by Lucy Langton
“I am glad to have surprised you,” Louisa said frankly, “for I hope that I continue to surprise you with what I am about to tell you.”
If Stephen had been a dog, his ears surely would have perked up at this sentence. “Oh, I do love surprises,” Stephen said. “And what surprise have you prepared for me for the day of our engagement, my bride-to-be?”
Louisa had to stop herself from throwing up at hearing those words. “I have decided that I am not going to go ahead with our plan,” she informed him rather plainly. “I will not be marrying you; you will not use me to take advantage of Isaac, and I shall not abuse his wealth to get the most out of him that I can for our home.”
After having got that out, Louisa took a deep breath and braced herself for the explosion that was to come. When she saw how red Stephen’s face became, she knew that she had said exactly what had been needed to infuriate him.
“I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS!” he roared at her, grabbing her by the arm and shaking her as he spoke. “YOU MUST GO ON WITH THIS, AND IF YOU DO NOT, I SHALL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO RUIN YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!”
Louisa pulled herself from Stephen’s grasp, balled her hand into a fist, and punched Stephen square in the face. His cry was one of agony, and when he pulled his hands away from his face, Louisa saw that his nose was beginning to bleed. But all Louisa could do was smile. “Mr Strandmere, my family has been ruined once before. We can handle it.”
Louisa strode out of Stephen’s office and straight into a crowd of guests. As soon as people saw her, they all cheered for one of the two guests of honour, but Louisa knew that she could not stay and greet them, for there was nothing to celebrate.
She needed to get out of that house as quickly as she could to avoid being questioned for Stephen’s ... shall we say haggard appearance. And so she ran past all the people, saying nothing to anyone, desperately looking for an exit from the house.
Meanwhile, a heartbroken Isaac had just arrived at the party. He had been sent an invitation yesterday, and suddenly all of what Louisa had said fell into place. Though she may have loved him (although he highly doubted that), she had been set to become engaged to Stephen Strandmere, a man he vaguely remembered from his time at school. He did, however, remember not being particularly fond of the man, and so he was rather baffled as to why she was marrying Stephen over him.
He hoped that he might run into Louisa at the party so that he might ask her to explain exactly what had transpired, but he certainly did not expect to be quite literally run into by her as soon as he got there. She collided with him at great speed, and when he saw who she was, he said, “Louisa!”
She looked up at him with surprise in her eyes. “I ... Isaac,” she stammered, “whatever are you doing here?”
“I was invited yesterday,” he said sombrely. “I had to come because I needed an explanation about ... about everything.”
Suddenly, Louisa began crying. Not the great heaving sobs that she had produced in the library, but still noticeable enough. She took him by the arm and said, “Please do me one last favour and follow me.”
Louisa steered Isaac out the back door and away from anyone who might be trying to listen in. They hurried over to a sprawling willow tree, and Louisa guided Isaac beneath the branches, concealing them somewhat in its boughs. Isaac thought this was a rather brilliant hiding place.
Louisa took both of his hands in hers and began. “I’m sorry, is the first thing I am going to say. I am so, so sorry. There are no words to express the sorrow and guilt I feel for having done all of this to you, but I shall continue to apologize until the day I die, for you have been nothing but good to me.”
“You keep saying that you have done something to me, but from where I stand, I can see nothing at all except ... well, perhaps deceiving me into thinking that you might one day return the affection that I have for you,” Isaac said softly.
Louisa gazed up at him with wide, apologetic eyes. “That was not a deception, Isaac,” she said firmly. “I ... I cannot at this time express to you the depth of my affection for you, but I hope that in time it may come to light, no matter the outcome of what unfolds here today.”
Isaac was both elated and even more confused. “Depth of your affection ... unfolds here today ... what are you talking about?” He desperately wanted to seize this beautiful moment, for the love of his life had just admitted that she returned his affection, but he was so befuddled by everything else that she was saying that he could not.
Louisa took a deep breath and then launched into a re-telling of all that had transpired between her and Stephen. She did not go into more detail about how she felt about Isaac, but she certainly made allusions to it. She was hesitant to be too forthcoming when telling him about her feelings because while she still hoped there might be a chance that they could be together, she did not want to say anything and then regret it.
As Louisa wrapped up, informing Isaac of all that had gone on, he started to understand what had happened behind his back. Louisa was terrified that he would be absolutely furious, but when she gazed into his eyes after having finished, she saw only kindness and understanding.
Isaac was silent for a short while after Louisa had told him everything. He walked away from her, but not too far, just to allow himself the chance to take everything in. He leaned his back up against the tree and finally looked at Louisa. Louisa, meanwhile, held her breath for his response.
“Before I say anything else, Lulu,” Isaac said, and Louisa’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing him calling her by her informal name, “I must ask you one thing.”
