Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Isabella had prepared for the salon at Lady Edith's house all week. She'd made sure to eat all the right things and treat her hair and skin so that she would look healthy and neat and be in the best shape possible.

She had picked out a blue dress that she knew made her eyes look brighter. There were more people than she expected at the salon. As always, Lady Edith had thrown a perfect party. Everybody was jovial and excited.

Isabella had only one goal in mind. To find Mr. Alton and spend as much time in his company as possible. She scoured the room for a sign of him but saw him nowhere. While she waited for him to arrive, the duke made sure to remain close to her.

"You look particularly beautiful tonight," the duke said. "I've been excited for this event all week."

"Thank you," Isabella said with a smile. "As have I. These balls are always enjoyable."

It was nearly an hour into the evening before Mr. Alton arrived. He was dressed in a brown suit, tailored perfectly to him. It accentuated every feature of his that she loved. His rugged jaw and wild hair were a sight that she could never grow tired of.

Isabella raised up on her toes, hoping that he would see her above the crowd. She waited for him to look her way, for their eyes to lock as they had done so many times before. However, when he did look her way he gave her only the quickest of glances.

She watched as he greeted people in the room and helped himself to something to drink.

"Excuse me a moment," she said politely.

The duke smiled and stepped aside. "I'll find you later."

Isabella moved through the room, keeping a close eye on Mr. Alton. Finally, he moved to a quieter corner, and she knew it was the perfect time to approach. She wore her best smile and straightened her back.

It was only for appearances, really. The two of them had done things that put them beyond the need for a polite greeting. However, this would be just another act.

"Good evening," she said as she came to his side.

Mr. Alton nodded. "Miss Owen," he greeted.

He still did not look in her direction. Isabella wondered if it was because he was trying to make it seem as if they didn't know each other well. She wasn't sure such extremes were entirely necessary.

Still, she could play along.

"Isn't this a delightful scene?" she asked, looking out over the party. "Different from our usual get-togethers."

She made sure to speak quietly enough that nobody around them would hear. She had hoped it would at least get a small smirk out of him. His face remained cold and careless.

Isabella wasn't sure what to do then. She had waited all week to see him, and had envisioned all the ways the evening would go. Isabella had hoped that perhaps they could sneak away to find fun in the event.

Or that they might enjoy themselves by leaving each other small clues in conversation that referenced their adventures together. She had hoped that he would add some fun to the night.

Mr. Alton, it seemed, had other ideas. His demeanor toward her was cold and she suddenly felt as if she'd interrupted something.

"Miss Harper will be happy to see Mr. Langley," she said. "They seem to get along really well."

"Yes, it's nice."

Speaking to him then was like drawing water from a stone. Isabella felt as if she was working four times as hard to get less than half the kind of attention she normally got from him. She took a deep breath and kept her composure.

She wasn't sure what to feel. Her excitement for it all was quickly dwindling. Instead, she felt nervous. Had she done something to change his opinion of her?

"It's good to see you again," she finally said, taking a different approach.

What she had wanted was a quirky comment from him, or a cheeky smirk. Perhaps even a sideways, longing glance would work.

"Excuse me," he said instead, leaving her there in the quiet corner as he went to join a different conversation.

Isabella had never been so hurt or embarrassed. He had completely brushed her off, dismissed her as if she were a complete stranger to him. Had she made a mistake thinking they were friends?

She stood there a moment, in complete shock, before she found her parents and joined their conversation. But she could not concentrate on a word that anybody else was saying. All she could think about was Mr. Alton and how he had pushed her aside and what she might have done to deserve that.

Eventually, she could not stand it any longer. Isabella deserved to know; she needed an answer. However, they were at a large event, and she needed to handle the confrontation carefully.

She waited until he went to get himself another drink and joined him there.

"What is it I've done to deserve such a cold shoulder from you today?" she asked. "If we are to continue on this investigation together, then I need to know."

"I will be carrying on this investigation alone," Mr. Alton said. "Your services are no longer required."

He said nothing more as he left her there, heartbroken. Just like that, her adventure had come to an end without any explanation or warning. And like that, Mr. Alton had removed himself from her life.

Isabella had never felt so undesirable, and soon her feelings of hurt twisted into an anger that would kill her appetite and consume any logical thought that crossed her mind. All she could think of was Mr. Alton and how he had hurt her, and how she refused to take such an insult without revenge.

There was little enjoyment left in her life then, and that feeling was almost instantaneous.

