Page 130 of The Duke's Sinful Deal
Maxwell did not raise his voice, did not issue more instructions than necessary, and yet the space reorganized itself all the same. What had been disorder settled into something contained.
Arabella noticed it, even through the lingering haze.
No one questioned him.
No one stepped forward to inquire further or press for an explanation. Curiosity remained—she could feel it—but it was held back, restrained by something stronger than interest.
They would speak of it later, she thought. In drawing rooms, in lowered voices.
But not here.
“Arabella.”
Maxwell’s voice drew her attention back.
He watched her closely now, his focus no longer divided. It settled entirely on her, as though everything else had been resolved enough to allow it.
“We should leave.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
The word came easily, though something tightened in her chest as she said it.
Eleanor reached for her hand briefly, her grip warm and steady. “We will follow,” she said quietly. “James will see to the rest.”
Arabella met her gaze, offering a small nod before allowing Maxwell to guide her away.
He did not take her arm in the manner expected.
Instead, his hand rested lightly at her back, unobtrusive but constant, directing her without drawing attention to it. It was not forceful. It did not need to be.
The carriage arrived without delay.
Maxwell opened the door himself. Arabella stepped inside, the shift from open air to enclosed space immediate, almost disorienting.
He followed, closing the door behind them with a quiet finality.
The noise of the park faded.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The carriage began to move, its steady rhythm replacing urgency with something quieter, though no less insistent.
Arabella kept her gaze forward, her hands folded in her lap, her posture still composed in the way she had held since the moment ended. It was easier to maintain that than to examine what lay beneath it.
The silence stretched.
Not uncomfortable. Not yet.
Just present.
Maxwell did not break it.
He sat opposite her, attentive without intrusion, as though he understood that whatever she chose to say would come in its own time.
That, more than anything, began to undo her composure.
She drew a breath. It did not steady her.
