“She sounds remarkable,” Noah said, nothing disingenuous in his tone.
Edmund concentrated on the last of his soup, listening discreetly. He had sat through enough mornings in the Wilds’ townhouse drawing room to know what signaled a good, worthy gentleman and also the opposite. He also liked to think he knew when Isolde was truly interested and when she was not.
She is enjoying this,he realized with a slight twinge of something like discomfort. Or, perhaps, the spoonful of soup had just gone down the wrong way.
Isolde nodded at Noah, smiling shyly. “She is, and I hope that when she enters society, she is able to find a gentleman of matching intellect. Someone who challenges her, someone who appreciates how wonderful she is. I can just imagine theeducated arguments, the discussions, the way they would leave everyone else scratching their heads. That is what I want for her.”
“I do not even know her, and I want that for her.” Noah paused to sup a mouthful of soup, dabbed his mouth, and continued, “It is my belief that no one should settle for less than their ideal match, though I am not naïve enough to think that always happens. Nevertheless, it should.”
Isolde nodded. “I could not agree more. There would be far less discontent if everyone was at liberty to marry whomever stirred their heart and mind the most. But, as you say, it would be naïve to think that everyone has the privilege of choice.”
Lord Spofforth would have snorted at that.But Noah was nodding right along with Isolde, making attentive sounds of agreement. Edmund wished that he could show his assent too, for though he did not want to marry, he also did not think anyone should have to marry anyone they did not like. Instead, he washed down his soup with a gulp of wine and kept right on listening.
“And what of your other sister?” Noah prompted.
Isolde laughed, and Edmund had to fight the urge to join in with a chuckle. He liked to think of Prudence Wilds as the more terrifying successor to Isolde in her younger years. A force of nature, one always had to watch one’s back whenever Prudence was around and in one of her mischievous moods.
“Ah, well…” Isolde hesitated, and Edmund braced himself for the true test of Noah’s character.
If Isolde spoke of Prudence honestly, Noah’s response would tell a great deal about him, and whether he was up to the task of being tied to the Wilds family. Whether he was brave enough, especially as some of Isolde’s former naughtiness still existed.
“Prudence is the youngest of us,” Isolde continued. “She is… remarkable in her own way, but I would be lying if I said she was always well behaved. I see it is a youthful sort of exuberance that often leans into mischief, with a creativity that defies belief on occasion, but her heart is good. She feels injustice and insult keenly, and I respect that, even though she makes me anxious about her future. At present, she has chased off twelve governesses, if that gives you some idea of her character.”
She chuckled nervously, fidgeting with the napkin on her lap as she waited for Noah’s reply. Edmund watched as subtly as he could, wondering how he would have responded to such a revelation if he were meeting Isolde for the first time.
I would probably ask why no one has disciplined her properly.He could not pretend otherwise, but knowing Prudence was different to hearing about her secondhand. He saw her more as a confused child who behaved the way she did as a means to gain attention from her mother, who left her mostly in the care of governesses.
Maybe, if their father was still alive, Prudence would not have been so wild, but there was no way of knowing.
“In that case, I hope I never give your youngest sister cause to dislike me,” Noah said, surprising Edmund. “My own sister is very similar, and though I know I should not, I cannot help but be amused by her antics. It is partially my fault that she is half wild, but I would not have her any other way. It is better to be too spirited, I believe, than to have nothing to say, or to make oneself small to appease society expectations.”
Edmund nearly forgot that he was supposed to be eavesdropping discreetly, for he had not anticipated such a considerate, understanding reply from Noah. He would not have expected such an answer from any gentleman, in truth. Yet, somehow, Noah had passed a test he did not even know he was part of.
You might just be the worthiest I have encountered.
Edmund should have been celebrating such a thing, trying to decide how to navigate the situation so that a courtship could begin without delay, knowing how thrilled Vincent would be, but the cheerful sensation would not come. In its place was a feeling similar to that of when a hunt was over, and all the excitement and purpose and camaraderie faded into nothing. A feeling he could not describe, but came close to remorse.
A feeling that was probably not useful for someone who was supposed to be helping to get Isolde married as quickly as possible.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
As Isolde proceeded to ask Noah about his sister, utterly invested in the gentleman, Edmund became aware of hissed muttering to his right.
Martin was seated on the other side of Amelia, and it appeared he was not too happy with his sister’s quietude, nor her reluctance to be the one to force a conversation that went nowhere.
“Ask him about his travels to the Continent,” Martin rasped, nudging Amelia rather hard in the arm. So hard, in fact, that she bumped into Edmund’s side.
He glanced down at her, a spike of anger piercing through his chest. If there was one thing he could not tolerate, it was cruelty, especially from a brother. To him, there was barely anything more precious than a sibling.
“Are you well?” he asked Amelia.
She nodded sharply, eyes cast down, twisting her napkin into knots.
Edmund looked across at Martin, flashing him a dark look. “Did you have something to say, Mr. Thorne?”
“Me?” Martin waved a dismissive hand. “Not at all. It is Amelia who wishes to ask you about your adventures on the Continent, but she is so very shy, you see. Once you are acquainted with her, however, you will find her to be the most excellent company.”
A muscle twitched in Edmund’s jaw. “Maybe she is shy, maybe she has no interest in speaking with me, which is perfectly acceptable. I would not want her to talk to me if she does not want to.”
