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‘I do not love him and I cannot see myself as mistress of Broadacres.’
‘Nonsense! Whatever has put that idea into your head? You have been destined to marry Mark ever since you were children. You could not wait to be grown up enough to wed him.’
‘I know, but I was young and silly.’
Her mother gave her a ghost of a smile. ‘You mean you are no longer young and silly? You have grown old and wise in the space of two weeks? I begin to wish I had not suggested you should go to London with Jane. Your head has been turned by the haut monde.’
‘It is nothing to do with London or the haut monde. I felt like that before I went. Jane will tell you that.’
Lady Cavenhurst looked at her eldest daughter. ‘Jane?’
‘Issie intimated she was nervous of becoming Lady Wyndham and having to run Broadacres, Mama. She did not tell me she did not love Mark.’
‘It is only nerves,’ her ladyship said. ‘You will overcome them.’
‘It is not nerves, Mama. If I am made to marry Mark, I shall be miserable and so will he.’
‘Well, it is too late to back out now. You have been engaged for over a year and it is a solemn undertaking. You will lay yourself open to breach of promise.’
‘Mark would never do that,’ Jane put in.
‘No, perhaps not, but it would be a terrible blow, not only to him but to his mother, who is not strong enough to withstand it, not after losing her husband so suddenly. It is only the thought of the wedding that keeps her going. She told me that herself. It is why she shortened the mourning period.’
‘Mama, I can’t go through with it, I simply cannot,’ Isabel wailed, tears spilling.
‘You will think differently when the time comes. Mark is not a monster. You could not wish for a gentler, more considerate husband. It is more important than being in love. There are any number of successful marriages that did not start out with being in love. That will come later.’
‘It won’t.’ Isabel was sobbing now. Jane moved over to sit beside her and put her arm about her, but she had nothing to add to what her mother had said and reiterating it would be hypocritical.
‘Go up to your room and wash your face,’ Lady Cavenhurst said, decidedly cross. ‘I am going to find your father. He will have to know, though he has more than enough problems without you adding to them.’ She stood up. ‘Jane, see if you can make her see sense—perhaps she will listen to you.’
Jane helped her sister to her room where she sat on the bed, not weeping now, but white-faced and red-eyed. Jane poured some water from the jug on the washstand into a bowl and dipped a cloth into it. She wrung it out and gave it to Isabel. ‘Wipe your face, Issie. Crying so much will spoil your looks.’
‘I don’t care. Perhaps that will turn Mark against me.’
‘One thing you can be sure of is that Mark will never break the engagement, whatever you do. He is too honourable and the scandal would ruin both families.’
‘You do not understand.’
‘I assure you I do and I feel for you. In time, you will get over your infatuation for Mr Ashton and wonder what you ever saw in him.’ She paused, wondering whether to go on. ‘I did.’
‘You?’ Isabel was so surprised she left off crying.
‘Yes, when he was staying with Mark years ago, just after they left university. Papa would not agree to me marrying him. He said Mr Ashton had no family and no prospects and I could do better. He went to India and I got over it very quickly.’
‘I didn’t know that.’
‘No reason why you should.’
‘It could not have been true love.’
‘No, it was not, but I did not realise it at the time. Now I know Papa was right, not because of Mr Ashton’s lack of status and wealth, but simply that I only thought I was in love. It wasn’t real.’
‘There you and I differ. For me it is real and will last all my life.’
‘You did not tell Mama that.’
‘What was the point? Drew has disappeared and I don’t know where he has gone, probably back to India. I am going to be an old maid like you.’
‘You will break Mark’s heart.’
‘I doubt it. He spends more time with you than with me.’
‘That’s only because he is helping me with the Hadlea Children’s Home, and you could join us and take an interest if you chose.’
‘I do not choose.’
They were interrupted by a knock on the door and Bessie came to tell Isabel that her father was in the book room and she was to go there at once.
