Page 1 of The Duke's Scandal
Prologue
Isobella blinked back hot tears. “What do you mean by this?”
“It is what I have said.” Lord Hogarth shrugged his shoulders. “I do not care for you any longer.”
“But how can that be?” Isobella cried, her mother’s hand settling on hers, though she quickly cast it aside and rose to her feet. “You and I are engaged! The banns have already been called!”
Lord Hogarth sniffed. “They have only been called twice. There is no need for them to be called a third time, not now that the engagement has come to an end.”
Come to an end?
Isobella tried to breathe steadily, her chest furiously tight. How could this be? Their engagement had not been all that recent, but the courtship had been long enough – nearly three months. How could he not be certain? He had told her so many things, had promised her his heart, and yet now, here he was, telling her that it was at an end. And for what cause?
“Why would you end this engagement, Hogarth?” shesaid, her voice hoarse. “If you have any care or consideration for me at all, then – ”
“That is the concern,” he interrupted. “I do not think I care for you any longer, as I have just said.”
“But –but how can your heart change so quickly?” she exclaimed, “especially after you have shared so many things with me? You have told me how much I have come to mean to you, how glad you are that we met!”
Lord Hogarth looked away, a touch of pink in his cheeks. “I may have said all of those things at one time, but I confess that I did not truly mean them. My heart is not as I believed it to be.”
Isobella, who had been standing tall to face Lord Hogarth, slowly sank back down into her chair, her mother still sitting there silently.
“I am sorry that I have caused you pain,” he continued, speaking without any intonation whatsoever. “I shall take my leave of you now.”
“She will be shamed!” Finally, Isobella’s mother, the Countess of Granville, spoke. “Thetonwill speak of you both, but Isobella will garner just as much reproach as you! You may well tell them all thatyouare the one responsible for the ending of the engagement, buttheywill think poorly of her for it all the same! They will say that you were bored with her, that she was not interesting enough. Can you not see that?”
This did nothing to move Lord Hogarth. He stood precisely where he was, his hands clasped behind his back, his shoulders lifted, and his head held high as if, somehow, he was not in the least bit responsible for any of this. He said nothing whatsoever, did not even think to apologize, leaving Isobella to stare up at him, wondering if she had ever known him at all.
“How can you be so callous?” Lady Granville exclaimed, her voice echoing around the room now. “You have promised my daughter so much, and now you will not only take it all away but you will also damage her reputation with it!”
The tears that Isobella had held back for so long began to break through, dampening her lashes and beginning to fall to her cheeks. Her mother was right. She would not only have the loss of her engagement and her future, but she would also have her reputation damaged dreadfully. What would she do then?
“I am afraid there is nothing else for it but this,” Lord Hogarth said, brusquely. “I must take my leave of you now. Good afternoon.”
Isobella wanted to cry out, wanted to reach for him, to bring him back to her, but her body was too heavy, too weighted with grief. She closed her eyes and began to sob, her mother’s comforting hand on her back.
The door slammed open.
“How dare you?”
With astonishment, Isobella lifted her head, seeing her brother storming into the room, his eyes wide with fury. Lord Hogarth began to back away, stammering furiously as Isobella clutched at her mother’s hand.
“Howdareyou?” With fury burning in his eyes, Isobella’s brother shoved Lord Hogarth back, preventing him from leaving the room. “How could you do such a thing?”
Isobella found herself on her feet. “What are you talking about, Granville?” Her brother had taken on the title some four years ago when their father had died unexpectedly, but since then, had been the most excellent brother. If he was behaving so towards Lord Hogarth, then Isobella knew it was for good reason.
“I have just heard what you have done to my sister!” Lord Granville exclaimed, gesticulating furiously as the Countess too rose to her feet. “The disgrace you have heaped upon yourself! Theshameyou have brought upon you both! Thetonwill say that my sister was not enough for you, that she did not hold your interest, and now – ”
“Lord Hogarth was just about to take his leave, brother,” Isobella said, softly, the heaviness in her body returning. “He has already informed me that he is ending the engagement because he no longer cares for me.” She managed to keep her tears back with an effort. “He was just departing from this house, which I think might be beneficial for us all.”
Her brother slid her a glance, but then looked back to Lord Hogarth. “Ah, but you did not tell my sister the truth about why you have chosen to end this engagement, I am sure. You have merely told her that your engagement is at an end because you do not feel the same way about her any longer… but that is not the real reason, is it? Now that I know the truth about you, however, I do not think that you have ever truly cared for my sister, have you? You have pretended, you have lied, you have feigned your interest, have you not? None of what you have told my sister, told my family, has been true, has it?”
“What do you mean?” Isobella blinked rapidly, seeing Lord Hogarth begin to back away from her brother, his hands held up defensively. “What is this about, Granville?”
Her brother’s jaw tightened. “This is about Lord Hogarth pretending to be a gentleman when he is not. I am sorry for the pain you will and shall endure because of him, Isobella, but trust me, it is good that you will not marry him.”
The tears in her eyes had faded away, her heart beatingfuriously as she fought to understand all that was being said – and revealed – to her. One moment, she was filled with pain over Lord Hogarth’s decision, and the next, confused by her brother’s promise that it was a good thing for this all to end.
