by Wells, Nancy
“Same age as her?” her mother asked.
Russell’s lips twitched. His brother was an eccentric person. He was a grown man, but his behavior was still childish. His need to look alike was something that should make him worry, but he would do anything his brother demanded to make him happy. His brother was a bit daft, but he relied on his brother in all matters of life. His brother had played a large hand in bringing him back to life. If it were not for Shane, he would be still screaming in his sleep. His recurring nightmares had stopped due to his brother’s support. Shane had slept near him for a long time, keeping vigil beside his head, making him feel secure and safe.
“In spirit, but not in body,” Russell said, recalling his brother’s attributes. “He is a bit, I am lacking the proper term to define my brother, but some might call him, deranged.”
Her mother laughed at his definition of his brother. She had seen her mother smiling on occasions, but she had never seen her guffaw. Her mother truly approved of him if she was willing to set aside the rules of decorum in his presence. She realized her mother had welcomed him into her family in a very short time.
Chapter 7
Isabella had received a letter of invitation from the duchess next-door to visit her estate. She had liked the duchess when they had met, but their friendship did not run so deep that she hoped for an invitation to visit her home. She had no interest to visit, but her mother was forcing her to accept the invitation. The only thing that made the situation a little more tolerant was that Margaret was also accompanying her.
They were received at the entrance by a butler who escorted them inside with respect. Out of all the nobility, the members of this house were the only ones who welcomed them with open arms. Inside the house, she met the duchess, accompanied by an army of maids.
“Thank you for bringing my guests inside,” the duchess said to the butler.
It was a strange thing to see a mistress of the house showing gratitude to her servant. Isabella was kind to her servants, but she would never thank them for doing their job. They were paid for doing the jobs they were hired for. She did not have a title, but she would never let herself become friendly with her servants. The mistress of this house was a duchess, the highest rank in nobility, yet she was stooping so low as to show gratitude to a servant.
“Keep the little one safe, dear child,” the butler said kindly. “Do that for me and I will accept your gratitude.”
She watched in amazement as the duchess grinned. Not only was the butler being thanked for his job, but he was also cozy enough with his mistress that he was allowed to call her his child. She was also raised by a servant, but she never called him her father. Philip was a nice person, but he was not related by blood. She would never give him the place of her father.
“Elliot has assigned all these maids for the purpose of keeping both of us safe,” the duchess said, putting a hand on her belly. “No harm can befall the little one as long as the father is as protective as my Elliot.”
She would surely get heart failure before the day was out. She had entered into a strange world where a duke was called by his first name in front of the servants by his wife. This level of frankness between the hostess and the servants was unheard of.
“Your Grace, the guests are feeling left out,” a maid chimed in.
She stopped counting the number of unusual things happening in that house because she was afraid she had stepped into a new world where no one cared about the rules of society. Her mother would go mad if she saw the behavior of the duchess. Isabella was reluctant to admit that she was a little envious of her.
“Oh, forgive me, Lady Isabella. I believe I got carried away,” the duchess said, smiling sheepishly.
Even without meaning to, Isabella smiled broadly. She was reluctant to accept the invitation in the morning, but now she was glad to have accepted it. The duchess had been nice when she had visited their house, but in her own house, she was more open and approachable. Isabella would not mind making a friend of the duchess. She had a suspicion that the duchess was not judgmental like the rest of the ton.
“Not at all, Your Grace,” she said. “In fact, your life is a breath of fresh air for me.”
The duchess smiled at her compliment and bowed her head slightly, showing her appreciation. She then looked towards her little sister.
“Lady Margaret,” the duchess said. “I have something private to discuss with your sister. Willy will show you around in the meanwhile.”
Isabella became uneasy with the secrecy of the matter. She was not that familiar with the hostess of this house as to talk privately with her. The duchess seemed a nice person, but they were not friends yet. They had to establish a bond before sharing private matters with one another.
Isabella looked at her sister, silently asking her to stay, but Margaret was not paying attention to her. Her sister was staring angrily at Willy. Willy was making faces and teasing her sister in a way only a child could do. She looked from her sister to Willy and realized that it was probably the first time her sister had a chance to befriend someone her own age.
“Margaret,” she whispered, nudging her sister with an elbow. “Go with him and stay on your good manners.”
Isabella got a bit worried. Margaret was shooting daggers at Willy. It was clear from her sister’s behavior that Margaret had no intention of behaving cordially. This day was surely going to end in a catastrophe.
“Oh, I will,” Margaret drawled, glaring at Willy.
Isabella watched with a sinking heart as her sister left with Willy. Margaret was taller than Willy. There was no doubt left in her mind that her sister would box his ears before the day was out.
