The Complicated Earl

by Audrey Harrison

  Tom looked uncomfortable, “How can she refuse to do as they demand especially after what I said? What will happen?”

  “Oh she will refuse to do as they ask, I am sure of it. Her husband if she were ever to marry would not be able to dictate to her in such a way that she sees as unreasonable, so I doubt she will take such from her brothers, as much as she thinks of them. If she thought their argument was justified she would agree, but she will feel you have given them an excuse to force her into marriage, which ultimately solves the problem of her returning to Bath to live independently.”

  “But if she refuses?” Tom persisted.

  “She has too much misplaced pride, she would rather be known as a ruined woman than be forced into a marriage with a man who does not love her,” Mary replied simply. “You may not have set out to do so, but your actions have ensured she cannot return to the life she has known before. Beyond that I do not know what will happen, I cannot guess what the reaction of her brothers will be once they realise she will not be forced into a loveless marriage. I do not know what she is going to do, I am worried what damage her actions will cause.”

  “Oh good God, what have I done?” Tom moaned realising yet again that he had hurt Isabelle in the worst possible way.

  *

  Isabelle was having a tough time with her brothers. They had always protected and cosseted her as she grew. Frank had sometimes been over the top with his attempts at censure, but she had always had an ally in James, so Frank’s harsh words had always been bearable. This time was different. She had both brothers facing her as if she was facing a trial. They were almost barking questions at her and their air was at the very least cold.

  “He said he compromised you, what did he mean?” James demanded.

  Isabelle knew there was no point in trying to hide from what had happened. “We kissed twice.” She was not going to go into details about the level of intimacy that had occurred in the carriage.

  “Where?” James barked.

  “Does it matter?” Isabelle answered wearily. She had not slept properly in two days and she felt that she wanted sleep, not an argument.

  “Of course it matters!” James exploded.

  “One was at the ball of Mr Ollerton’s, his lips barely touched mine, if that’s any help and no-one saw us. The other was in the carriage on the journey to Scotland, again no-one saw us, and so I don’t know what all the fuss is about. Don’t try to tell me that either of you kissed only the girls you have married.”

  James flushed deep red and a muscle started twitching in his neck. Isabelle grew a little more concerned, she had never seen him so angry. “What a man is allowed to do is totally different to what a woman is allowed to do, especially my sister.”

  “Isn’t that a tad hypocritical?” Isabelle asked becoming annoyed.

  “This is exactly what I have been talking about!” Frank interjected. “I told you years ago that you would suffer from letting her run wild and indulging her in her eccentric ways and this is what it comes to. She is nothing but a hoyden!”

  “How dare you speak to me that way,” Isabelle ground out, turning on Frank. “You have been waiting for the slightest excuse to condemn me, haven’t you? What could I have possibly done to deserve such severe censure over the years?”

  “You have made this family a laughing stock,” Frank snarled back at his sister.

  “Frank, there is no need....” James tried to interject, but Isabelle and Frank had reached the end of a long and rocky road, both squaring up to each other and ignoring James.

  “Everyone is going to be even more shocked at your sister now Frank, turning down the proposal of the Earl of Standish!” Isabelle snapped.

  “What?” Both brothers shouted in disbelief.

  Isabelle did take some satisfaction in stopping their condemnation for a second or two while each tried to gather their thoughts. She needed time to catch her breath. “If you think you can force me into marriage, you are sadly mistaken. I am in control of my own life, an independent woman with my own fortune and I intend to exert that independence in this case. I will not be forced into marriage and nothing you say will change my mind!”

  “He said that you lived as husband and wife for days!” Frank said between horror and disgust.

  Isabelle laughed a bitter laugh. “Have you never said things that you did not mean when you were drunk?”

  “He knew what he was saying Isabelle,” James said more reasonable than he had been so far.

  “Yes, he did,” Isabelle said with her lips setting into a thin line. “I should not need to explain myself to my brothers as they should know me enough to trust my sense of propriety, but I see I was mistaken. We discussed as we travelled to Scotland what story we should give to the inns at which we stopped on the way. We decided that because it was the route to Gretna Green we had to be more careful in which story we chose in order for it to be more believable and so agreed that as we were probably older than many of the couples fleeing to the border, that to travel as a married couple, rather than brother and sister would cause less suspicion. We had separate rooms each night and nothing, and I repeat nothing happened in either of the rooms.” Please do not ask about the coach, Isabelle thought to herself.

  “Why would he say those things?” James asked trusting his sister enough to realise she was not lying to him.

  “I don’t know, only he can answer that. Maybe it was spite. We were arguing over the possibility of me marrying Mr Roberts,” Isabelle said.

  “As if that is going to happen now!” Frank exploded. “What sort of man is ever going to look at you now, no man with any decency.”

  “Thank you for that Frank. As I have no intention of marrying, although cutting, your comments won’t really impact on my life too much will they?” Isabelle smarted to hear Frank’s words. She had not expected him to be so hurtful and she did wonder why he seemed to be so angry with her.

  “Enough Frank,” James said sharply. “We need to work out a way of Isabelle maintaining whatever is left of her reputation.”

