Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Henry stood at the window with his hands behind his back, watching the heavy rain beat against the glass.

I cannot save her.

Lady Fitzgibbon’s words weighed heavily on his heart. He knew very well that she would follow through with ruining Isabelle’s reputation if anything happened between them.

Did I want something more?

His brow creased into a frown as he cleared his throat uncomfortably. He had been telling himself that he never intended to have anything more with Isabelle Sutton, yet his mind constantly swam with thoughts of her. Where was she now, what was she doing, and was she going ahead with her impending marriage?

“My Lord, Lady Fitzgibbon to call on you,” the butler announced, leaving the room again without waiting for Henry to reply.

Things had been tense in the house ever since Lord and Lady Fitzgibbon had paid him a visit. His little outburst and letting the man know he thought of him as a spy hadn’t helped matters either.

Henry had barely turned around when Lady Fitzgibbon entered the room and faced him.

“My Lady.” Henry’s voice was stiff as he bowed politely.

“We can dispense with the formalities, Henry; I would like to get straight to the point. I didn’t think that you would be so foolish as to go against our wishes, but a letter from an old friend has made me realize that the matter is far greater than I realized.”

“Would that old friend perhaps be Lady Sinclair?” He raised an eyebrow in question, keeping his hands behind his back.

If Lady Fitzgibbon wanted to dispense with the formalities, then he wasn’t about to invite her to sit.

Anger made her nostrils flare as his mother-in-law took a deep breath. “Your reply confirms my suspicions.”

“Whether they do or not is no concern of mine, Lady Fitzgibbon.” Henry removed his hands from behind his back and strode over to the cart of drinks in the corner of the room before pouring himself a glass of whisky.

The countess’s eyes flashed with disapproval as she lifted her nose in the air and eyed his glass. “Lady Sinclair has written to tell me that Miss Sutton is refusing to go ahead with her marriage. Her brother has had to resort to desperate measures to keep her from making any foolish decisions.”

“And what exactly do you think is my involvement in this matter, Lady Fitzgibbon?” His heart pounded furiously with concern despite the coolness of his words.

Desperate measures?

He pushed down the urge to ask exactly what those measures were.

“Have you or have you not offered the girl a promise of marriage and protection if she refuses to marry Lord James? I demand an answer this instant!” she insisted, raising her voice slightly, refusing to back down.

“And what if I have?” Henry snapped back, feeling his chest clench with fear for Isabelle.

Lady Fitzgibbon’s face paled as she raised a hand to her chest. “How could you have done this to us. You cannot provide the girl with a child, and even if by some miracle you managed to produce an heir, what would people say of our daughter?”

The penny suddenly dropped for Henry as he realized why his in-laws were so set against him marrying again. It was never about the money, or even marrying someone beneath his station.

“Is this what it has always been about? You are so scared that I will marry again and prove that your daughter was barren?” He shook his head in disbelief.

“I … It’s not fair …” Lady Fitzgibbon seemed flustered for the very first time in her life as she stumbled over her words.

“You are so desperate to prove that your daughter was perfect and that I was in the wrong that you have dedicated the rest of your life to stopping me.” He couldn’t believe the words even as he said them.

Turning red in the face, Lady Fitzgibbon seemed to regain her composure. “I will not have you besmirching my daughter’s good name! It was you who was injured during battle. You are the problem, and I refuse to stand by and allow you to bring shame upon another young woman! Miss Sutton must and will marry Lord James! I will personally attend their wedding if it is the last thing that I do! You will not get away with this, Henry. I can promise you that!”

She almost seemed as if she would faint as she continued her tirade. “You made a mockery of our daughter while she was alive; I will not allow you to make a fool out of her in death!”

Pride.

Henry stood by and watched as his departed wife’s mother worked herself into a frenzy. It was clear to him now that her daughter’s reputation had been the driving force behind her behaviour for years. They were so scared of Henry proving that he could sire an heir that they had dedicated years of their lives to stopping him from doing it. Even he had known there was a small chance that his injury hadn’t been the cause.

“I … I will ruin you both if you go ahead with this foolish plan. My daughter’s memory must be protected.” She broke down in tears as her words trailed off.

Taking pity on the woman whose pride and unhappiness were keeping her captive in a prison of her own making, Henry sighed. “You may rest assured, Lady Fitzgibbon, that I never asked Miss Sutton for her hand in marriage.”

A look of shock came over the woman’s face as she looked up. “Then why did you lead me to believe that you had?”

“Because I am a firm believer in allowing people to say what is on their minds. You have shown me what your true intentions are. I can now see that you are a broken woman with an even more broken pattern of thought. I pity you, Lady Fitzgibbon; truly I do.” He sipped the last few drops of his drink before placing the glass back on the cart.

“I have never in all of my life been so disrespected. I can only say that I hope that Miss Sutton has the good sense to go ahead with her marriage and that you, in turn, will not interfere.” She raised her tear-stained face in the air again before marching from the room.

Running away from the truth just as she’s always done.

Henry shook his head in frustration before running his fingers through his hair. He wasn’t certain how he felt about his in-laws wanting to protect their daughter’s memory at all costs. He never wished ill on anyone, but he had to admit that a healthy dose of karma would certainly do them both some good.

Isabelle sauntered back into his mind as he strode over to a chair and took a seat. It worried him that she was being treated with ‘drastic’ measures, but what could he do regarding the matter? The question had barely popped into his mind when the butler appeared with a tray.

“There is a letter for you, My Lord.” The man cleared his throat.

“Does it say who it is from?” Henry licked his lips as his heart began to pound.

“It was delivered by a footman in blue livery, My Lord. He did not say who it was from,” the butler informed him before lowering the tray.

Taking the letter, Henry quickly ripped it open before retrieving the letter and reading it.

His heart stopped beating at her heartfelt plea.

How would I be able to help her?

He swallowed hard as fear gripped his chest. What was she expecting of him? He couldn’t provide the life for her that he knew she deserved. She was a high-spirited young lady who could accomplish anything she set her mind to.

If anything, his conversation with the countess had reminded him of how difficult it was to keep a young woman happy. It took more than just a lowly widower to provide anyone with happiness.

I can’t interfere, no matter how I feel about her …