Scoundrel With A Noble Heart (sequel of Disgraceful)

Chapter 14

They couldn't see the driver since the tall stacks of containers blocked their view of the front seat, as well as kept them hidden from the driver's sight.

For a moment, her brows furrowed in concentration, and suddenly her expression brightened as if a brilliant idea had occurred to her.
"Listen, once this wagon stops, you jump off before the driver sees you. Then you pretend to come out of nowhere and ask for directions. While you distract him, I'll have the chance to jump off and run. It's actually quite easy, isn't it?"

Matthew did little to conceal his skepticism,
"I'm starting to regret this already."

Her eyes grew wide and she sucked in an irritated breath.
"Alright! Do you have a better idea?"

The sentence ended in a startled gasp and she reached out to clutch his lapel when the vehicle took an abrupt halt. They heard a soft thud as the driver hopped off the wagon.

"Change of plan! Hide, quick!"
Arabella whispered before she jumped into the chest and closed the lid.

Quick as a flash, Matthew jumped off the wagon and slid under the vehicle. One side of his face pressed against the dusty ground, he caught his breath when a pair of booted feet passed within inches of his eyes.

From inside her confines, Arabella heard the floorboard creak as the man went up, and a brief silence followed. A few moments later, her heart stopped when she felt the chest within which she was hiding was being lifted off the floorboard. Her cramped body jiggled along with the sharp movement, before the chest was thrown carelessly onto the ground. Thankfully she had braced herself for the rough landing, and this time wasn't worse than before. A moment later, she heard another thump, like booted feet hitting the ground. For a tense moment, she held her breath in anticipation, and gave a loud shriek when the lid above her was suddenly removed.

"What the ..." Came a shocked male voice.

Instantly aware that Arabella had been caught red-handed, Matthew crawled out from under the wagon and leapt to his feet. The man whirled around to see him and his jaw dropped. The next second, his surprised expression fled, replaced by a furious scowl.

Matthew backed away a step, raising his hands in defense.
"I... I can explain it, Sir-"

"Bloody hell! You two are stowing away on my cart?!"
The man's face flushed with angry color.
"If you think I'm going to let you go, you're wrong."

The man spun around and stalked to the front of the wagon. They gasped when he took up a rifle from under the seat.

"Www.. wait, Sir," Matthew stammered, almost tripping over a stone behind him as he took a step back. The man cocked the trigger and marched toward Matthew, who stood frozen in the grip of fear.

Suddenly the empty container flew off, hurtling the man into the roadside ditch. The rifle fell off and glided a few meters away. Matthew was still overwhelmed by the shock of it when Arabella shouted.
"Run, Matthew!"

In a flash, they streaked down the sloped street. From behind them, the man struggled to get out of the narrow channel and yelled,
"Hey!!! Come back you misbegotten hounds!"

Matthew and Arabella arrived at the frontyard of a cabin, where a brood of chickens were waddling around and pecking at the ground. The animals clucked noisily and scattered in all directions when the pair barged into the open field, shattering the quiet peace of the midmorning.

Wet and covered in dirt, the mad man chased them to the back of the cabin, and, unable to find any other place to hide, Matthew pulled Arabella into the privy. Once inside, the awful smell made her retch, but Matthew quickly put his hand over her mouth, pressing her against the plywood wall. Breathing soundlessly, he strained his ears to hear voices from outside.

The sharp sound of booted feet pounding on the ground subsided as their pursuer slowed down to a stop. The man was scanning the area for any sign of the pair when two peasant girls with their laundry baskets came from the opposite direction. At the sight of a man carrying a gun, the girls instantly screamed, tossed their laundry baskets and ran off. Seeing that his presence had caused quite a stir, the man turned around and hurried to leave.

*****

"I'd never thought I'd say this but hitchhiking an animal wagon is not that bad. In fact, it's not bad at all."
Arabella conceded a couple of hours later when they slouched in the back of another wagon, crammed with a flock of sheep.

"Yeah," Matthew grinned, leaning his head against the edge of the driver's bench.
"We should have stuck with sheep and never changed to another mode of transportation."

The farmer drove them as far as the village square and they continued the rest of the way on foot. Almost an hour later, they both plodded up the road, disheveled and covered in dirt and sweat, but otherwise all in one piece.

Dragging his tired feet, Matthew panted up the inclined path, his eyes fixed on the ground, until Arabella startled him with a squeal.
"Matthew, look! That's Aunt Ginny's house! We've arrived at last!"

Matthew tipped back his head and found that what she called a house was instead a palace, set amid acres of lawns and gardens. Standing proudly against the backdrop of dense trees and the fiery afternoon sky, the palatial mansion bathed in the golden glow of the waning daylight.

Upon seeing a pair of vagrants coming toward the gate, a footman hurried out of his post.
"Keep out, pair of you! We don't entertain beggars here! Go on, get lost!"

Arabella gawked at the inhospitable welcome and bit back.
"We are not beggars! I am Lady Arabella Grace Adrianne Winthrop, the niece of your mistress, Lady Virginia Winthrop."

Startled at the mention of his employer, the footman staggered, but then squinted his eyes.
"How do I know you're not lying?"

"I can prove it. Now you go inside and fetch Hollingworth, the butler, be quick about it and I'll forgive your impertinence."

The doorman scuttled into the house. A few minutes later he returned with the butler, an aging man with an unusual height and a stern face. Hollingworth peered at Arabella as he followed the doorman to the gate.
"Miss Arabella?!! Good Lord, what happened to you?!!"

She sent a triumphant glance at the doorman, who instantly turned pale. The man bowed down repeatedly, stuttering a string of apologies. Arabella turned her gaze to the butler and nodded elegantly.
"I ran into some notorious outlaws on my way here and got robbed, but I've managed to escape unharmed, none the worse from the harrowing ordeal."

"Hurry open the gate, Charlie. Don't let Miss Winthrop wait much longer!"
The butler instructed the doorman, who leaped at his command. Once the wrought iron gate pushed open, Arabella swept into the grounds of the estate, but instantly took a halt and turned toward Matthew, who made no move to follow her.

"Matthew, come on!" She called out, beckoning him over. When he remained unmoving, she came approaching him.

"Bella, wait," He resisted when she took his hand.
"What if your Aunt is not very pleased to see me?"

"She won't be," Arabella blurted, then instantly paused, as the possibility occurred to her. She looked into his face and was struck by his pained expression. He was scared and insecure, and her heart twisted to see him this way. Without a second's hesitation, she made a resolve.
"Matthew, if she refuses to take you in, I will not stay here either."

"Don't be ridiculous! Where would you go?"

"Matthew, I will not leave you. You saved my life."

"You saved me too. We're even, remember?"
He reminded her despite the painful wrenching in his chest.
"Bella, you owe me nothing."

"Matthew, I've promised to help you find a decent job. A promise is a promise."
She set her chin stubbornly, seemed ready to reason with him for hours, but their argument had to end when another voice broke into the scene.
"Goodness! Bella, is it you?"

A beautiful woman in a red satin gown was standing on the front steps. With long, dark hair that contrasted her fair skin, and a pair of startling green eyes, the woman bore a striking resemblance to Arabella.