“And that makes it all right?”
Again, one shoulder lifted in a shrug. “It’s not intentional.”
Sebastian was silent for a moment, and then reached out to take her hand. “Izzy, look at me.”
She did so, and he could see the embarrassment swirling in every one of her features.
“I want to add a condition to our arrangement,” he told her gently, squeezing her hand. “I would like to help you to become less biddable and accommodating.”
Her eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
He nodded once. “Not to make you less likable or warm or anything else that is so prevalent in your good nature, but in the hopes that you will be able to stand up for yourself. That your voice will be heard. And that you will find that as valiantly as you defend others, you should also defend yourself the same.”
Izzy stared at him, her lips parted once more, and he could measure the length and depth of her breathing with his eyes alone. “Why?” she finally asked, her voice as timid as Kitty’s ever was.
Sebastian smiled at her then, unable to do otherwise, and he ran a thumb over her hand. “Because I am your friend, Isabella Lambert, and intentionally so. And I care enough to see things change.”
Impossibly, she smiled at that, and he felt a rush of air escape in a sigh.
“Is that smile an acceptance?” he asked with a laugh.
“Nobody has ever said anything quite so lovely, Mr. Morton,” Izzy told him with an impish tilt to her head. “I accept. Provided I may also claim the dance you owe me this very moment.”
He chuckled again and bowed slightly. “Nothing would give me more pleasure, Miss Lambert.”
“What if I trod your toes?” she asked as they moved to join the next dance.
“I’m quite sure it would be a very pleasant trodding, indeed.”
And it was.
Chapter Thirteen
Familiarity is a blessing and a curse. We bless it, we curse it, and once you have it, there is no going back.
-The Spinster Chronicles, 1 February 1816
“I cannot believe he agreed to take us on!”
Us. She’d said only a few days ago that she liked the sound of that, and it had pleased him. Now to hear the same from her sent a curious sensation of warmth racing into the center of his chest, where it spread out to the tips of his fingers and toes.
Us. The word seemed magical, alight with twenty thousand stars in the sky, twinkling in all their majesty.
He blinked away the sudden yearning he felt rising and pressed his lips together in a firm line, swallowing. “I was convinced he wouldn’t.”
“So was I!” she gushed. “He was so very long about his decision, and you know he was playing with us for his own amusement.”
Sebastian took the chance to look at Izzy, and the wild grin on her face produced one on his own. Helpless laughter escaped, and he straightened, turning towards her. “Well, Miss Lambert,” he said, still grinning, “do you think you could bear to put up with a partnership with me in truth?”
Izzy nodded in an almost frantic way that he found utterly charming. “I think I could manage that, yes, Mr. Morton.”
Her exhilaration was contagious, and he had the most bizarre urge to sweep her up and twirl her around, to hear her giggle incessantly over their success, and to express his own complicated emotions. He was thrilled for her, he was eager for himself, he was breathless with anticipation for the future, and he wanted…
Izzy was suddenly at his side, seizing his hand, eyes widening. “How are we going to manage this? I can’t call upon you, and you can’t call upon me without someone suspecting something. And we must be able to meet face to face about this, it cannot all happen by post.”
That was true, and he’d been thinking about that for some time. They both glanced at Kitty, who was too busy daydreaming as they walked to pay much attention to them. “Easily,” he assured her, the thrill of their success finally fading. “You are mentoring my sister, and this is known by several. You will be calling on Kitty, not me. And Kitty, accompanied by me, will call upon you. Everything can be done smoothly and quite properly, and no one will be any the wiser.”
Izzy’s lips twisted in a slight smile. “Except it does leave Kitty without much by way of mentoring. I cannot spend all of my time with you and abandon her entirely.”
No, she couldn’t, but the idea had merit, in his mind.
“Of course not,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “We’d manage both. Kitty is fine, Izzy, I promise. She’s actually very excited about being an accomplice to our secret arrangement.”
“Oh, Lord,” Izzy muttered as she looked up at him. “I’ve been allowing her too much time with Charlotte.”
