An Unexpected Seduction

Upheaval

Isabella's mind was in disarray as she slowly folded up the small note and laid it on her bedside table. Her mind automatically ran to one individual "Miss Spencer" she thought and grimaced as she replayed their previous encounter in the powder room. After her vicious words it was almost certain that she would lower herself to bully tactics in order to get what she wanted- in this case Alexander. Her heart unexpectedly clenched in pain at the thought of them together and in that moment she was acutely aware of the fact that she was falling for him. He was now the only man she could see herself having any kind of future with, even if it wasn't as husband and wife. Therefore the very thought of him being with another woman made her sick to her stomach. The only thing that gave her some hope was the fact that he had adamantly stated that things were finished between them, even if Miss Spencer was clinging on to their old flame.

Checking the time she noted that it would only be a couple of hours before Lily would call on her. Thus, she crawled into bed and fruitlessly prayed for sleep to overtake her, if only to have some respite from her predicament. She was sleeping soundly when a feminine voice called "It's time to awaken". Groggily opining her eyes she saw that Lily was preparing a bath for her. Stretching she yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes with the intention of trying to dispel the gritty feeling that permeated them.

The lack of sleep had made her movements clumsy, so as she staggered toward the bronze bath in the centre of the room Lily inquired "Are you alright my lady?". She frowned at her clumsy actions and spoke "Yes quite alright Lily, I fear the night's festivities have taken their toll on me". Lily chuckled in response not noticing the uneasiness that clung to Isabella's features. As she removed her nightdress and stepped into the warm water her mind was beginning to digress back to that dreaded note once more. "What shall I do?" she questioned. "Should I tell Alexander or just deal with it myself?" she thought. As her mind worked she realised that it was likely an act of desperation that had caused Miss Spencer to threaten her in such an unladylike manner. However, it was certainly likely that the same desperation would cause her to act on those threats, if her demands were not met. With those thoughts in mind, she sighed in resignation, wishing that her life could be uncomplicated for once.

Isabella quickly dried herself and dressed in a pale pink gown before she descended the grand staircase and entered the breakfast room. Alexander and Emma looked up as she entered and Emma beamed at her saying "Morning". Isabella greeted her in kind and turned to Alexander to see a mischievous look in his eyes "I hope you are well rested" he spoke without pause, but Isabella knew that there was sarcasm hidden in his words. She nodded in reply giving him a knowing smile and took her seat before she chatted idly with Emma.

Emma was determined to find out all she could about the ball and so she questioned her on the various dances and the splendid gowns that the ladies had worn. Isabella grinned as she pandered to her inquisitive nature and reassured her that one day when she was old enough, she would get to attend such balls herself. This made her eyes light up in wonder and when Isabella looked at Alexander she saw that he too wore a grin plastered across his face as he listened to their conversation.

After they had broken their fast, Isabella slowly surmounted the courage to approach the subject that was playing on her mind and spoke "Your grace, could I have a word with you in private? I have something I would like to discuss". He gave her a roguish grin in response, evidently believing her request was for reasons other than discussion. Gesturing toward the door of the breakfast room he replied "Very well Miss Bradford, lead the way to my study. I believe you are quite familiar as to its whereabouts" he grinned. As she stood from her chair and moved toward the door she noticed the quick glances the servants gave each other and couldn't help but blush.

Isabella knew that even the slightest remark could cause gossip to run wild and she was certain that Alexander's comments would add fuel to the fire. Alexander however, seemed to either be unaware of how his words and actions could be misconstrued, or more likely he simply did not care. While mulling this over, Isabella realised that this was one of the qualities she admired most about him. He never seemed to be affected by idle gossip and frequently showed disregard for many of the tons overbearing rules on acceptable behaviour, particularly when it came to her she mused and recalled his past words - "..you cause me to act rashly". 

"Does he just act this way with me?" she questioned internally. Pushing the thought away, she walked the short distance to his study and took a seat in front of his desk. Following her lead he moved to his chair and sat down grinning "So you really do just want to talk then? I had thought perhaps your words were a guise to get me alone" he said winking at her roguishly.

Unable to contain herself she smiled in reply before becoming serious once more. Noticing her uneasy countenance Alexander raised a quizzical eyebrow and eyed her closely "Is something the matter Bella?" he said his voice laced with concern. Deciding to get to the point before her emotions ran away with her, Isabella took the inauspicious piece of paper from the small pocket in her skirts and unfolded it with shaky hands. Alexander watched her as she extended her hand and slid it across the short expanse of the desk toward him, without a word leaving her lips. Picking it up he quickly read the few words scrawled across the now crumpled paper and his eyes went wide. Isabella sat in silence awaiting his reply and when his eyes met hers she was staggered by the ferocious look that was present there. "Where was this left?" he almost growled, with anger suffusing his tone.

Isabella was still in shock by the fury now radiating from him. In all the time she had known him she had never seen an ounce of the anger that was exuding from his being. Surmounting her courage she whispered "It was on my bedroom floor when I returned this morning, from the eh cottage...with you...it seems someone must have put it under my door". 

As soon as the words left her lips he was out of his seat and moving towards the door of his study, without pause. As he reached the door Isabella regained her resolve and spoke "Wait! Where are you going?" in a worried tone. Looking back at her briefly he replied "To round up the servants, one of them must know something about this". Without pause he quickly exited the room, leaving Isabella frozen on her chair. As she sat there feeling more than a little stunned she heard him bellow "Mrs Carter" before the sound of running footfalls permeated the hallway beyond. All Isabella could think was that Miss Spencer was surely causing an upheaval, for she was certain that the note was of her doing, even if Alexander had not instantly realised it yet.