Page 11 of The Grand Mistletoe Assembly
Regretfully, he eased back, moving his hand up to cup and lift her chin so he might peer down into the fascinating green depths of her eyes.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
“We were together not an hour ago assisting the duchess with an inspection of her plum puddings!” Isabelle protested.
“An hour too long,” he growled.
Isabelle stared up at him in silence before responding with a fleeting smile. “I must admit, I could not stop thinking of this moment when I would join you in the library.” Her face grew contemplative, and he knew she was thinking about her pending departure from Avonmead.
This was it. This was the moment when he must ask the question that had been on his lips for days and trust she was ready to hear it, or they would be parted yet again.
Drawing a deep breath, he shored up his courage—Blast, why is this so intimidating?—and slowly lowered himself onto one knee. She looked down at him in surprise as he claimed her hand and gazed up into her eyes.
“Miss Isabelle Evans, I admire you greatly. I wish to spend my life with you, to open my bookshop with you at my side, and to start a new family together. I humbly request your permission to speak with the earl to seek permission to request your hand in marriage?”
Isabelle looked nonplussed and then giggled. “Did you just ask my permission to seek the earl’s permission to ask me to marry you?”
Cameron grinned. “I did.”
A smile spread over her face, then suddenly, panic took its place, squeezing his chest. He had been too forward! She was not ready!
Oh my God, what have I done?
Isabelle carefully drew her hand away before stepping back, while Cameron found it difficult to draw breath.
She is rejecting me? Did I misread the situation?
Eyes downcast, Isabelle spoke in a tremulous tone that froze the blood in his veins. “Before I answer, I have something to tell you …”
He scarcely dared to breathe as he waited for her next words.
“… I … I am not the earl’s distant cousin,” she blurted out.
Cameron frowned, trying to make sense of the fresh path the conversation had taken. He slowly stood, but he could not see Isabelle’s face. “I do not understand.”
She turned to stare at the bookshelves, throwing a nervous glance his way before focusing on a shelf of leather-bound books while her fingers picked nervously at her skirts. “I … Can you keep a secret? Even if it changes your mind and you decide to withdraw your request?”
Nothing she could tell him would change his mind. He loved this woman, and he could not walk away from a life with her even if she revealed she had a tail. Or six toes.
“On my honor, I will never speak to anyone about the words that have passed or will pass between us.”
Isabelle raised a hand to trace a slender finger down the spine of a heavy tome, revealing her agitation which mirrored his own growing horror that she might turn him away.
“The earl … he is not a distant relation … he is my half-brother. The late earl is my true father … or my sire …” Isabelle lapsed into stricken silence, clearly attempting to gather her thoughts. “He abandoned my mother while she was with child. My father … I mean, Horatio Evans, is a childhood friend who married her to protect her reputation. So … you see … I am … illegitimate … I suppose.”
Cameron struggled to comprehend the mumbled explanation. He gathered his thoughts together to pose his response. “Your parents married before you were born?”
Isabelle blushed a fierce red, her ears a deep rouge as she continued to look away from him. “Yes.”
“Well, then, you are not illegitimate. Mr. Evans is your lawful father.”
“Um … yes. He is my true father. He has always been a very considerate parent.” She sounded defensive, not quite gathering Cameron’s point in her embarrassment.
Cameron ached for his beloved and the shame she felt. “And the earl—the current one—he has … claimed you as his sister?”
Isabelle slowly nodded. “Privately, yes. He wishes to make it right … but he also wants to protect me and my parents from scandal. He sought us out a couple of months back, and Papa said it was a wonderful opportunity to secure my future. The earl is … very kind. We agreed to present me as a distant relation.”
“Excellent. Do I have your permission to approach the earl regarding you?”
