“Nonsense. You should be taking advantage of the opportunity to spend time with people your own age.”
Isa forced herself to smile. “I came to tell you something. I am betrothed to Lord Kenworth.”
Lady Concord took her hand. “My goodness. How did this come about?”
She nearly blurted out that it was a temporary engagement, but though Edward had not asked her to keep the fact that it was not a true betrothal secret, she knew that he expected her to.
“We have spent much time together searching for the missing tiara, and have grown close.” Oddly enough, that part was not a lie. As Lady Concord’s companion, she had spent very little time with people her own age during the past few years and still felt self-conscious among many of the female guests, but once they had moved past their initial meeting, Isa had grown increasingly comfortable when she was with Edward.
“And he knows who you really are?” Lady Concord raised her brows.
Isa cast her eyes toward the floor.
“Isa, you must tell him immediately.”
“I know.” She sighed. “I will. But it didn’t seem right to tell him moments after he proposed.”
“My dear, you cannot build a relationship based on lies. Do not wait too long to confess.”
“I won’t.” Since it wasn’t a real engagement, she didn’t need to reveal her true identity to him.
Lady Concord stood and opened her arms, and Isa gratefully sank into her hug. “I’m so happy for you, my dear. I knew it was only a matter of time before some clever young man recognized your merits. ”
Isa swallowed down another surge of bile in her throat. She was misleading so many people now it was becoming difficult to keep track. George. She had to focus on George and how she would be able to help him. All she had to do was keep anyone from finding out who she was until the house party ended. At most it would be another week, and then she could finally go home.
Though Isa had been uncomfortable telling Lady Concord about her engagement, it had been nothing compared to the uneasiness that swirled in her stomach as she waited to enter the dining room. Louisa and Lady Sarah conversed next to her, and she did her best to smile and nod at the appropriate times, though in truth, she was not following their conversation.
The air around her shifted, and Edward appeared at her side. She breathed in his calming lime and chamomile scent. He leaned close and whispered in her ear, sending shivers up her spine. “My father will announce our betrothal before we go into the dining room.”
Isa nodded, and Louisa shot her a smile. Of course she already knew of their engagement. Isa was grateful that Edward’s family had accepted her so willingly, but her relief was tainted by guilt at deceiving them all.
The room quieted as the duke and duchess moved toward the entrance to the dining room, then turned to face the assembled guests. “I have an announcement to make. Please excuse the delay while we wait for everyone to receive their champagne,” the duke said.
Edward took her arm and led her toward the front of the crowd. Murmurs followed the wake of their path.
“What is he doing escorting that girl? Clearly she does not know her place.”
A muscle twitched in Edward’s jaw. Isa thought it was Lady Phoebe who spoke, but she couldn’t be sure. She wasn’t naive enough to expect to be accepted simply because she was engaged to Edward, but she had hoped the rank of his family would at least deter the worst of the gossips.
The duke glanced about the room one more time before speaking. “I am very pleased to announce the betrothal of my son, Lord Kenworth, to Miss Isabella Winthrop.”
There was a terrible moment of absolute silence that seemed to last forever, but likely was only a few seconds before Lord Thornbrook said, “Hear, hear.”
The duke raised his flute. “To Edward and Isabella.”
Isa concentrated on not choking on her gulp of champagne. Though she would have preferred to down the entire flute to take the edge off her nerves, she would behave with perfect decorum so at least no one could fault her manners. Louisa moved to stand next to her, and the guests began to come forward to congratulate them.
Lady Sarah winked at her. “I thought I detected something between you two during the garden tour. Congratulations.” Lady Helen was kind as well, but most of the other guests skipped over her and spoke only to Edward. Lady Phoebe and her mother bypassed them altogether. Once all of the guests had the chance to congratulate them, the duke and duchess went into the dining room. Edward took her arm and squeezed her hand before leading her into the room where, for the first time, she was given a seat across from him near the head of the table. Lady Phoebe sat to Edward’s left and was careful to avoid making eye contact with Isa. What surprised her the most, though, was that Lady Lydia was sending her venomous looks. Once again, she reminded herself that her situation was temporary, and soon she would be able to go home.
Her Grace had planned for them to play charades after dinner, but everyone was so tired after spending most of the day outside, she decided to put it off for another time. Most of the guests retired early, but Isa was much too wound up to sleep, so she headed for the library.
She wasn’t overly surprised to discover Edward and his mother together when she arrived. Edward looked up from the journal and smiled at her as she entered.
“Hello, my dear.” Her Grace popped up and squeezed Isa’s hand, then performed an exaggerated yawn. “My, it’s been a long day. I’ll just leave you two to your reading.” She grinned at them and hurried from the room.
“Well, that was subtle,” Edward said.
Isa sat next to him on the settee. Even though they were close together, but not quite touching, his warmth reached her. Suddenly she felt awkward with him and couldn’t think of anything to say. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that their engagement wasn’t real.
“Edward.”
He glanced up from the journal at the sound of his name.
