Not long after that, one of the household’s maids knocked on the door to inform her that supper would be served soon.
Someone had unpacked and hung all her clothes in the wardrobe earlier, and Isolde surveyed her options dimly.
They had seemed perfectly serviceable when she had carefully selected them the day before, but now, having seen the full size and grandeur of Hartington, she wondered if they were up to the task.
Still, these clothes were what she had, and she would make do. She dressed and went down, straightening her shoulders and holding her head up. Perhaps they would think her clothes were shabby, but they could not fault her posture, at least.
Half an hour later, she was starting to tire of holding herself so primly, and the urge to scream had returned. Aside from initial greetings, there had been barely any talking at dinner.
The rest of the family seemed to be taking cues from Thaddeus, but Thaddeus did not seem inclined to speak, or even really meet her eyes. She kept catching his eyes lingering on her gown, which she felt was a bit rude.
Of course, it wasn’t as fine as the dresses the marchioness and Lady Tatiana were wearing, but she felt it was not so shabby as to call attention to itself.
Finally, Lady Hartington seemed to feel she had to take matters into her own hands.
“How did you find your tour of our Hartington, Miss Fairchild?”
“It was lovely. The house is very beautiful.”
“I told her that you played piano, Thad,” Tatiana added, evidently happy to have been given tacit permission to converse. “Perhaps you can play for her after dinner.”
Thaddeus’s gaze flitted from Tatiana to Isolde, and then back to his plate. “Perhaps another night.”
Isolde was relieved that she wouldn’t be required to sit through after-dinner entertainment, but she was confused by his dismissiveness. He had invited her here. Why do that if he didn’t seem to plan to spend any time with her? He was inscrutable.
As if she’d been thinking the same thing, Lady Harrow spoke again. “Given as this is rather an … unusual arrangement, perhaps Tatiana has a point. You should try to know one another better. Perhaps court Miss Fairchild first, Thaddeus. Before any sort of … public confirmation of your relationship.” Her face and tone were politely neutral, but the hint of disapproval was unmissable. Isolde winced, wondering if the disapproval was about the manner of their engagement, or simply her. She glanced at Thaddeus and found him looking thoughtful.
“What a wise woman you are, Mother,” he replied, and then shifted his gaze to Isolde. “We shall do just that. There is no rush to announce our engagement officially, and no rush for us to marry. You’re safe now that you’re here with us.”
He said the last bit almost to himself, and it struck Isolde as an odd thing to say. And yet, it was true, wasn’t it? She could breathe easier here. Her troubles weren’t gone, of course, but she no longer lived with them.
She let herself relax, just a little. And for a moment, for the first time, she considered whether this marriage might be a good thing.
But then, glancing up at her intended husband, she could not imagine what a life with him would be like. He was so different from the boy she had known. He could barely speak to her. And, lest she forget, he had won her in a card game.
The small bit of hope that had started to bloom in her chest withered.
“Well, I think it’s allquiteromantic!” Tatiana said.
“Romantic?” Isolde asked, trying to keep the skepticism out of her voice, but not quite succeeding.
“Tatiana,” Thaddeus said, his voice quiet but clearly warning her off the subject.
“But itis,” Tatiana insisted. “You stepped in and won the day, and the hand of a beautiful woman!”
Tatiana made it sound like he’d ridden in on a white horse in shining armor, and the way she was looking at Thaddeus, starry-eyed, Isolde had no doubt that was how she saw her brother. “And of course, you defeated that awful Lord Crowley, imagine being engaged tohim.”
“Lord Crowley was there?” Isolde heard herself ask before she could stop the question from leaving her mouth. A chill wrapped itself around her spine. Thomas had said nothing about Lord Crowley. And now that she had voiced the question, she found she needed to know the answer. She looked over at Thaddeus, whose expression was unreadable.
“He was,” Thaddeus finally answered. “But you need not worry about him. Like I said, you are safe now.”
***
The rest of dinner passed in a blur as she tried to rearrange her understanding of what had happened the night of the card game. Before she knew it, dinner was over, and she was walking back toward her room.
Just before she started up the stairs, she heard Thaddeus call her. She turned back and found he had followed her out of the dining room.
“I would speak with you. Walk with me?” He gestured to the long gallery that started just past the staircase and ran the length of the house.
