Page 20 of Married to the Icy Duke
Tristan set aside his own glass with aclack, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “And has there been further progress? Has he spoken again?”
Isaac shook his head. “No, but I plan to involve Lady Charlotte more in his care. After all, if he spoke for her once, he might speak again, might he not?”
“Stands to reason,” Tristan agreed. “But there is one tiny, minute problem.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, she’s an Orion, ain’t she?”
Isaac made a brief, dismissive gesture. “She is not an Orion. While they do admit women, she is not amongst them.”
Tristan stared at him, drawing his lips into a thin line.
“Come now, Isaac, you aren’t a fool. Her brotherisan Orion. He’s one of the leading members!Theleading member, in fact. Do you really expect that he’ll allow his sister to spend all this time with a Devil?”
“Not with me. With my nephew.”
“Don’t mince words, Isaac. You know as well as I do that it won’t be permitted. Besides, Lady Charlotte’s reputation is hanging by a thread as it is. A single exchanged word with you might ruin her at this point, let alone a long and complex friendship.”
Isaac sniffed. “Who said anything about friendship? I intend to marry her.”
It wasn’t often that Tristan was rendered speechless. In fact, he was infamous amongst the ton as being quick-witted and sharp-tongued. He sat back in his seat with a thump, staring wide-eyed at his friend.
“You are joking,” he said at last. “This is a joke. You are going to burst into laughter at any moment and laugh at my shocked face. That is what will happen, yes?”
Isaac lifted one languid hand, and a footman came scurrying dutifully over.
“Two more brandies, I think,” he requested politely. “Perhaps two for the Duke of Tolford. Is that acceptable to you, Tristan? Two brandies?”
Tristan growled, low in his throat. “Don’t you dare mock me.Marriage?You? It cannot be true.”
The footman bowed and scurried, looking keen to get away. Isaac bit back a smile.
“Why, Tristan, am I so very repulsive?”
“That is not what I am saying,” Tristan insisted. “Youare not repulsive toladies, but the prospect of marriage was always repulsive to you. You were always clear about that.”
Isaac passed a hand through his hair, disarranging the careful style his poor valet had brushed it into only that morning.
“Yes, yes, and my thoughts have not changed. Marriage is indeed a waste of time, designed to shackle men and women to unhappiness. But you say yourself that I could never have any sort of interaction with Lady Charlotte without ruining her and bringing the wrath of her brother down on my head. Now, while I am not afraid of any Orion, I certainly don’t relish a battle with Gabriel Harding. So, I had better be careful about how I do this. Marriage will not change my life if I do not let it, not now that I’m a duke. And Lady Charlotte’s presence may well save Tommy.”
“Yes, but …”
“I cannot risk failing him,” Isaac interrupted sharply. “Tommy is… Tommy is the last thing I have of my brother. Heaven knows I failed my brother enough when he was alive. I had better not do it now. Lady Charlotte is, as things stand, my only hope. That’s a shameful thing to admit, but there it is.”
Tristan was silent for a moment, absorbing this. A footman came scurrying back with three brandies on a platter. He set them down, bowed, and scurried away. Tristan thoughtfully picked up one and drank it in one swallow.
“And has Lady Charlotte agreed to the match? Or, more to the point, has her brother?”
“She has, and he has,” Isaac confirmed. “Gabriel Harding may not like me, but I am a wealthy and powerful man, and a good match for his sister. When she agreed, he made no objections, at least.”
“And what does she gain from this match?”
“Status. A refreshed reputation. Money. Power. Freedom,” Isaac shrugged. “She will do quite well out of it, I think. It’s a marriage of convenience, plain and simple. We both know it, and it is what we would both prefer.”
Tristan glanced sharply at him. “And there is no attraction, no sentiment at all, on your part?”
Isaac hesitated only for a beat. He conjured up a memory of Charlotte’s face, her round, thoughtful eyes lingering on his face. He recalled how heat had flared through his chest when their eyes met.
