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She withered in an hour.”
Oh. A little sombre. And falsehood could only mean…
“Antonio in her virgin breast,
First raised a tender sigh:”
Antonio?
And young ladies were not permitted to speak of virgins…or breasts.
Especially in the same sentence as Antonio.
“The wish obtain’d, Antonio fled,
And left her all awry.”
Beneath a glare from Lady Elen, Isabelle closed her eyes in anguish.
Serves you right, the angel on her shoulder hissed. Spend your time dallying with the master and your pupil runs wild! You’ll be dismissed and–
Applause induced her to hitch one eye open to discover the duke upon his feet, grinning from ear to ear; the Scandalous Mr Cadwalader hastened to grab a pink rose from the mantel vase and threw it at the young girl’s slippers; Mari grinned and graced them with the finest curtsey Isabelle had ever seen.
“Did you enjoy it, Uncle?” she called. “It was to make you laugh.”
The duke strolled forth to kiss her forehead. “If you sing that outside of this house, I will ban you from riding for a month but… You did indeed make me laugh, Mari my love. And I won’t scold you for that.”
Isabelle watched on, emotions a hubble-bubble of delight and sadness.
For a governess only ever looked upon such a scene as an outsider, never a kindred part of the joy, yet Isabelle could not begrudge this family its happiness after the events which had befallen them.
Lady Elen’s schedule, however, made no allowance for gushing sentiment.
“Everyone sit!” she cried. “Hugh! Aberdare! If you could swiftly conclude with your song, I’ll see if our Famed Personage is ready to perform.”
“Are you telling us,” the duke groused, “that myself and Hugh are just the interval entertainment?”
