“My dear Is…Miss Gordon, I was about to get to just that. Mister York, do you care to answer the young lady’s question?”
He pressed his lips together and shook his head for a moment before slumping his shoulder forward in a display of utter dejection.
“I have no choice but to tell the truth, I suppose.” He sighed and looked around the room, past Eric, who sat stoically in the corner. The sudden influx of news had overwhelmed him, Isolde could tell.
York looked past her father, who sat quietly, twirling his moustache. Then, York’s eyes settled on Henrietta whose facial color had gone from pale to green. She looked as though she were about to pass out.
“Etta?”
Her cousin tilted her head to one side and shook her head, lips trembling.
“I’m sorry.”
Sorry? Why is she sorry? I do not understand what is…No! It can’t be true. Not Etta, not my confidant and cousin. No!
Isolde’s suspicion appeared to be correct, for Mister York’s eyes fixed themselves on Henrietta’s.
“It was Miss Henrietta who told us the Duke had made a wager, claiming he could make Miss Gordon fall in love with him. So, we believed it. Why would we doubt it? Miss Henrietta is a part of His Grace’s inner circle and all but a sister to Miss Gordon. She made it sound as though she was quite scandalized by the whole matter, thus we had no doubt but to believe it.”
Isolde’s head whipped around and one look at Henrietta told her it was the truth.
“Why Etta? Why would you do such a thing?”
To her surprise, her cousin had tears in her eyes but she did not answer.
“You almost ruined my life! You know better than anyone how hard it is for me to believe anyone could feel anything for me, or truly desire me. For the first time in my life I had that, with him.” Isolde turned to Jonathan who looked at her, his eyes soft. A slight, relieved smile formed around his lips.
“I am sorry, Izzy. I am. I felt so upset when the Marquess ran off to Gretna Green, and when the Duke arrived in town all I could think was that it was my chance. That maybe I could find a Duke! A Duke! That would show the Marquess! But then I saw the two of you dancing, and it was so obvious that he was falling for you right then. I know it was wrong, but all I could think of was how to make him forget about you and fall for me instead.”
“You are beautiful Henrietta. Smart, funny…you would have found someone. You couldn’t let me be happy for once? You had to destroy it? You saw how desolate I was these past few days. You could have spoken up then! I agreed to wed Mister Downey because I thought the Duke had betrayed me!”
Isolde’s voice had risen to a shout and was steadily growing into a screech when her father stepped in. He placed his hand on Isolde’s back, calming her.
“Isolde, please, do not talk yourself into a rage. Henrietta, I can’t believe you would stoop so low as to…” Isolde’s father shook his head and waved at his niece in a dismissive matter as he turned away from her. “I will deal with you later.” He turned to Jonathan.
“Your Grace. I must apologize for the trouble my niece’s actions have caused you. While you know that I was not pleased with your secret infatuation of my daughter, it was wrong of Henrietta to attempt to interfere as she did. I assure you that I will take the issue up with her Father.”
Jonathan nodded curtly. “I appreciate the apology on behalf of Henrietta. I was wondering if, now that the misunderstanding has been resolved I may speak to Mister Gordon and Miss Gordon, in order to resolve any difference.”
Isolde watched her father’s mouth twitch as he thought about the request. In the end, he nodded in agreement.
“After all you have been put through on account of my family, that is the least I can do. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have to attend to my niece.”
He bowed to Jonathan and turned, giving Eric and Isolde a nod in the process. Then, he led Henrietta out of the room, one hand gripping the back of her neck, as though she were a rowdy teenager.
Isolde stood still, feeling utterly overwhelmed. While her faith in Jonathan was restored, she had just lost her very best friend, outside of Olivia. How could she ever forgive Henrietta?
She watched as Jonathan approached Eric and the two conversed quietly. She could read their body languages well enough to know that they were setting aside their differences and making up. She smiled to herself, but decided to leave them be for now. There was something she had to discuss with her father. She motioned to let Jonathan know where she was going and he nodded, the serious expression on his face replaced by a smile.
* * *
“Father!” Isolde called out. She caught her father on the steps as he was walking Henrietta back to her room.
“What is it, my dear?”
“May I have a moment of your time, Father? Please?”
Her father looked at her, and then Henrietta. He sighed. “Henrietta, go to your chambers and pack your belongings. You will return to my brother’s home in the morning.”
“Uncle may I speak to my Cousin, I…” she sniffled as tears were streaming down her face.
“I have nothing to say to you. You have hurt me worse than York and Portsmouth, or their Sisters ever could.”
“But I…”
“Enough!” Her father’s voice rose. “To your chambers at once, Henrietta.”
Her cousin left, her body shaking with violent sobs as she went.
Her father turned and walked down the staircase until he was side by side with Isolde. To her surprise, he did something he never did, he sat down on the steps and patted the space beside him.
