Chapter 5

Arabella was distraught.

She had not expected to be forced into marriage today. The Duke had never agreed to their plan, so she had thought he would not go along with it. He seemed like the type of man who did not enjoy being told what to do, and Arabella could relate, though he was more welcome to not listen.

"You want to marry me?" she asked, trying to sound not so shocked at the idea.

She looked back over at him, but he was glaring at her brother.

She took a deep breath.

"Ara, do you love the Duke of Soulden?" Leonardo asked, his expression hesitant.

"I…" She paused, desperate for more time to think. She had none. "I do."

Leo walked back around his desk and sat down in the tall chair their father used to fall asleep in after working long into the night. How she wished she could talk to him about this.

Leo cleared his throat and said with hesitation, "Then you two have my blessing."

Arabella felt a weird sense of relief as well as unnerving nausea. She was thankful that Edward went along with it for the sake of it, but she knew that he did not wish to marry, much like her. She glanced over at him and attempted to give him an appreciative smile, but he did not look at her. He was staring right at Leo.

"I am grateful for your blessing," he said in a gruff voice.

Something about the way he said it made her insides twist with unease. There was no way he would have agreed to the marriage under normal circumstances. Neither would she, and she felt sick to her stomach.

"If you two will excuse me, I need to make preparations," Edward added, standing up. "I would like the wedding to take place as soon as possible, so I can return to my estate."

"O-of course," Leonard agreed. "I will inform the family of the good news as soon as possible. But I need to speak with my sister if you please."

Edward nodded, leaving the siblings alone in the study without so much as a glance at Arabella. She felt a mix of confusion and guilt. Why had he not even looked at her? Was he that mad at her or the situation?

She glanced up at her brother, his brooding eyes softening considerably once the Duke left the room.

"Ara, is what you said true? Are you actually in love with the Duke?" Leonard asked, sitting down and folding his arms on the desk.

Arabella felt her face flush as she lied. "Yes. I was not expecting to be swept off my feet that quickly."

Leonard took a moment, studying her face. "I thought you said you could not fall in love again, and now you have fallen this hard this fast. I have to think something is not adding up here."

Arabella furrowed her brow in frustration. Why couldn't he just believe her? Men were used to women falling in love immediately, so why was it so hard for him to believe this?

"Well, I guess that's manly wisdom you think you have over me," she snarled, immediately regretting speaking to him like that. "I'm sorry, Leo. There has been a lot going on this last day. My emotions are a bit frazzled."

"I understand, Sister. I am happy for you, though. I had always hoped you would find a love match," Leonard said, his voice soft, but his gaze still a little wary.

Arabella felt like she could cry. Once, she too would have preferred a love match if she were to have it her way. But she would not.

"Me too," she mumbled.

* * *

The wedding preparations swiftly began. Edward had gone to the local church, which was located not too far from the Thorne estate to obtain a special license, since they wanted to marry so soon.

The family had questioned Arabella on the lack of the Duke's excitement, but she'd played it off as him being busy with other things. She could understand, but she had begun to see the brighter side of this predicament. Once they were married, they would be expected to spend the first several months together, as was customary. After that, she figured they could live separately.

After all, marriage was only a contract.

She had also begun thinking of how her family's financial troubles may be alleviated greatly. She remembered that Sarah had told her that their family's finances had been struggling since their father was alive, but now that she was getting married to one of the wealthiest dukes in Britain and would be joining his family, they could be saved from ruin.

"Ara, I cannot believe you are to wed the Duke," her younger sister, Madeline, said to her the following afternoon as they sat in the drawing room.

"I, too, am surprised that I am to be married," Arabella replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.

She hated that she was enjoying the preparations and the thought of her family's safety, as she knew the Duke did not have anything to gain from the marriage. Just the loss of his freedom.

"You surprised us all," Sarah chimed in from the sofa. She was crocheting something Arabella couldn't quite make out.

"Do you truly love him, Sister?" Madeline asked with equal amounts of innocent wonder and slight disgust.

Arabella swallowed hard. "I do."

"I hope I find a love match one day, though the idea of marriage also makes me quite ill," Madeline cooed, her eyes glimmering.

"Madeline, that is quite enough," Sarah chided, although she was struggling to hold in a giggle. "Why don't you go ahead and take the dogs out? I need to speak to our sister in private."

"Ugh," Madeline huffed. "Fine. But I want to know the details later."

She pointed at her eyes and then at Arabella, then waltzed out the drawing room door.

Arabella gave Sarah a what is going on? look.

"I have to ask after our conversation last night, is there something else going on with this wedding?" Sarah asked, setting her crocheting down. "I would love to fully believe that you have found a love match. But I know that you were firm in your stance."

Arabella laughed nervously but struggled to get any words out again. She wanted to tell her sister everything. She knew she could trust her because she never went to Leonard or anybody else after their talk in the hedge garden.

"I know that this is the right decision for me." She smiled, masking her nerves as best as she could. "It's more than a love match, Sister."

It's everything but.

"But you only met yesterday," Sarah pointed out.

"But it feels like I've known him for a lifetime," Arabella answered honestly.

"That is very romantic."

Arabella blushed at the fact that she meant those words. "He made me feel things I've never felt before."

"If that is what you believe, then I am beyond happy for you," Sarah gushed, her face flushing. "Being in love can be an incredible thing."

"I know," Ara replied softly.

I would love to experience that someday.

She sighed. Even though she'd claimed she never wanted to marry, deep down she'd hoped for a romance that rocked her and swept her off her feet.

It saddened her greatly that she was still going to be trapped in the golden cage she'd feared all her life. She could only hope for the best, since the Duke was of the same mind.

