An Accidental Affair by Heather Boyd

Author:Heather Boyd [Boyd, Heather]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Regency, General
ISBN: 9780987561473
Google: sGrTAgAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00IXYIRVY
Publisher: LLD Press
Published: 2014-03-10T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

In a world where every word had to be guarded and every decision weighed carefully, Arabella’s choice to place her trust in Rothwell was extraordinary, even to her. At the end of each day of their journey home to Winslette, they’d had a quiet dinner together and then she’d spend the long hours of the night tossing and turning, finally to be awoken by Rothwell’s quiet tap on the door each morning so they could enjoy a very early departure, as was his preference.

They had been traveling since before the sun rose each morning, leaving London sleeping in their wake. They’d taken rooms at pleasant inns along the way, but had resumed their journey each morning without incident. She had barely spent a moment alone and was not sorry for it.

Rothwell remained alert on his side of the carriage, Arabella facing toward home. It was not lost on her the sense of peace that came with leaving London. What she wasn’t so sure of was why Rothwell expected nothing in return for his assistance.

His head turned from the window and their eyes met across the carriage. He neither smiled nor frowned, simply held her gaze a long moment before returning his attention to the view. It was almost as if he felt nothing about helping her. That was comforting but also a touch insulting. After giving it some thought, she realized she would miss his quiet company and the way he instantly made her feel safe.

Her gaze traveled to the man seated at his side. She had been rather startled to find Mr. Holland seated inside the carriage before she entered it that first morning. Rothwell gave no explanation for Holland’s presence, but the man made as unlikely a chaperone as there had ever been. He smiled as he turned the page.

And there it was again. A resemblance she couldn’t dismiss after so many hours of close confinement. Holland’s lips quirked often, a reaction perhaps to a passage in the book he was reading, and he turned the page, looking very much like Rothwell.

Arabella leaned her head against the squabs, allowing her deductions to form, unimpeded by emotion. Rothwell and Holland were related of a certainty. There was similarity in much of their faces, though only Rothwell could truly be considered handsome. Holland was shorter and seemed a few years older than his employer. She had few doubts they shared the same blood—they appeared as similar as brothers.

“It won’t be long now, I should think,” Rothwell murmured.

She smiled as she noticed that Rothwell spoke both for her own benefit as well as for that of Mr. Holland. Despite being lord and servant—or were they even that?—Rothwell appeared to consider the comfort of the other man quite often.

She said, “No, not long at all. Just along the way is a little bridge where the local children like to fish. After that is a row of very large oak trees beside a long stone wall. A short distance from there we turn right, and another mile after is Winslette.

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