Suddenly, he realized she was waiting for him to leave. The audacity! This was neither of their homes, and if he wanted to be out here in the garden, he would be.
“I do not need anything but to take the air, Miss. Pray, does my presence bother you?” he asked, hearing the tinge of vexation in his voice.
“It is Lady Arabella. And no, you do not bother me. But I feel uncomfortable, for there is only the two of us out here, and it is not proper. If anyone saw us…”
“I am not keeping you from going inside,” he said, gesturing to the door.
“I would like to stay here,” she mumbled.
She bit her bottom lip as she looked to the ballroom, reluctance flashing across her face, and he understood.
Her strange behavior had nothing to do with him. It was the notion of going back inside that was troubling her. That’s why she was standing out here so gawkily. Something in the ballroom had upset her, and she had escaped to the garden, much like he had.
“Miss, are you quite sure—Excuse me, Lady Arabella. Are you quite sure that you do not want to talk about what has upset you? Judging by the state of your face…”
Her hands flew to her cheeks. “The state of my face?” she asked.
“It is quite clear that you have been crying.”
He pulled a handkerchief out of his coat pocket and handed it to her. However, instead of taking it, she brushed past him and back into the house. The door closed behind her, and he saw her spinning around, looking back into the garden. Then she disappeared, leaving him standing there and chuckling.
What a peculiar girl. What a peculiar girl, indeed.
CHAPTER 3
“What is wrong with my face?” Arabella muttered under her breath as she rushed to the hall to look at herself in one of the mirrors.
“Perdition,” she gasped when she saw the trails marking her face.
Quickly, she touched up her face, all the while carrying that ball of anger that had formed in her stomach upon encountering the Duke of Sheffield.
Why had he stood there so silently? Why had he refused to let her be? She’d wanted to stay outside on her own for a while longer, to pass some time before she had to face her sisters again, but he’d made it impossible.
“The nerve of him. That widgeon,” she muttered.
Yet, as she moved through the throng of guests, she paused, realizing that she did want to talk about what had happened. She’d longed for someone who might understand her situation, but there wasn’t anyone.
Her sisters, as mad as they made her, were her best friends, and the friends she had outside the house she kept at arm’s length because she feared what would happen if they ever came to her home and saw what her father was like behind closed doors. Her sisters were her best friends and companions, but at times they were vexing beyond compare.
Most days, her only refuge was either the music room, where she would play music from the past and allow herself to escape there, or her books. Sometimes, she felt unbearably lonely—but the Duke of Sheffield was the last person she’d want to confide in.
As she returned to the ballroom, her eyes found her father, and her heart sank. His cheeks were already a bit red, and he looked like he might be bosky. Just what she needed…
She wasn’t in the mood to talk to him, but she had no other choice, for he was heading her way.
“Arabella!” he called out, his voice slightly slurred. She cringed at the sound. “Where have you been?”
“In the garden,” she replied, nodding toward the door.
Her father glanced out, his head tilted to the side. “Is that the Duke of Sheffield out there? Were you taking the air with him?”
She noted how delighted he sounded at the notion, and it gave her great pleasure to correct him.
“No, he was outside as well, but we were not together. We exchanged greetings, and that was it. He is rather rude, Father.”
“Ah well, a shame. We surely could use a duke in the family. Though I hear this one is a bit of a nipcheese. Well, now that you are here, I have a task for you. Your sisters need you. They went upstairs to the library to lie down on the fainting couch.” He blinked, then reconsidered. “Well, Hanna went to lie down. She felt faint. Anyhow, Emma is with her. You ought to see to them.”
Arabella’s anger flared, heating her cheeks. “Are you responsible for this, Father? Did you fight?”
