A Most Peculiar Circumstance (10 page)

“My Felicia has a special way with children,” Mrs. Murdock declared.

Theodore wasn’t certain, but he thought he heard Felicia release an exasperated sigh. He cleared his throat. “Perhaps it would be best if we made our way inside? I must admit that this box isn’t getting any lighter.”

“Oh, forgive me, Mr. Wilder,” Mrs. Murdock exclaimed. “I forgot I added a few books for Hamilton and Eliza to enjoy. You know, the ones regarding childhood ailments and baby names?” She released a loud sigh. “The good Lord alone knows none of my children will need them anytime in the near future.”

Louise smiled. “Why, Mrs. Murdock, your daughter is a lovely young lady who is certain to form an alliance soon.” She winked. “Perhaps you should take back those books.”

Mrs. Murdock beamed as she exchanged a look with Louise
before both ladies looked at him and then switched their attention to Grayson.

He felt slightly like a cow being brought to auction.

“I do hope you’re right, Mrs. Wilder,” Mrs. Murdock said. “You are fortunate to have your daughter so well-married.”

“Yes, fortunate,” Katherine muttered, which caused him to frown and wonder yet again why he’d failed to realize his sister was unhappy.

He searched his mind for a delicate way to question her about her marriage, realized it was hardly the appropriate time to enter into such a private conversation, so instead turned toward the door, pausing when it suddenly sprang open and Piper skipped out.

“I’ve been waiting for you forever,” she squealed as she ran up to him, stopped by his side and grinned. “Why is everyone standing around outside in the freezing cold when the house is toasty warm?”

“That is an excellent question, Piper,” Grayson said. He took Ming from Felicia and strode inside, the others following behind him.

Theodore moved to join them, but found his way blocked by Piper, who was staring at the box in his arms, a look of glee on her tiny face.

“Is that my surprise?”

“I’m afraid it’s not.”

Piper’s face fell, and her lips began to tremble.

“Piper, you’ve forgotten your manners,” Hamilton said as he appeared on the stoop beside them. “Theodore only just returned to town after chasing your aunt around the country for weeks. He’s barely had a moment to settle in and certainly hasn’t had time to pick you up a surprise.”

Piper’s blue eyes filled with tears, causing Theodore’s heart to lurch.

“Here,” he said, thrusting the box into Hamilton’s arms. “Make yourself useful.”

He squatted down in front of Piper and wiped a tear from her cheek. “You don’t actually believe I would have forgotten my promise to you, do you, darling? For your information, I made a special stop at the toy store before I went to fetch my mother and sister. Perhaps you would care to walk with me back to the carriage so we can retrieve your present?”

Piper’s tears miraculously disappeared. She grabbed his hand and tugged, causing him to laugh as he straightened and nodded to Hamilton. “We’ll be right back.”

Piper chatted incessantly as they hurried down the sidewalk and to the back of the house where the grooms had parked the carriages. He opened the door to his carriage, reached inside, and extracted three packages. He stepped back and rolled his eyes at Piper’s expectant expression.

“Now, don’t get your hopes up. Only one of these is for you; the others are for Ben and Ming.” He handed the box wrapped in red paper to Piper, who let out an excited giggle. He tucked the other two boxes under his arms and began walking back to the front of the house, Piper beside him, shaking the box again and again with every step she took. She suddenly stopped and sent him a bright smile.

“Thank you so much for getting me whatever is in this box, Mr. Theodore. I don’t care what everyone else says, you’re a very nice gentleman.”

He smiled at her comment, but then the rest of her words registered and he couldn’t quite hold back a grunt. “What does everyone else say about me?”

Piper shook her head. “God doesn’t like us to gossip about what we’ve heard, but it isn’t completely horrible what everyone says.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Grandmother adores you.”

“What about Eliza and Agatha?”

“Hmm . . . I suppose they adore you as well, especially since you saved Ben and me from a terrible, painful death.”

He really did love this precocious child.

They rounded the corner of the house and walked briskly up the steps, the butler holding the door open for them before they even reached it. Theodore sent him a nod of thanks and entered the house, not surprised in the least when Ben barreled straight for him, Ming scampering at his side.

Theodore bent down and gave Ben his package and smiled when Ben set it on the floor and took the package from him that was meant for Ming.

“She’s shy,” Ben said. He handed the present to Ming and then scooped his off the floor. He bolted out of the room, shouting a “thank you!” over his shoulder, with Ming and Piper running after him.

“It was very kind of you to remember Ming,” Hamilton said, stepping into the foyer.

