Chapter 13

"You're always arguing with Eddie. That's why you keep having headaches," Emily scolded as she poured Arabella a cup of chamomile tea.

It wasn't a lie, Arabella thought as she sipped her tea.

Ever since she and Edward had decided to put on a show in front of his family, they'd bickered nonstop, earning themselves concerned looks and advice over the last few days.

"He just gets on my nerves," she complained. "How could he think I'd like to go and see a Shakespearean play after I'd told him several times that I don't like Shakespeare?"

Lies!

She absolutely adored the play, as she adored Shakespeare, but they didn't need to know that.

"But you stayed for the whole play," the Dowager Duchess pointed out.

"I didn't want him to feel bad about wasting the ticket money," Arabella argued.

The women rolled their eyes.

"I think he should have listened to her," Joana piped up. "He knew she didn't like the play and yet took her anyway."

"He's a man, Joana," Emily stated, as if that explained everything.

"They don't exactly understand what women find entertaining."

"Here. Here," Harriet seconded. "When you get married, you learn to live with it."

Arabella shook her head as she tried not to laugh. If Edward were here now, she was sure he'd be doing the same.

It was funny how his family's distress over their fights was what they'd bonded over. They'd laughed at the situation over cups of tea late in the evenings in his study and even debated how to pass their points across.

"Or, remember yesterday, when he blamed me for your accident." Arabella frowned. It had been so scary seeing Emily fall because the straps of the saddle had been cut. She shuddered to think she could've been the one riding the horse. "Now that annoyed me the most."

Emily shook her head. "He was just spooked," she insisted. "I'm sure he regretted saying so."

"Why would he blame you?" Joana asked. "If this is what marriage is like, then I don't think I want it very much."

Harriet and Emily laughed.

"You're still young." Harriet smiled. "I said as much to my mother, but when I met my sons' father, I wanted as many babies as I could."

"The same was with me." Emily smiled. "I used to try to escape to the Americas or France, but my father caught me every time. It was on an escape attempt that I met Charles. He used to annoy me to the core back then, but here we are today."

All the women cooed at their story. It was so like something one would read in a romance novel.

Speaking of Edward's brother, he was the only one in the family Arabella had yet to bond with. It was as if he were purposely avoiding her. He found every excuse to leave the room when she entered and avoided her questions at dinner, although tactly, as though she were being rude. But he'd been particularly joyous since she and Edward had started arguing.

"We know exactly what the both of you need," Harriet announced, smiling almost like a Cheshire cat that Arabella couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear.

"What who needs?" Edward asked, walking into the room and going to kiss his mother on the cheek.

When he looked at Arabella, he pretended to glare at her and went to sit on one of the other sofas. Seeing him sit in such a daintily colored chair made her burst into giggles.

"What is it, dear?" Emily asked.

"Nothing," Arabella answered, but when she saw the tiny porcelain cup in his large hands, she burst into laughter again.

"Is something funny, wife?" he asked with a growl.

"Nothing at all, dear husband." She snorted.

"What has got you laughing, then?" Harriet asked.

"I just remembered something funny, that's all," Arabella answered once her laughter ceased. "I'm sorry."

They shook their heads at her.

"Anyway, Edward, I was about to make a suggestion," Harriet announced.

"Indeed?" Edward seemed curious to know, but with the way his eyes kept darting to the door, it was obvious he was ready to escape.

"Indeed." Harriet smiled brightly. "It will help you two stop arguing every second."

"Mother, I assure you there's really no need to?—"

"You two are newlyweds, but you're already behaving like an old married couple," Emily scolded.

"But we're?—"

"Eddie, do you remember that lovely field overlooking the lake at the southern edge of the property?" Harriet asked, cutting him off.

"I do. Why?" He looked so skeptical that Arabella almost wanted to laugh and admit to their charade.

"Have you taken your lovely bride to see it?" Harriet asked suggestively. "It's a beautiful day to familiarize your bride with the land she now owns. You've been too busy to spend time with her."

"But, Mother, there are letters I must reply to. And?—"

"And they will be here when you return," Harriet finished for him in a no-nonsense tone. "Besides, all the children would pay attention to their lessons if you two weren't arguing every second."

Arabella hid her giggle behind a bite of a yummy biscuit. One of the many things she'd come to love about her new home was the food. The chef, apparently of French origins, was well-trained in diverse cuisines and spices and knew how to bring life to each dish she made. More than once, Arabella had sent her compliments to the chef.

"But, Mother?—"

"I will hear no further arguments from you." Harriet's sharp blue eyes glittered dangerously as she gripped her butter knife menacingly. "You will take her, and you will do so today."

Arabella's eyebrows rose of their own accord, impressed by the woman.

The Dowager Duchess had her son well and truly cornered with only a few sentences. Arabella really did admire the older woman's elegant manner of handling and resolving issues. Seeing her work now made her realize how she'd been able to run her household so efficiently.

"You win this time, Mother," Edward conceded with a sigh. "I'll take her."

Arabella pouted at his dour tone. "You don't need to sound so glum about spending time with me," she complained.

"I'm not glum." He frowned.

"Your tone says otherwise."

"Ara…"

"They're doing it again," Emily groaned.

"Doing what?" Edward asked.

