Finally.Her friends were speaking sense. Isadora nodded in agreement. “Mischief that will certainly land her in trouble.”
Penelope gasped in feigned offense, but the smirk playing on her lips gave away her intention. “I will do no such thing. Why must you doubt me like this?”
“Oh, let her enjoy a dance, Isadora.” Daphne waved a dismissive hand. “You surely cannot frighten off every eligible suitor.”
Isadora frowned, glancing around as if to take stock of potential threats. None of the men seemed to fit the standard that she had set in her mind for her sister.
“I will not apologize for ensuring that my sister is spared the company of unworthy men,” Isadora replied, pressing her lips together in a thin line.
“Butwhois worthy of your impossible standards?” Penelope mumbled under her breath.
“Enough of this,” Isadora shook her head and then tried to change the topic altogether. “How have the two of you been? It has been ages since I have seen you last.”
The three ladies would gather frequently, but ever since Daphne and Violet got married, their gatherings grew rarer. Now, she looked forward to balls for the chance to meet her friends.
“Oh, I know,” Daphne let out a small sigh, extending out her hands to embrace her friend. “We have missed you terribly as well. Would it be so unfair to ask you to marry soon so that you can take up residence close to the both of us?”
Isadora shook her head, laughing, and then passed a side long glance at her sister.
“I am afraid that it would be. There is still much left for me to do before I decide to make the vow.”
Ensuring that her sister had a suitable match—and that she was out of trouble—ranked higher on her list of priorities than marrying at the moment.
“Well, a woman is allowed to dream,” Daphne shrugged. “One day, you will find a man who is worth the trouble.”
Violet jumped back into the conversation with a knowing smile. “Speaking of men and their worth, our husbands have been preoccupied since we arrived. Deep in conversation with Evan, the Duke of Giltburg, of all people.”
“The Duke of Giltburg?” Isadora’s brow furrowed slightly. She had heard of him before but only in passing.
“Nicholas and Ambrose have been pulled into some venture of his,” Violet explaimed. “I trust Nicholas to temper the beast that is Evan, but Daphne believes it is more likely that Evan will drag the others into his schemes.”
“Indeed. I am rather certain Evan is the sort of man who leads, not follows,” Daphne admitted with a chuckle.
“Yes, he has quite the reputation, does he not?” Violet added. “He is quite different from the other gentlemen of the ton. Especially in the sense that he seems to have little regard for propriety.”
“They call him ruthless for a reason,” Daphne observed. “One who is focused entirely on getting his way—one way or the other.”
“Oh, you make him sound like a villain,” Violet giggled.
“Well, no. I know that my husband respects him, and he would not do so if he was not morally sound,” Daphne admitted. “It is just that he is… not like the rest.”
Though the gentleman sounded interesting, Isadora barely registered their words, her gaze flitting back to her side—which she noticed was now empty.
In the brief time that she had gotten busy with conversing with her friends, Penelope had wasted no time in slipping away.
She stood a few feet away, now engaged in polite conversation with a gentleman Isadora did not recognize. He seemed to be asking her for something, a dance perhaps. As the man bowed slightly and reached out, Isadora felt her stomach twist.
Did he just touch her waist?Immediately, Isadora knew it was unacceptable for him to do this, and so without hesitation, she stepped forward.
“Forgive me,” she said smoothly, placing a hand on Penelope’s arm before she could be led to the dance floor. “I must borrow my sister for a moment.”
The gentleman blinked in surprise, clearly thrown off by the interruption. “Of course, My Lady, but?—”
“No, please. I am terribly sorry, but something urgent has come up for which I need my sister’s attention,” Isadora lied. Anything to get her sister away.
“But—”
“That will be all,” Isadora said, making it obvious that there was no more room for argument. “Come, Penelope.”