As soon as they were out of sight, her attention diverted back to the duchess. She was so focused on her sister that she did not see the maids leaving them alone. She was standing before the hostess of the house all alone, which made her further uneasy.
“I am not sure how to make it sound less odd, but I am not the one who invited you here,” the duchess said. “He is a good friend of my husband and I could never refuse him anything because I feel indebted to him.”
Isabella was fully attentive now. She knew no one in high society. She had no clue as to who would want her at the duke’s estate. The only person she was acquainted with in this house was the person standing before her, but puzzlingly, she was not the one who had invited her. She had never met the duke, let alone his friends. She wanted to know the identity of the person who used a proxy to meet her instead of calling on her house.
“If Your Grace does not mind,” Isabella said respectfully. “May I inquire about the identity of this person?”
“Mr. Russell Simon,” the duchess replied, and Isabella’s eyes widened in surprise. “I see you are familiar with him already,” the duchess said, reading her expression. “I had no clue about your involvement with him, but keep in mind, Lady Isabella, I will not tolerate if anyone took advantage of him.”
If she was being honest with herself, she was a little frightened and a lot impressed with the duchess. The former reaction was due to the duchess’ ire that would sear her if she hurt him and the later reaction was due to the intensity of protectiveness the hostess felt for him. Russell might be clueless to the fact that there were a lot more people in his life who considered him family. He had mentioned his brother and father, but there was no mention of a fierce duchess who was willing to threaten her if she hurt his feelings. He was fortunate to have so many loving people in his life.
“I hear your message loud and clear, Your Grace.”
The duchess bowed her head slightly, accepting her response, but not fully convinced. Isabella wanted to tell her the love she felt for him, but she knew it would only make her sound like a needy person. She loved him and that was enough for her. It did not matter to her that the whole world saw the depth of her feelings.
The duchess looked behind her, smiling at someone. She looked and saw Shane leaning against the doorframe with his
arms wrapped around his chest. She had no idea how long he had been listening to them, but judging from his expression, he had been standing there for a while. He was smirking in her direction, probably thinking about their first encounter. Isabella touched her cheeks and found them warm with embarrassment. She was not sure whether she would ever be able to face him without feeling mortified.
“You came just in time,” the duchess said. “We were talking about you just now.”
Isabella knew that the duchess thought he was Russell, but she was one hundred percent sure that this was his brother. Whenever Russell was around, her heart started beating fast, butterflies wreaked havoc in her tummy, and most of all, she had the urge to kiss him where he stood, but at this moment, she did not feel any of those emotions. The duchess was wrong. They were not talking about the person standing in the room. The person of their discussion was probably not even aware of her presence in this house.
“I hope you were not discussing anything bad about me,” he said cheerfully. “It would be cumbersome to prove my good character to my intended if my image is already tainted.”
He sauntered towards her like a panther. She was clueless about his intentions behind impersonating his brother, but she was not going to play his game. Not even for a second did she doubt his identity. They might look the same, dress the same and talk the same, but Shane could never make her feel the things his brother did.
“Intended?” the duchess inquired. “Have you proposed?”
She was not paying attention to anything else except the approaching figure of Shane. She did not like the way he was looking at her. There was no doubt in her mind that he was up to something nefarious. There was a possibility that this was his way of taking vengeance for her actions in the alleyway.
“Indeed, I have,” he drawled.
Isabella stood up abruptly from the sofa when he sat beside her. She did not want to call him out on his lie in front of the duchess, but she was also not going to sit near him. His intentions did not look good. He was dangerous.
He pulled her back by her hand, forcing a yelp out of her. “Have a seat, Lady Isabella,” he said, tipping her head up with a finger under her chin. “There is no need for the sudden shyness. We are past the point where we pretend to stay chaste because you and I are both aware that we have shared more than a simple kiss.”
She was feeling trapped. She had no clue as to how he came to know about the details of her relationship with his brother, but she was sure that Russell had not told him. Russell would never stoop so low as to humiliate her by discussing the details of their intimacies with his brother. He might be close to his brother, but their love was not something superficial. Russell would never insult their relationship, she was sure of it.
“If you do not cease impersonating him this instant,” she whispered near his ears. “I will not be responsible for the repercussions. You might be stronger than me, but I will fight you if you do not unhand me this instant.”
The smug look dropped from his face and was replaced with genuine curiosity. He let her go and leaned back on the sofa. He was silent for a few moments and then he started to laugh. It started with a chuckle and then turned into guffaws in a few moments. She shared a look of bewilderment with the duchess who seemed as perplexed as she.
“Is he laughing at me?” she asked the duchess.
Before the duchess could respond, he sat up straight on the sofa and held her palm in his hands. This time, she felt the respect in his gesture. It would seem like she had passed some hidden quiz. Shane was without a doubt the most twisted and dubious man she had ever met.
