Chapter 22

Chapter 22

“Nothing again.” Isabelle heaved a tired sigh as she ran her fingers through her uncombed hair.

One of the benefits of running away from home was that nobody forced her to comb her hair or place it in one of those godawful buns. Yet her newfound freedom seemed more frustrating than anything else as she tossed the newspaper aside.

She had been spending every waking hour since her disappearance looking for a governess position abroad. Even a school marm would have suited her, yet nobody seemed to require a runaway sister of a baron.

These things seem far easier in novels.

Shaking her head in an attempt to relieve herself of the tired ache behind her eyes, she surveyed her cosy little room with minimal furnishings. She didn’t need much more than a bed and a writing table, but she did wish that she hadn’t sold most of her books along with the ones she had purchased to get revenge on Henry.

Henry.

Her heart ached terribly again at the memory of his rejection. She hadn’t been hoping for a proposal, yet she had thought he’d grown fond of her over the past month. Yet her current position was still preferable to marrying that slimy weasel of a man.

A knock on the door made her jump as her body suddenly stiffened.

It’s impossible.

She tried to calm herself as she reminded herself that nobody knew where she had gone. It was more than likely just one of the maids looking to tidy her room.

Working up the courage, she swung her legs from the bed and headed towards the door, taking a deep breath before pulling it open.

“Henry!” She gasped in shock to see him standing there with a stack of books in his arms. Out of all the people she had been expecting to come after her, it hadn’t been him.

“I hope that isn’t a gasp of disgust?” He looked rather sheepish as he pulled his mouth into an awkward smile.

“How did you find me?” Her heart raced with confusion and hurt. Why had he come for her when he’d been so clear in his letter that he wasn’t her saviour?

Glancing down at the books in his arms, he took a deep breath. “The how is not important. What matters the most now is that I am here. I have these books of yours if you would like them back. They were a little scuffed and dirty. Did you throw them out of the window before you climbed down?” His voice was hopeful as he lifted his eyes and met her gaze.

“I did.” Was all she could say as she stood there, staring into his dark eyes flecked with gold. She had dreamed of seeing those eyes again before making her peace with his rejection, but now he was standing in front of her, she didn’t know what to say.

Nodding in understanding, he glanced past her shoulder at the small table in the far corner of the room. “May I put these down? They are all much heavier than they look.”

Isabelle nodded, unable to speak or think of a reply.

Walking into the room, Henry placed the stack on the table with a loud thud before turning back to her. “I was a bit shocked to learn that you sold some of your own books along with the ones that you purchased for revenge. I thought it a good idea to purchase them back.” He patted the top of the pile protectively.

“I still don’t understand why you are here, Lord Ashford?” The overwhelming feelings of betrayal and confusion became too much for her as she stared at him with a broken heart.

Just what does he think he is doing?

She fought against the urge to cry out of confusion. He had no right to say goodbye in a letter and then suddenly show up at her door as if nothing had happened. She had sold those books to make enough money to live before leaving the country in search of a job.

Limping slightly forward, he winced before running his tongue over his lips. “You are in danger, Isabelle. I need to get you as far away from Lord James Church as possible. I have come to rescue you as I should have done the moment I got your note.”

“Is that the only reason you came?” Her heart beat furiously as she asked the question.

He seemed uncertain at first but quickly swallowed before answering again. “I came because James Church is a dangerous man. He is up to no good, and I think he is willing to hurt people if anyone gets in his way.”

Isabella snapped at his response and almost slammed the door but caught herself just in time and held it steady. “I don’t care about James Church, or anyone else for that matter. Why have you come here? I asked you a question that you have yet to answer!”

“Because you should care if your life is in danger! I care about your well-being and what happens to you! I cannot go on in this world if you are not in it; can you not see that?!” Henry’s eyes filled with tears as he raised his voice. “You are the last remnant of hope in a dreary and otherwise bland existence …” His voice trailed off on a soft note of desperation that touched her heart, breaking through a wall he’d built.

The world seemed to spin as Isabelle took in his words.

What is happening?

She shut the door behind her and ambled towards a chair when it felt as if she would faint. There was no reason to stand on propriety anymore when nothing seemed to make sense at all.

Coming forward, Henry fell to his knees in front of her and took her hand, looking her in the eyes.

The contact made her suck in a sharp breath as she looked into his eyes.

“I must apologize to you, Isabelle. I should have asked you to marry me in the Evergreen the moment you told me about James Church. I have been a fool in my actions. Will you ever forgive me?”

