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“Thank you, Mama,” Isaac said pointedly, “I shall see you both when I return.” With that, he rushed out of the estate and into the waiting carriage so that he could go and hopefully see the beautiful Louisa who had been quite literally haunting his dreams.
When he arrived in front of the quaint house, his heart soared. It was much prettier than he had been expecting, which genuinely made him want to purchase it. He now did not have to lie when he was introduced to Louisa’s parents, for he had a real reason for being interested in the home, outside of courting their daughter.
He descended from the carriage quickly, actually, a little too quickly. When he reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped towards the front gate, he collided with someone who was carrying a basket of eggs. They flew into the air, and even though Isaac reacted rapidly enough to catch some of them before they hit the ground, four or five of them were still ruined.
“Watch where you’re going!” came a gruff voice from beside Isaac, and when he finally turned to face the person, he discovered that it was Louisa.
“I ... I do apologize,” he stuttered, having been surprised by her sudden appearance. She looked just as beautiful as he remembered, and he could not stop himself from being rendered speechless.
Thankfully, though, Louisa did not continue being mad once she realized who was standing in front of her. She looked him over and then said, “I ... believe I know you, don’t I? But I cannot recall your name, I apologize.”
“No need to apologize,” Isaac reassured her, his voice finally finding him again. “We have met so infrequently that I would have been more surprised if you had remembered my name. I’m …”
“The younger brother of ... a duke, are you not?” Louisa asked, hoisting the egg basket she was carrying onto her other hip.
“Yes,” Isaac replied happily, “Gregory, the Duke of Grenfell. I’m Isaac Quince, and you are ...” He trailed off, trying to make it seem like he was also struggling to remember her name. Of course, he remembered it perfectly but did not want to appear too eager or odd, knowing that he tended to do both when meeting someone new.
“Louisa Pelham,” she said, giving him a curtsey. He fumbled to return it with a bow; he couldn’t believe he’d been so caught up in her that he had forgotten to do that.
“How delightful to re-make your acquaintance, Miss Pelham,” Isaac said politely.
Louisa gave him a weak smile. “Actually, I’m just Miss Louisa,” she corrected him.
Isaac could have kicked himself.How could you have forgotten about her older sister?!he cursed.She knows that everyone in town is aware of her sister’s actions, and now you made her bring up her position in the family!
“Of course, I am so very sorry, Miss Louisa,” Isaac corrected himself, thoroughly embarrassed.
Thankfully, however, Louisa just chuckled. “You apologize a lot, don’t you?” she asked him, brushing a hair that had fallen in front of her face out of her eyes. Isaac knew that he couldn’t gaze upon her for long as that would be improper, but when he went to respond, he was struck by her delicate face. It made him want to walk towards her and kiss her passionately, but he controlled himself and focused on their conversation.
“I really do,” Isaac joked. “I suppose that was one of the first things I learned at university: when you don’t know what else to do, simply continue apologizing until the situation resolves itself.”
Louisa laughed harder, which delighted Isaac to no end. When she laughed, her eyes squinted almost shut, her cheeks became cherubic, and two adorable dimples appeared. She was so breathtakingly beautiful that Isaac’s heart started beating faster just because he was looking at her.
When she stopped to take a breath, Louisa responded, “You went to university? What for?”
“I am very nearly a lawyer,” Isaac responded proudly. Immediately, however, he lost his confidence. He did not want to come off as a stuffy, dull man to this fascinating, engaging young woman. “That must sound rather serious and boring, though, in addition to being a surprising pursuit to remove myself from society for.”
Louisa cocked her head to the side. “Not at all,” she assured him. “Are you passionate about it?”
Isaac nodded emphatically. “Very much so indeed,” he responded.
“Then you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Louisa responded. “I think that whatever one is passionate about …”
“Lulu!” someone called from inside the house, “Did you have trouble finding the eggs, darling?”
Isaac looked to Louisa and could not stop himself from repeating, “Lulu?” When he did, Louisa went bright red and began trying to say something, but she was stopped when her mother came out the front door.
“Oh!” Louisa’s mother said, “You have a gentleman caller! In that case, I shall just …” and she began going back inside the house until Louisa called her.
“He is not – no, Mama, that is not what is going on here!” Louisa said. Her mother stopped in the doorway and turned around again.
“Then ... who is he? Why are you speaking with him out in the garden? Invite him in!” the older woman called, beckoning both of them inside.
Louisa turned to Isaac. “Why are you here, exactly?” she asked him quickly.
“Oh yes, right, sorry,” he stammered, hating himself for apologizing again. “I came to enquire about the purchase of your house.”
Louisa looked shocked, but then her expression changed to pleasure. “Well then,” she said, pointing towards the house, “I suppose you’d better come in and speak with my father.”
And even though Isaac knew that he and Louisa had absolutely no romantic connection, he suddenly felt incredibly nervous at the thought of having to be introduced to this beautiful young woman’s father.
