A Most Peculiar Circumstance (18 page)

Harold took a step forward. “If you will recall, Samuel, I brought my carriage. Katherine will ride home with me. We have much left to discuss.”

Katherine plucked up her wig, plopped it on her head, and moved to Samuel’s side. She sent Harold a look of deepest disdain. “I have nothing to say to you at the moment. I’m riding home with my father, and not to our house, but to his.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Harold snapped. “You’re my wife, and you’re coming home with me.”

“While it’s true I’m your wife, you’ve forgotten what that means.” Katherine accepted Samuel’s arm, and they strode from the room together.

Harold stood there, apparently at a complete loss as to what to do next, but then he let out a grunt and bolted for the door.

“My goodness, I’ve never seen Mr. Gibson in such a state,”
Lottie said as she breezed into the room, Hannah and Sarah following a step behind. “We didn’t dare come in before for fear we’d make matters worse.”

Violet, who’d somehow managed to stay out of sight, hurried over to hug her friend. “I must say, this has been a very interesting evening.”

“I can certainly agree with that,” Eliza said. She took Arabella’s hand in hers. “I am ready to go home.”

Theodore summoned up what he hoped was a charming smile and moved to stand in front of them. Unfortunately, Arabella turned her head, and Eliza narrowed her eyes.

He blew out a breath. “I realize you’re more than annoyed with me, Eliza, and for good reason, but I’m going to throw myself on your mercy and hope you’ll extend me the tiniest little favor.”

“You want me to extend you a favor?”

“I have to discuss a matter of grave importance with Arabella, and I cannot wait to discuss it until morning. I need you to take these ladies to my house, where I’ve offered them refuge for the night. I’ll take Arabella home, which will allow us an opportunity to speak.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Arabella said.

Her snippy response set his teeth to grinding. “Again, I have a matter of grave importance to discuss with you.”

“You can send me a note.”

“I’m not going to pen you a note. What I have to discuss with you is extremely important, and I certainly couldn’t do it justice in a note.”

Arabella lifted her chin, and even though he was taller than she was, she somehow managed to appear as if she were looking down her nose at him.

Temper began to simmer through him, which had him inching toward her. Her eyes turned wary and she opened her mouth, but he wasn’t in the mood to argue with her anymore.
He crouched down, grabbed her around her middle, hefted her into the air, flung her over his shoulder, and ignored the fists that immediately began pounding against his back. He sent Eliza and Agatha a nod—both ladies staring at him as if he’d grown an extra head—and then he strode out of the room.

 14 

Y
ou really have lost your mind,” Arabella said as she landed on the carriage seat and heard a loud rip. She leaned forward and snatched up the piece of hem that was stuck on the door, wincing when she noticed the damage. “You’ve ruined my dress, and Mrs. Davis is not going to appreciate that in the least.”

Theodore climbed into the carriage, pulled the door shut, and sat down across from her. “You left me no other option, and I’m sure Mrs. Davis, whoever that may be, will be consoled when you tell her I’m more than willing to compensate her for her loss.” He rapped on the ceiling with his knuckles, and the carriage lurched forward.

Arabella grabbed onto the hanging strap, steadied herself, and then sent him what she could only hope was a chilly glare. “I told you I didn’t have anything to say to you.”

“I heard you. Everyone on the entire street heard you. You were quite vocal.”

“I don’t appreciate being manhandled.”

“Quite frankly, Arabella, I don’t think you appreciate anything that concerns men.”

Normally, words like that didn’t bother her, but tonight, after all the insults and truths she’d had to accept about her character, his words stung. Arabella turned her head toward the window, not even bothering to brush away the tears that began running down her cheeks.

“Are you crying again?”

“Can that honestly surprise you, given the circumstances of the night?”

“I’m a little surprised.”

She forced her attention from the frosty window. “You didn’t think I was capable of tears?”

“You don’t really seem the type.”

Arabella permitted herself the luxury of a good snort. “Let me guess. Because I support women’s rights, I’m not supposed to cry?”

“It seems a little odd, especially since you obviously long to be treated exactly like a gentleman. I’ve rarely witnessed a gentleman dissolving into tears.”

She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d suffer an unfortunate fate if she suddenly jumped out of the carriage.

