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Merrick held on to his temper by the skin of his teeth. Arabella’s happiness meant much more to him than to this bastard. However, the time wasn’t right to reveal he knew her location, so he kept his mouth shut. He wanted to see how far Farnsworth would go in his lies first. “What have the Runners to say?”

Farnsworth’s expression grew evasive. “I’m on my way to them now.”

No, he wasn’t. It was three in the afternoon and the man was paying house calls. Milne had no ties to the Runners or the law. Merrick had a suspicion that Farnsworth wouldn’t hire even one man to find her. It had been hours since Arabella had fled Farnsworth’s home, and he’d likely done nothing more than design a story to explain his injury and garner sympathy should Arabella reveal what he intended for her. If pressed, would Farnsworth weep over a vacant grave bearing her name? He probably hoped she would return to him properly chastened and cowed into submission so she would marry Lord Parker without fuss.

Milne’s butler gestured to the doorway Merrick had just walked through. “Mr. Milne will see you now, Lord Farnsworth.”

The sorrowful expression instantly slipped from Farnsworth’s face at the news. “Excellent.”

Merrick again forced himself not to pound the man to a bloody pulp. He had no right to do so. Not yet. But once Arabella was healed and settled in an alternate safe haven, Merrick would pay a call to Farnsworth and avenge her. There were any number of ways to make the man suffer that would be undetectable.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Merrick let himself into his home and immediately looked around for Arabella. When he heard and saw nothing but the usual household sounds and sights, he sighed. It was foolish to hope her nerves had relaxed sufficiently to make her feel safe in his home. She’d had quite a bad time of it last night.

“Has she come down yet?” he asked Holland as soon as he appeared.

“No, my lord.” Holland frowned, his glance rising to the ceiling. “She is up and moving around but will not allow anyone to see her. I fear the bruising must be quite bad.”

Merrick shared that fear. He’d worried for her welfare all day while he’d continued about his business as usual, as if he did not have an unexpected houseguest resting in his future wife’s bedchamber. There had better not be any lasting harm done to her appearance. Farnsworth had done enough to shake her confidence already and with the lies he was spreading about her flight into the night, he feared any disfiguration would break her confidence completely.

Merrick slapped Holland’s shoulder and then slid his hat and gloves onto the hall table. “I’m sure she will come down in due time. However, I’ll look in on her directly to see if she needs anything.”

“She should not be here,” Holland said quietly, for his ears alone. “We should have let her catch her breath and then taken her to your aunt this morning.”

Merrick did not need Holland to voice the doubts that had already invaded his mind. He’d spent the morning roundly chastising himself for selfishness on his part for wanting Arabella to stay where he could keep an eye on her. The cost to her reputation could be severe, but he felt better knowing she was truly beyond Farnsworth’s reach. “My aunt would have questioned her. You saw her last night and her behavior this morning. She wasn’t ready to face any of that.”

“And now?”

“And now I do not know, but I will ask what she wishes to do. If she wishes to remain or will not see me, then she may stay exactly where she is. If she wishes to leave, then I will see that it’s accomplished in a way to avoid discovery and spare her reputation any stain. Is her presence any great hardship for the household?”

Holland shook his head quickly. “No, my lord. It’s just that I’d thought of her reputation, too. The gossip could be quite vicious if she is found out. There has never been a hint of impropriety attached to Lady Farnsworth before and we have no female servants to attend her or female family in residence.”

That was a problem. He scratched his whiskered jaw, wondering if he should shave off the new growth before he saw her. He was eager to see her now and did not want to wait another moment. “It cannot be helped. We’ve run the house without for so long that if I employ a female servant now to attend her, it could draw unwanted attention. I trust everyone to hold their tongues, but a new face in their ranks could reveal Arabella’s location before she is ready to face anyone.”

“She will have to come out eventually, or let us in,” Holland said. “The water from her morning bath is still within her bedchamber. It is unhealthy to let it remain there for much longer. If you could persuade her to retire to another room, perhaps we could attend it and anything else she needs.”

Merrick glanced up the stairs. Holland had come up with the flimsiest of excuses to get through the door, but he would take it gladly just to know how badly Arabella was suffering. “Very well. I will go see her now before I change to go out for dinner.”

“Do you think it’s wise to carry on as usual, given you have a woman sheltering under your roof?”

He’d questioned his actions all day, yet whatever happened with Arabella, he still wanted a wife. Quitting the field now might mean he’d have to start over again. “Going out as usual offers an advantage in drawing attention away from the house. Arabella may have come to me in her time of need, but to assume anything more would be presumptuous.”

Holland frowned. “I suppose it would be.”

When Holland hurried off into the depths of the house, Merrick headed upstairs. He straightened his waistcoat and coat and smoothed his hair before he tapped lightly on Arabella’s door and waited.

“Who is it?” Her voice was a soft whisper through the door. The shy, cautious question tore his heart.

“It’s Rothwell. May I come in? I’d like to talk to you.”

“Ah, I don’t think so,” she said quickly. The door handle rattled as if to prevent the door from being opened without her permission. “I’d rather you not let anyone see me like this.”

“It’s just me. No one else has to come in.” He eased closer to the door and laid his head upon the wood. He would never force her to do anything she didn’t want. “Arabella,” he said softly. “Please.”

There was a long pause and then the door he leaned his head against fell open. Arabella stood opposite him against the wall, her eyes wide. He stepped inside and she gave ground. Her injury was nowhere near as bad as he thought it would be. The swelling to her cheek had lessened quite a bit. In a few days, there would be no trace of Farnsworth’s hands upon her face. He smiled in relief and lifted a hand to brush her loose, pale hair back from her neck. The finger marks were distinct but would fade in time too.

“I was worried.”

Her brow creased and she hurried to cover her abused skin again with her hair. “I look terrible.”

“You look better than my imagination supplied. Thank you for letting me see you.” He glanced around the room while he nudged the door shut with his foot so no one passing could peek in. “Do you have everything you need?”

The simple gown and accessories he’d begged the loan of from Lottie Townsend clung to her curves in all the right places. The only thing he hadn’t accomplished was acquiring right-sized footwear to replace her evening slippers. As she fidgeted in place, her stocking-covered toes peeked out from beneath her gown.