Chapter 13

Why did he care so much? Whatever the answer, it felt as if his heart was being ripped out as he had stood there, first to see them embrace and then to witness the way Philip had moved next to her in a clear claim of ownership. That he had wanted to wipe the triumphant smirk off Philip's face might not have done him any good in Arabella's eyes, but it might have made him feel better.

He should have turned on his heel and left her to her life with the coxcomb who had ruined her life and broken her heart once before, but he had faltered like the idiot he was. He needed to convince himself that she wanted such a nodcock's advances, though it hurt like hell to see her remain at his side.

Willing her to come to him, to reject Philip, had been a foolish hope at best, and he cursed himself for being so needy. He had received no encouragement except for that moment when she had asked him to come back and then seemed concerned that he would travel on the stage. At the end of the day, those were the words of a considerate mistress, and he could not deny that she was becoming one, even if she had not been when he first arrived.

Sullivan and Mrs Johnson had begged him not to leave, and it had been hard not to acquiesce to their request, for he did not want to abandon her, though he had decided to try and persuade Mr Betez that he could be employed somewhere else.

"She needs all the support she can get," Mrs Johnson said, kneading dough as if she wanted to inflict real damage to it. Michael had the suspicion she was pretending it was Philip. "You see far more than we do. When he starts to take advantage of her, you need to be there to help her through her disappointment, for it will hit her hard. She has never done anything but put her heart and soul into everything she takes on."

Michael thought back to their kisses; it had felt that she had put her all into them, but then she had acted as if it had been a horrible mistake. He knew without doubt that he could never feel like that about something so special. "I think we are already too late in that regard. They seemed very cosy when I interrupted them." There was bitterness in his voice, but he could not hide it.

"She is forgetting what he did last time," Sullivan said. "A man like him does not change when there is an heiress around, especially one as isolated as Miss Arabella is. He must have been delighted when his wife died, and he found out that Miss Arabella was still unwed."

"Her uncle needs to know what is going on," Mrs Johnson chipped in.

"No. If that happens, it will push her into his arms," Sullivan cautioned. "You know how those two clash over everything." He turned his attention back to Michael. "What does Mr Betez need with you? I thought you were here until Miss Arabella obtained her majority?"

"I have no idea, but his express said to waste no time in returning to him. I could be back reasonably quickly, but after consideration, I have come to think it is best if I stayed away."

"A man in love should not give up so easily," Mrs Johnson scolded him.

To Michael's mortification, he blushed like a Johnny Raw. "I am not of her class, nor are the feelings returned. I cannot watch from the sidelines. A man in love has to protect himself in some cases, or he will end up in the asylum or arrested for murder."

"Tsk, I thought you had more backbone. Committing murder in such circumstances is not so much of a crime." Mrs Johnson was clearly disappointed with his response.

"Leave him be," Sullivan interjected. "I hope you do come back. It has been a pleasure having you about the place, and you might not think it, but you have had a huge impact on bringing Miss Arabella out of her exile. I never thought that she would willingly go out of the immediate parkland after she decided she was hideous to look at. You can be proud of what you have achieved in such a short time."

"Thank you, I appreciate that you think I have had an impact. Now, I must be off, or I will miss the stage."

***

Entering the Duck and Bull half an hour later, he obtained his ticket for the stage and then ordered a tankard of ale. He might as well enjoy a drink before he started his journey, but as every step away from Arabella felt like torture, he could only hope that the ale would help deaden the pain.

"You leaving the big house?" the landlord said, conversationally. Michael had remained standing at the bar, knowing he would be seated for too long from the moment he managed to squeeze himself into the crushed stagecoach.

"Aye," he said.

"Are you one of the changes Mr Wilson is bringing in? He's certainly got some big ideas, and he did mention getting rid of the servants who have been there too long in his opinion. Poor people don't know their time is limited up there."

"No, I've been called back to London." Trying to appear nonchalant, Michael took a swig of his beer. "What plans has he come up with? Anything other than servants who will blindly do as he bids."

"Says when he marries Miss Betez, there are going to be some changes made. He will make the house into some sort of exhibition place for his paintings. Says it is going to make him a fortune."

"I thought he had a gallery in London?"

