Page 45 of A Sinful Viscount's Mistletoe Affair
But she had told him she did not intend to skate, and now she was on the ice with another man. It irked him greatly to see them moving together in such a perfect rhythm. There was clearly a close bond between Lady Isabella and this young viscount, and Henry was not enjoying watching it.
But he told himself that it did not matter, really. Once they were married – and the wedding would take place soon, he was determined – then she would never see this viscount again. She would be bound to him in matrimony and would have to obey him in everything. There would be no dancing or skating with other gentlemen, no disappearing off into corners of rooms to have long and intense discussions about some ancient artifact or other.
No, she would be the Duchess of Harbridge, with many duties to attend to, and in due course, she would have children to occupy her, and all this trouble would pass.
It did not matter to him, really, if her affections belonged to another. Their marriage was to be a mere business deal, after all. He hoped that she would resolve herself to the situation sooner rather than later, but it did not make much difference. Soon, she would belong to him, and that would be the end of it.
Chapter 21
Isabella had been tossing and turning in her bed for hours when she finally accepted that she was not going to be able to fall asleep. It was yet another night when her thoughts were haunted by memories of her kisses, secret moments with Sebastian, and the horror of imagining her future as the duke’s wife.
She wrapped herself in her cloak and found herself again drawn towards the library. It had always been her favourite room in the house, and now, it was imbued with memories too. She had first met Sebastian when she fell into his arms on that very first evening of the house party. And the memory of their chess game and everything that had come afterwards.
Perhaps she would find a book to distract herself with, she thought. Or maybe she would just sit in the quiet, peaceful space and allow herself to remember the times she had spent with him. It felt inevitable that there would never be a repeat of such intimate moments. Perhaps it was best just to accept it, to cherish the memories, and to try to move on.
She padded through the dark corridors, feeling the chill of the cool night air that always seemed to find its way through draughts and gaps in the windows. Her thin nightdress was not sufficient to keep her warm, and she was grateful for her cloak.
Soon, she was at the library door. She took a breath before pushing open the door, remembering the moment that she had entered the room a few evenings previously and found Sebastian there. In her heart, she hoped the same thing would happen again, but how could it? It would be too much of a coincidence for him to be there at the same time as her.
She pushed open the door and peered into the dim room. A candle was already lit, and the lamp she held in her hand cast further light into the space. A figure stood by the bookcase, engrossed in a manuscript they held in their hands. Startled, she let out a gasp, and the door swung closed behind her with a soft thud. The figure turned around, dropping the manuscript to the floor.
It was Sebastian, and he stared at her as she walked towards him. The magnetism between them was too strong for her to walk away, even though she knew she should.
“Lady Isabella,” he whispered. “What are you doing here?”
She stopped in front of him, looking at his handsome face in the room’s soft light. “I could not sleep,” she said softly. “And neither, I see, could you.”
He shook his head. “I would say that we should stop meeting like this, but …” His voice trailed off as he looked at her. She saw his eyes sweeping her body, just as he had done before. She felt almost as if he could see through her cloak, through her nightdress, right down to her skin. Her body began to tingle under his gaze.
“I like it that we keep finding each other here,” she admitted. “I feel we are both drawn to the peace of this room, the knowledge. It is like a sanctuary.”
“You are right,” he replied. “I always find myself drawn to the library in a great house such as this.”
“What were you reading?” she asked, casting her eyes towards the manuscript still lying on the floor at their feet.
He reached down to pick it up. “I am honestly not at all sure,” he confessed with a smile. “I found it on the desk over there and was trying to make it out, but I think it is written in Hebrew, perhaps?”
He carried it over to the desk and spread it out, and Isabella leaned over to look at it.
“Ah, yes,” she said. “I think it is Hebrew. I have never studied it, although I can read a little Greek.”
He looked at her in astonishment. “You really are a most singular young lady.”
She smiled and felt her cheeks redden a little at the compliment. “I have been lucky to be allowed to follow my interests,” she replied.
“It should not be a matter of being allowed, I think,” Sebastian said.
She could not stop gazing at him, remembering the pressure of his hand on her waist as they skated earlier that afternoon and the look in his eyes when he broke away from their kiss in the gazebo. Perhaps this was their last chance to be alone together. The thought of it made her feel desperate and desolate.
And yet, she knew that her desires were wrong, forbidden. She was about to marry another man, yet her whole body was taut with anticipation at the thought of feeling Sebastian’s touch again.
Her resolve broke as he stared into her eyes. She turned to face him and lifted her hand to his face. She stroked his cheek gently. “Sebastian, please,” she whispered. “I need to kiss you again.”
She closed the space between them and pressed her lips against his. Immediately, she felt him cleave towards her. She kissed him harder and heard a gasp of desire escaping from him.
But then, all too soon, he pushed her back and stared at her. “Isabella, we should not be doing this.”
“I do not care,” she breathed. “I cannot hide it any longer.” She pressed her mouth against his and kissed him again, even harder, and felt his arms wrapping around her. Her cloak fell to the ground, and he pulled back again and looked at her, his eyes sweeping her body again and making her feel hot all over.
