Lady In Distress (The Langley Sisters Book 3) (5 page)

“As does Livvy.”

“Beast!” Phoebe sniffed, and Bella laughed as she turned and fell into her husband’s open arms, while Livvy did the same with Will.

She watched them hold each other, saw the love in the small gestures, the gentle kiss and brush of a hand down a face. She wanted this, wanted a man to love her above all others. Her eyes moved to the door at that moment as Luke walked in, carrying her luggage. Would she have it with him?
 

“What has happened?” Phoebe had moved from Finn’s arms to stand before Luke. She took his hand when he turned to leave. “Tell me, Luke. I can see it in your eyes. Something has put those storm clouds in there.”

He was more a friend to them all now, since she had entered the clinic and he had taken up Freddy’s old position. His relationship inside Will’s household had made him draw closer to her family, and Bella was pleased, as Will loved Luke like a brother and relied on him the same way.
 

“Tis nothing to worry over,” he said gently to Livvy as she moved to look at him also. The smile he gave her sisters made Bella’s heart thud a little faster.
 

“Well, now, how about we begin the interrogation in the warmth of the parlor?”

“Freddy, Jenny!” Bella rushed to hug them both as they appeared in the hall. Jenny had been the Langley’s housekeeper and Freddy, Will’s old man of affairs; they had fallen in love at first sight, although it had taken Jenny longer to acknowledge that love. Now, however, they were happily married and lived here, at Willow Hall.

“Excellent idea,” Will said, ushering them all towards the room. “Luke, you come, too.”

“I have work—”

“Luke Fletcher, you will come with us and I don’t want to hear another word from you. There is nothing that need be done at this hour that cannot be put off until tomorrow.” Phoebe jabbed her finger into his chest. He rolled his eyes, which made her laugh, and then shooting Bella a fleeting look which she could not interpret, he followed them.
 

“Look at you walk!” Livvy cried, watching Bella. “There is no limp at all. It worked, didn’t it?”

“More tears,” Will said, pulling out his handkerchief as he guided his wife through the door.
 

Bella felt the walls of her old home wrap around her as she took a seat before the fire. This had been the Langley family home until Livvy had married Will, and she was pleased it belonged to Freddy and Jenny now. She was home with the people she loved, the people who now made up her family.
 

Jenny soon brought tea, and with it the demand for what had taken place on the journey. Will took over the telling; he did not hide anything. They’d all agreed that if they did, someone would let it slip and Phoebe and Livvy would not be happy.
 

Luke, who was standing beside the fire drinking tea, quickly put down his cup as Livvy waddled towards him. Bella watched color fill his cheeks as she cupped them.

“You, Luke Fletcher, are a wonderful, brave man, and I can only say how glad I am that it is our lives you are part of. Had you not been there, I—”

“Sssh, Olivia, please. There is no need for you to think about that. Isabella is safe here with you.”
 

Bella swallowed back the rush of emotion as Luke spoke gently to Livvy. She had often seen this side of him, the man who was filled with so much goodness.
 

“Yes.” Livvy turned to look at Bella, as if to reassure herself, and then, climbing to her toes, she kissed Luke on the cheek. “Thank you.”

They talked about the clinic after that. She told them what she had done and what she still needed to do. They caught up on news and laughed and did what they did best— enjoyed each other’s company.

“I have sent both yours and Thea’s measurements to Hannah. She and Alex are in London still, and they will start getting materials and patterns organized for you both,” Phoebe said.

“So soon?” Bella felt nerves flutter in her stomach. Luke’s face did not betray what she was sure he felt at the mention of her upcoming season.
 

“Two months is not a long time, Bella. And there will be much to do when you arrive.”

Bella studied Phoebe, who was blossoming through her pregnancy. She was a woman men looked at, even with her round stomach. Finn often said being married to Phoebe had taught him control, as so many men admired her that he had given up glaring at each, and now simply smiled, safe in the knowledge that it was he that she was married to. Unlike Livvy, who was also beautiful, but now as she was nearing the end of her pregnancy looked tired and worn down, Phoebe still glowed.
 

“I will come to London with you all. Livvy will have had a few weeks to recover from the birth by your departure, but she will still be tired, so it’s best I come too, just to ensure your foray into society runs smoothly. I would hate for you to appear at your first ball in mustard and feathers.”
“You’ll be six months along, though, Phoebe. Surely it will prove tiring for you to be in London?” Bella felt she had to point this out, as one look at Finn told her he was not pleased.

“Thank you, Bella. That’s exactly what I have been saying.”

Phoebe poked her tongue out at him. “I don’t intend to horrify society by entering any of their hallowed walls in my delicate condition. I merely wish to come to London to see how my business fares, and to ensure myself that you and Thea are turned out to my liking.”

“If you’re sure?”

“She is,” Finn sighed.

“And I would not miss this for anything, Bella. This is what you have always dreamed of, after all.”

Not everything,
Bella thought, struggling not to look to where Luke stood. She hoped that one day he was her future; the one thing she had always wished for was him.

“We shall also see how Livvy recovers before making any firm plans with regards to travel dates, as I have stated many times. You and our child will be fully fit before we make the journey to London,” Will added.

Livvy waved her hand about, as she often did when she didn’t like what someone was saying, and then rested it on her large belly.

“And now we have imposed upon Jenny and Freddy long enough, sisters. We will return home,” Livvy added.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, Bella. Finn and I are buying a property near to Livvy and Will, but as it is not yet ready, so we are staying with them until we leave for London.”

Bella’s smile was genuine. She had no wish to be parted from either Finn or Phoebe, nor her niece or nephew when they came along. “That’s wonderful news.” Bella hugged her sister before turning to face Will and Livvy. “If Jenny and Freddy do not mind, can I stay here for one night?”