Theodore shrugged. “Kind is my middle name. Zayne mentioned that Grayson was bringing Ming with him tonight, so it wouldn’t have been acceptable to exclude her.”

“You really are nicer than people give you credit for, aren’t you?”

He was going to have to reevaluate how he projected himself to the world.

“I keep telling all the ladies that you are . . .”

Hamilton’s words faded to nothing when an enticing laugh drifted from the next room, causing Theodore to move into motion, hardly aware of leaving Hamilton still speaking behind him. He reached the large receiving room and froze.

Arabella was standing a few feet from him and she looked absolutely . . . enchanting.

He felt his mouth drop open as his gaze traveled over her.

Her hair, which he’d become accustomed to seeing pulled ruthlessly from her face and secured at the nape of her neck,
was now a flirty mop of shining curls that seemed to accentuate her high cheekbones. His gaze dropped and settled on her gown even as his mouth snapped shut. She was dressed in a delightful scrap of froth that drew attention to her curves.

His mouth ran dry as his mind went numb. Why had he never noticed how exquisite she was?

Granted, he’d known she was beautiful, but in all the time they’d spent together, he’d never once felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach.

He was finding it difficult to breathe.

It was most peculiar.

He tilted his head and allowed himself the luxury of studying her for another moment, his mind trying to discern why feelings he’d never felt before were coursing through his body.

Finally what was so different about her came to him. In shedding her long locks and abandoning the functional gowns she’d always worn around him, she’d gained something in the process.

Allure.

No longer was she a woman simply possessed of uncommon beauty. No, now she was . . . approachable.

That thought caused him to blink out of his stupor.

He was being fanciful. Arabella was still the same woman he’d first met in Gilman—the same woman who held radical ideas—and he would do well to remember that.

He gulped in a breath of air, gulped in another when the first one didn’t seem to settle his emotions, and blew out a grunt when Arabella laughed again, his blood beginning to race through his veins.

What was the matter with him?

It wasn’t as if he’d never heard the lady laugh before, but her laugh had certainly never caused his pulse to quicken.

Perhaps he was coming down with something.

His mother and sister had both remarked on his unusual behavior, and illness would explain his strange feelings.

He began to move forward but stopped in his tracks when Arabella laughed again, and he discovered the reason behind her amusement.

He narrowed his eyes as he watched Grayson pluck Arabella’s hand into his, bring it to his lips, and place a lingering kiss on her knuckles.

The room turned red as an odd buzzing noise suddenly sounded in his head.

“Theodore, I say, whatever is the matter?”

Theodore forced his attention away from Arabella and turned, finding Zayne standing right beside him, a look of concern in his eyes.

He cleared his throat, shook his head to clear it of the last vestiges of red, and tried to smile, realizing he’d failed miserably when Zayne looked downright alarmed.

“I’m fine,” he finally managed to mutter.

“You look ill.”

Ah, there it was, the confirmation he’d been hoping to receive. He really must be coming down with some dastardly illness.

Feeling better, his smile became genuine. “You know, I do feel a little off.” He chanced a glance at Arabella, noticed Grayson was still holding her hand, and felt his hands clench into fists.

“Well, that explains it,” Zayne said with a laugh even as he shook his head. “I must say, I never saw this coming.”

“Saw what coming?” Theodore asked, hearing what sounded like a thread of panic in his voice.

Zayne nodded toward Arabella and Grayson.

“You’ve lost your mind if you’re insinuating I’m interested in your sister.”

“Explain then, if you please, why you keep watching Grayson as if you intend to throttle him.”

“I’m not jealous.”

Zayne quirked a brow. “He’s very handsome, at least that is what the ladies tell me, and he’s reportedly extremely wealthy.”

“I’m considered handsome, and you of all people are perfectly aware of the fact I’m wealthy in my own right.” Theodore winced as soon as the words left his mouth.

“Grayson’s foreign,” Zayne remarked.

Theodore snorted. “He’s from England.”

“Again, a foreign land.”

“I’ve always found English gentlemen to be rather cold.”

“He doesn’t look cold to me.”

No, Grayson certainly didn’t look cold as he retained possession of Arabella’s hand. In fact, the man seemed overly warm and entirely too friendly. Another stab of something unexpected shot through him.

“He also has a title,” Zayne said.

“He doesn’t use it.”

“I think he’s ruthless.”

Theodore turned his full attention to Zayne. “What do you mean, ruthless?”

Zayne shrugged. “I think Grayson is a man who lets nothing stand in the way of what he desires.”

“Do you think he’s a threat to Arabella?”

“I think he’s a threat to you.”

