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“Indeed.” Rem fell silent as they reached the inn. As usual, he had thoroughly enjoyed their conversation, but when his body started to yearn for more, it was difficult to maintain an outward nonchalance for a long period of time.
And yet, it was equally dishearteningnotto spend as much time with her as possible.
They made their way through the taproom and upstairs, but when he would have left her at her door with a fond farewell, he blurted out, “Have you ever been to the castle?”
She paused. “No. I haven’t. But I’ve read it’s where the city got its name.”
He nodded. “You are well informed, my lady, but then, I didn’t have a doubt as to your knowledge of Medieval fortification.” He offered her a wink then sobered quickly. “I thought if you would like to take a brief tour of the city tomorrow to familiarize yourself with its history, I would kindly act as your guide.”
She tilted her head to the side in apparent consideration. “That’s very thoughtful of you, my lord. I should like to go.”
He grinned broadly, feeling as if he’d just won another prized stallion from Lord Somers’ stables. It was still a victory, however modest. “Splendid. I shall retrieve you in the morning. Say, eight o’clock?”
She agreed and he walked down to his rooms with a lighter step than before.
The next morning,after taking breakfast on a tray in her room, Isadora stood in her undergarments with her hands on her hips and surveyed the two dresses that adorned her bed. Never before had she experienced any sort of compunction about what to wear, but for some reason, she couldn’t decide between the yellow and the apricot muslin. Calliope had told her that both of them complimented her coloring, and that was the reason Isadora had chosen them for her journey to Newcastle. However, as she stood glaring at each of the gowns, she couldn’t get her brain to simply grab one and throw it on. But then, it was an important decision when it came to exploring an ancient castle, was it not?
With a heavy sigh, she finally closed her eyes and spun in a circle, and then allowed chance to pick one on her behalf. Her eyes popped back open to find the yellow shade in her grasp. So, of course, she did what any other young lady in her situation would do. She discarded it in favor of the apricot.
Once she was properly attired and her hair was drawn into a braided chignon a white ribbon woven throughout, she scrunched up her nose as she stared at her reflection—until she realized what she was doing. “Dear heavens, I’m acting like Calliope,” she muttered.
When there was a knock at her door, she hastily pinched her cheeks to add some additional color, and then she shook her head as she crossed the room to answer the summons. As she’d suspected, Lord Osgood was standing on the other side, and she would have to be completely without any womanly pride if she didn’t notice the way his gaze traveled down, and then slowly back up the length of her body. “I’m a lucky man to have such a lovely companion by my side today,” he murmured huskily.
Isadora made a bit more subtle appraisal of his attire, and she had to admit that the chestnut jacket he wore was a perfect complement to his reddish-toned hair. Even his hazel eyes had a stronger amber shade than usual and she wondered if they changed with his mood. Combined with his green and gold threaded waistcoat and trousers, he looked quite appealing, indeed. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, my lord.”
He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. “You wouldn’t be trying to say I’mhandsome, would you?”
Isadora’s cheeks warmed. “Don’t let it go to your head, my lord.”
He chuckled then straightened as he held out his arm to her. “Let’s go have some fun, my lady.”
Isadora’s lips curved into a contented smile. It had been a long time since she had been quite so… happy. If she ever truly had been. Granted, she’d had a wonderful childhood with her father and sisters, and even the short time they had been in London together, it had been quite lively. However, Araminta, Calliope, and Olivia had always been close, whereas Isadora had always felt like more of an outsider, the undesirable black sheep, as it were. Then again, she had never had the ability to converse easily with people she didn’t know, and at times, found it quite difficult to speak openly to her sisters, and she had known them all her life.
With the marquess, things were entirely different. He didn’t push her to be someone she wasn’t. Neither did he expect anything from her but a friendship based on respect. There were times she yearned to speak to him, because he made her feel that comfortable in his presence. It had been that way from the very first time they’d met.
Yes, he was quite attractive, and made her nervous at times because of it, but he also had a way of putting her at ease so that she could contain her baser emotions.
She certainly didn’t need to nurse another broken heart.
She quickly pushed that sordid time in her life to the back of her mind and concentrated on this bright, sunny morning with Lord Osgood. “It is promising to be a lovely day,” she noted.
“Let’s just hope our luck holds out,” he returned. “I thought there was a shift in the winds last night, but as long as the clouds don’t start rolling in, we should be doing quite well.”
A short ride later and he was setting the brake. But Isadora’s focus was riveted on the towering, stone keep in front of them. Situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the River Tyne, it was the quintessential English castle of old. “Very impressive.”
“Isn’t it?” the marquess agreed. “Come. Let’s give you a tour, shall we?”
She glanced at him hesitantly. “Are you sure we’re allowed to do so?”
He lifted a brow. “Do you doubt my ability to impress a lady?” he countered.
Her lips twitched, until they finally bloomed into a smile. “Not at all. You are quite impressive as well, my lord.”
He stood up a bit taller and seemed to visibly preen at the compliment.
They walked around the outside of the structure, and when the hills became a bit steep, he was there to lend a hand. He spokeas they investigated the area, and although Isadora’s knowledge about castles was rather limited, the marquess appeared to know quite a bit about how they had been designed as a fortress to withstand an enemy attack.
When they finally walked inside, she turned to him and said, “Your knowledge of castles is quite thorough.”
