After delaying it as long as she could, Isabel Asturias is ready to make her debut onto the marriage market. Like every other mama in town, Lady Asturias hopes to gain an audience for her daughter with the season's most eligible bachelor, the Viscou...
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The Hearts and Flowers ball was perhaps the most anticipated event of the social season, and Isabel now counted herself among those itching to arrive at Aubrey Hall.
In all her excitement, her mother commissioned her a new dress for the occasion with the most beautiful fabrics and ornate embroidery. Normally, Isabel would've cringed a bit at her mother's well-intentioned antics, but now she found herself sporting the same hope that Sofia did. She hated the feeling gnawing in her stomach, but she couldn't get rid of it no matter how much she tried. She pushed it down as much as she could and reminded herself to manage her expectations. Time had shown her that hope was a dangerous thing.
The day finally arrived when the ton would make their way to the country estate. Isabel focused her attention on the charming countryside as they made their way over. When they finally arrived, she was astounded by the grandeur of the estate and the beauty that it held.
She inadvertently found herself searching for a certain someone the minute that they stepped out. She mentally cursed herself the moment she caught her hope bubbling up again. He was a host now; things wouldn't be so easy.
Much to her delight, Benedict found his way to her.
"Hello, Isabel," he said with a cheeky grin. Her stomach fluttered upon hearing him use her name. The scandalous nature made it that much more exciting.
She grinned right back. "Hello, Benedict. I can't say I'm surprised to see you here, given that we are at your family home and all."
"Yes, it would be quite strange for me to be absent. That, and my mother and sister would have my head."
"Eloise?" Isabel asked with puzzlement. "Really?"
Now Benedict was the one with confusion on his face. "No, Daphne. The Duchess of Hastings."
"Ah. I have yet to meet her."
"But you've met my second sister?"
"We've... spoken." Isabel didn't want to divulge the details of their intimate conversation.
"Well, I hope she has not disparaged my name to you too much."
"Oh, no, she merely told me all of your faults and how you're the most pestilent brother," Isabel said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.
Benedict pouted like a child. Isabel scoffed at this, and his pout curled into a smile.
"I see my mother gesturing for me to meet more guests, so I am afraid I must leave you," Benedict said. "But I look forward to seeing you at the ball."
"As do I," Isabel said sweetly. She watched as Benedict made his way over to his mother, and she breathed in deeply. Her heart swelled each time he sought her out in a crowded room, and this was no different.
That night, as Isabel draped a necklace on her clavicle and spritzed on her perfume of gardenias, she couldn't help but think back to the moments she had shared with Benedict in the garden. She rarely spoke about her life with her father, even to her mother, as it brought too much pain to think about it. But knowing that there was someone else in her life who understood what she went through and who she could share that part of her heart with made her feel elated.
