Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

" T here is a gentleman to see you Miss." Arabella's maid bobbed a curtsey as she appeared in the doorway of the library.

Arabella's heart skipped a beat. She stood shakily from her chair and laid her book down on the table at her side. "Oh. I see. Please ask His Grace to meet me in the drawing room."

"It is not His Grace, Ma'am. It is a Lord Barrington. He says he is the uncle of His Grace."

Perplexed, Arabella nodded, her mind racing. "I see. And he has come to speak with me?"

"Yes, Miss."

Frowning, Arabella found herself hesitating to greet this strange man. She did not know why he was here, but she could only assume that something was amiss. It did not bode well, the timing of his visit. And, as such, she quickly decided that it would be best that her family was there to hear what this man had to say too.

"Please show him in to tea," Arabella said, correcting her previous request. "He will join us this afternoon."

The maid nodded and hurried from the room. Arabella slowly followed after her, a numbness running down the length of her spine. What was going on? Had something happened?

She slowly descended the stairs, trying to steel herself for whatever was to come. She took some small comfort in the fact that her family would be around her for whatever news this uncle of Jasper's was here to share. But if the duke had not come himself, then it did not bode well. The wedding was to take place in only a few days. If Lord Barrington had come alone, it was likely that he was an emissary, bearing bad news on behalf of his nephew.

Arabella met the man in question on her way into the hall. She did not recognize him. He stood tall, sharing a similar bearing as his nephew, but had deep brown eyes in place of Jasper's dark green ones.

It wasn't until he spoke, however, that Arabella realized that they had met before. Or, at least, she had met him.

"Lady Arabella. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Barrington, His Grace's uncle." He offered her a curt bow. Arabella expected to see a small, though polite smile cross his face, but it remained stony and unreadable.

Trying to hide her blush, Arabella pushed away the memory of the night of the masquerade, now several months old. But despite the time that had passed, she instantly recognized this man's voice: it was the voice that she had heard in the library alongside Jasper's. It was he who had been speaking with the duke while Arabella hid underneath the desk, accidentally eavesdropping. If she recalled correctly, Jasper had referred to him as Reginald.

"We are honored by your visit," Arabella said as Reginald once more straightened up. "Though I must admit I am a little surprised. I had not expected you to come call with the wedding so close at hand."

"Indeed, you may be surprised. But I am duty bound to pay you a visit prior to the marriage."

Arabella bit her lip. Did this mean that the wedding was still on? A part of her had believed that Reginald had come here to inform her that the duke was calling off the wedding. She had prepared for the worst; after all, she had already been jilted by a suitor, why shouldn't she be left at the altar as well?

But the older man offered Arabella little encouragement. He glanced around expectantly.

"We would be delighted if you would join us for tea," Arabella hurried to say. She held out an arm, gesturing for him to enter a nearby room.

The sour expression that passed quickly over Reginald's face told Arabella that he disliked the idea strongly. However, he nodded and allowed her to lead him into the room where Arabella's mother and two younger siblings were already seated.

At his arrival, Emily got to her feet and moved to greet the guest. "It is a pleasure to meet you," she assured him. "I expect we shall become quite close now that our two families are to be joined."

Thomas, too, stood up and eagerly crossed to eye Reginald with curiosity. "So you are His Grace's uncle? Are you sad that he is a duke, and you are not?" he asked the man, making both Arabella and Emily gasp.

Mortified, Arabella tried to think up an excuse for her brother's faux pax. But how could she inform her future husband's uncle that this was simply the way Thomas was? He meant no harm by such a statement. The young man simply spoke in a far more direct manner than most people were used to. Or considered polite. But Thomas was utterly sincere. Indeed, it was a compliment that Thomas was interested enough in this man to ask him a question.

But, from the outrage now spilling across Mr. Hackerman's face, Arabella could see that the damage was already done. And, as she opened her mouth to try and salvage the situation, Reginold spoke first.

"Well, I never –" Reginald spluttered.

"Of course he is," Madeline added. "Everyone wishes to either be a duke or to be married to one. That is what Lady Catherine told me. Is not that right, mother?"

"Oh dear." Emily laughed half-heartedly. "Please forgive how forward my children are, Lord Barrington. Their father and I try to encourage curiosity in them, which can sometimes lead to blunt, though well-meant questions."

