Page 102 of A Well-Trained Lady

“If it will vindicate you, I will admit Mr. Green can be a cad at times.”

“It is not I who requires vindication,” I spat.

Despite his best efforts, his lips curved upward again, and I forced my arm from his grip. Countless wide-eyed faces followed me to the carriage, yet I found I didn’t care at all. Perhaps this would give them something to gossip about besides Ruth.

When I climbed into the carriage, Lady Thorton pulled her skirts against the bench so they would not be sullied by mine. “Heavens, child. You look as though you have been out wallowing in the mud.”

I had nothing to offer but a wearied expression. “I was.”

Lord Thorton lumbered in behind me, the carriage dipping beneath his weight, when he caught sight of his mother’s shocked expression. “Miss Godwin got lost on her way back from picking blackberries.” His tone was matter-of-fact, free of any discernable emotion.

Lady Thorton arched a brow. “It is quite a feat to get lost at such a location as this.”

“Arabella gets lost wherever she goes.” Mother’s dishonesty grated more than usual. “I don’t know how many times we had to send the servants out to find her at Fellerton Hall.”

The suspicion in Lady Thorton’s expression lessened, ever eager to believe Mother, lest she was forced to confront the truth so plainly before her. I was no more than a compilation of lies Mother had fed her.

The carriage started forward, the rumbling of the wheels a welcome respite from the buzzing inside me.

“And what are the gentlemen’s plans for tomorrow, Lord Thorton?” I could hear the victorious tone in Mother’s voice, having successfully righted yet another of my follies. “I am hopeful my husband will arrive before the group sets out.”

Uninterested in his reply, I shifted my attention out the window, allowing the voices to fade and the void within to consume me.

* * *

Lord Thorton’s booming laugh reverberated through the carriage, pulling my thoughts from the emptiness.

Mother glanced past me, out the window. “Are we nearly to Branbury already?”

Lady Thorton nodded. “It will come into view just ahead.”

I took in the large hedge. Blurred from the movement, it appeared to be one giant plant. The scene conjured a memory I longed to repress. Yet as Branbury came into view, I was transported back to my first time viewing the large house on my way to Fairhaven—Augustus’s warm breath on my neck and his hands firmly on my waist. My breath hitched, and instead of pushing it away, I closed my eyes to keep hold of the sensations for as long as I could.

“It is quite a sight, is it not?” Lord Thorton was watching me when my eyes fluttered open.

I gave a slow nod.

He smiled, and leaned back into his seat. “Should you like to be mistress of such a place?”

Mother and Lady Thorton shared a meaningful glance in my periphery, and I looked back out the window toward the grand house and its imposing grounds. I did not answer.

“Arabella,” Mother said, a warning in her tone. “Lord Thorton has asked you a question.”

The lie nearly choked me as I forced it out. “I should like it very much.” I kept my eyes fixed on Branbury, and my thoughts turned to Ruth. Then Augustus. Were they still here or had they managed to pack their things and set off already? Despite having no notion what I would say to either of them, I could not help but hope I had not missed them.

“Arabella, dear?” Mother’s overly-sweet tone sent a shiver through me.

Slowly, I turned to face her.

Her taut expression informed me I had earned myself a scolding. “Are you well, darling? Or have your adventures today exhausted you?” She pulled a glove from her hand and touched my cheek with the inside of her wrist, the unfamiliar image of a caring Mother. “Perhaps you should take a rest before dinner.”

When the carriage came to a stop, Lord Thorton opened the door but did not yet move, awaiting my response.

I lifted a hand to the spot on my cheek Mother had felt, suddenly desperate to accept her bait in the slight chance that Ruth and Augustus were still here. “I do feel rather out of sorts. Too much sun, perhaps.”

With my confirmation, Lord Thorton climbed out of the carriage to assist me. “I shall look forward to seeing you at dinner, Miss Godwin.”

I swallowed down my resentment. “Yes.”