Her anger was not eased when she spotted Mr. Alton dancing with a young woman she knew to be Miss Byron. A woman much younger and much more influential than Isabella. He seemed to be paying all his attention to her, and Isabella wondered if Miss Byron went on adventures with him too.

All of it was enough to make Isabella want to run from the party and lock herself away where she never needed to face the world again so that she would not have her heart broken and her spirit angered like that.

It was all too complicated, and the reality of being a caged woman threatened her. The idea of becoming a duchess, and to most likely have children and live her life within the confines of London became all too real.

***

"I tried the cake you bought the other day," Ethan said. "I went back and bought some. You mentioned that you buy it every week, so I needed to know what was so special about it."

"Really?" Miss Harper asked. "And what is your opinion?"

"Much better than the chocolate."

Miss Harper had been the first person Ethan had sought out when they had arrived at the party. He and Mason were still tense, and he had hoped to avoid another confrontation with him. He knew his friend. When Mason was in a confrontational mood, nobody was safe and there was no getting through to him.

"They're my weekly treat," Miss Harper said. "I know it sounds silly, but I always eat it when I start reading a new book. Something about that just seems so celebratory."

"The first pages of a new story are always something special, aren't they?" he asked.

"I suppose I have a habit of becoming too engrossed in it all," she said. "I'm not too proud to confess that a novel has brought me to tears more than once."

Ethan chuckled. "I think it's a good thing. It means you have a sensitive heart."

"Don't let my mother hear you say that," Miss Harper teased. "She always taught me to toughen my heart so that it wouldn't be broken."

"I can't imagine anyone would ever want to break your heart," Ethan said.

The words spilled out of him before he could stop them. He was afraid there might be more instances like that around her. Every time he saw her, she seemed more beautiful to him. Their conversations became more interesting, and he felt as if the world was a better place when he was in her company.

"My father is a mathematician," he said. "He taught me nothing of the heart, but I can calculate things with great accuracy if I needed to."

"Perhaps that is what makes you so kind," Miss Harper complimented him. "Your heart is not dictated by anything."

Ethan thought about it for a moment. He had always thought his heart and emotions were feeble compared to others. Half the time, he didn't really understand what he was feeling, and the other half of the time, he was able to override emotion with calculated, logical thought.

He'd always assumed it made him boring.

"Is that your passion, too?" she asked. "Mathematics?"

"It is what I'm good at," he answered. "Although I've never stopped to consider if it is my passion. It is merely what the men in my family are good at, what they have always done."

"It is noble," she said. "There are many technological advances in our world that would have been impossible without it. All of them, actually."

Ethan smiled. "That is true."

With every meeting, they got to know each other better, and with each conversation, he found that he was even more drawn to her. It was a dangerous thing that he couldn't seem to get enough of.

"There are downsides to being raised to be a logical thinker," Ethan said. "For instance, the men in our family have always treated marriage like a business deal. Do the thing that works out the best financially, and for status."

"That's normal, though," Miss Harper said. "A lot of families are like that."

"Yes, but it has also led to generations of unhappy marriages," Ethan explained. "Not in the traditional sense of unhappiness. The marriages were all successful and children were always born and raised well, but there has always been something missing. Connection, so to speak."

"That's really interesting," Miss Harper said. "I suppose that can make a marriage dull. Where I come from, not such high society, love is an important part of any marriage. It is what gets husbands and wives through their struggles."

Ethan liked that. To know that people loved each other, no matter what happened and that the children were raised in loving family homes. His parents had acted like a mother and father, but hardly ever like a husband and wife.

Miss Harper looked out toward Miss Owen then, who stood motionless at the refreshments table.

"Excuse me," she said. "I'd better make sure she's all right."

"Of course."

Ethan hadn't noticed at first, but he stared after her as she walked away from him. It was as if he had forgotten that the rest of the room even existed. Until a friend of his father spoke beside him, startling him.

"Say, who is that young lady?" he asked. "She certainly has your attention."

Ethan swallowed. He needed to be careful as anything he said to that man could be said to his father later on, and his father would not have approved of him spending all his time with a lady's maid.

"An old friend," Ethan said. "Haven't you just returned from a trip to the country? Tell me, how is the weather there this time of year?"

It was a boring conversation starter, but it was all he needed to turn the conversation away from Miss Harper so that he wouldn't be found out. As soon as the conversation kicked off, guilt set in. He hated that he felt ashamed to be speaking to her. Miss Harper was worth so much more and deserved so much more than that.