Page 56 of A Scottish Bride for the Duke
She hadn’t heard back from her mother yet, but that was hardly surprising; she couldn’t be certain that her letter hadreachedthem yet. By the time they read it and replied, she would already be married.
She alreadywasmarried.
Her stomach twisted at the thought.
“They trusted me to find a husband,” she said, the words almost inaudible. “But I hardly think they expected this.”
I certainly didn’t. But she didn’t say the words.
The dowager duchess patted her on the arm. “Your mother especially will be delighted about this turn of events, believe me.”
Adrian raised his brows. “Shall we have this conversation over breakfast? Eliza is bursting to run over here and speak with us, but it would be best for us all if she saved her enthusiasm for indoors.”
“Of course, of course.” The dowager touched Isobel’s cheek with gentle fingers. “You are your mother’s daughter,” she said. “Never forget it.”
Isobel forced a wobbly smile, and Adrian handed her into the carriage back to his home.
The journey took all of five minutes, not allowing for any conversation along the way, and when they arrived, they were immediately swept into the celebration. The staff had laid on the most sumptuous repast Isobel could have imagined—and she had been living in the duke’s home for several weeks.
All this for her.
Eliza approached with her hands extended. “You’ve done it! How does it feel to be a duchess?”
“A duchess,” Isobel repeated, feeling a little lost.
“Yes! Now Miss Wentworth will be forced to make nice, and it will destroy her inside. There are very, very few other eligible dukes in London—she cannot match you.”
“Eliza, that is not why I married him.”
“Oh no, of course not,” Eliza said hurriedly. “But you can hardly tell me it was out of love for my cousin. He is a good man, of course, and I expect he will be a good husband when it becomes necessary—but you have never shown any particular signs of fondness for him.”
No, she had not, at least in public. In private, that was entirely a different matter.
But perhaps it was better that she claim some fondness for him now he was her husband. Better for them both.
“I am not unhappy to be marrying him,” she said hesitantly.
“I should hope not! You are now a duchess! It is better than anything I could have conceived.” Eliza lowered her voice. “I never thought he would consent to marry you, you know. The duchess—sorry, thedowagerduchess—has been trying to encourage him into matrimony for several years now, and he has been quite firm in his refusal.”
“Oh.” Isobel’s heart gave a quick, hard thump. “Well, I suppose he is already wedded to his duty.”
“Yes, I suppose. But you must eat, drink, and make merry, dearest—this is an event to celebrate!” Eliza went to the table, and Isobel glanced across at the duke, where he was speaking to his friend.
Both men looked grim.
Yes, perhaps the duke had agreed to marry her, but it had certainly not been a choice he relished.
The dowager duchess appeared at her elbow. “There you are,” she said, taking Isobel’s arm. “I wanted to speak to you about the arrangements going forward.”
“Arrangements?”
“Why, of course. Did you expect me to sit here and intrude? There’s a dower house here in London. In truth, it is more than time that I retire to it. I’ve been making arrangements to have it refitted in the current style, and when the breakfast is over, I will be removing there to live instead.”
Isobel gasped. “Oh, but—I could never chase ye from yer own house!”
“It’s tradition, my dear. And much as I love this house, and it has been my home for a great many years, I understand that there is a time for all things to end. I always swore to myself that I would leave when Adrian married, and now he has done so, it is time for me to leave, too.”
She winked. “Besides, I was a bride once. I remember how it felt to inherit a large house and a family that was not my own. Everything will go more smoothly if I am not here.”
