Page 20 of A Scottish Bride for the Duke (Scottish Duchesses #1)

Chapter Fourteen

“ E ngaged?” murmurs rippled over the crowd.

Isobel stared at Adrian, unsure if she had misheard.

Surely, he could not have just said what she thought he had.

Surely, he could not have offered to marry her.

No, not offered—he had informed her and everyone else around them that they would be getting married.

That they were already engaged, as though it was an agreement they had come to privately and independently.

Her breath came too fast. Somewhere in the ballroom was Moreton, and she had to leave London. But to go where? Back to Scotland? How could she know that he wouldn’t follow her all the way back there if he had come to England?

Speaking of which, why was she here?

Adrian’s hand pressed more firmly against the small of her back, and she realized she had been leaning into him. Her knees felt as though they were on the verge of giving out.

“Oh,” a lady said.

Through the doorway, Miss Wentworth stared at Adrian with wide, shocked eyes. Isobel almost felt the urge to laugh. She knew the duke well enough to know that he would have found at least a little satisfaction from shocking her like that. No doubt she had thought he would ruin her instead.

Adrian’s hand closed around her elbow. “Come,” he said, his voice unusually grim. “We should see my mother before she hears some garbled version of events.”

In the ballroom, where Lord Moreton waited for her. Had he heard what had happened already?

“Adrian,” she whispered.

“Head up,” he instructed under his breath. “If you cannot smile, at least do not look as though you are on the verge of fleeing.”

“But I am ,” she whispered back.

“No one else needs to know that.”

With his hands on her, pushing and guiding, he brought them both back into the ballroom, looking around until he found his mother.

Once located, he dragged Isobel across to her, and Isobel wanted to melt into the ground. Whispers followed them, and the duchess looked at them with unusually stern eyes.

“Mother,” he said. “May I speak with you?”

“It seems we must leave immediately,” she said. “Smile, Lady Isobel.”

Isobel did her best to force her lips to curve.

Eliza was staring at her in surprise, and she felt as though the weight of the ton’s condemnation would push her into the ground.

Adrian might have declared that they were engaged, but everyone would know that they had been discovered alone together.

Only scandal was forcing them into matrimony.

And somewhere was Lord Moreton.

She dared to cast a glance around, but she couldn’t find him. Her breath came a little easier. Perhaps she was now engaged, but at least she would not have to endure him.

“I must—” Her words came out jerky, though she kept the false smile on her lips. “I must write to me maither.”

“Yes, indeed.” The duchess placed her hand on Isobel’s arm. “But first I think you must explain everything to me.”

She didn’t know how she could explain everything —the source of her sudden distress, at least—but she would do what she could.

“Aye, of course,” she said.

Her hands shook. Everything had happened so fast.

“Take courage,” the duke said from beside her, his eyes too hard. “You are soon to become a duchess. There are many ladies here who would sacrifice a great deal for such a position. And did you not say you wished to marry?”

She had, and she did.

“Perhaps it won’t be so bad after all,” she said.

The coldness in his eyes practically burned her. “You flatter me.”

“As though ye would have offered for me under any other circumstances.”

“Correct. I would not.” He exhaled sharply. “But we should save this for the carriage. Mother, kiss her cheek as though everything is perfectly well, and make arrangements for us to leave. Lady Isobel, stand close to me and for heaven’s sake do not argue anymore.”

His mother did as he’d commanded, kissing Isobel’s cheek before hurrying off to make their excuses. Beside Isobel, the duke sucked in a deep breath, as though his own demands were almost too great for him to bear. Not arguing with her—what a terrible thing to have to endure.

Isobel cast her gaze around for Lord Moreton, dreading seeing him, but instead came face to face with Eliza.

“I suppose, seeing as you announced your engagement in such a cold way, I am supposed to already know of it,” she said in greeting. “You sly dog, Adrian.”

“I did not ask for your commentary,” he said stiffly.

“No, indeed, but you will have it anyway.” Eliza turned to Isobel. “And we will be cousins! What a delight. If I’d known Adrian would have consented to marry you, I would have orchestrated a scandal weeks ago. Although I can’t say I envy you.”

“Eliza,” he growled.

“I know, I know, Adrian. You didn’t ask for my opinion. But, if you notice, I am not addressing it at you.” Eliza pulled Isobel in a sudden embrace. “He is a brute, of course, but you will be so comfortable, and it is a delight to welcome you into the family.

