Chapter Twenty
Isabella sighed in relief as the carriageat long lastpulled into the village of St. Albans. It wouldn’t be long before they arrived at their destination.To say the journey had beentorturouswould have been an understatement. Although Logan had tried to see to her comfort by procuring a private room for a quiet supper at an innwheretheyhadstopped along the way, unfortunately, he couldn’t release her from her thoughts. In the end, she’d merely picked at her food and pushed it away virtually untouched.
The rest of the journeyhadpassed in silence. Claudia dozed across from her in the carriage, dusk turning into night as they traveled along the countryside. Isabella stayed awake for the most part, staring outside and wondering what Ridge was doing at that very moment. Did he even miss her? Was he lamenting her loss as well?
She snorted at that, for the irritable man hadn’t even bothered to send her off with a simple farewell. Apparently she’d beennothing more thana temporary diversion for him, used and discarded after he’d gained what he’d wanted from her.
And he claimed not to be anything like Simon.
It seemed to her that they were two sides of the same coin.
It made her angry, and she desperately tried to cling to that emotion, for it was so much better than nursing a broken heart.
As if asomething clickedin her brain, she decided that she wasn’t going to waste any more effort on him if he wasn’t going to do the same for her. Ridge had made his decision. He’d let her go. She would do the same.
She alsoplannedto take charge of her future. While Lord Liverpool intended for her to take a husband for the sake of her reputation, she had conceived another plan. Now that her dowry was restored to her, sitting in the bottom of her trunk, sheknewwhat she would do.
She would go to America and start a new life.
Her friend, Triana, had brought up the subject some weeks ago, before she’d wed the Duke of Chiltern. Korina was an heiress from New York and was in London at herparents’behest that she marry a title. Of course, Korina had no desire to do so and planned to return home after the first of the year. By then, Alyssa, Rowena, and Isabella wouldallhave reached the age of five and twenty and haddecidedto go with her. While Isabella couldn’t speak for Alyssa and Rowena, she intended tokeep to the pact.
She tapped a finger against her lips. Perhaps she might be able to travel abroad before then. Her birthday was in July,justa couple weeks away. Surely that would be enough time for her tomake the necessary preparations, as well as send word to Korina, ensuring that there would be someone to take her in when she arrived.
Now, more than ever, she needed this escape from the strictures of society. She’d always heard that America was a forward thinking New World, with freedoms that had been denied her in England. It sounded wonderful, like a magical place she’d read about in books.
She sighed. Now that her attention was diverted, the stress of leaving Ridge and all the trouble that Simon had put her through, she saw a break in the clouds. She might be a woman with little say in the world, but she intended to follow through on this decision.
And never look back.
Thus, when her father’s impressive, whitewashed estate manor came into viewwith the incoming dawn, she was no longer dreading her stay here in exile.
As the carriage came to a halt and Isabella alighted with Mr. Hopper’s assistance, she saw that Ashfield Hall’s ever-efficient butler, Pendleton, was standing on the top stoop waiting to greet her, but then, Lord Liverpool had written ahead to let the staff know of her impending arrival.
Two footmen rushed forward to gather her trunks as Isabella turned to give the porter of Walmer Castle an impulsive hug. “I hope that you’ll come in for a cup of tea at least.”
As she pulled back, she thought she saw a hint of moisture in Herb’s wizened eyes. He smiled gently. “I appreciate the offer, my lady, but I should be returning to the castle.”
Isabella sighed, forhis refusal had more to do with the fact he was a servant and not of noble birth. That was one thing she was looking forward to in America, that she could sit and converse with whomever she pleased without a flurry of tongues wagging to the contrary. “Then I suppose this is goodbye.I will miss you and your wife greatly. Please relay my best wishes once again.”
“I will indeed, my lady.” With a tip of his hat, he climbed intothe driver’s seat, and with one last wave, he headed backthe way he’d come.
Isabella watched him go with a twinge of sadness in her heart. She had known the caretakers of Walmer for a short time, and yet, they had filled a void she hadn’t even realized she’d been missing in her life. She was truly going to mourn their loss as one of family.
“My lady?”
Isabella turned to see Claudia standing by her side, patiently waiting. So, shewalked tothe front door. Logan’s horse had already been taken care of by a stable hand, so he was standing expectantly by the butler as well.He offered her a nod as she approached, and then shefocusedher attentiononPendleton.
He was truly the quintessential English servant, straight-laced and proudly erect, and even though she’d known him all of her life, he never greeted her with anything more than a polite reserve. There wasn’t even a twinkle in his eyes, just a detached familiarity.
He bowed. “Lady Isabella. It’s good to have you back in residence.”
“Thank you, Pendleton,” she murmured in return, doing her best not to grit her teeth.
The housekeeper was standing in the foyer as Isabella went inside. “Mrs. Willow.”
With her salt-and-pepper hair pulled back into a severe bun, her mouth pinched, the woman merely replied with, “Your old rooms are prepared,and I’ll send up a bath and a breakfast tray shortly.”
Isabella nodded, feeling as if she’d been dismissedeven though this was her family home,and started to head that direction. It wasironicthat, even though she was theone of noble birth, she had always been treated as a guest. Then again, when it came to the upper servants, they were the ones who ran the household, ensuring that everyone did their part. It was surely a daunting task to oversee so many, and yet, it was also the reason that they weresostraightforward in their mannerisms.