The heartfelt look in his eyes created more confusion as she shook her head, and hot tears streamed down her cheeks. “I would have said no if you asked me back then. I won’t marry a man just because he feels the need to save me. Any woman is worthy of saving; it’s a chivalrous and noble act. You should marry a woman because you love her; you deserve that.” She continued to shake her head as her heart broke all over again.

He doesn’t love me. He’s here to save me, but he doesn’t love me.

She reminded herself that he only wanted to marry her because of his misplaced notion of chivalry. She was far better off on her own rather than tying herself to a man out of obligation.

“No.” Henry shook his head before continuing. “You are wrong; I deserve someone who loves me back as much as I love them. I was married to a woman I loved; she never loved me back or even allowed me to show her affection. In fact, I think she was rather glad when I came back from war with a wound. I think the news that there was a chance we couldn’t have children gave her a reason to keep away from me. She spent the remainder of our marriage waiting for me to die so that she could move on with her life. I am certain of that.”

Waves of pity washed over her being. She had wondered about his wife, but she hadn’t realized just how much pain his marriage had caused him. She could see now that he was a broken man, discarded in love just as much as she had been discarded by her family.

“Are you certain? That is to say, absolutely certain of what the doctor said?” She felt guilty about questioning him, but the need to know his heart pushed her forward.

He shook his head slowly this time. “No, I have never admitted it out loud until now, but there is no possible way to tell if I was the problem. We assumed it was me because of my wound, but I will only know for certain if I marry again.” He gulped back his words after taking a deep breath.

A moment of understanding passed between them as their eyes locked.

If I accept him, there is a chance that I will never have children of my own.

The moment seemed to linger on for a while as Isabelle attempted to sort through her own misgivings.

“Edith hated me, Isabelle. She resented me from the day we married. I want someone who loves me back in equal amounts, if not more.” A single tear ran down his cheek as he reached for her other hand and pressed his lips against her palm in a tender kiss.

Gasping audibly now, she felt a shiver of uncertainty run down her spine at the gesture. “Henry, what if someone comes in and sees us like this?” She almost pulled away but felt her hands being held firmly in place.

“I don’t give a damn what the rest of the world thinks, nor do I care about your family’s opinions or those of my in-laws. I love you, Isabelle Sutton. I want to marry you because I love you.” His eyes shone brilliantly with flecks of gold as he held her gaze.

Feeling a lump in her throat, Isabelle sought the right words.

Is this real? Does Lord Henry Montague truly love me?

Her hands began to tremble as he ran his fingers over her wrist. “Do you love me, Isabelle?” His voice was low and vulnerable as he waited for her reply. “All I need to know from you is if you love me?”

“Yes, Henry, I think I may have loved you from the start, but I’m scared. The world seems to be against us … How will we make this work?” It was her turn to swallow the lump in her throat as the reality of their situation seemed far too difficult.

“The world be damned! All that matters is you and me. The rest of them can sort out their own affairs on their own time, this is our Romance novel!” He dipped his head and kissed the top of her hands in turn, lingering a little longer each time before coming up for breath.

“Oh, Henry!” Isabelle came to her feet in utter disbelief as shock took over her body, causing her to tremble with happiness.

He loves me. I can hardly believe that he loves me.

“Is that a yes?” Henry looked at her from his position on the floor, his eyes shining brilliantly with hope.

“Yes, of course, I will marry you, Lord Ashford.” She sobbed openly now, no longer fighting the feelings that had overwhelmed her chest.

Rising to his feet, Henry stood with a great deal of difficulty before placing his hands on her arms and holding her steady. “Thank God that you love me back, I have never been an overly religious man, but I do not know what I would have done if you didn’t.” He almost began to laugh as he shook his head in disbelief.

Glancing down at his lips, Isabelle averted her gaze as her cheeks filled with colour. They were, after all, still an unmarried couple in the privacy of a rented room. “But what will we do about Lord James? He won’t just allow us to run off into the sunset, I am sure of that.”

Henry’s eyes darkened for a moment as he sucked in a breath. “I think he is up to something; we will need to stop him. Will you be patient while I try and sort everything out?” He lifted her hand in his and gently pressed a kiss to the top.

“Of course, I will wait for you.” Her voice was low and breathy as she watched his eyes lighten with joy. “I would wait for you even if it meant waiting for the rest of my life.”

“I can assure you that will not be necessary; you and I will overcome this little bump in the road. No matter what he is planning, Lord James Church will not be able to keep us apart.”

“Good, because I have a plan.” Isabelle could feel the flame of revenge ignited in her chest once again. Her plan wouldn’t be as simple as buying books this time, but she knew for certain that it would be able to stop James Church.