Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

" W here is the Duchess?"

The maid, Miss Margaret shook her head. "I do not know, Your Grace."

Jasper tried not to look as irritated as he felt. This was the third person he had asked and none of them could tell him where his wife was. "When was the last time you saw her?"

The maid thought about this for a moment. "Not for several hours," she finally said, her brow furrowing in concern. "She said something about going for a walk in the gardens."

The young woman turned to face the window at the same time Jasper did. Before them, the pane was streaked with rain. The loud, cacophonous chorus of droplets was interrupted briefly as the low threatening rumble of far off thunder echoed across the grounds.

It was just as Jasper had feared. He had sought out Arabella, hoping to ask a simple question about her preferences for the week's menu when, slowly, he realized that no one in the manor had seen her for some time.

As a storm quickly overtook the estate, Jasper had begun to suspect that, somehow, Arabella might have been caught up in it.

Now he had his confirmation.

Grimly, Jasper clenched his jaw. It was more than inconsiderate for the Duchess to allow herself to get into such a situation. Now it would be up to him to track her down and ensure that she was unharmed.

As another flash of lightning split the sky, and an even louder rumble of thunder could be heard, Jasper's irritation wavered. Surely she is not hurt, he told himself. But a sliver of concern wormed its way into his heart all the same.

Not losing any more time, Jasper pulled on his coat and strode out into the storm.

He might have brought more with him if he had know just how far away Arabella was at the moment. But he did not.

And so, unprepared for the journey ahead, Jasper set off.

He first strode through the gardens closest to the manor. Then, heading to the stables, Jasper stopped to see if any horses were missing. But every animal was safely tucked away inside.

Growing more concerned, Jasper pressed on, farther and farther from the manor.

All the while, the heart of the storm drew closer. The rain poured down harder and lightning illuminated the sky above with frightening regularity.

Pulling his coat tighter about himself, Jasper began to jog. "Duchess!" he called out, scanning the landscape around him like a hawk. "Duchess!"

He was just about to give up, thinking that perhaps Arabella had already returned to the manor, when something caught his eye.

There, underneath a large tree, was a huddled shape. He might not have noticed it at all, if it were not for the color of it – a light blue not normally found in such places.

Jasper's heart dropped. It began to race as he sprinted toward the tree.

"Duchess!" he called, raising his voice to carry above the storm.

When the shape moved, and Arabella's face appeared, pale and confused, Jasper only felt a whisper of relief. Something was still amiss.

"What on earth are you doing out here?" he asked her, instantly sinking to a knee beside her.

"I – I -it…"

To Jasper's horror, Arabella could not speak. She was shivering, trembling too much to even get a word out.

His mind racing, Jasper stood once again. They were too far from the manor now to be able to get Arabella back there safely. But what could they do?

Then, remembering where they were on the grounds, Jasper turned north. There, hardly visible through the rain, was what he had been looking for: an old, dilapidated hunting lodge.

"Come, we must get you inside," Jasper said, turning back to his wife.

His gloved hands were slick with rain, but he did his best to help her to her feet and walk her towards their newfound shelter. Vaguely, Jasper noticed that her touch did not make him numb. But then he reminded himself that he was touching her through several layers of clothing, and through his gloves. Or, perhaps, she was setting off his condition, but he was already too cold and numb to notice.

It was slow going. Arabella was shaking so hard that she could hardly stand upright. Jasper could hear her teeth clattering as they walked. But, to his secret admiration, she forged ahead without complaint.

Finally, when they reached the hunting lodge, Jasper pushed open the creaking door and helped Arabella inside.

It had been many, many years since this place had been used. If Jasper remembered correctly, neither he and his uncle found much joy in hunting and so, with time, the place had simply been abandoned.

Reminding himself to do something about this place in future, Jasper helped Arabella to a seat on an old, dusty bench, and then began to look around for something to help them.

Locating first a moth-eaten blanket and then an empty fireplace, Jasper was grateful to finally discover a pile of dry wood in the corner of the room. He wrapped the blanket around Arabella's shoulders and then set about making a fire.

