As the carriage turned into the drive of Newcomb, Isobel lowered the window and craned out like an urchin ignoring her mother’s demands that she sit down immediately.
“Look at that monstrous building— it must have hundreds of rooms. I’ve never seen anything so enormous in all my life.”
“Isobel, sit down at once. How can you express such a view about your future home? You should be grateful it is not in the north of England but a mere morning’s drive from Town.”
“I beg your pardon, Mama, but the thought of spending the rest of my life here is quite daunting. It must have a hundred staff to maintain it. How am I going to manage to run such a place?”
Her father frowned and cleared his throat noisily. Hastily she sat down, recognizing the danger signals. “Isobel, I am shocked by your disrespect. This place will not require your intervention; there will be a housekeeper and butler to take care of things. Your duty is to be a good wife and provide your husband with an heir.”
“Yes, Papa. I know what is expected of me, and apologize if I have given offence.”
A small army of liveried footmen were waiting to greet them. Where was Bentley? Then he appeared in the doorway and strode down the steps to snatch open the carriage door himself.
“My love, you are here at last. Come, let me show you around your new home.” Ignoring her parents, and the second carriage that contained the rest of her relatives, he escorted her inside. She was almost running to keep up with him.
“Please, my lord, should I not speak to the staff that were waiting to greet me at the door?”
“Absolutely not, darling girl. I have something to show you and it cannot wait. Remember, you will be my duchess the day after tomorrow. You’re answerable to no one here apart from myself.”
She was breathless when he stopped outside handsome double doors. Two flunkies bowed and opened them. “My word! What a pretty sitting-room. Is this to be mine?”
His delight at her reaction told her she had said the right thing. “I’ve had your apartments refurbished and redecorated. That’s why I have been absent so much these past few weeks. I wished it to be perfect for you.”
Her heart skipped and impulsively she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Laughing he swung around like a child and kicked the door shut in the faces of his staff. “If there is anything I’ve forgotten, anything else that you wish for, you only have to ask.”
She gazed round the room, her eyes wide as she took in exactly what was there. She ran from one item of furniture to another exclaiming in pleasure. “A walnut desk, and a harpsichord. Look, an easel and everything I need to paint. I cannot believe it, you have chosen all these novels and they are exactly what I would have picked myself.”
“I spoke to your mother when I was in Norfolk and she told me of your interests. I have a stable full of horses you can ride. As I don’t care for house pets there are no dogs here for you to fuss.”
At the mention of her own beloved animals she felt a moment’s sadness. She would miss them sorely, but her siblings had promised to take care of Ebony and Othello in future. “You’re a kind and generous gentleman; thank you for doing this for me.”
At that moment she had no doubts. He might be a reserved man, might not love her as she loved him, but he cared enough to oversee the redecoration and refurbishment of her apartment personally. That was enough to reassure her she had not been mistaken in her choice.
Chapter Four
The ball was a great success and, defying convention, she danced every dance with her future husband. Waltzing for the first time was magical. He held her close and they twirled in time to the music in a world of their own. Every time he looked at her his eyes burned with something she wasn’t quite sure about. The slightest touch of his hand sent shivers of excitement up and down her body.
As Mary helped her disrobe she decided to ask how a husband and wife were intimate. She understood somehow they must become as one body in order for the man to transfer his seed, but she was rather unclear exactly how this happened.
“Tell me, Mary, what will my husband do on my wedding night?”
“I’m not sure I should be the one to tell you this, it might be better to wait and not know the details.”
There must be something Mary did not wish her to know. “As you’re a married woman, and closer to me than anyone else, I am relying on you to explain everything.”
By the time all had been revealed she rather wished she had remained ignorant. However, she now understood the strange hardness she had felt pressing into her when she had been in his arms. After her abigail left she mulled over what she had been told. The aperture into which a man’s part must go would not even stretch to receive one of her fingers. She would be torn apart— no wonder in the olden days a bloody sheet was held up for all to see to prove the new bride had been an innocent.
She slept little that night. She rose early and found her way to the stable yard. A sleepy groom was only too pleased to saddle up the pretty grey mare she selected and to accompany her on her ride. The exercise and fresh air cleared her head. She would not think about her wedding night. She would concentrate on the here and now. There was the garden party this afternoon and she must not be out of sorts for that.
“Where is Lady Isobel, Lady Illingworth? She did not come in to breakfast this morning.” Alexander hoped Isobel wasn’t hiding from him.
“I believe she went out on horseback and is now resting so she will be fresh for this afternoon’s event, your grace.”
He relaxed, he should have thought of that himself. “Thank you, madam; I was concerned she might be unwell.”
There was to be a substantial spread set out for his tenants and staff, barrels of ale and jugs of freshly made lemonade plus pasties and the like. Fortunately the day was fine; it would be a perfect April afternoon, ideal for such a celebration. The sooner her tedious relatives departed the better. Isobel would settle more quickly if she had only himself to turn to for advice. He didn’t want anyone from her past at Newcomb— this was to be a fresh start for both of them.
The fact that his bride was marrying in order to restore the fortunes of her family made things a lot easier. She understood their union was more a matter of business than anything else—she to provide him with an heir and he to settle a vast sum on her impecunious father. His lips curved. It would be no hardship sharing her bed.
There were still two hours until the start of the garden party. As his nuptials drew nearer his mind turned constantly to his beloved Eleanor and he was beginning to think he was making a grave mistake. He would retreat to his study and fortify himself with a much-needed brandy or two. He was drinking far too much — had been doing so for years— but alcohol was the only thing that deadened the pain.
Foster arrived and roused him from his doze. “Your grace, I beg to inform you your guests are assembled and your tenants arriving in the park.”
Alexander swung his boots to the carpet and eased himself upright. He must desist from drinking during the day for it gave him a damnable headache. He checked his cravat was undisturbed and headed for the drawing-room. Isobel curtsied, but carefully avoided eye contact. There was something bothering the girl. He must give this some thought.
During the afternoon she walked at his side smiling and speaking naturally to his people. He glanced down at his lovely bride. He had chosen well, she was the perfect chatelaine for his home. She wasn’t Eleanor— she was irreplaceable. Isobel was beautiful, biddable and eminently beddable and this would have to do. He hardened at the thought of what awaited him the following night.