Red-faced, Reginald simply cleared his throat. Then, casting a glance over his shoulder, he regarded the five seats at the table. "Is Lord Clement not to join us?"

"My husband is content to let myself and Arabella handle wedding affairs," Emily explained. "But he sends his greetings." She hesitated, seeing Reginald's eyes go wide. "I presume that that is why you have come? In regard to the upcoming nuptials?"

"I have indeed," Reginald replied, his tone strained. "Though I imagined that the man of the house might value propriety enough to greet another male guest," he added, almost under his breath. But it was still loud enough that both Emily and Arabella exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"May I offer you a cup of tea?" Arabella asked, showing her guest to his seat.

"Yes. No milk or sugar."

Arabella bit back a snide retort. Why was she not surprised? He did not seem the type to allow himself any ‘indulgence', no matter how small. Arabella pressed her lips together into a grim line. Like with his nephew, Reginald was already making a rather poor impression of himself.

As Reginald took his seat, he glanced around again. Arabella guessed at what he was thinking. He was wondering if he would be stuck conversing with the womenfolk for the entirety of his visit. She was suddenly secretly glad that her father could not spare the time to greet this rude, pompous man. Arabella would rather watch Reginald squirm in the company of people he so clearly thought were beneath him.

"I trust that His Grace his appy with the plans for the wedding?" Arabella asked after a moment.

Reginald nodded. "As happy as he can be."

Arabella pressed her hands together in her lap, trying to calm her rising temper. Was this man intentionally insulting her? Or did he think so little of her, that these underhanded comments simply slipped off of his tongue?

"Was there something you desired of us prior to the wedding?" she pressed, desperately trying to keep her voice even.

"Yes." Reginald took a sip of his tea. He winced slightly as if the quality of the drink were unsatisfactory and then made a show of setting down his cup and pushing both teacup and saucer away from him. When he turned back to Arabella, she was certain that her face was red.

"I have come to speak with you," he continued, "because I have taken it upon myself to warn you about your future behavior as a duchess. It will be up to you to learn your duties from your husband, but I will not have you carrying on as you have been when you are under the name of Gysborne. Duchess is not a title to be taken lightly. No matter how you may have stumbled into it," he muttered.

"I believe it was your nephew that asked me to marry him," Arabella replied coldly.

Reginald did not seem to hear her reply, for he pressed on. "A duchess must be held to the highest standard of propriety and grace. She must host well and provide her husband with every support that he needs."

He looked her up and down. "Unlike your position now, all of society will be look to you in all manner of things. Therefore you must be beyond reproach in everything that you do."

Arabella, who had been taking a sip of her tea, nearly choked as she heard Reginald's last statement. "Surely no one may be beyond reproach entirely," she said cautiously. "We may all do our best, but we are human and therefore flawed."

"Are you being intentionally obstinate or are you just plain ignorant?" snapped Reginald. "A woman of your status cannot begin to imagine the expectations which will be bestowed upon her as duchess." He narrowed his eyes at her. "His Grace knows my feelings about his upcoming marriage. But he will not be swayed. Therefore it falls to me to ensure you do not make a mockery of him or his family name."

Reginald was hardly finished before Arabella was on her feet. Her hands shook as fury washed through her. "That is quite enough!" she commanded, her voice echoing around the room and succeeding in making even Madeline and Thomas look up from the other end of the table.

His mouth falling open, Reginald went to speak, but Arabella cut him off. "You have shown me and my family nothing but disrespect since the moment you walked through our door. His Grace may have his own opinions on the nature of our future marriage, but I doubt that even he would tolerate his fiancé to be spoken to with such impertinence. Therefore I would ask that you either offer me useful advice as to my role as duchess, or you take your leave. But I will not tolerate you to sit here and continue to insult us any longer."

"Arabella –" Emily protested, but Arabella held up a hand. She stared Reginald down, waiting for him to answer her.

The fury on Reginald's face would have been unsettling if Arabella had not been in a rage herself. The man slowly rose from his seat. "I will not stay here when my advice is so clearly unwanted," he growled through clenched teeth.

Biting her tongue, Arabella refrained from telling him that he had no idea just how unwanted his opinions were. She managed to stay civil as he made his way to the door.

As he was passing through into the hall, Madeline suddenly came around the table and threw her arms around Arabella's neck.

"That was magnificent!" the girl cried. "I wish I could be half as brave as you!"

