A Heart Like Glass [Book 1]

Chapter 12

Despite the cool breeze, it was a pretty day at the dukedom. Cute, puffy clouds dotted the blue sky with rays of sunlight weaving around them. If the circumstances were different, then I would have spent the day lying on a blanket in the clearing.

Instead, I'm standing at the front of the mansion on cobblestone. During the walk over here, I tried to focus on the blister that was forming on my right heel. But the pain hadn't been enough to extinguish my nerves. Now there's a lump in my throat, and I can feel sweat beading under my arms.

But I'm doing my best to seem pleasant as a new face studies mine. I tried to think of happy thoughts to make my smile seem more genuine. Meanwhile, the shadow of the large, iron gate loomed over us during that pivotal moment. So, I'm not sure if I'm pulling it off.

"Keelan, Adaliah," the duke said in a kind voice and made a motion towards the pretty lady in front of us. "This is your sister, Isolde. She was lost for a long time, but God has blessed us with her return. It seems we have found favor in his eyes."

I wanted to snicker at his words. I'm pretty sure the duke has never said a single prayer in his life. While the Howell family believes that God created earthea and gifted it the magic that they use so frequently, they have never visited the temple. Then again, I don't think many nobles do, but I'm sure that they, like Howell, donate money to it from time to time. Yes, the duke may fund the church, but he certainly doesn't pray. Not that he needs to. He has everything he wants now.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Isolde," Keelan said warmly, bowing with a small smile. "I do hope you find the dukedom to your liking. If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to call on me."

It took a lot of restraint not to roll my eyes at him. He's the reason why I've been confined in this estate, and I've successfully avoided him until today. It's been two months since he'd caught me sneaking back into the duchy, and security had not lightened up one bit. Even now a guard, Roman, is watching me from a few feet away, and I know he didn't follow Keelan here.

"It's nice to meet you too," Isolde said as she sweetly smiled at Keelan. The wintergreen dress she wore swayed in the cold, spring breeze.

She really is as beautiful as the novel described. Her light brown hair and shining, green eyes remind me of a fawn that was rescued from a forest. Isolde's appearance is bewitching and could draw anyone and everyone in. Her features showed obvious traits of the Howell bloodline that rightfully declared her status as the daughter of the duke.

Of course, Isolde's aunt and uncle had admitted to taking her in after her mother, Evelyn, had died. The novel didn't say much about the dead woman, only that Isolde looked like a carbon copy of her except for Evelyn's blonde hair and grey eyes.

It had been a miracle that Isolde was found at all.

From what I can remember, the duke had traveled to Evelyn's village, Brashforte, to reminisce on his time with her. He'd known that the woman had died, but he couldn't help but look around for her anyway. According to the novel, Evelyn had been his only mistress. While he cared for Duchess Adira, he had loved Evelyn.

Walking around the village, Andreas ended up witnessing Isolde's great healing power as she helped an injured boy. As the duke watched the young anodyne, he was reminded of Evelyn. So, he approached Isolde and offered her work at the dukedom. During their interaction, Isolde revealed who her mother was, but it wasn't until she began packing her things that Andreas did the math and realized who the young girl was to him.

Now, as I look back and forth between the two, it's easy to see the resemblance. Their eyes are the same. Not only the shade of green in them but the shape too. It's no wonder that the girl was found by him so easily.