“Yes, but she misses her dogs at Lanveneth. She speaks of little else.” Sophia offered a smile.
Isaac remembered the two spaniels that had followed Prudence everywhere she went. The memory brought a smile to his face. “Flora and Thistle?”
Sophia gave him a look of surprise. “You remember their names?”
“Of course.”
She looked down at the floor. “Well, besides the dogs, shehastaken an interest in another subject.”
Isaac sensed the unease in her voice, and immediately knew what she was referring to. “My cousin?”
Sophia’s eyes flew up to his. “So you are aware of their attachment?”
Isaac nodded, that uneasy feeling entering his stomach again.
She hesitated, resting her chin on the top of the book. “I wondered if I might rely on your help with something.”
Isaac folded his arms across his chest, feeling the quick beat of his heart against his breastbone. “Anything.” He cringed inwardly at how eager he must have sounded. This was the woman who had broken his heart and had flaunted the fact that she was now courting an earl. But she had also come to his aid the night before, without question. He owed her a small favor at the very least.
She walked a pace closer, a nervous twist to her expression. “You mentioned that you and Mr. Ellington don’t have a close relationship. Is that true?”
Isaac nodded, his shoulders tense.
“I wondered what honest assessment you might give of his character.”
He exhaled slowly through his nose. He had been dreading a question like this.
She seemed to sense his hesitation. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have reason to doubt the honor of his intentions.”
The genuine worry on her face muddied Isaac’s conscience. After what Percy had done to recommend him to Blackstone’s, how could he speak against him? He bit the inside of his cheek, looking at the floor as he gathered his thoughts. “I do believe Percy’s intentions are to marry her. He told me just that the other day. It did…surprise me to learn that he’s interested in marriage. In the past, he’s spoken quite freely against it.”
Sophia scowled, a skeptical tilt to her head. “Why do you think he would be determined to marry Prudence specifically?”
Isaac shrugged. “He might have fallen in love with her.”
She shook her head. “I think it’s because he learned of Prudence’s inheritance. She will receive Lanveneth House.”
A wave of shock rolled through Isaac’s chest. “Why not you?”
“My mother knows Prudence loves it more, so she named her in her will. I did not want it.” She looked away, brushing her hair behind her ear again as it fell out of place. “But it seems that your cousin does.”
Devil take it.Isaac sighed, raking a hand over his hair. Percy had always been openly envious of Isaac’s inheritance of their grandfather’s Cornwall house.
This must have been his way of procuring his own.
After learning that Isaac was orphaned, Grandfather had taken Isaac under his wing. He had two sons—Isaac’s father, and Percy’s father. Isaac had been Grandfather’s choice for his heir not based on birth order, but on his own preference. Percy was clearly still irked.
“Prudence is far too stubborn to listen to me,” Sophia continued. “She is convinced that Percy is honest in his feelings for her. But I fear that he would marry her solely for the house, and then break her heart.”
Dread sank through Isaac’s stomach. That was exactly what Percy would do.
In the company of men, Percy would be the first to admit that he would never be loyal to one woman. Isaac’s jaw tightened.
Sophia’s brow twinged with worry. “I have already expressed my concerns to my stepfather, but he thinks too highly of Mr. Ellington. He won’t listen. But perhaps hewouldlisten to someone who knew Percy better…”
Isaac’s stomach twisted. “Are you asking me to give Blackstone a reason to withdraw his support of the match?”
Sophia held his gaze for a long moment. “If you are willing, then yes, I am.”
