Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Swinging her legs from her bed, Isabelle stood and waited anxiously for the door to open. She had been drifting off when a knock sounded at her door.

Henry.

Her heart raced frantically as she wrung her hands together. It had been a full day since she had sent the letter. She had been expecting Henry to come racing to her rescue, yet his lack of reply had only served to fuel her desire to see him again.

There is always a delay before the hero comes rushing in.

Images of Henry sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her off to his country estate filled her mind. She had spent the night questioning why she had suddenly begun to think of him as a hero, yet she reassured herself that there would be plenty of time to figure that out once he had come to her rescue.

“Come in,” she called to the closed door, expecting to see the footman who had helped her before.

Her heart sank when Richard opened the door, revealing a large box that made her even more anxious.

“I’m sorry to disturb you. I just thought you might want to wear this.” He placed the box on the bed before lifting the lid to reveal a neatly stored dress.

The fine neck of lace and pearls stared up at her like a ghost from the past as the lightly coloured champagne fabric shone in the early afternoon sun.

“Mama’s dress?” Isabelle’s throat suddenly felt all too dry. There was only one reason that Richard would have brought her a dress, which didn’t bode well for her at all.

“Yes, I did have a mind to offer it to Miss Sedgewick, but I thought you might like it instead.” He avoided looking at her as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Is he feeling guilty?

Isabelle’s mind raced frantically as she wondered if he was having second thoughts. She certainly hoped and prayed that he was.

“I know this isn’t easy for you, but I do hope you can see in time that what I am doing for you is for the best. None of this is easy for me, despite what you may think of the situation.” His voice was laced with sadness but no uncertainty at all.

Isabelle’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach as she realized he wasn’t changing his mind.

“I’m surprised that you would care what I think of you or anyone else for that matter.” Anger at her situation began to take hold again as she shook her head and averted her gaze from the dress. No matter how beautiful her mother’s dress was, it was little solace for a life that would be spent in misery.

Richard’s shoulders stiffened as he clenched his jaw. “I do not wish to discuss this matter with you any further. Lord James has agreed to marry you the day after tomorrow. I expect you to be ready when the time comes.” He dropped his hand from the back of his neck and left the room, once again slamming the door in his wake.

Pain clutched her chest as fear took hold.

The day after tomorrow. What is taking Henry so long?

She felt like crying out of frustration more than anything else as she stared at the shut door. She couldn’t fathom why he had not answered her yet. Would the hero in all the novels she had read not have come to her rescue already? It didn’t make any sense to her that she was having to wait. Something must have gone wrong with the delivery of the letter.

A gentle knock brought her back to reality as her heart skipped a beat.

Henry.

She rushed towards the door and tugged it open before staring into the wide-eyed expression of Jimmy.

“There has been a reply, My Lady. I was waiting for his lordship to go to his study before I brought it in,” he whispered before handing her the note.

Nodding vigorously, she mouthed the words ‘thank you’ before hastily shutting the door and ripping the elegant wax seal.

Her heart thudded uncontrollably as she read the slanted words.

Dearest Miss Sutton,

I hope this letter finds you well. I hope you don’t mind that I have taken my time to write you this reply. I have given your story a great deal of thought before coming to a conclusion.

It did trouble me greatly to hear of the heroine’s fate, but you see I have been mistaken in trying to meddle in her affairs. It is not my place, nor should it ever have been, to offer advice on matters of her heart. I do hope that our heroine can make peace with her decision.

An arranged marriage, even to a tiresome prince, can be comfortable, even in the absence of love and fondness. I doubt that there is a man more capable of looking after her.

I have made my peace with being a lowly widower in the world, banished to his country estate to live in solitude. I hope that, in time, our heroine will be able to move on with her life as I am doing.

Our heroine will and must marry if she is to avoid a life devoid of disappointments.

Yours sincerely,

Lord Henry Montague, Earl of Ashford.

The letter fell from her hands as Isabelle sank to the floor, fluttering past her face as she stared at the closed window.

He’s saying goodbye because he isn’t coming.

The thought seemed almost as unreal to her as the situation she found herself in with Lord James. How was it possible that the hero wasn’t coming to rescue her?

A jolt of shock ran down her spine as she pulled her legs closer to her body and rested her chin on her knees.

When did I start thinking of Lord Ashford as the hero in my story?

Realization dawned on her as her shoulders began to heave with dry sobs of panic. She cared for Lord Ashford far more than even she had cared to admit. She had placed so much stock in her feelings for him that she hadn’t even doubted for a second that he would come to her rescue.

Leaning forward, she snatched up his letter and crumpled it into a ball before flinging it across the room.

How could things have gone this wrong?

She began to question her sanity and how she had convinced herself that things would work out in the end. Why had she believed that he would come to her rescue, and why couldn’t her family see how much they were asking of her? She continued to cry out in silence as her tears refused to come.

At the end of the day, she was just as helpless and lost in her own story as all the other ladies in the ton …