Page 63 of The Beastly Duke's Christmas Bride
“Thank you.” She jerked back when Pearl swiped at her. “Oh. Well. Perhaps you can hold her for a minute?”
“If you like.” Then he froze when the cat began to rumble with a sound so loud he nearly dropped her. It took a moment to recall that these were the creatures that purred. He hesitated when he saw Isabel frowning. “Is that all right?”
Awkwardness tinged the room like a light mist, making him uncomfortable. Shifting his balance, he considered scolding Pearl for misbehaving to Isabel.
She musters a smile. “Oh yes, yes, of course. Isn’t she darling? I’ve been playing with her all day. Chasing her from room to room. The servants said they would help, but I didn’t want to get in their way. They’ll be leaving off early this evening for Boxing Day tomorrow.”
Nodding, he glanced around. “I’m glad to hear everything is set up to ensure they get their day. Is… Is your brother here?”
“He left shortly after, I’m afraid.”
Good. I don’t like the looks of him and I don’t trust him. Not after everything I’ve read. Even Isabel was wary about him.
“I see. And you’ve been amusing yourself with Pearl since? What about the music?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been distracted.”
That made him frown, hearing what she didn’t say. “It has been a rather… unexpected holiday.” Sebastian noted how calm Pearl had collected herself in his hand, curled up like a little ball. “Would you still be interested in performing for this audience of two?”
“I didn’t think you carried a particular interest in music.”
“I might.” He paused as she raised an eyebrow. “Or perhaps I merely carry a particular interest in you. That is, we both do,” he added hastily, lifting Pearl up for Isabel to see. A distraction from his clumsy confession.
Twisting her lips into a slight smile, Isabel tilted her head up at him. She met his gaze; part of her seemed to tell him she had heard it all the same. But fortunately she didn’t call it out.
“Very well. I would be glad to perform for this very fine audience of two.” She collected the sheet music that had never left this room. “I wish Thomas had stayed to listen. This was a song our parents would always dance to, you know. I would play for them, and they would twirl the entire time. My mother and father were never close except for during this song.”
Sebastian nodded, listening carefully as she shared her story. There weren’t enough that he knew from her, and he hungered for more. In the meantime, he would claim every drop he could about Isabel.
I just hope this means Thomas has left for good. I can’t imagine what he is doing out here after all that happened. It doesn’t sit right with me.
“Oh, you might as well sit next to me,” Isabel said after taking her seat and watching him note how far away the bench was for him to sit. “You can hear me better. I don’t want to disturb the whole house."
“You are a duchess,” he pointed out.
She smiled. “And a polite one at that.”
A slight smile of his own escaped Sebastian as he sat down beside her, gingerly at first since it appeared a weak sort of piano bench, and then settled beside his wife. She had a beautiful smile, one he could look at for ages. The candlelight behind her made her hair shine like gold. And now she smelled like peppermint––Christmas and good cheer all wrapped into a pretty face.
Sensing the thudding in his chest, Sebastian tried to say something. To compliment her. As his gaze fell to her lips, so pink and plump, he forgot how to speak.
“Sebastian…” Isabel murmured his name like she had something to say. The look in her eyes told a story he hoped was real.
And then he found himself craving the taste of her. A kiss from Isabel would surely answer the questions he never dared to ask, or so Sebastian found himself thinking. There was something tender in the air that had him leaning forward, wondering if she would let him.
Plonk!
The two of them jerked back in surprise to the loud clanging noise that followed as Pearl had escaped his grasp to start plodding over the keys. She jumped over the black and white keys with her fur spiked up, clearly startled and panicking.
Tsking, Sebastian grasped her at once. “I’m sorry about that,” he tried to tell Isabel only for her to turn away from him to the piano.
What just happened? I could not have really meant to kiss her. Could I? What if I did? Perhaps it wouldn’t be so terrible. Maybe we could… No. Forget about it, Sebastian.
“Ah. It’s… It’s all right.”
“I mean, that is, I didn’t…” Sebastian hardly knew what to say as he felt embarrassment washing over him. It had been years since he felt so tongue-tied.
What am I doing? I don’t know what I’m trying to say any longer.
