Silence hung in the room.
Isolde stirred in Tristan’s arms, thinking to step back, but he held her fast, refusing to let her go. She felt his lips brush her hair.
“Well,” her mother said, “though I know you both wished to leave for Hawthorn today, unfortunately, I think we will all need to remain in Town for a while yet.”
Isolde’s spirits plummeted. Stay here? With Aubrey and Lady Lavinia in residence?
“Though it pains me, I agree,” Tristan said on an exhaled breath. “If we leave now, it will appear we are running from the scandal. That we feel the rumor has merit.”
“Precisely,” Lady Hadley said. “The best antidote is to be seen and pretend like the cartoon is merely a ridiculous bit of nonsense. To that end, Isolde and I will leave calling cards, informing acquaintances of our intention to remain in Town, and begin morning visits.”
Her mother’s words sent Isolde’s spirits even lower. She detested morning visits—small talk and taking tea with ladies who said cruel things in elegant tones. It was torture, pure and simple.
But as Isolde’s reckless behavior had led them to this moment, suffering through a handful of awkward visits was a suitable penance. She would keep a stiff upper lip and endure it like the foul-tasting physic it was.
“I’ll stop by the printer’s office and let them know of my displeasure,” Hadley said. “Whoever provided the newspaper with this information will feel the edge of my wrath.”
“I should very much like to join you in that, Hadley,” Tristan said.
Isolde turned her head in Tristan’s embrace, resting her cheek against his breastbone. “How long will we need to stay?”
“At least a month, I would think,” her mother replied.
A month?At what point would Isolde’s heart simply sink through the floor and into the earth below?
“And I wonder . . .” Lady Hadley’s voice drifted off.
“What are you pondering, my love?” her father asked.
Her mother sighed. “I think we should consider a ball.”
“Us?”
“No . . . Isolde and Tristan. Their first ball together as husband and wife. If we host the ball for them, then it’s not a powerful statement. But if the Duke and Duchess of Kendall hold a ball . . . well, then it becomes an event. A bold stance, if you will. A direct challenge to any who would disparage our Isolde.”
“A b-ball?” Isolde hated the tremor in her voice. Just pondering all the work hosting a ball would entail sent her thoughts reeling—the invitations, the decorations, the food, the extra staff to be hired. Not to mention the potential tinderbox of herself as a hostess. And what if, after all that, no one came?
“Yes, darling,” her mother said. “But I shall be here to assist you, as will Lady Allegra, I am sure. You will not be alone in this endeavor. We will ensure it is a raging success. I don’t think the dukedom has hosted a ball in at least two decades.”
“You are likely correct, Lady Hadley,” Tristan said. “Such entertainments were beneath my father’s dignity. Holding one now is a brilliant suggestion, as much as I personally dislike the thought. Of course, Isolde will shine.” He said the words boldly enough, but Isolde could hear the forced cheer in his voice.
“There you are,” Lady Hadley said. “A magnificent ball at Gilbert House, the first in over a generation. No one will be able to resist. And one cannot shun a lady and attend her ball at the same time. It will force thetonto choose a side. And I suspect everyone will side with attending. If nothing else, it will nearly guarantee that no one cuts our Isolde directly.”
Morning visits and now a ball?
It didn’t matter. Isolde would see her way through them. She had to. It was the least she owed Tristan for making such a muck of everything.
She ordered her tense stomach to settle.
Tristan hugged her tighter.
“All will be well, my love,” he whispered in her ear. “I shall see to it.”
At his words, alarm bells sounded in Isolde’s mind.
No!
This was not Tristan’s problem to solve.Shewas not his problem to solve. As Her Majesty’s chiding words had proved last night, Isolde’s tattered reputation was already a burden enough for him. Forcing others to accept her would solve nothing.
