Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
By the next morning, the entire ton seemed to know. And before noon, Beatrice and Leo arrived, with Beatrice practically bursting through the entryway.
“Where is she?” Beatrice demanded before even removing her cloak and handing it to a maid.
“She is in her chambers,” Christine answered with a faint smile as she entered the hallway. “Perhaps you would like to go and see her? You could have tea with us in the parlor, in the meantime, Leo?”
Beatrice nodded and swept away immediately, taking the steps two at a time. Isabella watched from the gallery above. She had been waiting in the shadows, knowing that her sister would come.
“Bella! Are the rumors true?” Beatrice blurted, almost colliding with her before gripping her wrist and pulling Isabella through the open doors of her own chambers.
“Well, if you’re asking what I believe you’re asking about, then yes,” Isabella said and took a breath, shutting the doors behind them.
Beatrice blinked with one hand dramatically placed on her chest.
“You are engaged to the Duke of Everthorne,” Beatrice stared at her.
“Yes.” Isabella took a deep breath.
“And you did not think to tell me last night? I was right there with you.” Beatrice sounded hurt as she began to sulk, her face falling as she shook her head. “You have not told me of any developments between you and the Duke. I thought you were still trying to keep your distance from him.”
Isabella sighed, hanging her head low. “There simply wasn’t enough time.”
“What happened?” Beatrice asked, the concern in her eyes mirroring Isabella’s just a year ago on her wedding day.
It was odd how things had come full circle. It had been Isabella who had asked her sister what had happened, but now she knew how it felt to be the one being asked.
How can I tell her the truth?
Isabella’s cheeks flamed instantly, yet she worked up the courage to face her sister, “I was trying to avoid him, Bea, but one thing led to another…”
Her own voice caught in her throat as the images continued to flash across her mind. The thing that was making her feel the guiltiest of all was the fact that she did not regret what had happened.
“Go on,” Beatrice encouraged, taking a seat on the edge of the bed as her brow creased into a frown.
Isabella exhaled shakily. “We… found ourselves alone on the terrace.”
“And?” Beatrice leaned in, her eyes blazing with anticipation and questions.
“And he…” Isabella hesitated, pressing a hand to her warm cheek.
“He kissed me,” her face burned hotter, “and it was…intense.”
“Define intense.” Beatrice continued to regard her with suspicion.
She does not believe me.
Isabella’s heart continued to pound furiously as heat filled her cheeks.
“I cannot.” She managed to breathe.
“You must.” Beatrice encouraged her gently in a firm tone, shifting aside as she patted the bed beside her.
Isabella inhaled sharply, feeling both mortified and unable to keep the truth contained, but her embarrassment kept her reluctant to speak. For how was she to explain how and where the Duke had kissed her? And how had that formed the chain of events that led to her engagement?
She took another deep breath that did little to ease the tempest raging inside of her before sitting beside her sister and staring at the wall opposite them.
“Beatrice, I… lost myself. Entirely. I could barely stand afterward.” She raised a hand to her chest, feeling the weight of her words crashing down on her.
The atmosphere in her chambers grew heavy for a moment as Beatrice said nothing at all.
What is she thinking?
Isabella was almost fearful that her sister would not speak again, but the silence was suddenly broken.
“My word.” Beatrice gasped, staring ahead of her as if the wind had been knocked from her sails..
“He touched me,” Isabella whispered, finally finding the courage to speak up.
“He didn’t… compromise me, but it was… well, you know how it is, Bea.
But then Lady Kendrick appeared, then our father, and everything fell apart.
” She shook her head in disbelief as if even she could not believe what had happened.
“And he proposed,” Beatrice finished breathlessly for her.
“Yes,” Isabella breathed the response as if the weight on her shoulders had not been lifted but shared with her sister.
“Oh, Bella…” Beatrice’s eyes softened as she turned to her, shifting her body until their knees touched. “No wonder you said yes.”
“I didn’t say yes because of that,” Isabella swallowed, finally admitting the truth to herself that she had been wrestling with all night.
“No,” Beatrice said gently. “You said yes because you care for him, even if you won’t admit it yet. I know you do. I have been watching the two of you for some time now.”
Coming to her feet, Isabella began to pace, lifting a hand to her forehead.
Beatrice took a deep breath as if she were bracing herself. “I know you may not want to hear this, Bella, but you do care for him. All of those subtle glances, irritable conversations, and sleepless nights. Those things meant something, even you have to admit that.”
Isabella stopped pacing long enough to stare at her sister with a pained expression.
“But what does it mean, Bea? Does it mean that I love him? Because I may not be an expert on the matter, but I am quite certain that loving someone should not have to entail so much torture! The man maddens me with his aloofness in one moment, then leaves me breathless with his attention the next!” She began pacing back and forth again in front of her bed.
A gentle smile graced Beatrice’s lips as she sighed. “I hate to break it to you, dearest sister, but sometimes it does.”
Isabella froze, her steps halting along with her heart.
Have I been in love with him this entire time?
She thought back to the night they had met, when their eyes had locked from across the room.
Those scars on his back.
How could she have fallen in love with a man whom she did not even know? How had he gotten those scars? Had they been a result of a fight, or had something more terrible and beyond his control marred his flesh?
There were so many questions that she needed the answers to, but instead, she was marrying the man that she hardly even knew.
Coming to her feet, Beatrice pushed herself off the bed and closed the distance between them, taking Isabella’s hand in hers.
“Love is never easy, Bella, or at least, not when it is genuine. I cannot tell you if you love the duke or not; that is something that only you will be able to answer in time, but for now, you have a man who is willing to marry you to save your reputation. That in itself is not nothing.”