“I’m not in a competition with him.”

Zayne arched another brow.

“I’m not,” Theodore insisted.

“I find the fact that you protest so vehemently interesting.”

“What do you protest so vehemently?”

Somehow, while he’d been conversing with Zayne, Arabella had managed to steal up beside him. The sight of her caused his mouth to run dry again, and as he drew in a breath, her perfume teased all of his senses and caused his stomach to clench.

A disturbing thought struck him out of the blue.

He was behaving in the exact same manner he’d observed numerous women behaving around him too many times to recount. He knew without a shadow of a doubt he most likely sported a dazed and anxious expression, and that idea didn’t sit well with him. He was not the sort to become tongue-tied when a pretty lady spoke to him. He was a man, a man who prided himself on his strict code of self-control.

“It’s nice to discover you’ve managed to recapture the use of your hand,” he heard come out of his mouth.

That was certainly not what he’d intended to say.

Arabella’s eyes turned cloudy with obvious confusion. “The use of my hand?”

“I thought for certain Mr. Sumner was about to make off with it.”

Zayne began whistling under his breath as Arabella started sputtering, her eyes going from cloudy to stormy.

“Are you suggesting I was behaving in an untoward manner with Grayson?”

“You call him Grayson?”

“He gave me leave to use his given name, seeing as how his sister is married to my brother. That makes us practically family.”

“I don’t believe Grayson’s thoughts were platonic as he was assaulting your hand.”

Arabella crossed her arms over her chest, drawing attention to her curves, but he didn’t have much time to appreciate them, because she began tapping her fashionably shod foot against the floor.

“He was not assaulting my hand. He was merely showing me a common courtesy as he made my acquaintance.”

“It didn’t look like a common courtesy to me.”

Arabella’s foot stopped tapping as she sent him a glare. “What did it look like to you?”

“You were flirting.”

Arabella drew herself up and lifted her chin. “I never flirt.”

Theodore opened his mouth, intent on arguing that ludicrous point, but then closed it a split second later when a disturbing thought flashed to mind.

He was not acting like his normal self. He was behaving and speaking rashly, and that shook him to his core.

What was it about this woman that caused his normal good sense and level thinking to fly out the window?

She was dangerous.

The second the thought entered his head, he knew it was nothing less than the truth. Miss Arabella Beckett was a danger to everything he believed. He took a deep breath and forced a smile. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go find Piper.”

“You’re just going to walk away from me after provoking an argument?” Arabella demanded.

“I didn’t provoke an argument. You’re allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment.”

“What?”

“You were flirting, and you know it, but you hate the fact that a man pointed it out to you.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

Theodore shook his head. “I think I’ve finally found it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must find Piper.”

He extended her a bow and strode away as quickly as he could without actually breaking into a run.

He refused to contemplate why he suddenly felt truly ill.

 9 

I
n the two weeks since the ill-fated dinner party, Arabella had tried her best to keep the annoying Mr. Wilder out of her thoughts. She’d spent the days in the company of her family and friends, catching up on everything that had transpired while she’d been away. Keeping so busy had distracted her from dwelling on Mr. Wilder and his abysmal behavior toward her.

Now, however, as she strolled down Broadway with Agatha on one side of her and Eliza on the other, thoughts of the gentleman she’d sworn not to think about kept flitting to mind.

He’d had the audacity to take her to task for conversing with Grayson.

He’d accused her of flirting.

As if flirting was some type of criminal activity. She didn’t know a single lady who didn’t flirt upon occasion. Granted, she’d blithely claimed to Theodore that she never flirted, but that really wasn’t the case.

She was a lady, and ladies were prone to flirting every now and again. It was not as if she’d been behaving in an
untoward manner, and she certainly hadn’t deserved to be treated as if she’d suddenly sprouted two heads and taken to breathing fire.

He’d ruined her enjoyment of the evening by his rude observations.

He hadn’t even commented on her new appearance.

“I don’t believe Arabella’s listening to us,” Agatha said, pulling Arabella rather abruptly from her thoughts.

“I think you’re right,” Eliza agreed with a bob of her head, the motion causing the charming hat she was wearing to bounce up and down. “Did you notice the way her lips were moving, but no sounds escaped?”

“I wasn’t talking to myself,” Arabella said.

Agatha stopped walking and patted Arabella’s arm. “Of course you weren’t, dear. Only crazy people talk to themselves.”

Arabella grinned. In the few weeks she’d spent with Agatha Watson, she’d discovered a kindred spirit and enjoyed the lady’s company immensely, as well as the company of Eliza.

“She’s thinking about Theodore again,” Eliza said.