“Sit, Isolde. Do you remember when you were a child, you and I would have little conversations on these steps? Hash out any differences we may have encountered?”
Isolde nodded. She did indeed remember. “We sat here when you told me that Mother had passed away. I don’t remember much from when I was young, but that I do remember.”
She sat beside her father, who exhaled.
“I always wished your Mother had lived; our life would have been so different. Perhaps you would have been more confident. Maybe she could have helped you see what those who love you see when they look upon you.” He shook his head, a sad smile rushed over his face. “Now, you wish to speak with me? I assume it is about the Duke?”
Isolde nodded. It was odd, she had made herself hate Jonathan mere hours ago. But now, now that she knew his betrayal had been a lie, and that he’d stopped at nothing to prove himself to her, all her feelings rushed back. All the love she had pushed away returned in one large wave.
“I wish I had known that the Duke had romantic notions about you, Isolde. I would have much rather arranged a courtship between you and him than you and Mister Downey. I did not know, and Downey seemed a good match. All things considered.”
“I know your intentions are always honorable. And I am sorry I did not confide in you about Jon–about the Duke. By the time I was certain of what was between us, you had already arranged the match with Mister Downey and the business….I know it would suffer should I…”
Her father patted her knee. “I received a letter from the Duke’s Mother. I received it the night of the dinner with Mister Downey. Did you know the Duke wrote to his Mother regarding his feelings for you?”
Isolde shook her head.
“Well, he did. Confessing to her that he wished to wed you, but knew asking me to break the betrothal with Downey might cause me financial hardship.”
Isolde placed her hands between her knees and looked at the floor. So, this was what Jonathan’s plan had been, to involve his mother. No doubt due to her friendship with Isolde’s mother. If only he had told her, perhaps she would not have been so hasty in believing the lies.
“The Dowager Duchess asked me to reconsider the betrothal to Downey in favor of her son. She also took the time to remind me of an incident in the past of which neither you nor your Brother are aware of.”
Isolde was intrigued. She frowned and
tilted her head as she addressed her father.
“What incident?”
“Well, it was more of an entanglement. One that was not dissimilar to yours. You see, when I was a young man, my father arranged a match with a lovely young woman from a respectable, wealthy home. She would have made a good wife. I had already given my heart to another young woman, one of lower standing. She was, by coincidence a good friend of the woman my father had selected for me.” He cleared his throat.
“Well, my betrothed, lovely as she was, would never have been more than a convenient match. I knew it, so did she. We were young and could not go against our parents’ wishes and thus, a wedding date was set. All the while I pined for my true love and suffered in silence, knowing I could never wed her.”
“Was it Mother? The woman you truly loved?’’ Isolde knew the answer before she asked the question. Her father’s face told her she was right. Utter bliss was all over his face as he thought of her mother.
“It was, Isolde. It was. And I never would have wed her, never had you or your Brother, if not for a wonderful gift. My betrothed knew of my love for your Mother, of course. To ensure we found happiness, she took it upon herself to break the betrothal.”
Isolde’s eyes grew large. “She broke the betrothal herself?” This was unheard of. A broken betrothal was bad enough, but for a woman to break it? Unheard of!
“Indeed, she did. You see, before me, my betrothed was courted by a young Duke who was ready to offer marriage, but she felt they were utterly mismatched. While she and I would not have been a love match, we would have at least been good companions. With the Duke, she felt she would be miserable due to their opposing natures. She knew it and thus ended that courtship before an offer of marriage was made. Seeing how I loved your Mother, and loving your Mother as my betrothed did, she decided to wed the Duke after all, for he was still enamored of her.”
“It was my Mother, was it not?” Jonathan said. Isolde had not seen him enter, nor her Brother, as she was so captivated by her father’s tale. Yet both of the young men were now standing in the parlor, watching Lord Lincester.
Her father acknowledged Jonathan’s statement with a nod. “Indeed, Your Grace. It was your Mother. She knew she would not be happy with your Father, but she wanted her best friend to be happy and so she did what she did.”
He paused, his eyes glazed with nostalgia.
“Your Mother has always been a formidable force. She was then, and she is now. Her letter reminded me of how fortunate I was that she stepped aside and gave us the gift of happiness. I know now of the bond you share with my daughter. And if it has not been damaged by the events of the past few weeks, I shall step aside and give you what the Dowager Duchess once gave me. A chance at happiness.” He placed one arm on Isolde’s shoulder and gave her a gentle kiss on her temple.
“I shall leave you to discuss matters among yourselves.”
“But what of Mister Downey?” Isolde asked, flabbergasted by her father’s words.
Lord Lincester shook his head. “Do not let the thoughts of Mister Downey vex you or influence your decisions, Isolde. Whatever you wish to do shall be done. Now, Eric. Your Cousin will be departing our company shortly. We shall need to accompany her to her home, for her father must be informed of her actions.”
