The Right Reasons

Chapter Two

Jasper began tapping his foot impatiently. While it was agreed that they should "meet" in public, the Lockway family had arrived to the luncheon late. Instead of steering in his direction, they were dawdling with other guests and pausing to make unnecessary and unexplained stops.

Perhaps it was his nerves, but patience had never been one of the virtues had possessed.

The family was soon introduced by the hostess- as had been requested- and he found himself surprised to see unadulterated curiosity in Arabella's bright turquoise eyes. Long, thick lashes framed them, and she seemed very regal with high cheek bones and an elegant, upswept hairstyle.

She seemed very different from the out-of-the-schoolroom debutante he had embraced with only last week.

She curtsied primly and held out her hand. He took it, kissed it gently, and let go of it as soon as possible.

He saw a flash of hurt in her face before it was covered by seemingly impassible cover, guarding her emotions and keeping herself in check.

"A pleasure to meet you, Your Grace."

"And I say the same to you and your family, Lady Lockway."

She nodded just long enough to be polite.

He sighed and made small talk about the weather. She replied in a rather cold manner.

When he tried to get closer to whisper in her ear, he saw a pale pink sprinkle across her cheeks. This was not the woman he held the other day. She was shy and not brash almost to the point of controlling. As he leaned in closer to her ear, he involuntarily partook of a whiff of her scent. Instead of a cheap perfume, she smelled of the mountain air of the Pennines, a hill range near Derbyshire his family visited in the summers of his childhood. Taken aback by his childhood memories, he stumbled.

"Your Grace?"

"It's nothing."

"Something to make you stumble mustn't be no-"

"I said it was and so it is," he interrupted seething, "Now, we must appear to be a good match that can get along."

She let out a surprised gasp at his sudden attitude change. "Yes, Your Grace." Perhaps his childhood temper had not dissolved over the years as he had liked to think.

Her hand dropped and she stepped away. He almost wanted to reach out to her again. Almost. Her frown told him to do otherwise.

"Shall I escort you to your seat, Lady Lockway?"

"You can do as you please, Your Grace."

For some unfathomable reason, her words stung.

ɤɤɤɤ

The man grated on her nerves. Arabella forced a smile onto her face and accepted his offered elbow, noticing her mom indicating to subtly in the corner.

Since this was a less formal noon meal in a less formal house, the men and women were seating alternately by rank. Because her father was a Marquess, Arabella was placed by the seemingly prideful duke. Alice's look of mixed anger, disappointment, and lost hope only slightly tugged at her heart. Heartless or not, Alice had refused to admit the truth. Plus, it was her rightful seat since she was elder by a minuscule three minutes- but it was three minutes nonetheless.

She talked no more than necessary, flirted appropriately here and there, and essentially learned nothing about his personal life or character that she had not already known. In her opinion, besides having them "meet", the meal was a complete waste of his and her time.

Later, after they had arrived home, Alice burst in her room in a quite unladylike fashion. "How could you do this to me?" she wailed. Arabella quit tying her bonnet on and turned.

"Pray tell, What am I being accused of now?"

"You know what! You've taken my one chance at love away," Alice bemoaned, pretending to swoon onto what once was their bed.

"Alice, quit being so dramatic. You are the one who took that chance away from me. I do believe your exact words were something like 'this is your problem now'. This is my problem and I intend to fix it. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a wedding to plan."

Alice's wail brought no response from her. She had grown quite used to Alice's tantrums as a child and now as an almost grown woman.

She came down the main staircase two steps at a time, forgetting her usually decorum. She finished tying her bonnet on. Her mother followed suit, giving concerned glances up at the ceiling. Alice's piteous cries could be heard through the walls. Sometimes, she could go all night.

"Mother, give her no attention. You know it only encourages her. Shall we be off?"

"Of course, my dear," her mother gingerly replied, still looking uneasily at the ceiling.

Her mother had always been too soft on Alice, spoiling her because she was the "baby girl". Arabella couldn't help but huff and roll her eyes at the thought. Baby indeed.

"She will be fine."

"I know. She's not like you, Ari. She worries me."

"She worries me, too."