“I…I’m sure that I sometimes do.” She had to laugh.
“Well, I’ve not seen it. I can’t imagine it would be that bad.”
“I’m not a shy person, but I am not abrasive either,” She said. “I do have my own thoughts and desires.”
He nodded. “Yes, I have seen that. I…wanted to tell you how impressed I was with how you handled my brother’s actions the other night, especially when the Earl confronted you. I have to think that if he had not met you on the floor that way, you may not have known what was said to him. It would have left him thinking of you the wrong way. I am glad we were able to set the record straight.”
“Yes. I am, too.”
“I began to think of you more frequently several months ago.”
“It has been months?”
“Yes, it has. I have been coming here on the guise of seeing your father but…” He gave her a small grin and bit his lip. “I was really coming to see you, to be closer to where you are.”
“Oh, Edward!” Her surprise sent pleasant waves through her. She’d been in his sights for months, and she hadn’t even known. “Did you say something to my father?”
“I didn’t have to.” Edward had to laugh. “He could tell. He started telling me about your day, just as if I had asked or as if it was a normal topic of conversation for him.”
“How would he do that?” Isabeau was curious, trying to think of what her father could possibly have to say about her.
“He would tell me something interesting you had said or mention where you were sometimes for no reason. I didn’t notice he was doing it for a while and when I realized it, I began to wait for him to tell me about you and what you were doing.”
“I think from now on you can just ask me.” She grinned.
“I would like that. If you will let me.”
“You have my permission.”
“You will see me on a regular basis then?”
“Edward, I would love that.”
He took her hand and kissed it gently, not letting go when he was done.
“That makes me a very happy man, Isabeau. I will be waiting for you to fall in love with me as I have with you.”
She put her hand over his and smiled warmly at him. “You don’t have to wait, Edward. My heart already belongs to you.”
*****
THE END
The Duke’s Decision – A Clean Regency Romance
Chapter One
Richard Wentworth was a Duke of some note. Despite the noble and beautiful ladies that surrounded him, however, he had yet to find interest in any of them. He had too much to consider, important responsibilities and duties, and had not found a woman among them who he felt would work alongside him in his endeavors. They smiled a lot. That was about all he could think of to say, and he wanted more than that.
He looked around the room and sighed. This was the second Season he had spent standing in a ball room, watching the action from a table to the side, where he sat with his legs stretched out and a drink in his hand. Another dance would begin soon. It was…he had to stop and think for a moment…Lady Kathleen Caywood with whom he would be dancing.
He’d danced with her before. She was capable of performing the moves but had nothing of substance to say. He wasn’t altogether surprised that she had not been chosen by any of the Lords, Dukes and Earls that were also available and looking. So much scrutiny.
He was fully aware that he was in the eye of the ladies as much as he was scrutinizing them. It wasn’t fun for him the first time he’d done this, and it was even less amusing now. The loss of his wife, the mother of his children, four years previous had pivoted him into a spiral of depression that had gripped him for two long years. It was only the prompting of Elizabeth that had put him on this path, trying to find a suitable mother for his three children and hopefully find a woman who would fill his heart with love and his life with laughter and happiness. He longed for the happiness he’d once had but was fearful it would never be found.
As he looked around him once more, his hopes were not lifted. He sighed once again and took a drink from his glass. A new song started, and he spotted his sister heading toward him. Her fingers were tightly clutching her handkerchief, and she looked worried. He sat up and straightened his jacket and tie. He smiled up at her and stood up when she was a few feet away.
“Dear sister! How lovely to see you.”
“Yes, yes.” She sounded exasperated with him, and he tried not to be amused by it. “I see that you are having a wonderful time here. Why, by the looks of it, you might have been poisoned, just floundering back on that chair the way you were, I mean, if you don’t dance with someone, how will it look? This is the second season that…”
“Ssshh, dear sister, sit down and take a breath.” He gestured to the chair next to her and held her hand as she lowered herself into it.