A dramatic shudder rode down Sebastian’s spine, and it made Izzy laugh.
“Please,” she protested with a half-hearted smile. “Charlotte isn’t that bad.”
Sebastian looked at her but said nothing.
His silence amused her, he could tell.
“What?” she asked suspiciously.
“It would be ungentlemanly to contradict you, or to suggest otherwise of Miss Wright,” he informed her stiffly. “Under the circumstances, I will remain silent.”
“Not that again,” Izzy groaned. “The next thing I know, you’ll refuse to call me Izzy, and never smile, and stop talking, and all of the effort I put into loosening you up will be for naught.”
Sebastian tilted his head at her, well aware that she was teasing him, but finding a prickle of truth in it. Worse than that, he didn’t know how to respond to her. He couldn’t tease her in return, not in the same way. He was too much of a gentleman.
Much to his disappointment.
Izzy sobered at once. “I’m sorry if my teasing makes you uncomfortable,” she murmured, concern wrinkling her brow. “Kitty may have mentioned that you aren’t fond of such things. I should have listened.”
“It isn’t that,” he replied quickly. “It’s only that I am out of practice.” He gave her a small smile, a sort of apology, he supposed, for not being as congenial as he ought to have been.
As he could have been.
Should have been.
An impish smile curved Izzy’s lips, and the maddening urge to kiss them flooded his system.
“So… you don’t mind if I help you practice?” she asked with hope, still teasing him.
He needed her teasing. He needed to smile and laugh, to feel alive instead of simply pressing on. Izzy did that for him.
What else could she do for him?
“No,” he told her in a low voice, smiling at her. Just for her. “No, I don’t mind at all, Izzy.”
Her fingers brushed against his, and it was only then that he realized he still held her hand. He stared at them, marveled at the perfect fit, and how he could have held her hand for so long without realizing it.
Shouldn’t he have been fully aware of it every moment?
Slowly, he raised his eyes to hers, and even slower, he brushed his thumb along the back of her hand.
He heard her breath catch, sending a thrill of satisfaction into him, and suddenly this whole venture seemed an even greater idea than it had before.
More time with Izzy, more chances to make her smile, more opportunity to have her tease him, and more moments of this pulling sensation that tugged at his heart.
If he wasn’t committed to this project before, he most certainly was now.
Izzy blinked her wide, captivating eyes, and her finger twitched against his.
He felt that more than he had ever felt anything in his entire life.
“Come here, you two,” Kitty said, waving them up to her, effectively breaking the moment. “Come and see this!”
Their connection broke as Izzy hastily moved to his sister, leaving Sebastian in his place, now rubbing his own fingers together.
See this? Yes, he rather thought he did want to see this.
And he was damned curious where it would lead.
“You didn’t invite all of them, did you?”
“No, dear, I did not.”
“Not that I would be ungrateful, because it would be very kind of them…”
“Kitty, you’re turning into a chatterbox. Are your anxieties so much that it changes your nature?”
Kitty blushed and tightened her hold on Sebastian’s arm. “No, of course not.”
Izzy took pity on her and looped her arm through her free one. “I’m teasing you. I know better than to throw everyone at you. Only Grace and I will be joining you. I invited Georgie, but she is unwell again.”
“Oh dear,” Kitty whimpered, giving her a worried look. “Is there anything to be done?”
Izzy smiled at the girl’s question, innocent though it was. “Not for several months. Then it will be right as rain, I expect.”
Sebastian snorted a laugh, then coughed to cover it.
Kitty looked up at him, then at Izzy in confusion before understanding dawned. “Oh,” she said softly, eyes wide. Then she giggled, her cheeks coloring. “You must think me silly for not being aware that…”
“I think nothing of the sort,” Izzy interrupted firmly. She inhaled, then sighed, smiling around at their surroundings. “I do love London on brisk days.”
“Do you?” Sebastian asked, looking over his sister’s head. “Why?”