"Arguing. And I see this time that it is your fault, Eddie." Emily frowned. "You should be excited you're taking the day off to spend time with your new wife. You've done absolutely nothing to make her feel welcome here. You haven't even shown her the lands she rules over now. Tsk!"

This time, Arabella couldn't hide her giggle at Edward's perplexed expression.

"It's not his fault, Emily. It's mine," she interjected, if anything because this time their argument was her fault. "Edward's been trying to take me on a tour of the property for days, but I have been under the weather."

"But you seemed fine all this time," Emily pointed out, looking concerned.

"I hide it well." Arabella feigned a grimace. She was getting too good at lying.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, dear," Harriet soothed. "Do you want me to send for the family physician?"

"No," Arabella answered almost forcefully. "I mean, no. There's no need for that. I'll be fine when I take some fresh air."

"Are you just doing this to escape spending time with your husband?"

"Not at all."

"Are you sure?" Harriet pressed. "Because if you must know, it was Bea and Noah who asked us to make you two stop fighting."

"They did?"

"Yes, they did."

"That's so?—"

"It's settled then." Harriet signaled to a parlor maid. "Rosa, do be a dear and ask Cook to prepare the basket I informed her about this morning."

The maid curtsied and went on her errand.

"A picnic?" Arabella asked.

"Yes, a picnic." Her mother-in-law nodded, rising from her seat. "Did you bring a riding habit, darling?"

"Yes, I did," Arabella answered, rising from her seat as the matter had been settled. "I'll go change now."

"Do take a shawl with you, dearest," Harriet added, patting her cheek softly. "It gets chilly outside."

Arabella smiled at the concern in the older woman's voice and was grateful she'd come to find a mother in her. Tears threatened to fall as she remembered her own mother, but she blinked them back, not wanting anyone to worry.

Joana followed behind her, offering to help her style her hair, but she declined.

"Surely you'd prefer to do something other than play lady's maid for me." Arabella smiled at her.

Their friendship was something she'd been grateful for, as she hadn't had a friend close to her age since the scandal with the Duke of Green.

"I want to do this." Joana smiled. "You have such pretty hair."

They quickened their steps and had Arabella dressed in record time. She'd donned a forest green habit she rarely wore, since she'd spent most of her time around her family home or in it to escape the watchful eyes of the crowd. Joana styled her hair in a pretty chignon she didn't think she'd ever be able to accomplish, with Matilda adding a small hat for a fanciful finish.

"Don't you think this is too much?" Arabella asked, touching the hat.

"Not at all, Your Grace." Her lady's maid smiled. "His Grace won't be able to keep his eyes or his hands off you."

A hot blush crawled up Arabella's neck and cheeks at the woman's words. If anyone knew that they were yet to consummate their marriage, hell would be raised.

Arabella couldn't help but laugh at the irony that it was her request for a night of passion that got them into this situation, and now that they were married, they were yet to experience any of the passion.

"Stop teasing her, Matilda." Joana laughed. "Come, Your Grace, you'll be late."

"I'm coming."

They walked together in companionable silence, but when Arabella turned to look at Joana, she noticed that the woman wanted to say something.

"Do you really want to stay married to His Grace?"

Arabella turned to her with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"If he makes you so unhappy, wouldn't you want to leave him?" Joana asked.

"Yes, but…" Arabella paused. "I don't know."

"I'm just saying. If he loves you, he would do everything he could to make you happy."

"I'm sure he just has some things on his mind," Arabella told her. "He is a nice man."

"Just be careful." Joana smiled. "I'd hate to see you unhappy."

"Thank you." Arabella smiled back. "You're a real friend."

They skipped down the steps, and she collided with Edward's chest when he appeared out of nowhere at the bottom of the stairs.

"Thank you for escorting her, Joana." He smiled at his ward.

"It was my pleasure, Your Grace."

"Are you ready, wife?" he asked, steadying Arabella on her feet.

"Y-yes." She nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

"I do hope we're taking a horse this time."

"We are," he assured her.

"And you checked the straps?"

"I did." He frowned.

"Did you find out what happened with the other one?"

* * *

Edward wondered if he should tell her the truth about what he'd discovered.

As if reading his thoughts, she squeezed his arm. "You can tell me anything, you know."

"The straps were cut," he answered with a sigh.

"Cut?"

"Yes." He frowned.

Arabella was supposed to ride that horse. If Emma hadn't joked about trying to mount a horse, who knows what would have happened to her.

"But why?"

"I can't say. It makes no sense because I saddled the horses myself, and it was fine before."

Her eyes widened, and she paled. "Am I in danger?"

He squeezed her arm reassuringly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

She looked up at him.

"I promise."

She nodded. "I'm excited to see this famous picnic spot." She smiled, and his chest warmed at that.

"Did my mother tell you about the story of the picnic spot?"

"No. Is it as romantic as all her stories are?"

"Indeed." He winked. "My great grandfather met his wife after they wrestled for ownership of a deer both of their arrows had shot."

"Your great-grandmother hunted?"

"Indeed. She wasn't noble born."

"Oh."

"And he wasn't a duke at the time." He smiled, remembering the story. "They wrestled, and she won, claiming a kiss as well, and the rest is history. So now it's a tradition in my family for every newlywed to go there with their spouse."

"Well, I'm excited to see it now."