“Anything,” Louisa agreed enthusiastically.
Isaac ran his fingers through his hair as he thought of the perfect way to phrase what he needed to say, but in the end, he just decided on, “Why marriage?”
Louisa jerked her head back in shock. “Why ... marriage?” she repeated. “What do you mean?”
“Why did he have to marry you? He could have simply promised to give you monetary compensation for your troubles. He also has enough power within this community that it would not have been difficult to promise that he would assist you and your family to re-enter society. So then why did he have to …”
But even as he said it, he realized exactly why Stephen had to marry Louisa. He must have discovered Isaac’s affection for the young woman and decided to take away any chance that he had of being with her. As he thought more about it, he remembered that Stephen always seemed to have a particular hatred for Isaac, but he had never been able to figure out exactly why. Now, however, was not the time to ask. It was the time to act.
Isaac took off towards the estate once more, and Louisa chased after him. “Isaac! Isaac, where are you going?” she cried as they ran, but Isaac dared not to tell her what he was going to do before he did it, for she surely would have stopped him. He charged through the back door once more and pushed through the throngs of people until he found Stephen standing in the middle of a crowd.
When Stephen saw him, he snarled, “You.”
“Stephen Strandmere,” Isaac announced loudly and proudly, “I challenge you to a duel.”
Louisa gasped. “Isaac, NO,” she tried to order him, but he would not listen.
Stephen looked around at the guests gathered near him, and then looked back at Isaac. His expression was difficult to read until he began laughing.
“A duel? A duel?! I will give you credit for the unexpected, Mr Quince, for I had not in a million years thought that would ever be an option with you. I always thought you were too spineless and self-important to do anything such as that. But, as this is a matter of honour ... I accept,” Stephen agreed.
Isaac could feel his heart racing in his chest and did his best to hide any nerves that were bubbling to the surface. He remained stoic and calm, maintaining eye contact with Stephen as they stared each other down, not daring to show any weakness in front of his soon-to-be opponent.
“Mr Strandmere, Mr Quince, this is not necessary! Ca
n you not discuss this like civilized men? There is no need to include violence in this altercation, I forbid it!” Louisa begged. Isaac knew that he was making the wrong decision, but thinking about Stephen stealing the love of his life from him simply so that Isaac could not have her made him blind with rage. He had always known that he and Stephen hadn’t got along, but he hadn’t realized that Stephen’s contempt for him went as far as this.
“Do not fear, Miss Louisa,” Stephen said, pushing her aside to lead Isaac to the room where he kept his pistols. “This will all be over faster than you could say ‘bang’, and then you and I shall be together forever, as we should, and Mr Quince will be on his way to the grave.” Stephen pushed open a door and ushered Isaac inside while the rest of the guests murmured with excitement and tried to follow as closely as they could.
When Isaac entered the room, he couldn’t believe the number of weapons on the walls. There were rifles, pistols, swords, and every other type of exotic hunting gun imaginable. Isaac knew that because Stephen was the one who had been challenged, he got to pick the weapon, but he hadn’t expected him to have this vast collection of things to choose from. Isaac’s breathing became panicky, but he convinced himself that there was truly nothing to worry about, for he had a secret weapon that Stephen did not know about when it came to duelling.
“Well then,” Stephen said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them hungrily. “As you can see, I have a wide array of weapons to choose from, and as it was my honour that was challenged, I am able to pick the weapon. Whatever shall I choose, though ...”
Stephen began stamping around the perimeter of the room, perusing his stash proudly. Isaac knew that he was doing this to try to make Isaac feel more nervous, and so Isaac determinedly did the opposite. The more time Stephen took to choose a weapon, the more time it gave Isaac to find his centre and relax into it. He did not need to stress, for he knew that he was well equipped to take on a man like Stephen.
Finally, Stephen lingered by a set of silver pistols. “Hmmm ... yes, I suppose these shall do. Damien! Prepare these guns for our duel!” Stephen shouted to his valet, and then, without taking another look at Isaac, he strode out the door in the direction of the duelling ground. Isaac allowed himself a secretive, proud grin, for he knew that Stephen had made a fatal error in choosing those weapons, and then he followed him out the door.
But Louisa flew after him and began pecking at him, like a red-winged blackbird flying at a crow that’d just attacked its nest. “Isaac, I do not understand why you feel compelled to do this. You’re a law-bound man; don’t you know how simple it would be to resolve all of this in court? As well, Stephen is a far superior marksman to anyone in the village, and I fear that if you go ahead with this …”
“Louisa,” Isaac said curtly. “I understand your concerns, but I must tell you that they are unfounded. I knew exactly what I was doing when I challenged Stephen, and now I must ask that you give me the space to do what I must. Stephen must be dealt with in this way; otherwise, he will continue to act as though he owns us for the rest of our lives. Please ... trust me.”
