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Lady Isabel did not come down to breakfast the next morning, and Rhys couldn’t help but feel guilty. Did her foot ache so badly that she’d opted to stay inside? Or was she still upset that Rhys did not encourage her bonding with his daughter?
After all, Rhys had to admit she was right. Rhys treated her with mistrust, thinking she would act scandalously and inappropriately around Millicent, but the truth was he had little cause for worry.
Lady Isabel carried out her duties to perfection. At first, the servants were antagonistic toward their new mistress, but now they were in awe of her. The house had turned from a gloomy old place to a kingdom of flowers and color. The food was impeccable. Everything she set her mind to, she performed splendidly.
And this forced Rhys to accept a simple realization. His mistrust toward her about Millie had nothing to do with herscandalouspast but everything to do with his.
He turned to Millicent, who was feeding Button bread rolls off the table. “Millie, I think we should go and visit Lady Isabel after breakfast.”
Millie frowned. “Why?”
“Because Button hurt her yesterday, and he needs to apologize.”
Millie chewed on her lip. “But he didn’t mean to.”
Rhys hid his smile. “I know that. But when we hurt someone unintentionally, we have to apologize.”
Millicent grimaced, but her features cleared after a moment. “And then can we go play outside?”
“Of course.”
* * *
To Rhys’s surprise, by the time they had finished breakfast and set out to find Lady Isabel, she was nowhere to be found. He had asked the butler about her whereabouts, and Mr. Monroe raised a brow.
“She went to the village, just like she always does at this hour.”
Rhys felt uncomfortable. He didn’t know about his wife’s activities. After their last trip to the village, he had assumed she never went there again. As it turned out, this couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“We are going to the village?” Millie asked, her eyes shining with excitement. She loved playing with the children whenever they went to visit.
Rhys smiled. “Yes, we are.”
A few minutes later, Rhys was cantering along the road, Millicent in his lap, Button running along with his horse, toward the village.
They spotted the carriage near the bookshop, and Rhys turned his horse toward it. He handed the reins to the groom, who was waiting by the carriage, and hopped off the horse.
“Do you know where her ladyship went?” Rhys asked.
The groom blinked then slowly tipped his head toward the bookshop. “There, m’lord.”
Rhys took Millie into his arms and headed toward the bookshop, Button following them. He walked inside and stopped cold.
The little bookshop had a sitting area behind the bookshelves where Rhys used to read to children once every few weeks when he had spare time. Lady Isabel was sitting in his usual spot, a bevy of children surrounding her as she read. They were all so taken by her reading that nobody had paid Rhys any heed. Her melodic voice weaved around the bookshop, mesmerizing its inhabitants.
Rhys turned to Millie. “Do you want to wait outside?”
But his daughter shook her head and craned her neck, concentrating on the words coming out of Lady Isabel’s mouth. Even Button moved farther into the room and settled on the floor comfortably.
Rhys set Millie down, and she immediately sat closer to other children, listening to the tale. Rhys leaned his shoulder against the wall and watched as his wife read animatedly.
Yes, he had been absolutely unfair to her, comparing her to his late wife. She was nothing like her. And whatever misconceptions he had about Lady Isabel from her past, he must have been mistaken in them too. And suddenly, he had a burning desire to learn more about the woman who was his marchioness.
* * *
Isabel noticed the marquess the moment he had entered the shop. But who wouldn’t?
He was incredibly tall and broad-shouldered; the shadow he cast immediately enveloped the tiny sitting area in the book shop. Then his dog followed, just as huge and menacing, but instead of stealing attention from her, they settled on the edge of the room, listening to her read.
