Page 24 of My Disastrous Duchess (The Untamed Ladies #2)

“No.” Alexander raised a hand to stop him. “The woman is right. I pried into her life, hoping to locate her. Her sudden appearance here today is the only crime of which she is guilty.”

“You have more sense than this.” Carlisle’s eyes were wild, pleading. “Do not cast this family further into notoriety on a baseless lie.”

“I will not be persuaded on this matter. Miss Bell should be accorded what she is owed from me, first of which is my trust.”

“This is absurd.” Carlisle was shaking, pointing violently at Isadore as he raced over to Alexander. “I have always taken pride in your good sense. That a fitting face would lure you in and a fabricated story?—”

“Enough. You will question me no more,” Alexander commanded.

His uncle stopped in his tracks, face twitching. He glanced over his shoulder at Isadore, cursing her with a look.

“So be it,” Carlisle said, before he marched out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Alexander burned with rage in the aftermath. Margaret placed a hand on his arm—he hadn’t even felt her approach—and in his surprise, he turned around so quickly he startled her. She retracted her hand immediately.

“Forgive me,” he whispered, ashamed of himself, her touch ghosting his skin.

He couldn’t allow Isadore to see them like this, turning from Margaret to address her.

“I had not expected my uncle’s support, but such agitation from him is entirely out of his character.

I will need time to consider the matter before anything further can be done.

But I am a man of my word, and I will not allow you to be forgotten by this family again, as you once were. ”

Isadore was still staring at the door through which Carlisle had left. She nodded, and something in her resigned expression gave Alexander pause.

There was no room for doubt. Their meeting could not be undone, and Alexander would ensure her safety now that he had found her, even if Isadore was reluctant to accept, even if Carlisle despised him.

“I will hold you to that promise, Your Grace,” Isadore said. “In the meantime, I am returning home. You will know where to find me.”

The staff escorted Isadore outside. Alexander remained silent for a while, pacing the room slowly. He had almost forgotten Margaret was there with him until she appeared out of the corner of his eye, holding her own hand.

“That this has happened today...” Alexander trailed off, seeking her eyes but not finding them. “Never had I imagined that she would appear at the house. Forgive me, Margaret. I do not know what more to say.”

She was quiet for a moment, and Alexander sighed. He leaned on the billiards table, facing the baize in shame.

“Why did you not tell me about your sister before we married?”

“I did not think it mattered.”

“But you knew that I would find out. From what Miss Bell claims, your investigation was nearing its end.” Margaret’s voice was knowing.

When he looked up, she was smiling sadly.

“Is that why you hastened to marry me once Baron Faversham cast me off? Were you worried that I would reject you if I knew you had planned to bring your sister into the fold?”

“It had some influence over my decision, yes. But not in the way that you are thinking.”

“Ah,” she said.

“But the circumstances which necessitated our marriage do not detract from my pleasure at the result.” He saw her soften, and it brought him relief. “I am sorry if this upsets you.”

“What is supposed to upset me, exactly? That you concealed the truth from me? Or that you are pleased that you married me?” She laughed softly and approached, trailing a finger over the glazed mahogany of the table.

“I do wish you had told me about your sister, but I would not have refused to marry you if I had known.”

“And do you believe her story?” He relaxed as she settled beside him, brushing her shoulder, perhaps accidentally, against his. “Or do you think, like Carlisle, that I am a gullible fool?”

“Why must it be one or the other? My thoughts are that you are the cleverest, most infuriatingly risk-averse gentleman I have ever met. If you truly believe that this woman is your sister, I see no reason why I should doubt you. Yet that does not mean I will blindly accept everything this woman has to say. She has more to gain than to lose by claiming to be Isadore Bell. In the meantime, I must wonder what you plan to do with her. The ton will not accept her just because you command it. They are already watching us carefully.”

Alexander warmed at her words. He had not only secured a beautiful wife, but also a discerning one. Every additional minute he spent in Margaret’s company confirmed that his decision to marry her had been right.

“I will need time to think,” he replied, watching her watch him. “Allowing her to remain in London alone does not seem wise.”

Margaret tilted her head. “Then you do not trust her as deeply as you claimed?”

“Of course not. I told you once that I do not trust anyone. And while it was not a lie to say that she deserves my trust, that does not mean I have yet granted it. It is my wish to restore Isadore to her rightful place in this family, but I cannot control the woman, nor any one person, as today has proven. She could race to the press if she wished or betray us in other ways. For now, she should be kept within our reach but not accepted completely. That is all I know.”

“There is a place you could take her, though Carlisle will be none too pleased.”

“You would suggest...” Alexander rose, shaking his head. “But Margaret...”

“This means a great deal to you. I can see that. Which means, as your wife, that it must mean a great deal to me too.” She shrugged playfully, but her tone betrayed her lack of enthusiasm. “What’s one more for Somerstead Hall?”