The Wrong Woman (19 page)

“But, why? I must confess that I do not understand what has just happened here.” He gave a nervous chuckle.

“What has happened is that you have just confirmed for me what I have been hoping for.”

Miles was finally beginning to smile. He seemed to believe that Cat was telling him the truth about her feelings.

“You have been hoping that I would fall in love with your sister?”

Cat stopped and looked at him in all seriousness. “You love her, truly?”

Miles nodded, smiling at Cat. “I am fairly sure that I do.”

“This is wonderful! How did it happen?” Cat drew Miles over to the sofa where they sat while he talked about Izzy and how he had realized that he was falling in love with her.

Cat took it as a mark of their friendship that he confided so much in her.

“Miles, I am so glad that you have told me all of this.”

He sighed. “To be honest, it was good to speak of it. I have had all of it weighing on my mind, and I dreaded how to explain it to you, dreaded disappointing you after leading you to believe that I would marry you.”

Cat began to laugh again. “I will never forget your face as you told me that you would marry me
if I wished
. What a dreadful proposal. You shall have to think of something better when you ask Izzy to marry you.”

“If she wakes...”

This thought made them both sober.

“Cat, do you think she will wake?”

“Oh, Miles, I do hope so, for both of your sakes. I have always wished for someone to love Izzy as I do. I have never thought it fair that people laugh at her.”

“They laugh at her because of me, I am very sorry to say. I am not sure that Isobel will ever forgive me for that.”

“Then you do not know Izzy, Miles. She has the biggest heart in the world. It is only that the world does not get to see it all the time. They are too busy looking at her outsides or ignoring her all together.”

He did not say anything.

Cat continued. “You know, I believe Aunt Hetty was right that you and Isobel have much in common that way.”

“What way?”

“You pretend to be very cool and so far above everyone else. You wear your imposing black clothing with your silver trim. And you hold yourself aloof from feeling too much. But now you cannot hide from me. These last days I have seen that your heart is just as big as Izzy’s.”

“Well, please keep your suspicions to yourself,” Miles grinned at her. “I do have a reputation to uphold.”

“I will keep my knowledge to myself, but you must promise me that you will tell Izzy that you love her as soon as she wakes up. It is vital information.”

“I promise you that I will speak to your sister. But do you think she will love me, too?” The poor man looked so vulnerable. Cat wanted to give him a hug. This was certainly not the Miles she had met that first night at the ball. This man was decidedly more pleasing.

“Miles, I think she will love you. She might not realize it at first. She has spent so many years thinking of you as the enemy, after all. But if you truly love her, then I think she cannot help but love you too.”

Miles sighed. “I wish I could be sure of it.”

Chapter 25

Isobel had memories of heat. Intense heat that burned her skin from inside out. But the memory was quickly fading. The heat was gone.

But in this new place there was so much light. It was painful. Like with the fire, she could not escape. It was everywhere around her. Isobel tried to shut her eyes against it, only to find that they were already shut.

Maybe if she just opened them she could find the source of the light and put it out. Though it hurt, she slowly forced her eyelids open. Only a sliver. It was still overwhelming. She moaned.

She closed her left eye, closer to where that light was coming from, and opened her right eye a little further. She turned her head in that direction.

And there was a face. Someone in her vision. The face had too much light on it for Isobel to make out who it was. But she felt the face was familiar. She winced again.

“Isobel?”

She groaned in response. Whoever it was seemed to realize the light was too much. She heard the rustle of fabric. And then there was blessed darkness. Isobel relaxed. The pain was gone. She struggled to open both eyes, blinking rapidly.

And there was the face again.

“Aunt Hetty?” The words barely a squeak from her dry throat.

“Yes, child.” A cool hand on her forehead. She closed her eyes again. “I am here. And I am so very glad to see you.”

Isobel tried to smile, but the muscles in her face felt so weak.

“Drink...” And suddenly there was a cool cup against her lips. Isobel swallowed eagerly. The liquid felt so good, like it was the first she had tasted in a year.

