Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

A rabella 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 like to 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.”

Arabella grinned at the young woman’s resilience. It was truly a blessing to witness.

“Very well, but do let me know when you’re ready to go. I want to go with you, just in case.”

Helen nodded, and Arabella looped her arm through Harry’s. “Why don’t Harry and I go outside already? We will wait for you in the garden.”

Hanna grinned and stood up suddenly. “We will join you in a few minutes.”

Arabella waited by the garden door for Harry to return. The fresh air was invigorating. The confrontation with Sir Richard had been dreadful, but it was over now. They had quashed the threat, and now they could focus on the future.

“Are you ready?” Harry asked a few minutes later.

He opened the door with one hand while holding hers with the other. They stepped outside, greeted by the sweet scent of lavender and roses.

“I wanted to be alone with you for a few minutes,” she said.

“As did I. I am so proud of you, Arabella,” he murmured. “The way you stood up to my uncle—I can scarcely believe it. When I think back to your argument with your father on our wedding day, it is as if you are a different woman.”

Her heart swelled with pride at his words. “I had to stand up for you and Helen, just as you stood up for me against my father. The truth is, Harry, I believe I have grown more in these last few months than I had in the past ten years. I feel stronger, more determined not to allow anyone to put me down again—nor those I love.”

“I must confess, I feel the same. You’ve given me a strength I never knew I possessed. It is quite remarkable. Although we were brought together under unfortunate circumstances, I am grateful to your father for it. I shudder to think what he might have done to your sisters if he had tried the same with them. I want them to be happy, but I am also concerned about what my uncle said. Do you truly think he could ruin their courtships?”

Arabella shrugged. “Perhaps. Lord Hennessey has always been close to your uncle, and his father before him. But time will tell. If those courtships fall apart, we shall simply have to orchestrate new ones—better ones.”

She paused for a moment, enjoying the feel of her hand in his, then smiled. “I can scarcely believe all we have been through these last few weeks. It feels as though years have passed, not just a few months. So much has happened.”

Harry chuckled. “I must agree. It has been quite eventful, and it is not over yet. We will be taking Helen to Ireland so she can stay with your brother. Are you ready for that?”

“I am, with you by my side. I admit that I do hope that my relationship with my brother will improve through this. I am amazed that he is genuinely apologetic for what has happened.”

“We all learn and grow, Arabella. Well, most of us. I dare say my uncle and your father are perhaps beyond help in that regard. But I think it best to minimize our contact with them and focus on the things that bring us happiness—our family, your sisters, Helen, and each other. You make me happier than I ever imagined possible. You have made me stronger, and you have made me more selfless. I couldn’t be more thankful. I love you, and I am so sorry for all the times I treated you coldly. I thought I was protecting you.”

“I understand. And I must ask for your forgiveness for continuously accusing you of the worst things. First, I believed you were trying to rid yourself of an unwanted child, then I thought you were engaged in an affair with Helen, only to discover how wrong I was.”

“I should have told you the truth sooner, but it is all behind us now. I cannot wait to have Helen back here, living with us, as part of our family.”

“I want that too,” Arabella beamed. “And I want my sisters to be happily married, preferably to locals. And perhaps one day, Alexander can join us,” she added, a small part of her yearning for her brother’s presence in her life. Then she looked up at Harry. “And I wish for a family of our own as well. Children—little boys and girls running all around the estate.”

He squeezed her hand. “I wish for that too, more than anything. But there is something else I would like.”

“What is that?” she asked.

To her surprise, he got down on one knee before her.

“Arabella Ridlington,” he began. “I know we are already married by law, but I want nothing more than for you to become my wife—not just in the eyes of the law, but in our hearts as well. Arabella, would you do me the honor of marrying me again, this time with only our family and friends as witnesses and because you want to, not because you were made to?”

Arabella felt tears stinging her eyes, and then they rolled down her cheeks. Soon enough, her ivory skin was once again streaked with the pearl powder she wore, reminiscent of their first meeting. But this time, she did not care. This time, it didn’t matter. What she felt at that moment for Harry was nothing but pure, genuine love.

“I do,” she whispered as she sank to her knees, getting dirt all over her skirt.

She threw her arms around him, and he pulled her into an embrace. When their lips met, Arabella knew that at long last, her struggle to find a place where she belonged was over.