Thurston barked out a laugh.
Imogen smacked his arm. “Come along,darling, we must make conversation with our guests.”
“No, no,” Isabella grabbed her sister’s arm. “Do stay.”
But Imogen shook her off. “You are no coward.”
As Rowan settled beside her, Isabella scooted away and into the warmth left behind by her heartless sister.
“How have you been?” Rowan asked, stretching one leg out andbending the other. He propped his forearm on his knee and looked out over the pond.
“Perfectly wonderful, thank you.”
“Hm.”
“Hm, what?”
“Nothing.”
She curled her legs beneath her to sit up taller. “Thathmhad a definite meaning, Rowan Trent.”
He parted his lips, shifted his jaw, then said on an inhale, “It is only that I havenotbeen perfectly wonderful. In fact, I’ve been the exact opposite of that.” Something sad in his eyes, something hollow.
She would not feel sorry for him! “What are you doing here?”
“Your brother invited me.”
“I had heard. I thought it might be false gossip.”
“You would know what that sounds like, wouldn’t you?” Finally, he turned, green eyes locking with her own, stealing her breath. “Isabella,” he breathed, the word making his lips a smile, faint and sorry and hopeful. “Your brother has given me permission to court you. Correctly this time and with my full intentions declared to everyone.Everyone. No more hiding.”
“Court me! Ha. I hope permission is all you accepted from Samuel regarding that particular subject.”
Rowan’s shy smile popped into a bright grin. “You’ll have to find out.”
God help her. She wanted to find out.
She jumped to her feet, letting her shawl fall to the blanket, needing the wind on her skin to banish the heat crawling across her body. “You expect me to fall back into your arms? When you said you could never be truly comfortable with me?”
“I was angry.” He tilted his head back and squinted, the sun illuminating his countenance. He sneezed.
She almost giggled.
“I didn’t mean what I said.” Rowan stood with her. “I thought I did… but I was wrong.”
“Of course you were. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Thatdoesn’t mean you didn’t plant this nasty seed in my mind that’s done nothing but take root, creating offshoots that say,You escaped, Isabella.He’d do nothing but resent you.He’d hate your family.He’d break your heart by forcing you to break yourself in two.”
“I won’t do that.”
“Forgive me, but I do not believe you.” She stomped off for the tangled rose garden.
He followed after, catching up quickly with ground-eating strides. “I’ll prove it to you.”
She snorted.
“I will.” He passed her and turned around, putting his hands out to stop her.
When she almost ran into those terribly, beautifully large hands, she fought the urge to run right into them. So, she began a methodical retreat, sidestepping him and continuing on her path farther into the garden. “That would require, I hope you know, standing, dancing, and conversing elbow to elbow with other people, many of whom might have—I almost dare not say it—titles. You might even have toLady Isabellame at times and without a hint of rancor.”
