Eloping with the Princess (Brotherhood of the Sword #3)(23)

Chapter Six


On the second day after their return to London, Jason sent a messenger to his brother’s home. Patrick and his wife had recently welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and Jason’s mother was staying with them to assist. Jason’s message invited them to an impromptu dinner, telling them it was rather important that they attend.

They had sent a notice almost immediately, notifying him that they would be there. His mother normally lived at the townhome with him, but Jason had seen her current absence as a welcomed respite considering the way his life had recently been derailed.

Jason had no doubt that she was helpful, but suspected her desire to help stemmed mostly from wanting to sit and hold her grandchildren. She had been a good mother to him and his brother, but she was an amazing grandmother, always coming up with outlandish games for his nephew to play, telling him stories and singing countless songs. Songs that after a few words and notes, he found himself humming, recognizing them from childhood.

Dinner would start in less than ten minutes, and he’d been waiting downstairs for Isabel to meet him. He knew his family was already here and had been waiting for him in the dining hall parlor. Earlier today, he’d sent notice to his mother’s favorite dressmaker and requested a gown for Isabel tonight.

Tomorrow she would go shopping for the rest of her necessities, but for tonight he wanted her to look the part. As she descended the stairs, he instantly recognized that she didn’t disappoint. She most assuredly appeared every part the regal princess she was.

Her dark hair had been swept into a delicate chignon, and wisps of curls teased her shoulders and framed her face. The ruby necklace he’d sent upstairs along with her gown winked at him. The gown, a deep and bold crimson, was perfect. The velvet bodice molded to her curves, revealing precisely what he’d suspected about her figure; the dress narrowed at her waist, then flared at her rounded hips. The gown was ornate with flounces and ruffles, as was the fashion, but it did not upstage the woman wearing it.

He held his hand out to her when she reached the bottom of the staircase. “You look lovely.”

“Thank you. You do as well.” Her mossy green eyes seemed to shimmer along with the rubies at her throat.

“Shall we?” he asked, holding his arm out to her.

“Are they here already?”

“They are.” He looped her hand into the crook of his elbow and led her forward. He’d told her some about his family—they’d had to have something fill the hours of their long journey back to London. He’d primarily covered the basics, their names and aspects of their personalities, but he knew that nothing compared to meeting people. And tonight, everyone was in for a surprise.

They stepped into the parlor. “Good evening,” he said.

All eyes turned to face them. His mother’s mouth momentarily dropped, but she quickly recovered and bestowed upon them a genuine smile.

“Good evening, my dear.” His mother came forward and embraced him, then looked expectantly at Isabel. But Jason did not explain Isabel’s presence. Not yet. He wanted everyone at the table, sitting in a civilized fashion, else his mother might whack him with a decorative pillow. Granted, at the dining room table, she had access to sharp objects.

“Let us sit, and then I shall make introductions.” He didn’t wait for a response, but rather pulled Isabel with him into the dining room. The scent of roasted quail and warm bread filled the air. He knew he should have already told his family, his mother in particular. He’d found that sometimes a group setting was the best place to deliver unexpected news.

“Now then,” Jason said once they were seated and had been served their soup. “Isabel, I should like you to meet my family. This is my mother, Genevieve Ellis, the Dowager Viscountess, and my brother, Patrick, and his wife, Suzanne. Everyone, this is Isabel Ellis, Viscountess. My wife.”

Patrick had only then taken a swallow of wine, and he immediately spat it out in surprise. Then he settled into a coughing fit, with his wife striking measured beats against his back.

“Good heavens, Jason, you could have warned us,” his mother said. “Not that we’re disappointed, dear.” She smiled warmly at Isabel. “This introduction is obviously not your doing. Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you,” Isabel said. Then she turned to Jason and frowned. “I cannot believe you hadn’t already told them,” she said through her teeth.

He flashed her a smile. “Surprise,” he whispered, then took a heavy swallow of his wine. It was going to be a long evening.

…

Isabel prayed that somehow she’d disappear into the plush rug beneath her. But she remained firmly in the heavy wooden chair, sitting next to her scoundrel of a husband and across from her shocked mother-in-law. Sweat beaded along her back, and she fought the urge to retreat. She could do this. She might not have ever expected to be welcomed into an aristocratic family, but she’d certainly sat through the instructions on meeting Society at St. Bart’s.

What had Jason been thinking? Surprising not only his family of their marriage, but doing so without telling her first. He was obviously trying to torment her. Well, she might feel out of place, but they certainly didn’t need to know that. She straightened herself, aligning her backbone against the hard back of the chair.

“Jason tells me you recently had a baby. Congratulations,” Isabel said to Suzanne.