"I don't know about that, just keeps saying that the house will provide him with everything he needs to be recognised. Between you and me, he sounds like he's full of himself, not sure how much of what he says is nothing more than what he hopes will happen rather than likely to happen."

"Miss Betez might have something to say about what he wants to do to the house, as it's not his."

"Ah, that's where me and him nearly had a falling out. Always been pleasant to me has Miss Betez, and it was a real shame what she had to go through because of high spirits. We all do silly things when we are young, and she was no different, but she paid a huge price for her folly."

"Why would that make you fall out with Mr Wilson? Do you blame him for her accident?"

"No, but when he says that the ape-leader will be confined to her own rooms and never be seen by his visiting friends, I had to take issue with him. He was not pleased with my scolding, but he got it anyway. I wasn't letting him speak about Miss Betez in that disrespectful way." He glanced away towards the window. "Sounds like the stage is arriving, right on time as always."

Michael set down his tankard, feeling sick to his stomach. He wanted to return to the house and beat Philip to a pulp but knew that it was his word against Philip's. He needed more to be able to convince Arabella that he was the wrong man for her, and the way to do that was to find solid evidence. The first thing he could do was to start looking at Philip's history in London.

Hating to be leaving her behind with such a self-serving, obnoxious, sneaksby, Michael stepped into the stage. He was going to find out everything he could about Philip Wilson, and then he would return. He would not stand by while Arabella was taken advantage of.

Perhaps one day, he might have come to terms if she was with someone who made her happy. But this? To be confined to a few rooms in her own home and to be compared to an ape-leader when she was beautiful. No. He could not stand by and do nothing, even if she hated him for destroying Philip's so-called good name. It was a risk he had to take, for he would not let Philip treat her ill.

***

Michael was surprised at the worried expression on Mr Betez's face when he was shown into his study the morning after he had arrived in London. He was immediately on the alert.

"I am hoping that you are going to reassure me, Michael," Mr Betez started the moment Michael sat down.

"In what regard?"

"About my niece. I have been hearing reports that I am not happy with."

"What kind of reports, sir? She has been going out and about, not fully into the locality, but more than she has been doing, and I have been showing her the ropes of what my job entails and her input into the running of the estate. She has picked it up quickly."

"I am not surprised about that; she is normally a very intelligent girl. I am happy to see you are having the impact that I had hoped, but it is not why I called you back. I meant about her behaviour regarding that rascal who is weaving his way back into her life."

"Ah, the obnoxious Mr Wilson," Michael said.

"I see you have the measure of the man," Mr Betez approved.

"It only took a few moments in his presence to work out who and what he was. Yesterday, I found out a little more about him that had my blood boiling even more than it does normally when he is in my company."

Mr Betez chuckled, relaxing a little. "I had not thought that he would bamboozle you, but one never knows."

"I am quite insulted by that comment, sir."

"My apologies. Now, what the devil is going on?"

"Could I ask how you have heard about Mr Wilson's arrival?"

"Thankfully, Arabella's friend is a prolific correspondent with her group of bluestockings, and I am friendly with the uncle of one of them. William sought me out when he heard his niece Julia reciting a letter to her husband. It seems Arabella's friend is concerned enough to have voiced them."

"I can understand her concerns as I share them." Feeling a little duplicitous, as he was sure that Mr Betez would not be happy to find out that he had been kissing his niece, he continued. "I found out that Mr Wilson's plans are far more thought out and sinister than I first gave him credit for."

"I knew I should have gone there!"

"I would advise not to undertake such a course of action, sir," Michael cautioned. "I have been told that you forbade her to see him last time, and she went against your wishes. Is that correct?"

"Yes, blast her, and look how that turned out!"

"She would respond no better if you tried that tactic again," Michael said. "With your permission, I would like to spend the next couple of days trying to find out anything I can about Mr Wilson. If I find anything that shows him to be the scoundrel we suspect, I can then use the evidence I am able to gather as proof as to why she should not give him the time of day. Only if faced with facts will she listen to reason."

"How fast can you work? I do not want him to persuade her into a dash to the border or anything foolish like that."

"I do not think that she would." Michael could only hope that he was right in giving Arabella credit for being sensible when it came to Philip. It would likely cost him his love and his livelihood if he was wrong.