Page 62 of Married to the Icy Duke
“Well?” he snapped. “Answer me, can’t you!”
She breathed in deeply, visibly steeling herself.
“He is Sybella’s nephew, too,” she said at last, her voice clipped and angry. “I wasn’t aware that we required permission from you to stir outdoors.”
“Youdon’t require permission, and nor does Sybella, but Tommy is my responsibility. Not Sybella’s. Mine.”
“He’ll be mine too, in one day’s time,” Charlotte shot back, her voice cold.
That gave Isaac something of a start. Of course, the wedding. It was scheduled for tomorrow, and then there’d be a hellish wedding breakfast to suffer through. Then, as a Duke with his new Duchess, Society would expect him to host parties and other nonsensical things.
Ridiculous. I throw the infamous Devil’s Party every year, and I made sure it was the event of the Season for the express purpose of avoiding more socializing. That’ll all change, now.
“All the more reason to keep him indoors,” Isaac responded tightly. “If you haven’t noticed, we are the object of a great deal of interest at the moment.”
Charlotte did not look around her at the gawpers. There were clusters of ladies and gentlemen, most of them pretending to walk, but they were all staring their way. Whenever Isaac met their gazes, they turned away at once, faces burning. Still, the moment he dropped his gaze, they’d be staring again.
Wretched creatures, he thought sullenly.Can’t they all wait to read about our wedding in the gossip columns?
“Well,” Charlotte ventured at last, “we thought that Tommy might want a little fresh air. A little excursion before the guests begin to arrive.”
Isaac blinked. “Guests? What guests?”
She stared up at him, a frown appearing between her brows. “You truly don’t remember?”
“Refresh my memory, won’t you?”
“Ourguests. For ourwedding. Some guests are staying with us tonight to be ready for the wedding tomorrow. Madeline, my dearest friend, is coming. Gabriel and Thalia are not, but then they live so close. I believe that your friend Tristan will be here, and …”
“I knew none of this.”
She threw out her arms in frustration. “Well, the servants know it. The rooms are prepared, and meals have been planned. Our guests arecoming, Isaac. Perhaps if you’d seen fit to join us at breakfast, you’d have heard about this.”
He stared down at her, frowning. Was she actually upset? Was sheangrythat he had not come to breakfast? That wasn’t possible. She had been so cool and collected at dinner last night. She had barely looked at him. He had sat there, tortured with desire, longing to speak to her, to gather her into his arms, to do … Well, he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do with her,not exactly, but he was fully aware that his desires were not respectable. And she had been socomposed.
“You’re angry,” Isaac said at last. “And I know why.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? Do tell.”
“You’re angry because I broke your rule the other night. Yourno-touchingrule.”
Color rushed into her face. Was she remembering it? Was she thinking of his fingers on her skin? She could have no understanding, of course, of how desperately he’d cravedhertouch. He would never request such a thing, naturally, not from a woman as respectable and inexperienced as Charlotte. It was out of the question.
It did not stop him from thinking of it, though, of running the possibilities over and over in his mind.
That sort of thing could drive a man mad.
Thankfully for Isaac’s sanity, Sybella appeared. Leaving Tommy with Mary, she came striding over the grass and offered a faint smile.
“What’s the matter? You two are glowering at each other as if you are about to fistfight,” Sybella said, in a cheerful tone that didn’t match her words. “May I remind you that we are being watched?”
“I’m just a little taken aback that neither of you thought it appropriate to informmethat you were taking Tommy out of the house,” Isaac responded, his voice clipped.
Sybella snorted. “You cannot be serious.”
“I am quite serious.”
Charlotte shot Sybella a pointed look. “Heis.”
