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Chapter Thirty
Belle was pacing her room. Every step she took, her heart pounded with fear, afraid of what was coming next. She wrung her hands together, biting on her lip in that unladylike manner her father abhorred. She didn’t know what else to do, however. Only the previous day, her father had taken her from the Stanton home, and she knew that tomorrow she would be forced to marry the Marquess of Winchfield.
Belle couldn’t allow that to happen. She thought of Stephen, wondering if he was aware of what happened to her. Surely, Anne must have told him. Was he feeling betrayed this moment? Was he hating her for lying? Was the Stanton family doing the same?
Those questions bothered her constantly, made her toss and turn throughout the night. She’d barely slept and even as she felt the dregs of her fatigue overwhelm her, Belle couldn’t stop pacing, couldn’t still her anxious movements as she thought of what she should do next.
The knock on her door interrupted her thoughts, but only briefly. She didn’t bother to answer, only continued her frantic pacing.
“My Lady?” It was Hannah. Her mother had brought her with them to London. “Is everything all right?”
“No, Hannah,” Belle said, not stopping. “Nothing is all right. Tomorrow, I will be married to a man I hardly know when the man I love is probably hating me this very moment.”
“My Lady, stop this.” Hannah grasped her firmly by the arm, successfully bringing her to a stop. The moment she did, Belle’s legs buckled, and she nearly collapsed into Hannah’s arms.
Quickly, with more strength than Belle had expected, Hannah brought her over to the bed and had her lie down. Belle did so, but only lasted a moment before she was sitting back up.
“My Lady, you must rest. You are clearly exhausted.”
“I could, but I’m afraid there is no hope of sleep for me,” Belle said. “I cannot be here. I cannot allow myself to be married to that man.”
“Is there anything you can possibly do?” Hannah asked, in a tone that indicated she already knew the answer as well as Belle did.
There was nothing she could do. Her father would not allow her to slip away a second time. She sighed. “Then do you think I should simply allow this to happen?”
“His Grace is a determined man, My Lady. Perhaps it is not as bad as you might think.”
Belle released a low breath. She didn’t think Hannah truly understood how she was feeling right now, even though she could tell her lady’s maid was trying her hardest to. Her concerned expression was all she needed to see to know that.
“I...don’t want to talk about me right now,” she said after a moment. “How have you been in my absence?”
“In truth, My Lady, I have been concerned for you. When I saw the Duke’s determination to find you, I was afraid that he might, but I told myself that it was likely he was too late. By the time we came to London, I believed you to be on your way to Scotland already.”
“And yet a simple injury like this is what caused my demise.” Belle lifted her still healing ankle, twisting it from side to side. The pain was barely noticeable but now that she was looking at it, she realized that it wasn’t as full healed as she thought it was. With her mind on other things, she’d hardly remembered it.
“Perhaps these are all things that were meant to happen, My Lady,” Hannah said softly.
Belle nodded. She believed so as well, though she did not want to think that she was meant to marry the Marquess of Winchfield. Yet, she was fated to meet Stephen, she was fated to stay with the Stanton family, she was meant to build such relationships with them that she didn’t think would ever be broken.
Except, they all must hate me now.
Belle hadn’t missed the way they looked at her when she was leaving. And Stephen would certainly feel angry once he realized that everything she’d told him was a lie. Belle certainly would have had she been in his position.
“That is not all, My Lady,” Hannah went on, her tone low and sad. It alarmed Belle.
“What is it?” she asked.
“In his attempt to understand where you might have gone, His Grace questioned many of the servants at Auldwood Manor. When he asked Tom about your whereabouts that night, Tom was forced to tell him because he was afraid he would be fired. But, once he heard what happened, the Duke still went ahead and fired him.”
“Heavens, that’s terrible!” Another wave of guilt washed over her. Had Tom not helped her escape that night, that would have never happened.
“He has some savings to help him, My Lady,” Hannah said. “But I am worried about him. He has a family to take care of. He relied a lot on that position.”
Belle knew that as well as Hannah did. Tom’s love for his position went beyond simply providing for his family, however. He had a passion for horses that rivaled her own.
“I will do all that I can to help him,” Belle said sincerely, taking Hannah’s hands.
“I know, My Lady. That is why I thought to tell you.”