The grin slid off her face. “No, I’m not.”

Agatha sent her a commiserating smile. “You have every right to be irritated with the gentleman. Why, I get annoyed with Theodore on a regular basis, and I’m not even attracted to the man.”

“I’m not attracted to him,” Arabella said between gritted teeth.

Agatha raised a delicate brow. “So, you’ve simply been in a horrible mood for no good reason at all?”

“I’ve been in a perfectly fine mood.”

“You barely touched your meal during the Thanksgiving feast,” Eliza pointed out. “I stuffed myself to the gills and felt somewhat guilty in the process, since you were obviously not enjoying yours.”

“I ate two pieces of turkey.”

“You pushed your turkey around on your plate,” Eliza corrected. “That does not constitute eating and proves the point that you’ve been out of sorts.”

“Perhaps I don’t care for turkey.”

Agatha rolled her eyes, ignored Arabella’s remark, and patted her arm yet again. “You weren’t even excited about the rally we attended last week. I was certain your attitude would improve when you were pressed into service at the last minute to introduce Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but alas, that didn’t happen. You were obviously in a dismal frame of mind the entire day.”

Arabella pushed a strand of hair that the blustery breeze had stirred up out of her face and frowned. “Could you tell I was in a dismal mood while I was performing Mrs. Stanton’s introduction?”

Agatha’s lips twitched. “Truthfully, yes, but I doubt anyone else except Eliza, your mother, my mother, and Mrs. Murdock noticed.”

Arabella began walking again as temper slithered through her.

What was wrong with her?

She’d been given the extreme honor of introducing Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Instead of relishing the moment, she’d retreated into a bit of a sulk because Theodore had not shown up as promised.

Agatha and Eliza caught up to her, both of them slightly out of breath.

“While I’m all for a brisk stroll to get the blood flowing,” Eliza said with a pant, “don’t you believe it would be advisable to slow down just a touch? These sidewalks still have ice on them from the nasty weather we received yesterday, and I for one don’t care to break a limb.”

Arabella slowed, even as a reluctant grin teased her mouth.
“I do beg your pardon, ladies. I don’t know what’s come over me lately.”

“
I
happen to believe Theodore is what has ‘come over’ you lately, even if you disagree,” Agatha said. “You might actually feel better if you talked it over with us, and then we, being experts in affairs of the heart, can advise you.”

Arabella came to an immediate stop, forcing her friends to do the same. “You are hardly an expert on affairs of the heart, Agatha. From what I’ve overheard from my mother
and
yours, you gave up on Zayne all too quickly.”

“Need I remind you that Zayne’s engaged to Miss Collins?”

“He’s practically engaged,” Arabella corrected, “and I would, forgive me, prefer you as a sister-in-law over Miss Collins any day.”

Agatha turned an interesting shade of red, and Arabella was quite certain it wasn’t because of the cold wind.

“While it is very sweet to learn you’d enjoy having me as your sister, I fear I cannot indulge you and replace Miss Collins,” Agatha said. “Your brother is determined to marry the lady, and besides, he annoys me.”

Eliza laughed, causing Arabella and Agatha to turn to her. She shrugged. “It’s very interesting to me how both of you claim to be annoyed by certain gentlemen, yet can’t seem to stop talking about them.”

Arabella exchanged a rolling of the eyes with Agatha. “The only reason I talk about Theodore is because he disappointed me and my plans for him.”

“You have plans for Theodore?” Eliza asked as her eyes went wide.

“Not
those
types of plans,” Arabella said with a sniff. “If you must know why I was less than pleased at the rally, it was because Mr. Wilder had promised to attend it with me. I was looking forward to using that occasion to perhaps . . . change some of his ridiculous views. To my disappointment,
he didn’t come, nor did he so much as send me a note of regret. He simply didn’t acknowledge the occasion at all.”

“Oh, dear, she’s back to calling him Mr. Wilder,” Eliza said before she shook her head, causing her hat to bobble again. “I’m not certain if you know this or not, but Hamilton told me Theodore is out of town on business. I imagine something of a pressing nature, given his profession, came up, and he didn’t have time to pen you a note.”

“He could have sent me a telegram,” Arabella muttered.

“Like you did so often with your parents while you were out of town?” Agatha asked.

She did have a point.

Arabella saw Eliza shiver and realized it was incredibly silly to stand around chatting as the wind chafed their faces and stole through their coats.

“We should save this conversation for later,” she said. “It is freezing, and my mother told me B. Altman’s is having a wonderful sale on parasols. I think Piper would enjoy a nice pink parasol for Christmas.” She looked at Eliza. “Unless of course there is something else you think she would care for more.”