Isaac looked at her earnestly, and though the sting of betrayal still hung between them, Isaac only wanted to reassure her. He knew that there was always a chance that he might not make it through this duel and so did not want the final conversation that he and Louisa had to be anger-filled.
Louisa finally seemed to be satisfied with his reasoning, and so she nodded and kissed him on the cheek. “Aim for his left side. It is far weaker, and he does not protect it,” she hinted.
Isaac took her hand and squeezed it. “Thank you, my dearest,” he whispered, and despite the dramatic turn of events, Louisa still found herself pleasantly ruffled by having been referred to as Isaac’s dearest.
Chapter 20
As the two men came upon the duelling grounds, which in this case happened to be a large field on Stephen’s property, Isaac realized that he did not have a second, which he needed in order to duel. Stephen’s valet, Damien, had stepped forward as his second, and a doctor had been fetched in great haste somehow. Isaac looked back to Louisa, who he had just finished reassuring, trying to figure out who he could ask to be his second, when he saw a very familiar figure coming across the field.
Gregory was given the space to approach his brother at once. “Afternoon, brother,” he said when he strode up to him. “Looks like you’ve got yourself into a duel here, is that right?”
Isaac nodded rather shamefully. “I challenged Strandmere, it is true, and while I would not ordinarily do that …”
Gregory let out a grunt of displeasure. “The man’s a cad; he needs to be taught a real lesson by someone who knows what he’s doing, and I see no better man than you. Shall we?” Gregory clapped Isaac on the back twice, which made Isaac cough, but then he nodded to his brother.
“Yes. But I must ask ... why are you here?” Isaac wondered aloud.
“Never mind that for the time being, old chap, let’s focus on your marksmanship,” Gregory responded dismissively, and then walked away from Isaac and went to discuss the challenge with Damien. Isaac watched the two men curiously, for he knew that Gregory was on his side and did not want to negotiate any sort of peace between the two men. However, it seemed that he was discussing the issues with Damien convincingly enough, and Isaac was impressed.
But then it hit him – how did Gregory know enough about what was going on between him and Stephen to be able to negotiate anything with Damien without having discussed things with Isaac first? Had he known about Stephen’s plot before Isaac became aware of it today? Might that be one of the reasons why he had come upon this party?
His questions disappeared, however, when Gregory and Damien parted ways, and Gregory returned to him. “You’re all set to face him, brother,” Gregory reported. “That valet he has as his second is nothing short of an imbecile, and I can only imagine that Stephen isn’t far behind him. Take aim, clear your mind, and just shoot; you have nothing to fear.”
“Thank you, Gregory,” Isaac said gratefully. “I shall see you when this is done.”
The brothers shook hands, and then Isaac took one last look at Louisa. She looked absolutely confident in him, but he could immediately tell that under the surface, her worries were beginning to break through the surface. He gave her one final encouraging smile, and then faced the man who tried to steal her from him.
Stephen snarled at Isaac and danced his fingers across his pistol. “Ready, Quince?” he asked impatiently. “Or have you become too frightened of me?”
Isaac said nothing but shook his head coolly. The two men came together and stood back to back, and Isaac’s hand began to shake in anticipation. His confidence was beginning to desert him. What if he had made the wrong decision, and Stephen was indeed a better marksman than he was? What if he was killed, and Louisa was left to marry that vile man? What if …
“Positions!” The man who was calling the duel shouted, and it jarred Isaac from his thoughts. He straightened up and placed his gun at his side. The man began counting down from ten, and as he got closer to one, Isaac focused on what his brother had said. Take aim, clear your mind, and shoot, he’d said.
As he took more steps away from Stephen, he closed his eyes momentarily, and the crowd of guests, Louisa’s worried look, and Gregory’s watchful eye all disappeared. He was suddenly transported to the woods where he had hunted with his father when he was thirteen years old. He could smell the rotting fall leaves beneath his feet, feel the cool breeze against his skin, and see the elated smile on his father’s face.
“Yes! That’s my boy!” his father had cried upon seeing Isaac’s first shot hit a waterfowl not far from them. “You followed my instructions perfectly – breathe, focus, and trust yourself – and look where it got you!”
His father had run over to collect the bird that Isaac had shot, and while he was not thrilled by the dead animal that now hung in his father’s hands, he was very excited to see his father this
proud of him.
“Thank you, Papa,” he said, and the duke pulled him into an uncharacteristic embrace. It was the one and only time that his father hugged him, not because he did not show affection, but just because it was not in his nature to show affection in that manner. The late Duke of Grenfell had preferred to verbally praise his sons to show how deeply he cared for them. But when he felt his father’s arms around him, Isaac felt more encouraged and supported than he ever had before.
