The Runaway Bride by Jody Hedlund

Author:Jody Hedlund [Hedlund, Jody]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;FIC042030;FIC042040;FIC027050
ISBN: 9781493422845
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2019-12-11T00:00:00+00:00

“I don’t like this. Not at all.” Hayward paused in folding and placing another one of Arabella’s unmentionables into the trunks that lined her bedchamber of their London home—the only home Arabella had ever known. The maidservant cocked her head so that her loose gray bun slid to one side of her head. She fixed her stern gaze upon Arabella, her lips pressed tightly.

“I have no choice, Hayward,” Arabella replied, laying a lacy shawl on top of the gowns already folded and stowed carefully in one of the largest of her trunks.

“No choice?” Hayward’s voice rose a notch. “Pshaw. You always have a choice.”

Arabella’s heart had been heavy since she’d crept away from the study after eavesdropping on her father and Mr. Major. Yes, she was anxious about the prospect of getting married, and she couldn’t set aside the deep, jarring sense that something wasn’t right.

But more than her anxiety, a strange disappointment had weighed upon her—the disappointment that her father had so easily believed Mr. Major’s claims about her fickleness.

She understood that Mr. Major’s threats had given Father no choice but to proceed with the wedding. She didn’t want Father to have to give up his employment on account of her. And she certainly didn’t want to become the source of his downfall among their social circles.

Even if he couldn’t change her fate, he could assure her he cared about her. But other than calling her into his office and telling her the wedding must continue as planned, he hadn’t spoken another word to her.

“I’ve never felt right about these marriage plans.” Hayward retrieved another stack of Arabella’s unmentionables from her chest of drawers and placed them on the end of the bed next to Toby, who watched the exchange with perked ears, his curly white fur in need of a cut.

Arabella scratched the dog’s small head and earned a lick to her hand. “Sometimes we’re called upon to make hard sacrifices for the people we care about.”

“That may be. But not with a man like Oriel Major. I’m afraid of what that man is capable of doing to you.”

“Once we’re married, I’m sure all will be as it should.”

A knocking upon the bedchamber door brought their conversation to a halt. When a maidservant ushered Pym Nevins into the room, Arabella wanted to jump into one of the trunks and hide.

Mr. Major’s stout butler had become a regular visitor, arriving nearly every day with some form of communication from Mr. Major. And with each visit, Arabella tried not to squirm under Pym’s scrutiny. It was as if he’d been tasked with the job of reporting back to Mr. Major every detail of what he witnessed during his visits.

After delivering the invitation to dine with Mr. Majors that evening, Pym peered around the room at the trunks. “With the wedding only three days away, Mr. Major wanted to know how the packing was coming along and when your belongings will be ready to transport to your new home.”

Arabella hadn’t started packing until this morning since she’d been so sure that she’d have no need to move.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.