A/N:
Yay for Tuesdays!
Title: The Duke & The Swan without Wings
Author: MarieCarro
Beta: Alice's White Rabbit
Pre-reader: Brierlynn03
Genre: Historical Fiction/Drama/Romance
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Edward Cullen, the Grand Duke and second son of the King, must find a bride. Isabella Sinclair, daughter of Countess Catherine and Duke Charles, was born out of wedlock and has neither titles nor land to her name. Could she be the bride Edward's looking for? But how is Isabella to marry a man of the royal family without a proper dowry?
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
{CHAPTER 16}
They didn't want to part. Both of them knew they had to return to the ball before their absence caused too much suspicion among the guests, but they were finally back in each other's arms.
"Edward, please, kiss me again," Isabella begged, desperate to feel his physical love, as she had no idea how long these stolen moments would have to sustain her. He more than willingly complied with her pleas, and with each touch of their lips, their actions grew bolder. The knowledge that both of them now knew what the other desired spurred them on, and not even their inexperience deterred them.
Something else did, though, and Isabella gently pushed Edward away when he had her pressed between the edge of the magnificent table and his own body.
"I'm so sorry, my love." He immediately apologized when he realized he'd taken the situation too far. "I didn't mean to force myself on you like that."
She reached up and cupped his face with her hand, lightly tracing his cheekbone with her thumb. "You didn't, and you don't have to apologize. I encouraged you, and if our circumstance were different, I wouldn't have stopped you."
He turned his head and kissed her palm, and then the inside of her wrist. He knew he couldn't let himself get that carried away with her again, but his heated blood was still coursing through him and made it hard for him to think clearly. Especially when she said the only thing stopping her from giving herself to him was their predicament. He was also thankful she stopped them because he definitely didn't want their first time to happen in his council chambers. No, their first time would be in a bed, after their wedding, when no one would be able to take her from him ever again, and he could properly worship her, as she deserved. Not that he knew much about intimacy with women, but he hoped the love for her that threatened to burst forth from him every time she was near would be enough.
"It's not that I don't trust you, and you know I want you," Isabella said, having interpreted his silence as disappointment. "But as long as I remain a bastard, and until our love is officially being recognized, I can't go further with you. I can't risk condemning an innocent soul with my fate."
Edward was thoroughly perplexed by her statement and had to ask her to clarify. "What exactly do you mean?"
She met his gaze with wide eyes. "If I became with child, it would be a disaster. If a duke having a bastard is a scandal, what would it be if a prince did?"
He grimaced because he was all too aware of how common it was for royalty and nobility alike to have illegitimate children, and before he met Isabella, he hadn't even batted an eye toward the practice because he thought it an inevitable consequence due to all the arranged marriages in the higher classes. Few people in his social circles married out of love, and they rarely found more than an amicable partnership with their spouses, if even that.
"You're right. We shouldn't go any further," Edward agreed, but he also wanted her to know something crucial. "However, upon my honor as your beloved, I would never treat our child the way the duke has treated you. Illegitimate or not."
"I know," she said with a small nod. "It's not in your nature to be cruel. But in that scenario, it's not you I would be worried about. It's everyone else."
"I understand," he said and placed the lightest of kisses on her lips to show her he wasn't disappointed in her. He was, in all actuality, very proud of her for standing her ground and telling him with such clarity where her boundaries were. "I love you, my Isabella. One day, I'll have you as my wife, and you shan't have to worry about what you or our heirs are entitled to ever again."
"If only that day could come sooner." She sighed longingly before bending her neck down in defeat. "For now, I think it's crucial you return me to the duke's family. I don't need them to watch me more closely than they already are."
The two of them, with great reluctance, left the privacy of the chambers and slowly made their way back to the lively drama in the ballroom, but before they entered, Edward stopped them.
"I've an idea," he said and handed her his handkerchief, which reminded her of the gift she'd forgotten to give him. "Can you pretend you fell down in a swoon while we walked the gardens? It would appease the crowds about our extended absence."
"I could do that." She nodded but then reached into the reticule she had embroidered just for the evening. "But before we go, I have something for you." She pulled out the handkerchief and offered it to him. "I made it myself. I hope you like it."
