Ashton's Secret

CHAPTER 12.

"Isla you should not have done that. You embarrassed Lord Ashton in front of all these people, he does not deserve that" Catherine said to her friend. They were all seated at the table with glasses of wine in their hands. Annalise was hunch over as if drunk.

Isla set down her glass and frown "I do not care what he deserves or not. The sooner he realizes that I do not like him, the better it is for both of us"

"But you will agree with me that lord Ashton is not like other suitors you have encountered in the past. He is different; he is kind and a true gentleman. Not everyone can be nice to Annalise"

"That is not the point" Annalise joined in a slur "Isla does not like men, she does not want a man be it nice or a jerk, so why can they not just come to me? I am right here, why will they not look at me?"

Catherine took the glance of wine from Annalise "you are drunk Annalise, father will not be pleased" Annalise ignored her and took Isla's glass instead refilling it. Catherine decided to let her be and went on with the conversation "all I am saying Isla is that you should be a little less harsh to Lord Ashton"

"No I cannot do that. He might get the wrong idea. Right now he is in the love sick phase and I do not want to worsen__ wait a minute, is that not Fiona?" Isla cut herself off at the sight of the blond hair woman hastily making her way towards the exit hugging a black tail coat to her body. Isla faced Catherine again with a betrayed look "you invited her?!"

"Well I told you at the tea shop last time that I would" Catherine replied nervously.

"But I thought you said that just to tease Annalise. You know how I feel about her Catherine so why would you invite her?!"

Catherine looked a little guilty "um, I did not actually invite her, I only invited Lord Lucas"

Isla glared at her "Lord Lucas is her fiancé and you know for a fact that if he comes she comes too, so why did you go ahead to invite him. You know I hate them both!"

"It is not my fault okay!" Catherine defended "father insisted I invite him, I could not say no"

Isla groaned and crossed her arm angrily "Now my entire evening is ruined thanks to you"

"I am sorry Isla, it was not my intention, but come to think of it, why is she leaving without Lucas? They are usually joined at the hip" Catherine wondered.

Isla scoffed "I am sure she sneak her way in here in the first place. Lord Lucas might not have brought her with him"

Shortly after, a coatless Ashton came out in the same direction Fiona had just come from. The girls immediately noticed him and Isla squinted at him in suspicion. She was already putting two and two together so when Ashton joined their table, she did not wait for her to seat before asking "where is your coat Lord Ashton?"

Ashton was surprised that she asked. She had expected Isla to give her the silent treatment for the rest of the evening. "I gave it to someone who needed it more than I did" Ashton answered politely despite the fact that her heart was still troubled by Isla's earlier rejection.

"By that someone you mean Fiona?" Catherine cautiously asked. She had already guessed it too.

Ashton stared at her in surprise "how did you know?"

"We just saw__"

"What were you doing with Fiona?" Isla cut Catherine off angrily.

Ashton stared at her wondering why she was being suddenly angry. She knew Isla hated the said lady but her anger seem a little too exaggerated. "I saw her being molested by a man who calls himself her fiancée and I stepped in to help, nothing more"