It had been some time since Jasper had done such a thing himself. But Reginald had taught him once, on the hunting trip when they both decided to give up the hobby. Learning to build a fire had been the only successful part of that trip.

After a few tries, Jasper finally succeeded in starting a small fire. Then, standing, he turned back to Arabella.

"Stand a moment if you can."

Nodding, Arabella got shakily to her feet. As Jasper slid her bench closer to the fireplace, he gestured again. "Sit."

Just as the word left his mouth, the loudest and most rattling bout of thunder sounded above them. A glance out the dusty window told Jasper that it was now starting to get dark.

He groaned. That was it. They would be here for the night.

Jasper was furious with her.

That was all Arabella could think to herself as she sat before the fireplace, shivering.

He had every right to be angry with her too. She had not been thinking. Earlier this afternoon, despite seeing the dark clouds on the edge of the horizon, Arabella had set off on a long walk. She had needed space and fresh air to clear her head, and had promised to be back at the manor before the storm was upon them.

But she had gotten lost in thought on her walk. And, unthinkingly, a little lost physically too. She had been so absorbed in the notions whirling about in her head, that by the time she finally resurfaced, Arabella did not know where she was.

The manor had disappeared and she did not recognize any of the land around her.

Arabella had spent the next several hours wandering this way and that, trying to find her way back but, before she could, the storm set in. And it was far bigger and far worse than she had imagined.

Finally, she had been forced to take cover beneath a nearby tree. But by the time she had, Arabella had already been drenched through and growing colder by the minute.

If Jasper had not found her when he did…

Arabella glanced up at the duke as he moved about the room, searching for something. Then, as he pulled another old blanket out of a trunk on the far side of the room, he came to stand beside her.

"Here," he murmured, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, overtop the first.

"You should use it," Arabella replied, trying to pull the blanket off of her. "You are just as soaked through as I am."

But Jasper shook his head. "You are in more danger now. You have been out in that storm for longer. I need you to get warm quickly."

His phrasing took Arabella by surprise. But before she could overthink it, Jasper shivered slightly. "At least come and sit before the fire," she protested, moving to open up a larger section of the bench beside her. "You are cold too."

Jasper seemed to think about this for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he did as she asked. Arabella could not help but notice that he sat as far away from her as possible, keeping several inches of the bench free in the middle.

"And whose fault is that, do you think?" he murmured.

Already expecting to be scolded for her actions, Arabella found herself a little surprised. His words could have been harsh, but his tone was not. Instead, he almost sounded…no, that would never happen. Not once had her husband teased her.

"Do you often wander out into storms like this?" Jasper pressed. "Or are you content to endanger your life in other ways?"

There it was again. That half-hearted scolding that sounded more than a little like a mild ribbing.

"I – I prefer to stumble upon danger in unconventional ways," Arabella managed to reply.

Though Jasper said nothing in response, she thought she caught the corner of his mouth twist upward in amusement. But, in the next moment, it was gone.

"Thank you," she murmured. "For coming to find me. I – I did not mean to get lost."

Jasper merely nodded.

Not willing to let this moment go, for Jasper seemed to have lowered his guard slightly and, guessing that she would not catch the duke alone like this again, Arabella decided to try her luck at finding out a little bit more about this man she had married.

"What was this place used for?" she asked, glancing around her at the dust covered room.

"It was a hunting lodge."

"What happened to it?" she pressed, wondering if this one had been considered too small for the duke's needs. "Did you have another built?"

Jasper shook his head. "I was never one for hunting. I preferred to challenge myself in other matters."

Arabella bit her lip to keep herself from immediately asking what those were. She needed to be careful. He felt a bit like a wild animal; one wrong step and he would run off.

"But you ride?" she asked after a moment, trying to understand what put him off of the practice.

Jasper nodded. "I do. But I prefer to keep unnecessary bloodshed out of my rides. Far too many wealthy men kill for the sport of it, not for need of food. I would rather leave such conquests for those who have need of them."

