Page 95 of Married to the Icy Duke
“Decided to allow … heavens, what does that even mean?”
“It means, my friend, that you seem intent on punishing yourself. Believe me, it is a rare enough thing for happiness to fall into one’s lap. You’d be a fool to cast it aside.”
Click. The cue stick struck one of the balls, which went rolling merrily into the pocket. Grinning, Tristan lined himself up for another shot.
If he sinks one more ball, he’ll win.
“You’re calling me a fool, are you?” Isaac responded shortly.
Tristan grinned, his attention on the ball and his shot.
“Why, of course not, old friend. A fool, for example, would let his wife go on ignoring him. A fool would let a beautiful woman who is very nearly in love with him slip away. A fool would let his pride and fear—yes, fear, Isaac, don’t glare at me in that way—keep him from seizing at a wonderful thing when it is right in front of him. A fool, Isaac, would lose love for want of taking action. You are many things, Isaac, but you are not a man who avoids taking action. You are not a coward. You are not afool.”
Click.
The ball went skidding across the green baize, bouncing across the pocket but not quite going in. Tristan straightened up, sucking his teeth.
“Would you look at that,” he remarked. “I missed. You have another shot.”
Isaac stared at the balls and tightened his grip on the cue stick.
“I think,” he began slowly, “that you will have to finish this game by yourself.”
Not waiting for a response, he pushed the stick towards Tristan, turned on his heel, and raced out of the room.
It could have been his imagination, but he was sure he heard Tristan laughing behind him.
“Her Grace is in the nursery, I believe,” Perling said, looking rather confused. “Forgive me, Your Grace, but I believed you were at your club all day. Her Grace intends to visit her brother for dinner, and so nothing much has been prepared. Perhaps …”
“Never mind, Perling, never mind,” Isaac shot back over his shoulder, taking the stairs two at a time.
Outside, lavender twilight fell across the gardens. The busy London traffic was slowly winding down, and lights were coming on in windows. Isaac had indeed planned to spend the whole day at his club, taking dinner and possibly even supper there.
He had not been able to shake the idea of Charlotte, miserably eating dinner by herself at a lonely table, but now it seemed that she would never have let that happen. He should have known that a woman like Charlotte was not given to moping, not even if her heart was broken.
I can only pray that her heart is not broken.
He opened the nursery door, finding himself breathless.
Inside, Charlotte was in the middle of reading a bedtime story to Tommy, who was already asleep. She flinched when he burst in, eyes widening.
“Isaac,” she gasped. “You’re home.”
Isaac breathed out slowly.
Calm yourself, fool.
“Finish the story, if you like,” he murmured, careful not to wake Tommy. “Then meet me in my bedroom, wife. Promptly.”
Without waiting for her to reply, he closed the door again.
CHAPTER 28
Charlotte’s heart hammered as she scurried down the hallway. She found herself wishing she’d askedwhichbedroom Isaac meant—the one he’d taken her to before, or the one where she had barged in and caught him washing.
She assumed it was the latter and so made her way towards that room. Her heart was in her mouth when she tapped on the door and waited in suspense for a response.
“I’d tell you to come in,” came Isaac’s amused drawl from inside, “but you’ll come in regardless of what I say, if my memory serves me right.”