Arabella froze as Reginald paused in the doorway. Slowly, he turned around, telling Arabella that he had overheard Madeline's outcry.

She fought off a wave of panic. They had overstepped. She could see that now. She did not regret putting Reginald in his place, nor could she control how he took her stern warning. But now, with this last insult to injury, Arabella found herself wondering whether she had not just put the last nail in her own coffin.

Surely Reginald would go straight back to Jasper now and insist that the duke cancel the wedding.

The room fell silent as Reginald stood in the doorway, regarding Arabella and her sister. When he spoke, the calm in his voice was even more unsettling than if he had been yelling. "You will have to give up such improper displays of affection," he murmured, his stony expression burning holes through Arabella. "Your family may allow children to run amuck, unhampered, but such habits will not be permitted in the duke's household."

Embarrassed and confused, Madeline released Arabella from her embrace and took a step back. Arabella's heart broke to see her sister's hurt.

"In fact," Reginald continued, "you would be better off to accustom yourself to a more civil way of life. Certainly one with less…overt demonstrations of affection. Your future husband is not a man fond of physical touch. You would do well to remember that."

Before Arabella could reply, the man turned and strode from the room. A moment later, she heard the open and close of the front door.

In the room, her mother and siblings continued to remain silent for a moment longer until, finally, Thomas broke the silence. "He must be very sad not to be the duke," he mused.

The simple statement caught Arabella completely by surprise. As she met her mother's eye, the two women suddenly burst into laughter. A minute later, Madeline and Thomas joined them.

The tension of the meeting with Reginald melted away as Arabella laughed with her family, reaching out to pull Madeline back into her arms.

She knew that she would have to leave such happy moments behind soon. Soon, she would be living in the dismal, unaffectionate world which Reginald described.

But a moment like this reminded Arabella that she was not alone. They might be farther away once she moved into the duke's manor, but her family were still looking out for her. They might not be the most proper or well-behaved people in the ton , but they were the kindest, most loving family that anyone could ever ask for. And Arabella would not trade that for the world.

Reginald stormed into the manor, taking Jasper completely by surprise. He continued to astound him as he pointed a finger at Jasper, spluttering as he began to rage against him.

"I have done everything I can to look after you!" the man thundered. "You have no notion of what I have given up to help you become the man you needed to be. You may have chosen to bring the wrong woman into this family, and you have certainly decided to disregard my advice on the matter, but let it be known, here and now, that I will not tolerate disrespect from your future wife."

Reginald let out a thoroughly aggravated huff. "She is uncultured, plain, and utterly unremarkable. I would not take such a woman into my bed for a night, let alone for a lifetime," he scoffed. "Her siblings behave as if they were brats freshly plucked from the streets, and her father must be the most spineless man in all of England. Though we can all see where Lady Arabella received her inelegant looks. One glimpse of her mother – "

Jasper raised a hand. "Now that is quite –"

But Reginald pressed on. He was ranting now, a small fleck of spittle stuck at the corner of his mouth. "It is too late for you to back out of this wedding without causing scandal, so things must progress as planned." He raised a finger, wagging it at Jasper. "But do not mistake me: someone must teach your future wife her place, and if it will not be me, then it most certainly will be you!"

Jasper stared, mute at his uncle's outburst. Before he could say a word in reply, the older man turned on his heel and stormed back out of the room.

In the silence that followed Reginald's explosion, Jasper tried to make sense of what had just happened. Clearly Reginald had had a run-in with Jasper's future wife. How and when that had taken place, Jasper couldn't think. The only explanation was that Reginald had gone to see Arabella with the intention of putting her in her place. He no doubt wanted to warn her that she was not to continue the habits and lifestyle of her current position when she became duchess.

Something which Arabella had clearly been unwilling to accept.

Jasper did not know how to feel about that realization. He should be worried that she had refused Reginald's help. He should be angry too, perhaps, that she was treating her future duties too lightly.

However…Jasper knew how Reginald could be. The man was forceful and cold, and sometimes overstepped the bounds of propriety when he believed himself to be more educated than others.

A smile tugged at the corner of Jasper's lips. Arabella had obviously not been willing to submit to Reginald's forceful education. And whatever she had said, it had been something that Reginald did not often hear.

Though he should not be amused, Jasper had to admit that he was. A little. He had never seen Reginald so upset. It took a strong person to meet his iron will and come away unscathed. A part of Jasper wished he could have been there to see it happen.