Isabella turned slowly to face her sister.
Cassian was a caring man, despite all of his eccentricities. Had he not shown unexpected care to Ellie?
Beatrice’s words stilled something within her, even as she grappled with her own feelings for the man. She did not know whether she loved him or not, but at least he would care for her.
Something about the thought made her heart jolt in her chest.
Frowning, Beatrice tugged gently on her arm. “What is it, Bella?”
“I… I am not certain if he loves me or not. Everything has happened so quickly. I never asked.” Her throat suddenly felt too dry as she wondered why a man would do something so intimate to her if he did not love her.
Surely, he loves me?
The question sparked hope in her chest that scared her far more than the prospect of marriage.
Offering her a pitying look, Beatrice tilted her head to the side and smiled. “There will be plenty of time to figure all of these things out once you are married. For now, we have a wedding to plan. But before we get to that, may I ask you a question?”
Isabella stilled again as she feared what would come next.
A mischievous glint entered her sister’s eyes as she bit on her lower lip, drawing it between her teeth. “D… did you like what the Duke did to you on the balcony? I mean, you did not stop him…” Her voice trailed off in embarrassment.
Heat knotted the pit of Isabella’s stomach as she let out a heavy breath and nodded. “I did.”
A squeal of delight escaped Beatrice’s throat as she grew increasingly giddier by the second. “I know it is not as it should be that you are not married, but these things can be a great deal of fun with the right person!”
So much heat flooded Isabella’s cheeks that she feared her face would catch on fire.
Now that she had a moment to think about it, she had enjoyed every aspect of the encounter. His tongue had set her on fire, creating sensations on her body she certainly wanted to experience again.
Beatrice stilled a little. “You will see, once you are settled in your marriage, the two of you will have a great deal of fun!” Her own cheeks flushed.
Isabella could scarcely contain her embarrassment as she looked around her chambers for a distraction.
A gentle knock sounded at the door as if on cue. “Girls, may I come in?” Christine called out.
Snapping out of her daze, Isabella swallowed, her throat feeling too dry. “Of course,” she answered in a shaky voice.
The door creaked open gently, revealing a concerned Christine who shut it again behind her. “I know the two of you cherish your time alone, but I thought, just this once, you might like a bit more company?” She kept her gaze fixed on Isabella while offering a gentle smile of encouragement.
Thank goodness.
Isabella welcomed the distraction after the awkward conversation.
Realizing that she needed as much support as she could get, Isabella smiled. “I am glad that you are here. We could use your advice.”
Christine’s face brightened as she walked toward Isabella and took her hands in her own. “You will be just fine. I know this may not have been the way that you wanted things to happen, but you will be just fine. I cannot express that enough,” she said encouragingly.
Tears of uncertainty welled in Isabelle’s eyes as the weight of everything suddenly became far too real for her. “But how do you all know that everything will be fine? The duke and I hardly know each other.”
“Oh, my dearest,” Christine pulled her in close, hugging her tightly before letting her go again and looking her in the eyes. “I know because I have seen you together,” she paused to steal a glance at Beatrice. “We all have.”
Beatrice nodded eagerly in confirmation, but it did little to stem the fear in Isabella’s heart.
Reaching up in a motherly gesture, Christine tucked a loose strand of Isabella’s hair behind her ear. “Not only have we seen the two of you together, but I saw the way his grandmother was looking at you.”
Hope sparked once again in Isabella’s chest.
Lady Kendrick.
She had not even thought of her and how the duke’s grandmother may have felt about the announcement. Did she even want Isabella as a granddaughter? She had seemed relieved, but was that only because the potential scandal was being squashed?
Christine shook her head as if she could read Isabella’s thoughts. “She loves you, Isabella, just as much as the rest of us do.”
Beatrice spoke up again, offering an encouraging squeeze of her sister’s arm.
“Lady Kendrick would never have allowed you to run a club from her home if she did not trust you. And Christine is right; she dotes on you far more than she ever dotes on her own grandson.” Her words made Isabella laugh as a soft giggle escaped her throat.
It was true that Lady Kendrick seemed to be fond of her, but she just hadn’t given it much thought in the past.
“There now, you will see in time that things will work out as they should.” Christine touched her cheek in a loving gesture.
“Now, can we begin planning the wedding?” Beatrice announced excitedly.
“The wedding,” Isabella sucked in a sharp breath. No matter how much thought she lent to the matter, she always seemed to be at least two steps behind the situation with the duke.
She had said yes, there would be a wedding. They would need to plan, and guests would need to be invited.
“How long will we need to wait for the banns to be read?” She looked at Christine with a wide-eyed expression, but her stepmother did not seem to share her concern.
“Oh, I do not think that we will need to concern ourselves with that. Knowing Lady Kendrick, she will more than likely obtain a special license for the wedding. She had long been eager for the duke to marry. I have a sneaky suspicion that we may not even have to worry that much about the plans. If I have to put a time to it, I think we can expect a wedding within a fortnight.”
“A fortnight?” Isabella suddenly felt dizzy as she let go of her stepmother’s hands and wandered over to the bed, sinking onto the edge. “Can it be possible that I am to be married within a fortnight?”
Beatrice and Christine exchanged a pitying look. There was not much they could do to assuage Isabella’s fears, not when the marriage was looming over her head like a beast that would not be tamed.
Will we be intimate again on the night of our wedding?
Panic coiled in the pit of her stomach along with a strange sensation of longing.
She wanted him to touch her again, not just with his tongue, but with his hands and any other part of him that would make her his.