She eyed the door for a long moment, decided plunging to certain death was really not that appealing, and so released another snort instead. “I read romance novels.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Was that a question, or are you sorry to discover I enjoy romance novels?”

“It was a question. I never considered the idea you might enjoy cozying up to indulge in a spot of light reading.”

“Am I really that unfeminine?”

Theodore frowned. “I would never make the claim that you lack femininity.”

“You said I didn’t appreciate anything that concerns men.”

“What does that have to do with you being feminine?”

Arabella rolled her eyes. “It has everything to do with
being feminine. Feminine women are expected to adore all things concerning men. I’ve never once proclaimed to have an aversion to men, but it certainly appears to be the general consensus. Who knew so many people spent their time contemplating Arabella Beckett?”

“You’re contemplated because you’re unusual.”

“Don’t you mean peculiar?”

“You’re not really
that
peculiar.”

“That sounded convincing.”

Theodore leaned forward. “Arabella, forgive me, I shouldn’t make light of your distress.”

Arabella blinked. He was apologizing to her, and for some reason that had fresh tears stinging her eyes.

“Oh no, I did hurt your feelings,” Theodore said softly.

“You admitted surprise because I’m prone to tears.”

“I did, and for that I’m truly sorry.”

“I can cry at the drop of a hat.”

“You find hat-dropping distressful?”

“If it’s a nice hat, and it has dropped in the mud, certainly. I could cry about that for days.”

Theodore’s eyes began to twinkle. “What about sad stories?”

“I avoid them at all costs, although Hamilton and Zayne used to torment me something awful when I was younger. They’d tell me they were giving me a cheerful book, knowing full well it had a horrible ending, and I would be morose for hours.”

“They did that on purpose?”

Arabella smiled. “They were just boys, but they did enjoy tormenting me. Mother used to get so irritated with them for making me cry, until she discovered that I can cry on cue.”

“You can make yourself cry at will?”

“It’s a talent I’ve perfected over the years.”

“Were you employing that talent tonight?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “I didn’t mean to insult you tonight.”

Arabella arched a brow. “You told your father and Harold I’m a menace.”

“As I stated before, I was speaking out of anger. I don’t really believe you’re a menace, at least not most of the time.”

Arabella waved his statement away with a flick of her hand. “Not only do I enjoy having pink trim on my parasols and the trim of my gowns, but my entire room is painted pink. I would bathe in pink if I could.”

“I see . . .”

“I don’t think you do. You assume things about me, just like everyone else apparently does, and I’ve come to realize that some of those assumptions are valid. Tonight I learned that I’m judgmental, bossy, and I’ve spent my entire life believing something that wasn’t true.” She drew in a shaky breath. “I’ve been so smug in my belief that God specifically chose me to change the lives of women, when in actuality it seems I’m the one whose life needs to change.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little hard on yourself? I’m sure you’ve helped countless women as you’ve given your speeches over the years.”

“No, I haven’t. Standing in front of large gatherings of ladies is not actually improving their circumstances. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’ve told them how to live, but it’s not as if I’m an expert on how to lead a productive life. Do you know that I didn’t even bother to consider the feelings or wants of those women I was in jail with tonight? I just assumed I knew best how they should live their lives. It was beyond presumptuous of me and condescending to those ladies. It’s no wonder Dot reacted the way she did.”

“She might have overreacted.”

“She didn’t. I of all people should understand that. I hate when anyone tries to tell me what to do.” She dropped her
gaze and began to smooth her gown. “I’ve become unlikable, and I’ve become a source of gossip for men all over the country, and not in a complimentary way.”

“I would have to imagine that men gossip about you because you’re beautiful.”

Arabella’s breath hitched in her throat as she lifted her head. She narrowed her eyes as Theodore stared calmly back at her, something that almost seemed like compassion in his eyes.

Had it not only been a few minutes ago that the man had been taking her to task?

What in the world had gotten into him? He was being . . . nice, and she wasn’t quite sure how to handle a nice Theodore Wilder.

She cleared her throat. “Forgive me, but did you just extend me a compliment?”

Theodore smiled. “I do believe I did.”

He was entirely too attractive when he smiled, irresistible even. His smile caused her to want to dissolve into a puddle of mush at his feet, or better yet, throw herself across the seat and allow those strong arms of his to soothe away the disappointments of the night.

