Scoundrel With A Noble Heart (sequel of Disgraceful)

Chapter 18

For an instant, Matthew considered to take his discarded shirt and put it on, but the lady already beckoned him to follow her.
"Come with me."
Anxious to keep a respectable distance, he followed the lady to a small garden near the library, where she ordered him to rearrange the position of some flowerpots.

As he moved about the short space, he became painfully aware of the woman's excessive attention. During the course, she continued to stare at him in that odd, alarming way, but he dismissed the unsettling feeling and focused on his work.

Hoisting a heavy sandstone pot, he spun around and almost crashed into the lady, who had come to stand right behind him. He staggered back a step.
"Pardon me, Milady."

"How old are you, Matthew?" The older woman asked out of the blue.

"I'm seventeen, Milady."

"I see." She murmured, her eyes drifted from his naked chest to his muscular biceps.
"You have strong arms."

He couldn't think of a reply to that remarks, so he dropped his gaze and sidestepped the woman. Soon as he'd done rearranging the flowerpots, he made an excuse to leave. Thankfully, she didn't detain him any longer. Nevertheless, he could sense the lady's eyes boring into his back as he hurried away.

******

The next morning, Matthew was sitting on his heels, clearing up some weeds behind a hedgerow when he overheard conversation from the other side of the bushes.

"Aunt Ginny, have you received any letter from Father? It's likely he will suspect that I am here."
Arabella's familiar voice carried through the air, along with soft rustling of skirts.

"There hasn't been any message from him, but if he inquires about you, I'll write back that I know nothing about your whereabouts."
He heard the other woman's voice.

"I'm afraid one of the staff might spill about my unexpected arrival."

"Don't worry, dear. I hire only a select few whose loyalty to me is beyond question. No one would dare to breathe a word."

"What if father sends his man to search for me here?"

"There's no way his men could set foot in the grounds of this estate. This is my property, after all."

"And if Father himself comes to search every nook and cranny in this house?

"Then he shall never find you, since this house has many secret rooms where you can hide comfortably for days, if necessary."

Not wanting them to become aware of his presence, he stayed down until their footsteps faded into the distance.

In the midmorning, as usual the workers took a break. While most of them sought shelter under the shade of an oak tree for a short nap, Matthew decided to return to his chamber. On his way to the servant's quarter, he passed the terrace, and heard Aunt Ginny talking to a footman.
"Send this letter to Viscount Winthrop, and remember to never repeat about it to anyone. It's highly confidential. Most importantly, Lady Arabella mustn't know about this."

The mention of the name brought him up short.
Viscount Winthrop. Arabella's father.

Aunt Ginny had just promised no to let him know Arabella's whereabouts, so why on Earth did she send him a letter? And had he misheard it when she said Arabella mustn't know about it?

The footman took the letter from the lady and bowed before leaving. Knowing that the messenger was going to the stable to fetch a horse, Matthew took a shortcut through some unfrequented garden path to meet the man from the opposite direction. He waited until the man appeared, then casually walked towards him. Pretending to be careless, Matthew quickened his pace and crashed into him.