“No, my love,” he said, “I am not mocking you. I am just amazed at the good fortune of my brother. The only person who could ever differentiate between us was our late father. You are a special person, Lady Isabella. I am looking forward to having you as my sister-in-law.”
The duchess did not make any comment on his deception. Isabella realized that it was probably a routine for them. If she had not harbored strong feelings for his brother, she might have confused them too.
She also became aware of the true purpose behind this deception. Shane was testing her level of commitment to his brother. She was a bit unnerved by his methods, but she saw his love behind this move. It was the deep-rooted love of one sibling for the other that pushed him towards taking such drastic measures.
“I am excited to know you too, Brother-in-law,” she said, her lips twitching. “But I have to return home now. My mother would be worried if we did not return before evening.”
She wanted to spend more time with her future brother-in-law, but it was getting late and her mother would be worried. She could not wait to become acquainted with him. He could become the brother she never had. This strange man could fill her life with laughter and merriment.
“You are spending the night here, Sister-in-law,” he said and winked.
The news was so shocking that she gawked at him for a moment without blinking or moving a muscle. She had no clue as to whether he was serious, or if this was some twisted joke. She might not have known him for a long time, but she would not put it past him to make jokes that were beyond her comprehension.
“Pardon?” she asked.
He made a face, suggesting she was daft to ask this question. She could see a glimpse of similarity between the brothers when they pretended to be exasperated about something, but beyond that, she would never blend them together. They were both different people with different personalities. One only had to look past their similar faces to see two different people.
“A letter was dispatched to your mother in the name of the duke. You, my dear, are staying the night.” She opened her mouth to interrupt, but he answered her unasked question on his own. “Your mother had no objections.”
She looked towards the duchess, gauging her reaction, but she seemed as surprised as her. The duke had not shared his plans regarding their stay with his own wife. If it were someone else, she might have believed that, but in the short time she had known the duchess, she had sensed a strong bond of love between her and her husband. He would not do anything without seeking her counsel. This was all Shane’s doing. This reeked of his diabolical mind’s twisted tricks.
“You wrote the letter,” replied the duchess.
He smirked, confirming their suspicions. He had written a letter in the name of the duke and sent it to her mother. She did not understand his reasons for taking this step. He had nothing to gain whether she stayed the night or left early.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
He tilted his head to one side, raising a brow at her query. He was making her feel like an idiot. He made her believe that her inquiries were ridiculous. Either his questions were as easy to answer as he thought, or he was just a narcissistic person who thought very highly of himself and regarded her beneath him. If she had to guess, she would believe the latter to be true about him.
“My brother would be upset if he knew you had left without seeing him.”
She was rethinking her opinion about him. His reason was not that difficult to guess. She did behave like a dimwitted person by voicing that question. Her connection to him was due to Russell and she was leaving without visiting that same person.
“Where is he?” she asked.
She knew he was not home because she would have felt his presence by now. She had no clue as to how it was possible, but they were both able to sense each other whenever they were in close proximity. They shared a connection on a deeper level. They were able to identify one another even with closed eyes.
“Something about purchasing a property in a different town,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly. “I am not interested in the details. All I know is that he will return late in the night and would be thrilled to see you.”
Thrilled was a small word to describe what she felt when they were together, but she was not going to share that with her brother-in-law. Their love was not as superficial as to need someone’s
approval.
Margaret entered the room in an overexcited state, followed by a smirking Willy. She had suspected that they would get into a row with each other after the way they had left, but their expressions suggested they were on good terms with one another. A bond of friendship had developed between the two children.
“I climbed a tree and fed a worm to a birdie,” Margaret said gleefully.
Isabella had missed the mud on her sister’s dress, but now when she looked closely at Margaret, her dress was sullied and wrinkled. Margaret had done more than climbing a tree. Their mother would be incensed if she saw her daughter in this state, but Isabella did not mind in the least that her sister was enjoying herself. Margaret had only a few years left before she was introduced into society. Her sister deserved to feel like a child for once in her life.
“Is this your way of wooing a lady, Willy?” Shane asked, raising a brow.
Willy made a face, disgusted at the notion of wooing a lady. His expressions were so innocent, none of them could resist laughing at him. Willy and Margaret were the only ones who remained serious. The children in the room were not appreciative of the adults’ sense of humor.
“She is my friend,” Willy protested. “Stop making fun of us.”
“Exactly,” Margaret chimed in.
They laughed more loudly at their innocent remarks. Innocence was a rare commodity these days. It was not an everyday occurrence that two children stood up for each other, defending the other against a group of adults. Their friendship was pure and without selfish agendas.
“Willy, my boy, did the lady ask you to say this?” Shane asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Are you afraid of getting a set down from her?”