“I am no dolt, Edmund,” Isolde retorted, too annoyed to use sarcastic honorifics. “If he were an… improper man, I would know it in his words and his actions. He did nothing inappropriate, and I suspect that you are just trying to thwart my marriage prospects out of spite. So, with regret, I must inform you that your assistance and your presence are still not wanted.”
Ordinarily, that would have been enough to send Edmund to another room at least, believing himself to be the better party for excusing himself from a quarrel. So, it came as something of a surprise when he did not stride away, but stayed exactly where he was, breathing hard.
His eyes were bright with anger as he gazed down at Isolde, his pointed finger slowly lowering to his side. “You might not believe me now,” he said, his voice raspy and gruff, “but I made a promise to your brother, and I mean to fulfil it. As long as I am here, as long as this duty is mine, no man will lay a finger on you.And, most assuredly, no man will ever get close enough to kiss your hand again.”
Isolde stared at him, bewildered by the peculiar heat that began to course through her veins, making her feel as if she had stepped into a humid greenhouse on a chilly day. Edmund had spoken with such intent, such furious determination, and she could not understand why when he was supposed to hate her. Surely, he should have been cheering for her to make a mistake, not offering advice.
“Areyounot standing a little too close?” she managed to whisper out, for his bold declaration of his duty had brought him even nearer.
He stepped back as if hehadbeen shoved, shaking his head like an insect had landed on his mane of umber locks. “I just wanted to ensure that you listened for once,” he said in haste. “That you would not amble off, thinking you know better than I do what dangers lurk for a young lady in society.”
“Does that mean you are done?” she said, more discreetly shaking off the weird, tingly feeling that sparked through her. “I have no desire to hear any more of your unkind, evidently dishonest lectures about a fine gentleman who has captured my attention.”
His eyes narrowed, a muscle clenching in his jaw. “If it were not for your brother, I would stand back and let you see how far your stubbornness and naivety gets you.”
“Yes, please do stand back,” Isolde said, pushing away from the banister. “You are in my way.”
She rounded the newel post and headed up the staircase, praying with every step that Edmund would not see the blush in her cheeks, nor misunderstand why they had pinkened. Then again, evenshecould not understand why her face had warmed at his words and his closeness.
It was the latent heat of the sunshine, nothing more,she told herself and hurried the rest of the way to her bedchamber, silently insisting that she should be more concerned that she might have gained a freckle from her afternoon promenade.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“What do you think of this?” Isolde asked, turning this way and that in front of the mirror, anxious about her attire. It had been three days since she had last seen Lord Spofforth, and she wanted their next meeting to be perfect—as much to prove a point to Edmund as anything else.
In the reflection, she looked at her sisters, one sprawled across the bed as if it were her own, while the other sat up on the window seat with her head firmly in a book. Neither sister could have been less interested if they tried.
Isolde said as much, whirling around to face them with her hand on her hip. “Please give me your opinion. I am in such a fluster that I fear nothing in my wardrobe is good enough. Will one of you not reassure me at least?”
Prudence sat up on the bed, arching an eyebrow. At three-and-ten, she had the ferocity of a terrier, the wit of a humorist, and the same lack of patience as a harried mother paradingtheir unwed daughter around during their sixth Season. Indeed, Isolde had often wondered why their mother had not demanded the same duty and extensive education in etiquette from them.
Perhaps I seemed like the most malleable…
“Icouldgive you my opinion, but whether or not you actually want to hear it is another matter,” Prudence said, her lips curving in a mischievous smile.
Isolde rolled her eyes. “Be kind, Prudie.”
“Ah, so when you said you wanted my opinion, you did not mean my honest opinion.”
From the window seat, Teresa looked up. “Do not toy with her, Prudie,” she scolded in her mild-mannered way. “You look beautiful, Isolde. You would look beautiful regardless of what you wore, but that shade of blue is particularly fetching. It matches your eyes.”
“And we ought to start a wager as to how many gentlemen say precisely that at this garden party,” Prudence interjected, chuckling. “What a lark to see how unoriginal they can be, whiletheywill think they are masters of the compliment.”
Isolde turned back to the mirror, somewhat reassured. “I shall inform you of how many say such a thing upon my return.”
“Oryou could convince Mama to let us come with you,” Prudence said, shuffling to the edge of the bed. “I cannot bear the governess. I cannot bear to be cooped up in this townhouse while you have all the fun. I might chase the governess away out of spite if I cannot come with you.”
Teresa cleared her throat and closed her book. “In five years, you can attend all the garden parties your heart desires, Prudie. Until then, you must find other amusements to occupy yourself, as I do.”
“But I have found other amusements,” Prudence insisted with mischief in her light blue eyes. “Scaring off governesses is as much my favorite pastime as reading is yours.”
Isolde had to laugh, though their mother despaired of her youngest daughter. Prudence had become renowned among governesses for being something of a ‘challenge’ and, as such, it had gotten harder to find one who was willing to take her on. Still, Prudence’s creativity in chasing the governesses away was always a surprise worth hearing about.
“You will be nice to Miss Dexter,” Isolde said, remembering herself. As the oldest sister, and with Vincent in Bath, she was supposed to be the voice of reason and discipline. “If she resigns while we are at the garden party, it would undoubtedly be the quickest you have managed to get a governess to do so, but please do think of Mama and behave. If you donotbehave, I shall not divulge any of the gossip I hear at the party.”
Prudence feigned a pout and flopped back onto Isolde’s bed, staring up at the ceiling as she twiddled her thumbs.
“I need to hear you say that you will behave,” Isolde insisted.