“Don’t mind what people say. They are always looking for reasons to look down on others, but you will soon outrank them all.” Eliza beamed. “Miss Wentworth is going to be especially put out. She has been angling after being a duchess for as long as I have known her.”

Adrian’s expression did not change, but Isobel thought she saw a slight flash of grim satisfaction on his face.

Perhaps he did not want to marry her, but he wanted to marry Miss Wentworth even less, and no doubt her assumptions in his direction had irritated him just as much as they irritated her.

“Thank ye, Eliza,” Isobel said. “Everything is very… sudden.”

“But why did you run away?” Eliza asked. Adrian looked sharply down at her. “Did you have an objection to?—”

“I just needed some air,” Isobel said hastily. “Nothing else, I assure ye. And I was not looking for your cousin, either. He came to find me quite by chance, and we were just unlucky to have been found together.”

“But are you all right?” Eliza peered more closely at Isobel’s face. “You look as though you’ve been crying.”

“Eliza,” Adrian snapped, his hand on Isobel’s arm tightening slightly. “Learn when to hold your tongue.”

To Isobel’s surprise, Eliza leaned back, chastised. “I suppose my tongue does sometimes run away with me. But the duchess is returning. Go home and let me know when the wedding is to be.” She gave another mischievous smile and went to find her own mother.

“I’ve smoothed everything over with the right people,” the duchess said as she joined them.

“And I made appropriate sounds of outrage at the idea you both only announced an engagement after being found alone. After all, as your mother, Adrian, I would be presumed to know more about the manner.” She snapped her fan shut.

“But that is enough for tonight. Come, let’s go, and then you can explain everything. ”

Numbly, Isobel placed her hand in the duke’s arm and smiled mechanically at the blurring faces that passed her. For his part, the duke managed to maintain a pleasant enough expression until they reached the carriage.

“I have nothing to explain,” he said, handing them both in and following them up. The door closed behind them. “There was no other course of action that would reasonably protect us both.”

“Of course.” The duchess patted his knee. “You did the only right thing under the circumstances. Though need I add that you should not have been alone together.”

“I felt—” What could she say? “I felt overwhelmed,” she finished. “And Adrian was good enough to find me and… comfort me.”

“You said you ought to leave London,” he said.

She gritted her teeth, knowing as well as he that such an action would be impossible. “I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

The duchess sighed. “Under the circumstances, the best thing will be for you both to marry as soon as possible.”

“I agree,” the duke said. “I will meet with the archbishop tomorrow and request a special license. He will not deny me. We will have a quiet wedding, perhaps in the drawing room.”

“Surely St. George’s,” the duchess said. “Hanover Square.”

“Very well,” he said, his voice clipped. “I shall make inquiries.”

Isobel linked her fingers together. “My parents won’t be able to make the wedding, will they?” she said. “If we are marrying through special license.”

“It’s the only way that makes sense, my dear. But no, they will not be able to.” The duchess sighed again. “What a mess this is.”

“I’m sorry.” Isobel’s voice cracked. “I know ye had high hopes for him.”

“Oh, as for that—don’t be silly. I could have hoped for nothing better for him than to marry the daughter of a good friend.

But heavens above, I would have preferred a traditional courtship.

But,” she added in a rallying tone, “it has come to this, and I am not one to be ungrateful. My son is marrying, and his chosen is the daughter of a lady. What more could I ask? I am old enough now. I have few dreams of my own; the rest are dreams for my only son.”

Isobel glanced at the duke in time to see his jaw flex, but again he kept his peace.

She waited until they entered the house and ascended the stairs. The duchess lingered in the hallway, informing the servants about the turn of events.

“Will you tell me why you were crying?” he asked abruptly.

“It has—I don’t think I can.” Isobel laced her fingers together. “I never thanked ye.”

“I did my duty.”

“I know ye did not want to marry me.”

“I did not want to marry anyone,” he said, looking down at her. “But I also understand that had I not followed you, none of this would have happened. Equally, had we not been embracing, things might have been different.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

His warm fingers found her chin, tilting her head up. “Are you well?” he asked, the iciness that had been in his voice thawing slightly. “Will you be all right?”

“Thanks to ye, I… I think so.”

“Good.” He dropped his hand. “Prepare yourself. Our lives are going to change a great deal.”

Then he was gone, striding off down the corridor and leaving her to go to bed alone, wondering what on earth she was going to do now.

A duchess. And her groom a man who would rather be anything other than her husband.

She touched the spot on her chin that his hand had touched. Even now, angry and frustrated, he had been kind.

She wished she could understand him.