The Complicated Earl (18 page)

Their return to Hampshir
e was greeted warmly by James. Isabelle smiled to herself, Mary already looked so at home in the house and she was happy that the new mistress would love the place as much as her own mother and father had. Everything was organised for the wedding, all Isabelle had to do was sit around and gossip with her sister-in-law and future sister-in-law and play with her nephews. It was not as active a life as Isabelle usually enjoyed, but she hoped that the happiness wrapping around her would help to soothe her inner turmoil.

One morning
Mary sat down next to Isabelle on finding her alone in the library. Isabelle looked up questioningly and raised her eyebrows. Mary took hold of her hand. “I have some news,” Mary said quietly.

Isabelle could not possibly think what news would warrant Mary’s concern, her family was around her and
everyone was well. “What is it Mary, no second thoughts?” She teased.

Mary l
aughed and squeezed her hand, “No, no second thoughts. It’s to do with you my dear. James has invited the Earl of Standish to the wedding and he has accepted the invitation. He will be arriving two days before we marry, although he will be returning to Kent immediately after the wedding breakfast has taken place.”

Isabelle flopped back on the sofa. “Why on earth has James invited him?”

“I think he wanted to show that this was not a marriage of convenience after Sophie. I’m sure the Earl is not concerned in the slightest. James’s marriage has no impact on him and even if we were to stay in London we would hardly see the Earl, but James was determined that he wanted him there on a point of principle.”

“Could you not have persuaded him otherwise?” Isabelle asked.

“I could have, but in my own selfish way I want this marriage to be as perfect as it can be. If that means that there are two days of discomfort for us beforehand, so be it. I must admit, I’m not too keen to see the Earl myself,” Mary admitted.

If only you knew, Isabelle thought
, you definitely would not want to see him at all. She would have to pretend that his attending the wedding did not matter to show that everything was normal. No one could find out what had happened while they were travelling, for both their sakes.

“Don’t
worry Mary, as long as I am sitting far away from him at mealtimes I shall survive,” she smiled at her cousin to give her reassurance, but it was reassurance she did not really feel.

Chapter 1
4

Tom
travelled up to Hampshire by carriage. He had considered riding, but decided that he needed time to think and riding cross country for a few days did not give the same opportunity for deep contemplation. He had been surprised to receive James’s invitation and he had as James had thought he would, considered the marriage as a way of recovering from his disappointment with Sophie. Tom actually felt pity for Miss Leicester, being married as second best. He had at first been of a mind to refuse the invitation, but as he took out a piece of paper to write a reply, he found he could not refuse. Isabelle would be there and he could not waste an opportunity to see her for one last time before their lives became the separate entities that they had been before James had met Sophie.

As the carriage rolled along
in the green lush Hampshire countryside, he thought over what had happened between them. The feel of her touch still haunted his dreams at night. He had been with women, but none that had stayed in his memory as she had. It had taken him days to calm down after he had returned to the inn to find her gone. He had never felt so lost and angry in his life, but he had dealt with it as he dealt with everything in his usual hard way. Part of his aim on this visit was to make Isabelle regret ever running away from him. He did not know why he felt so bitter towards her, but he felt as if her leaving the inn before he returned was a rejection. If he was honest with himself he knew he was being irrational, but not one used to feeling so out of control, he had no idea of how to deal with it and found himself drawn to what would be a torturous visit.

Isabelle had been listening out for the carriage all morning. She was on edge, but determined not to show it. She had dressed carefully, musing whether it was because she wanted him to see what he had missed, but then finally acknowledging that it was to give herself confidence when seeing him again. She knew it was not going to be a
pleasurable experience for either of them and wondered for the hundredth time why he had accepted the invitation. She followed Mary into the hall to greet the new arrival. James was already there, shaking the Earl’s hand and welcoming him to their home. He was the first of the guests to arrive that day. Luckily for Isabelle there would be others and she hoped she would be able to lose herself in the crowd.

Tom
greeted Mary and then turned to Isabelle. He bowed stiffly and she curtsied just as stiffly. She did not meet his eye, but it was an act of defiance, rather than subservience of which Tom understood immediately and felt the anger bubble up inside of him.

James led Tom
into his study for some refreshments and Mary turned to Isabelle. “The first hurdle is over my dear.”

