Arabella could hardly believe it—he looked so much like her own father. Both men were driven by rage, so pitiful in their impotent anger.
“I know the Hennesseys,” he said then, pointing from Emma to Hanna and back again, clearly unsure which sister was which. “I will make sure their courtships end, and whatever matches you have hoped to make, I will ruin them all. Mark my words.”
“You would not dare!” Arabella barked, but Harry placed a hand on the small of her back.
“Try as you might,” he said calmly. “You will find you no longer have any power in this town. As for Helen, she will stay with me. You will never get your hands on her.”
“We shall see,” Sir Richard spat. “The law is on my side, as I said. She will be mine. I have my ways.” He looked up at Helen. “Wherever you go, I will be a shadow breathing down your neck until I have you under my control again, and then you will all be sorry.”
He slammed the door shut, leaving them behind shaken yet oddly relieved.
CHAPTER 36
Arabella dropped her head against Harry’s shoulder the moment the door shut behind his uncle and exhaled deeply. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “It’s over now,” he murmured. “He can’t do anything anymore.”
“Are you sure?” Helen asked.
Brandon had just carried her down the steps, and Mrs. Hollingsworth arrived with the secondary wheelchair they kept downstairs for such purposes. Brandon lowered her into the chair, and then he and Mrs. Hollingsworth quietly took their leave.
“Do not worry,” Harry said, crouching in front of her. “He will never have you again, unless it is your wish.”
“Never!” Helen exclaimed. “I want to stay with you and Arabella. I want to stay here.”
Harry rubbed her arm reassuringly. “I want that too, but for the time being, we must find another place for you—just until we are certain he will not try anything further to reclaim you. Once his reputation is entirely shattered, it will be safe. But until then, we must take precautions.”
Helen inhaled sharply but nodded. “I understand. But where? He might find me anywhere.”
“I know where,” Hanna spoke suddenly, drawing their attention. “Ireland, with Alex.”
“Alexander?” Arabella’s voice was laced with skepticism. “He has never done a thing for us. Why would he help now?”
Emma echoed the sentiment. “He has shown no inclination to assist us.”
“Because he regrets his past inaction,” Hanna insisted. “The truth is, he and I have been corresponding for the last three months or so. He wrote to inquire after Arabella and confessed that he felt dreadful for not intervening earlier. He said he hoped Harry would do right by us. He mentioned that he knows some people who attended Cambridge with Harry, and they spoke well of him. He believed anything would have been better than remaining under our father’s roof.”
“I cannot believe you have been writing to him,” Arabella murmured, disbelief evident in her voice.
“He knows he made a mistake,” Hanna continued, “and he wishes to atone for it. Harry, he sent you a letter too. In it, he offered a cottage on his estate in Galway. He is well-liked there, and the townspeople would surely stand with him should anyone attempt to take her away.”
Arabella looked at Harry. “It is up to you, Bella,” he said, noticing for the first time that he had used her pet name. “I will not do anything you do not approve of.”
Arabella was silent for a moment, processing this unexpected news. She hadn’t known that her sister was in touch with Alexander. But of course, it made sense. Hanna was the eldest and had always gotten along with him. She had always been the one to maintain relationships without harboring resentment. If Alexander were to be honest with any of them, it would be Hanna.
Besides, Alex knew what it was like to live under the shadow of a volatile father and would understand what Helen had endured.
Arabella hadn’t forgiven him for abandoning them, but if he had not done so, who knew what might have happened?
She crouched down next to Harry and then shifted to sit on the bottom step, followed by her sisters. Helen maneuvered her wheelchair to face them, and Hanna sat cross-legged on the floor.
“I think it would be good for you, Helen,” Arabella began finally. “Alex is not a bad man. He has had his troubles, but I would liketo accompany you. I think both of us should go to Ireland with you, at least initially—and Mrs. Hollingsworth, of course.”
“I would love that!” Helen gushed.
Harry winked at Arabella. “It could be like the honeymoon we never had,” he said, nudging her gently.
“Indeed, it could be,” she replied, smiling.
Then Helen looked up at Harry. “Would you take me back upstairs? I would like to finish what we were doing. We were going to go out for a walk in the garden, and I need to finish my hair.”
