short time he would be here.
The encounter had gone more smoothly than she’d expected. She’d remained in command and he’d acquiesced to her demands. Indeed, he had volunteered to pay her a fortune when she eventually departed. But for all his sweet talk and generosity he had no intention of letting her go. She must have her escape well-planned for when the time came.
Chapter Ten
Isobel dined in her room. All things considered it might be wiser not to spend time with Alexander alone. He was very persuasive when he wished to be and she had no intention of falling under his spell again.
“Sally, you may take my tray down, I’ve had sufficient, thank you. Please return directly to assist me to retire. It has been an exhausting day one way and another.”
For the first time since her return she slept without nightmares and woke early feeling happier than she had in months. She would get up. There was no need to summon her abigail, she was quite capable of dressing herself if necessary. The gowns she’d had altered to accommodate her increasing girth were high necked and long-sleeved. No doubt she would be obliged to have some of her muslins adjusted for the final months.
The sun was barely up and there had been a sharp frost, but not too early to go outside with the dogs. There was nothing they liked better than to race across the silvered grass searching for unwary rabbits. Lacing up her boots was going to become more difficult but at the moment she could manage the procedure perfectly well.
With her thickest cloak around her shoulders she found her muffler and mittens and was ready to brave the morning. Her early appearance caused two of the maids, on their knees scrubbing the floor, to look up in surprise. With sacks tied around their waists they were barely recognizable as the smart girls one saw about the house during the day.
“Good morning, Eliza, Annie, pray don’t disturb yourselves, I shall walk around your pails.”
As there were only two dozen staff employed in her domain she knew each and every one of them, which was how it should be in her opinion. Her dogs slept in front of the fire in the drawing-room and bounded out to greet her.
“Get down, you silly things. Yes, you’re quite correct, we are going outside for your morning constitutional.”
It had been her intention to exit through the boot room door but the sound of the bolts being drawn back behind her meant one of her footmen must have heard her voice and come to open the front door.
“Good morning, Isobel, I did not expect to see you abroad so early. I wake at dawn nowadays and take a brisk walk before I break my fast.” Alexander bent to stroke Ebony’s ears. “I should like to join you but fully understand if you would prefer to walk alone.”
It would be churlish not to let him accompany her when he had spoken so charmingly and given her the option to refuse. “You may come with us, if you wish, but I’m afraid the excursion will be far from brisk. More a stroll, as I find I can’t dash about the way I used to.”
He offered his arm and she took it, relieved she did not feel the slightest bit flustered by the contact. The dogs circled around them barking and he took the hint and found a suitable stick to throw. Thus the walk progressed, when one or other of the dogs returned with a piece of wood she released her grip on his arm so he could throw it again.
“There’s really no necessity. They are perfectly content just to sniff and chase anything that moves.”
Laughing he wiped his hand on his breeches, ignoring Othello. “I enjoyed it; I had forgotten the pleasure of playing with dogs. Do you wish to walk as far as the lake? It will be spectacular when the sun rises in the next few minutes.”
She nodded, finding his behaviour most disconcerting. The man she knew would never have ruined his pristine appearance as he had just done, neither would he have risked tearing his jacket by throwing sticks. Was this a genuine change, or was he dissembling in order to ingratiate himself?
They were returning to the house when a figure on horseback cantered into view. She recognized the rider; this was Reynolds, the estate manager. He was unconscionably early. Did he really expect Alexander to be so eager to see him?
“Reynolds is upon us, my dear. I sent a message for him to come first thing. I wish to spend a full day examining the improvements and arranging for anything further that needs to be done. I’ve been delinquent in my duties; I shan’t be so in future.”
“So you’re not going to ring a peal over both of us? That’s a great relief, I can tell you. I feared that you might …” her voice trailed away and she swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. Just thinking about that awful night made her feel unwell.
“Isobel, what I did to you was unforgivable. I know that, but I’ve given you my word whatever the provocation I shall never be unkind to you again.”
She glared at him. “Provocation? It is
He grinned and raised his hand as if he thought to touch her, then thought better of it as she frowned. “I know—you’re perfect in every way. How could I think that there was even the remotest possibility you would do anything to irritate me?” He released her arm, nodded, and strolled across the turning circle to greet his visitor.
Mollified by his good humour she went in her optimism renewed that somehow they could get through the next few hours without unnecessary aggravation. However, the quicker his business was completed the better. For all his protestations she was not entirely comfortable in his company. He would not manhandle her; whatever he had been in the past he was not untruthful or given to making false promises. The danger lay in his ability to soften her resolve.
He was out all day and returned only as darkness fell. To hear him chatting companionably to the footmen he met in the vestibule was a revelation. If he continued to improve in this way she would no longer recognize him as the man she’d married. Perhaps she would make more of an effort to be civil; after all, only Mary and Sam knew why she had left him. She had no wish for her staff to believe she was being curmudgeonly.
She reached the door as he prepared to ascend the heavy oak staircase. “Alexander, I shall join you for dinner tonight, I would dearly like to know what you thought of the improvements.”
“I shall look forward to it, my dear. Do you wish me to put on my evening rig?”
Surprised he should ask for she could not remember an evening when he hadn’t appeared in formal attire and she worn an evening gown. “I should much prefer to eat in the small dining room and not have to change at all.” She smiled wryly. “In fact I don’t have anything suitable to wear at the moment. I haven’t bothered to alter my grand ensembles.”
“Excellent.” He pointed at his mud spattered clothes and laughed. “However, I can assure you that I shan’t reappear in disarray.”
He took the remainder of the stairs two at a time. How could she not be aware that his physical appearance had improved over these past months? His eyes were clear and no longer bloodshot. His toast-brown hair was shining with health and he moved with a vigour he’d not displayed before. She giggled at the thought that he was becoming thinner and trimmer as she was doing the exact opposite.
Mary appeared in answer to her ring. “I wish to have dinner served in the small dining room. Make sure Cook does not serve an elaborate meal, we are not dressing for dinner.”
“Do you wish to eat at the usual time, my lady?”
“No, we will dine at half past five; that will allow the duke plenty of time to bathe.”
Bill, now referred to as Mr Brown by all the staff, rang the gong at the appointed hour.
Isobel walked towards the door. She was hungry and didn’t wish to waste further time dawdling in the drawing-room. Alexander hurtled down the stairs obviously as eager as she to get to his meal. He was dressed as before, but this time in a dark-blue, superfine jacket, navy blue waistcoat and skintight unmentionables. Her eyes were held by the muscles in his thighs. She could not drag her gaze away.
Aware of her scrutiny he paused and his eyes blazed with that all too familiar fire. This would not do—she would not let herself be bamboozled into acquiescence. She was made of sterner stuff nowadays, was her own
