A Duke's Fascination (Unedited Version)

Chapter 4

After experiencing a couple of strange, exhausting days. Arabella finally had some time to herself. So she decided to walk down to the lake. She leisurely strolled down through the meadow picking wild flowers along the way. She came to her favorite spot and sat down under the old oak tree for the second time this week. She prayed her solace wouldn't be interrupted once again.

The day was warm with a gentle breeze that stirred the scent of lavender around her. She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes, wistfully dreaming. She was dreaming of the tall, dark, handsome gentleman that had saved her life while in London.

If only she could have stayed long enough to ask his name, she sighed. However, on that particular day she was a little preoccupied. She had been pressed for time and hadn't been watching where she was going. To be honest she was quite embarrassed by the events. Facing the man again would be horrifying, she thought.

Oh! But those strong, muscular arms wrapped ever so tightly around her, and those eyes! She had never seen such beautiful grey eyes before, ones so intense that they burned straight through to your soul. He was quite possibly the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Of course, growing up in an Abbey full of women didn't exactly make her an expert when it came to men. In fact, she really didn't have anyone else to compare him too. Her best friend Harriet had an older brother who was quite handsome. However, he was more like the boy next door, not the man about town. Oh well, she sighed! She would probably never see him again anyway, so it really wouldn't do to think about him. It just made her wistful.

Her day dreaming came to an abrupt halt as her pleasant thoughts changed to the incidents surrounding that fateful day. They were very disturbing to say the least.

She had traveled to London to hire a runner, one who could help her find her lost family. Harriet had reffered a Mr. Jones to her, someone her father had used in the past. He came highly recommended so she had great hopes that he could help her. She had no real clues to her parentage. She didnt even know her last name. She had nothing save for the beautiful golden rattle and the poem left in her basket. Items she had only recently been made aware of their existence. The mysteries they held had captivated her to no end. The Abbess had given them to her on her eighteenth birthday.

She remembered that day so clearly. Abbess Helen had come to her room that afternoon, to relate the story of how she came to them. There had been a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in!" Arabella had called out.

Abbess Helen entered her room. "Arabella, may I have a word with you my child?" She asked.

Arabella motioned for her to proceed her. "Certainly Abbess, please come in and have a seat. Is there something wrong?"

"Well yes and no, my dear," said the abbess as she took a seat.

Arabella sat down next to her on the small bed, and the Abbess proceeded to tell her how she came to them as a babe.

"France!" Arabella jumped up from the bed. "What do you mean, France? Are you saying I am French, and not English? It can not be, this is the only place I remember, England has always been my home."

"Yes, Arabella, England is your home and it will always be, said the abbess.
However, it is not where you were born. From what I was told, you were found in a basket on the cathedral steps in Paris. The Bishop there knew your life was in danger, so he wrote to me and asked if we could take you in. I agreed and asked that you be brought to me. When you were but one years old one of the sisters from the parish boarded a ship to bring you here. You have been with us ever since. I was given careful instructions by the bishop to keep you safe until your eighteenth year."

Then Abbess Helen had handed her the letter, the paper with the cryptic poem written on it, and the golden rattle. The rattle was the most beautiful thing Arabella had ever seen, let alone owned. Until this day she still didn't understand what the poem meant, something about evil, and being the same, but not the same. It made no sense to her at all.

She also wondered why an orphan would be gifted with such an expensive gift. Being the curious sort, she had made the day trip to London. She needed to find someone who could help her unravel the clues to her past.

Of course that trip had been a waste of time, and funds, as it led to nothing. She hadnt been able to meet with the runner. She was too shaken by the incident with the carriage, to investigate further. After all, being nearly run down was not something that happened to her regularly. She had also been flustered after being held in the arms of the handsome stranger, with the beautiful grey eyes. He had saved her life that day, for that she would be eternally grateful to him. She would love to thank the gentleman for his kindness someday. If she ever found out who he was.

The incident of course led to another thought. The Abbess had said she was in danger. Was it really an accident in London, or had someone from her past tried to kill her that day? She heard from the seamstress that there was someone asking questions in town about the accident. Who was it, and why was he looking for her, she wondered? If her friend Harriet Baker was to be believed, and Harriet being of the local gentry was prone to all the gossip, the man was most definitely looking for her, as she was the only one who fit his description for miles around.

At least they believed it was her. A mystery girl with golden curls and vivid blue eyes, who had recently been to London. Well that surely could have been anyone, couldnt it? However, it all seemed too coincidental for Arabellas comfort. She would have to deal with it one way or another, she thought. No time like the present.

Arabella stood up from her resting spot, and dusted herself off. A chill suddenly ran down her spine. She felt as if someone was watching her. Her hair stood up on the back of her neck causing her to shiver. Arabella pulled her shawl around her shoulders tightly and hurried back to the Abbey.

She didnt notice the cloaked figure watching her from the woods, but she had definitely felt his presence.