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“I was, but he got called away to London and I decided to cut my visit short.” His eyes dipped to the basket in her hands. “Did you come here with the servant’s hackney?”
“No,” she ducked her eyes to her feet bashfully, “I walked.”
“May I ask why?” he asked.
“Walking helps me think,” Louisa replied, quietly. “The calm roads and quietness are soothing to me. It is no hardship, Your Grace, I like it.”
He turned to nodto a carriage lingering just down the street, “Well, it makes no sense for you to walk back home when we have the same destination. Please come with me.”
“Erm…” She turned back to the bakery only for a moment, but Isaac caught the gesture. He did not say anything about it, and Louisa replied in relief, “Thank you, Your Grace.”
With a curt nod, Isaac ushered her to the carriage and then opened the door for her and helped her in, then joined her inside. He plucked off his hat and then rested in on the seat near him. “I was visiting Lord Ashford.He is trying to coerce me into attending another social gathering at Mayfair.”
“Are you going to attend?” she asked.
He tousled his hair.“I hardly feel motivated, Louisa. I’ve told him time and time again, that the ton and its events are not for me. Even worseare the machinations some of the women have perfected to an art-form. I find balls, luncheons, musicals and even hunting parties tedious. They have little sense, only for the women to display their dresses and men to brag about all and sundry.”
Daring to set the basket aside, Louisa leaned over and clasped his hands with hers.“I’m sorry that you feel that way, but isn’t this essential to your position? To make alliances, and connections?”
His eyes flashed, while his lips ticked up, “It is, but I fail to see why my presence isconstantlyneeded. I would prefer to have a cordial connection. The ton is not my fit. What I need is not in the ranks of thebeau monde.”
“What do you need then?”Louisa asked, trying not to react to the growing heat in his eyes.
“Solitude, solace and—” he gently lifted Louisa to his lap, “—and you.”
Withher in his embrace, he pulled herinto him and holding her tightly, pressed his lips to hers. Isaac’s head angled to one side to deepen the kiss and Louisa melted into him within a heartbeat, circling her arms about his neck. Boldly, she reached up and pressed her lips and his kiss simmered with intensity before he pulled away.
“The aristocracy is filled with women who wear two faces.” He stroked her cheek. “I’d prefer not to have to waste my life trying to figure out which lady I am dealing with.”
“I am still cautious, Isaac,” Louisa said hesitantly. “We do come from different strokes of life.”
The carriage trundled into the driveway of the manor house and pulled up to the carriage gate. After heshifted her from his lap, Isaac descended first and helped Louisa out after. She held the basket carefully as theywent to the door, but as soon as the footman let them in, Mrs. Wickham came to them—a grave look on her face.
“Your Grace, I have some concerning news for you,” the housekeeper said. “A young lady has come, and she is—”
“Isaac?” a flowery voice said from the landing of the staircase and Louisa lifted her eyes to see a woman standing there. Clad in a fashionable gown of peach satin, the lady’s silver blond hair flowing to her waist and the utter beauty of her face made herinto an earthly goddess. “Is that you?”
Standing beside her, Isaac had gone stiff, and his face began to glower while his fist clenched at his side. Louisa began to inch away from himwhile she wondered why he was looking so outraged. When he spoke then, she understood why.
“Miss Follet,” he said coldly.“What a surprise.”
