Lifting my chin, I give him a look that matches my mood—very dark grey—then walk past him into the suite. I find my father sitting on a sofa with Gran, and Tessa in an armchair with wet hair and a robe on. She winces when I glance at her, and I can’t say I have any desire to let her off the hook. She can bloody well dangle there alongside my brother for all I care. Arthur takes a seat on the arm of Tessa’s chair and they all wait for me to speak.
I open my mouth, take a deep breath, then start talking. “I’m not going to yell, so don’t worry. You all know what you’ve done, and you most certainly deserve the tongue-lashing of a lifetime—except you, Dad. In fact, you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to.”
“Brilliant,” he says, getting up. “I’m actually quite tired.” He hustles in the direction of the connecting door to his room, calling over his shoulder, “Good night, all.”
Then, with a quiet click, he’s gone, leaving Gran, Arthur, and Tessa shifting uncomfortably while I narrow my eyes at them. “The three of you should be ashamed of yourselves,” I say. “Especially you, Arthur, you horse’s ass. How dare you treat Will’s family with such…such…disdain?!” Oh, I’m raising my voice and I promised myself I wouldn’t. I spread my palms and press down on the air in front of me as a way to tell my brain to calm down. Screaming will get me nowhere. “It’s one thing for you to insult me, but it’s an entirely different thing when you go after my future husband’s family. Calling a four-year-old child a pushy brat?!” I ask Arthur.
“You heard that bit?” he asks, looking confused.
“So did Libby. We were in the galley getting you drinks when you two decided to have a chat about her awful child. We watched the entire conversation on the closed-circuit telly.”
Arthur’s shoulders droop and he says, “I don’t suppose it’ll help if I tell you I’ve never felt worse about anything in my life.”
I tap my chin for a few seconds as though considering his offer, then bark, “Nope! Not really. Your remorse doesn’t actually help me at all because I’ve got the rest of my life to spend with a man whose family very likely hates you. For good reason.” I lean toward him, and even though I’m a good six feet away, he leans back. “And now, they’re going to have to come to Valcourt in a couple of weeks for the big stupid wedding I don’t want where they’ll all feel like we think we’re too good for them. Won’t that be fun for them?”
“Oh, Arabella,” Tessa says, her voice cracking. “I am so,sosorry, sweetie. I never should have said anything about Clara.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. She’s a little child.”
“True. Very true. Although I was understandably upset that she shoved James to the ground. That was uncalled for. Also, all I said was that bit about her being an only child. Arthur’s the one who said the really awful things.”
Arthur gives her a look. “So much for standing by your man.”
Keeping her eyes trained on me as though I’m a lioness about to pounce, she says, “Hey, in this situation, it’s every woman for herself.”
Gran decides now is a good time to pipe up. “Really, Arthur, were you planning to hide behind your wife’s petticoat? Grow a pair.”
Spinning on her, I say, “And YOU!All brawn, no brainsin that family?! Really?!”
“Well, I…” Gran starts, then shuts her mouth.
“And calling Matilda a rickety yacht? And suggesting thatwebought it for them?” I ask. Okay, now I am yelling. Well, so be it. They’ve earned it. Besides, serenity is overrated. “Do you haveany ideahow humiliating that is for their family? I only bought the boat for Will because I lost it for him in the first place by being an idiot! And now you’ve made it sound like our family pooled together for it like some sort of charitable donation. Are you insane?!”
“I most certainly am not,” Gran says. “And I’d advise you to watch your tongue. I’m still your grandmother.”
“Then act like it for once!”
“Listen, they’re not exactly innocent either,” Arthur says. “Calling us names behind our backs, and that little Clara had no reason to get violent. It was merely a disagreement.”
Tessa rolls her eyes and I scoff. “Okay, so they may have said something about us being hoity-toity, but it’s true! Who is more hoity-toity than aroyal family? No one! That’s who. No. One. Plus, I had just sent them books about how to act appropriately around us, which, in hindsight was a very bad idea. But then…you three...”
“Fine, okay, we screwed up,” Arthur says. “But they did too. What do you want us to do about it?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” he says, raising one eyebrow.
“That’s right, nothing, because you’ll only make a bigger mess of things.”
There’s a knock at the door and Bellford answers, then lets Will and Reynard through. Will looks awful with two dark purple bands around his eyes and a splint on his nose. “Oh, darling,” I say, rushing to him. “Is it quite painful?”
“I’m fine. I just feel silly,” he says. He glances at my family without greeting them, then lowers his voice. “Listen, can we talk?”
I nod, taking his hand and leading him over to my awful family. “Yes, of course, but I believe some people have something to say to you first.”
“I am very, very sorry,” Arthur says. “I was way out of line and I’ve insulted your family in a most unforgiveable way.”
Will gives him a slight nod. “Yeah, you really have.”
