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“Forgive me.” Isabel cleared her throat. “What did you say to me?”
“I’m thinking of sending a letter back to Viscount Dunley and telling him to use our estate manager. He has a team of servants who can do things that he asks. Even if the ones who served us before are very sullen towards him.” Her mother tilted her head to the side. “What do you think?”
Normally, Isabel would have been petty about the situation and agreed to do that. But the thought of going back to Clovewood, even if it was just for a short period, was very tempting. She found herself thinking about her home, wondering if it was still as peaceful and beautiful as she remembered.
Her homesickness had been pushed back in recent weeks as Isabel entered Society and tried to fit in with everyone else, but now it was coming forward. She wanted to go back. They had achieved what they needed to do, anyway, so now they could relax a little bit. And Isabel could feel herself relaxing at Clovewood.
Her home was drawing her back.
“I think we should go.”
Lady Dunley frowned.
“You think we should go and be his servants while he lies in bed?”
“Why not? But not for him. For us.” Isabel shrugged. “I’m now engaged, and the banns are going to be published soon. I’m sure leaving London for a couple of weeks to help with family matters isn’t going to cause much of a problem. They would understand.”
“You want to go back to Devon?”
“Of course I do. Who wouldn’t want to go back?” Isabel pushed her plate away and stood up. “I can go and pack right now, and then we can head off within a couple of hours. We’ll be there late tonight if we travel all day.”
Her mother was staring at her like she had gone mad. Arnaud was doing the same thing, barely hiding her surprise. Lady Dunley’s mouth opened and closed.
“You ... you want to leave London? Only a few days ago, you declared that you loved London and didn’t want to leave.”
“Even I want to go back to Clovewood. If you give me a chance, I want to see my old home.”Even if the memory is bittersweet.Isabel stood up. “I’ll start packing now. I’m sure Arnaud can get your belongings into your trunk while you tell Lady Blythcourt that we’re leaving London today.”
Her mother sighed.
“Now that I’m not looking forward to.” She got up and brushed herself down. “All right, but don’t take too long. If we do have to leave for Devon, I want to do it as soon as possible before I decide to write a scathing letter in response.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Isabel fought back a smile as she left the room and went upstairs. They were going back to Clovewood. It was only for a brief period, and Isabel was sure the moment she got settled they would have to leave again – plus they would have Daniel telling them what to do all the time, so they would be treated like servants – but she wasn’t about to pass up a chance to go back home and soak up the countryside.
When was she going to get another chance? There was the possibility that when she was married, they may not travel to Devon. Galliston had no reason to go there, and Isabel didn’t really want him and her cousin becoming friends. That would just make things very uncomfortable.
Why did the thought of becoming the Duchess of Galliston not sit well with her at all now? When there was the chance he would propose, she was excited. Then Galliston did propose, Isabel was happy. She didn’t think she had been this happy in a long time, especially when this proved her training had paid off. She had snagged a duke in her first Season.
But now she saw the marriage with less enthusiasm. It was beginning to fade away, leaving Isabel with some trepidation. She wasn’t a duchess in the making. She could pretend to be, but only for a short time. And Galliston would not find her as perfect as he believed once Isabel started lowering her guard.
She didn’t want to be living a lie for the rest of her life. That was not a marriage.
If you married Richard, you wouldn’t be living a lie. He would want you just as you were before.
But he’s not going to give me the money we desperately need. Wealth and position is what Mother and I need to be financially safe. Richard can’t do that for us.
Pushing that from her thoughts, Isabel entered her room and threw open her trunk. She had a lot to pack.
#
Richard stood on the pavement and looked up at Isabel’s house. It was a nice-looking building, but it would be tiny compared to what she was used to before. Certainly, there would be fewer rooms, more than enough for a mother and daughter, but not what Isabel was used to. She had to have had a bit of a shock coming to London.
He needed to stop hovering on the threshold. This had to be done. While Hoggard’s attempted shadowing hadn’t had the effect Galliston might have desired, Richard was aware that he needed to do something. Interacting with Isabel and not being able to treat her as he wanted would drive him mad.
Richard wasn’t about to change the way he spoke to Isabel or how he treated her. They had been friends a long time, and status shouldn’t make their standings any different. Nor should the Duke of Galliston’s presence impede on their relationship.
But Richard knew that things were going to be made difficult for him if he didn’t. Galliston was a potential sponsor for the Africa expedition, and there were hints that he would be funding the majority of it himself. Who knew a man like him would be interested in Africa like that? But he would certainly withdraw his funding if Professor Ainsley’s assistant was getting close with the duke’s fiancée. And Richard didn’t want to jeopardize that.