She needed to get up. She tried to move, but could not. She felt so weak. She tried to move again. And felt the worst pain she had ever felt. Even worse than the fire of her dreams. Isobel cried out.

“Hush, child,” the cool hand on her forehead again. “Try not to move.”

“Aunt?” Isobel's voice was growing stronger.

“Yes.”

“What happened?” Isobel felt the throbbing pain coming from her left shoulder.

“What do you remember?” Aunt Hetty's voice was calm and soothing.

“The alleyway... that mad man... Lord Revere!” At the last thought, Isobel tried to sit up again. What had happened to Miles?

“Isobel, please do not try to move. You are weak yet. Lord Revere is safe and well. You were shot in the shoulder.” That explained the pain.

“But why am I so weak?” She could hardly hold her eyelids open now. She felt like she was slurring her words together.

Aunt Hetty patiently explained. “You were shot. And then you went into a fever.” That must have been the burning feeling. “You have been asleep four days.”

“Four days?” She could not believe it.

“You must rest now. And I must go and tell your sister that you are awake. She will be so happy. I love you, my dear. Rest now.”

Isobel was glad to close her eyes. Each moment that passed made it harder to hold them open. Four days she had been here in this bed. No wonder she was weak.

She fell asleep repeating “four days” to herself.

* * * * *

“Miles! Miles!”

Miles could hear his brother calling even from outside of the house.

“Miles!” Jack burst into the house still calling his name. Miles heard Watson yell after Jack that his brother was in his study. In short order, that very room was invaded by the out-of-breath figure of his brother. He had not even bothered to take off his coat and hat.

Miles rose quickly. Fear clutched at his heart. Something was wrong. Something had happened.

“Miles!” Jack exclaimed again. His eyes were alight with something. “I have news.”

“What? What is it? Speak!” Miles stepped out from behind his desk and toward his brother.

“Miles, I have just come from Aunt Hetty's house and...” Jack grinned at him. “Isobel is awake.”

When he realized the full importance of what his brother had said, Miles went weak. He clutched at the side of the desk, propping himself up. A sob escaped his throat as relief flowed through every part of him.

Jack stepped forward and embraced his brother, laughing in relief as he did so.

“Isn't this good news?” Jack asked, speaking into his brother's shoulder.

“And she is all right?” Miles held Jack at arm's length, searching his face for an answer.

“Cat says she is very weak from having no food. But she is awake and speaking. The doctor said she is expected to recover fully. He does not yet know about her arm. But she has escaped with her life.”

“Thank God,” Miles sighed.

“Yes, thank God,” Jack agreed. “Now you can tell her that you love her.”

“What?” Miles' eyes snapped up to his brother's face.

“You mean to deny it?” Jack was grinning at him.

Miles paused, then said, “How on earth does everyone know about this?”

“Not everyone. Just those of us with eyes in our heads.”

“Have I been that obvious?” Miles was suddenly conscious of himself and his recent behavior.

“Not at all. But Cat and I have been speaking and we think it is wonderful for both of you.”

“You have been plotting?” Miles teased.

“Not as such, no. But we did agree that you and Isobel are much better suited to each other than you and Cat. It does not matter, though, because you
do
love her. Do not try to deny it to me. I saw the way you reacted just now.”

“I do not deny it,” Miles could not help but smile. “I think I do love her.”

“Well, you must not go today. The poor woman needs her rest. But soon, brother, you must go and speak with her. I will be very glad to have two such sisters as Isobel and Cat.”

“She has not said yes, yet,” Miles mumbled.

“No, but she will, I have no doubt.”

Miles could not be as sure as his brother about Isobel's feelings. There was a long history between them. And while he had had time to contemplate it and realize how wrong he had been for so many years, he did not know that he could make Isobel see that change.

