Chapter 38

“Did Father say why he wanted to come visit us?” Felicity asked anxiously.

Isabella frowned. “Does it worry you? You’ve been so bold lately when it comes to our father—standing up to him and then leaving his house to be here with me and Arthur. You’ve turned your whole life around. It concerns me to see that you might be frightened of Father now, after all that.”

“Well, I’m not frightened of him,” Felicity argued, “but he does have the power to influence my life.”

“But what could he possibly—oh,” Isabella realized suddenly. “I understand. You’re worried he might have found someone for you to marry.”

“It’s possible,” Felicity said. “He’s not happy about the fact that I’ve been looking out for myself in that regard. He’s not happy about the idea that your husband might be the one to find me a match instead of him doing it for me.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Isabella replied. “He’s already bothered about the fact that I became a duchess when Rosalind didn’t. You can see how much it bothers him by the way he makes a big to-do about all the gossip about Arthur. He can’t allow himself to think that Arthur might be a desirable man—that such a man might have chosen me over his precious Rosalind. And I’m sure it will be the same with you. If anyone shows a preference for you over Rosalind, Father will need to be able to point to something seriously wrong with him.”

“That’s why I’m worried about seeing him,” Felicity said. “What if he’s found such a person and is going to try to arrange a marriage for me?”

“We may be able to help,” Isabella suggested. “Arthur and I, I mean. We’ll certainly do all we can. But Felicity, it will be easier if you tell us who this mystery man is that you’re interested in.”

Felicity blushed and said nothing.

Isabella reached out and took her sister’s hand. “If it helps,” she said, “I believe I already know.”

Felicity looked up at her. “You do? How could you know?”

“I’ve seen the two of you together.” Isabella smiled. “You’re talking about Lord Henrough, aren’t you?”

Felicity sighed. “Yes,” she admitted.

“And why does that make you sound so despondent? I’d think you would be happy to be in love. It’s clear that being around him makes you happy.”

“It’s just that I’m afraid I won’t be able to have him if Father has his mind on someone else for me,” Felicity said.

“Does Lord Henrough return your affections?”

“Yes,” Felicity said. “He’s told me that he wishes to propose to me. He asked me if he could approach Father to request his permission, but I told him to wait. Not because I’m not interested—I’d like nothing better than a proposal of marriage from him—but because I’m terrified that Father will say no. And once he does, the whole thing will be over, and there will be nothing more to do or say about it.”

Isabella squeezed her sister’s hand. “I’m on your side,” she said, “and I know that Arthur will be too.”

“But will that be enough to persuade Father?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll work together and do all we can,” Isabella said. “You won’t be facing this alone.”

Felicity sighed. “I can’t help but feel anxious about it,” she said. “I’m so pleased that everything turned out well for you, Isabella, truly. But now, I can’t help feeling afraid that Father will make sure things don’t end happily for me.”

“Perhaps he would have had the power to do that once, but he doesn’t anymore,” Isabella told her sister firmly. “My husband is a duke. He has some power of influence. He will be able to help. And you never know. Father might be just as happy to see you married to anyone at all—it might not matter so much to him that the person you found is not someone he chose.”

She saw the doubt on her sister’s face, and she could tell that Felicity was still worried. If she was being honest with herself, Isabella knew that those fears were not unfounded. But she gave Felicity a reassuring smile all the same.

This marriage had turned out to be a wonderful thing, both for Isabella and for Arthur. But she had originally gotten into it in hopes of helping Felicity to secure a desirable future, and she hadn’t forgotten about that fact. She wouldn’t give up on it now that the match of Felicity’s dreams was so close. She would do all she could to make her sister’s dreams come true.

“Welcome, Lord Cliffrows,” Arthur said as he, the sisters, and their father took seats in the sitting room. “It was good of you to come today. We’re all very happy to see you.”

Isabella knew it was a lie, of course. No one was particularly happy to see her father. She suspected her father recognized the lie as well, for he didn’t smile.

“Felicity,” he said, “I’m here to bring you back home. You living here is creating a bit of a scandal. It doesn’t make me look very good.”

“Father, you never wanted to be responsible for Isabella or myself,” Felicity reminded him. “You ought to be grateful that I’ve chosen to stay with my sister as it gets me out of your home.”

