The woman was quiet, and then she pulled back from the hug, regarding Isobel with a confused expression on her face.
“I don’t know,” she stuttered with a laugh. “I was just telling you what my mother told me —"
“It’s all right, I understand. I merely… got a tad nervous. But I know that is not what my husband-to-be is like.” Isobel paused, and then she laughed. “Oh God, I hope not.”
The woman laughed along with her, the air around them tinged with awkwardness. Isobel decided this was a good time to slip away, making up an excuse about her presence being needed before she walked away.
Once she was far enough, she let out a deep breath, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion.
Because her father had named ‘hostess’ as one of the roles Valerie had been handling before her… incident, and as such, Isobel needed to fulfill that duty as well.
But all the interactions she’d had this far have been quite alarming. Everyone was so pleased that Valerie was getting married, and while Isobel shared some of their sentiment, she did not understand why they all acted as though marriage was the end-all be-all.
She had chosen to remove herself from such ideals, and there had been no devastation to her life, only freedom.
Additionally, everyone was so utterly kind and thoughtful, with their too-bright smiles and loud remarks that left Isobel a little disoriented as she tried to find the person who had poisoned Valerie.
Ten days did not seem like nearly enough time to solve this mystery, and she was worried that if she was too late, the consequences would be dire.
“Well, well,” a voice called from behind Isobel. “If it isn’t the princess of Gramfield estate.”
She turned and came face to face with a woman who appeared to be her age, if not a tad younger. The young woman was truly a beauty to behold, with blonde hair curled into ringlets that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, and brown eyes that shone with mischief.
Something about her seemed familiar, but Isobel could not seem to put her finger on why that was, and because she still had not been informed about the people who made up the guest list, it was all she could do to keep a blank expression on her face.
The tone that had been used to address her had been overly sweet, and it suggested that perhaps the words weren’t said in a joking manner, but rather mocking, and Isobel raised an eyebrow at the woman before her.
“I beg your pardon?”
The young lady shrugged, her curls bouncing lightly as she said,
“Do you not think you have behaved rather disrespectfully to us, and therefore an apology is in order? It was rude for you to confine yourself to your room all day because of a headache, when all the guests present are here to see you. As the host, you should do more to ensure that all your guests are taken well taken care of, rather than selfishly hiding away.”
Isobel was immediately irritated, wondering who this woman was and how significant she was to Valerie because Isobel was not going to let such blatant disrespect go unpunished.
“And do you know that speaking to me in such a manner is quite rude?” Isobel countered, resisting the urge to fold her arms and stare the lady down.
The lady looked taken aback, and Isobel hoped that this conversation had come to a close, startled when Deborah walked up to them.
“Ah, Valerie, it is good to see you in such high spirits today! Oh, there you are, dear. Have you seen your brother?”
The lady who had been with Isobel shook her head as she folded her arms, “He is a man old enough to handle his affairs. Do not coddle him so.”
Deborah looked aghast. “I never said he was not old enough to handle his own affairs, and I do not coddle him! I merely asked because I have not seen him all morning, and I thought you might know his whereabouts. I told him to inform me before he left the estate —”
“Why must he do that? It is not as though he is going to run away, Mother. Just leave him be.”
Mother? Isobel glanced between them, noting that they did have similar facial features, and she realized the reason she had been looking at the lady closely was because she recognized the resemblance she bore to Deborah.
Deborah sighed, smiling apologetically to Isobel.
“Forgive our little…banter, Valerie. It seems I have tasked Bridget with far too many roles, and she has grown rather tiredof indulging me.” The older woman said in her usual sweet manner.
Isobel could not help but stare at them both in disbelief that the two of them were actually related.
Where Deborah was gentle and sweet, her daughter bore a slight sneer on her lips, and she looked very displeased to be in their presence. It struck Isobel as odd how Bridget had spoken to her earlier, her tone carrying a malicious edge that was suspicious.
Did she not like Valerie? If she had a reason to dislike her cousin, was it dire enough to warrant poisoning? Could Bridget be responsible?
