Page 19 of Lady Isla and the Lord of Rogue (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues #6)
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, Teddy was waiting excitedly in the hallway with news: he had finally found a house that would suit them. “And the best thing is, there is an additional room in the basement that one could transform into a workshop…”
Isla listened to him patiently, fiddling with the string of her reticule. She felt awkward in his presence after he’d so effusively confessed his feelings, and she knew she hadn’t responded as he deserved. But what did she feel?
It was true what she’d said that she felt fond of him. More than fond. Protective, almost like a mother hen felt protective toward one of her chicks.
Isla looked at him with a start. Did she truly just compare Teddy to a cuddly little yellow chick?
True, he wasn’t exactly tall, but for her diminutive size, he was tall enough.
He was stocky and sturdy and, as she’d discovered, rather muscular under his tailored coats.
The results of his time spent boxing, no doubt.
She somehow found him slightly better looking than before, too.
Whereas previously she’d found his appearance to be hardly memorable, if not bland, she now found that she no longer thought so.
While not exactly handsome, he had a pleasant enough appearance.
There was something charming about those spectacles that kept sliding down his nose, and his innocent, chocolate brown eyes, and his incessant talk about horology.
As Isla studied him, he somehow veered from the subject of their town house to the clock on St George’s Church, which was nearby, commenting that the clock was off by a minute, and that that would no doubt irritate him every time they passed it, which was the only negative aspect of living so close to that church.
“On the positive side, I enjoy hearing the bells,” he concluded, looking at Isla expectantly.
“Yes. Well, let us have a look at the house,” she replied.
He was right. It was a pretty, white stuccoed terraced house with two elegant Corinthian pillars framing the entrance. Sunlight flooded through the tall, arched windows that faced Maddox Street.
“Will it do?” He looked at Isla expectantly.
She smiled. “I think it will do very well.”
Over the coming days, Isla found herself busy shopping for her trousseau. Together with Catherine, they frequented haberdasheries, milliners, cordwainers, and hosiery shops. Shopping was a welcome distraction, and Isla found she was able to put the events of the past few days behind her .
Teddy, too, increased his attentiveness and took her to the Amphitheatre, the Royal Menagerie, and the Egyptian Exhibit.
Tonight, they would spend an evening at Vauxhall. Catherine would join them, and, to everyone’s surprise, Algie announced that he would accompany them as well.
Arriving in a boat, they saw a million little lights twinkling from the Chinese lampions that hung from the trees. Strains of music hovered in the air, and there was a general atmosphere of gaiety and delight.
“The last time we were here you bought me a bag of comfits, sugared almonds, I believe, which I enjoyed very much,” Isla said, turning to Algie, who’d been sitting mutely beside her during the entire boat ride.
It seemed that shyness had taken hold of him again now that he was in the presence of Catherine, who was sitting next to Teddy, chattering away.
“Did I?” Algie muttered.
“Yes. And then there was such a squeeze as a balloon was about to ascend, and I dropped the bag on the ground.”
“Now I remember. You crawled about on all fours to gather the sweets again, but we didn’t see that. We thought you’d suddenly disappeared and searched the entire premises for you.” Algie shook his head. “Just don’t repeat that, if you please. Don’t simply disappear like that.”
At those words, Teddy looked at them curiously. “Why would she disappear?” he asked. “For as long as you are with me, there is no possibility of that happening.”
Algie snorted but did not deign to retort.
The relationship between Teddy and Algie seemed to be fraught with complications, Isla noted. Algie did not appear to hold Teddy in very high regard. While he accepted him as his sister’s betrothed, he also made it clear that he considered Teddy to be somewhat of a nitwit.
Teddy, in turn, was overly intimidated by Algie to the point that he could merely stutter whenever Algie addressed him directly.
And Algie, of course, spoke not a word, but stared mutely at Catherine, who attempted to chat with all and sundry, including the boatman.
Isla herself had been absent-minded and answered in monosyllables to Teddy’s and Catherine’s attempts at conversation. Only when the lights of Vauxhall appeared did she snap out of it, as the memories surfaced.
As the boat docked, Teddy got up and extended a hand to help Isla disembark.
Catherine inhaled deeply as a whiff of fragrant lilacs drifted in the air.
