As they made their way to the sitting room, he noticed that Isabella was giving him a strange look. He allowed Aunt Olivia to pull a few paces ahead of them. “Are you all right?” he asked her quietly. “I know her visit comes as a surprise.”
“You asking me if I’m all right comes as a surprise,” she told him. “You’re not yourself.”
“I’m not?”
“I feel as if just having her here has turned you into a different person,” she murmured. “Someone—someone who smiles. It’s very strange. Don’t mistake me, it’s not unwelcome at all. I like you like this. But I’m not sure what to make of it. Is this what you were like when you were younger?” She shook her head. “Don’tbother. I’m sure it’s one of the many things you don’t want to talk to me about, but I’m glad to have the chance to get to know her. I’m glad she’s here.”
She looked rather flustered, he realized. Her cheeks were flushed, and she wasn’t making eye contact with him. It was as if she was shy—but the idea of shyness in Isabella was so foreign that he couldn’t believe that was what he was seeing. She had always been so blunt with him, so ready to say whatever was on her mind. What could have made her act like this now? Was it just the presence of Aunt Olivia?
He didn’t know. What he did know was that she looked lovely like this, her cheeks slightly reddened and her eyes downcast so that he could take in her long, lovely lashes. He would never have traded the stubborn lady he had come to know for a more timid version of her, but he couldn’t deny that it was alluring to see this side of her personality.
He felt his breath come a bit faster. For the first time, he felt a powerful urge to reach out and take her in his arms. He imagined himself holding her until she was forced to look up into his eyes and then whispering to her that everything was all right. That there was no need for her to be flustered like this.
Oh, what a powerful fantasy that was! The swooping sensation in the pit of his stomach took him entirely by surprise. He had never intended to feel anything for Isabella. She was supposed to be his wife in name only, someone he could show about town when he needed to. There wasn’t supposed to be this bond, thisconnection, between the two of them. And yet, he found himself unable to quite let go of the thought of holding her in his arms.
She looked up at him, and for a moment their eyes locked on one another, and it felt as if they were frozen in place. Arthur felt sure she couldn’t tear herself away from this moment any more than he could. Surely, they would remain here, looking into one another’s eyes…
She pulled away and went into the sitting room. Arthur stood still for a moment, watching her go.
Now that she was gone, he was able to clear his head a bit. He thought about what she’d said—that he wasn’t himself. Was it true?
He did feel much more alive when his aunt was here. He would have thought he wasmorehimself in her presence. But of course, Isabella had never known him in the company of Aunt Olivia. She only knew the person he was when he was on his own, and she barely knew that. Of course, this would seem different and unfamiliar to her. Of course, she felt as if she was meeting him for the first time.
He went into the sitting room and sat down. Aunt Olivia beamed up at him. “I’ve just been getting to know your Isabella,” she said with a smile. “You couldn’t have made a lovelier choice, Arthur; she’s an absolute gem. I can’t wait to take her to Manford.”
“Manford?” Arthur repeated, frowning. “What’s all this about?”
“Oh, you don’t know about the Manford ball?” Aunt Olivia asked innocently.
Arthur recognized her machinations all too well. “I’m sure you know I have no plans to attend a ball at Manford,” he said.
“Oh, but you must allow me to take her,” Aunt Olivia said. “You want to go, Isabella, don’t you?”
“I’d like to attend a ball,” Isabella agreed.
That was more like the Isabella Arthur knew. No doubt she was aware of his reservations about the idea, especially after the way he had just responded to his aunt’s suggestion that they go, but rather than deal with the situation in a manner a young lady would be expected to, she was making it perfectly clear that she wanted to go to the ball.
He could still put his foot down about it. It didn’t matter, at the end of the day, what the two ladies wanted—Arthur was in charge, and he knew that. But they were both looking at him so eagerly. He knew he had made Isabella’s life difficult since her arrival here. And he never had been able to resist showing kindness to Aunt Olivia—after all, she had taken him in and raised him as her own son when he had had nobody else in the world.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll allow it if you both want to attend this ball. We’ll make the arrangements that need to be made so that you can go.”
“Oh, but you have to come with us, Arthur,” Aunt Olivia said.
Arthur raised his eyebrows. “I’m sorry?”
“We can’t go on our own,” she said.
“You’re more than capable, Aunt Olivia.”
“Of course, but this is the first society party since your marriage,” Aunt Olivia explained. “You’ll be making your first appearance with Isabella. You can’t send her on her own. There would be no end to the gossip if you did. You’ve got to go with her and let everyone have a chance to see the two of you together. That’s what people really want, you know—to see the Duke with his new bride.”
“I’m not in the habit of making decisions based on giving other people what they want,” Arthur said.
“Perhaps not, but it’s something you should get used to,” she said. “That’s why you married, isn’t it? You wanted to let people see that you were happy in a love match with this beautiful young lady?”
He couldn’t argue with that, of course. “I suppose I shouldn’t send her alone.”
“And she wants to go, don’t you, Isabella?”
