Page 43 of A Sinful Viscount's Mistletoe Affair
“I suspect that you can guess what I want to talk to you about.”
Isabella took a deep breath. “Yes, Father, I have an idea.”
He smiled, seeming to relax a little. “The Duke of Harbridge is very keen to make things formal between you. Your engagement, I mean.”
Isabella sighed. “But Father, I do not want to marry him.”
“What reason could you possibly have not to want to marry him?” George asked, raising an eyebrow. “Is there someone else that you prefer?”
“Well …” Isabella hesitated.
“Because I would like to make it perfectly clear that I would not approve of a match between yourself and Lord Ashcroft, should you even be considering such a thing. He is nowhere near a suitable rank to marry you. The duke is a much better match, and your mother and I both agree that you will marry him.”
“Well, if you have both agreed it, then what is the point of even asking me?” Isabella demanded, feeling her temper begin to rise. “Am I just to be bought and sold like a cow at the marketplace, with no one giving any thought to what I want? What about my hopes and dreams for my life?”
George shook his head. “Isabella, you know better than this,” he sighed. “You are a young lady of noble birth. Your marriage is not a matter of hopes and dreams; it is a matter of practicality. We must use it as an opportunity to form a connection between our family and another equally well-established noble family. It is what people like us have been doing for generations.”
Isabella frowned. “But Faith was able to marry a man she loved.”
George shrugged. “Faith was lucky enough to fall in love with a suitable young gentleman and marry him. Perhaps you might learn to love the duke? These things do happen, you know.”
“I do not believe I will ever learn to love him,” Isabella said, trying not to cry. A memory of the feeling of Sebastian’s lips pressed against hers flew into her mind. She knew she would never feel passion like that with the duke. In fact, the thought of having to kiss him made her feel ill.
“I am sorry, Isabella, but my mind is made up. You will have to try and accept it. It will be much easier for everyone that way.”
She shook her head. “I will never accept it, Father.”
George glared at her. “Now, I promised the duke that there would be no nonsense. You will not defy me in this matter, Isabella. Do I make myself clear?”
She winced at her father’s raised voice. She could see the situation was hopeless, and there was no point in arguing. She could not imagine a way out of this situation now, but perhaps something would come to her over the next few days. She wondered, in a slightly panicked way, how much time she had before the announcement would be made.
“When do you plan to announce the engagement, Father?” she asked in a small voice.
“At the ball on Christmas Eve,” he replied. “That gives you a couple of days to get used to the idea. Now, you had better go and get ready for luncheon. Your mother wants everyone to go skating this afternoon, so we will all need a good meal first to fortify ourselves against the cold.”
***
Felicity leaned against the wall in the corridor outside Lord Evermere’s study and smiled to herself. She would make a hasty retreat now, before anyone saw her, and head back to her room, but she would find her father first and tell him what she had heard.
She had accepted his challenge, after all, so she needed to find out as much as possible about what was going on in the house to maximize her chances of success.
And Isabella’s impending betrothal to the duke was a significant piece of news.
She allowed herself to imagine, just for a moment, that this would clear the way for her with Lord Ashcroft. Perhaps they could come together without a scandal? Once he realized that he was not going to be able to marry Isabella because she was going to marry the tedious Duke of Harbridge, then maybe he would see Felicity in a different light.
She knocked on her father’s door and awaited his response. She knew in her heart that those thoughts were simply a fantasy. She knew that Lord Ashcroft would not look at her twice and that he only had eyes for Isabella. But if she followed her father’s plan, perhaps she could secure him for herself after all. And the idea of how jealous Isabella would be of her made her smile even more broadly.
The door swung open, and Victor beckoned her inside. “You look as if you have good news for me, Felicity,” he said softly, then closed the door behind her. “I am glad of it. It’s about time things turned around for us. We deserve a chance, you and I, to better our lot in life.”
She nodded. “I have very good news, Father.” And she proceeded to tell him everything she had overheard about Lady Isabella’s fate while lurking outside Lord Evermere’s study.
***
Isabella could feel herself sinking into a pit of depression as she watched the rest of the party skating around the lake. Everything should have been so perfect, out here in the crisp winter sunshine, the lake a perfect crystalline expanse of ice.
Everyone was wrapped up warm, with cheeks rosy from the cold, skating around in couples, holding onto each other tightly to stay upright. There had been a couple of tumbles already, but no one had been hurt. There was plenty of laughter and smiles, in fact, and everyone seemed to be having fun.
She sat on a bench watching Daphne and Adrian skating together, their faces lit up with broad smiles as they laughed and joked together. At luncheon, Daphne had confided in her that she thought that Adrian might propose to her soon, and in her heart, Isabella was happy for her friend, of course.