He bowed to Jonathan and walked up the stairs, followed by Eric who patted Isolde on her head as he walked past her.
Once alone, Jonathan pointed at the space beside Isolde.
“May I?”
“Of course.” They sat quietly and looked at one another, until Isolde broke the silence.
“I am sorry I doubted you. It is just that my whole life I thought of myself as not worthy of being loved, too plain and timid for anyone to take notice. Certainly, not someone like you. And the entire time we spent together I had a little voice in my head telling me it was not real. Telling me I was wrong to believe you loved me.”
He placed his hand on hers and squeezed it tight. “And you only needed for someone to give you reason to doubt further. To believe your fears were true. I understand. I only wished you had given me the chance to tell you the truth. It might have saved us both the heartache.”
Isolde wanted to retreat into her shell once more, for the thought that she’d allowed her own insecurities to almost destroy the most special thing that had happened in her adult life made her feel ashamed. Ever the perceptive man, Jonathan placed his hand gently on her chin and turned her head so they were face to face.
“Do not feel bad. I understand the desire to protect yourself from harm. I have felt it many times, especially on my travels. It is not easy. I am only glad that we have resolved the issue and we can, once more, look at one another with care and tenderness.”
Isolde blinked. “I pray you may forgive me for accusing you falsely of such a heinous action. I should have listened to my heart and known it was not the truth, that you would not do such a thing to me. These past few days have been the worst of my life. I wanted to do nothing but sleep to escape it all.”
He squeezed her hand tighter. “The same is true for me. I am so over the moon to know that we have moved past it all. The thought of losing you…I do not even want to think of it.”
She smiled at him and gently stroked his cheek, a tenderness she had not dared show before. They smiled at one another when suddenly, Isolde felt herself grow sad.
“I cannot believe my own Cousin was behind it all. I thought she acted strange when York and Portsmouth approached us at the park, but I put it down to her not liking them on account of the things their sisters have done to me. I never thought it was because she is the one who fed them the rumor about the wager. How could she?” She shook her head. Jonathan sighed and moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her.
“I do not know. I am aware how difficult it is for ladies of the ton to wed well, and the competition is fierce. And I know you have told me she was rather upset about not being able to find a match. In any case, the truth will come out in time and her reasons why, and we shall take it all from there. However, one thing must be said. Were it not for your Cousin’s actions, we would not be where we are today. Sitting here, together, more sure of our feelings for one another than ever before. The possibility of losing you has made me all the more certain of what I want.”
Isolde felt her lips tremble. “What is it you want, Jonathan?”
“You know it. It is you. Only you. For all my life. Oh, dearest Isolde. To be reunited with you is such sweet relief, I never want us to part again.”
“Neither do I, Jonathan. I will not allow anything to come between us again.”
They clasped their hands together as they sat, looking into each other’s eyes.
“Then it is agreed. You and I–forever.”
“Forever,” she repeated. He cupped her face as he had done the very first time they’d kissed in the stables. His blue eyes sparkled with happiness as he leaned forward to kiss her. Isolde closed her eyes when his lips touched hers, and a rush of warmth consumed her. They sat together on the steps, reveling in each other’s company, vowing to never be torn apart again as the snow began to fall outside once more, coating the world in a fresh blanket of white snow.
Epilogue
Isolde inhaled the fresh spring air as they walked through the gardens at Chesterton Castle. “Look at the flowers bloom, Jonathan. Isn’t it glorious?”
“It is indeed.” They walked beside each other through the flowering gardens and Jonathan reached for her hand. They intertwined their fingers and gazed at each other, only to be interrupted by Lady Conner, who cleared her throat loudly. Isolde and Jonathan turned to her and were met by a stern glare, directed at their connected hands.
“I apologize, Lady Conner, I got carried away. Again.” Jonathan grinned, for this was the third time he’d reached for Isolde’s hand this afternoon, only to be caught by their chaperone.
Lady Conner, despite knowing that an offer of marriage had been made, and that the we
dding was to take place in less than two months’ time, was ever the watchful chaperone.
“I cannot wait until I can hold hands with my wife whenever I want, without Lady Conner or one of the other ever-present ladies.”
Isolde smirked at him. “I would not call them ever present. They certainly were not present last night at the stables at Roselawn, as far as I recall.”
They giggled, for they had managed to sneak away together to the stables quite regularly. The head groom remained thoroughly intimidated by Jonathan, and thus did not dare say anything to anyone when they met there. In fact, he often acted as their lookout.
It was not as though they engaged in any kind of scandalous activity, far from it. Most nights they simply sat side by side on the bale of hay, holding hands or wrapping their arms around one another. They’d sit and talk for hours, their conversation only interrupted by frequently-exchanged kisses.
A Mistletoe Match For The White Duchess (Historical Regency Romance) Page 26
