Slowly, she left her bed and pulled a dressing gown over her nightdress, quietly making her way out of her room. The hallways were even more unfamiliar to her, with dim lighting, and she nervously made her way around, trying to recall the direction to the attic Cecil had given her earlier in the day.
Isobel made a turn down a hallway and collided with a solid body. The suddenness of it knocked her off balance, and she stumbled backward, squealing as an arm wrapped around her waist. Instinctively, she reached out, hands pressed to his chest. Even in the semi-darkness, she could recognize those roguishly handsome features.
“You –” she exhaled, irritation filling her veins.
“Why are you wandering about in the dark?” Richard sighed, settling her back onto her feet properly.
His voice sounded even deeper now, somehow, sinking into her mind like sticky honey and leaving her momentarily stuck on what to do. The fabric of his nightshirt felt ridiculously thin, and she could feel every ripple of muscle beneath her fingertips.
“I should be asking you that. For all anyone knows, this is my house. I have every right to go wherever I please – no matter the hour. You seem awfully suspicious, sneaking around at this time.” She shot back, putting some distance between them when she noticed she could feel the heat of his body, and it sent a flash of their earlier encounter through her mind.
“I could not sleep,” Richard sighed, tucking his hands into his pockets, after they twitched rather suddenly. “And I couldn’t help but think about Valerie. It is strange that I have known about her condition for a little while and I have not gone to check on her condition. At least for Adrian’s sake. I should know if there have been any changes to her condition – that way we’ll know how much longer we need to keep up this charade.”
His lips parted, as though he had more to say, but no words more words came out. Isobel’s mood soured even more, irritated by how he cared so much about her twin, but her efforts were reduced to nothing more than a childish game.
“Perhaps if I were to just stop these charades, you would no longer have to put up with them anymore.”
Richard had quickly learned that his entire being seemed to have an… averse reaction to Isobel.
Valerie had been charming, easily catching the attention of onlookers because of her naturally virtuous personality and kind traits.
But none of that had been visible the first time he laid his eyes on Isobel. Somehow, he instantly could tell that he was staring at someone completely different, although they looked exactly the same.
This person moved with more confidence, despite the uncertainty sitting atop her brows. This lady’s sharp gaze burned brighter than Richard had ever seen Valerie’s burn. Everything about her was… different. And it was not the sort of change one would encounter after falling ill and being bedridden for a whole day.
And so he confronted her, hoping that somehow he was mistaken. Because it was all so strange, how he could not bear to look away from her for but a moment. How his body tensed with each direction she walked in, eyeing all whom she had engaged in conversation.
His nerves felt tightly wound up, the tension reaching its limit once she had left the dining room and he had to follow her. When he had approached her, his voice had been harsher than he had intended it to be because he did not understand why someone like her existed.
And she claimed to be Valerie’s twin sister, and it all made so much sense. Especially as she began to get on his nerves and he had to make sure he kept her in check, so he offered his assistance to aid her on her mission.
But now that he had resolved to keep a close eye on her, he had made it possible for her to worm her way under his skin.
That kiss was an example of just how seriously she impaired his ability to think clearly, and instead of apologizing for his untoward behavior earlier, he blurted out words that upset her again.
“I did not mean that the purpose of your assignment was but a joke –”
“Oh, I see. You only meant to imply that my efforts were, because I am unlike the apparently perfect Valerie. I forget, even though you have taken it upon yourself to constantly remind mewhat a clumsy fool I am.” Isobel shot back, somehow managing to sound angry despite the hushed tone of her voice due to the quiet stillness around them.
“Well, I do not have to point that out to you. You should know what your flaws are – self-reflection is important.” He told her, exasperated by how the conversation was going.
It would not be a difficult thing to diffuse the situation, to put an end to the pointless argument. But this woman… she set something ablaze within him the moment he had laid his eyes on her. And because he was still trying to understand what their reactions meant for him, such interactions felt as though they were the only outcome.
“You are a despicable man. And I hope –”
She suddenly fell silent, looking over his shoulder. The silencing of her voice gave him a chance to hear it too – footsteps, heading towards them, approaching from the direction he had come. Eyes wide, he grabbed her by the arms and nudged her backward, in the direction she had come from, into the corner of a wall.
Her eyes widened, and he pressed a finger to his lips, relieved when she stayed silent, allowing him to peer around the corner to see who it was that was as plagued by unrest as they were. With his body as a shield to conceal Isobel from sight, he tried not to focus too much on their closeness but rather on what might have brought the newcomer to this part of the house.
Isobel was quiet and still for once, but being able to feel her so acutely, to be able to smell the sweetness that clung to her skin and hair, had his heart drowning in a state of unease.
Richard could only pray that he could retain some level of thought and discretion whilst they continued to work together on this case – for as long as they needed to.
although Isobel resisted greatly, it was hard not to stare up at him, not to appreciate the sharp lines of his jaw and the soft look of his brown hair. The proximity between them took away her ability to focus on much else, and in as much as she felt angry with him, the duke piqued her curiosity.
His eyes, which were usually cold, held a fire in them when he momentarily glanced at her, and she felt forced to begrudgingly admit that he was rather devastatingly handsome. The way his strong build and broad shoulders seemed to shield her protectively, and perhaps it might have made some other woman swoon.
But certainly not Isobel. She believed it was a shame that he was so unlikable, despite his charming face. Which did not affect her whatsoever. Or at least that was what she told herself as her rapid heartbeat seemingly echoed in her throat.
