“He touched me,” Isabella whispered, finally finding the courage to speak up. “He didn’t… compromise me, but it was… well, you know how it is, Bea. But then Lady Kendrick appeared, then our father, and everything fell apart.” She shook her head in disbelief as if even she could not believe what had happened.
“And he proposed,” Beatrice finished breathlessly for her.
“Yes,” Isabella breathed the response as if the weight on her shoulders had not been lifted but shared with her sister.
“Oh, Bella…” Beatrice’s eyes softened as she turned to her, shifting her body until their knees touched. “No wonder you said yes.”
“I didn’t say yes because of that,” Isabella swallowed, finally admitting the truth to herself that she had been wrestling with all night.
“No,” Beatrice said gently. “You said yes because you care for him, even if you won’t admit it yet. I know you do. I have been watching the two of you for some time now.”
Coming to her feet, Isabella began to pace, lifting a hand to her forehead.
Beatrice took a deep breath as if she were bracing herself. “I know you may not want to hear this, Bella, but you do care for him. All of those subtle glances, irritable conversations, andsleepless nights. Those things meant something, even you have to admit that.”
Isabella stopped pacing long enough to stare at her sister with a pained expression. “But what does it mean, Bea? Does it mean that I love him? Because I may not be an expert on the matter, but I am quite certain that loving someone should not have to entail so much torture! The man maddens me with his aloofness in one moment, then leaves me breathless with his attention the next!” She began pacing back and forth again in front of her bed.
A gentle smile graced Beatrice’s lips as she sighed. “I hate to break it to you, dearest sister, but sometimes it does.”
Isabella froze, her steps halting along with her heart.
Have I been in love with him this entire time?
She thought back to the night they had met, when their eyes had locked from across the room.
Those scars on his back.
How could she have fallen in love with a man whom she did not even know? How had he gotten those scars? Had they been a result of a fight, or had something more terrible and beyond his control marred his flesh?
There were so many questions that she needed the answers to, but instead, she was marrying the man that she hardly even knew.
Coming to her feet, Beatrice pushed herself off the bed and closed the distance between them, taking Isabella’s hand in hers. “Love is never easy, Bella, or at least, not when it is genuine. I cannot tell you if you love the duke or not; that is something that only you will be able to answer in time, but for now, you have a man who is willing to marry you to save your reputation. That in itself is not nothing.”
Isabella turned slowly to face her sister.
Cassian was a caring man, despite all of his eccentricities. Had he not shown unexpected care to Ellie?
Beatrice’s words stilled something within her, even as she grappled with her own feelings for the man. She did not know whether she loved him or not, but at least he would care for her.
Something about the thought made her heart jolt in her chest.
Frowning, Beatrice tugged gently on her arm. “What is it, Bella?”
“I… I am not certain if he loves me or not. Everything has happened so quickly. I never asked.” Her throat suddenly felt too dry as she wondered why a man would do something so intimate to her if he did not love her.
Surely, he loves me?
The question sparked hope in her chest that scared her far more than the prospect of marriage.
Offering her a pitying look, Beatrice tilted her head to the side and smiled. “There will be plenty of time to figure all of these things out once you are married. For now, we have a wedding to plan. But before we get to that, may I ask you a question?”
Isabella stilled again as she feared what would come next.
A mischievous glint entered her sister’s eyes as she bit on her lower lip, drawing it between her teeth. “D… did you like what the Duke did to you on the balcony? I mean, you did not stop him…” Her voice trailed off in embarrassment.
Heat knotted the pit of Isabella’s stomach as she let out a heavy breath and nodded. “I did.”
A squeal of delight escaped Beatrice’s throat as she grew increasingly giddier by the second. “I know it is not as it should be that you are not married, but these things can be a great deal of fun with the right person!”
