Kate had been rather quiet during our walk to the baths, and even now, her usually smooth forehead bore a faint wrinkle. She glanced from left to right at all the ladies on our side of the bath. Many of them seemed to be staring in our direction, though I thought I had been imagining it. Had Kate noticed too?
“Is this the same water they drink in the Pump Room?” I asked with a grimace.
“No.” Kate laughed. “There is a separate underground system that delivers clean water to the fountain inside.”
Relief flooded through me. “I’m glad to hear that.” I leaned back slightly in the water until it touched the base of my hairline. Without so many onlookers, the hot water would have likely calmed my nerves. I rarely enjoyed a bath so hot, though I would still prefer clean water over this. I inhaled above my smelling salts again and closed my eyes, pretending it was a bar of soap in my bath at home.
Kate leaned close to me with a whisper. “I wanted to speak with you about a sensitive matter.”
My eyes shot open. My stomach dropped at the concern on her face. “What is it?”
She waded a few feet away from the nearest cluster of ladies, and I followed her.
She glanced in all directions again before addressing me seriously. “As you know, I receive many callers and invitations, and am kept well-aware of gossip.” She sank deeper in the water, hiding her face behind both our copper bowls. “I have heard many opinions and rumors about your courtship with Mr. Campbell.”
“What have you heard?” My heart thudded faster.
Kate hesitated. “The gossip is that he does not have noble intentions.”
I scowled, fighting the dread in my stomach.
“Ladies are speculating about what reason he might have to be courting you when you have…” she paused “…well, they say you have little to offer.” Her gaze flickered away from mine. “You knowIdon’t believe that, but that is what I have heard. They think he might be entertaining himself with you without any intentions of marriage. They wonder why he has been secretive about the courtship.” Kate’s green eyes were wide with concern. “I didn’t want to believe the gossip, but it did cause me to worry for you. I couldn’t help it.”
A knot formed in my stomach. I had wondered the same thing, though I had been hiding from the potential answers. I had truly started to believe he was genuine, but how could I have any proof?
“Thank you for telling me,” I whispered. It was all I could say at the moment. I wanted to sink under the water to avoid Kate’s words and the many eyes that drifted in my direction. How many of these ladies had heard about the gossip? After confessing to Mrs. Wickerton that Mr. Campbell had been calling upon me, she must have spread the word quickly. I had thought it would serve my purpose, but now I wasn’t so sure.
If Mr. Campbell was indeed toying with me, then my reputation would suffer at the end of it. I would lose all hope of other prospects.
I sank lower into the water until it soaked the entirety of my coiffure. The water seeped into my scalp, but I didn’t care. I closed my eyes again, leaning back and wetting all of my hair before sitting up straight again. The hot water ran down the sides of my face.
I turned to face Kate. “At the Beresford’s party, Mrs. Aldworth told me how much Mr. Campbell despises fortune hunters. Do you think he’s seeking revenge on me?” Even asthe question left my mouth, my heart dropped. How could it be true?
Kate scowled. “That would be unnecessarily cruel. Surely he has better things to do.”
I nodded slowly.
“Let us not worry ourselves over it. Gossip is usually not to be believed. People will have their own opinions on the subject, but that doesn’t mean they’re right.”
To distract myself, I snatched my bowl out of the water, selecting a citrus pomander to hold beneath my nose. What if Kate was right to be worried? What if I had trusted Mr. Campbell too quickly? An ember of anger sparked inside my chest, and I assembled a thick wall, brick by brick, around my heart, just in case the gossip was true.
“Tread carefully, Arabella,” Kate said after a long moment. “That is all I ask. I will keep my eyes and ears open. I hope I have not made you too pessimistic.”
I flashed a quick smile, pretending not to be as wounded as I truly was. “No, there is no such thing.” The true danger lay in being toooptimistic,which was precisely what I had been doing.My heart ached, but I buried the sensation beneath that growing spark of anger. And then I slipped my hair back under the water again.
CHAPTER 20
ARABELLA
After a few more minutes in the hot water, Kate and I waded up the steps and back to the dark stone chambers where the maids of the Roman Baths awaited us with our dry gowns. Dressed in my white muslin once again, I walked with Kate back to the edge of Milsom Street. My hair was still soaking wet, a few dripping strands hanging loose around my face. I had tried to cover most of it with my bonnet, but it had been impossible to hide.
I bid Kate farewell at the end of the street as she started toward home with her maid. I only had a short distance to cover before I reached Newbury’s. My skin still felt hot from the water—and from the anger that pulsed under my skin. I didn’t want to believe that I was being fooled, but any other explanation was difficult to believe. How could I expect a well-connected, wealthy, and handsome man to suddenly become so enchanted byme? I had lied to him, told him I was after his fortune, and acted like a ninny on many occasions. It simply didn’t make sense.
I marched quickly up the street. With all the gossip circulating about me, it would be best to make my journey quick before I was seen walking alone. I lowered my gaze, pulling the brim of my bonnet down low to shield my face. I watched my feet as I covered the short distance toward the door.
I dodged a pair of shiny black boots before a voice startled me. “Arabella?”
My gaze shot up from under my bonnet. My heart skipped. Mr. Campbell stood against the outside wall of Newbury’s. My eyes adjusted to the sunlight, and I blinked fast. Was I imagining things? I looked again, taking in his dark hair, dark jacket, and intense blue eyes. It was him. He seemed to have been waiting for me.