“You’ll be out of my home soon enough either way,” her father said. “I’ve found you a match.”

Felicity’s face fell. Of course—it was exactly what they had feared.

“Who?” Isabella asked.

Her father turned his attention to her. “This has nothing to do with you, Isabella.”

“Of course, it does,” she countered. “Felicity is my sister. I all but raised her myself—you certainly didn’t have anything to do with it. It has everything to do with me. And besides, you’re not going to marry her to anyone without my finding out who he is, so you may as well just tell us now.”

“The gentleman is a wealthy marquess,” her father said. “Lord Molson.”

Arthur frowned. “I know Lord Molson,” he said. “He was a friend of my father’s before he died. A fine gentleman, but much too old for Miss Felicity.”

“There’s nothing wrong with an older gentleman,” Lord Cliffrows said firmly. “And he has money. So much that she’ll never want for anything.”

“You mean, so much that you will never want for anything?” Isabella asked.

Her father frowned. “Don’t you dare speak to me that way.”

“Don’t you dare speak to her that way,” Arthur countered. “She is a duchess, and you are in her home.”

“She’s the daughter of my maid. She’s nothing special.”

“She’s never been nothing special. Even when she worked in your household, she was better than you give her credit for today,” Arthur said. “You’ve never seen either of your two elder daughters for what they are, Lord Cliffrows. You’ve never appreciated them.” He held up his hand. “And don’t think of telling me that I shouldn’t speak to you the way I am because I won’t hesitate to have you escorted from my home.”

Lord Cliffrows turned back to Felicity. “I’m your father,” he reminded her. “Whatever you might think, I do know what’s best for you. Do you want to live with your sister all your life? Become a spinster?”

“No,” Felicity said. “But another gentleman has expressed an interest in me, and I feel the same way.”

“Who?”

“Lord Henrough,” Felicity said. “I’ve become very fond of him, Father, and he says he wants to propose to me.”

“Well, that won’t do,” Lord Cliffrows said. “Lord Henrough is a gentleman, all right, but he has nothing like the financial resources Lord Molson possesses. It’s not the right choice.”

“It isn’t your choice at all,” Isabella cut in. “Felicity should get to decide.”

Her father took a breath. “You overstep, Isabella,” he said. “You forget your place. You may be a duchess now, but I am still your father.”

“Well, you’re not mine,” Arthur said. “And I gave Miss Felicity my word that I would help her secure a marriage to a worthy gentleman of her choice. I mean to do exactly that.”

“Forgive me, Your Grace,” Lord Cliffrows said. “I mean no disrespect to you or your title, but I don’t see how you can believe you have the authority to overrule me in this. She’s my daughter.”

“If it’s not enough for you that this is what she wants—if you don’t simply want to see her happy—I do have ways of forcing your hand,” Arthur said. “We know you were involved with Lady Reeves before her recent arrest, and we know that you’ve taken pains to cover that up now that her criminal activities have come to light. I’m sure you weren’t up to anything unlawful, Lord Cliffrows, but all the same, such a thing could severely impact a gentleman’s reputation. Thus far, I’ve kept your secret, but there’s no need for me to do that. If you won’t allow Miss Felicity the freedom to make her own choice, I might decide it no longer serves me to help you conceal your association with Lady Reeves.”

Lord Cliffrows scowled. “I don’t see why you would involve yourself in things that have nothing to do with you,” he huffed. “Who is my daughter to you?”

“As good as my sister,” Arthur said evenly, and Isabella felt her whole body grow warm with love for him.

Her father seemed to have little else to say, and after a few more stilted attempts at conversation, he got up and showed himself out.

“Oh, my goodness,” Felicity said with a little laugh of relief. “I can’t believe how well that went. I can’t believe he’s actually going to leave me alone and allow me to make my own arrangements.”

“And you should know that Taylor has already spoken to me about proposing marriage to you,” Arthur replied, smiling. “In your father’s place, I’ve given him my permission to ask you.”

Isabella gasped. “You didn’t tell me that!”

“Well, I didn’t want to raise anyone’s hopes until we knew for sure that it could happen. But I would anticipate that he’ll be here to ask for your hand any day now, Miss Felicity.”

Felicity jumped to her feet and spun in a circle. “I can hardly wait!”