Page 22 of Duchess in Disguise
‘It has nothing to do with him,’ she told herself, trying to focus on the footsteps approaching where they were hidden.‘Absolutely nothing. He does not affect me, and I certainly do not care about how his touch seems to have branded my skin –’
Forcing herself to focus on the situation at hand, she peered over Richard’s shoulder in time to see Deborah lingering about the door to the attic. But instead of walking in, she turned around and left in the direction she had come from.
Isobel heaved a sigh of relief, momentarily wondering what her aunt had been doing and why she was doing it at this hour.
Richard exhaled, and tension flowed out of him, his shoulders lowering as he turned to say something to her. Only the words never quite made it to her ears.
As he fixed his gaze on her, their eyes met, and it felt as though time had stopped. Isobel did not know if it was due to the relief of not getting caught, but a part of her felt a little… glad to be the object of his attention.
Her heart was beating so loudly that the sound of it resonated in her head; she wondered if he could hear it as well.
After what had felt like ages, Richard cleared his throat and stepped away, his gaze slipping over hers.
“You should return to your room. It is not safe for you to be wandering about at night, without an escort or otherwise.” He told her in an icy tone. “We cannot predict what the culprit might do. It would be wiser to exercise caution.”
He was right, of course, but Isobel would rather eat a dirty sock and choke than let him know that.
So, without another word, she walked off in the direction of her room. Regardless of the confusing way her heart and body were acting, she was still upset with him, and she had no intention of relenting.
Still, the heat that had encompassed her in the moments they had shared the same breath with his body pressed over hers stayed with her, even after she had finally fallen asleep.
CHAPTER NINE
“Anew day has dawned, and with it come boundless possibilities.” Were the words that Isobel mumbled at daybreak to motivate herself to leave her bed.
Her mother used to say that a lot, whenever she struggled with any of her lessons. Isobel harbored many worries of insignificance in comparison to her wonderful older siblings. Margaret was immensely graceful and skilled, Catherine bore impressive intelligence, and Graham had the heart of a warrior, brave and bold.
She had cherished them as a young child, desiring nothing more than to be a young ‘un they could be proud of, but she was far too clumsy, unsure of herself.
One morning, she had refused to venture out of her room, confining herself to a day spent underneath her sheets as she wallowed in self-pity.
Mary Lennox, her mother, had come in with a bowl of warm soup that she had coaxed Isobel to eat sweetly. Because she could never refuse her parents anything, it had not taken Isobel too long to lose her resolve, and as she held the warm bowl in her hands and ate the delicious contents, she was thankful she had relented.
Her mother had brushed her hair gently as she ate, speaking to her so softly that it felt as though her words were being whispered directly into her mind.
“Ye dinnae have tae try sae hard, my love. We all see yer efforts, and we appreciate that. Dinnae feel as though ye have anything tae prove. Ye are bright and wonderful, and that is all we could ever want from ye.” Mary told her, the light tugs of the brush bristles over her dark blonde hair, sending a soothing sensation through her.
“But… I want more. For myself. I do want tae make ye proud. I do want tae alleviate whatever concerns ye may have over my well-being. I know that ye… worry. I worry as well, because the things I am meant tae learn dinnae seem sae difficult at first. But then, as time goes on, I begin tae struggle. I dinnae know if I can go on, Mama.” Isobel confessed, her belly full and warm, yet her heart remained at a state of unrest.
“Well, my love, that is what life is aboot. It's filled wi' countless obstacles that ye need tae face in order tae move forward wi' yer life. And ye'll only be able tae do that if ye continue tae press forward. Dinnae give up, mo luaidh.” Mary had toldher, carefully pulling Isobel’s sometimes unruly hair into a neat braid.
She then took the empty bowl from Isobel, set it aside, and gently tugged her youngest into her embrace.
“Every new day carries wi' it an endless myriad o' possibilities! Sae many things could happen – some unexepected! But ye'll never discover that unless ye give yerself the chance tae experience them all. Take the guid wi' the bad, and ye'll learn that life is much more than meets the eye.” Mary whispered as she peppered little kisses over Isobel’s cheeks.
And although her mother was no more, her warm words echoed in Isobel’s mind first thing in the morning, and she decided to organize her thoughts.
Her father was not going to help her at all, and Richard was as focused as Gregory was in distrusting her commitment to her task, so neither of them was important. What mattered was Valerie and whether she was safe enough to walk down the aisle with the love of her life in a few days.
Although luck had not been on Isobel’s side thus far, this was a new day with new possibilities. There was a suspect now, and so, she did not have to start from scratch.
If she managed to question Deborah’s actions thoroughly, perhaps the older woman might give herself away.
And thus, Isobel set out of her room, almost eager to continue the task she had been given.
With her head held high, she strode downstairs to the dining hall, already thinking of what questions she would ask her aunt. But upon her arrival, she noticed the duke of Dellamere already present and fraternizing with the other guests. His eyes flittered to hers moments after she stepped into the dining hall, almost as if he had been waiting for her. She blinked, feeling the familiar heat of embarrassment creep into her cheeks as she recalled the interactions between them in the last few hours.
Quickly, she ripped her gaze away, ignoring the knots her insides had formed as she turned to greet a guest. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Richard quickly bid his farewell to the other guests he had been speaking to and began to walk towards her. Luckily, she noticed Deborah lingering by herself at one end of the room and swiftly excused herself from the conversation she had been in before making her way to her aunt.