“Yes, not wanting
to wish your happy time away, I can’t wait until Friday!” Isabelle smiled slightly. This was going to be a long two days. Seeing him again had brought to the fore the feelings she had desperately tried to overcome.

Guests arrived throughout
the afternoon, carriages seeming to arrive in an endless stream. Each time the sound of the wheels coming to a halt on the gravel driveway signalled the start of a flurry of activity by the servants and the family. Isabelle took her part in greeting and ensuring everyone was refreshed and rested after their journey. She managed to avoid Tom easily and was beginning to relax when she almost bumped into him at the top of the staircase. She moved back to let him past turning her face slightly away from him.

“How very
well-mannered of you,” Tom sneered as he walked past her. “A pity you weren’t so obliging as to wait until our return to the inn, but you were always one to do exactly as you liked no-matter what the expected way was.”

Isabelle angered immediately. “I thought
my note explained my reasons. I wouldn’t have expected a man like you to understand why I needed to leave, but it is history now, so there is little point in going over it again.” She walked away before Tom could say anything else, there was nothing to be gained in arguing over something that had happened weeks ago and still stirred too many painful feelings. She sought refuge in the library until she had calmed down. She had too many emotions running through her to be able to face anyone immediately, but she knew she had to be strong.

Tom
had managed to find himself a quiet room to calm down in. Yet again he was furious with himself. He had promised that he would rise above the situation and although not be friendly, he had not expected to act like a spoiled eight year old at the first opportunity he had of speaking with Isabelle. He knew that she could still move him, one look at her in the hallway had proved that, but he could not understand why the sight of her made him so angry. He refused to acknowledge that the anger could be caused by feelings of regret. He was already regretting his decision to attend the wedding, but it was too late to back out now without needing to explain to James the reason for his sudden departure.

During the evening meal
Isabelle was seated near Mr Roberts and Mrs Sugden, Mary’s old friend in Bath. Tom was sat towards the top of the table and although they had a clear view of each other, there was thankfully no opportunity to speak. Mrs Sugden knew the gentleman on her other side, so spent a lot of the evening speaking to him, which Isabelle was thankful for. She wanted to speak to a friendly person during the meal and Mr Roberts was the perfect candidate.

He noticed her slightly more tense state and commented on it. “Are you well Miss Crawford, you do not seem
to be enjoying the festivities?”

Isabelle smiled, “Y
es I am perfectly well, just not fully comfortable with my role over the next few days.”

“I suppose it is always harder for those surrounding the bride and
groom. My role is so small it doesn’t have any impact.”

Isabelle could not help laughing at his comment. “You
r role may be small, but most would argue that you are the most important person at the wedding!”

Mr
Roberts returned her laugh, “Well I shall admit to pandering to my feelings of self-importance in considering I may be as important as the bride and groom, but again I am trusting you with one of my secrets.”

“I’m honoured,” Isabelle smiled.

“No, it is my pleasure and if I am not being too forward may I say that it has been a delight to have your company these last few weeks. I never expected to be welcomed into the area as I have since moving here, and especially since your arrival in Hampshire I have been very happy to be considered one of your friends.”

Isabelle flushed slightly, but ret
urned his smile. “Your compliments are undeserved, but you have been a welcome addition to the household too.”

The
party split after the meal; the ladies leaving the room to the men who appreciative of the port and cigars, reclined further into their seats. Tom approached James when the drinks had been distributed and small groups had developed, some moving away from the table.

“I am glad you have found happiness Crawford.”

James looked a little surprised, but pleased. “Thank you. I was sorry about the way things turned out with Sophie, but looking back now I think it was probably for the best. I hope she is as happy as I am.”

“She is. S
he is settling into married life well and I have to admit that Arnold is proving a better family member than I had expected. Thankfully he does not take after his mother!”

James laughed. “I don’t envy you that connection!”

Tom just growled in response, but then changed the subject. “Who’s the clergyman over there?”

“Roberts, he’s new to the area, bu
t proving a very good sort. He’s settling right in and although I had not thought anything of the kind when he first came to the area. Since Isabelle has been here I have a feeling he will be becoming a closer family member before too long,” James said with a satisfied smile.

“Really?”
Tom could only grind the word out. He felt like he had been kicked in the stomach.

