Her Scottish Love (A McFarland Clan & Friends Series #1) Indefinite Hiatus

Three

She was damned.

She was truly and well damned.

Isabelle stroked the canvas slowly and carefully as she tried not to think about what she had done. Isabelle's grip on the paintbrush tightened as she tried not to ruin her artwork. Out of anger and irrationality, she had made her uncle convinced that she was engaged to Andrew McFarland, Marquess of Albans. Isabelle attacked the white canvas with her paintbrush and continued to stroke and paint. She wasn't painting anything; rather she was applying color after color on the canvas, the bright colors turning a dark brownish color. It merely expressed her conflict and dilemma. And right now she was facing a dilemma.

The door of her room creaked open and Isabelle stop paint for a moment to turn and see Alex appear and lean against the doorframe looking at her. He looked at her painting and said, "Where is your creativity? Have you lost your artistic muse?"

Isabelle pursed her lips and said, "What do you want Alex?"

"My, what a sour mood," Alex said, observing her, "What happened to you to make you so surly?"

"I am not in the mood for company, Alexander," Isabelle said, as continued to paint. She didn't look up to face Alex. That was only going to make things worse.

Alex didn't budge. "You sound like my mother did whenever she used to scold me."

It was a rarity that Alex mentioned his mother. Olivia Crawley, Duchess of Ruddick had died of illness years ago. Isabelle merely rolled her eyes, but ignore him. She dabbed her paintbrush into the water and then dipped it into black paint as she added more detail to her self-portrait. The next words that Alex spoke made her stop and turn.

"What happened, Isabelle?" he asked. The light teasing voice had faded and a tone of seriousness edged his voice. "What made you so upset?"

Isabelle turned to face him and swallowed down the bile burning in her throat. She didn't want to think of this. She didn't even want to mention it. But this was Alex. She hardly hid things from him. There were no secrets between them, and she was not going to start now.

Alex merely stared at her. He raised a dark eyebrow as if to say well? And Isabelle sighed. "Your father and I had another argument about my impending nuptials."

"Yes," Alex nodded, "As you already mentioned."

"Well," said Isabelle, "As we argued I made a slip up and told him that I was already engaged."

"Already engaged?" Alex asked, "Did you say that to save yourself?"

"I was trying...oh, I don't know what I was trying to do." Isabelle cried as she dropped the paintbrush into the cup.

Then Alex understood, "Please tell me that you didn't say that you were engaged to Andrew!"

Isabelle shamefully nodded, and said, "Yes. I did."

Alex's eyes widened, "What?" he cried in shock.

Isabelle felt nothing but dread when she saw how pale his face had become. Alex shook his head, trying to calm himself down, "What are you going to do, Isabelle? Father will have the entire ton know about you 'engagement' to Andrew. Especially, when Andrew is now in London."

Isabelle froze and turned to him, "What?" she cried, "Andrew's here? In London?"

Alex nodded.

Isabelle's eyes widened in horror, "He's here?" she choked, barely making the words out.

"Isabelle?" Alex asked, worriedly, "You look pale."