CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“What?” Isobel laughed at her younger brother’s words, expecting that the chuckles would be shared.
But after a moment or two, it seemed as though she was the only one who had found it funny, and confusion sank into her mind and etched on her face. Slowly, she turned to Richard, who was pointedly refusing to acknowledge her stare, and Isobel immediately found it strange.
“That is not… is that true? You were betrothed to Valerie?”
“It is not what you think,” Richard spoke up barely after the words were out of Isobel’s mouth. “It’s not – I mean – yes, we were betrothed. But it was very brief. We did not know each other well enough at the time, and the arrangement was simply that – an arrangement. One that was crafted by your father and I – which clearly did not last, to Valerie’s benefit. Now she is to marry the love of her life, so all is well.”
His words were rushed, almost as though he was nervous. Isobel had never imagined he could be this… disturbed, much less expected to see such a reaction from him. But more than anything else, she was shocked by this revelation.
Despite Richard’s explanation, the fact of the matter remained that he had once been set to marry her twin sister. And he had never thought it important to inform Isobel about this.
She couldn’t help but wonder if it was as he had claimed – simply a deal that had been struck with the idea of mutual benefit. Even if that had been the case, Isobel felt strangely… upset at the thought of Valerie – the better version of herself – engaged to wed Richard.
It was clear that she might have been an ideal choice, given how highly everyone spoke about her – including Richard himself. Valerie bore the grace, beauty, and delicacy both the duke and Gregory had expected of Isobel, and if that had been enough for Richard to seek a marriage with her, then Isobel’s flaws were very likely more obvious than she imagined.
“I see,” was all Isobel could say, lowering her gaze to the ground.
She could feel his stare on her, heard him inhale in preparation to speak, and suddenly her heart filled with fear. She did not know what more he had to say, what other excuses he felt he needed to make; neither did she care for any of that.
More than anything, she felt hurt that he had not thought to tell her about the betrothal himself.
“I wish you had married her,” Nora sighed sweetly, smiling at Richard. “I do like her groom, but I also like you too, Your Grace.”
Richard beamed at her kindly, returning to his calm self. “I am honored a lovely lady such as you thinks so highly of me.”
Nora blushed and glanced down at her hands, poking at a small pile of snow she had made with a gloved finger.
“If you – I … will you marry me, Your Grace?”
Cecil balked at his sister and snorted. “You are far too young to think of such things. It is silly to propose to a duke when you have barely memorized your multiplication tables.” To Richard, the boy prompted, “Ignore her, Your Grace.”
Richard’s amusement was obvious in the way he regarded the children.
“I do not –”
“Why not?” Nora whined indignantly, effectively cutting him off. “Father says I am getting bigger every day! Soon, I will be old enough to marry His Grace.”
“Father has never pointed out your quick growth because he means to encourage you to seek a husband. He only says it because you seem to grow an inch every other week! At the start of the year, you were barely up to my chest, and now you arenearly at my shoulders. You’re growing like a tree.” Cecil replied with an exasperated expression.
Nora looked very annoyed with her older brother, her adorable cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and for a moment, Isobel forgot the disconcerting feelings that had been swirling within her. It was quite entertaining to see her siblings act this way, even more so because they were younger.
Squabbles between the siblings she had grown up with were quite different – seeing as the question of ego and pride had a tendency to play a part during such occurrences. But these pure children argued in the most endearing way that made Isobel’s heart thrum with fondness.
“But I still want to –”
“Miss Wightman,” Richard started softly, taking one of Nora’s small hands into his large palm. “I am immensely flattered that you have deemed me so worthy of your affection. In the future, the man who gets to be your groom will be fortunate beyond measure. Unfortunately, as I need to marry soon, I will not have the pleasure. And… I already have a lady in mind who I believe will be my future wife, and I intend to propose to her as soon as the wedding is over.”
It felt as though Isobel’s world had crashed to a stop.
She barely noticed Nora’s deflated expression, her heart twisting unpleasantly at the thought of Richard marrying someone. Itwas strange, and she could not help but feel surprised by her reaction.
Why… why did this news upset her so much? Why did she care so deeply? Why did her heart hurt so much?
Nora sneezed, and Richard cleared his throat, rising slightly as he gestured to the entrance of the fort.
“We have been out here for far too long, and this weather is dangerous for our health. We should return to the house and warm up as soon as possible.” He prompted.
