“Oh?” Straightening, Isla looked up at him curiously. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Nor did she know what to think.
I thought I would be here forever. But perhaps there will be more friends. More people. Still… I can see there is something on his mind.
“It is a family affair,” Ronan admitted after a long pause. “I should like to bring Oliver. Introduce him.”
“Ah.” The story would come out. The plan, as he called it. Isla understood now. She forced a smile to hide the longstanding concern she had for the lie. “Very well. I suppose it is time. Will I need to explain anything?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. I’ll announce it upon our arrival. There shouldn’t be any questions. Yet,” Ronan added after a pause. “The surprise should keep them silent for a short while.”
That made her lips twitch into an almost smile. “I hope so.”
“Then you’ll attend?”
I didn’t think I had a choice. But I do appreciate it. I believe I like these social affairs. And attending alongside Ronan… I should hate to lose the opportunity to be on his arm.
A warm secret that she could never tell another soul, she reminded herself, and nodded. “Certainly. I will be looking forward to it.”
“Very good. Good night, Isla. Good night, Oliver.”
“Good night!”
She looked and found Oliver petting Hector. Her heart paused as she took a step forward, ready to separate them should they hurt each other. But she stopped when she realized she could hear her cat purring from across the room.
Then Isla turned toward the door to say farewell to Ronan, only to find he was already gone. She tried to tell herself that didn’t mean anything.
By the time the party came around, Isla hardly knew what to feel, let alone think. She felt tongue-tied and could hardly say a word on the carriage ride. Thankfully Anne was with them, and she distracted the boy while Isla sat beside Ronan in silence.
This was a deliberate gesture to introduce Oliver’s existence. Technically he had not been entirely hidden, but all had been kept quiet enough that no one really knew of him.
But there would be questions. Isla was sure of it. Someone would ask or say something. Even in the surprise of it all, they would whisper. What would she say? Her mind was a fuzzy mess as she took Ronan’s arm, walking with him through a lovely house to the back where the garden party was collected.
“What a delight to have you here,” the hostess was saying. Isla didn’t know if she said anything. She couldn’t keep track of her tongue. “An absolute treasure, your grace. To have you both in attendance is such luck. Oh! And what a handsome little boy you have here.”
Isla swallowed hard.
“Thank you,” Ronan said in a smooth tone. He had let go of her a moment ago, and now collected Oliver in his arms. The boy immediately hugged his neck. “This is Oliver. My nephew.”
She stared. Oliver twisted around to look at her and beamed.
“My goodness, I didn’t know. Did you have a brother?” The countess asked in amazement. “Or was it a sister? Your family has always been rather private, especially in the last couple of years.”
Sidling up beside her was the earl who wiggled his fingers at Oliver, who giggled. “Handsome lad. Is he yours, Your Grace?” He hadn’t heard.
“He is my nephew. My sister passed shortly after he was born, and I am his legal guardian. He’s my heir,” Ronan added before setting him down. “Greet them if you please, Oliver.”
The boy waved up at them with a shy smile. “Hello!”
“Oh, he melts the heart,” murmured the countess. She beamed at them before steering Anne and the boy toward a corner of the garden where other children had collected. Off they went like nothing out of the ordinary.
Then Ronan and the earl were talking. They knew each other somewhat, talking about water right and other business.
Isla stood there at her husband’s side, still in befuddled awe over what had just happened. She kept her spine straight and her hands neatly pressed together. All that was out of sync was the wild beating of her heart.
He did it. He told the truth. When was he planning on doing that? Why couldn’t he have told me? Or did I just imagine that? Blast it, I don’t understand what just happened.
“Your Grace!” The Countess of Duneve returned, taking her hand and leading her toward the ladies seated in the shade. “What a pleasure it is to officially make your acquaintance. I wish we had met in London, but my husband doesn’t care a whit for the city.
“Few do,” Isla murmured, trying to stay collected.
