“How are things going between the two of you?”
“I have to admit, they’ve been getting better,” Isabella said. “I didn’t think I’d be happy with conditions between the two of us because we got off to a very rough start. But now that I’ve had a bit of time to settle in, I find that I’m enjoying his company more than I expected to.”
“That’s wonderful,” Felicity said sincerely. “I’m so pleased. I hoped this marriage would be a good thing for you, Isabella. I know you only went into it as a way of trying to pave the way for my future, but I wanted it to be a good thing for you as well, and I’m so glad that’s what seems to be happening.”
“Yes,” Isabella said. “I admit that I had no particular desire to marry the Duke at first—in fact, I would have said that I was inclined against it. But having gotten to know him better, I’m glad to be his wife.”
She was surprised to find that the words were true. She would have said them anyway, out of a desire to make Arthur look good his first time going to a ball after so long and to thank him for his willingness to take her, but lying to her sister would have felt strange. It was good to discover that she didn’t have to lie, that the things she wanted to say were the truth.
“What about Father and Rosalind?” she asked. “Are they here?”
“Oh, they’re here, all right,” Felicity said. “You know Rosalind would never miss a ball. And as for Father…I think he’s finally begun to notice the fact that no gentlemen have been particularly interested in her, and he’s decided to take a heavier hand in her affairs.”
“Poor Rosalind.” Isabella made a sad face. “It would be very sad if she were the only sister left at home with you and me gone. I know she would be so lonely and that she would miss us ever so much.”
Felicity laughed. “Yes,” she agreed, “I don’t know how she would get by without us. You should probably come and say hello to them, otherwise they’ll talk all day about how you thought you were too good to pay them any attention at the ball.”
“I wouldn’t want that,” Isabella agreed. “Lead the way.”
She followed Felicity over to the side of the room and found her father in conversation with a lady of about his own age with dark auburn hair and striking blue eyes. She was tall for a lady—though not as tall as Isabella herself—and she had a dominating presence that seemed to fill up the whole room. Isabella found her positively captivating to watch.
“Ah,” her father said as she approached, “so you are here. I wondered whether we would see you tonight, Isabella.”
“My husband did say that we were coming,” she reminded him.
“Yes, indeed, but we all know how uncommon it is for His Grace to attend functions like this one.” He turned to the lady. “These are my other two daughters, Isabella and Felicity.”
“Her Grace, the Duchess of Windhill,” Felicity corrected. “Isabella is recently married to the Duke.”
“I see.” The lady smiled, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Something about her made Isabella feel uneasy, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “His Grace is a lucky man in that case.”
“Oh, well, I don’t know about all that,” Isabella’s father laughed. “It seems to me that my daughter is the lucky one to have made such a fortunate match. Of course, as I told you, Lady Reeves, I’m still looking for a matche for my other daughter, Miss Rosalind.”
“Yes, you mentioned Miss Rosalind,” Lady Reeves agreed. Her gaze turned to Felicity. “What of this one? Has she any suitors yet?”
“Too many for her own good,” the Viscount said. “I’ve got to find a way to marry her off to the right person before she disgraces me in some way like her elder sister did.”
“Felicity would never disgrace anyone,” Isabella said. She turned to Lady Reeves. “I’m sorry,” she went on, “I don’t think you and I have beenproperlyintroduced. I am Duchess Isabella Desmond of Windhill.”
“And I am Countess Miriam Cropper of Reeves,” Lady Reeves said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You’re a friend of my father’s?”
“Yes, that’s right…a friend,” Lady Reeves agreed.
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you too,” Isabella said. “I’ve never had the chance to meet many of my father’s friends. This is a rare opportunity for me.”
“And I consider myself very lucky to have the chance to meet the new Duchess of Windhill,” Lady Reeves returned. “Of course, we all know how reclusive the Duke is. You must have made quite an impression on him to compel him to leave his long isolation.”
“Perhaps I did,” Isabella said. “I don’t know. But he did agree to come to the ball with me tonight. I suppose he knew how important it was to me. It’s a very lovely thing to be married to a gentleman who cares about the desires of his wife. I suppose they aren’t all like that.”
Lady Reeves looked directly at Isabella, her eyes narrowed. It was clear that she was thinking about something, but Isabella couldn’t have guessed what it was.
“No,” she agreed, after several moments had passed—enough that the silence was notable. “Not all gentlemen are like that. In fact, I would say that most are not.”
Her glance cut to Isabella’s father, who didn’t appear to notice.
That was interesting. She had looked to Isabella’s father when she had criticized the way gentlemen behaved. And whether the Viscount had noticed or not, to Isabella, that seemed to imply that she was criticizinghisbehavior.
