thirteen
Isabella shifted her position on the seat in the carriage.
The atmosphere was so thick that she could cut it with a butter knife. After Anthony had left the ballroom, she hadn’t seen him throughout the dinner. The butler had given her Anthony’s apologies for not being able to join her. The Dowager had seemed preoccupied, and Patrick had vanished as well. She hadn’t had time to discuss with Mother and Helen what had happened with the duke. She wasn’t sure she should. Certainly, she wasn’t going to mention his proposal.
Helen sat slumped in her seat as if distraught, and Mother kept fidgeting. Father seemed oblivious to the tension.
“Lovely evening,” he said. “Did you enjoy yourselves, girls?”
“Lovely evening my foot.” Mother ignored him. “What happened tonight, Isabella?”
“Why did the duke dance the supper waltz with you?” Helen asked.
“He asked me, and I said yes.”
Isabella had been lucky that something urgent had happened and Anthony hadn’t been able to sit with her at dinner, or she wouldn’t be forced to tell everything.
Her silence would be short-lived though, but she needed a moment to think about her options, and after all, Anthony had asked her to think about it. She meant to think about his proposal seriously because she liked him. She wasn’t in love, and surely, neither was he. When he’d listed the reasons why he wanted to marry her, he’d sounded like an employer looking for the ideal clerk. But she couldn’t deny they had fun together.
Still, right now, there wasn’t any need to inform Mother and Helen of anything. Their opinions and arguments would meddle her thoughts and cause more confusion. And Helen would be upset.
Father drew his eyebrows together. “He must have told you something when he invited you.”
“Very little. Then he vanished.”
If even Father started asking questions, she would never see the end of the conversation. She didn’t want to be pushed to do anything. She simply wanted a few days of peace and quiet to think on her own.
“What did he exactly tell you?” Mother insisted. “I was certain the duke would have danced with Helen before supper. The Dowager told me that. And I thought there wouldn’t be any waltz.”
“I don’t know about the waltz. As I said, the duke asked me to dance, and I said yes.”
Helen’s expression didn’t soften. “Why didn’t you refuse?”
“Refuse?” Isabella steeled her voice. “I couldn’t reject the duke’s invitation, and he asked me personally.”
Mother nodded. “Isabella is right. Refusing to dance would have been a grave offence.”
“But the question remains,” Helen said. “Don’t be offended, Isabella, but why invite you? I told everyone the duke was going to dance with me after the Dowager reassured me of that. Imagine my humiliation when he had you at his arm. And you didn’t tell me anything. You could have warned me.”
“I’m sorry you felt humiliated. It wasn’t my intention, but as I said, I was in a difficult position and couldn’t say no.”
Father didn’t say anything, which was worse than him talking. Likely, he guessed she wasn’t being completely honest.
Mother patted Helen’s hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk with the Dowager and clear up this misunderstanding. There must be a reason for the invitation.”
Yes, there was.
“And the fact the duke and Lord Patrick disappeared,” Mother said, “makes me think that something happened and changed the plans. The Dowager looked particularly tense after the butler talked to her. She vanished for a while as well.”
“Anyway.” Helen sighed. “What did you and the duke talk about during the waltz?”
“The current unrest in Parliament about the workers’ rights.”
That shut up Helen and Mother.
She just hoped that whatever emergency had happened to Anthony would keep him busy for a little longer.
* * *
