Page 72 of Tamed By a Passionate Lady
He was gone. At long last. And hopefully, she would never see him again in her life.
There was a soft knock on her door, and suddenly, Isabel was there. The young woman looked small and fragile, clutching a shawl around her shoulders, her face streaked with tears.
“Has he left?” she had asked, in a quiet voice.
Adaline had nodded. “Yes, my dear.” She bit her lip. “Please come in, and we can talk if you like.”
Isabel looked grateful. They had sat down together in the window seat, side by side. They didn’t speak, for a long time. Adaline waited patiently. She knew that Isabel was still in shock, still dealing with the aftermath of the revelations about what Reuben had done to her, and the fact that her beloved brother was leaving Birkenhead Lodge for good, never to return.
Eventually, the younger woman had sighed deeply. “I feel a little guilty for not seeing him off,” she said quietly. “I thought about going down quite a few times, but I could not bring myself to do it…”
Adaline nodded. “It is so hard for you, Isabel. Do not feel guilty.” She paused. “Reuben did this to himself. You are not a bad person for feeling betrayed as well by his actions. He was not the man you thought he was, and you have every right to feel angry and disappointed in him.”
Isabel nodded. “I tried to talk to him, before he left.” She bit her lip. “I tried to get him to admit that what he did to you was wrong, but he refused to talk to me about it. He told me that none of it concerned me, and to mind my own business. That I was just a child.” She fought back tears. “I am mortified, not only that he did it, but that he refuses to take responsibility for it. He is not the man I thought he was…”
Adaline reached out, taking her hand. Isabel was trembling. It was amazing to her how different two people could be, who had grown up together, in the same home. Isabel was so kind, gentle and thoughtful. Adaline could not imagine her hurting a fly. And the brother was the polar opposite. How was it possible?
“Please, do not distress yourself, my dear,” she said, her heart aching for the young woman. “The situation is dealt with, at long last. You are not responsible for his actions, and we must look to the future now.”
“You are so strong, Adaline,” said Isabel, in a trembling voice. She coughed into her handkerchief for a moment, before continuing. “To endure all that you have and still be so loving and positive…well, you are an inspiration to me.”
“Thank you,” said Adaline. She was deeply moved by Isabel’s words.
It was strange, but in so many ways, many good things had come of what had happened here, as well as bad. She had met Isabel because of Reuben Montgomery. And once again, she thought that the young woman had become like the little sister she had never had. A connection that she instinctively knew would endure for life.
Isabel was silent, for a moment, gazing down at her hands. Then she suddenly looked up, fixing Adaline with a penetrating stare.
“Did Reuben do something else?” she whispered. “I have this awful feeling, like an ache in my stomach, that he might have had something to do with what happened to James at the cliff that day.”
Adaline’s heart began to thud uncomfortably. She had agreed with James that the best thing was not to tell Isabel, or any of the Montgomery family, about it. But to her shock, Isabel already suspected something. Whether she had always had a gut feeling, or if it had come to her in the light of the revelation about what Reuben had done to her, she did not know. But she had to deal with it now.
It was one thing to deliberately withhold the information to protect the young woman. But Isabel had asked outright, and she would be lying to her if she denied it. What would James do?
Isabel sighed. “You do not need to say anything, Adaline. Your silence tells me all that I need to know.” She took a deep breath, a hard glint coming into her pale blue eyes. “I know that you and James are only trying to protect me. But I feel that I have grown up so much since I have been here. I am not a little girl anymore. And if you can face the truth, then so can I.”
Adaline’s eyes filled with tears. She was so proud of Isabel, in that moment. So very proud of the mature young woman that she was becoming.
“I will no longer see my brother,” said Isabel quietly. “I will not inform my parents about what he has done here, but it will be as if he is dead to me.” She took another deep breath. “James is my brother, now, and you are my dear sister. You are both the only siblings that I need.”
Adaline thought about it, as she gazed out at the sea. The sun had dipped below the horizon. Soon, it would be dark. She should go back inside. It would be a strange dinner; just the three of them, after all that had happened. But they all had to look to the future now, and put the painful past behind them.
She turned, ready to leave, when she saw James. He was in his wheelchair, coming towards her. Her heart flipped over in her chest.
How she loved him.
She waited for him to reach her. He gazed up at her, his blue-green eyes shining with love and admiration.
“I thought you would be here,” he said quietly. “There is something I must do, before the sun sets completely on this day.” He took a deep breath. “If you would accompany me to the beach, we can do it together.”
***
Adaline watched, with curious eyes, as Groves carried James down the path towards the ocean. A footman carried his wheelchair, setting it up on the edge of the sand. Once James was settled in again, they withdrew.
He had refused to say another word about why he wanted to do this. It was a strange request, at the end of the day. They really should be settling him in the house for the night. But he had been adamant. She knew that whatever it was, it was important to him.
She gazed back at the house. Groves and the other man were hovering at the beginning of the path, waiting to take James back when it was required. But they were far enough away that James and Adaline could talk privately.
She waited, covertly watching her husband. He was silent, an inscrutable expression on his face, gazing out at the sea and the sky as the waves lapped gently against the wheels of the chair.
