“So these gifts are all for the Duchess,” Cassian said, sounding more amused than disapproving. “And the Duke?”
Isabella turned sharply—and her breath caught in her throat.
Her husband stood firm, framed by the doorway, wearing a black shirt loose at the collar, two buttons undone. His hair was damp, a tell-tale sign of exertion, sweat dripping down his temples and darkening the tips. A few strands clung to his forehead above those unsettlingly grey eyes that found Isabella first, then Lady Kendrick, missing nothing. The faint sheen on his skin testified to the ride, making him seem unguarded in a way Isabella had rarely seen. Her cheeks warmed instantly.
Lady Kendrick sniffed in disapproval, her nose in the air. “Is that how you greet your grandmother? With accusations? No wonder I did not feel compelled to buy you anything.”
Isabella bit down on her lip, struggling to stifle her laughter.
Cassian stalked forward, folding up his sleeves as he entered the drawing room. “Welcome home, General Marguerite,” he drawled. “I’m happy you are back in one piece.”
Lady Kendrick waved a dismissive hand.
“Even though your words reek of sarcasm, flattery will not earn you nothing from me, Cassian.” She paused, then brightened mischievously. “However, I did bring something for the both of you.”
Cassian’s brows snapped together immediately. “I do not like the sound of this.” Isabella giggled beside Lady Kendrick.
She had always admired the fondness between Cassian and Lady Kendrick. They acted like a cat and mouse, always at each other’s throats, yet they felt deeply for each other. Turning her attention to the situation at hand, Isabella raised a brow at Lady Kendrick in question.
Lady Kendrick reached into her bag and produced a sealed square envelope stamped with a noble crest. “Lady Charlotte Darby is hosting her renowned winter ball. It is the perfect opportunity for you both to appear as a married couple. As the Duke and Duchess of Everthorne! How exciting.”
Isabella saw Cassian’s jaw clench instantly, his lips parting, clearly prepared to refuse—until he met Isabella’s eyes. She lifted a brow silently, and his mouth closed.
“You decide.” He raised his jaw at Isabella, who stifled a smile.
Lady Kendrick grinned triumphantly. “I assume that it is a ‘yes’ for my sake.”
Cassian said nothing, but Isabella noticed the muscle in his jaw ticked still.
Isabella accepted the envelope and opened it delicately, scanning the beautiful script. While she did, Lady Kendrick spoke.
“I was also thinking,” she raised her voice with a flourish, “that the Laurels might attend as well. Perhaps they could give a small demonstration, to show the ton that we are not merely a gossip mill.”
Isabella exchanged a slow, wary look with her husband, but he shrugged faintly, clearly resigned.
Isabella turned back. “It is a lovely idea,” she began carefully, “but our reputation among the ton is not the most favorable.”
“All the more reason to prove them wrong,” Lady Kendrick insisted brightly. “A demonstration would stun the ton into silence about us.”
Isabella chewed her lower lip, thinking. Then, lifting her gaze to the older woman, she replied gently, “If Lady Darby agrees to it… Then I shall prepare the Laurels for a demonstration.”
Lady Kendrick clapped her hands once in delight, jewels on her wrists chiming softly. “That is precisely what I wished to hear!”
Cassian groaned under his breath, which only made Isabella smile.
The evening air was sharp with winter when the Everthorne carriage rolled towards Lady Darby’s townhouse, its towering windows glowing gold through the icy dusk. Inside the carriage, Isabella sat slightly trembling with both hands clasped in her lap until a warm, calloused hand settled atop hers.
Cassian’s hand.
She looked down at the unexpected gesture, then up at him, a question in her gaze. He watched her with an unreadable expression, though something gentle flickered beneath it.
“You seem nervous,” he said quietly.
“I am,” she confessed.
He brushed his thumb once over her knuckles. “You should have told Grandmother if you had other thoughts about this demonstration.”
Isabella shook her head.
