“I thought Weston’s was the only suitable tailor?” Miss Sharp interrupted.
I met her gaze. “In most circumstances, yes. But Weston’s is not here in Bath, so I’ve had to make other arrangements.”
Her nose twitched with obvious irritation. Colin must have spoken to her about his tailor before. Of course he had. His clothing was one of his favorite topics of conversation, and Miss Sharp must have taken notice of that in her efforts to pursue him.
“Hmm.” Miss Sharp lifted one eyebrow slightly. “First you are keeping a pair of soiled boots, and now you are visiting a mediocre tailor. Take care, or you might find yourself falling low enough to court a woman of mydesperatesituationandrepulsivemanner.” She tugged on Mrs. Ollerton’s arm, who looked mortified. “Good day, Mr. Campbell,” she finished in a swift voice as she turned away.
I watched her back as she hurried away, leaving me and my soiled boot alone on the cobblestones.
CHAPTER 5
ARABELLA
As I crossed the street, I made sure to dodge the pile of manure that still bore the footprint of Mr. Colin Campbell.
Before today, he had never approached me of his own free will.
Nor had I ever seen him smile.
My skin was flushed from the boldness of my parting words. They had been immensely satisfying, but I could sense Kate’s shock and disapproval as she followed me into the stairwell that led to the rooms above Newbury’s. Suddenly her new reticule was not our top priority.
“Arabella!” She hissed in a whisper as the door closed behind us. We started up the stairs toward my family’s set of rooms. In the privacy of the stairwell, she was able to scold me properly. “You spoke far too freely. He will call you disagreeable to all his acquaintances. You will never make a match if you behave like that.”
I sighed. “It’s too late. I was certain he couldn’t find me more disagreeable than he already did after yesterday evening.”
Kate’s eyes glowed white in the dimness. “What did you say to him yesterday?”
I stopped on the stairs beside her. There was no point in keeping the truth from her. She deserved to know what a goosecap she had taken under her wing. “I told him I was hunting his fortune.”
Kate’s jaw lowered, and I was tempted to nudge her chin up with the back of my hand.
“Don’t be so appalled,” I pleaded. “He had already implied that he wasn’t interested in me. He was so proud and disagreeable.” I gritted my teeth. “I wanted to shock him.”
“I’m certain you did.” Kate shook her head in dismay. “I can’t believe he would even speak to you after that!”
I bit my lower lip. “He did seem oddly interested in speaking to me today, did he not?” I hoped Kate would have an explanation for that, but she seemed as confused as I was.
“Perhaps he was embarrassed about the horse droppings and didn’t know what else to do,” she offered.
I gave a slow nod. “That must have been the reason. It’s the only reasonable one.” A laugh threatened to bubble out of my throat. It had given me no small measure of delight to see Mr. Campbell shaking the bits of horse manure from his perfectly polished boot. I had never seen him in a discomposed state, much less such a compromising one. I would find great joy in never letting him live that down if he ever had the audacity to speak to me again. I was suddenly eager to secure an invitation from one of my neighbors for afternoon tea.
At first, his rejection the night before had troubled me. But I had quickly brushed it off my shoulders. A fortune could be found elsewhere. I had already made progress with Sir William at Lady Benton’s party, and I planned to see him again at the assembly rooms tonight. I was nothing if not efficient.
“Take care, Arabella.” Kate gripped my arm. “I am worried for you.”
My heart pinched with dread, but I pushed the feeling away. I couldn’t afford to dwell on fear. It would only hinder me. “I will.” I gave Kate a quick smile. “I’ll spend the rest of the day preparing for the ball this evening.”
“You must tell me every detail. Try to secure a dance with Sir William.”
I nodded.
She abandoned the subject, thankfully, and made her way back down the stairs to return to her reticule shopping. Being married to a wealthy man, she didn’t have control over the bulk of her husband’s fortune, but she did have plenty of pin money to spend at the shops. Such a life sounded pleasant, but that was not what motivated me. Not in the slightest.
I reached the top of the stairs and entered my modest apartment, where Aunt Julia sat on the drawing room sofa with a needle and thread. She had embroidered what looked like a swan bobbing atop a blue pond, and now she was adding blades of green grass to the edges. The sight awoke a fierce longing for home in the pit of my stomach. I missed the green hills, the coast, our pond, and my precious ducks. I had been in Bath for too long, yet my work was far from finished.
Aunt Julia glanced up, tight blonde curls surrounding her round face. The lace of her white chemisette touched the base of her chin, and the pale green wallpaper matched her gown. “Well, that was a short trip.” Her brows lifted in surprise.
I removed my bonnet and set it on the tea table. “I confess I was spooked off the streets by Mr. Campbell.” I craned my neck to look out the window. He was nowhere to be seen, but the squashed pile of manure was still there. Why had he behaved so differently today? I must have been mistaken, but he hadn’t seemed nearly as aloof as usual. Had my boldness piqued hiscuriosity? Had it made me more interesting? Questions flitted through my mind, but I decided to ignore them all. I had already set my attention elsewhere.