“Yes, they have been spending a lot of time together and she se
ems to like him. I know he admires her; he had a word with me last week, but has sworn me to secrecy for now. He does not want to rush Isabelle into anything, particularly since everything is changing because of my marriage. He’s a sensible fellow, she could do a lot worse.”

Tom
suddenly wished himself a thousand miles away from this house and James’s smug smile. He had doubted his sanity about making the trip and now he knew he should never have come. He would have preferred not to have to sit through two days of someone else making love to Isabelle in a way that he could not, or would not let himself do.

Isabelle was
oblivious to the strong feelings she had stirred in the two men and was grateful that the evening had ended without any interaction between herself and the Earl. If her luck held for the next two days, she would never need to see him again and although in some way it hurt to think that, it was less painful than seeing him and not sharing what they had in the past.

The day before the we
dding dawned and Isabelle helped Mary as much as she could, especially as her normally composed cousin was becoming jittery. They walked down to the church to arrange the flowers on the altar. “Has Frank spoken to you about returning home with him when they leave?” Mary asked as they organised the displays. Mary had chosen simple flowers that could be sourced locally.

“Yes, and I’
ve said thank you, but no thank you,” Isabelle said firmly, her lips pressing into their usual thin line when her living arrangements were mentioned.

“Will you stay with us for a while? Not because I don’t think you
will ever go back to Bath, but I don’t want you to rush into accepting just anyone as a companion,” Mary said quickly, needing to explain her reasoning before Isabelle became annoyed at her interference.

Isabelle smiled slightly, “I don’t really have much cho
ice, but that sounds ungrateful and I don’t mean to be. I will stay for a little while thank you. You will be hard to replace, so I agree I shall take my time before deciding on whom to invite to live in Bath with me.”

“You flatter me
. Mr Roberts seems to like your company,” Mary said trying to look innocent, until she caught Isabelle’s look and then burst out laughing. “He does! I am always going to think highly of anyone who admires you Isabelle, so you can stop glaring at me!”

Isabelle continued to glare, “D
on’t think that one wedding will lead to another dear Mary. Keep your matchmaking to yourself.”

“Do you not like him even a little bit?”

“Yes, of course I like him; he has been a welcome relief over the past few weeks. From Frank I mean, not you,” Isabelle said quickly with a smile. “Do I want our friendship to develop further? I don’t know. I am doubting my own judgement as it has been flawed in the past, but I shall not rush into anything. I can speak to a man without wanting to marry him you know.”

“The problem is,” Mary smiled, “
That you only ever want to be friends with a man and they all tend to fall in love with you. I wish one of them could persuade you to marry him, but each time they receive a rebuff and from your expression it looks as if Mr Roberts may suffer the same fate. It is a great pity; I would love for you to have the chance to live nearby. What am I to do with you Isabelle?”

“Leave me in peace!” Isabelle pleaded.

Isabelle found herself unavoidably in the same company as Tom later that day. There had been a group who had decided to go for a brisk walk around the grounds and Isabelle and Tom had independently joined them. Isabelle had decided that avoiding him was an option, but ignoring him was rude, so when she found herself next to him, she broke the silence.

“How is
Mrs Arnold, your Lordship, I hope she is well?”

“She is
,” came the clipped reply.

It is harder to be polite
in practice than I first thought, Isabelle mused, but turned to him with a smile. “Do they intend to live in Kent?”

“No, they are to settle in London. Sophie has a notion of helping the Misses Arnold to find husbands.” He did not want this conversation with her, but to walk away would be bad mannered.

“She did have a protective streak towards the Arnolds,” Isabelle smiled. “How is Mr Arnold?”

“He is well, more sensible than I had anticipated.”

“He does as you say then?” Isabelle asked innocently enough, but Tom had the distinct impression she was laughing at him.

“He takes my advice on matters of business, yes,” he snapped.

“I’m sure he is a delight to you,” she said quietly, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly.

She was teasing him and
he could not respond in kind, it angered him that she was not feeling as wretched as he was. “Yes, I am delighted when people respond to good advice given with their best interest at heart,” he ground out through clenched teeth.

They both knew he was referring to Isabelle l
eaving again. “Perhaps you haven’t always understood the feelings of those you so easily give out advice too. Sometimes your advice could be wrong,” Isabelle challenged.