She blinked and felt her face heat. Apparently she was more overwrought than she’d believed.

“Ah, yes, well enough about me,” she finally managed to say. “Shouldn’t we get around to discussing why you threw me over your shoulder and carted me off like a caveman?”

Theodore’s mouth twitched before his expression suddenly turned serious. “We need to discuss that man you saw down on the docks.”

“There’s not much else to discuss.”

“Humor me,” Theodore said as he stretched his long legs out in front of him. “What were you were doing before you noticed him?”

“I was speaking to Agatha and Katherine.”

“They didn’t give me the impression they’d actually taken note of the man.”

“That’s because they went off to investigate a lead.”

“And they left you all alone?”

She breathed a silent sigh of relief at the clear disgruntlement now marking Theodore’s tone. She knew how to handle a disgruntled Theodore. “Do not presume to lecture me, Theodore. I did have a reason for staying behind. I was keeping an eye on Lottie, and before you ask why I wasn’t standing with her, she wouldn’t let me.” Arabella grinned as she swept her hand over her figure. “She thought I would scare off the men.” She glanced at Theodore, expecting him to still be scowling at her, but instead there was a trace of a smile on his lips.

“
I
wouldn’t have been scared,” he said in voice that flowed like warm honey over her.

These sudden changes in his mood were beyond disconcerting. One minute he was being his normal surly self, and the next he was charming.

He was never charming with her, and since she’d actually admitted, at least to herself, that she was attracted to him, his new and surprisingly odd attitude toward her was making her feel fidgety. . . .

“What happened after Agatha and Katherine left you?”

Arabella blinked, realizing Theodore was still in the midst of a conversation with her, and felt her face heat yet again. “Ah, hmm, of course, something that happened next . . . I, uh, felt something.”

“This man was so close to you that you felt him?”

She was rattled. There was no other explanation for why she was being unclear. She drew in a deep breath, looked out the window in hopes that something other than Theodore’s face would distract her. When her gaze met nothing but black,
she reluctantly turned but kept her attention centered on a spot right over Theodore’s head. “Forgive me, but no, I didn’t feel the man, not in the physical sense. It was more of an emotional feeling. It made the hair stand up on the nape of my neck. Have you ever had that happen?”

“My hair’s standing up right now.”

Arabella rolled her eyes even as she smiled. Honestly, he could be adorable, and at the moment she had the feeling he wasn’t even trying. She forced her thoughts back to what they’d been talking about. “So there I was, standing there with my hair straight up as this man watched me, and then he stepped out of the shadows and began walking toward me.”

“Do you think he got a good look at you?”

“It hardly matters if he did. It’s not as if I’m easily recognizable at the moment.”

“Someone would recognize you, even dressed as you are, if they’d seen you before tonight.”

She frowned. “Surely you don’t believe this madman who is snatching women off the streets is known to us, do you?”

“I believe there are currently too many coincidental circumstances for me to not at least entertain that disturbing possibility.”

“What?”

“I went back to Gilman.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“There was unfinished business there that I couldn’t ignore.”

“You never mentioned anything to me on the long train ride back to New York about ‘unfinished business.’”

“You can hardly blame me, considering that all you seemed to want to discuss was the suffrage movement. How was I to know you’d be interested in any other topic of conversation?”

There was the surly gentleman she’d come to know. She swallowed the laugh that was bubbling up in her throat and
shook her head. “I think you didn’t bring it up because you, mistakenly of course, believe ladies shouldn’t be told anything of a distressing nature.”

He opened his mouth, snapped it shut, and tilted his head. “You might be right. In hindsight, it would have been prudent to tell you my concerns because then tonight might never have happened. Although I did think that your brother was going to keep an eye on you.”

She smiled. “You mustn’t blame Zayne. He’s been dogging my every footstep up until a day or so ago.” Her smile widened. “I knew something was afoot and that you had something to do with my brother’s odd behavior. I assumed it concerned those men from the farmhouse, since you had mentioned they might follow me here. But after two weeks went by and nothing dastardly occurred, I decided that having Zayne around all the time was bothersome. I strongly encouraged him to leave me alone.”

“Of course you did.”

“If
you
would have only explained yourself, I might not have encouraged him so vehemently.”