Page 33 of Married to the Icy Duke
Then a voice came tearing through her private world.
“Are you two still out there?”
Charlotte tore herself away from him, panting for breath. Her lips felt oddly raw, almostswollen, but not in a painful, unpleasant way. She ran her fingers over her lips, glancing nervously around. That was Sybella’s voice. Could she tell what had been going on?
Charlotte pointedly did not look at Isaac.
“Yes, we’re out here,” she called, her voice cracking just a little.
If Sybella noticed the strangeness when she stepped onto the terrace, she did not let on.
“Tommy is sound asleep,” she said smoothly. “I ran into Thalia in the halls, and she asked me to speak to you, Charlotte. She wants to plan a shopping trip for tomorrow, if that’s acceptable?”
Were they really discussing such mundane things asshoppingwhen Charlotte’s world had just been turned on its head? Apparently so.
“Yes, that would be fine,” Charlotte managed.
Sybella nodded, smiling. “I’m glad. If you’re going to be married in a week, you’ll need to get started on finding a suitable dress as quickly as possible!”
“Six days,” Isaac stated flatly. Both women glanced at him. Charlotte’s heart sped up simply at the sight of him. She cursed her traitorous body. Shewouldbring it under control.
“I beg your pardon, brother?” Sybella managed at last.
He stepped past Charlotte, striding inside without a backward glance.
“The wedding takes place in six days, not seven,” he said shortly. “Today is over.”
CHAPTER 10
It was the best-kept secret in London that Madame Blanc was no more French than she was Queen of England. However, French modistes were all the rage, and Madame Blanc had, at the very least, actuallybeento Paris.
She was a popular modiste for a very good reason and had the courtesy to speak French fluently and never let her carefully constructed accent slip. Charlotte had never attended Madame Blanc’s shop; however, due to Gabriel’s constant complaints that the woman was a fraud.
It seemed that Isaac and his sister had no such compulsions. Nor did Thalia.
“Your Grace!” she gasped, hurrying across the plush carpet with outstretched arms, heading straight for Thalia. “What a delight to see you again! And your dear—’ow you say—sister-in-law, Lady Charlotte!”
“It’s good to see you too, Madame,” Thalia said, smiling. “We are a little early for our appointment, and we … ah, we brought a few extra guests.”
She gestured to where Isaac and Sybella stood behind her, the former stone-faced and looking extremely unhappy. Tommy was here too, safe in the arms of his nurse.
To her credit, Madame did not falter.
“Of course, it is no trouble, none at all! What a sweet little boy.”
“Master Thomas Cecil,” Isaac said brusquely.
“We shall bring him sweetmeats and perhaps some milk,” Madame suggested, waving an elegant hand towards one of her black-gowned assistants. “For now, we shall all sit here and discuss what you would like, Your Grace.”
This was aimed towards Thalia.
They were in the ‘receiving room’ of the modiste, a plush, velvet-lined room with thick carpets that muffled all sounds. The walls were heavy with thick wallpaper, and gilt-framed pictures of gowns and fashion plates were set tastefully here and there. A few mannequins stood in the corners of the room, draped in the latest fabrics, arranged in the latest styles. Perfume hung in the air, rich and heady.
“We are here for a wedding dress,” Thalia said bluntly.
Madame’s eyes widened a fraction. Her gaze flashed briefly between Isaac and Charlotte, and Charlotte knew that she must have read the announcement of their engagement in theGazette.
It is official now,she thought, heart thumping.This is why Thalia waited to start making preparations until after the announcement was made. She wanted to be sure he wouldn’t back out at the last moment.