Izzy shrugged, smiling in delight. “I don’t know. It reminds me more of the country.” She looked at Kitty, who was watching her with interest. “I am quite envious of you and your time in the country.”
Kitty smiled softly, then returned her gaze forward. “It was lovely, I suppose. But it was lonely.”
Izzy heard Sebastian’s intake of breath and saw him stiffen out of the corner of her eye.
Kitty felt it and looked up at him, her face hidden from Izzy. “Oh, Sebastian… I didn’t… I didn’t mean…”
“Miranda!” Izzy called, waving in outright relief to see Miranda Sterling in an open carriage near them.
Miranda saw her and waved gaily back. “Isabella Lambert, you are a glorious sight!” She rapped her hand on the edge of the carriage. “Stop at once.”
Izzy very nearly hauled Kitty over to her, separating her from Sebastian before any further awkwardness could ensue.
Miranda smiled with her usual benevolence. “Izzy, dear, you are the breath of fresh spring air we all wish would come soon.”
“Just a few more weeks, Miranda,” Izzy reminded her, rolling her eyes at Kitty, who smiled, but had returned to her more timid self.
“Yes, yes,” Miranda sighed, shaking her head. She turned away for a moment. “Darling, don’t fret, you may sit up and see for yourself.”
“To whom is she talking?” Kitty whispered beside her.
“Rufus,” Izzy said at the same time as Sebastian, who ambled up to them.
Kitty turned to frown at her brother. “Who?”
On cue, Miranda’s beloved bloodhound raised his head, moaning sleepily and licking his snout. He yawned, then turned his bleary eyes to Kitty.
“Oh!” Kitty exclaimed in surprise, blinking at the dog.
Miranda giggled to herself. “Yes, Rufus has that effect.” She cupped his face and made several loud kissing noises, before scratching his head and turning back to them. “And who, pray tell, is this delightful girl?”
“Kitty, this is Miranda Sterling, Tony’s stepmother,” Izzy explained with a smile. “Miranda, Miss Catherine Morton.”
Kitty curtseyed prettily, her smile less hesitant. “Delighted, ma’am.”
Miranda eyed her with the sort of speculation Izzy had learned to mistrust, before beaming. “Kitty Morton, it is a pleasure. Your first Season, is it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kitty replied meekly.
Miranda hummed, flicking her gaze to Sebastian. “A bit like you in that regard, is she, Morton?”
“Yes, Miranda,” Sebastian answered without hesitation. “Kitty has always been a timid creature, more inclined to reserve, as I am. Miss Lambert has been kind enough to help Kitty there.”
“Izzy would,” Miranda simpered, giving Izzy a pitying look. “Such a good heart.”
“I’m no candidate for sainthood, Miranda, and you know it,” Izzy retorted.
Miranda speared her with a look. “You’re closer than any human I know, Isabella Lambert, and I would vow the same in any church without the slightest fear of damnation.”
Sebastian coughed a surprised laugh, which spurned Miranda’s smirk.
Izzy scowled at him. “You are not helping, sir.”
He only shrugged.
Miranda hummed again, then opened the carriage door. “Kitty Morton, come ride with me a while. I should like to know you better.”
Kitty paled at once and looked to Izzy for help.
“Miranda, I don’t…” Sebastian tried, jumping to his sister’s defense.
“Oh, stop that,” Miranda snapped as she waved at Sebastian. “I won’t bite her, Morton, and neither will Rufus.”
Izzy sighed and stepped back, gesturing for Kitty to get in. “We are due at Bolton’s shortly. Miss Morton must have some new gowns for the Season.”
“Oh, delightful,” Miranda exclaimed, helping Kitty into the carriage. “Put it on my bill.”
“No,” Sebastian insisted firmly. “Miranda, I can afford to dress my own sister for the Season.”
“Don’t grow indignant with me, Sebastian,” Miranda scolded, giving him a sharp glare as Kitty situated herself. “Izzy may be your sister’s mentor, but I shall be her sponsor.”