He gratefully accepted the gift with a smile and held it to his heart for a moment. "It's gorgeous. Thank you so much."
She took a deep breath to prepare for the spectacle they were about to put on. "Let me lean on you."
"Any excuse to touch you, my love," he whispered in her ear as they slowly walked back inside.
As soon as they were in sight of a couple of guests, gasps could be heard as Edward helped Isabella inside.
"Oh, my gosh, is she well?" the Viscountess of Westwater asked worriedly.
"Miss Sinclair had a faint in the gardens," Edward explained, and the Viscountess let out a horrified sound.
"My family," Isabella mumbled convincingly. She swept her eyes over the room and instantly saw her lady grandmother standing to the side. Their eyes met for a moment, and Isabella shivered as if her blood froze to ice.
The dowager duchess's expression didn't change, but there was something hysterical and gleeful in her eyes, and it frightened Isabella more than anything had previously done in her life.
What was her lady grandmother scheming? And why was Isabella terrified her situation would soon become even worse?
{TDTS}
A week or so after the ball, the castle was silent, without a trace of life, and Isabella nervously wandered through the halls on her own. The duke and her sisters had left the day before to travel to the larger town nearby where a noble man, the Duke of Dawlins, had invited them to stay at his estate.
Supposedly, Eleanor had caught his eye at Edward's ball, and he was most interested in making a match. Unfortunately for Eleanor, the Duke of Dawlins was neither handsome nor young, but he was a duke, and Charles was growing desperate to find husbands for his daughters.
The duchess had broken her fast in her chambers that morning, and the dowager duchess was nowhere to be found, and therein lay the reason for Isabella's nerves. She was still in the dark and mystified by the look her lady grandmother had given her at the ball, but nothing had changed in the days that passed after.
Isabella had also expected a letter from Edward, but both Renée and Philip insisted nothing had reached them.
For the third time that day, she passed the door to the duke's study. The door was securely locked, but that did not worry Isabella for Renée had the key in order to let in the maids so they could air it out daily. What hindered her from going in there to search was that she didn't know where her lady grandmother was, and she didn't want to risk being caught.
She continued her roaming through the rooms and halls until she entered the parlor and jumped with fright at the unexpected presence of an unknown man having tea with her lady grandmother.
"Oh, Isabella, how lovely to see you," the dowager duchess said with questionable politeness. "Would you like to join us for tea?"
The man was staring at her with an intensity that made her very uncomfortable, so she quickly came up with an excuse. "I was about to take a walk, and I wouldn't want to impose on your meeting with Mr …"
"Ashbrook, miss," the man introduced himself and stood up from his seat to give her a respectful bow of his head. He was average looking with light hair and blue eyes. Somewhat older than Isabella, but not by more than ten or so years.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr Ashbrook," she said politely with a tiny bob before she turned to the dowager duchess. "Lady Grandmother," she said and made haste toward the gardens.
She walked aimlessly for quite some time, hoping it would give Mr Ashbrook ample time to leave, and when she entered back inside, she did truly find the dowager duchess alone and seemingly waiting for her.
"Was your walk pleasant?" she asked, her tone rather stiff in comparison to before.
"Very much so."
"Good." The dowager duchess stood up and leaned on her ornate walking stick as she approached her youngest granddaughter. "I haven't the slightest idea what your dealings are with the Grand Duke of Spensley, but if you know what's best for you, it shall cease immediately." She gave Isabella a tight smile before she procured an opened envelope from her pocket. She silently pressed it into Isabella's hand and turned to leave. "Your new fiancé will certainly not be pleased if you continue to correspond with other men," she said over her shoulder.
Isabella froze. "My what?"
The dowager duchess paused and glanced at Isabella. "Mr Ashbrook asked for your hand in marriage, and I accepted the match. He's a wine merchant. A perfect match for you."
As her hands started to shake, Isabella looked at the envelope and recognized Edward's handwriting.
A/N:
Oh fuck!
Many of you had this theory a few chapters ago and to you I tip my hat! You're very insightful, aren't you? Picking up the smallest and subtlest hints :-P
Hope it won't be too tortureous for you to wait until next week after this chapter!
Until next time,
Stay Awesome!