  “James, no-one has seen the kisses, so as wrong as they may have been there was no harm done and as to the argument with the Earl, none of your guests knew about it. Why all this fuss? Surely we can go on as we did before?” Isabelle tried to sound persuasive, but Frank was having none of it.

  “We’ll know,” he snapped. “We shall know that our sister was willing to flaunt herself at the Earl like some actress or showgirl.”

  Isabelle acted quickly, she crossed to Frank who was standing only a few steps away and slapped him across his face. “How dare you speak to me like that. If that is your true opinion of me I never want to see you again!” She turned and fled the room.

  James turned to Frank. “What in damnation was that about Frank?”

  “She gets away with too much,” Frank muttered rubbing his cheek.

  “Are you jealous of her?” His brother asked in disbelief.

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Frank snapped, but he betrayed himself by flushing.

  “You are, aren’t you? What on earth could you be jealous of Isabelle for? The only thing she has got that you don’t have is a single lifestyle and it was your choice to marry so young, I advised you against it. It is unfair to condemn Isabelle for your foolishness. For God’s sake Frank, if you want some excitement, get a mistress!”

  “I don’t want a mistress!” Frank snapped. “You never see Isabelle’s faults! You are always defending her!”

  “Are you jealous of the relationship I have with Isabelle? Good God man, she was a child when our father died, what did you expect me to do, abandon her? Your jealousy is a nonsense and reflects badly on your character, not hers. If you don’t want a breach between us, you had better go and apologise to her.”

  Frank left the room, angry, but prepared to do what his brother asked. James was the head of the family and although Frank did not want to find Isabelle, he was prepared to do as James asked, but he could not find his sister.
He eventually abandoned his search and sought out his wife instead. He knew he would receive sympathy from her, if not his brother. James had guessed correctly that it was jealousy that fuelled Frank’s condemnation, but he found that once he had started it was not so easy to stop. He did not know if Isabelle would forgive him, but he knew that James would force him to try.

  Isabelle had taken refuge in one of the guest rooms. She had a suspicion that either Frank or James would follow her and she did not feel able to face them. She had thrown herself on the bed torn between anger and upset. She was so hurt at the way Frank had reacted. Never one of her supporters, she had not expected him to turn on her as if he positively disliked her.

  Half an hour passed before she was calm enough to think rationally, she needed to return to the sick room and check on Tom. She moved, looked at her pale face and red eyes in the looking glass, made a face at herself and left the room.

  Isabelle entered the room quietly, Mary was still sitting in the chair reading. Tom’s eyes had opened as soon as the door knob turned. Isabelle took a breath before smiling at the pair.

  “Frank has been looking for you,” Mary said.

  “Has he?” Isabelle responded flatly.

  “Would you like to find him while I am still here?” Mary asked.

  “No, we have said enough today to last a lifetime. There is nothing left that could improve matters.” Mary frowned and looked towards the Earl. “Don’t fret Mary, what Frank had to say only needed an excuse to burst forth. His Lordship just gave him the excuse he needed that is all.” Isabelle moved to the chair that Mary was sitting on and placed her hand on her shoulder. “I think it’s time you returned to James. He will probably want to talk to you.”

  “Is there a problem?” Mary asked, standing to take her leave.

  “No, not in my opinion,” Isabelle shrugged in reply.

  Mary left and the room was silent for a few minutes. Tom had never taken his eyes off Isabelle and she had been unsure what he was thinking so had decided to let him be the first to speak.

  “I am truly sorry for causing any breach between you and your family,” he finally said. “I don’t know what I was trying to achieve by what I said, but causing a rift between you and your brothers was not part of it.”

  “It matters not,” Isabelle said quietly. “Don’t worry, your offer of marriage is being refused by me. Once you are well you can forget the incident and carry on as you were.”

  Tom felt as if he was going to have a relapse for a moment or two as he struggled to breathe. “Are you to marry the clergyman?”

  Isabelle looked at him sharply, but managed to reply in a level voice. “I am not to marry at all. As my brother Frank kindly informed me, no man with decency would ever consider marrying me now. Apparently I am no better than an actress or showgirl.”

  “How dare he speak to you like that!” Tom snarled. “As soon as I am up and about, I shall be speaking to your brother in a way he won’t easily forget!”

  “Don’t waste your energy,” Isabelle said simply.

  “He had no right!”

  “He had every right!” Isabelle snapped. “If you knew of my reputation would you seriously consider marriage, if you had not been the one to ruin it? Of course not, you would not be seen within miles of me, and I have to accept that. I have enough pride not to marry a man who obviously does not care for me, but I am under no illusion of how society will see me if the accusations ever spread.”

  ”They won’t,” Tom said firmly.

  “And how will it stay a secret? I have tried to convince my brothers that it won’t spread, but I am lying to them. All the servants know that your face is supporting a fantastic bruise and that James is walking around with a badly bruised hand. We know how gossip starts and I guarantee that it has started in this case. Oh, I’m not asking for sympathy or apology,” Isabelle said quickly as Tom looked about to speak, “Just for you to be realistic.”

  “I am so sorry Isabelle.”

