Harry grew serious. “No,” he said, “I do not believe it was unkind. If he has not the sense to find out for himself the meanings of flowers then he deserves to be steered wrong. This is war, Lady Isabel.”
She appeared shocked to hear him declare it so bluntly. Let the lady be shocked. Thiswaswar and Lymington could take his lumps.
*
Isabel’s mind wasin a whirl and would not settle in any rational manner. Mr. Vance was getting more and more direct and seemed to be not at all put off by her determination that it was useless.
He said it was war.
She had been deeply moved by it, she could not deny that fact. Never had another person wished to fight for her. Nobody had ever expressed a wish to go to war on her behalf. She had always fought for herself. It almost made her cry to think of a person wishing to fight for her.
Isabel was determined to put it aside, to think of it no more.
Shedidkeep thinking about it though, through the various dances. Isabel did her best to attend to a gentleman’s conversation and provide suitable answers to their questions. But her mind kept going back to that moment.
This is war, Lady Isabel.
Then, she had danced with Lord Lymington and casually asked, “My lord, are you acquainted with Lord Melburton?”
Lord Lymington had shaken his head and said, “That’s a bad business. I never liked him, he always sneered at me, but I never thought he’d kill a man.”
“Then it’s true?” she said, rather shocked that it was. “He’s escaped to the continent and left his wife behind to suffer?”
Lord Lymington had nodded. “Poor Lady Melburton. I knew her as Miss Mayrondale. She is an earl’s daughter. She was rather nice, actually. I expect you would have been friends. I don’t know why she married him.”
“Perhaps for a position?” Isabel asked.
Lord Lymington laughed. “What a position she’s in now though, eh? By the by, did you know that Carlson is concerned there is a particular pod of whales just now causing havoc in the North Sea. Watch the weather—he says anything could happen. Anything at all could happen.”
Isabel nodded gravely, though she privately thoughtanything at all could happenwas very convenient for Carlson. Whichever way the weather went, he would be right.
Now they had made their way to the dining room. It was positively enormous and Lady Ryland had told her what she might expect. Two couples would be seated at each of the small square tables, a bevy of footmen showing everybody where they were meant to be.
Lady Ryland had explained that her lord took a great amount of time arranging the seating. She had given Isabel some sort of amused look when she’d told her, though Isabel did not understand it at the time.
She thought she might be beginning to understand it now, though.
A footman led her and Lord Lymington to a table where Mr. Vance and Miss Thompson were already seated. She was the daughter of a viscount and after the introductions, Isabel said, “Mr. Vance, did you happen to arrange this seating with Lord Ryland?”
“Of course I did,” Mr. Vance said cheerfully.
“Well done, Vance,” Lord Lymington said. “I’d no idea a person could do that. Good to know.”
Miss Thompson was a very genial lady that Isabel had prior met at the Remblys’ ball. She seemed delighted to see Lord Lymington and she was very soon engaging him in conversation.
Much to Isabel’s chagrin, Lord Lymington was just now outlining the various pieces of information he’d picked up from Carlson. She could not imagine what Miss Thompson thought of hearing that the whales were throwing any kind of weather predictions up in the air, but the lady only murmured, “Fascinating.”
Isabel was facing the doors and watched various people, known and unknown to her, stream into the dining room. She was charmed to see Lady Featherstone sweep in, her emerald brooch in place and her walking stick in hand. The lady nodded graciously to acquaintances as she passed them by.
While that was an amusing sight, an alarming sight soon followed. The duchess, who looked not at all pleased to note that Isabel sat at a table with Mr. Vance.
The duchess marched up to Lord Ryland and spoke hurriedly, glancing at their table, but the lord only smiled and shrugged. She stormed off to rejoin Lord Marbeal at her own table.
The duchess would not be pleased at all. Though, as it turned out, that was not themostalarming sight.
Miss Rightstone, escorted in by a callow-looking gentleman Isabel was not acquainted with, broke away from him and made her way to the sideboard. She grabbed a decanter of a white wine and poured herself a glass.
Her gentleman partner and the footman who had been leading them to a table looked on in disbelief. Miss Rightstone caught her eye and, if Isabel was not mistaken, the lady was irate.
