Page 77 of Duchess in Disguise
The barely moving carriage came to a stop immediately, and she turned to him inquisitively.
“Surely a man of your refinement is aware of the rules of betrothal, Your Grace. You must ask for my hand first.”
It was Richard’s turn to be confused, and his expression said as much.
“I know you mean well, so I will ignore that slight insult,” he sniffed with an exaggerated expression of dismay. “I do want to ask for your hand, that is why I instructed the coachman to turn the carriage back. Gregory is still in his home, and if we are fortunate, we can make him even more annoyed with our presence as he fulfils the task we need him to.”
“Oh,” Isobel giggled. “Gregory is not my father or a member of my family, really, so he holds no authority over me. The one you need to ask for my hand from is my brother, Graham. And luckily for us, he is right here in London.”
Richard grew visibly excited, and he pulled Isobel into his embrace once more.
“Then I want to do it properly. As eager as I am to marry you, I want to do everything right, so no one will have any reason to question the validity of our love. I will prepare and meet him in a few days. Is that all right?”
Isobel smiled and nodded, pressing her face into the crook of his neck, feeling safe and contented in the arms of the love that found her when she least expected it.
“That is absolutely perfect.”
In hindsight, perhaps Richard should have prepared a tad more before he met Isobel’s brother.
All he knew of the man was that he was a duke with a strong sense of justice and duty, and Isobel loved him immensely – as she did with every member of her family.
Richard had hoped that their meeting would go smoothly at least, but the moment he was led to a drawing room in Graham’s residence and was met with an icy glare, he knew it would not be an easy feat.
Isobel was seated by her brother’s side, and she visibly perked up at the sight of him, but when her brother made a sound of disapproval, she sighed.
“It has been three days already. Surely you would have reconciled with this idea by now,” she told him.
“Accepting it does not mean I must like it, and as of now, neither is the case,” Graham Lennox, duke of Rutledge, replied with an irritated glare in Richard’s direction.
Richard felt particularly confused at that, seeing as he was not the one that Graham was currently arguing with, but was still on the receiving end of his ire anyway.
“Good afternoon,” Richard greeted, hoping there was still time to make an impression. “I am Richard Harte, duke of Dellamere, and I have come to humbly request the honor of obtaining your sister’s hand.”
Graham’s glare darkened, and Richard felt his unease grow, but he refused to falter. He must prove that he was worthy of Isobel’s hand, and so, he kept his expression calm and open.
“And just how did you meet my sister? What on earth do you believe you know about her that makes you think you are worthy of her hand?” Graham questioned stiffly.
“You have not even introduced yourself, brother,” Isobel groaned quietly.
“He is already here, so I do not doubt that he knows who I am. The question remains if he was smart or foolish for this audacious move.” Grahm told her.
Richard could not help but notice how much softer his voice became as he spoke to his sister, and he smiled a little, only to be caught in that moment.
“Do you find me amusing, duke? I suppose you are so used to receiving everything you have ever wanted on a silver platter,but my sister is not merely a commodity I can trade as I see fit. No man unworthy of her will ever latch onto the mere idea of a life with her. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“Graham, please,” Isobel sighed.
To Richard, she spoke softly. “My apologies, Your Grace. My brother is… quite protective of me. There is no excuse for him to forget himself and his manners, however. Allow me to formally introduce Graham Lennox, duke of Rutledge. My dearest older brother.”
Isobel spoke fondly of him, even as she looked visibly irritated by his actions, and he was once again struck by how much she cared for those who mattered to her. And he wanted that, to be the reason her gaze softened and the cause of the smile on her lip.
And he hoped he would be that for her as well.
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Richard said, even though Graham looked moments away from wringing his neck.
Just because it was not true at the moment did not mean that it would not be true later on.
“I still do not understand how you wound up with a man you claim you love. Is this what happens when I leave you without any supervision? And him? Of all people?” Graham sighed in disappointment at his sister.