Perplexed, Arabella stared at the man beside her. As one of the wealthiest men in the ton, it was more than surprising to hear Jasper say such a thing. As she watched him, Arabella wondered if he was also one of those nobles who would turn a blind eye to the impoverished men who would hunt on noblemen's land in the dead of night in order to feed their starving children.

Such a crime came with deadly punishment. For the duke to allow poaching on his land would be a large and compassionate sacrifice on his part.

"I do not know how I did not see this place," Arabella mused after silence had once more settled around them. "It was so close to where I finally tried to take shelter from the storm.

"There was no way for you to know this was here. You are simply lucky that I was the one who happened upon you."

Unable to resist, Arabella turned to face her, turning her face up slightly as she did, wanting to see his face more fully. "Did your father ever take you here?" she asked. "When you were little."

As she watched him, Arabella's heart sank. A muscle in Jasper's jaw twitched, his eyes narrowing. "No," he murmured. "I never had that pleasure."

"Did you know him w-"

"I think you should rest." Jasper's voice was hard. Unyielding. The message was clear as he stood to stoke the fire once more. "We will be here for the night."

Closing her mouth, Arabella nodded. The duke was done answering questions.

She tried not to be offended. Feeling a touch of her earlier anger toward her husband, Arabella held back a few choice words for the man. How did he expect her to live alongside him without knowing a thing about him? How could he act with evident concern for her in one moment and then entirely dismiss her in the next? It was utterly infuriating.

And what was even more annoying was that a small part of Arabella was forced to admit that a part of what Jasper had said was right. She was exhausted. She had finally stopped shaking, but the cold had taken its toll on her body. Her jaw ached from how strongly her teeth had been chattering. Indeed, her whole body, which had been tense for the entirety of the storm, had finally begun to relax. And, with it, came a deep weariness.

As Jasper once more took his seat beside Arabella, she snuggled into her blankets. The bench on which they sat had a back and, after another moment, she sank gratefully against it.

"I will make you up a bed in a little while," Jasper murmured, gesturing to another old blanket on the far side of the room.

"Thank you." Arabella sighed and closed her eyes, allowing the heat of the newly stoked fire to wash over her.

Another moment more, and Jasper's kind offer was made obsolete. Nodding off where she sat, Arabella fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

Arabella was asleep.

Only once Jasper realized this, was he able to relax. Indeed, ever since he had happened upon Arabella underneath that tree, he had been tense. First it was with worry for her safety, then it was out of discomfort for her ever more personal questions.

Why couldn't this woman seem to keep her distance from him?

But, even as he thought that, Jasper realized that he was the one sitting in wet, cold clothes after insisting that he himself go looking for his wife in the storm.

Sighing, Jasper shook his head at himself. He was only doing his duty by her, he reminded himself. All of this was merely duty.

Just then, Arabella shifted next to him, murmuring gently in her sleep. His gaze drawn to her, Jasper's curiosity was piqued.

As a small strand of hair fell into his wife's face, Jasper instinctively reached out to brush it back behind her ear. But before his fingers could touch her cheek, he hesitated.

He knew all too well what would happen when he touched her. At least, this was what he told himself. But a small part of him would not let go of the last time he had touched her, skin to skin. His condition had not been set off. His symptoms had not appeared.

And, truth be told, he wanted to know if it would happen again. As impossible as it would be.

Slowly, Jasper forced himself to finish the gesture. Gently his fingertips brushed her soft, delicate cheek as he drew the strand of hair up and over her ear. His fingers lingering on her hair, marvelling at the silky smoothness of it, Jasper's heart began to race.

Nothing. No cold or clamminess. Just a gentle warmth as flesh touched flesh.

His mind raced, telling him that the touch had been too brief, that if he touched her again, his symptoms would inevitably surface. But, before he could put such a theory to the test, Arabella stirred.

Pulling back sharply, Jasper watched as Arabella, blinking, shifted. Then, just as quickly as she had awoken, the woman had fallen back asleep.

Passing a hand over his face, Jasper returned his attention to the fire. It was going to be a long night.