Page 54 of Lady Controversial
‘Perhaps he would like us to be.’ Isolda ignored her nagging headache and summoned up a smile for her sister. ‘His brother certainly seems to enjoy your society.’
Jane beamed, just as Isolda knew that she would. Any mention of her success with gentlemen held the ability to distract her. ‘That may be so, but I would prefer it if Lord Finchdean smiled at me, although I confess that he frightens me a little. He seems so distant when he speaks to me and I don’t know what to say to him.’
‘You didn’t have that difficulty with Felix.’
‘Oh no! He is affable and charming, and went out of his way to put me at my ease. We spoke of music and I promised to play for him.’ She glanced at the piano at the other side of the room. ‘I shall be able to keep that promise while we live here.’
‘I am glad about that. I enjoy hearing you play.’
‘Even so, I don’t understand why I can’t write to our aunt and tell her where we are. If she tries to call and finds we are not there she will worry. I need to send instructions to the modiste as well. And Lord Brooke will—’
‘Under no circumstances is he to know where we are,’ Isolda said, so sharply that Jane’s head jerked up. ‘It is vital that he does not find us, and you must give me your word that you will not attempt to contact him or indeed anyone else.’
‘Very well.’ But Jane looked unsure of herself. ‘If it is so vital.’
‘Lord Finchdean doesn’t want anyone to know that we are his guests for a day or so, and he has not given us leave to invite visitors onto his estate,’ Isolda said, looking for a way to temper her outburst. ‘You can be sure that everyone we know would be drawn to us here out of curiosity if they discover our whereabouts, and will want to know why we were invited. Their presence will inconvenience the earl. Besides, I don’t see why we should be put upon by our old acquaintances when they have gone out of their way to avoid us ever since Papa’s fall from grace.’
Jane bit her lip, looking sulky. ‘I am sure you know best,’ she said. ‘You usually do.’
‘Make the most of the warmth and luxury in this cottage and stop worrying about why we are here. I thought you would be delighted with the upturn in our circumstances and the opportunity it will provide you with to claim an acquaintance with Lord Finchdean’s family. It is what you have wanted all along. Why all the questions?’
‘Oh, no reason. It is an oddity, that’s all.’
Jane drifted towards the pianoforte and soothing melodic music soon filled the room. Isolda closed her eyes and allowed the sonata to seep into her soul, taking advantage of Jane’s preoccupation as she tried to reason developments through.
Given that Lord Brooke had been at the fight, it was reasonable to suppose that he had either recognised her or extracted her identity from Barker. The latter understood Isolda’s value to him but was also aware that her anonymity could not last indefinitely. It was more by luck than judgement that she had not been unmasked the previous evening. He also knew that once Jane had been presented, Isolda intended to hang up her sword and live a life of respectability and dull servitude.
She was surprised despite the risks she was currently taking—or perhaps because of them—what little appeal that new life actually held for her. Her craving for excitement, of which young lads appeared to have a great deal more than girls, was what had drawn Isolda to fencing in the first place and she would miss the comforting weight of the epee in her hand.
She shook her head and returned her thoughts to Barker, whose own interests were always at the front and centre of his mind. He would be aware that Ellery had spirited her away, and if he had sold that information to Brooke she wondered if that would cause him to abandon his plans or escalate their execution. Being aware of Brooke’s determination and the amount of time that he had been harbouring the plans in question, she suspected the latter was more likely.
A number of possibilities occurred to her, all of which she needed to discuss with Ellery. She glanced at the clock as the hands moved towards midday. Where was he? She tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair. He said most specifically that he would call again today. He knew they had urgent matters to discuss and that she would be anxious to resolve her own situation and return to the comparative safety and familiarity of Rose Cottage.
Perhaps he had decided to protect her sensibilities and her supposedly fragile female feelings by cutting her out of things. Gentlemen could be annoyingly dogmatic in that regard. Anyway, he had seen for himself just how capable she was of defending herself. She did not need protecting. This was her fight every bit as much as it was his and she would not be sidelined.
‘You ought to be thinking about what to wear if you’re to dine with the earl tonight,’ Mrs Compton said, appearing in the doorway to the sitting room.
Isolda smiled, automatically assuming that she was addressing Jane. But Jane played on, oblivious to a subject that would ordinarily garner her complete attention.
‘Jane’s already made her choice,’ Mrs Compton said, rolling her eyes. ‘It was you I was talking to.’
‘Me?’ Isolda pointed a finger at her own chest for emphasis and gave an indifferent shrug. ‘Does it matter?’
‘It does if you don’t want the duchess looking down on you.’
‘From what I have heard, she’s likely to do that anyway.’ Isolda sighed, aware that Mrs Compton was in the right of it. Ellery had insisted upon their dining and she suspected that his mother would be highly affronted by the prospect of two such undesirable females polluting her drawing room. Therefore, she owed it to him to keep up appearances.
‘What gowns did you pack for me?’ she asked. She had taken no interest in her wardrobe, or lack thereof, having weightier matters on her mind when they had quit Crawley Place soon after Papa’s demise. The few evening gowns that she did possess had not been unpacked at Rose Cottage and Isolda had forgotten all about them.
‘The white muslin suits you well. You never did get to wear it.’
Isolda shrugged for a second time. ‘Very well. I am sure you have already unpacked it and brushed out the creases.’ She smiled. ‘Thank you, Mrs C. Left to my own devices I would likely have attended in my old wool gown. At least I would have stayed warm.’
Brutus, stretched full length in front of the fire, woke to the sound of their voices, wagged his tail and jumped onto Isolda’s lap. She stroked his back, inordinately pleased that he had decided to remain in the cottage with them rather than returning to his more salubrious quarters in the big house with Ellery.
‘I’ve made some soup. It will be ready in a few minutes,’ Mrs Compton said, disappearing again, having achieved her objective by reminding Isolda of her social obligations.
The girls took luncheon at the table situated beneath the sitting room window that gave them a clear view of the empty meadow beyond and trees in the distance, their bare branches bent back on themselves by a vicious wind. Jane was in high spirits due to the improvement in their circumstances, and was good company as a consequence. Isolda decided to make the most of the moment, aware that there would be sulking and tantrums when they were obliged to return to Rose Cottage. She listened with half an ear as Jane prattled on, mentioning both the earl and his brother at frequent intervals.