Izzy gasped, looking between Miranda and Kitty in bewilderment. “Miranda…”
Miranda tossed her head. “None of that. The dresses go on my bill, Sebastian, and I will procure a spot at Almack’s for Kitty to open her first Season with flare. And as she is so timid a creature, it will be the most dignified and understated flare that ever was. Drive on!”
The carriage rolled on, and Kitty stared after them with wide, terrified eyes.
Sebastian heaved a sigh and shook his head slowly.
“What?” Izzy asked, smiling at Sebastian’s suddenly resigned countenance.
“That may be the last I ever see of my sister,” he told her, giving her a wry look.
Izzy giggled and turned towards Bond Street. “Come on, we’d better get to Bolton’s before Miranda shows up with your sister.”
Sebastian turned to walk with her, clasping his hands behind his back. “This is improper, you know. Being unescorted.”
“Oh, please,” Izzy retorted with a soft laugh. “There’s a footman ten paces behind us.”
“A footman is not a chaperone, Miss Lambert,” Sebastian told her, his tone taking on a formal edge.
“I have no need of a chaperone,” Izzy shot back. “I am out shopping, for which purpose a footman is perfectly suitable.”
“Not when I’m in attendance,” came the reply, amusement seeping into the formality.
Izzy peered up at him with a smirk. “Then go away.”
Sebastian chuckled once. “No, I don’t think I will.”
“Oh, not so gentlemanly, then. I approve,” she teased. “Besides, you sat with me in my parlor without a chaperone. Here, we have any number of passersby who would be witness to any impropriety. We are perfectly safe, are we not?”
“If you say so,” he muttered, then looked at her for a long moment as they walked. “Do you find me very ridiculous, Izzy?”
She shook her head at once, her heart dropping to her stomach. “No, not at all. No, I think… I think you might be the least ridiculous man I know, Sebastian.”
Her words seemed to take him by surprise, and he looked away, but not before she caught sight of a smile.
At last!
Her heart hadn’t been quite steady since Cousin Frank had told them he would take her stories on, and it had only gotten worse when Sebastian had been as relieved about the whole thing as she was. The breathless smile he’d given her, and the moment where their hands
had clung so tightly… It had been all she could do to avoid throwing herself in his arms, and taking his hand seemed a rather restrained version of it.
How could she have known that holding his hand might have done more to unravel her than anything else?
And now she would have to thank Miranda for giving them this time alone.
But that would only give Miranda more fodder for her mischief making and nobody needed that.
“And you are…” Sebastian began, his voice low, “far kinder and more generous than I ever anticipated.”
Izzy couldn’t bear to look at him and found herself holding her breath. “Is that bad?”
She felt his hand on her arm, and he pulled her to a stop.
She swallowed, then forced herself to meet his eyes.
He smiled at her, a caress in his lips, his eyes, even the gentle crease at the corners of his eyes. “No, Izzy. It most certainly is not bad.”
She went from holding her breath to losing her breath all in one moment, all by the power of this man before her. This quiet, reserved, complicated, incredibly handsome, and gentle man, whose smiles she was coming to crave with increasing frequency.
And he was going to be spending more and more time with her.
She had better get used to breathlessness, then.
What a peculiar thought.
Izzy cleared her throat and started towards Bolton’s. “I can hardly believe we succeeded today,” she said in a rush. “There is so much to do, and so much to think about. And the cost… I don’t know where we are going to get the money, but surely we can find a way.”
Sebastian chuckled, and the sound warmed Izzy more than anything in recent memory. “Yes, indeed. We have quite a task before us. Can you bear to have your dreams come true, Miss Lambert?”
She nearly gagged at the anxious pain in her chest and throat. “Lord… In truth, I don’t know. Now it is upon me, I…”
“Izzy!”
Izzy jerked to see Grace descending from her carriage, and realized they were just outside of Bolton’s. And she had been brushing arms with Sebastian.
She took a step away and forced a smile for her friend, though the distance between herself and Sebastian suddenly felt cold and gaping.
Spinster and Spice (The Spinster Chronicles, Book 3) Page 17