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Louisa was not pleased at the sight of her sister coming into her room, and she had pulled the covers up over her head as if hoping that Isabella might not see her there.

It was clear to Isabella immediately that her sister was not ill. But that just raised the obvious question, why was she lying in the first place? Something was clearly wrong and Isabella, ever the stubborn one, was determined to find out what.

“Tell me that I will at least be seeing you next week,” Isabella continued pleasantly. “The Stonesides are throwing a garden party and mother has told me that you were invited.”

“Maybe,” Louisa mumbled. “I have not decided.”

“There will be many an eligible bachelor there, I am sure,” Isabella prodded. “You would be a fool to miss it. The Season is almost over, Louisa and to be honest with you, I am surprised that you here in bed rather than battering away men with sticks for surely you have dozens to contend with.”

“Perhaps if I was not sick, I might be.”

“It should be a fun day,” Isabella continued, pushing her lips together with frustration because Louisa had turned around and was refusing to look at her. “It has been a while since I attended a garden party.”

“So... you and His Grace will be attending.”

“I would be surprised if we do not.” She chuckled lightly. “Even if Duncan protests, I am sure I can change his mind. In ways that I have since learned he is not at all opposed to.”

“Urgh,” her sister groaned. “Did I not tell you that I am sick. I could do without the bawdy commentary, thank you.”

Isabella leaned back. “Sorry, Louisa. I did not mean to... to upset you.”

“I did not say that you upset me!”

“Turn you off, then. I was only joking.”

Louisa did not respond right away, and Isabella could just about see her mind turning as she worked to her next point. A point which Isabella was starting to get ahead of because her sister was not exactly the queen of subtlety.

“So... it is true then,” she began, still not facing Isabella. “You and His Grace?”

“What of us?”

“That the two of you are... are happy?”

Isabella considered. But only for a moment. “Yes, I would say that we are.”

“No more fighting? Or arguing? No more wanting to kill one another?”

Isabella laughed softly. “Not as much as we once did. In fact, we have not fought in weeks, which might sound boring and a tad vanilla for some, but it has not been anything of the sort. We are...” A tiny spread across her face at the thought. “It is as I said, we are happy.”

And they were too.

For five days now, happiness was the theme of their marriage and Isabella could not have been gladder for it. There was no more fighting. There was no more arguing. There was no more annoying and frustrating the other for no other reason than to drum some excitement into their marriage... not to mention, some passion.

It just wasn’t needed anymore. Thanks to their conversation at the Clementine Ball, and then what happened as a direct result of that conversation, she and Duncan had discovered a new side to their relationship that was as impossible to comprehend as it was wonderful to live in.

No longer fighting at every waking hour, their personal relationship was growing beyond anything that Isabella had thought might be possible when concerning the sullen, brutish, bully of a Duke who she had married all those weeks ago. Now, Isabella knew that wasn’t him at all.

The Duncan who she now knew... well, he wasn’t nearly as bad as she had thought. Not even close.

“Well, I am very happy for you,” Louisa said, sounding not at all like she meant it. “Wonderful. I wish you both eternal happiness and sunshine.”

“Louisa...” Isabella half leaned forward to touch her sister on the shoulder. “Is something the matter.”

“I told you, I am sick!”

“Not that.” She rested that hand on her sister’s shoulder and, unsurprisingly, Louisa shrugged it off. “Is something else the matter? Concerning myself and the Duke?”

“No. Why would it be!”