Page 19 of The Duke's Sinful Deal
“That you would marry for love,” Gwen finished gently.
Arabella’s lips curved faintly, though the expression did not quite reach her eyes. “Yes.”
The word lingered.
“It is not entirely unreasonable,” Gwen continued. “You are not the first to hope for it.”
“I am aware,” Arabella said. “Though I suspect I may be among the few who truly expected it.”
There was no bitterness in her tone. Only a quiet acknowledgment.
Gwen tilted her head slightly. “And now?”
Arabella considered the question more carefully this time. The answer did not come immediately, but when it did, it felt steadier than she expected.
“Now it is no longer a consideration,” she said.
The certainty in it surprised even her.
Gwen studied her, her expression softening further. “You had spoken, once, of a particular interest,” she said. “A gentleman you found… appealing.”
Arabella blinked, caught slightly off guard by the shift. “I would not call it that,” she said quickly.
“No?”
“No,” Arabella repeated, though her voice lacked conviction for a moment before she steadied it. “He was… kind. Generous. Well regarded. It is difficult not to take notice of such things.”
“Lord Covington,” Gwen said.
Arabella nodded once.
“He has always been attentive to charitable causes,” Gwen added. “And to those who observe him closely.”
Arabella did not deny it. “He seemed good,” she said simply.
“And now?”
Arabella’s gaze shifted again, this time landing on the far side of the room where a small figure had just entered, guided gently by a nursemaid. William. Gwen’s son. He moved with the unsteady determination of a child still learning the world, his attention captured by nothing and everything all at once.
Arabella’s expression changed at once.
She rose slightly from her seat, her posture softening in a way that felt entirely instinctive. “May I?” she asked.
Gwen smiled. “Of course.”
Arabella knelt beside the child, her hand extending carefully, allowing him to come to her rather than the reverse. William regarded her for a moment, then reached forward, his small hand closing around her finger with surprising firmness.
“I think,” she said after a moment, her voice softer now, “that I shall not lack for purpose.”
Gwen watched her, understanding dawning easily enough. “Your children,” she said.
Arabella nodded, her gaze still on the child before her. “They will have everything I once wished for,” she said. “Care. Attention. Affection.” She glanced up briefly, her expression steady. “If I cannot have love as I imagined it, then I shall give it where it is needed most.”
Gwen’s smile remained, though there was a trace of concern beneath it. “You speak as though the matter is already settled beyond all possibility of change.”
“It is,” Arabella replied. There was no hesitation in her voice, and Gwen did not argue. Instead, she shifted slightly in her seat, her attention returning to Arabella with quiet seriousness. “Eleanor will not take this lightly,” she said.
Arabella’s hand tightened slightly around William’s, though she kept her expression composed. “I know.”