“Are you finally making progress with the grille?”
He turned to her and met her eyes, and her stomach quivered. Now that there was no longer animosity between them, she allowed herself to admit that he was exceptionally handsome. She nearly reached out to trace the line of his jaw, but instead clasped her hands together on her lap, firmly quelling the urge to discover the texture of his skin.
“I wouldn’t call it progress, since I haven’t found anything useful, but I have made it most of the way through the journal.”
He shifted on the settee, and his arm brushed against her, immediately raising goose flesh on her arm. Good heavens, it had only been the sleeve of his jacket. Why was she so sensitive all of a sudden?
“Are you cold?” He took her hand and rubbed it between his bare hands. His heat easily penetrated her glove. “I’ll go stoke the fire.”
In fact, she was rapidly becoming overheated, but she could not admit that to him. Being Lady Concord’s companion meant that she had not interacted much with men who were close to her own age. Or women, for that matter. Though their alliance was an uneasy one built on a framework of lies and omissions, she had spent more time with him than anyone else, other than her employer, so naturally the relative closeness of their relationship would seem foreign to her. Of course she had cause to be unsettled.
Once the fire was burning bright, he returned to her side. “Is that better?”
“Yes, thank you.”
He sat next to her and opened the journal. Isa glanced over and knew immediately which section he was checking. The passage leaped out at her.
“He took me into his arms and I was awash in exquisite sensation as he showed me the depth of his love.”
At first she hadn’t understood the passage. In fact, she had thought it a clue until she realized that it was a euphemism for the physical act of love. Edward’s focus was on the journal, so she took the opportunity to study him. His long fingers worked gracefully to reposition the grille, and she imagined what it would be like to be hel
d safely in his arms, how easily his gentle touch could make her “awash in exquisite sensation.” Her heart galloped, and her face immediately filled with heat. She quickly focused her gaze on the floor.
Her movement caught his attention, and she felt his gaze on her, which did nothing to remove the flush from her cheeks.
“Perhaps I’ve made it too warm in here.”
“Not at all.” He certainly had, but not in the way he was thinking. Since watching him work was clearly not a good idea, Isa popped up and went to the shelves to search for a book to read. He followed her with his eyes as she sought something that might occupy her mind. Several volumes on the shelves were identical to those that she had once read at her own home. One of the first things she wanted to do once she received the money from Edward was purchase books to refurbish the library at Stowe Hall.
Edward finally returned to his work on the journal, but she kept glancing back at him. Their new agreement had caused her to be much more aware of his presence, the small sounds he made as he read, how the simple act of him being there made the room comfortable and welcoming. She feared it would be more difficult than she had first thought to walk away from him when she cried off. Though it may have been a tactical error for her to accept his proposal, she was hardly in a position to refuse it when it meant she might be able to return to her home and her true identity. She pulled out several books, but none of them piqued her interest.
“Are you having trouble choosing something to read?”
Isa tensed at the soft timbre of his voice. “I suppose I am. Do you have any suggestions?”
The settee squeaked as he stood, and she stiffened when he stopped just behind her.
“Isa, what’s wrong? Are you having second thoughts about our arrangement?” He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him.
“Not exactly. It’s just that I hate deceiving your parents and your sister, and Lady Concord.”
“As do I, but we are not doing it out of malice.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and kept his warm hand against her neck.
She feared he could feel the thrum of her pulse reacting to his touch.
“You need to focus on the positive aspects of our situation. You saw the way Lady Phoebe reacted. I am grateful that you are helping me stay out of her clutches. And the other ladies here, the virtuous ones like Lady Sarah, now have a chance to consider the merits of some of the other gentlemen in attendance. That might not have happened if you had not taken me off the market. And, of course, you cannot forget that this is a means for you to help your family.”
She nodded. He had made several excellent points, but his hand on her neck and the way he leaned toward her, causing her to mirror his movement, had her quite distracted.
“We will come up with a way to end the engagement that will be amenable to everyone involved.”
“How?”
“Well, I’m not sure yet. But we’ll think of something.”
“Yes, I suppose we will. It’s just that there is high risk of something going wrong with our scheme.”
His vivid green eyes held her spellbound. She could scarcely think properly.
He slowly removed his hand and took a step back. “Do you want to cry off now? Tell everyone it was a terrible mistake, and you simply cannot wed the horrible Lord Kenworth, even if he will someday inherit a fortune?”
She couldn’t help herself. She giggled. “I cannot lie. I would derive great satisfaction from doing that.”
“I thought as much.”
“Do you want to call it off?” She held her breath, afraid to hear his answer.
“No. I would not have suggested it to you if I wasn’t certain it would benefit both of us.” He cupped her cheek, then ran his fingers over her jaw, and she leaned toward him; she couldn’t stop herself.
He met her halfway and pressed his lips softly to hers. A thrill shot through her, and suddenly she needed to be closer to him. She put her hands on his shoulders, and he pulled her against him so they touched from top to bottom. Then his tongue slid across her lower lip, and her knees nearly gave out at the exquisite sensations he evoked.
