SWNOVELS A Spinster for the Earl: Chapter 21
When Isaac arrived at Lucy’s house for their fourth promenade, he hadn’t been expecting to be greeted by her no-nonsense father, and he certainly hadn’t expected to sit down across from him in his office, with no clear path of escape.
Of course, Lord Wilkes was very kind and gracious when he spoke. However, his eyes told a different story. They were gray, completely different from his daughters’ eyes. They were harsh and a little sterile, as if they could see right through Isaac.
“Thank you for sitting down with me, Lord Ramsbury,” Lord Wilkes said. His hands were folded neatly on the desk in front of him, and despite his welcoming smile, Isaac felt threatened. “It is a pleasure to meet the man that has been going on promenades with my Lucy.”
“Equally a pleasure to meet you, Lord Wilkes.”
“You have gone on… two promenades?”
Isaac caught himself before he accidentally corrected him. “That is correct.” There were exactly two that Lord Wilkes should ever be aware of.
“And this would be your third.”
Isaac nodded. “It would be.”
“My Lucy would not go on them if they hadn’t benefitted her in some way.”
“That is one of the reasons why I hold such admiration for her.”
Isaac’s palms were clammy. This was starting to feel more like a test than a casual conversation. He supposed any father worth his salt would do his due diligence when selecting a good match for his daughter. But the Earl was likely confused because as far as he knew, Lucy’s parents were both aware of how little she regarded marriage.
“We have run into each other quite a bit as of late due to our mutual friends.”
“You are close with Lord Weston, yes?”
“We went to university together.”
“Good family,” Lord Wilkes said approvingly. “The Duke of Radford is a very important part of our family. He has spoken your praises.”
“He—he has?”
“Don’t tell me you’re surprised now.” Lord Wilkes laughed, but the laughter didn’t reach his eyes.
“He is as hard on me as he is on Lord Weston,” Isaac explained. “But he and I are both investors in Weston Downs, so we have worked together as of late.”
“Good investment,” Lord Wilkes said. “Maybe I should throw my hat in.”
“Lots of expansions to be made,” Isaac added. “Lord Weston was born for the races.”
Lord Wilkes nodded. “Everyone is born for something. I might ask what you consider yourself to be born for.”
Isaac was taken aback by the question. It was rather intense, and truth be told, he wasn’t entirely sure what he was born for.
“I suppose I was born to be an earl. There is no point in giving you an answer any more colorful than that,” he said. “I was born for my county.”
“Ah.” It didn’t look exactly like the answer that Lord Wilkes had expected. Maybe he was disappointed, but Isaac didn’t want to lie to him. It had just always been that way.
“It is funny,” Isaac began. “I realize that I am born to be an earl, and by extension, I am born to continue my family line. I had never looked forward to that. I never wanted a family or a wife, but things are different now, of course.”
Of course. Isaac realized as he said it that he just expected everyone else to realize how much he wanted this, when he’d never even admitted it to himself before.
“Now, if things were different and I had no duty, no predestination, I would still want it,” he continued.
“What changed?” Lord Wilkes’s eyebrows were furrowed. He likely knew the answer.
Didn’t everybody? Didn’t everybody know how Isaac felt? The Earl couldn’t even hide the way that Lucy had changed him. How can one person change so much?
“Your daughter hasn’t changed her mind about marriage, but at least she changed mine.” Isaac swallowed hard. It felt good to admit it because for him, at least, it felt like a change.
Lord Wilkes grimaced. “I trust her to make the right decision for herself, whether that is you or no one,” he said. “But I hope you will at least make your intentions clear to her as you have to me. I wonder if her reservations only exist because she’s never known anyone to admire her in that way.”
“I plan to, Lord Wilkes.”
Lord Wilkes stood up from his seat and shook Isaac’s hand. “She is probably ready to go, wouldn’t you say?”
Isaac nodded, his chest buzzing with apprehension and worry. He had to tell her. She had to know.
If there was ever a more picturesque place than the Thames Embankment to feel sick to your stomach with nerves, then Lucy would very much like to see that. Her hand was in the crook of Isaac’s elbow, and she was holding onto his arm tight enough so that she wouldn’t shake. Their chaperone trailed behind, leaving more than enough room for freedom of conversation.
The Embankment was lovely this time of year. The water was placid, and tall ships were sailing through. Everything was in full bloom, and the air was warm and light.
“I missed you this week,” Isaac said.
Lucy blushed. “Fortunately, I had a good memory to carry me through.”
“Me too.” He smiled. “It actually distracted me so much that Adam’s dog managed to tie me in Pall-Mall.”
“Well, he’s a notorious cheat,” she said.
Isaac laughed. “Well, it wasn’t all bad. Business is good at least, and I even got to experience the thrill of an interrogation at the hands of your father.”
Lucy slapped a hand to her face. “I am sorry about that.”
“It actually was a nice discussion. He’s a good man, and an even better father, I assume.”
“What… did you talk about?” she asked.
It seemed maybe as good of a time as any to bring up her meeting with Arabella, but she was nervous about how he’d react. She wanted to believe that since he had spoken to her father, it might be okay, but she knew it was different. She took a deep breath.
“Uhm…” He paused, looking more like he was fabricating an answer than recalling it. “Just business. For the most part.”
Lucy wanted to push, but she wasn’t sure if she had the right, considering that she would hate to repeat every part of her conversation with his mother.
“How’s your mother?” she asked instead. Maybe he knew already.
“My—” His face scrunched up in confusion. “My mother? She’s fine,” he answered.
She exhaled. He didn’t know. The thought crossed her mind that she could just not tell him, but she wanted to be honest with him. He’d find out, eventually.
“Actually, I had wanted to talk to you about—”
“Wait,” she interrupted. He looked at her, his face tightening with concern when he noticed how distressed she was. She closed her eyes tight. “Your mother invited me over for tea.”
“Wh—when?” Isaac stopped walking, pulling her to a halt beside him.
“This past Thursday.”
He looked beyond frustrated, his jaw set. “I am glad you didn’t go. I don’t know what has gotten into her lately. She has been so intent on meddling in all the worst ways.”
Lucy opened her mouth, but she couldn’t say it.
He paused, seeing her hesitation. He ripped her hand off his arm as if she had burned him. “Tell me you did not go.”
“I thought you would be there,” Lucy said, her heart pounding like she was attached to a pair of symbols. “And by the time I realized you weren’t… what was I meant to do?”
“I don’t know. Leave!” He caught himself just before he raised his voice any further. “You should have left. What did she have to say to you?”
“She… I don’t think she knows how to talk to you, Isaac. She’s hurting.”
He shook his head, his breaths harsh. “Tell me you didn’t go, Lucy.”
Lucy closed her mouth and stepped away from him. All she wanted to do was hide from the world, and maybe even herself. She thought she had done what she had to do, but she had hurt Isaac in the process. She had no idea what their relationship was like. She’d assumed herself to know at the ball, but when she had arrived for tea that day, it had been very apparent that his relationship with his mother was bitter and deadened.
“I can’t,” she mumbled, her eyes burning. “I won’t lie to you.”
“You know I keep my family matters private. I told you why, and still, you went behind my back so you could see for yourself. My mother is broken. Could you not just take my word for it?”
“She’s broken because of—”
“Come, I am taking you home,” he gritted out.
He turned back on the path and began walking. Lucy stood there for a moment, watching him walk away without waiting to see if she was beside him. Had she ruined everything? Her intention wasn’t to snoop, but he wouldn’t listen to her.
He looked back over his shoulder, and she ran after him, falling into step with him. They stayed silent the entire way back.