He was coming to know his own heart, but how could he show it to her? Miles was not sure he could speak to her so easily of love as Cat and Jack wished him to, as he himself wished to. But he was resolved to try. Now that she was awake, now that she had come back to him for a second chance, he would try.

Chapter 26

“Ugh!” Isobel fell back to the bed with a thud. All morning she had been working herself up to rising from the bed. It had been so frustrating these past three days to be confined because of the weakness of her limbs. She knew she needed rest, but it was infinitely frustrating not to be able to do simple things like standing.

Yesterday the doctor had said that she might try to rise, if she felt she had the strength. Her shoulder was healing well and she would not be in danger of re-injuring it by moving from the bed. But that did not seem to matter as she could not get up anyway.

So here she lay, half on the bed and half off, her nightgown gathered in a most unladylike way around her knees. Isobel could feel a cool draft blowing over her legs. But she did not have the strength to move them at the moment. She did not even have the strength to cry like she desperately wanted to do.

Since she had returned to life, Isobel had been attended almost constantly by doctors or family members. And she had not wanted to show her utter frustration while they were around.
It is unfair to them
, Isobel thought.
They are doing all they can. This is no one’s fault. So I must be strong for them.

But really, she wanted to scream and rage. Why had this happened to her? Her shoulder still throbbed with pain when she moved it in just the right way. The doctor had said that she might regain full use of the shoulder if she exercised it properly once it was healed.

“I guess I should be grateful that I did not lose my arm,” she muttered.

Or my life.
There was always that. She was alive. And no matter how she hurt inside or out, no matter what happened to her arm, she had life. As she lay half off the bed, though, it was hard to appreciate that fact.

Would death have been so bad? Would anyone have missed her? A perverse part of her wanted to say no, that no one would have missed her. But she knew in her heart that it wasn’t at all true. Her family would miss her. They were worth living for, of course.

Isobel sighed. But living through something like being shot made one look at life a little differently. What was her existence, after all? She was comfortable, surrounded by love and affection from her friends and family.

Never Lord Revere, though… Isobel swallowed the lump that had risen to her throat. The gentleman had not been far from her thoughts these past days. How could he have been? Thomas Davenport's desire for revenge on Lord Revere had prompted him to kidnap her in the first place.

The events of that evening – so close to her memory and yet so far away – replayed themselves again in her mind. The ball. The descent down those stairs. The wounded pride.

And Lord Revere – Miles. Then there had been him. He had come to find her, to comfort her. He had dried her tears.

And then he had kissed her.

Many times these past days Isobel had closed her eyes, trying to remember that moment. She could not forget the feeling of heat that had passed between them. Even now, the memory made her skin prickle with awareness.

That night she had run away from it, from him because it was wrong. A small, still sane part of her brain had reminded her, even in the heat of his embrace, that Miles was betrothed, or almost so, to her sister. He would wed her and they would have a family. Isobel would be the spinster aunt that visited on holidays to bounce their babies on her knees. He would marry her beautiful and thin younger sister.

How could he ever want me anyway? And why would I want him after all that he's done?

Isobel could not believe that Miles had even
meant
to kiss her. They had been alone in a darkened room primed for encouraging intimate moments. Just because he had kissed her did not mean he wanted more, did not mean he had even intended to do so. But no matter how she reasoned with herself – and she had done so over and over and over again – her heart raced at the thought of that kiss, just as it had raced when she had known what danger he was in. She had wanted to protect him. It had been torture to stand there and watch him grow more desperate.

God, she was in love with the man after one kiss. What a stupid girl she was. A man showed some small affection — a man she had despised until only a few weeks ago — and she fell in love with him. It was sad, actually. So sad that she began to laugh at herself.

“Izzy!” Cat exclaimed, running into the room.

“Hmm?”

“Is everything all right?” There was concern in her voice. “Why are you laying halfway out of the bed like that?”

“I am fine, Cat,” she said as she struggled to sit up again. “I tried to stand up and found that I could not do it. I was laying here regaining my strength for another try.”