Page 80 of A Scottish Bride for the Duke
Isobel didn’t yet know if Adrian would be that man. He was so wrapped in pride and duty. But she also knew that he did care, even if he hadn’t processed it yet. She’d felt it every time they had been wrapped up together, when he had been gentle even though he wanted to dominate.
She would trust him to save her, and she prayed he would not let her down as she found a way to save him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“For, you know,” Isobel said to Eliza as they dressed together, “I should be at the most fashionable events now I am a duchess.”
“I am so glad you’refinallyunderstanding,” Eliza said, pinching her cheeks so they appeared flushed. “That is precisely the attitude you should have. And soon you should throw a ball of your own.”
“I will, although ye’ll have to help me.”
“Gladly. What are friends for?” Eliza threw her arm over Isobel’s shoulders. “I shall give you a list of all my beaus and you shall invite them all. I’ll dance with every one and make them wildly jealous.”
At the thought of Lord Moreton, Isobel tensed, but she forced herself to breathe past the sudden rush of fear.
Yes, Lord Moreton would be in attendance, but that didn’t mean she had to dance with him. And even if shediddance with him, he wouldn’t be able to harm her. The ballroom was too public a place.
“Do ye ever not think of beaus?” Isobel asked lightly, forcing her mind away from Lord Moreton.
“Rarely. They are such fun to dance and flirt with. And who else am I supposed to talk with? Save for you, my dear friend, and you are going to be far too much in demand to spend the night by my side, no matter how I might wish it.”
Eliza ran a hand down her bodice, which was decorated with tiny pearls. “I look well, don’t I? Although I do wish I could wear a color that isn’t pastel. You’re fortunate that you can be more daring now that you’re a married lady.”
Isobel had chosen a gown of green silk to match the hidden hues of her hazel eyes. She hoped Adrian would appreciate it.
“Pastels suit ye very well,” she said.
“When I’m married, I will push the boundaries of fashion.”
Lady Northley appeared in the doorway, skirts swishing with every movement. Her hands fluttered nervously.
“You shouldn’t speak like that, Eliza,” she chided and glanced at Isobel as though she expectedherto be the reason Eliza was so unmanageable. “What if someone hears you?”
“And who will hear me?” Eliza demanded. “The servants? They all know who I am and have heard me talking in such a way several times over the past three years.”
“Even so!”
“Even so, saying I am going to push the boundaries of fashion is not a crime in and of itself, Mama,” Eliza said, rising onto her toes and kissing her mother’s cheek. “Don’t be too worried for me. I’m not going to disgrace myself in public.”
Lady Northley didn’t look convinced, and for the first time, Isobel was inclined to agree with her. Eliza seemed in a mood to cause chaos and trouble, and although Isobel agreed with shaking up the staidness of London Society, she didn’t want Eliza to pay the price for any disruption.
“I’ll look out for her,” Isobel said, and Lady Northley looked even more alarmed.
The expression on her face seemed so natural Isobel could have believed she’d been born with it.
“Don’t trouble yourself, Your Grace,” she said, her hands fluttering even more.
“Mama!” Eliza said, exasperated. “Isobel got herself married to a duke, so if anything, I should be more like her, not less.”
“She got herself married to a duke through scandal’s sake,” Lady Northley whispered.
“The most exciting way to do it. And it’s hardly as though her duke husband dislikes her. In fact, we’ll see today at Lady Milton’s ball just how fond he is of her.” Eliza grinned at Isobel. “It’ll be enough to make everyone in the room wildly jealous, and calm any wagging tongues about the validity of your marriage.”
“I should hope so.” Isobel held up her hand with the golden wedding band plain upon it. “Although I should think this would silence any questions. The duke put it on my finger himself.”
“You see, Mama?” Eliza asked. “There is really nothing to fear, unless you dislike the thought of me being a duchess?”
“But there are no other dukes in London,” Lady Northley said with another nervous flutter. A valid point, Isobel had to admit. “At least, not young, unmarried ones.”