He pulled back to look into her eyes, and she nearly fell, because she had been leaning against him, and her legs didn’t seem to want to support her. She recognized immediately that she was in deep trouble. Whether or not he realized it, he had shown her glimpses of his vulnerable side over the past week. If he had remained arrogant and distant, she might have been able to resist him. But he had let her in just enough to ensnare her, and now she wasn’t at all certain she would be able to leave with her heart intact.
Edward hadn’t meant to kiss her. It had been longer than he cared to admit since he had kissed someone, but that wasn’t why he did it. In truth, he didn’t remember making the decision. All of a sudden he just needed to kiss her, and he couldn’t help himself. He fervently hoped that she was innocent enough not to have recognized the extent of his desire for her.
After taking a step back so he could think clearly, he studied her face. She seemed more dazed than scared, but the primitive part of him was pleased that he had clearly been the first man she had ever kissed. Even an accomplished actress could not have been that convincingly innocent. Though he was certain that there was much more to her than she had as yet revealed, he was confident that he had made the right decision to trust her. Now they could interact with each other freely and once and for all find the tiara. In the excitement of the discovery, it would be easy for her to cry off. She was young and inexperienced, so no one would blame her for changing her mind. And he would play the wounded hero, which should drum up some sympathy for him and would allow him to convince his father to give him more responsibility so he could prove himself.
“I-I should find that book I was looking for,” Isa said.
His heart thumped unevenly. When had he started to think of her as Isa? He could not allow himself to get too close to her. She was a beautiful temptation, but it would be wrong of him to trifle with her, and he could not marry her. Though his family certainly approved of her, she had not been raised to be the wife of a peer. He couldn’t picture her hosting formal dinners or being presented at court. No, they were from two different worlds, and he would do well to remember that.
“Yes, you should. And I need to get back to my deciphering.” He picked up the journal and dropped back onto the settee, where he continued his methodical testing of the grille against the pages. He had less than a quarter left and was beginning to think that Isa was correct, and the grille wasn’t meant to be used on the journal.
Isa sat next to him with a book, and soon her breathing grew softer and more even. He wasn’t surprised to find that she had fallen asleep. He took that as a sign that she was growing more comfortable around him. That was good, because it would make their engagement more convincing, but as he remembered how soft and welcoming her lips were, how charmingly innocent she was, he reminded himself that it would not be prudent for them to become too comfortable with each other. Once he had carefully adjusted her head to rest against his shoulder, he continued with the grille until he had gone through the entire journal. There was no code to be revealed. He sighed at yet another dead end.
Isa began to stir. Her eyes opened, and she blinked. He knew the exact moment when she realized where she was, because she sat bolt upright and stared at him with wide eyes.
He took her hand. “You’re fine. You just fell asleep.”
“Did I dream…”
“Of my kisses? I imagine so.”
“No.” She laughed, then glanced at the journal in his lap. “Did you finish?”
He nodded.
She frowned. “You didn’t find anything, did you?”
“No, but why did you think that?”
“Because I think the background of the painting is the clue.”
He frowned. “Then why would she bother with the grille? To throw us off?”
“I don’t think so.” Isa
bella glanced at the books. “I think there’s a clue somewhere in the painting that points to one of the books in the library. We just need to find it and figure out which book it is.”
He wasn’t at all certain she was correct, but it was preferable to another dead end.
She stood and walked over to the shelves where they kept the novels. “You did say that the original books were in the library when your father bought the house, yes?”
“Yes.”
“So if we cannot determine which book the picture alludes to, we can simply try all of those that were published during your great-great-grandmother’s lifetime.”
“Of course, because that will be simple enough.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Do you have any better ideas?”
“No, but perhaps once I’ve had some sleep I will.”
She glanced around, possibly hoping to find a clock somewhere. “It is late, isn’t it?”
“Yes. We should both get some sleep.” He tilted his head toward the dog. “Look, even Biscuit has given up.”
She giggled. “All right, I suppose we can begin our search for the book tomorrow. Let’s go to bed.”
He raised a brow. “Together?”
She rolled her eyes at him and picked up Biscuit, cradling him in her arms. For an insane moment, he wished that she would look at him the way she was looking at that dog.
“May I at least walk you to your bedchamber?”
“Yes, I suppose that is permissible. I will need someone to open the door for me so I don’t disturb Biscuit.”
“I don’t think even a gunshot at close range would disturb him.” He shoved the grille into the journal and put them both in his pocket. He couldn’t hold her hand, since she was cradling Biscuit’s limp form in her arms, so he had to content himself with following her down the corridor. Perhaps it was for the best. Though she had warmed to him considerably over the past few days, there was still a part of her that she was holding back, a part of her she didn’t seem to wish to share with him. He wanted her more than he ought to, considering that theirs was a temporary business arrangement and could never be more.
How to Bewitch an Earl Page 9