Eliza took her arm, grabbed Agatha’s hand, and laughed as she tugged them down the sidewalk. “Christmas is still a month away, Arabella, but I’m sure Piper would love a pink parasol. Pink is one of her favorite colors, which is why I believe she’s declared the doll Theodore gave her at your dinner party her most treasured possession. It’s clothed in the most exquisite pink gown I’ve ever seen.”

“
Theodore
gave Piper that doll?” Arabella asked as a large dose of disgruntlement settled over her. She did not care to hear about Theodore being considerate. That attribute was not one she wanted to associate with the gentleman who’d been horrible to her.

Eliza quickened her pace while a blast of wind swept over
them and snow began falling. “Didn’t he tell you that at the party?”

“Mr. Wilder did not speak to me during dinner. If you will recall, he spent the majority of his time with Felicia. I readily admit
she
would be a wonderful companion to the man.
She
is possessed of a sweet disposition and an apparent willingness to overlook the man’s many faults.”

“I got the impression Felicia was terrified throughout dinner, and I assumed it was because she was Theodore’s dinner partner,” Agatha said.

Eliza dropped her hold on Arabella as a gust of wind tore the hat from her head. She charged after it, used her foot to catch it as it rolled along the snowy sidewalk, and then released a grunt of disgust when she picked up what only moments before had been a charming hat but now resembled something squashed.

She moved back to rejoin Arabella and Agatha, even as she plopped the misshapen hat back on her head. “Getting back to Felicia,” she said as if she hadn’t just ruined her accessory, “I don’t think she was terrified of Theodore, only the fact he was paying attention to her. Surely you noticed how delighted her mother was by that turn of events? I’m quite certain Mrs. Murdock has already procured the services of a dressmaker to begin fitting Felicia for a wedding gown.”

That idea, for some strange reason, caused Arabella’s spirits to sink rapidly.

“I well remember the horror of having my mother thrust me in front of every available gentleman,” Agatha said with a delicate shudder. “It was dreadful.”

“She was still doing that only a few months ago,” Eliza pointed out.

“And that is why I can sympathize with Felicia,” Agatha said before she raised her eyes to the cloudy sky and smiled. “I can only thank the good Lord above for blessing me with
a talent for the written word. That talent has allowed me to escape the normal expectations placed on ladies, namely being paraded about town with the hopes of obtaining a husband.” She dropped her gaze. “Unfortunately, I don’t believe Felicia has any interest in pursuing a profession. She seems rather shy, and I fear she will simply accept the path her mother chooses for her.”

“I disagree,” Eliza said. “I’ve spent numerous hours with Felicia as she’s helped me with the new orphanage, and I think, underneath her unfortunate gowns, she is a lady who possesses a strong will. I also believe that Felicia has already set her sights on a specific gentleman, but for some reason she has yet to share his name.”

“Her mother will be sorely disappointed that she won’t get Theodore as a son-in-law,” Arabella said even as she felt a grin tease her lips, which she quickly hid behind a gloved hand when Agatha sent her a telling look.

“
Psst
, Miss Watson, over here.”

Arabella turned along with Agatha and peered through the blanket of snow now falling steadily from the sky. She squinted and could just make out the form of a lady standing in a small alleyway.

Agatha took a hesitant step forward. “Who’s there?”

The woman slipped out of the alley and hurried toward them. She was dressed in a garish blue gown with a coat of shabby red velvet thrown over it. Her cheeks were caked with rouge, her eyes wary. “It’s me, Violet, remember? We shared a jail cell a few months back.”

Agatha took another step toward the woman. “Violet, of course, how have you been?”

“Oh, you know, trying to make a living.”

Agatha let out a sigh. “Forgive me, but I seem to recall, as we languished behind bars, a conversation we shared regarding you and the rest of your friends seeking out a different
line of work. Given your choice of attire, may I assume that didn’t come to fruition?”

“We tried to take your suggestion, Miss Watson, really we did, but quite frankly, no one wanted to hire old harlots,” Violet said. “But
that
has nothing to do with why I sought you out. I have a pressing matter of grave importance to discuss with you, yet due to the madness that is sweeping through the city, I’m afraid to discuss it with you out here in the open.”

“We were just on our way to B. Altman’s,” Agatha said. “Would you care to join us for a cup of tea in their tearoom?”

“B. Altman’s doesn’t allow ladies like me to enter their fine establishment,” Violet said with a smile, the action revealing missing teeth. “I was hoping you’d agree to come back to my house.”