Page 86 of The Lover's Eye
Marriane sighed and pursed her lips together.“I did say that, yes, but that could have been a display of many things: attraction, lust, excitement for their wedding.Again, it has no bearing—”
“He does not act that way with me, Marriane.”She was unable to hold back a sob.
Marriane gave her a soft look and squeezed her hand.“Of course he does not, dearest.You are not at all the same type of woman as Aurelia.”
The words, even though they had been intended as some variety of reassurance, twisted the knife in Isobel’s gut.She’d had enough comparisons to grant her a lifetime supply of resentment.
Seeing her sister’s wounded expression, Marriane elaborated.“I mean to say that Aurelia was bold and a bit wild.She could never have acted so if it weren’t for her beauty and low birth.It would have been inappropriate had Trevelyan shown you such open affection, and really, who has seen the two of you together besides us and Papa?You didn’t even have a courtship with the man; who knows how enamored he might have been.”
Isobel shook her head and dried her eyes with the backs of her hands.“I just feel horrid.I care so much, and to think I may always be second in his heart—”
“Do you realize he missed her funeral to go with you to Cumberland?”
Isobel stilled.“What?”
“He told Martin he had no business there.That his business was with his wife,” Marriane said with a playful smile.“Whatever passed between him and Aurelia, it is finished.You must let it alone.”
“So,” Isobel sniffled, “you think I should pretend as though I never heard anything?As though I-I’m fine?”
“Sometimes, sister, we all must pretend.Even if only for a little while.Why don’t you make some friends with the ladies in town?Show him and everyone else how peaceful it is to be Lady Trevelyan.”Marriane pressed a cup of chocolate into Isobel’s hands, and she could not refuse it.“Believe it for long enough, and it will be true.”
29
“Where have you been?”Giles’s eyes were sharp, receiving Isobel the moment she crossed the threshold of Cambo House.
“I-I went to Shoremoss,” she said, swallowing.“To breakfast with Marriane.Did one of the servants not tell you?”
“They did, but I could not make sense of it.You had me worried senseless,” he said, bending to wrap her in a hug and kiss her.“I’m just glad you’re home.”
He noticed a hint of reserve in her lips.It was a minor alteration in feeling, but undoubtedly different from the surrendering warm kisses he’d grown accustomed to.“Is something the matter?”he asked, drawing his face back.
Isobel shook her head quickly, smiling up at him.There was a slightly different look about her eyes.Was it tiredness?
“No, everything is perfectly well,” she said cheerily.“I was thinking of hosting a luncheon for some of the local ladies, so that I might become acquainted with our neighbors.Would you oppose such a plan?”
Giles’s brows edged closer together, and he studied her smiling face for an extended moment.Hm.Something off about that smile, too, if he knew his wife.“No, of course I don’t object.But are you certain—”
She lifted on her tiptoes to plant a fleeting kiss on his cheek.“Excellent,” she said, already heading down the corridor away from him.“I must begin on the invitations.”
Giles stared after her in perplexity.
♦
Isobel spent the next week immersed in her task.By the time Saturday rolled around, she felt her sister might just be a genius.Isobel had been religiously following two pieces of Marriane’s advice—make every effort to let the past rest, and pretend everything is perfect.
This had seemingly worked on the cook and Mrs.Taylor, who had been working closely with Isobel to plan the invitations, décor, and menu for the ladies luncheon.Even Smooch appreciated the frequent trips to the kitchen, where she might earn a trimming or scrap, and had begun to accompany Isobel belowstairs of her own accord.
And then there was that third piece of offhand advice Marriane had given.Don’t ever deprive your husband of pleasure.
It had been said as a commandment to maintain a happy marriage, but Isobel was following her own heart’s desires rather than her sister’s advice.Luckily for her, sharing a bed with Giles was a mutual joy.
“Giles, I must get up,” she groaned, the words becoming a mumbled whine against the compression of his mouth on hers.“It is my big day.The ladies will start arriving in a few hours and there is still much to do.”
“I don’t give a tinker’s damn about the ladies,” Giles said, moving lower to rest his head between Isobel’s breasts.She sighed under the pleasant pressure and ran her hands over the breadth of his warm shoulders.
His hand began creeping downward, grazing the tops of her thighs.“I feel sure Mrs.Taylor has the preparations well in hand.Don’t you?”His fingers eased between her legs, stroking lightly.
Isobel’s body answered with shameless quickness, pooling with warm desire and shifting to afford him easier access.She let out an exasperated chuckle, her muscles falling limp.“Five more minutes.No more.”
