He took hold of her hand, caressing her knuckles with the pad of his thumb. “I will send the carriage for you tomorrow morning since your horse is still at our stable.”
“Thank you again.”
“Have a pleasant night. Give your father my regards.”
She chuckled lightly. “If he remembers you, that is.”
He kept hold of her hand as she stepped from the carriage, only releasing it as she exited. She gave him a wave before hurrying inside her house. He watched until the front door closed behind her before closing the carriage door.
Sighing a breath of relief, he leaned back in the seat. Hopefully, Bella would remember. That would be the only way she would fall in love with him again because he knew she was hesitant about looking at his face. Who could blame her? Nobody enjoyed looking at a beast.
SIX
BELLA WOKE UP BRIGHT and early the next day, even though her eyes didn’t want to open. There was so much to do before Terrick sent the carriage to pick her up this morning. Last night, she’d visited with her father and waited again for Andrew to drop by to let her know how the hunting had gone, which kept her awake most of the night. It upset her when her brother hadn’t stopped by, and she had gone to bed frustrated and wanting answers.
The story Terrick had told her last evening had stayed on her mind. At times, she wanted to disbelieve, but then, she recalled her mother telling her to live her life to the fullest before she found a man to marry. It fit with what Terrick had told her. And, if she had been forbidden to see Terrick or his family, that would explain why their names had never been mentioned after her mother died.
She rushed through her dressing and even combing her hair. She didn’t style it but pulled it back into a ponytail. Once she was ready for the day, she hurried up to the attic. A year after Mother had died, her family boxed up her mother’s things and stuck them up here for safekeeping.
The first thing Bella did was open the window to let the sunshine inside. There was a cool breeze in the air, and she hoped it would freshen up the room. Then, she moved to the first box and dug through the contents to search for the missing journal.
Deep in Bella’s heart, she knew her mother had another journal. She remembered seeing her mother write in it every night, so why would she suddenly miss a month of writing?
There was so much that didn’t make sense, but at least Terrick had told her about some of those things. Still, it upset her that her own father and brother had kept the Wentworth family a secret for all these years.
An hour later, she was still digging, but now her neck ached, and her shoulders hurt from not being in the proper position while on the floor. And to make it worse, she hadn’t found anything helpful. Terrick’s carriage would be here shortly, so she must hurry.
She moved aside a box that she’d finished searching through and scooted over to Mother’s old trunk. Bella recalled the few times her mother had used this trunk. As a child, she and Andrew would travel all over the country with their parents. Mother used this trunk to pack their clothes. Later in life, Mother stayed home with her children while her husband went traveling. The old trunk hadn’t been used in years.
Bella lifted the clasps before pulling up the trunk’s lid. The wood creaked, testifying that it hadn’t been open for a long time. A strong, musty scent attacked her sense, and she sneezed. Immediately, she noticed the wedding gown her mother had saved. The white fabric had turned yellow, and the lace appeared as if it would crumble at any moment. As a girl, there were times Bella had wanted to wear the gown, but her mother told her she was saving it for Bella’s wedding day.
Sighing, Bella shook her head. There was no way she could wear the gown now.
Carefully, she moved the fabric aside and slid her hand deeper into the trunk. Her hand bumped against something hard, flat, and... leather. She quickly grasped it and yanked the book out of the trunk. Instead of the journal she expected to find, this book had odd symbols on the cover. Cautiously, she opened the book and read the writing inside.
To my lovely daughter, Lucinda. I hope you use this book wisely and use the formulas for wholesome purposes. Love, your mother.
Bella scrunched her forehead. Grandma Rose gave this book to Bella’s Mother? Why had she never seen it before?
From outside the opened window, she heard the sound of a carriage pulling up the drive. She quickly closed the trunk and, keeping the book in her hand, stood. As she hurried down the stairs, she brushed the dust off her clothes.
On her way toward the front door, she lifted her shawl from the hook on the wall and then wrapped it around the book. She’d read this later, but she’d show it to Terrick. Hopefully, he could help her figure out what the odd symbols and writings were all about.
She told her father goodbye, hurried out the door, and looked toward the carriage. Mr. Wentworth and Anastasia were the ones coming to get her this morning. They had both descended the vehicle.
“Good morning, Bella,” Mr. Wentworth exclaimed cheerfully. “I’m happy to see that you haven’t changed your mind about working for us, especially after what happened yesterday.”
Bella held the wrapped book against her bosom as she walked toward the carriage. “Of course, I haven’t changed my mind. Why should I?”
“Because of the beast in the forest,” Anastasia said dramatically. “That frightened me so much I didn’t sleep well.”
“But you ladies shouldn’t worry.” Mr. Wentworth helped both his daughter and Bella inside the vehicle before
