Lord Townshend stepped between her and the man. “It was foolish of you to give chase, my dear. You must think of me and how it would upset me to see you injured.”
“From running?” Isabelle’s tone was colored with disbelief. “I shall not injure myself by running, Lord Townshend.”
He shook his head like she was too simple to understand what he had said to her. “Miss Alden, I must insist that you take a moment to sit in the shade. This has been far too exciting for a woman such as yourself.”
“I beg your pardon?” Isabelle’s mouth gaped open in disbelief at what she was hearing.
This man presumes to know me after little more than half an hour of walking and thinks that he can tell me what to do? Why does he speak to me as though he holds genuine affection for me?
Isabelle knew it was impossible. Lord Townshenddid not know her and suggesting that she take a seat in the shade only made his lack of knowledge more prominent.
“I will not be taking a seat in the shade,” she said, spitting out the words as if they were venom.
Lord Townshendsighed and shook his head. “I must insist. You will allow me to handle this matter. I will not have my fiancée engaged in such a public debacle.”
The Duke of Windham appeared beside him with the thief still in hand. “You have yet to make Miss Alden a proposal and even if you did, I would reject it before the words were out of your mouth.”
The lord sputtered, his hands fluttering at his sides. “You cannot be serious. Who else will wish to marry her after the display she has put on here?”
Isabelle wished that thetonconsidered it good manners to give this pompous man a piece of her mind. She ached to give him a verbal lashing that he would never forget. Yet, she had promised the duke that she would be on her best behavior, and she was a woman of her words.
Chasing down thieves excluded.
“Your Grace, you cannot possibly find her a suitor other than myself. There are none who will have her.” LordTownshendgestured to the men and women who gathered to watch the spectacle.
They whispered behind their hands, and it felt as if all eyes were on Isabelle.
Though another woman would shy away, she stood taller despite the mortification that threatened to seize control of her body.
The Dowager Duchess strode over, pressing one hand to Isabelle’s shoulder. “You must go, sit in the shade and calm down. Now.”
Isabelle held out the comb to her. “I thought you would want this back. It seems I should not have bothered.”
“Miss Alden, do you not see how foolish it was to apprehend that man?” The dowager’s face drained of color. “You are a young woman, and you should not be running after a thief. It is not your place.”
Lord Townshendgave her the smallest of smiles. “As I have told her, Your Grace, it seems that Miss Alden is a little too sensitive to the excitement around her. I would hate to see her take ill from it.”
I shall see you take ill when I shove you into the lake.
At least I shall then be doing everyone a favor then by ceasing your endless drivel.
Instead of speaking her mind, Isabelle stepped back, away from the pair who would happily see her rot under a tree and behave as though she was nothing more than a delicate flower.
She sighed and looked at the dowager, torn between choosing this battle or allowing her anger to pass. Although it was uncommon for a woman to chase after a thief, the others had failed to notice him.
Isabelle stood straight, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. “You should be thanking me for retrieving the comb instead of chastising me, Your Grace. I could have allowed the thief to escape, however I am aware of the importance of that comb, at least to some degree. You have worn it in your hair every afternoon since I arrived here. I could not allow someone to steal it from you.”
Lord Townshendrubbed the back of his neck. “I saw the thief, Miss Alden, but my concern was with protecting you.”
She turned on him, the control she had on her anger snapping like a dry twig. “I have heard quite enough, Lord Townshend. If the statement about being too frail to understand your business did not end any potential this union had, then your actions at this present moment most certainly have.”
His eyes widened and his mouth drew into a thin line. “You are making a spectacle of yourself.”
“I am an American in England. People have watched every step I have taken since setting foot in this country.” She tried to keepa tight hold on her tone, but she knew she spoke to the man as if he were nothing more than a simpleton. “I do not care if they stare now.”
The Dowager Duchess stepped closer to Isabelle. “You must think of what this will do to your marriage prospects and cease this behavior at once.”
Isabelle looked past her at the Duke. He appeared as if he was seconds away from bursting into laughter.