All eyes turned to Bella as she spoke.

“I just want to visit our parents’ graves in the morning, and see Thea, and then perhaps walk into the village before I leave.”

They understood; she saw it on their faces. This was something she had wanted to do often without assistance. The villagers knew her as the lame Langley, the one who they pitied, but she wanted to show them she no longer needed that pity.

“Of course you can stay, Miss Bella. Freddy and I would love it above all things.” Jenny’s smile was genuine, as was her husband’s.
 

“Are you sure? After what you went through tonight, I’m not sure if I should leave you.”

Bella smiled as she moved to give her sisters a hug. “I am well, Livvy, don’t fret. I may have a few bruises, but the rest of me is fine, I promise. You and Phoebe have the night with your husbands and I shall have Freddy return me tomorrow.”

“Luke can bring you back as he is staying here to visit with his family, and will bring my carriage back tomorrow,” Will added. “He likes to keep his hand in driving, for some reason.”

“I enjoy driving, as you very well know, Ryder.”

Her smile didn’t slip as she nodded. At least he would be driving, and that would mean they would not share the carriage for a tense drive to Will’s home. “Wonderful. There, you see, Livvy? It is all sorted, and I shall arrive at your home tomorrow.”
 

“Are you sure you’re all right, Bella?” Will gave her a hug.
 

“I promise, and thank you for coming to Scotland to get me.”

Bella watched as her eldest sister waddled down the path to the carriage on her husband’s arm, while her other sister glided. Bella guessed that even when Phoebe was in the advanced stages of pregnancy, she would never waddle. They were all so different, the Langley sisters. Livvy was the oldest, with red-gold curls and soft brown eyes, and after losing their parents, she had taken up the reins as head of their family. Phoebe was the middle sister and the most outspoken; she had golden brown curls and cognac colored eyes that with just a flutter could drop a man to his knees.
 

“Are you sure, love?” Phoebe called before she climbed into the carriage.

“Yes, Phoebe. Now you go ahead, and tomorrow we will catch up on everything.” Bella gave her family a final wave.

For so long she had been the quiet sister, the weak one who everyone looked after, and Bella knew it would take some time for them to get used to the idea that she was no longer that person.

“Good night, all.”

Bella lifted her hand again as Luke left. She watched his tall, straight form disappear down the road and then, with a sigh, went back into the house she was born in.
 

After a meal and long chat with Jenny and Freddy, she went up to her old room and undressed. Slipping beneath the covers, she blew out her candles.
 

Luke had saved her tonight. But for him, she could right now be in the hands of those men, and she did not want to dwell on what they would have done to her. She thought of his arms holding her, of the desperation in his words when he’d reached her. For those precious seconds she had felt his warmth, reveled in his strength. Was it wrong to want one season? Would it make her want more? How would she feel about turning her back on society after she had walked amongst it?
 

She didn’t doubt her love for him, but what of his love for her? Would he sit by while she went to London and attended parties and balls? She knew were their positions reversed, she could not tolerate the thought of him doing the same thing.
 
There were so many thoughts swirling around inside her head. She needed this season, but she also needed Luke. She wanted to walk into society just once and know that she could dance and go to parties because she was now whole. Did that make her shallow? He said he’d understood why she wanted this, but did he really?

Bella had had plenty of time to think while she was in the clinic and she believed that she was not the only one who needed to do this. She needed to step out from the shadow of her family and she believed Luke needed to see her do it, too. She wanted him to know she was no longer that injured girl who rarely made decisions for herself. She wanted him to see that she was now strong, and could stand up for herself. Bella wanted a life with him, but she also wanted him to see she could stand beside him in that life, someone he could depend on as she had always depended on him.

Closing her eyes, she felt the weight of exhaustion pull her towards sleep. She would take each day as it came, but for now, she needed to rest. Closing her eyes, she blew Luke a kiss, as she did every night, and let sleep pull her under.

CHAPTER THREE

The morning was gray and cold, but there was no sign of rain or snow which Bella was grateful for. After breakfast, she pulled on her sturdy boots, and then, buttoning up her warm coat, she pulled on the gloves Jenny insisted she wear. Holding the flowers she had picked, Bella then made her way slowly down the hill, ignoring the small twinge of pain in her thigh as she traversed the small slope and walked through the gate at the bottom of the garden. She was stiff from her fall, and she knew her limitations, as Doctor Abernathy had taught her how to realize when she had reached them. Pushing herself too hard often resulted in her spending the following few days in discomfort.

Humming to herself, she blew out a loud breath that produced a plume of white before her as she walked through the forest. Normally, walking these paths Bella would have a cane and often a maid at her side, while her eyes remained down, looking for any obstacle that may trip her up. But not this time; this time, she looked around her, enjoying the colors of the forest and surrounding countryside. Inhaling, Bella felt a rush of pleasure as the familiar smells embraced her, the earthy scents of the forest and countryside that surround Willow Hall. She climbed slowly and once she reached the top of the small hill, made her way through the entrance and down the rows to where her parents were buried. Standing between their graves, she touched each and placed the flowers evenly on both before beginning to tell them what had taken place in her life over the past few months.
 

She loved to sit here and talk. She had walked many slow, painful treks up here to find the peace that being near her parents’ graves gave her. She had talked of the Langley sisters’ struggle to survive, and the pain and hopelessness she felt because her leg stopped her from helping. She had told them about Will and Livvy, and finally, before she had left for the clinic, of her joy and hope for the journey she was about to take. Up here, she unburdened herself. This was the place she had always felt free to say what she wished.