.”
A duel for his sister! Arabella had been right. Caroline had been too quick to judge his past.
