Isolde was surprised to find a letter waiting for her at Hartington. When she looked at the envelope and saw it had come from Thaddeus, her heart began to beat a little faster.
She excused herself to her room on the pretense of needing to freshen up from town, but actually, she just didn’t think she could read the letter in front of anyone.
As it was, by the time she slid the letter opener through the envelope and slipped out the letter, her stomach was pleasantly full of butterflies.
She read the short missive and was surprised to find herself smiling at the news that Thaddeus would return earlier than expected. She was coming to realize that what she’d said to the gentleman at the luncheon was more than just a good line to keep up appearances – she truly was missing Thaddeus.
The idea of him returning to her – no, not to her, to Hartington, of course he wasn’t coming forher… but still, the idea ofwelcoming him back made a warm feeling sweep through her. She almost felt a little giddy.
And the second part of the letter … he wished to speak to her alone? She couldn’t help a bit of worry at that, for what if it were bad news? Or worse, something she’d done to upset him?
At the same time, she felt a little thrill imagining it. This would be the first time they’d be alone since the garden. She blushed, remembering that moment, and without meaning to, her mind started to wander.
She wondered what it would be like if this were all real – if she and Thaddeus were really engaged, and hewascoming home to her. How would he behave?
After the tenderness he’d shown her in the garden, she was inclined to think he was the sort to dote upon a woman that he truly loved.
He would come in the door and grin broadly at finding her waiting for him. And she would run to him, not caring he was dirty from the trip.
Perhaps for whatever reason, everyone else was occupied, and they were alone in the front hall, and then he would sweep her up into his arms to kiss her, right there in the hall in broad daylight.
And, of course, she’d scold him that anyone might come upon them, and so he’d put her down – but he’d get a gleam in his eye and take her hand, pulling her into an empty room. Safely away from prying eyes, he’d pull her close to him.
Her pulse would flutter wildly, her whole body would flush, and she’d cling to him as if she could keep him from ever going away again, as if she could keep him –
A sharp knock on the door made her leap to her feet, startled from her daydream and feeling guilty. Suppose it was Tatiana or Lady Harrow?
She felt as if somehow they would look at her face and know where her thoughts had been. She took several deep breaths before bidding the person to enter.
Thankfully, it was just a servant who announced that tea was served. Isolde made herself wait until she felt absolutely sure her face would not betray her fantasies before she went down – and consequently, had to take her tea quite cold.
Chapter 10
Thaddeus had brought a whole stack of business papers to read over on the journey home, but they lay beside him in the carriage, untouched. He couldn’t manage to focus on them, anxious energy buzzing through his body. He stared out the window and willed the carriage to go faster.
There was a sudden jolt that nearly knocked him out of his seat, and he had barely righted himself when the carriage lurched to the side, and he heard the coachman shouting something.
He braced himself, fearing they were about to crash, but thankfully, the carriage slowed and then came to a stop, still leaning sharply to one side.
Thaddeus stood carefully and opened the door to look out.
“Careful, m’lord!” the coachman urged. He was hurrying around from the front of the carriage and offered Thaddeus his hand to help him down. From the outside, the problem was clear – one of the wheels had struck something in the road. The impact had cracked several of the spokes and broken the outer rim.
Thaddeus sighed in frustration. They were still far from Oxford, too far to ride the rest of the way on horseback and send back for the carriage. He looked to the coachman.
“How long will it take to fix?” he asked.
“Several hours, m’lord, at least. We’ll not only have to repair or replace the wheel, but we’ll need to check the undercarriage for any other damage.”
Thaddeus frowned, his anxious energy turning into a dark cloud. The sun was already low in the sky, so it was unlikely the carriage would be ready today. They would have to find somewhere to stay for the night and set out again in the morning.
“Wycombe’s not far,” his manservant suggested, having climbed out of the carriage after him and heard the whole exchange. “There’s an inn there where we can stay for the night.”
The coachman set to work unhitching the horses, and soon they were riding for Wycombe. When they arrived, he sent the manservant to fetch help for the carriage, while he went to the inn to get them rooms.
Thankfully, the inn was not too full, and he was able to procure rooms for himself and his men. He ought to have gone up to his room and tried once more to devote his attention to business matters – but he was in even less of a mood to concentrate than before.
Instead, he stayed downstairs and got himself a glass of wine, settling into a corner to drink it.