“I haven’t been here since Fred passed away. No, longer than that. He proposed to me during the fireworks.” A whimsical smile passed over her face. “How long ago that was.”
Catherine’s marriage to Lord Redgrave had not been happy. Isla assumed that was the reason she was in no hurry to remarry, and why Algie’s chances of winning her were rather low.
Isla sighed.
Teddy cast her a quizzical look and squeezed her hand. Isla met his eyes gratefully. Somehow, they did not have to speak. Teddy understood, and Isla was glad that he did.
Algie had a box reserved at the Plaza, and they dined alfresco on a selection of thinly sliced cold meats, lobster, cheese and olives. For pudding, they had custards and strawberry tarts, all washed down with punch and champagne.
Isla watched with mild amusement as Catherine tried to draw Algie into the conversation.
To her surprise, he managed to string together several sentences that went beyond his usual monosyllables.
But when a few newcomers joined their table, colleagues, evidently, who recognised Algie at once, Isla’s surprise deepened.
Her tongue-tied brother seemed to transform before her eyes into the confident, eloquent politician.
His public persona, so articulate and self-assured, was a stark contrast to the shy, hesitant man she knew in private.
Catherine, too, had noticed. She leaned back in her chair, idly toying with her pearl necklace, and watched him with interest as he entered an animated debate with a gentleman on some political matter.
Teddy, however, had little interest in politics. He shifted restlessly in his chair, casting impatient glances at the ever-growing crowd around their table. Then he leaned in and said quietly, “Shall we step outside? It’s becoming rather crowded.”
Isla agreed.
She cast a quick glance at Catherine, who seemed entirely absorbed in Algie’s debate with Lord Mountbatten.
Then Teddy took her hand with a gentle tug and led her away from the rising clamour and the press of bodies, into the gardens. Past the hedges and winding paths, they went, toward the quieter, shadowed side of Vauxhall.
Isla breathed a sigh of relief. Here, between the hedges, it was darker, as only the main path was lit by lampions, and the air seemed cooler as well. She shivered, and Teddy immediately enquired whether she was cold.
“I left my shawl at the table. So silly of me.” She rubbed her arms. These early summer evenings were still cool, and she should have thought to dress more warmly.
“Should we return to fetch it?” he asked.
Isla shook her head. “No. Then we will have to face the crowd again, and right now, it is good to be away from it all.”
They had reached a small pavilion, empty but for a single hanging lampion that cast a soft, wavering glow.
For a moment, there was silence. Then came the faint rustle of fabric, and when Isla looked up, she saw Teddy shrugging off his coat. Before she could object, he gently draped it over her shoulders.
“But now you’ll be cold,” she murmured.
“I won’t,” he said simply.
He adjusted the collar for her, and as he did, his fingers brushed her jaw. The touch lingered and sent a ripple of delicious sparks through her. She looked up, heart pounding, and for an instant, the world seemed to pause.
His face was half in shadow, his eyes glinting in the dim light. She couldn’t help herself. Her hand rose of its own accord and slipped into his hair. It was thick and soft beneath her fingers.
A breath caught in her throat. She knew what she wanted, what she needed. With sudden boldness, she tugged him closer just as his hand cupped her chin, and then their lips met.
At first, it was soft and tentative, as though they were both unsure. But as their hunger for each other deepened, the kiss grew bolder, slow and sweet, then faster, more urgent. His mouth moved over hers, along her jaw, down the graceful line of her throat, to the hollow at its base. She shivered.
He eased her backward until she met the wall of the pavilion, and still he kissed her, again and again, until he abruptly pulled away and stepped back.
“Enough.” His voice was hoarse, his breath uneven.
Isla stood frozen, her body alight, her thoughts scattered to the wind. All she could feel was the aching emptiness where his lips had been.
Teddy cleared his throat. “I think I’d better speak to Wynthorpe about moving the wedding forward. Before…before…” He cleared his throat again.
Isla chuckled. “Here, in the middle of Vauxhall?”
He gave her a meaningful look. “Particularly here, in the middle of Vauxhall. What do you think most couples out here are doing? It’s rather scandalous, and I vow I didn’t think before I brought you into this part of the gardens.”
She looked at him happily. “I don’t care. I’m happy we came here.” She took his hand. “And yes, you should speak to Algie,” she added impishly.