Page 39 of Rescuing a Tantalising Heiress
“As you wish, my lady,” she replied.
Isabella got dressed hurriedly, excited at the prospect of seeing Edward again. She wondered how he felt about the moment they had shared last evening and what it would mean for them both.
Does a kiss mean a courtship?she wondered, for she really did not know.
Isabella had no reference to go by when it came to such things. She had no elder sister or cousin whom she had observed, and without her mother, there was no matriarchal figure to impart such wisdom. Isabella had only her instincts, and she was hopeful those instincts were proved right.
He’s bound to mention the kiss, isn’t he? He’ll ask me how I am, how I slept, how I feel…she told herself.
But despite her considerable learning, Isabella felt at a loss. She simply did not know how to respond to what had happened, and she was hopeful the viscount would guide the way.
That’s what men do, isn’t it? They lead at dancing, and they lead at romance,she thought to herself as she made her way down to breakfast.
A pleasant smell was wafting through the hallway, and Isabella was about to enter the breakfast room, when she heard a muttering from the door leading down to the kitchens.
“Who does she think she is? Blaming me for food going missing from the kitchen. I didn’t steal anything, and certainly not for Joe—he doesn’t need feeding. His mother gives him more than his share. Why am I always to blame?” Hetty was saying, and now she appeared carrying a tray of breakfast things, surprised to find Isabella standing in the hallway.
“Is something wrong, Hetty?” Isabella asked, fearing she had got the maid into trouble.
“Oh, it’s just Mrs Jacobs, my lady. She’s complaining because someone’s stolen food from the kitchen. The pantry’s been raided in the night. It’ll be the cats—she encourages them, putting down saucers of milk. But they’re feral, my lady. She leaves the kitchen window open, and they come in during the night. But she thinks it’s me—she says I’m giving food to Joe, but it’s not true,” Hetty said.
Isabella felt terribly guilty, and she was resolved to speak to the viscount about the matter, given he, too, had played a part in the apparent theft.
“Oh, don’t worry about that, Hetty. I’ll speak to Edward…the viscount, his lordship. It’ll be all right,” she said, and Hetty smiled.
“Thank you, my lady, but he’s not here. He’s gone out to ride. He told me he wouldn’t be back until late this evening, after dinner,” Hetty said.
Isabella’s heart sank. Edward had promised her they would walk together in the gardens that morning and would spend the rest of the day together in his study. She was surprised by these words, but as she entered the dining room, she found only Augusta helping herself from the tureens on the sideboard. The viscount’s sister looked up at her and smiled.
“We missed you at dinner last night,” she said as Augusta sat down at the table, and the butler poured her a cup of coffee.
“I…oh, yes, well…I was feeling tired,” Isabella lied.
She felt hurt and confused. Edward had promised to be there, and yet he had gone out to ride, leaving no explanation as to why.
“Edward was talking endlessly about the hospital. I’m a patron, but it gets to be too much at times. I feel quite overwhelmed by it all. Has he told you much about the hospital? You’d be a real asset to our committee, Isabella. I could do with someone of your calibre.
That’s not to say the other women don’t work hard, but…I need someone who really understands the matters we deal with. I think some of these women believe money grows on trees. I suppose it does, for some of them,” Augusta said as she came to sit down opposite Isabella at the table.
Isabella thought back to the conversation of the night before. The viscount had been so keen for her to help, and Isabella had thought doing so the perfect opportunity to repay his kindness. But his absence at breakfast, after the promises of the previous day, made her only anxious as to what had transpired in between.
“I…yes, hedidmention the hospital. I think it’s admirable. But…did your brother say why he was going out today? He promised to walk with me in the gardens,” Isabella said.
She felt hurt and confused, unsure why Edward should behave in such a way after promising so much. Augusta looked up from her plate of eggs and bacon.
“He left before I was awake. You’re lucky to have my company—usually, I’m still fast asleep at this time. But I want to write some letters, and there never seems to be enough time in the day. I’m sure the two of us can walk in the gardens. Let’s not allow Edward all the fun of a bright and sunny day,” Augusta replied, returning to her breakfast with vigour.
But Isabella had lost her appetite, and she pushed her plate aside, gazing out of the window, surprised to find herself fighting back the tears. She had awoken with such excitement at the prospect of seeing Edward again, and now it seemed he had made his own decision as to whatever future Isabella had naively imagined for them both.
Chapter 16
“Augusta…what was it like…when you were courted? Was your husband very attentive?” Isabella asked as she and the viscount’s sister walked on the lawn later that morning.
Augusta gave a wry smile.
“Grenville? No, he wasn’t attentive. Not at all. He was far older than me, and we had nothing in common. I rue the day we married, but there’s nothing I can do to change the past. No, my courtship was merely an arrangement to his satisfaction—and my father’s. I try not to think about it,” she said.
Isabella apologized. She had not meant to upset her new friend, but she was curious as to how a man was expected to act in such circumstances. Romance was not something to be learned from a textbook or discovered in a library. She thought back to the many poems she had read. They were often about love but tended to concern lost love or love in its full throes.