* * *

The following day, the Duke was invited to join the family for dinner that evening. Arabella was nervous, as she had not seen Edward since the previous morning.

Would he still avoid her? Was he upset?

A few hours before their dinner, she was promenading in the hedge garden, with Herbert chaperoning her. She made her way to the statue of her grandfather and smiled. She had heard great things about him, though she never got to meet him in person.

He was her mother's father and died when her mother was only seventeen. Her mother used to tell stories of how he would go out to sea for months and come back with wild stories. He was the captain of the British Navy and was required to be at sea for half of the year.

Her mother had always said that her parents were a true love match and that she hoped she would find one too.

Arabella laughed when she thought about how she would end up finding one. She had always gone to talk with the statue whenever she had problems.

"I wish I could talk to you or Mother," she said to the statue, the cold stone shining in the sunlight. "You both would have known how to help me."

She sat down on the bench on the side of the statue. A cool gust of wind blew her hair back, and she smiled. Closing her eyes, she decided to talk to her grandfather, even though he wasn't there.

"Two nights ago, I made the mistake of thinking with my heart. Mother had always told me to think with my brain, as women are known not to do so. Anyway, I was… alone with the Duke of Soulden, and we were close. It was closer than I had ever been with anyone other than Mother and Father.

"I do not really know what was going to happen, but I know that it felt right. I am not in love with him, but maybe I could be? I don't know, I just wish you were here." She stood up, feeling antsy. "But maybe this is a journey only I can embark on."

She left the statue and continued her promenade in the garden. The she went back to the house to get ready for tonight's dinner.

She decided on a deep green dress that fit her comfortably but hugged her chest slightly tighter than the rest of her body. The neckline dipped slightly, showing a bit of cleavage, and it was lined with lace the same shade of green as the rest of the dress. The skirt was lined with the same lace.

A woman was better prepared to face a battle in a good dress.

When the housemaid opened the dining room door, Arabella immediately felt upset.

He wasn't there yet.

Counting her loss and attempting not to look disappointed, she took a seat across from Leonard. She wasn't hungry much; her nerves had eaten away the hunger. The smell of the roasted lamb wafting from the kitchen made her stomach growl, however. Oh, and the potatoes smelled divine.

Maybe she was hungry.

"My Lord," Jasmine called from the doorway, "His Grace, the Duke of Soulden, has arrived."

Arabella's head nearly whipped around to watch the Duke saunter in. He wore a light tan overcoat with matching breeches, a black undershirt, and the Wellingtons he wore at the party.

"Good evening, Your Grace," Leonard greetedrising from his seat and bowing slightly.

Arabella rose from her seat but curtseyed. When she looked up, she saw that the Duke's eyes were fixed on her with the same burning passion from a few nights ago.

"Good evening, Your Grace," she echoed, before sitting down and keeping her eyes on him.

"Good evening, Lord Thorne, Lady Arabella," the Duke returned as Jasmine pulled out the chair at the foot of the table for him. It was the seat to Arabella's right.

Not too long after the Duke, Sarah and Richard strolled into the dining room. Sarah's cheeks looked rosy, and even Richard seemed a bit flustered. Arabella smiled at her sister's happiness and wondered if she and Richard had a good conversation.

"Good evening, Sister, Brother, Duke," Sarah said, sitting in the chair that was pulled out for her.

Richard said his pleasantries, and they all waited another few minutes for Madeline. Just like always, she was the last to arrive for dinner. Arabella couldn't help but laugh when her younger sister eventually strolled in, in her morning dress.

Leonard groaned. "Welcome, Sister. We were wondering if you would be joining us," he said, agitated.

"I apologize, I was very engrossed in my book." Madeline giggled at his annoyance. "You know, Brother, you are allowed to eat without me while in the comfort of your own house."

"I was just trying to be polite," Leo said, trying to sound somewhat playful, as he knew his sister meant no harm. She had always loved picking on him.

"Thank you, Brother," she quipped.

The first course was served. A light, spring salad with light balsamic dressing served in a large ramekin was placed in front of everyone.

"Duke," Sarah piped up, "Arabella has been talking my ear off about you and the wedding. Tell me, are you excited for the reception?"

Arabella wanted to stomp on her foot. She knew what Sarah was doing. She was gauging if the Duke was as in love as she supposedly was. Of course, he wasn't. Neither of them were.

Plus, she never talked about him like that.

He offered a soft smile and said, "I am very excited about the wedding. I have not felt anything this passionately in a very long time."

His words hit Arabella hard. He spoke with fire. With passion. He sounded sincere. It made Arabella want to curl up in a ball and apologize. She knew that he was lying through his teeth.

Sarah beamed, showing her teeth. "That is really great to hear. I have always hoped she would find someone who is as fiercely in love with her as she is with him. I don't know if she told you, but our parents were a true love match."

"I did not tell him that," Arabella said with a laugh, trying to slyly let her sister know that she did not appreciate her butting in.

"She did not, but I am glad your parents provided a loving household," the Duke replied with an almost convincing, genuine smile.

Sarah must have heard the compliment, but Arabella heard the jealousy in his words. They did grow up in a loving house, but something about what he said made her think he did not. She could not imagine a childhood without her parents' undying love for each other.

She paced herself as best as she could, but her anxiety about the dinner eased and her hunger replaced it.

"So, Your Grace, when your family arrives for the wedding, do you know how many rooms they will require? I am not a fan of procrastination and would like to start the preparations," Leonard asked after his first bite of ice.

The Duke took a moment to answer, his brow furrowed in thought. "I am not sure yet. A lot of my family has either passed away or are deep in the political trenches." He laughed uncomfortably. "So, I do not want to tell you a number that may not be correct."