  “No apologies remember?” Isabelle smiled slightly. She changed the subject as it was time to change the dressing on his leg and she thought it prudent to give him a sleeping draught as his day had been tiring and she was still worried about a return of the fever. There was little time for much talk beyond negotiating what food could be eaten and what sleeping arrangements Isabelle was to have. She insisted on staying with him another night, but a small bed was made up in his dressing room and she slept in there, which meant a more comfortable night for her than the previous one had been.

  Isabelle woke to find Tom still in a deep sleep. She smiled to herself as she watched him, he was a handsome man and made her heart flutter every time she looked at him. ‘If onlys’ wasted lives if they were dwelt on for too long, and she was not prepared to waste her life wishing it away. They had both made decisions and acted in ways that would affect them for who knew how long, but she was not going to wallow in self-pity. She shook herself into action and rang the bell from the hallway.

  She left the maid sitting with Tom in case he woke and required help. Isabelle needed to bathe and change her clothes, so returned to her bedchamber while she had the opportunity. She returned to the sick room to find Mary in place of the maid. Isabelle had requested food be sent up to her room for convenience, so had been able to avoid the breakfast room. She smiled at Mary, but crossed to check on Tom. His breathing had not changed, he still sounded in a deep sleep.

  “He hasn’t stirred while you have been gone,” Mary explained quietly.

  “Good. He needs the rest, it will help him build his strength up.”

  “Frank is leaving today,” Mary said quietly. “I know he would like to see you before he goes.”

  “Mary, I do not want to see him. As far back as I can remember I have had his censure and criticism. I am not saying that I have not done anything wrong, I admit I did act dangerously and foolishly, but he over-reacted. There is nothing for us to say. I will never change enough to satisfy him and he will never understand me, he does not wish to. We shall have to agree to differ and keep as far away from each other as possible. It is best to leave it that way.”

  “I am sorry you feel like that,” Mary said.

  “I have a more important task here. I need to help his Lordship to recover and then you can go on a belated honeymoon!”

  Mary smiled and reached out to hug Isabelle. “I shall miss you when you return to Bath.”

  “And I shall miss you, now go before I start to cry!” Isabelle laughed quietly and shooed Mary out of the door.

  “As commanding as ever I see,” came the voice of Tom, startling Isabelle.

  “If you frighten your nurse to death, you will suffer at the hands of James’s servants. They aren’t as gentle as I,” came the cheeky retort.

  “Can I get up yet nurse?”

  “Certainly not, you are in my power and I intend keeping you there as long as possible!” Isabelle teased as she poured him a drink. Tom smiled at her thinking that she was the only woman who had ever had any power over him and he had not known how to handle it and now it was too late.

  They spent the day together quietly. Tom still tired easily and would often drift off to sleep. Isabelle could tell when he was tiring, the colour drained from his face and the lines around his eyes deepened. She consoled herself with the fact that he was recovering, to try and ward off any worry about relapses developing, but it was very slow.

  On the third day from the fever breaking, Isabelle offered to write a letter to Sophie and let her know what had happened. “I did not tell her sooner as the doctor intimated that your family needed to be gathered when there was no hope left and I refused to give up,” she explained with a sheepish smile.

  “Thank God, someone was fighting for me! Yes, write to her now, but tell her I don’t want any fuss.”

  Isabelle smiled, “Do you want to dictate the letter to make sure I make no errors?”

  She wrote the letter as instructed and sent it off immediately. She
hoped Sophie would take heed to what her brother had said, it would be rather awkward if she arrived in James’s house after all that had happened between them. The atmosphere was strained enough without any further complications adding to it.

  The following morning a letter was received from Sophie, flowing with concern, but she was not professing any desire to visit her brother. She asked for regular updates and said that as soon as he was able to move, she would prepare his home ready for his transportation. Isabelle fought the sinking feeling in her stomach when she thought of him leaving, but she scolded herself, she had had the opportunity of staying with him for the rest of her life and she had turned it down, she would have to get used to the fact that he was going at some point.

  Over the next few days they fell into a routine. Isabelle started to sleep in her own bedchamber and did feel better for it, although the first time she returned to her room, she checked on Tom twice during the night. She made sure he ate his breakfast each morning and then would leave him to have hers. She had not looked forward to joining James at the table but although he was a little more distant than she had been used to, there was not any real change. They never discussed the rift with Frank, so there were no further arguments. Mary also helped, her diplomatic skills coming into force to make the meal more comfortable.

  The mornings were spent with them playing some form of game. Tom could never persuade Isabelle to play cards, but she would play chess and backgammon. The morning was the time that he had most energy, so a game could keep him occupied until lunchtime. They lunched together, Isabelle arranging for a table to be brought into the room that dishes could be placed and she arranged a sort of indoor picnic. As Tom’s pain reduced, he was able to increase his mobility slightly and with Isabelle’s help he could sit up fully in bed.

  Tom usually slept through the afternoon, he was still very weak and soon tired, so Isabelle would sew or read next to him, enjoying the peace and enjoying a little too much the chance to gaze at him while he slept. She left him for the evening. His valet took over feeding him this meal, while Isabelle joined James and Mary and then she would return for a few hours before he slept for the night.